Battlemage

**Favored by**

"In the fires of magic shall great weapons be forged"

The Magi of Azeroth are powerful indeed. Many Magi skilled in the arcane arts are able to lend invaluable support to any situation through their ability to conjure food and drink or manipulation of the battlefield.
But this is not enough for some.

**Battlemages**, (also known as **Warmages**) are arcanists who seek a more direct role in conflict and accompany soldiers into the heart of battle; wading though enemy lines and assaulting enemy personnel, demons, and monsters directly. Generations of warfare have given BattleMages testing grounds to develop new and powerful magics designed for use on the battlefield. These magics take the form of powerful discharges of energy and transmutation of existing energy to their advantage along with powerful invocation techniques.

## Battle-mage combat style

It is not enough to face the enemy in combat through magic alone, a Battlemage must take great care to hone his martial prowess. Battle-magi typically enter combat with sword and staff in place of sword and shield, though it is not unheard of for polearms, great staffs or other focuses to be used in melee combat. A Battle-mage eschews heavy armor like a typical warrior or knight, as it would interfere with more complex magic when attention is already focused on the battlefield. Instead a Battle-mage uses light and non-inhibitive armor, no robes as they can get in the way of footwork.

Battlemagi who work in groups will often engage in assault tactics and flanking maneuvers, using their magical abilities to rapidly move about and dominate the battlefield. Preferring and trained to engage in close combat rather than raining magical power down from a distance, these warrior arcanists act as a scalpel, delivering quick and decisive blows.

Battlemagi generally possess some degree of skill in warding techniques. Wards allow the battlemagi to set up area denial points and establish perimeters in which operations that require more focus can be performed, such as forming a linking portal to one in Dalaran or wherever else the other side is leading.

Due to relatively few numbers compared to rank and file soldiers, battlemagi are suited to small squad sabotage, demolitions, and assault tactics with a focus on rapid insert and retreat.

## Battle-magics

Battlemagics are a series of rituals and preparations along with arcane techniques that augments the Battle-magi’s combat ability. Common techniques are

* Magical channeling
* Arcane blasts
* Frost barriers
* Sword enchantment and focusing.
* Blink
* Magical armor.

As the Battlemage hones his/her martial skills, more advanced techniques can be put into play that would typically be impossible to do in the heat of combat, such as frost runes and rings, and the ability to discharge arcane bursts from other body parts then hands. The height of Battlemagics is a Technique developed over the years in one form or another, a powerful invocational technique that directs magical energy inward instead of outward; strengthening the body and augmenting power and speed. This technique allows the Battlemage to resist blows and magical blasts which would normally damage the body (to a point) and swing their weapons with greater strength. It also improves channeling ability by providing a greater amount of magic flowing through the body. It is unknown how many magi are versed in this technique, one current master of the technique is Vanidicus Alexander.

Other advanced Battle-magics include:

* Combat Frostfire Manipulation: Through careful mixture and battlefield focus that only a Battlemage can bring to bear, a mage can perform the difficult task of merging the distinctively different elements of frost and flame in combat to form blades of flaming ice, defensive barriers that burn to the touch, and wreak havoc on the battlefield. More specialized variants of this technique can involve mixtures of other elements as well to create a swirling aura of elemental chaos.

## Group Tactics

* Battlefield Warding: coordinated movements allow the battle-magi to move into optimal position to cast group spells and wards in combat to better shield the charges under their protection.

* Portal Link ups: The supreme concentration a battlemage can bring to bear allows for the battle-magi to quickly and efficiently create portal nexus' in a hostile environment that can bypass warding spells.
* Portal flank maneuvers
* Rapid insert maneuvers.

## Spellswords and Spell Breakers

**Spellswords** are a type of lesser Battlemage or warrior utilizing magical abilities or martial techniques augmented by their (or enchanted) magical skills or weapons. While magically augmented, they do not possess the same level of skill and specialization that a battlemage can bring to bear.

Spell Breakers are magic-wielding warriors armed with specialized blades and shields designed to engage and eliminate casters. However, since their focus is primarily on anti-magic, they cannot truely be considered battlemagi.

## Notable Battle-magi

* Vanidicus Alexander
* Jaine Rosenthal
* Kalecthos Delnathor
* Nalendor Stromweaver
* Nathul Furlbrow
* Hellissa Ravenshadow
* Aithnea Escol
* Merandar Haifrall
* Aranwen Ravenheart
* Bartolomé Avant
* Thaddeus O'Sullivan
* (( Please feel free to add your name as you see fit.))