The mage comes from the Old Persian word “magu” which means “the wise one.” It refers to a magician or a “learned person” and can be a male or a female magician as well as a real or imagined person. Examples of real mages include Zoroastrian priests and shamans. Fictional mages are popular characters in digital games such as RPG (Role Playing Games) or MMORPG (massively multiplayer online role-playing games).
The first mention of the fictional mage appeared in “Warcraft II: Tides of Darkness.” Mages have their area of expertise such as elemental, attack, or defense magic. They’re more into the ritual practice rather than the magic or transformation. Mages use both the traditional and experimental approaches of magic.
Types
AP Assassins
AP assassins are mages that go around pretending that they are assassins and consist of both ranged and melee activity. Their game-play consists of a high risk-reward ratio, and of all of the snowballers, they are the strongest. Examples include LeBlanc, Kassadin, Ekko, Diana, Ahri, Katarina, Fizz, and Akali, and sometimes Nidalee.
Black Mages
(Final Fantasy) Black mages practice magic which is offensive or dangerous. In games such as Final Fantasy, black magic is often used to thwart an enemy and cause harm to them. Black mages utilize this type of magic for selfish and evil purposes. The magic is malicious and malevolent, but it also finds its place in modern times, although it is never looked at kindly.
Although the term “black magic” means something different to different people, it only conjures up a nefarious connotation for all of those people. In Final Fantasy, the black mage is dressed in a blue cloak and only his eyes are visible, which glow against the darkness of his face. In fact, throughout all of the versions of this game, the black mage is the one who has gone through the least amount of change. However, he can cause tremendous damage with his expert black magic skills.
Blue Mages
(Final Fantasy) Blue mages copy their enemies’ abilities, and, even though their strength is fairly low, their magical abilities are top-notch. They learn blue magic skills from their enemies and use rods, swords, and knives for their main weapons. In order to learn a certain spell, the spell has to be targeted to the mage himself. Once the blue mage learns the spells, all of the characters are able to use them, and even characters who are not currently blue mages can learn these spells if they are equipped with the Learning command.
Blue magic itself is best described as manipulation and trickery. Often working behind the scenes, blue mages scheme to steal secrets and work blue spells, and while white and black are allies to blue, its enemies include red and green.
Burst Mages
(Wizard of Legend) These mages are often hard to categorize because, in essence, all mages have some form of this ability. Burst mages are supposed to eliminate you in little time, and some examples of burst mages include Lux, Viktor, Brand, Syndra, Veigar, Lissandra, and Ziggs, among others. Burst mages spawn with two summoners and have three ranks: rank 1, which involves using 10 magic bolts to shoot an arc; rank 2, in which they gain teleport twice and shoot a wall of 4 magic bolts towards you; and rank 3, in which they gain a healing mode.
Crowd Control Mages
These are universal mages that kill their enemies or disable them from doing anything so that you can dismantle your team. Control mages actually control the pace of the fight and the pace of the game, they do this mostly through their spells, and their goal is to slow down the fight so that there is damage in the end. Most of these mages prefer a team-fighting-oriented comp or a team that has one or two tanks. Examples include Anivia, Azir, and Orianna, among others.
DoT Mages
Although not an official category, there are some mages who belong there, including Rumble, Teemo, Malzahar, Swain, and Singed.
DPS Mages
DPS mages perform a large number of casts and numerous magical damages in a very short period of time. They also do this for a very long time. One exception is Azir, who technically can consider attacks from his soldiers to be casts. He still behaves just like an ADC, however. Examples of DPS mages include Cassiopeia, Ryze, Kog’Maw, Karthus, Aurelion Sol, and Kayle to an extent. In a fight, these mages pump out DPS and benefit from having at least one tank on the team. They also benefit from the disruption skills found in other champs’ behavior.
Green Mages
(Final Fantasy) Green mages practice green magic, which is performed so that their enemies can grow weaker and their allies can become stronger.
Long-Range Mages
All champions have certain ranges on their projectiles, and some characters who have higher-than-average projectiles include Xerath, Vel’Koz, Lux, Ziggs, and Twisted Fate. Long-range mages can defend your own and siege towers of their enemies.
Poke Mages
Similar to burst mages, poke mages have a goal of repeatedly poking down the enemy. Teams that are siege like-oriented or AoE team-fighting-oriented would work best. Some examples of good poke mages would be Ziggs and Xerath.
Red Mages
(Final Fantasy) The result of a long and tedious battle between the nations of Amdapor and Mhach, red mages combine both white and black magic in order to create a little tension on the battlefield. Because they are fierce and use both of these types of magic, they often succeed where others fail. Their weapons include a magical crystal medium and rapiers, and their combination of steel-infused blows and various magic spells are helpful in their success.
