So I’m planning out a character to join Empire sometime within the next year, but wasn’t entirely certain about game balance.
Are battlemages actually worthwhile, or are they underpowered? Apparently there was a thread a couple of years back about how they suck?
I believe many of the issues regarding battlemages have been addressed, and I know more than a few players who play and really enjoyed playing battlemage even when all the non-battlemages were saying how obviously rubbish it was.
You will be squishy, even with Mage armour, but you do have some great tools at your disposal, and being able to use crystal mana to cast spells is expensive but if you’re willing to make ritual mages cry salty tears, then feel free to gleefully blast and heal to your heart’s content.
Since the start of the game there has been a series of rules changes designed to make battlemages more powerful on the battlefield. As such I am almost certain that a thread which is a couple of years old will be completely out of date. Indeed with the most recent set of rules changes (shatter becoming a battlemage call, paralyse now ignoring heavy armour) there were actually a few facebook threads on how overpowered they were.
At present battlemages are still fragile, you are very vulnerable to arrows, impale and cleave and a ritualist in heavy armour probably has more hits than you.
However you have access to some really great tools, Battlemages have a wide selection of tactically useful spells to draw from. You can use Crystal mana or potions to cats with or replenish mana in battles and can use chambers to restore magic in between going through the gate.
I can see battle mages being more or less useful depending on the company you keep.
Run around with a Winterguard shield wall? Keep those people healed on the front, dart in and repel/paralyse that dude and make a whole for everyone.
Runaround with a League/marcher halberd block? You will be in the safest place in the field, So shatter that shield, Heal the Hauptman, repel the shields.
Freeborn/Navaar Skirmisher? GET STUCK IN THERE!!! Bring a sword and venom to the left, cleave to follow.
Your the least encumbered person in most of these places so you should be darting in and tipping the scales here and there.
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There was a time when the more offensive spells (PARALYSE, WEAKNESS, VENOM IIRC) also affected the target. This was a cool idea in theory, but in practice made the spells just undesirable, esp given the restrictions on armour.
Also there was a … year when PARALYSE didn’t work on Heavy Armour (like CLEAVE and IMPALE), this has changed back to working on heavy armour.
Also a number of spells have been merged together with a choice to cast slowly (for one mana) or offensively (for two)
I play a battlemage and I have great fun. With the recent changes to the rules they are much more powerful than they used to be. Some of the spells (Venom mostly) are pretty useless against monsters (monsters bleed out very quickly, so Venom is only useful in rare circumstances), but spells such as Repel, Shatter and Paralyse can break shieldwalls in seconds. Mend and Heal are vital support spells as well.
You do feel quite fragile compared to characters in heavy armour, but keep mobile or hide inside a defensive block and you’ll be fine.
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While battle mage gives you access to Staffs, there has been mixed results that are worth looking at with Rod and Board for some more defence and Ambi Rod/Sword for access to cleave and magic weapons (also useful for fighting other mages)
As someone playing a dedicated battlemage I can say that they are definitely worth while, but you should know what you are getting in for.
In their current incarnation battlemages are glass cannons. You have the best offensive calls in the game, but also the worst defensive options. Shatter, Paralyse and Repel are all seriously nasty and the ability to heal your own wounds and limbs isn’t bad either. However, you have less hits than everyone else, you have less immunities than everyone else and you have a metaphorical target on you in any melee. The enemy will know you’re dangerous and easy to put down, and they will go for you.
Fringe benefit - lack of encumbrance. Mage armour is practically clothing, so you’re less likely to die of heat stroke when sprinting across the battlefield, and you’ll have an advantage if you need to run away from a bunch of barbarians in heavy plate. (unless they’re crossfitters, then you’re doomed 
)
In battles you’ll end up being more of a support/skirmish character than a frontline fighter, if you go into a line fight you’re likely to be pincushioned by archers who see an easy way to make a breach in your sides lines. In skirmishes you can hold your own as easily as the other fighters, as long as you stay mobile and stay alert.
Weapon wise, staff is good for the offensive range, but like most polearms works best in a group rather than as a dueling weapon. Rod and shield is good for defensive, but costly on points. (2 for mage, 2 for battlemage, 2 for shield.
If you know people who are already playing it’s worth seeing if you can get hold of a greenshield bracers (item that lets you use shields with paying XP for the shield skill) as that will let you try out shield use without spending 6 of your starting points on being combat capable.
Ambidex and one weapon one rod is rarer in my experience, and probably with good reason. It’s useful if you’re looking to mix magic and heroic abilities but it doesn’t have the range advantage of the staff and it doesn’t have the defensive advantage of the shield, so it only really shines if you need access to spells and weapon calls at the same time. That’s a very specific set up, so think carefully about what you want to do on the field and which style you’re most happy with.
