Category:Mages

2007-02-26T17:00:25Z

Mringasa: Adjusted some misinformation about hero mages and their running options.

''The mysterious [[Arcane Knowledge |arcane knowledge]] that these persons wield is often frightening. At the outset, these people may not seem to present a challenge for a good sword or a stout club, but as their studies grow, they have been found to be formidable opponents. They can be limited by their power level, but more than one mage has been known to inflict great fear in others and when they were seemingly defeated, disappear. Not dead of course, but preparing to return and finish the job they started. The [[Prime Requisite |prime requisite]] of Mages is [[Intelligence |INTelligence]], allowing them to [[Practice |learn]] powerful [[:Category: Spells |spells]].''

'''Abbreviation:''' Mag.

'''[[Prime Requisite |Prime Requisite]]:''' [[Intelligence |Intelligence]].

== Mages in General ==

Mages specialize in casting [[:Category: Skills And Spells That Harm Mobs |offensive spells]]. They can generally do more damage than [[:Category: Characters |characters]] of many other [[:Category: Classes |classes]] as long as they do not become depleted of their [[Mana Points |mana]]; this dependence upon their [[Mana Points |mana]] supply may be their greatest weakness. Mages, with their in-class transportation spells and [[Surge |surging ability]] and such, can obtain and [[Enchanting |enchant]] [[:Category: Gear |gear]] more easily than [[:Category: Characters |characters]] of most other [[:Category: Classes |classes]], which makes them rather handy either for equipping their alternate [[:Category: Characters |characters]] or for earning money by selling [[Enchanting |enchanted]] [[:Category: Gear |gear]] to other players. Their ability to solo more easily than [[:Category: Characters |characters]] of most other [[:Category: Classes |classes]] may make mages especially appealing to players whose circumstances do not always allow them to conveniently fight in groups. Mages, sadly, tend to die more frequently over time than [[:Category: Characters |characters]] of other [[:Category: Classes |classes]] for a variety of reasons, including their having lower [[Hit Points |hit-points]] and their tending to [[Wear |wear]] less-protective [[:Category: Gear |gear]] during combat, particularly [[:Category: Mana Gear |mana gear]]. For this reason, it can be argued that [[:Category: Tank Gear |tank gear]] is more important to mages than any other set of [[:Category: Gear |gear]], accompanied by an ability to change into it rapidly (using effective [[:Category: Gear Changing Aliases |gear-changing aliases]]) at moments of mortal danger.

== Mage Creation ==

[[:Category: Characters |Characters]] of any [[:Category: Races |race]] may be mages but some [[:Category: Races |races]] are far better suited for magery than others. [[:Category: Characters |Characters]] of [[:Category: Races |races]] with relatively-high [[Intelligence |intelligence]], such as [[Centaurs |centaurs]], [[Draconians |draconians]], [[Drow |drow]], and [[Elves |elves]], tend to make excellent mages. Likewise, [[:Category: Characters |characters]] of [[:Category: races |races]] with relatively-low [[Intelligence |intelligence]], such as [[Gargoyles |gargoyles]], [[Giants |giants]], [[Goblins |goblins]], [[Troglodytes |troglodytes]], and [[Verbits |verbits]], tend to be poor mages with high rates of [[Cast |spellcasting]] failure, although some people still choose to play mages of such [[:Category: Races |races]] because they enjoy their novelty or difficulty.

See also [http://users.tpg.com.au/wyvaud/avatar_races/races.html Wiseman's Avatar race comparison chart] and/or [http://gishcam.tripod.com/gaming/avatar/index.html Another Avatar MUD Site]'s [http://gishcam.tripod.com/gaming/avatar/helprccl.html Race-Class Comparer] for some excellent comparative data to aid you in choosing your new mage's [[:Category: Races |race]].

== Mages at Lowmort Tier ==

=== Training ===

As with any new [[:Category: Characters |character]], a new mage's first priority should be to [[Train |train]] [[Wisdom |wisdom]], either as much as is possible or enough that it may be maximized using [[:Category: Level Gear |level gear]], so as to gain as many [[Practice Points |practice-points]] per [[Level |level]] as possible.

