Well, need some advice on what to do next. Callus has been a (Mugwump) Geomancer for a long time and plans to stay that way (though he considered going bard for a while, being under the impression that they were currently overpowered, but he figured by the time he transferred, fate would make sure they were nerfed). This is his current skill status - all of the skills are at pretty much 0%, except Phantasms, which is at 30-ish.

Combat Master
Resilience Transcendent
Discernment Gifted
Magic Adept
Planar Transcendent
Discipline Adept
Environment Apprentice
Influence Virtuoso
Riding Inept
Arts Capable
Highmagic Adept
Aethercraft Inept
Dramatics Inept

Elementalism Transcendent
Geomancy
Illusions Expert
Phantasms
Psionics Transcendent
Telepathy

So, Transed Planar, Telepathy, Geomancy and Resilience, and now he has no idea what to do next. None of the future skills in the other skillsets seem especially important, so Callus just can't decide. He started working on Phantasms, but in the meantime I made this topic. And regarding trade skills, he's not really interested in them... Was Enchanter for a while, but gave it up to spend the lessons on Telepathy. Well, that's that... halp!

Phantasms then Combat.

Phantasms then Combat. Then Discipline up to at least focus mind (that's around Fabled), then I'd work on Magic and Highmagic.

Wouldn't a squishy mage want to strongly consider more Environment for observe and tumble as well? Maybe I just don't know mage combat well enough to say.

EDIT: Heck, I don't think you even have perceive yet!

@Jack and Bali - thanks for the useful replies!
@Vendetta - hmm, good point... I'm only up to squint, I think...

High Magic has some fun things in it, like Hexagram, and that one that cures 1 random affliction green

High magic actually has two of the green-like skills, one for mental, and one for physical, if I recall. And yeah, hexagram is awesome, especially when fighting stoopid forestals who keep hopping into trees when they're almost dead.

Didn't want to make a new topic for this, cause that would be lame, so I'll just revive this one!

Um... ... I hope that takes care of 'legal' stuff.

Can anyone explain what makes Phantasmagoria useful? Maybe it's my inexperience talking, but the skill (a TRANS skill nonetheless) seems pointless to me.

Scenario 1: You're sitting in your -relatively large- demesne, and a number of enemies (3-4 or 7-8, doesn't really matter, your demesne is big) enter. Why the hell would you waste 10 power on Phantasmagoria when you can simply Stalker them all in a couple of seconds?

Scenario 2: You're sitting in your -relatively small- demesne and you see a large number of enemies (say, 7-8) enter. You don't waste time using Phantasmagoria (AND 10 Power), you run. Unless you're Acrune or the likes, but that's beside the point.

Scenario 3. You're sitting in your -relatively small- demesne and you see a number of enemies (3-4) enter. If you can tank them, maybe you Stalker one or two then go after them. You still don't waste 10 fricken Power just to Stalker them all at once.

Scenario 4. You're -not- just sitting in your demesne, you're in the middle of combatting 3-4 (or 7-8, doesn't matter) people at once. You don't spend your entire available Power just to Stalker them all (unless you're near death and you just do it as a final act of spite). And if you're fighting 7-8 people alone, you're most likely dead, and not actually fighting. So yah.

This is part asking for advice and part ranting. I just fail to see the point, why should I Trans Phantasms for such a (seemingly, I hope) useless skill? Unless Reality shares Trans with Phantasmagoria... that would be juuust great. >_>

i think discipline should be up there, as it has alot of good healing skills that you really should think about getting

Yeah, I'm seriously considering going for Focus Mind before continuing with Phantasms. It just seems uberuseful, plus the extra willpower regen from higher Discipline, plus the faster focus body, plus faster reserves-to-available power transfer (unless Scrying Pool is lying >_<).

Dunno.

Discipline, then Combat. With your combat ranking that low warriors will rape you for free.

Tumble, tumble, tumble. You HAVE to get tumble. That is the absolute #1 thing you should be working towards right now.

After that, discipline isn't a bad idea, even though mages don't use all that much power it will get you faster focus body and useful things like focus mind.

Claws in phantasms is also definitely worth getting if you don't have it.

And you're pretty much right. I've been asking why you would want to use Phantasmagoria since the very beginning, and I've never heard a situation in which is would be useful. I also always forget to use Reality (from what I remember, the afflictions weren't that useful, besides just stacking passive afflictions for the sake of passive afflictions). PhantomSphere originally allowed you to summon and command them from outside your demesne. It was fun, and at least a little useful. No one should ever die to them, since it takes five and you have to waste equilibrium to move them around, but it at least made it slightly useful. Now you have to be standing in your max 25 room demesne.

My two cents. Phatasmogoria/phantasms/claws/demesne/stun/contagion/telepathy masked afflictions = awesome...and only....well I'm not sure exactly how much power it costs but it's not alot considering.

Which is why I think tumble things should be hindered.... yay >.>

I hate how people tumble so much everywhere, and also it makes me happy when Forren cant tumble as much... Let us nerf the tumble, and make an angry baby happy!!!!!

Nerf Tumble! Down with the flee-ers. Fleeing makes combat NO FUN. Take the death like a MAN.

I also think it's funny people accused me of killing by means of tumble... WTF? I don't tumble as much now, and I kill just as much as ever.

Silence Tumble-ina!!!!!!!!!!!!

@Shamarah: Yeah, I've got Claws. It's sick. And I mean good sick. Vathael once told me after a spar: "Claws is ridiculous. Ridiculous as in: I've got 2000 mana, and having to clot 100 times a second while handling a constant influx of focus afflictions is just ridiculous." Whoring Claws/Phantom is yayish, though cheap... But at least I'm not Fleshstoning people while they're Clawed. >_<

Hrm... Stupid trilemma. Well, I guess I could go for PhantomArmour for the psychic protection + chance of blackout-counter (I think it's 33% Fabled... and I'm 12%, so that shouldn't take too long), then ignore further Phantasms (Mirage, PhantomSphere, Reality, Phantasmagoria)... but what then?
Combat for further stances, WeaponParry, ShieldStun, even maybe ShieldRiposte? Or Environment for the famed Tumble (and a bunch of other very useful stuff, it seems)? Or Discipline for Focus Mind at last? Hrm... Well, first I need to win me some credits in this year's Bardic anyway. Which reminds me! *goes to do Bardic work, so little time left*

Phantomarmour is wonderful if you can time with it...but that's hard to do considering you have to wait for you enemy to attack you and actually hit it