ESHIELD
Some have argued that this is the best defensive wizard spell in the game. Eshield surrounds you with a very dense field of energy that is effective in helping block damage. Since wizards can only wear the most basic of armor (Leather helms, Cloth Vests, Leather boots) they do not get very much defense in the Armor Block category. Eshield boosts the armor blocks, usually quite significantly. Eshield is a "Relative Level" spell, meaning that the effect of the spell is dependent on the difference between your level and the level of the spell. The greater the difference, the greater the benefit. If the Eshield cast is lower than the target's level, it will have no effect at all. Due to the nature of the Energy Shield, it is not very effective when cast on characters who are wearing more substantial armor. For example, if cast on a player wearing Plate Armor, it would only add +8 to blocks no matter the level it's cast. Eshield is trained with the Energy Skill.
MSHIELD
While Eshield is a very useful spell for blocking melee attacks against you, it does nothing to block ranged attacks. (Even the best armor doesn't do well against Arrows and Crossbow bolts that travel at very high velocity). Mshield creates a very dense field that does nothing to stop regular melee attacks, but is effective at blocking ranged attacks. Note that the only other way to block ranged attacks is with a shield. Mshield is effective for any character that is not using a shield. Mshield is trained with the Energy skill.
DARKNESS
Darkness eliminates all light in a single square, making it very difficult to perform any actions within that square, and making any creature standing in that square more difficult to hit. There are two ways to cast darkness: If it is cast on a square (Example DARKNESS E would cast one square to the east) then it will darken that square. This can be useful if you can force a critter to step into that square, as it will lower its ability to attack you. The other way is to cast it on yourself or another player. In order to do this, you must first cast PROTLIGHT (see below) on yourself or the target player. The Protlight will protect you from the ill effects of the Darkness while making it difficult for others to hit you.
Darkness is a Level Relative spell, and is subject to saving throws. Therefore more powerful critters may ignore its effects. Note that a Defend score from the Historian given to you when you're wearing darkness assumes that the critter you are defending against is the same level as you are. For each level higher the critter is, you should subtract 1 point from your net Defend score.
PROTENERGY And PROTLIGHT
Protenergy gives protection from EHAMM and EBOLT.
Protlight gives protection from BLIND, LASER, and the effects of DARKNESS. Protlight must be cast in order to cast DARKNESS on yourself or others.
Protenergy is trained along with the Energy skill.
Protlight is trained along with the Darkness skill.
EHAMM
Ehamm attacks your opponents Stamina. If you specify a target, it attacks at the level of the cast. If you do not specify a target, every critter you can see will be targeted at three levels below the cast. Unlike the other mass attacking Wizard spells, the effect level does not decay when it targets more critters. If you cast L30 EHAMM, each critter will be targeted with the effect of an L27 EHAMM. This can be very useful for clearing large rooms. Ehamm is popular with some wizards because it exhausts critters (by attacking their stamina) making them very likely to be too exhausted to attack. Also, if your cast 'almost' kills them, so that they have very very low stamina, the critter may drop dead on the next turn. EHAMM is trained with the EBOLT skill. EHAMM is blocked with PROTENERGY.
EBOLT
Ebolt attacks your opponents Mana. This can be extremely effective as not all critters have as much Mana as they do Stamina. If Ebolt is cast with a target, the effect is at the spell level. If it is cast without a target, then every critter is targeted with the spell. Ebolt's effect is subject to decay as more critters are targeted. The first critter (in the target window) is affected at the spell level -2, the second critter is affected at the spell level -3, the 3rd critter is affected at the spell level -4, and so on down the line. Ebolt is trained under the Ebolt skill. EBOLT is blocked with the spell PROTENERGY
LASER
Laser attacks a critter’s Mana. It is very similar to the EBOLT spell, but is trained under the Laser skill. LASER is blocked with the spell PROTLIGHT.
BLIND
Blind attacks a critter’s Mana and it also attempts to blind the target. Blinded targets suffer a penalty to attacking and cannot cast spells. Blind is trained under the Laser skill and is blocked with the spell PROTLIGHT.
ARMOR
Wizards can wear Leather Helms, Cloth Armor, and Leather Boots. They may also wear cloth or leather wristbands on their hands slot.
ROBE
Wizards wear a Wizard Robe (purple for Energy Wizards, White for Light Wizards). These cannot be purchased, but can be found randomly in dungeons with Energy and Light Wizards. The higher the level of the Robe, the greater the benefit. Robes add their level to your training level in a given casting skill. Example: If you have energy trained to L30 and are wearing an L4 robe, you'll cast Eshield at L34.
HATS
Wizards will eventually wear Wizard Hats (purple for Energy Wizards, White for Light Wizards). These cannot be purchased, but can be found randomly in dungeons with Energy and Light Wizards. When they are fully implemented, they will replace robes in the function of saving throw and casting modifiers. Robes will continue to be a significant part of a Wizard’s armor blocks.
SAVING THROWS
Wizards saving throws are calculated by adding the level of the Wizards Robe and the Wizardry Class Skill Ring. No other equipment is considered for save adders for Wizards. Once Hats are implemented, Saving throws will be based on the Hat and Wizardry Class Skill Ring.
SCROLLS/WANDS
Most information concerning scrolls is on the scrolls page. Notable here is the specific modifiers for scrolls used by Wizards. The qualifying level for a scroll is the total of the Robe (to be Hat) and Wizardry ring level. This is added to the level of Wizardry training and any bonus for specific skill. The resulting spell will go off at the level of the scroll or wand + the total of the Robe and Wizardry ring level. When casting scrolls that are NOT Wizardry skill, the only qualification for scrolls are the training in that scroll’s class skill and any applicable skill training bonus. The resulting scroll will go off at the scroll level with no other bonuses.
Hints and Tips
When starting out, stick to the discipline you're dedicated to. Energy Wizards should focus on EBOLT and ENERGY. Light Wizards should focus on LASER and DARKNESS
Casting DARKNESS and ESHIELD together will not give you an added benefit. Whichever spell is higher will be considered by the game engine in combat.
Wizards have a very low Net D.
If you use a Staff as your weapon, you will automatically get a +1 to cast all spells.
If you have an enchanted staff, it can be imbued with a spell. Then whenever you cast that spell type, it will cost less mana.
A good tip for Energy Wizards to avoid having their Eshield expire without warning: First cast Mshield. Then wait a minute and cast Eshield. When the Mshield starts to expire, you know you'll need to refresh your Eshield spell soon.
While the debate rages on, Mnemoth thinks that EHAMM is generally better than EBOLT.
Always keep Unarmored, Staff, and Dodge trained to your level so you have some defense.
Unless you really want to hit things with that Staff, don’t bother training Precision Attacking. Nevertheless, DO train Staff because this will help your Net D.
Scrolls and Wands can be put on your belt, and cast when needed. If you have a spell imbued into your Staff, you won’t be able to use that spell off of a scroll or wand on your belt.
Scrolls can be stacked on your belt in groups of 6… when moving the pile of scrolls, type 6 then drag the scrolls to your belt icon. Entering more than 6 will cause a “You cannot put that there” error.