Mages should next [[Train |train]] both their [[Intelligence |intelligence]], which will (1) give them larger average [[Mana Points |mana]] gains and (2) increase their spell damage and (3) allow them to become adept at [[:Category: Skills And Spells |skills]] using fewer [[Practice Points |practice points]], and their [[Constitution |constitution]], which will increase their average [[Hit Points |hit-point]] gains per [[Level |level]].

Mages should then consider [[Train |training]] both their [[Dexterity |dexterity]], which may help them avoid combat damage, and their [[Strength |strength]], which will increase both their [[Carrying Capacity |carrying capacity]] and their melee damage, although [[Train |training]] these two [[:Category: Statistics |statistics]] is less urgent and may be postponed if desired.

See [[:Category: Statistics |Statistics]] for more detail about each of these five [[:Category: Statistics |statistics]] and their effects.

=== Practicing ===

After maximizing their [[Wisdom |wisdom]], [[Intelligence |intelligence]], and [[Constitution |constitution]], mages may consider [[Practice |practicing]] [[:Category: Skills And Spells |skills]].

Mages may [[Practice |practice]] [[:Category: Skills And Spells |skills]] only with [[:Category: Trainers |trainers]]; see both [[:Category: Trainers |Trainers]] and, more specifically, [[:Category: Mage Trainers |Mage Trainers]] for more information on these [[:Category: Trainers |trainer]] [[:Category: Mobs |mobs]] and on where they may be found.

Mages should generally keep their [[Intelligence |intelligence]] as high as possible (usually three more than their maximum [[Train |trainable]] amount) while [[Practice |practicing]] [[:Category: Skills And Spells |skills]] so as to avoid needlessly wasting [[Practice Points |practice points]]; see [[Intelligence |Intelligence]] for more detail about [[:Category: Skills And Spells |skill]]-[[Practice |practicing]] costs. [[:Category: Lowmort |Lowmort]] mages may [[Practice |practice]] [[:Category: Mage Lowmort Skills And Spells |their skills]] up to 95%.

See [[:Category: Mage Lowmort Skills And Spells |Mage Lowmort Skills and Spells]] for more detail about what [[:Category: Skills And Spells |skills]] mages may [[Practice |practice]] at [[:Category: Lowmort |lowmort]] [[:Category: Tiers |tier]], at what [[Level |level]] these [[:Category: Skills And Spells |skills]] may be [[Practice |practiced]], and how useful they are.

=== Worshipping ===

Mages, as with all [[:Category: Classes |classes]], may choose to [[Worship |worship]] a [[:Category: Gods And Goddesses |god or goddess]] at [[Level |level]] 10 or beyond. Some [[:Category: Gods And Goddesses |deities]], though, are better suited for mages to [[Worship |worship]] than others, particularly [[Bhyss |Bhyss]], [[Shizaga |Shizaga]], and [[Quixoltan |Quixoltan]].

'''Bhyss versus Shizaga:''' [[Bhyss |Bhyss]] and [[Shizaga |Shizaga]] are most popular among Avatar MUD's mages. Both of these [[:Category: Gods And Goddesses |deities]] decrease their worshippers' melee damage but increase their worshippers' spell damage, which is very beneficial to mages because they do more damage via their [[:Category: Spells |spells]] than via their [[:Category: Weapons |weapons]]; [[Bhyss |Bhyss]], however, does this more than [[Shizaga |Shizaga]] does, making him ideal for mages wishing to maximize their overall combat damage. [[Bhyss |Bhyss]], however, also reduces gains in both [[Hit Points |hit-points]] and [[Practice Points |practice-points]] over time, making his worshippers easier to kill and slightly slower to develop [[:Category: Skills And Spells |skills]]; for these reasons, mages wanting to [[Worship |worship]] [[Bhyss |Bhyss]] may defer doing so until either [[:Category: Hero |hero]] or [[Lord |lord]] [[:Category: Tiers |tier]]. And [[Bhyss |Bhyss]] also hurts with [[Enchanting |enchanting]], whereas [[Shizaga |Shizaga]] helps with it, making [[Shizaga |Shizaga]] ideal for mages wishing to maximize their effectiveness at [[Enchanting |enchanting]] [[:Category: Gear |gear]]. Both [[Bhyss |Bhyss]] and [[Shizaga |Shizaga]] decrease their worshippers' [[:Category: Skills And Spells That Buff Characters |buffing-spells]]' [[Armor Class |armor class]], making their worshippers less desired by other [[:Category: Characters |characters]], especially [[Tanks |tanks]], to provide them with [[:Category: Skills And Spells That Buff Characters |such spells]]. In summary, [[Bhyss |Bhyss]] may be better suited for mages who plan to do nothing other than [[Hitters |hit]] within groups, whereas [[Shizaga |Shizaga]] may be better suited for mages who expect to solo some, particularly to obtain and [[Enchanting |enchant]] [[:Category: Gear |gear]]--tasks for which mages are well-suited.

