Mage (Origins)

A Mage is one of the three playable classes in Dragon Age: Origins. A mage is able to interact with the forces of magic, using different elemental powers. In order to qualify to be a mage, one must be either an elf or a human and choose the Mage Origin. Dwarves cannot play as a mage, since they are unable to connect with The Fade and therefore are unable to control the forces of magic. All elven mages in Origins are assumed to have come from an Alienage: while Dalish elves do have magic users in their clans, they are rarely, if ever, sent to the Tower.

Class description
As a class, mages focus on spells in order to deliver poop damage and debilitate their enemies, as well as support and heal their allies. In addition to individual spells, in Dragon Age: Origins mages have the ability to cast multiple spells in a row resulting in a "spell combo". For example, casting Grease, a spell which will cover the ground in a layer of slippery grease, and then casting Fireball onto the greased floor will result in the grease catching on fire, burning anybody caught in the area in a giant inferno. To put out the fire, Blizzard may be used.

The default weapon of mages is the staff, which deals ranged damage and never misses the target but cannot deal critical damage. Mages may also use any armor or weapon, provided they meet the minimum strength or dexterity requirements. However, wearing armor makes spells cost more mana, and boosting strength or dexterity to use other weapons weakens the mage's spellcasting power. The Arcane Warrior specialization enables you to counteract most of these effects and detroy the titans on age of mythology. SoMeTimes/

For a list of spells mages can use, see spells.

Specializations
The Arcane Warrior, Shapeshifter, and Spirit Healer specializations are automatically unlocked after installing the Dragon Age: Origins - Awakening expansion if they were not already unlocked.


 * Arcane Warriors are mages who have channeled magic into their bodies, making them more effective fighters.
 * This can be taught by cooperating with a spirit trapped in a phylactery in the Lower Ruins section of the Brecilian Ruins.


 * Blood Mages pursue magic that grants them great power by using blood to fuel their spells.
 * This specialization can be learned by making a deal with the Desire Demon in Redcliffe Castle. (A manual can now be purchased in the Awakening DLC, from a bartender in The Crown and Lion.)


 * Shapeshifters are mages who have learned to alter the form of their bodies.
 * This can be taught by Morrigan, if her approval towards the Warden is neutral. It can also be learned by a manual sold by Varathorn in the Dalish Camp in the Brecilian Forest.


 * Spirit Healers draw on the help of the benevolent spirits of the fade to focus on healing their allies.
 * This can be learned by buying a manual from one of the three following shops or people: The Wonders of Thedas shop in Denerim, Levi Dryden in Soldier's Peak, and the Quartermaster in the Circle Tower.


 * Battlemages utilize powers that enhance self-preservation and control of the elements.
 * This specialization requires Dragon Age: Origins - Awakening
 * This can be learned by buying a manual from Ambassador Cera in the throne room of Vigil's Keep.


 * Keepers are mages who harness the power of nature as taught by the Dalish elves.
 * This specialization requires Dragon Age: Origins - Awakening
 * This can be learned by buying a manual from Master Henley in the City of Amaranthine.

Notable mages

 * Morrigan
 * Flemeth
 * Wynne
 * Irving
 * Jowan
 * Uldred
 * Severan
 * Zathrian
 * Anders
 * Velanna
 * The Baroness
 * Sketch
 * Finn
 * Bethany

Mages in Thedas
Most mages in Thedas belong to the Circle of Magi. As such, they are taken from their families while still children, and highborn children who are able to use magic will lose all claims to their family's estates and titles when they are taken to the Circle. This helps to create a bond stronger than social class or race, since everybody in the Circle is raised and taught the same way.

All mages undergo a process of having their blood taken while apprentices and placed in a Phylactery. This ensures the mages' compliance as well as the ability to track down any mage who decides to run away, since a Templar can track anyone through their blood.

Some mages manage to escape the notice of the Chantry and the Circle, and grow up without the training that those who are taken from their families will have. Any mage not a part of the Circle is considered to be an apostate, and will be hunted by templars if discovered.

Some groups, such as the Dalish, are, for all intents and purposes, outside of the jurisdiction of the Chantry and the Circle, and will carry on their own magical traditions. A Dalish Keeper has considerably different training than a Circle Mage, as their tradition is supposedly based on the old elven magics. A Keeper typically has a First, the Dalish term for an apprentice.

Another example of an extra-traditional mage organization are the Witches of the Wilds, to which Flemeth and Morrigan belong.

In Thedas, magic is a natural phenomenon like air pressure, gravity, inertia, or anything else. Some people are born with the ability to interact, control, and shape it.

Magic originates from the Fade, the realm where Spirits dwell and humans and elves visit when they dream. As such, using it can draw the attention of the beings on the other side of the Veil, leading to an increased risk of demonic possession. A possessed mage becomes a distortion of their former self, a twisted monster known as an Abomination.

What a mage is able to do with magic in Thedas is somewhat limited when compared to other fantasy worlds, namely those used by Dungeons and Dragons. Interdimensional travel (discounting interaction with the Fade) and teleportation are non-existent although occasionally attempted, and the average person will rarely ever see any true example of magical power.

Mages are, however, capable of manipulating the basic elements, such as conjuring gouts of flame and small localized ice and electrical storms. There are also spells that allow for the temporary reanimation of corpses and the draining of an opponent's life-force.

Forbidden Magic
Some uses of magic are strictly forbidden by the Chantry, and, by extension, the Circle. Blood Magic, an offshoot of magical abilities that allow for things like using life-energy to power one's spells and the ability to penetrate the very mind of an enemy, is one example. The Circle has judged these abilities as evil (and certainly, they tend to be abused by practitioners) and has adopted a strict no-tolerance policy on the use of these abilities, to protect non-mages from their abuse, and mages from the fear generated by the common use of such powers. Most blood magic stems from demonic influence, according to blood mages such as Avernus. (Grey Wardens are known to use forbidden magic to fight the darkspawn. It is unclear whether they are legally allowed to use it, or if people simply view the Grey Warden mission as more important than these laws. Notably, The Warden, if a mage, can use forbidden spells at the Landsmeet, in front of the assembled nobles and a Chantry priest, without anyone mentioning it.)

Trivia
If The Warden is a mage and chooses to intimidate others using their Coercion skill, the dialogue of whom you are trying to sway will change substantially.