If you're not going to use devices, your mages are going to be much weaker. That's fine, it's perfectly playable now, and I bet it'll be playable once Nick gets through with his modifications. It'll just be harder. Which is sort of what you're asking for when you are unwilling to use the (second) best skill a class has, both by stats and by the help files. I would compare it to, say, playing a bowless warrior or something like that. Obviously weakens you, and extremely tedious and annoying, I bet, but technically playable.
As we have stated, there are devices for Stone to Mud and for Light. If those are too important and you refuse to use devices, play a Druid or a Priest. You'll only get one, of course, and you forfeit all the other great Mage stuff, but that is working as designed. Similar goes for Haste Self - you are a bit less likely to find a Staff of Speed at the appropriate area, but working without it for a while can't be that bad, and you could always dive a bit.
As you seem to notice in the last paragraph, it seems likely that the class with the most direct damage power from spells will be the necromancer. If you do design a version of it, I am quite certain it will not make it into the game, since Nick presumably already has quite a few ideas in mind, and from your aversion to using devices to supplement character power and the ideas you've outlined here, your version would include, say, more utility spells, or just plain more spells, than the current design philosophy allows.
I do not think there is room in the game for a class that relies exclusively on spells. Assuming that the plan is to give them spells for every occasion, for every possible use of devices (includes Healing and Magi), so that they never feel tempted to use them, the class is going to be overpowered, since each weakness (except some covered by equipment) is covered by a particular device, which means that the class is very short on possible weaknesses. The only one I can think of right now is nonzero % fail. Could be fun, I suppose. There is the final possibility of not worrying about balancing the class, calling them 'Istar', and then making them excellent at all other skills as well, as an introductory class, but I suspect that would just give new players the wrong instincts.
As we have stated, there are devices for Stone to Mud and for Light. If those are too important and you refuse to use devices, play a Druid or a Priest. You'll only get one, of course, and you forfeit all the other great Mage stuff, but that is working as designed. Similar goes for Haste Self - you are a bit less likely to find a Staff of Speed at the appropriate area, but working without it for a while can't be that bad, and you could always dive a bit.
As you seem to notice in the last paragraph, it seems likely that the class with the most direct damage power from spells will be the necromancer. If you do design a version of it, I am quite certain it will not make it into the game, since Nick presumably already has quite a few ideas in mind, and from your aversion to using devices to supplement character power and the ideas you've outlined here, your version would include, say, more utility spells, or just plain more spells, than the current design philosophy allows.
I do not think there is room in the game for a class that relies exclusively on spells. Assuming that the plan is to give them spells for every occasion, for every possible use of devices (includes Healing and Magi), so that they never feel tempted to use them, the class is going to be overpowered, since each weakness (except some covered by equipment) is covered by a particular device, which means that the class is very short on possible weaknesses. The only one I can think of right now is nonzero % fail. Could be fun, I suppose. There is the final possibility of not worrying about balancing the class, calling them 'Istar', and then making them excellent at all other skills as well, as an introductory class, but I suspect that would just give new players the wrong instincts.
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