For those who wish to dabble in the arts of magic and mysticism, there are several paths that lead to a mastery of the arcane. Spell casters are physically weaker than most of their non-caster counterparts. Being a spell caster will require patience and determination, but is ultimately rewarding and challenging. There are also several "hybrid" classes in each realm, that are sturdier then pure spell casters, and have a mix of melee abilities and spells.
Spells and Spell Lists
As you gain in level, new spells will automatically become available to you. However, each specialization line also has a number of spells, generally more powerful, that only become available when you specialize in that line. It's not possible to maximize each line, so you'll need to choose carefully when deciding which line to train. Training in a spell line will both improve your ability to cast the baseline spells available to that line, and give you access to the specialization spells.
Combat Magic
To cast a spell, drag the icon of the spell onto the Quick Bar, and then press the appropriate hotkey to cast the spell.
Magical combat varies slightly from normal combat. Like normal combat, you must first select a target. To cast on the target, activate the spell by pressing the hotkey. To "queue" a spell to cast after the first one completes, you can then press another spell (or the same one again, if you want to cast the same spell). To queue a new spell in place of the old one, simply press that hotkey, and it will replace the spell in the queue.
Once a monster has engaged you in combat, either through melee, archery or spell casting, you will become too distracted to cast, and may need to rely on your melee weapon. Most casters have access to the Quickcast ability (or the Necromancer equivalent, Facilitate Painworking). This ability will allow you to cast a spell without interruption. Note that this only counts for an actual "interruption" - spells that cause you to become unable to cast (such as a mesmerization or stun) will still stop you from casting, and Amnesia spells will not interrupt you, but will cause you to forget what you were doing - essentially halting your current cast. When you are interrupted, for a period of time afterwards, you will be unable to cast.
Many casters have "shout" spells, which are instant-cast, and cannot be interrupted due to melee, archery, spell casting or Amnesia. A mesmerization or stun will still prevent you from using a shout, though. While you have to stand still to cast a normal spell, shouts can be used while on the move or while under attack.
Healing classes will be of very limited use while under attack, since they do not have access to Quickcast, and will have few or no instant-cast spells. Some monsters may identify characters that are making their battle more difficult, and chase down healers.
Non-Combat Magic
There are other spells, such as shield, buff and utility spells, that may be cast at any time. These spells generally enhance the target in some way, or perform some utility function, such as enhanced movement or power regeneration.
Power Recovery
Casters rely on their magical power to cast spells. As spells are used, so is the corresponding power. As you increase in level, your power level increases, but higher-level spells may also require more power to cast. The yellow bar in the summary window represents power. Be sure that you have the required power you need before engaging in combat. Note that some casting classes regenerate power points much slower when their power drops below 50%.
Musical Magic
Most magic is based on the manipulation of the elements or mystical forces, but Minstrels, Skalds and Bards use magical songs and shouts. Minstrels and Bards are both required to carry the appropriate musical instrument when using songs. Skalds, being more of a front-line fighter, have more limited musical abilities, but can use them while wielding a weapon.