See [[Worship |Worship]] for more detail regarding [[:Category: Gods And Goddesses |worship options]] and their effects.

=== Fighting ===

As with [[:Category: Characters |characters]] of other [[:Category: Classes |classes]], most [[:Category: Lowmort |lowmort]] mages should have little trouble soloing from [[Level |level]] 1 to [[Level |level]] 11 very quickly. Afterward, gaining [[Experience Points |experience]] alone will grow increasingly difficult and mages should seriously consider grouping with other [[:Category: Characters |characters]]. Once mages [[Practice |practice]] [[Surge |surge]] at [[Level |level]] 25, they will find soloing somewhat easier once again.

'''Soloing:''' Mages may find soloing easier than [[:Category: Characters |characters]] of most other [[:Category: Classes |classes]] once they have [[Practice |practiced]] [[Surge |surge]]. Some find mage soloing to be rather tedious, overly repetitive, and/or lonesome, and may do so only if groups are not avaialable. Because mage soloing requires long periods of [[Mana Points |mana]] regeneration between kills, mage soloers may opt to engage in additional real-life activities while their [[:Category: Characters |characters]] are [[Sleep (command) |sleeping]].

'''Tanking:''' Mages hardly ever serve as [[Tanks |tanks]] at [[:Category: Lowmort |lowmort]] [[:Category: Tiers |tier]], although there are rare exceptions. Mages become much better able to [[Tanks |tank]] groups during [[:Category: Hero |hero]] [[:Category: Tiers |tier]] after [[Practice |practicing]] certain [[:Category: Mage Hero Skills And Spells |hero-tier skills]] (see below).

'''Hitting:''' Mages usually serve as [[Hitters |hitters]] in [[:Category: Lowmort |lowmort]] groups. Mage [[Hitters |hitters]] should normally [[Wear |wear]] [[:Category: Mana Gear |mana gear]] to maximize their available [[Mana Points |mana]], upon which they are highly dependent for doing damage. Mages who run low on [[Mana Points |mana]] during runs may attempt to alleviate this problem somewhat by "[[Catching Tics |catching tics]]." Mage hitters typically fight by waiting for their [[Tanks |tank]] to start fighting a [[:Category: Mobs |mob]], immediately using their [[Kill |kill]] [[:Category: Commands |command]] targetted at this same [[:Category: Mobs |mob]], and then [[Cast |casting]] a single-target [[:Category: Skills And Spells That Harm Mobs |attack spell]] (usually via an [[Alias |alias]]) repeatedly without specifying any target until this [[:Category: Mobs |mob]] is dead. Whenever their [[Tanks |tank]] is fighting more than a few [[:Category: Mobs |mobs]] simultaneously, mage [[Hitters |hitters]] may consider [[Cast |casting]] an area-effect [[:Category: Skills And Spells That Harm Mobs |attack spell]] instead of a single-target [[:Category: Skills And Spells That Harm Mobs |attack spell]]. Mage [[Hitters |hitters]] should [[Practice |practice]] [[Chaos Channel |chaos channel]] as soon as possible, as it will rougly halve their [[Mana Points |mana]] costs for all of their [[:Category: Skills And Spells That Harm Mobs |attack spells]] while they are grouped.

