[Magic] Battlemages and their favourite spells

[Dantar]

I have a character that started out as a mage assassin, and one of the most useful features is certainly Improved Magic Resistance. There's nothing quite like shaking a finger at wizards that try to nerf him with a spell, only to find out it *just doesn't work.* Hard to Kill will also prove to be a nice insurance policy on your mage. ;)

As for useful spells? Blink, deflect missile and return missile, armor is essential. For just a few points, you're protected everywhere like a suit of full armor! Strike Blind and Strike Dumb are both highly useful for making enemy wizards mostly useless (especially Strike Dumb if you notice they have to speak for all their spells.)

I know a certain other character that tends to use Levitation to lift up her enemies and then invert them. Handy against mundanes.

[Celjabba]

The possibilities are too many, it depend of the mage focus.

However, all my mage tend to have those utilities spells, if available.

-Flight (or a variation).
Always usefull.
(personnaly, i tend to buy it as a power (magical, and familar or gadget based), as it is the spell you want to have always on.)

-Ignite fire
The swiss knive of magic.

-Invisibility

If your battlemage is part of an army (or a small group of fighters),
don't forget the food college.
Also, If your gm allow it, Move terrain is awesome for any battlemage.

celjabba

[Randover]

I will raise one complain, Missile spells and Melee spells are bad choice. Mage is better of with mundane choices. (Brawling, Sword, Bow or Crossbow, Throwing skills)

Also it is also hard to find efective anti-magic spells. Spell shield is one passive defence, but definetly not Wards. (Enemy can use any spell from book you can defend only to few.)

Always good choice are spells that change conditions of battlefield. Levitation, Fly, Missile Shield, Armour, Invisibility. Night Vision, Dark Vision (for dungeon delvers). And maybe some summons (Creation and Illusion)

Lately I was toying with Innate Attack as part of "mage's" minimum, especialy homming with extra accuracy seems nice long range as in some fiction, and games, and surely anime.

[rozumcrans]

First I take Link so a spell can be set to go off rather quickly, then:

Shapeshift (Kodiak Bear)
Stench
Mass Daze
Create Fire
Stone Missile or Lightning or Ice Sphere
Blur
Shield (maybe)
Shocking Touch (can be combined with an attack with a staff with the Staff spell cast on it!)
Electric missiles (to support a party)
Mystic Mist

I don't bother with armor, choosing to wear my own instead.

[Captain-Captain]

Shape Earth. Cast with an intended duration of 1 turn to avoid spell on penalties. Move one cubic hex of Earth out of the way and put it in front of where you dug it out. Spell ends. You have a 3 foot deep hole and 3 foot tall front wall. With one step, you are in a fox hole. And 36 inches of earth can eat damage.

[Captain-Captain]

If your GM allows Imbuements:

You need a missile spell. You take the Imbument skills Shatter Strike, Arching Shot and the combo skill Arching Shaterstrike all set for your missile spell.

You now are a mortar. You spend fatigue for the missile spell 3d recommended. Arching shot lets you bend the path of the missile spell So you can go around corners and over walls.

Get the Imbuement skills up to a level where you can take a -4 skill penalty without problems.

Shatter stike adds frag damage (burn or cutting whichever is more suitable to the attack type) up to the damage of the attack. [1d] 5 yd range no penalty. [2d] 10 yd range -2 penalty. [3d] 15 yd range -4 penalty base skill of 15- for the shrapnel minus range penalties. 1 fatigue for Shatterstrike two fatigue for Arching Shatter Strike.

And with good hit rolls you do multiple frag attacks to your target.

[Luke Bunyip]

Originally Posted by Nymdok

To be honest, it really does depend on what kind of mage your making. The Great Mage Richardus Simmonus with his Full controll of the Body Control College is going to fight VERY differently than Fridgidi the Ice Mage with acess to the Water College.

Decide on who they are and how they fight first. Decide how much Magic is a part of that combat, then pick spells from there.

Very true. But that is why I asked the question. For example, if some of you have interesting comments on the way that some spells from different colleges combine, that is the sort of information I am very interested in.

[Sword-dancer]

Originally Posted by Captain-Captain

You have a 3 foot deep hole and 3 foot tall front wall. With one step, you are in a fox hole. And 36 inches of earth can eat damage.

and the next spearman will spear you to death.

[Nymdok]

Originally Posted by Luke Bunyip

Very true. But that is why I asked the question. For example, if some of you have interesting comments on the way that some spells from different colleges combine, that is the sort of information I am very interested in.

OH! So you want combos! Why dintcha say so!

These should be accessible for Magery 2 and have a pretty low pre-req count.
Offensive Combos for The Pure Magic Batle Mage:

Glue/Create Fire/Shape fire
Grease/Windstorm
Pain or Stun/Flame Jet or Lightning Whip
HawkVision/Lightning


Is that what you meant?

[nanoboy]

Create Animal (Swarm of Wasps) was probably the most effective use of a spell in combat that I've ever seen. There are direct countermeasures, but if you're not expecting it and aren't wearing environmental armor, it's probably lights out.