Here are my suggestions for playing a mage character:
At each level up, put 2 points in Strength, 1 point in Agility, and the remainder of points in Intelligence. Don't put any points in Vitality. A few charms will give you more life than a mage will ever need.
In the beginning of the game put a couple of points into 'Meteorstrike'. This will be your main attack spell for the early levels of the game. But don't become too dependent on it, because at later levels of the game you'll run into a lot of creatures that are resistant to it.
I try to stay away from spells that allow a resistance check (especially spiritual) to negate the spells effect. So the following is a list of what I think are the essential spells for a mage;
*Hellspikes - Max it as soon as possible. As nothing can resist this spell. At lower levels it's not very effective, but once maxed, no other spell or weapon can hit harder or more sure than Hellspikes. If you can see a monster on your minimap, you can hit it. If you can hit it, it's dead.
*Blind - Max it as soon as possible. Once maxed, nothing can resist it. It will completely neutralize all ranged and spell cast attacks. A blind opponent can't offer much by the way of attacking.
*Survivor's Curse - This spell will rapidly lower a creature's spiritual resistance. Making it vulnerable to any attack. However, you can get away with only a couple of points in this. More is always nice, but if your strapped for points, two will do.
*Life leech - This spell will rapidly lower your opponent's hit points.You can also get away with only a couple of points in this.
*Fade From Sight - This spell will burn through your mana, but you can use it anywhere, even in full sunlight, and it is a great emergency standby. Put at least one point in it.
*Elven sight - At least 3 points. So that you can target creatures 'off screen'.
*Lock pick - No more than 3 points (you get 2 more points later on from quests).
In my opinion, these are really the only 'essential' spells a mage needs. If you wish to try out and experiment with others, I highly recommend buying every spell book you can, then seeing which spells you like best.
The following is a list of non-essential, but nice to have around skills;
*Deadly Gift - 5 points
*Aura of Command - No more than 2 points (currently bugged!)
*Enchant weapon - At least 2 points
*Augment Defense - 5 points
*Magic Barrier - 5 points
How to play a mage:
Hit first, hit hard, and don't get hit back. The PAUSE feature is your best friend. It is essential (especially against a moving target) to use it to get an accurate 'target lock' on a creature. Also learn to use and love the scanning ability (When you see a monster on your mini-map hit pause, then hold down SHIFT and scroll the screen to the monster's location, then zap them with Hellspikes). You can take out most things in the game this way, before they can even get near you or see you.
When fighting a boss, you MUST begin with 'Blind'. Follow that with a few quick casts of 'Survivor's Curse' to lower the creatures resistances. You'll have just enough time to burn through your opponent's defenses while they can't see you. Once you've taken off enough resistance, your next move is Life leech. Leech your opponent down to a sliver of life, then finish them off with Hellspikes.
When everything else fails, Fade from Sight, move out of range, release a scorpion or two, and go in for a second round.
The only problem you may find with this character build, is that it is almost invincible, and like your ranger character, perhaps a little too easy to play.
Cheers <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/biggrin.gif" alt="" />