'''Healing:''' Although [[:Category: Clerics |clerics]] and their like are usually preferred as [[Healers |healers]], they are not always available. [[:Category: Lowmort |Lowmort]] mages may substitute for [[:Category: Characters |characters]] of such [[:Category: Classes |classes]] by [[Practice |practicing]] [[Arcane Knowledge |arcane knowledge]], by collecting certain [[:Category: Brandishes |brandishes]] (such as [[Shard Of Durrite |shards of durrite]], [[Limestone Staff |limestone staves]], [[Fingerbone Of Senex |fingerbones of Senex]], [[Gold Dragon Orb |gold dragon orbs]], and [[White Marble Cross |white marble crosses]]) and by both [[Hold |holding]] and [[Brandish |brandishing]] these as needed during runs.

== Mage Prestige Options ==

[[Level |Level]]-50 mages may choose to become either [[:Category: Stormlords |stormlords]] or [[:Category: Wizards |wizards]] instead. As [[:Category: Stormlords |stormlords]], well... that remains to be seen; see [[:Category: Stormlords |Stormlords]] for more information about this [[:Category: Prestige Classes |prestige class]]. As [[:Category: Wizards |wizards]], they will gain less [[Hit Points |hit points]] but more [[Mana Points |mana]], they will do less melee damage but more spell damage, and they will forfeit their ability to learn certain [[:Category: Psionicist Lowmort Skills And Spells |psionic spells]] during [[:Category: Hero |hero]] [[:Category: Tiers |tier]] but will gain other [[:Category: Wizard Hero Skills And Spells |unique abilities]] instead; see [[:Category: Wizards |Wizards]] for more information about this [[:Category: Prestige Classes |prestige class]].

== Mages at Hero Tier ==

=== Training ===

Mages at [[:Category: Hero |hero]] [[:Category: Tiers |tier]] will be able to [[Train |train]] their [[Intelligence |intelligence]] five higher than at [[:Category: Lowmort |lowmort]] [[:Category: Tiers |tier]] and to [[Train |train]] their other [[:Category: Statistics |statistics]] two higher than at [[:Category: Lowmort |lowmort]] [[:Category: Tiers |tier]]. They will continue to be able to raise each of their [[:Category: Statistics |statistics]] up to three more than they can [[Train |train]] them to (respectively), unless they [[Devotion |devote]] themselves to a [[:Category: Gods And Goddesses |deity]], in which case these amounts may be modified slightly. See ''Devoting'' below for more information about this subject.

=== Practicing ===

Mages should continue to [[Practice |practice]] [[:Category: Skills And Spells |skills]] with [[:Category: Mage Trainers |mage trainers]] and should usually keep their [[Intelligence |intelligence]] as high as possible while doing so, just as at [[:Category: Lowmort |lowmort]] [[:Category: Tiers |tier]]. [[:Category: Hero |Hero]] mages may continue to [[Practice |practice]] [[:Category: Mage Hero Skills And Spells |their skills]] up to 95%. See [[:Category: Mage Hero Skills And Spells |Mage Hero Skills and Spells]] for more detail about what [[:Category: Skills And Spells |skills]] mages may [[Practice |practice]] at [[:Category: Hero |hero]] [[:Category: Tiers |tier]], at what [[Level |level]] these [[:Category: Skills And Spells |skills]] may be [[Practice |practiced]], and how useful they are.

=== Devoting ===

Mages, as with all [[:Category: Classes |classes]], may choose to [[Devotion |devote]] themselves to whichever [[:Category: Gods And Goddesses |deity]] they have chosen to [[Worship |worship]] (if any) at [[:Category: Hero |hero]] [[Sublevel |sublevel]] 1 or beyond.

'''Bhyss:''' Mages who [[Devotion |devote]] themselves to [[Bhyss |Bhyss]] will experience both benefits and detriments; on one hand, they will have one greater maximum [[Intelligence |intelligence]], which may or may not enable them to become adept at [[:Category: Skills And Spells |skills]] more quickly and which will increase their spell damage slightly; however, on the other hand, they will also have both one less maxium [[Constitution |constitution]] and one less maximum [[Dexterity |dexterity]], which will reduce both their [[Hit Points |hit-point]] gains and their ability to avoid damage and will thus make them a bit more "splatty" than they already are. In summary, if and when [[Bhyss |Bhyss]] worshippers [[Devotion |devote]] themselves, they will dish out damage even better but take it even worse.