Sorcerers
(Dungeons and Dragons) The sorcerer is considered a “natural prodigy” mage. He claims either fey or dragon as his relatives and also the source of his magical powers. Unlike the wizard, the sorcerer knows only a certain number of spells, and, therefore, he doesn’t need daily spell-casting like the wizard does. However, the sorcerer is known to have the capability to cast more spells in a day than a wizard of a comparable level can cast.
Sorcerers are experts at arcane magic, which is crucial in D&D magic, but they are weak in melee, or close-range combat. One of the most interesting things about a sorcerer is that his magical skills are innate and not studied or taught. In other words, their talent for magic is inborn, which is likely why he is so good at it.
Summoners
(Final Fantasy) Summoners conjure up certain deities and sacred beasts. The art of summoning can also be called necromancy, and it involves communication with the dead. Summoners do this by raising someone from the dead or summoning that person’s spirit. If people are raised from the dead, they can be used as a weapon, and, in this sense, the word can also refer to witchcraft or some type of black, or evil magic. They also practice divination, which helps them predict future events or uncover knowledge which is hidden, which it often is.
Tank Mages
Like its name implies, tank mages are a bit tanky. Their goal is to dispute the enemy, empower your team, and destroy the enemy team. They rely heavily on other teammates to inflict damage, which means tank mages are more team-oriented than other types of mages.
Time Mages
(Final Fantasy) In short, time mages can manipulate space and time.
Utility Mages
These mages have capabilities and can do types of spells you wouldn’t otherwise see. These skills empower your team to win, although some utility mages can perform spells that disrupt the enemy. Examples include Orianna, Janna, Ahri, LeBlanc, and Sona, among others.
Warlock
(Dungeons and Dragons) Warlocks are dark creatures that were introduced in the 3.5 version of the game. They create pacts with powerful creatures so that these creatures’ natural, inborn magical gifts can be utilized. They can use their spells while they wear armor because they are not able to cast spells in a very traditional sense. In the 4th and 5th editions of Dungeons & Dragons, the warlocks were a core class. Warlocks create many different types of pacts, including:
- Dark pact. Consisting of powerful residents of the Abyss and the Underdark, dark pacts allow for spells that cause illness, disease, and even plagues. The dark pact is the result of Charisma, which the warlocks use for their attacks.
- Elemental pact. This pact allows warlocks to get power from ancient Primordials from the Elemental Chaos. This then gives the warlocks certain chaotic elemental powers.
- Fey pact. This pact allows the user to access both dangerous spells and wondrous spells from the Faerie realm. Warlocks use Charisma for attacks using this type of pact.
- Gloom pact. Made specifically with the creatures of the Shadowfell, this pact allows users to connect with the shadows, thereby gaining the ability to bind foes to them.
- Infernal pact. Like its name might suggest, an infernal pact is a pact with a devil of the Nine Hells. The user receives very intense evil powers, and warlocks use Constitution to utilize the pacts in their attacks.
- Sorcerer-King pact. This is a pact made with the Sorcerer-King of Athas, and it allows users to access abilities that both defile and destroy. The warlocks using this pact utilize either Charisma or Constitution for these types of attacks.
- Star pact. Using either Constitution or Charisma for the attacks they put forward, warlocks use this pact with entities from either the Far Realm or a nearby star. This, in turn, allows them to have extraordinary revelations, which makes foes mad and comes from the stars. In addition, some star pact spells use Intelligence to attack.
- Vestige pact. The vestige pact was introduced in the supplement to Arcane Power, and it is a pact between vestiges and powers and individuals who are past their prime, or, more precisely, these powers’ and individuals’ “echoes.” This allows the warlock to act as a medium and allows various entities to manifest their powers.
White Mages
(Final Fantasy) White mages practice the healing arts and nothing evil or bad.
Wizard
(Dungeons and Dragons) The wizard is considered a top-notch student who practices arcane or mysterious magic, and, in fact, he has studied it for a very long time. The wizard is an expert at practicing magic, therefore, in part because he casts spells on a daily basis. They were formerly called “magic-users,” and they were one of the three original classes in the game Dungeons and Dragons.
The other two are Cleric and Fighting Man. In some games, the wizard was actually a vulnerable and physically weak character, which is why he made up for it by becoming an excellent spell-caster. Wizards are known to be able to gather information on yet-unseen dangers, gather intelligence, and add to other classes’ combat abilities with area and long-range attacks.
The Eight Schools of Magic
- Abjuration: these teach spells of banishing, protection, and blocking. When you practice these types of spells, you are considered an abjurer.
- Conjuration: teaches spells that bring either material items or creatures. When you practice these types of spells, you are called a conjurer.
- Divination: these are spells that reveal specific information about almost anything. When you practice these types of spells, you are known as a diviner.
- Enchantment: these are spells that inundate the target or give the spell-caster a certain amount of power over the target. If you practice these spells, you are known as an evoker.
