Weapons & Equip Make Mage have more cool effects and branches like Spectre/Nebula since the beginning of the game

[Empty air sandwich]

Make magic cooler in a way that sets it more apart from Ranged since early on, more unique and novel and less like a ranged with less capability and more limitations, maybe improve mage set bonuses and add new mage accessories for more magic-hit-only procs and also allow healer-like mage effects throughout the game instead of only since Spectre.

For example:

• Add a new book accessory that, if also wearing only magic armor parts (empty slot is OK), gives an X% chance for each magic hit to spawn random fireworks/magic bolts, which spawn from somewhere and go to deal extra damage and effects and even hit enemies you weren't specifically aiming for
• A different version of the book that doesn't work if equipped with the other, this one makes magic hits pass heals and buffs to you and other players, and your magic hits always give a weak slow to normal enemies for a short time. (switching between books gives a debuff that stops them from working for 1 minute. Books might upgrade with proggression materials)
• Many mundane magic armor sets buffed for additional special effects:
  • Tim's magic hat OR traveling merchant's gypsy hat, + craftable magic gem robes OR traveling merchant's gypsy robe (interchangeable) = all magic damage has around 35% chance to burn for 1-3sec
  • Jungle armor = all magic damage has 100% chance to poison for 8sec
  • Hardmode ore 1/2/3/Hallowed = all like Spectre bolts except it's a small round colored light ball on the attack spot that doesn't move, stays like a contact mine lasting 1 hit or X seconds, damage increases between 1/2/3/Hallowed
  • Chlorophyte = magic hits can make leaves appear from above the crystal (or from the attack spot) that fall in wide randomized zig-zags to deal 1 hit on touch

And add a few more early magic weapons of other types, like ones that can skillshot multiple hits into the same enemy, as too many of the early magic weapons are just simple long-ranged single-hitter shots like directly inferior ranger weapons you can get at the same time or some steps later
Like a book that shoots a salvo of random-falling-arcing fireballs that explode on touch, possibly landing all of them on the same boss. Or a magic weapon that shoots separated streams of rapidfire throwingknife-like projectiles with around 130 degrees of accuracy per shot in the burst. (and hopefully a hardmode crafting upgrade for WaterBolt, maybe shooting more than the straight shot at once)

 

[Dapling]

Literally only summoner is cool early on. Magic is differentiated from ranged early on by it's brightly glowing projectiles and ability to use piercing in a way that doesn't suck (water bolt is a prime example.) We don't really need magic to have an overhaul, just buff it in general.

• Sure, that book accesory looks fun, just make it early hardmode
• Sure, make it later game and it's fine. Also enemy AI wasn't designed for slowing, so the support effect would be the only thing that's feasible. Only issue I see with it is removing the uniqueness from nebula armor.
• The magic armor set changes are either completely useless (like the changes to jungle and gem robes/merchant clothes) or assymetric with other classes and affect too many armor sets at once (like the one that affects SEVEN different armor sets and the one for chlorophyte.)

The early magic weapons aren't directly inferior. They usually move slower so their piercing can hit enemies multiple times, and also give off more light which is important in earlygame. Plus the water bolt exists. We can have more magic weapons, but I'd rather they come up with new gimmicks rather than stealing the ones from the crystal serpent and betsy's wrath.

 

[Lord Garak]

Literally only summoner is cool early on. Magic is differentiated from ranged early on by it's brightly glowing projectiles and ability to use piercing in a way that doesn't suck (water bolt is a prime example.) We don't really need magic to have an overhaul, just buff it in general.

• Sure, that book accesory looks fun, just make it early hardmode
• Sure, make it later game and it's fine. Also enemy AI wasn't designed for slowing, so the support effect would be the only thing that's feasible. Only issue I see with it is removing the uniqueness from nebula armor.
• The magic armor set changes are either completely useless (like the changes to jungle and gem robes/merchant clothes) or assymetric with other classes and affect too many armor sets at once (like the one that affects SEVEN different armor sets and the one for chlorophyte.)

The early magic weapons aren't directly inferior. They usually move slower so their piercing can hit enemies multiple times, and also give off more light which is important in earlygame. Plus the water bolt exists. We can have more magic weapons, but I'd rather they come up with new gimmicks rather than stealing the ones from the crystal serpent and betsy's wrath.

The Book of Skulls, Water Scepter, and Magic Missile need buffs. They are terrible.

 

[Dapling]

The Book of Skulls, Water Scepter, and Magic Missile need buffs. They are terrible.

I like the magic missile and book of skulls, they have unique gimmicks (did you know that the book of skulls is the only weapon that has homing in pvp?)
A straight damage buff would be very much appreciated though.

 

[Lord Garak]

I like the magic missile and book of skulls, they have unique gimmicks (did you know that the book of skulls is the only weapon that has homing in pvp?)
A straight damage buff would be very much appreciated though.

The Book of Skulls "homing" effect is so bad that it often misses enemies because it veers off from where you shot it, the projectile speed is terrible and mana cost is through the roof, while the firing speed and damage are extremely mediocre. It's easily one of the worst weapons in the game.

 

[Dapling]

The Book of Skulls "homing" effect is so bad that it often misses enemies because it veers off from where you shot it, the projectile speed and mana cost are through the roof, while the firing speed and damage are extremely mediocre. It's easily one of the worst weapons in the game.

This may be true, but I still like the slow speed and fast firing. If they made it's damage much higher and/or reduced it's mana cost I would use it more often. (Plus it's actually really really good for prehm pvp right now, but weapons really should be designed with pve in mind.)

 

[J Bame]

I mean, Mage needs buffs to some of its current weapons and a pair of new things for Very early game, not a massive buff like this. I really, really dig that "book of randomness" concept though, pHM could really use more accessories. The other things needs more thought (would the other variants of Hallowed and Chloro get new stuff too?) or is too unlikely to actually change anything (DoT is by far the least reliable damage type in the game)