MAGE

Mages have the ability to cast SPELLS at the expense of low hit points.
They are normally placed in the back of a FORMATION where they can attack
with offensive spells, without being harmed. A Mage begins the game with
an INTelligence of 16. Because of a Mage's sole devotion to the Art, they
only learn to use a few weapons in combat, such as: daggers, staves and
darts. Mages gain much needed mana when they deal the "Death Blow". The
mana gained depends on the alignment of the mage and the victim. If they
are opposing alignments the mana gain (often called "kickback") is quite
substantial.

To learn more about playing a mage, read on!

  FORMATION                                                         MAGE
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Mages tend to have less hitpoints than any other class. Because of this,
they should be near the back of the form or at least behind another
player. This does not necessarily hold true once they are able to use
Manashield because when they have that spell, their mana takes some of the
hits instead of the hitpoints. Overall, the mages should still be kept
back, but not replace the cleric in protection. The cleric must be
protected to be able to heal the form more than any other member.

This may or may not apply at high levels or for a multi-class player. The
best way to figure this out is by trying it and using past experience.

  PRACTICING                                                        MAGE
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Mages are mainly spellcasters, therefore, they have the ability to
practice spells and not skills. Help SPELLS lists all the spells and at
what level you will be able to practice them. You receive a certain amount
of practice points when starting the game with a character, and again each
time you level.

To practice, you must first find the correct guild for your class. As a
mage, you need to find the mage's guild. Take note of where you are
when you log in a character for the first time because you will start in
the guild for your class.

When practicing, you have many spells you can practice, but they might not
all be beneficial to you. Read each individual help file for each spell to
find out what each do before you practice them. Some spells you may not
wish to use practices on. For instance, you can practice Chill Touch at
level 3, Burning Hands at level 5 and Shocking Grasp at level 7. Each of
the spells is a little stronger than the one before, but will you REALLY
need all three in the long run? Consider each of the spells before you use
valuable practices on them. It doesn't take very long to level from 3 to
7, maybe practice only one or 2 of them? You may already have one fighting
spell from level one, Magic Missile. Would you really need to get 4
fighting spells within 7 levels?

On a final note, even though the spells you practice might say they cost a
small amount of mana in the help files, that may not be true as you first
practice them. When you first learn spells, most will cost 50 mana each
time they are used. As you get more experienced in them, the cost of mana
will be less with each level. For example, at level 1 you can practice
magic missile, but every time you use it at level 1, it will cost
you 50 mana. At 2, casting the same spell will cost you about 33 mana. The
amount will go down to 8 mana within a few levels, which is what the help
file says for that spell.

  SOLOING                                                           MAGE
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Soloing for a very low level mage is not easy. This is mostly because of
the low hitpoints. If you solo as a very low level mage, it is suggested
that you use a lot of hitpoint equipment. At level 19, manashield comes
into play. This spell will cause the mana to take damage before the
hitpoints, making it much easier to solo. Forming with a player who can
tank or heal would make it much easier to reach level 19. If you don't,
it's suggested that you find a zone that might be a level or two lower
than what it was created for if your hitpoints aren't very high. Remember
to bring potions that can help heal you or loot them off the mobs.

  EQUIPMENT                                                         MAGE
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The two most important types of equipment for mages are mana and hitpoint
equipment. Until you are able to use a spell such as manashield, trying to
raise your hitpoints may help you, especially if you are going to solo
more than form with other players. If you form with tanks or solo in
later levels, mana equipment becomes more important. The donation room in
many of the main cities may help you find equipment for yourself. Some
other equipment that you can find around Medievia City and zones close to
it are emerald rings, emerald bracelets and the glowing medallion of an
ancient god. These items may be level restricted up to level 10 and may
sometimes be difficult to get for the first couple of levels. There are
many different objects from all over the land that will help you level.
Find a particular equipment mode that fits you best.

See Also: SPELLS PRACTICE TRAIN