if you plan using that sort of omni-powerful magic you should consider using reagents just to encorauge a little variation on the solutions, if you use magic here you might not have that rare pearl for the next river (maybe you could also allow the use improvised reagents which would cause even more backfires)Vault Dweller said:I have a pretty cool mage NPC. You can't play as a mage because magic is rare and takes a lifetime to master, but you can get this guy who's an apprentice to the actual mage who takes an interest in your quest and wants to help or keep an eye out. You never know with these people. Anyway, the guy is an apprentice so he doesn't have a good grasp of magic and every time he uses it it may backfire in your face. There is a situation where you need to cross some water, and you can do it in a variety of ways, but if you ask your new pal he would try to summon a boat from the sea depth (what good is the magic if you can't do spectacular things anyway), but the one he summons comes with her undead crew, and isn't exactly in mint condition, so some repairs would be necessary. You can kill the skeletons or you can talk to them, which is a whole different story.
edit: oh yea, ultima 8 pagan style magic rituals for item creation (potions/wands/grenade style thingies) would be cool too