Here's how I see them
Alchemist - More of a hedge wizard, they understand the most basic principals of magic but dont have a whole lot of control over it, instead manipulating latent energies like the powers of gems.
Archmage - The name says it all, the ultimate spell caster, capable of mastering any form of magic.
And thats it. The most basic, and most advanced caster. We need something in between those! Tempest/pyro/cryo/geo used to fill that gap but they're gone now.
I know time mage is being worked on, but they're a whole different story and dont fit anywhere between them, they're their own separate path.
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Or thamaturge. Runemaster or thaumaturge done right would be very cool, sad that runemaster was always broke in past ToME's.
If wands were more common place, something like a magic eater, no actual magic talents themselves, instead they absorb it from outside sources....gah just got another idea.
A TRUE elementalist that only uses earth/air/fire/water. They have 4 resource pools, one for each element. As they take damage/effects from those sources they absorb a % of that dmg as power to fuel those element types.
They can also get an ability to "convert" an element to the opposite type, loosing some in the process. Fire <-> Water and Air<-> Earth. Maybe half of however many points used is lost to the atmosphere in the conversion. Chance of failure for that could create a disaster effect related to that element, converting fire <-> water could have a chance to create a random cold/fire effect damaging everything in x range including you.
Conversion would be needed so you arent stuck fueling only one element type fighting say a fire dragon, obviously fire wont hurt it.
Traps could be exploited though, maybe you can only be fueled once from a trap and after that still take dmg, but no absorption.
Give them the earth, fire, water, and air talent trees. DONT give them wildfire/tempest/stone/ Ice (I think thats the cryo one) since that will take away from the archmage.
Instead give them trees combining each element except for the opposite one.
I will update the trees when I get more ideas for actual talents.
Magma (Fire and Earth) [Fire heats up and melts the Earth into, what else? lava!]
Frost (Water and Air) [Fast movement of Air chills Water down to Frost/Ice effects]
1. Frost Shards
Activated
Cost: Air / Water
Range: Same progression as flameshock
Speed: 2000% of base
In your right hand, You conjure forth a small jet of water from each fingertip, spewing them in front of you. At the same time you throw a gust of high speed wind to chill the water. The results are several jagged shards of Frost that swiftly strike any target in front of you.
Targets affected suffer Frost damage and have their global speed reduced by 2% +1 % per talent level for 3 turns. Shards will NOT pass through targets, however a target can be hit multiple times.
(Maybe either create 5 shards one for each finger, or x+y shards per talent level. A shard will hit only what it comes into contact first and wont hit targets behind others. Not sure if the shards should take random paths or static, simply damaging all targets in range up to however many targets you have targeting the closest enemies first. here is what im thinking below on the flight path. First is the path, second has targets. The orc and rats would be hit, but the spiders would NOT since they are covered by the orc. Multiple hits dont stack multiple speed reductions)
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Above would be the standard range of the spell.
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#SS#o#@
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Mud ( Water and Earth) [This is going to need a better name, mud is lame but its what popped in my head)
Plasma (Fire and Air) [I guess? Closest thing I can think of, plasma is the state of matter after a gas, atoms are superheated to the point their electrons break off]
1. Plasmic Burst
Activated
Cost: Fire / Air
Range: 10
Speed: 1000% Base
A highly unstable burst of plasma sails in the direction of choice, melting anything in the impact area of 1 + 1 every 2 levels (Either fire and lightning damage or a new plasma damage)
Careful! It's Hot!
(Behavior is a combination of flame and fireflash. Fireflash can fly past targets, this can not. Will explode either when reaching its target, or against the first thing in its flight path.)
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Each of those will have 2 resource costs, example is Lava Surge, erupts a jet of magma underneeath target, costing X earth and X fire points. Could do both physical and fire dmg, or a new damage type of magma.
I suppose they would also need a way to draw out elements from their environment and enemies to fuel yourself when you are not taking damage.
Can absorb x amount of power from the terrain, air from the air, water from water, earth the earth and fire from...some heat source. Also able to absorb from an enemy. Absorbing an enemy would do that elemental resistance they have*some modifier.
Drawing Air from a Storm Drake would be devastating to it, that is what they consist of, the air and electricity contained within it. Ripping their very essence from them to fuel your own powers. That would need a very long cool down to keep from being spammed obviously.