The Underrated Mage: A Key to Victory

    by William Boy


    I cannot count the number of times I have either read or heard how the mage is the "least useful character." Mages are a luxury item. You do not need them for the survival of your nation. This, I believe, is somewhat true. You must have commanders. Most of your vital orders must be given by a character with command skill. Also, commanders can create other character classes. Emissaries are needed to help you with your finances, especially at the start of the game. Agents are critical for defense. You must protect your profitable population centers from enemy (or friendly) agents stealing your gold. More importantly, all army commanders must be protected or you will eventually lose your army.

    Now, commanders (with armies), emissaries (by influencing enemy population centers), and agents (by assassinations) can also attack the enemy. However, attack is not vital to survival. But there is a difference between surviving and winning. Like attacking, mages are not vital to survival, but they are vital to winning.

    There are major drawbacks to having mages. Developing them is time consuming and costly. In addition to many turns spent increasing their skill level (prentice magery, 1-5 points/turn), you must also spend time and money learning new spells so that your mage can be productive. Once these spells are learned, you must spend even more time practicing them (casting them); otherwise, you will not have access to them when really needed.

    Despite the drawbacks, the benefits of mages are infinite. A single well-trained mage can perform functions which greatly assist you in successful game play. The key is to use your mage effectively

    The first step in using a mage is to make sure you have a usable mage. Some nations start out with good mages, others do not. Always remember that the experienced player will know of your beginning characters. If the character is a threat, it will probably be assassinated. It may take a few turns, but the major characters are walking around with big, glowing targets on them. So if you want to use your mage in the long-term game, better make sure you have one that the enemy does not know about. Therefore, create a pure mage character. Use one of your existing mages for this, or have a commander create a new character with 30 mage points. If you already have a good mage, you probably have artifacts which enhance their skill level. Dump these artifacts on your new mage. Remember, the experienced enemy will also know about your artifacts. If you do not have a good mage, you can enhance your new mage by finding certain artifacts which enhance mage skill. If you do not choose to augment your new mage with artifacts, then you will be forced to have the mage prentice magery to increase their skill level.

    The next step is to properly use your mage. To do this, you must decide on what objective your mage will work toward. Pick only one objective, as it will take you several turns to get your mage ready. If you have the mage try to perform too many tasks you will get too delayed in training. Therefore, you will miss valuable opportunities to use the mage early in the game. You could attempt to train the mage in multiple tasks by compromising training, but you will lose the effectiveness of the mage. As a result, the mage may be unable to carry out an assigned task. Therefore, I recommend one task per mage.

    Once you have decided on a task for your mage, you then begin necessary training to accomplish the task. You will have to learn the necessary spells. To do this you must first have the prerequisite spell. The spells are divided into "lists." The spells in these lists are from "easy" to "hard." If you want to know a spell on a certain list, you must first learn an easy spell, then an average spell, and finally a hard spell. Some of the lists are "lost" in which case you will not have access to them. Remember, it takes 1000 units of gold to research a spell. So plan your finances accordingly.

    When you learn a new spell there will be a number in parentheses beside it. This number is your base chance to cast the spell. When you cast a spell, a random number will be generated by GSI. This random number will be added to your base chance of casting the spell. The sum of the two numbers must exceed 100 in order to cast the spell. By casting the spell in practice (and you must "successfully" cast it) you will increase your base chance by 1-5 points. When you learn a new spell , your base chance will probably be equal to your skill level. So the higher your skill level, the less practice you will need. Remember, some artifacts increase your skill level; therefore, artifacts provide invaluable short cuts.

    The are several options on which task to choose for your mage. I will offer a few obvious suggestions, you will be able to develop others.


    Use your mage to locate and retrieve objects

    Artifacts are valuable. You can use them to enhance skill levels, for victory conditions, to gain knowledge, and as weapons. They are also valuable. Another nations may not be very interested in gold or production goods, but they may be very interested in an artifact. You may be able to trade an artifact already in your possession, or you may hire your mage out to another nation to locate or retrieve an artifact.

    Training:
    You must learn "locate artifact true" from the Artifact Lore List. Make sure you retain "research artifact," one of the prerequisite spells, because you will want to find out what the artifact does. Be advised, many artifacts have more than one power, so research the artifacts you already own thoroughly.

