Ok, I see, nothing new. In the end none of the methods is viable because in the actual fight you have to do damage there and then for a reason. F.e. not attacking from melee range with melee chars is a bit difficult. Or if you opt to concentrate on a sceleton far away instead of trying to avoid Radeka's Shackles of Pain, it is of course an option but you may lose anyway.
The problem is not the many special surfaces or the mage's ability to use them. That's a game core mechanic. The problem for me is that some surface effects remain forever and no amount of armor or skill use is enough to avoid contact.
