Know Your Role: Part 3 Arcane CastersWhen you hear Arcane Caster, the thought comes to mind of a robe-wearing wizard who usually stands back and nukes a mob out of its boots when in a group. Arcane Casters are the magical wielders of damage in traditional MMORPGs. With their mighty spells they can unleash great waves of elemental and mystical powers upon their enemies, but they don't do so well in a hand-to-hand battle. They are best kept at a distance to nuke mobs in moderation. Moderation is an important word for arcane class types to learn. The reason for this is that no matter how good a tank is, a wizard who gets carried away can easily gain the attention of the enemy. When this happens, the tank has to fight to regain aggro, and sometimes the battle ends with the poor arcane-type taking a dirt nap. So it is always important, if you are one of these magic damage dealers, to pace yourself when engaged in combat and not over do it. If you do, don't blame the tank, and remember: you have been warned!There are several kinds of Arcane Casters in Vanguard: Saga of Heroes. Some are traditional classes, and others are new, or a bit different. These casters will not only have to manage their powers in battle so as not to overdo things, but they will also learn, through the use of the Perception skill, how to counter certain spells in some cases. This will be an important part of the role of an Arcane Caster in Vanguard. Not only are you a damage machine, but you must also pay close attention to combat and be ready to react to your enemies' actions. Perhaps your enemy is casting "Uber-Nuke-Fire-Splash", and your caster notices this through Perception. Perhaps a reaction option occurs, and you counter the spell or maybe even reverse it. With Vanguard's new combat system, all classes will be more involved when combat begins.Druid: Druids in Everquest were attuned with nature. Their powers were influenced by their surroundings. A druid for example was more effective outside, in the open, where he could call upon lightning to assist him in battle, than he was in a dungeon where he could not summon such powers. The druid was also a utility healer in EQ.The Druids of Vanguard are said to be a bit different than their EQ counterparts. They will still draw their power from nature, but as a recent preview of Vanguard at PC Gamezone states, weather may also influence their powers in combat. Fire may be less useful in rain, but what of lightning? Perhaps the damage is increased. Various things will influence a Druid's role in Vanguard. It is said they may even possibly have powers over the seas, to assist in ship travel, a possibility which was hinted at a while back. Druids will be an interesting class to say the least, and their role will be very valuable, for those who learn it well.Necromancer: Traditionally a master of the undead. This arcane caster was one who specialized in summoning creatures to aid them, and using spells such as Fear, Engulfing Darkness, and a variety of damage-over-time spells, with life tapping abilities to destroy and suck the life from their foes. Necromancers used bone chips to summon a skeleton minion in EQ. They were great soloers, and very deadly adversaries.Vanguard's Necromancer class will take a bit of a different approach. Where in EQ players used bone chips to summon skeletal minions, the Vanguard Necromancer will have need of body parts. Using these body parts, these masters of the undead will summon forth constructs to do their dark bidding. What kind of constructs we may see are still a mystery, but given the creativity of the Sigil development team, you can bet it will be very interesting, to say the least. Necromancers in Telon may be seen hunting creatures not for loot, but for body parts to tinker with the creation of these conscripts. In any case, these Dark casters should provide a warm fuzzy feeling for Necromancers everywhere. Psionicist: The Psionicist is one of the newer and most intriguing classes that Vanguard has announced. This class will make use of Psionic powers with which to torment and manipulate the minds of their enemies, and enhance their allies in combat. The Psionicist will use concentration for some of their skills, and this will likely be subtracted from their Psionic power. For example, perhaps the Psionicist has 100 mana/Psionic points and a skill might cost 5 concentration. That will be subtracted from the 100. This will make these arcane casters selective as to what powers are actively being used at any given time.In addition to being able to buff their group and impact their enemies, the Psionicist will also be a great addition to a group for combat. They will have the power to perform a bit of crowd control with their skills. Perhaps your group gets an add on a pull: the Psionicist can lock the mob in a mind battle, making it unable to function. The drawback is that the Psionicist will be locked into place as well, as this mind battle rages.Psionicists will need more than a simple trainer to learn all the skills available to them. Through the lands there are said to be mystical items that these casters will have to seek out called gestalts. While not everything is known about this class of Arcane Caster, I think it is safe to say they will be one to watch as information is released by Sigil.The Sorcerer: The Sorcerer can probably be considered closest to the Wizards of Everquest, but even though they may be considered closest, they are very different. Wizards in EQ could summon great powers of fire and ice, for example, to deal damage to their foes. Lightly armored and poor at mele, these casters still packed a nasty punch, and were arguably the best damage dealers of all in Everquest.The Sorcerer of Vanguard will still call upon the powers of the elements, but it has also been suggested that they may be able to combine the elemental powers they learn to form new powers. Darrin"Tagad"Mcpherson,in an older post on the OVF, talked a bit about this class, the four elements, and the possibility of combining those elements to form new powers. He states in this post:"Once the Sorcerer has mastered the 4 prime elements he will be able to begin combining them. The 4 base elements you know. The 4 para-elements are:Magma - Earth and FireMud - Earth and WaterIce - Water and AirSmoke - Fire and AirThere are more combinations that are known to exist but the knowledge of them has been lost. Search as they might the Sorcerers have not recovered all that was lost to them. Ancient manuscripts tell of Sorcerer's who could combine more than 2 elements, creating powerful quasi-elements. There is much to be discovered."Without a doubt, this class of Arcane Caster will be a keeper for any wizarding fan. Not to mention that they will have the ability to react and counter spells of their enemies through use of Perception.As an Arcane Caster, you have traditionally played the role of the damage dealer when it came to grouping. That role is not gone, but it has been enhanced. Your goal now will not only be to deal damage, but also to react in combat to the actions of your enemies. The option to counter spells noticed through a hardened caster's perception could mean the difference between "Your party gains experience." and " Incoming Rez". If nothing else, know to pay attention and be ready to react. Your actions as a caster will now have even more meaning than before.The possibility of sympathetic chain abilities will also make for some interesting combinations when these characters step into battle. One caster may notice an opening and use the appropriate skill, creating a sympathetic combination where another may advance the chain, or the casters may even combine their powers and form a more powerful skill from the event.The possibilities of what may come to exist in Vanguard are limitless. With the role Arcane Casters will play, as well as all other class types, the combat will be much more involved. Your role as a caster has not changed, but it has gotten more challenging and more intense. When Vanguard releases sometime this year, and you casters don your robes and step into Telon for the first time, remember the basics of your class: always be alert to the combat as it unfolds around you, for your actions may make all the difference, and most importantly, always Know Your Role.