'''Shizaga:''' Mages who [[Devotion |devote]] themselves to [[Shizaga |Shizaga]] will have one less maximum [[Wisdom |wisdom]], which may--or may not--reduce their [[Practice Points |practice-point]] gains at [[:Category: Hero |hero]] [[:Category: Tiers |tier]]; thus, mages worshipping [[Shizaga |Shizaga]] who are eager to learn all of [[:Category: Mage Hero Skills And Spells |their hero skills]] as quickly as possible may wish to postpone [[Devotion |devotion]] until later in [[:Category: Hero |hero]] [[:Category: Tiers |tier]]. If and when they [[Devotion |devote]] themselves to [[Shizaga |Shizaga]], they may benefit slightly from having one more maximum [[Dexterity |dexterity]] if and when they are attacked.

See [[Devotion |Devote]] for more detail about [[Devotion |devotion]] and its effects.

=== Fighting ===

Mages at [[:Category: Hero |hero]] [[:Category: Tiers |tier]] may have more trouble finding groups than [[:Category: Characters |characters]] of many other [[:Category: Classes |classes]]. This is especially true at lower [[:Category: Hero |hero]] sublevels, where mages tend to die more readily and tend to run short of [[Mana Points |mana]] during runs.

'''Soloing:''' Mages will almost always solo for their levels unless they choose the tanking path. Mages will find it best to regenerate in [[:Category: Mana Gear |mana gear]], then to change into either [[:Category: Tank Gear |tank gear]] or [[:Category: Hit Gear |hit gear]] in order to fight, using a [[Surge |surged]] [[Disintegrate |disintegrate spell]] to kill [[:Category: Mobs |mobs]]. Popular [[:Category: Mobs |mobs]] for low-[[:Category: Hero |hero]] mages to [[Kill |kill]] solo for experience include [[:Category: Shashwat Nisha |Shashwat Nisha]]'s "yaks" and cobblynau, [[:Category: Sir Michael's Stronghold |Sir Michael's Stronghold]]'s wandering peasants and such, and [[:Category: Shadow Keep |Shadow Keep]]'s rotting corpses and hound dogs.

'''Tanking:''' Mages [[Tanks |tanks]] at [[:Category: Hero |hero]] [[:Category: Tiers |tier]] are fairly common due to the difficulty they experience in finding groups to hit for. In fact, after [[Practice |practicing]] certain [[:Category: Mage Hero Skills And Spells |hero-tier skills]], particularly [[Dodge |dodge]], [[Parry |parry]], [[Shield Block |shield block]], and [[Charge Shield |charge shield]], mages can become formidable [[Tanks |tanks]], wearing full [[:Category: Tank Gear |tank gear]] for protection and using [[Disintegrate |disintegrate]], [[Acid Rain |acid rain]], and [[Charge Shield |charged shields]] to deal damage.

'''Hitting:''' Mages will rarely serve as [[Hitters |hitters]] in [[:Category: Hero |hero]] groups. Many, though hardly all, [[:Category: Hero |hero]] [[Tanks |tanks]] expect their low-[[:Category: Hero |hero]] mage [[Hitters |hitters]] to carry both [[:Category: Mana Gear |mana gear]] and [[:Category: Hit Gear |hit gear]] during runs, to wear their [[:Category: Mana Gear |mana gear]] until they reach their base [[Mana Points |mana]], and to change into their [[:Category: Hit Gear |hit gear]] afterward. High-[[:Category: Hero |hero]] mages with greater base [[Mana Points |mana]] may opt to wear only [[:Category: Hit Gear |hit gear]]. Mages who run low on [[Mana Points |mana]] during runs may attempt to alleviate this problem somewhat by "[[Catching Tics |catching tics]]." Mage [[Hitters |hitters]] typically fight by waiting for their [[Tanks |tank]] to start fighting a [[:Category: Mobs |mob]], immediately using their [[Kill |kill]] [[:Category: Commands |command]] targetted at this same [[:Category: Mobs |mob]], and then [[Cast |casting]] [[Disintegrate |disintegrate]] (usually via an [[Alias |alias]]) repeatedly without specifying any target until this [[:Category: Mobs |mob]] is dead. Whenever their [[Tanks |tank]] is fighting more than a few [[:Category: Mobs |mobs]] simultaneously, mage [[Hitters |hitters]] may consider [[Cast |casting]] [[Acid Rain |acid rain]] instead of [[Disintegrate |disintegrate]]. Even when not [[Tanks |tanking]], mage [[Hitters |hitters]] may still wish to carry a set of [[:Category: Tank Gear |tank gear]] with them that they can quickly change into in emergencies.

