Rethinking mages 1: what should the elements mean?

[anonymous000]

I have a radical idea which I don't think people would support it. That is to remove all the elemental trees, and add a tree or two called "Elemental Manipulation", which are sustains to augment the arcane spells.

Thematically Archmages are opposed to Nature and they should not have the ability to manipulate elements directly. More thematically-suited will be that they are the master of arcane energy, but to make the energy obtain some desired qualities they need to taint the nature to weave the arcane energy into some forms resembling natural elements, or even combining the elements into some supernatural elements (like by manipulating Earth and Lightning to get Solidified Lightning which stays in one spot and emits Lightning Nova to nearby enemies)

Gameplay wise it could offer a lot of interactions between different elements and eliminates a lot of substitute-to-one-another spells (tribeam immediately comes to mind).


For example: The talents in the basic elemental manipulation trees (Earth, Fire, Water and Air) have 7 tiers each, leveling to a certain tier gives the Arcane spells an extra quality. Quality increases in potency with levels

Earth:
1: Knockback (low power)
3: Stuns (low power)
5: Solidify into sand tiles which last for 1 turn
7: The solidified sand tile lasts for 2 turns

When gets to Level 5, interact with Fire to become everlasting lava floor; Water to become half-solid water which suffocates and reduce physical power for those who are in it; and Air to become Solidified Lightning

So when you cast Manathrust beam with Earth(Level 7) and Water on, you could create a line of half-solid water which knockback and stuns (initial effect, also with the quality brought by Water), then suffocates and reduces physical power for those who are in this line of half-solid water, which lasts for 2 turns

[HousePet]

Archmages aren't opposed to nature and even being opposed to nature doesn't mean you can't manipulate it.

But it is an interesting idea, but maybe for a Defiler?