    BY THE WAY, YOU DO NOT HAVE TO POSSESS THE ARTIFACT IN ORDER TO RESEARCH IT! SO YOU CAN START RESEARCHING ARTIFACTS UNTIL YOU DISCOVER ONE YOU COULD REALLY USE, THEN GO AFTER IT. I recommend maintaining a log on your findings. A list of artifacts would be a very valuable shortcut to another player.

    If you are going to use the mage to retrieve artifacts after they are located, you must have additional training. One common sense point is to learn a good traveling spell. This way you avoid spending a lot of time traveling around the map. If your nation has access to teleport use it. If not, find it. Otherwise at least learn "Path Mastery" from the Movement Mastery List. If your population centers are spread out, learn "Return True" from the Return Mastery List.

    Another point is getting the artifact once you have located it. If unowned, you will have to face some dangers getting to it. Mages are good challenge characters. Therefore if you assign your mage the task of getting artifacts, you will have to spend time ordering the mage to prentice magery in order to increase the mage's challenge rank.

    As you can see for this simple task, a tremendous amount of time and money must be available. A better strategy may be to divide between the two mages. Mage #1--Use one mage to locate and research artifacts. Mage #2--Use another mage to retrieve the artifact.

    Mage #1 will concentrate on learning the spell necessary to locate the artifact. Once this mage is developed, every turn you can order the mage either to locate an artifact or research an artifact. The other order can be spent in prentice magery.

    Mage #2--Learn a good traveling spell and spend all free time in prentice magery. This mage should be given the most artifacts to enhance his ability and challenge rank since he will be spending a great deal of time running errands. This would be a task suited to a multi-class mage character. I recommend an agent/mage, this way you can do some scouting along the way. An agent/emissary might be nice to create a few population centers along the way. You could easily train the character's emissary skill by stopping off at enemy population centers along the way to influence their population. If you do decide to fill this position with a multi-class character, avoid training the character's secondary skill in your population centers. This should be reserved for prentice magery.


    Use your mage as an assassin:

    Mage assassins may be the one weapon even more effective than agents. An agent has to be in the same hex as the intended target. Therefore there is always the chance of detection. Not to mention the target may be guarded. However, a mage casting "Curses" from the Spirit Mastery List can deliver a blow to a target from an adjacent hex. Therefore, there is less of a chance of detection, and no guards to overcome. The spell causes the victim to lose health points equal to 1/2 the mage's skill level. I recommend a time saving, blow dealing company of these mages who have a total of 200 mage skill points. This way you could eliminate the target in one shot. Imagine how this could hurt your enemy if you placed such a company around his capital. The experienced players call this a "curse squad."

    Training:
    Provided you have access to spirit mastery (a lost list which can be obtained from certain artifacts) you will need to learn "Curses." Again, learn a good traveling spell so you do not waste time moving around the map. Prentice magery is necessary until you have the desired "200" point total skill points in the company to make it operational.

    If you wish to use multi-class characters for this task I recommend Emissary/Mage. This way you can wipe out a nation's characters in a population center then move in for a massive emissary action. I would only use pure mages. The secondary skill will hamper you from achieving the "200" point mage skill goal of the company.

    A side note, if you want to maintain this company, it is a good idea to keep a mage in training as a replacement member. Things happen.


    Assisting your army; Offense:

    Your mage can cast two spells per turn. The catch is that they must be spells from two different lists. In addition, casting two spells in a single turn may hurt your mage's health. The casting of two spells simultaneously can be very helpful to your army. I recommend that if you are going to use the mage for army support, concentrate on offense capability. In my opinion, added damage from weapons or offensive spells influences the winner of the battle. Defensive bonuses from armor or defensive spells affects the enemy losses after they have already won the battle.

    Training:
    Should you decide to use your mage for offensive combat support you will need to concentrate on learning offensive spells. In addition, you will need to practice the spells until you are fairly sure you will be able to cast them when you are involved in the battle. You will find that offensive spells can be learned off of more than one list. This is to your advantage. Learn offensive spells from two lists so that you can cast two offensive spells in a turn. Be careful, casting two hard spells will give your army a great deal of offensive power, but you may seriously hurt your mage. Correspond your casting to your mage's skill level and current health. If he is already injured cast easier spells, or cast only one spell. Usually for a fairly well trained mage two average spells would be no problem.

