ToME: the Tales of Maj'Eyal

I am level 17 Archmage with 322 Mana IF I don't turn on shielding and arcane power. If I do, then I only have 212 mana. Probability travel is 200Mana, how the heck do I use that? Or do people usually wait until higher level to put points into it?
THANKS...

You always need to select which sustains to keep active as an archmage, it's part of what gives the class such versatility without being completely overpowered.

As for PT in specific, I usually just pop it on for quick escapes, or use it for hit-and-run tactics. The cost is a bit high for constant use (which I think is intended).

Mm... yeah, if you want PT running constantly you'll probably have to wait a while. Upper twenties, lower thirties... iirc, somewhere around there, and only if you're keeping up on the willpower and possibly not running some other stuff.

You can get it constant earlier if you're willing to stack a bit of +mana kit, though. Three or four pieces of that (Staff, gloves, hat, belt, ferex.) could cover most or all of PT's cost without touching your base pool if their bonus is large enough (50s, 60s. It's pretty possible, anyway.).

Probability Travel on an Archmage doesn't make a very good always-on buff to me. The versatility can be nice, but the mana cost is spectacular, as you noted.

However! You don't have to have current mana to use a sustain-just more mana than 0. So if you're very low on mana, it's an extra teleport option if you just turn it on and walk through a wall, and a very controllable escape. Basically, it can also be used like another Phase Door/Teleport.

Now, Shadowblades, they can have it always on if they want-Mana means less to them, and having either that or Essence of Speed on at all times(If not both, if you can somehow scrape up the mana) is one of the best perks of being a Shadowblade.