- Evocation: these teach spells that create something where nothing existed before, or which manipulate energy. The people who practice evocation are called evokers.
- Illusion: these are spells that alter people’s perceptions of situations or objects, and they can also create a false image. The people who practice illusion are called illusionists.
- Necromancy: these are spells that manipulate either life force or life itself. The people who practice necromancy are called necromancers.
- Transmutation: spells that transform a target are called transmutation, and if you practice this type of spell, you are called a transmuter.
The Benefits of Playing Role-Playing Games
Great for Developing Your Creativity
Storytelling is a great way to make the most of your brainpower, and storytelling is an essential part of these types of games. When you participate in a role-playing game, you are not just sitting still and watching a TV or computer screen. You are thinking, critiquing, and considering the smartest move to make next.
Put simply, your brain is firing on all cylinders when you participate in a role-playing game. In fact, in a lot of ways these role-playing games stimulate your brain much the same way as reading a book does. You also have to have a certain amount of intelligence to play a role-playing game, if for no other reason than because you have to think a lot about your next move and how it will affect everything you do from then on.
It also takes more than one skill to be good at a role-playing game, so, while you’re playing, you’re actually developing a number of creative skills at the same time. In these types of games, you are continuously introduced to new characters and new plots, which makes you think about each of your options so that you can choose the best one for the results you’re going for. Because of these and many other reasons, your creativity can skyrocket when you play a role-playing game.
You Can Learn to Solve Problems
No, you do not have to be good at math to be good at role-playing games, but these games do teach you very effective problem-solving skills. Let’s face it, in role-playing games there are various scenarios to choose from, each with a very different result, and you have to think ahead to try and determine which action to take that will work out best.
You won’t know the outcome of the action you’re considering, and you have to use your critical thinking skills in order to proceed. You’ll get your “problem” and will have to think on your feet to determine your next course of action, which means you’re continuously thinking about how to solve the particular problem at hand.
You’ll feel like you’re solving a riddle, solving a murder mystery, keeping a dark lord from overtaking your kingdom, and navigating a labyrinth, sometimes all at the same time, which is a great way to solve problems.
In addition, these problem-solving skills often help you with other aspects of your life, because even though most role-playing games consist of fantasies, there are some ways to apply what you’ve learned to everyday life. When you’re involved in a role-playing game, never underestimate the importance and significance of applying the problem-solving skills you’re learning to situations in your everyday life, which is but one of its many advantages.
Role-Playing Games Can Improve Your Social Skills
Even though these are games, you are rarely playing on your own. Even if the other players are located in a country thousands of miles away, you have to be able to “get along” with that person and play the game together without any negativity. If you are playing face-to-face, social skills are even more necessary to make it work. This means that before and after the game, you can sit and chat with these people and develop meaningful relationships with them.
It also doesn’t matter what game you’re playing because all role-playing games require a certain amount of accommodating and getting along with the other people involved. In games such as Dungeons and Dragons, there are a lot of ways to improve your social skills because you must work together with other people as a team in order to make it work.
In today’s technological world, it is good to know that there are games that force you to think beyond what is happening in your own personal space, and, if you are interested in playing these types of games with other players, but you are unsure where to find them, your local game store or electronics shop may be able to help you find a group of people to your liking.
Collaboration is Important in These Games
Teamwork is the name of the game when it comes to role-playing games, and, even though many of these games do not end in a “win” or “lose” situation, teamwork is still required to make it work. Role-playing games provide you with the competitiveness you need and the camaradery you want, and, let’s face it, a good combination of competitiveness and teamwork is never wasted.
It is also important because you’ll realize that you must do your part in this game in order for your team to be successful. Being a good team member is important in many aspects of your life, including work, so learning to collaborate with others to achieve a common goal can benefit you in more ways than you might think. Teamwork teaches you how to work together with others and to think outside the box, so to speak, because it takes the entire team in these situations to be successful.
The Most Important Reason of All … Fun!
There is no doubt that role-playing games teach you skills and improve your ability to work with others, but let’s not forget the most important reason of all to play these games; they are fun. Today’s world is a very stressful one, and everyone on the planet deserves some downtime.
Whether you work part-time or full-time, having hobbies is crucial so that you don’t feel overwhelmed or even depressed. Between work, family, and other commitments, everyone can feel stressed out if they don’t have a hobby, and there are few hobbies more fun and challenging than a role-playing game. There is a reason why these games gain millions of customers each and every year, and, once you decide that this is a hobby you’re interested in, it is easy to get started.
Being able to succeed at work and in your personal life requires some “time out,” and role-playing games provide the right combination of skill-building and relaxation to suit anyone’s needs. As soon as you start playing, you’ll be able to feel your whole body relax, and you’ll automatically look forward to what happens next. Everyone deserves a chance to feel like a kid every now and then, and relaxing, having a great time, and learning how to have fun again are great advantages to playing these role-playing games.