In conclusion, battlemages are far from underpowered, but are very definitely specialists that can have an immense impact at the right time, but pay for it by being vulnerable. That can be immensely fun to play, and you can make a massive difference to a fight by using the right spell at the right time. The downside is that the rest of the time you’d best be on your toes or you won’t live long. 
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I’ve been playing a battlemage for a few games now and I’ve been having a blast .
I started out with Mage Armour and a rod + buckler, then upgraded to a shield after my first game and it’s pretty solid on the battlefield. But I can also see the fun in using a staff too, specially in breaking shield wall in front of yours.
I can repel and my group sorted me a Mazzarine Spindle which gives me Mend Limb which is super useful, as people dropping and getting overrun is the best way to get killed on the field.
Also Mage Blood isn’t that expensive so necking a few of those can make your mana last longer.
So yeah it’s great fun to dart around as a skirmisher dropping repels and other offensive spells when needed and healing up your buddies on the go too.
Fringe benefit: you’re fragile. You know you’re fragile. Thus, you avoid plugging gaps in shieldwalls during messy retreats because doing that is just a liability, so if you’re inclined to do that otherwise it can actually help you survive longer.
Of my three fighty-type characters, the two armour-and-shield types died on their second battle; the battlemage survived like two years until I retired him for unrelated reasons.
(Now on shield-user take three. It’ll be interesting to see if the pattern continues…)
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One thing that sounds unrelated at first is that mages are on slightly easier mode for making friends with eternals. You might be able to get combat buffs out of them.
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So I’m gong to be joining a hard core block of Wintermarkers. I’m going with 2h staff. What do you think will help break enemy lines more - shatter or repel?
If they tool me up with loads of mana does that affect the equation?
Repel is going to have a hard time against stacked lines, but Shatter will burn your mana down fast.
On the other hand if you need to press forward to a point repel will open a hole but shatter won’t.
I think shatter has it slightly, but it does cost extra personal mana, as a Two handed weapon orc who loses their weapon is basically dead what ever there hit points say.
Burning mana for spells is expensive… but can be effective
It’s hard to choose as they are good in different situations.
Repel is good one on one as you can leg it but shatter can mean you are still fighting someone who may still be armed(if you shattered their shield.
Shatter is my favourite it takes someone one out of the fight if they are honest. Some of the barbarian tribes can’t fix shattered weapons.
Mana is expensive So extra mana is good if you can squeeze it into your build. I think mage blood potions are worth looking at. That will restore 2 personal mana for slightly less than the value of a mana crystal.
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Shatter is only semi-permanent, since a barbarian orc can loot a weapon to replace their broken one if there’s a physrep nearby.
Repel will give you twice as many shots unless you’re casting off mana crystals, which is why mageblood is better than crystals.
What other spells (if any) are you taking? Repel does have an excellent combo with Swift Heal, in “remove attacker, heal casualties, and now you outnumber the enemy”
Repel is for unit control and defence, Shatter is for emergencies and sniping.
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Thanks for the insightful answers, friends!
I have been led to believe that the unit I’ll be fighting with are quite disciplined, amd that I should expect them to be coordinated to take advantage of an opportunity should I present it to them. They are mixed unit of shields with second line spears. My idea was to hold myself in reserve until the commander orders it, then go nuts and blow half my resources all in one go to break the enemy formation.
Eg Repel four people… Drink a couple of potions, repel four more. Would a shieldsman cause more disruption backing out because of the bulk of the shield?
Alternatively blow a few mana crystals to shatter four or five spears. The idea being that our spears would steamroller their shield line as we would have the range advantage.
Regards using mana crystals, do you need to rip up the card at that moment? Is that instantaneous? Potions take 5 seconds of roleplay, correct?
So a mage blood potion is cheaper than a mana crystal? As it takes 2 herbs I was expecting it to be around the same price.
I only have 1 skill point to spend as I have been a pure autumn ritualist up to now. I was planning to get a cheap rod of either heal or fix limb. I was erring on the side of fix limb as that allows a person (including myself) to safely find a healer.
That combined with a war mage’s mage armour (giving 1/day unstoppable) would be my defense against cleave/impale. That and not getting myself out of position.
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might be wrong but a mana crystal gives you 1 mana to use. A mage blood potion recharges 2 personal mana.
I can’t really discus prices but a mage blood is a few rings cheaper to make than you can sell a mana potion of.
A mana crystal pays for One spell. This can mean 1 repel or one shatter, Maghblood gives you 2 personal mana which is 2 repels or 1 shatter.
And you don’t have to rip mana crystals immediately jhust as soon as is practical.
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Technically you are supposed to rip the card to use mana crystals, but they’re made of fairly tough slightly plasticised card, and if it’s wet, or you’re wearing gloves it’s not very easy.
I just put the used ones in a discard pocket (same for herbs as a physick) and drop them off to GOD or an on field bumblebee (not a battle ref as they’re doing safety) when I next get a chance.
That way they can be re-used too, save the environment and all that!
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