    As far as which offensive spells I would recommend, it depends on how you want to plan your battles. Therefore I want to calculate my army strengths as accurate as possible, so that I will know what I will be able to handle. Many of the combat spells give a range of possible damage. If I am going to use one of these spells I calculate the spell doing the minimum damage. That way, as far as my preparations are concerned, I can count on the spell doing a certain damage. If it does more than I calculated, then it is only a bonus which offsets any mistakes in which I underestimate the strength of my army. Also, much depends on how well my mage can cast the spell. I would rather have 700 points than none at all in a critical battle. I recommend "Words of Death" from the Word Mastery List as your primary offensive spell. In addition have several average level spells available from the Fire Mastery List. I would use "Fire Bolts" as a second offensive spell. With this spell I am assured of 1000 points of damage. However, if you are the gambling type try "Fire Balls" which can cause 500-1500 points of damage.

    In addition to the offensive spells, you must have your mage learn "Heal True" from the Healing Mastery List. Since the mage will be traveling with an army you will not need traveling spells. But you will need spells which will heal damage from casting two spells in a single turn and any wounds suffered in combat. This way you can have the mage healthy for the next battle.

    The task of offensive army support is perfect for a multi-class mage character, and in fact one of the few tasks I actually recommend it. You will not need to spend as much time in prentice magery (which can only be done in your population center). Also you can practice the spells while you are traveling with the army. Two good combinations are Mage/Agent and Mage/Commander. With the agent abilities you can guard your army commander and perform scouting functions. With the command skill your character can serve as a backup army commander and can help with troop training. Perhaps an Agent/Commander/Mage would be ideal, but you will have to spend quite a bit of time getting the character ready.


    Assisting your army; Defense

    As I have already indicated, I prefer to win the battle. But sometimes your nation is faced with a dilemma; you know you are going to lose a pending battle, and you must do as much damage to the enemy as you can. I am not referring to going out in a "blaze of glory." That would be a waste of a mage. What I am referring to is that you must damage the enemy army so greatly that they will be unable to exploit their victory. With this in mind, have a mage ready for defensive action.

    Training:
    The training for a mage destined for this task would be similar to that for a mage tasked with offensive support. Have defensive spells available from two separate lists. Now, instead of being careful as you would with the offensive mage, the defensive mage can throw caution to the wind. I assume that when you are having to use a mage for this task, then failure would be so great that your nation would suffer badly from it. So go for success. Cast your spells going for the greatest possible defensive advantage. I recommend the two hard spells "Force Walls" from the Resistance Mastery List, and "Barrier Walls" from the Barrier Mastery List.


    General army assistance:

    This task would be a combination of two prior tasks, except both offensive and defensive spells would be available. I would not develop a mage for this function. It would be better to have a multi-class character with mage being partially developed only for an occasional combat spell.


    Intelligence Gathering:

    Having your mage handy to tell you what your enemy is going to do, and where they are located, is a big plus. A mage designed to perform this function will not only be able to support your military movements, but also your agent activities.

    Training:
    There are several spells you must learn to make this type of mage successful. The necessary spells will include those from the Perceptions List, Divinations List, Scrying, and Hidden Visions List. How many spells you will need from each list depends on what you want the mage to try to find out for you. If you plan to attack hidden population centers, I would begin by having this mage learn "Reveal Population Center" as soon as possible. Following this, I would determine my exact needs. The mage can be used to keep track of armies, locate characters, determine information of military importance (such as composition of armies), help find enemy artifacts, and provide information on population centers. There are however range limitations on these spells. Therefore, what I recommend is developing one or more of these mages and set them up in a population center near the action. They will provide you with enough information to coordinate your forces and stay a step ahead of the enemy.

    Now, as I have already indicated, you will be able to devise other uses for your mages. Often they can make the difference between victory and defeat. Definitely they can make vast improvements in your nation's position. So don't let anyone say that mages are your weakest character.

    Get your mages together and have some good gaming. And for all your friends who do not subscribe to Whispers of the Wood, make sure you tell them........."Willy Boy was here !"


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