'''Healing:''' Mages occasionally serve as [[Healers |healers]] in [[:Category: Hero |hero]] groups, possibly when no [[:Category: Clerics |clerics]], [[:Category: Druids |druids]], or [[:Category: Priests |priests]] are available. A few [[:Category: Hero |hero]] [[Tanks |tanks]] may even prefer to group mages who heal with [[:Category: Brandishes |brandishes]] over [[:Category: Clerics |clerics]] who heal with [[:Category: Spells |spells]]. Mages who maintain a stockpile of healing [[:Category: Brandishes |brandishes]], such as [[Gold Dragon Orb |gold dragon orbs]], [[Emerald Sceptre Of Light |emerald sceptres of light]], [[Black Staff Of Typhus |black staffs of Typhus]], and [[White Marble Cross |white marble crosses]], may thus be able to find groups slightly more often than mages who do not. [[:Category: Brandishes |Brandishes]] are best collected well before they are needed, as they tend to be consumed on runs faster than they can be easily replenished. Mage [[Healers |healers]] usually wear [[:Category: Hit Gear |hit gear]] for runs, though [[:Category: Mana Gear |mana gear]] may sometimes be useful or even [[:Category: Tank Gear |tank gear]] in emergencies.

== Mages at Lord Tier ==

Mages are always welcome in groups at [[Lord |lord]] [[:Category: Tiers |tier]] because they excel at dealing damage and there are only a few runs where they are useless. Unlike [[:Category: Hero |hero]] [[:Category: Tiers |tier]] mages are almost a requirement for most Lord running. They may also [[Practice |practice]] a [[:Category: Skills And Spells |skill]] that enables them to rename [[:Category: Objects |objects]]. Much information about [[Lord |lord]] [[:Category: Tiers |tier]] is kept secret; [[Lord |lord]]-[[Level |level]] mages who wish to learn more about their [[:Category: Classes |class]] at this [[:Category: Tiers |tier]] may (or may not) find it on the [http://lord.melanarchy.info LordWiki site].

== Mage Remort Options ==

Mages at [[Lord |lord]] [[:Category: Tiers |tier]] may [[Remort |remort]] into [[:Category: Sorcerers |sorcerers]], either [[Humans |human]] ones at [[Sublevel |sublevel]] 100 or ones of their current [[:Category: Races |race]] at [[Sublevel |sublevel]] 200. See [[:Category: Sorcerers |Sorcerers]] for more information about this [[:Category: Remort Classes |remort class]].

Mages at [[Lord |lord]] [[:Category: Tiers |tier]] may also [[Remort |remort]] into mages of [[:Category: Remort Races |remort races]]. [[:Category: Remort Races |Remort races]] that are well-suited for magery include [[Dragons |dragons]] (available to all mages at [[Sublevel |sublevel]] 100), [[High Elves |high elves]] (available ''only'' to [[Elves |elven]] and [[Drow |drow]] mages at [[Sublevel |sublevel]] 25), and [[Sprites |sprites]] (available to all mages at [[Sublevel |sublevel]] 25). Despite their relatively-high [[Intelligence |intelligence]], [[Griffons |griffons]] are ill-suited for [[Cast |spellcasting]] and thus tend to be poor mages.

[[Category: Classes]]
[[Category: Core Classes]]

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