We still don't know if any units other than channelers (civ leaders) will be able to cast spells. If they can, which I hope is the case, my guess is that they'll have the same "no canned units" aspect that Brad has already discussed in his unit production thread, so you'll be free to build all those mage types and more. If we can build 'regular' mages at all.

Beg pardon, I wasn't trying to scoff your post at all. I want to be able to build 'mage regulars' and I'm sure I'll end up with some schema or another to categorize them.

I guess you caught me doing some passive-aggressive nagging for both more info on the magic front *and* assurance that channelers will not be the only spellcasters in the game.

DoT is more accurate, since obviously 'seconds' have no factor in turn-based gameplay (or shouldn't anyway, defeats the purpose).

generally spells would come in singe shot damage, with maybe a few that deal damage over the course of several turns, but they wouldn't be as common as they are in a RTS game.

somebody should get a breakdown of all the master of magic spells > just for arbitrary comparison to see 'what has been done' as well as any similar fantasy game spell lists

Yeah, I was looking.  Sadly there isn't a solid spell or random event FAQ anywhere that I can find.   The strategy guide is great and all, but it isn't in a format that we can share here on the forums (unless somebody has a pdf)

Sorry GW Swicord, wasn't trying to sound defensive. i was just trying to be more specific.

Mages and classification in general, not elemental specific:

Sorting mages is tricky, it depends on personal flavour and what angle one choose to take. The OP describes sorting only based on what can be accomplished (if it is a support mage, only support spells etc) and that can make them very narrow. Another way is to give the mage a source of his/her power and let that be deciding on what can be accomplished (a fire mage could for example both cast exploding fireballs and be able to peek through distant burning fires to divine their surroundings). The later case can lead to, if it is too strict, that a number of fun spells can't be placed in a suitable power domain (example again, an enchanted broom that can sweep by itself could be considered to be air magic, but an air mage might find it both easier and faster to use a controlled gust of wind).

I have thought about this for quite some time, ever since I fell in love with mage type characters. What I find most appealing is to just say that a mage have magical powers and that all spells are available, but learning them is tricky and takes time. Mages are then allowed a high degree of freedom in which spells to choose, even if they only know a few. They can be generalists but also choose to specialize in spells related to a role like divination or combat, in which case they will be more versatile there (a generalist might learn a simple one target attack spell, while a combat specialist might broaden the options with AoE spells, DoTs, long range spells and mix in other elements just in case a foe should be impervious to one type). The classification of mage roles then exist as a way to describe what they have learnt so far, but it doesn't limit multi-roles or future development.

A thought about conjuration. All the other types seem to me to be aimed towards a certain job, but not the conjurors. To me the list feels a little like: we have peasents, soldiers, rulers, priests and humans, each do their job. Aren't summoners supposed to be able to summon different beasts with unique powers? If so, maybe a conjurer can bring forth creatures that could both bombard and use tricky illusions. Conjuration should be a mean, not a classification itself, at least if magic is classified according to what it can accomplish. Isn't a mage who summon a magical bird to act as a spy a divinator? Isn't a mage who summon a fire elemental with a scorching flame aura a bombardier? Isn't a mage who summon a spirit to protect and heal an ally a support mage? It is how I feel anyway.

I thought we still weren't even clear on whether any units other than channelers *could* cast spells. What did I miss?

The Quote button at the bottom of each reply will start you out with a full, attributed quote down in the edit box. If you select part of the post (like I did above) and click the Quote button, you get the partial quote without attribution.