@lucretia: Your Mage won't be out of work! In Arcanum there are 80 spells divided in 16 colleges. Some are more efficient, some are nice to look or just fun.
A short overview, just to know for you, what possibilities you have:
The full list of colleges described as follows:
Conveyance - Deals with motion and transportation.
Divination - Concerns itself with the gathering of knowledge through magical means.
Air - Holds the spells that manipulate the first elemental material, that of air and wind.
Earth - Holds the spells that manipulate the second elemental material, that of earth and stone.
Fire - Holds the spells that manipulate the third elemental material, that of fire and heat.
Water - Holds the spells that manipulate the fourth elemental material, that of water and ice.
Force - Contains spells that manipulate and direct pure energy.
Mental - Contains spells that influence and control the minds of their targets.
Meta - Contains spells that affect other spells.
Morph - Contains spells that change the substance of the target.
Nature - Contains spells that control plants, animals, and natural forces.
Black Necromantic - Contains spells that negatively affect the life force of a creature.
White Necromantic - Contains spells that positively affect the life force of a creature.
Phantasm - Contains spells that concern the control of light and illusion.
Summoning - Contains spells that concern the summoning of creatures of progressive power.
Temporal - Concerns spells that control the flow of time.
You see, there is no chance for your mage to get boring...
