• Fire
  
  

Fire spells in Arcanum are meant to be spammed. They have short cast times, high damage, and reasonable magicka costs. Many spells, like Blazing Soul, were specifically designed to reward the player for casting as many spells as quickly as possible. Fire spells tend to be the most straightforward playstyles of the bunch, but that doesn't mean there's no nuance. For example, fire has a slight healing theme, with spells like Radiant Helix and Cauterize. It's a good way to survive, but when you add Punishing Fire into the mix, all of a sudden these healing spells become absurd sources of damage. 

• Frost
  

Frost magic has traditionally gotten the short end of the stick. Stamina drain isn't very useful, and most enemies in Skyrim are Nords, with natural frost resistance. Frost in Arcanum is focused on area control and debuffs. Cover the ground with cheap spells like Icy Vortex and Gelid Gale, slowing enemies and reducing their resistances. Weaken them with Crippling Chill and Icy Cannonade. Finish them with Frozen Maelstrom and Crystal Spear, difficult to aim spells that take advantage of slow, weakened enemies. 

• Shock
  

Shock magic has the ability to deal unmitigated percent health damage, which the other elements cannot. Shock spells also have various unique utilities, the ability to boost power at the cost of health, and spells that can trigger one another in loops. In exchange, however, shock spells cost more magicka, and lack as many good area of effect options as Fire and Frost. However, it does have access to one of the best enablers for other area spells in Twisting Tempest. 



• Regeneration
  

My take on generic healing is instead all about the manipulation of your life force. Spells like Martyrdom and Transfusion ask you to give up your life for bonus effects, while Spells like Avenging Blaze and Vital Surge have bonus effects when the caster is at low health. Your health itself is as much a resource as magicka. How low are you willing to go? Are you confident you can survive to amp up your damage? Are you willing to hurt yourself to help your allies? 

• Reinforcement
  

It's not about strengthening yourself, the art of restoration is bolstering your allies and functioning as a team. Whether that's putting buffs like Daybreak Coronet and Guardian Shield on allies, turning them into unstoppable crusaders, or with spells like Unbreakable Formation and Aedric Wind, which reward you for sticking close to your friends and dishing out the pain together. Some of these spells can be a little tricky. Is Detention Sphere a tool to save your allies, or a way to control your enemies? You decide.

• Malfeasance
  

But through your careful study of healing magics, you've come to learn just how fragile life really is. And now you can turn that to your advantage. Malfeasance is a collection of spells that twist the meaning of healing. That pervert the idea of restoration, and have both offensive and defensive applications. Pretend you're their friend through Torrid Therapy and False Promise, then make them pay for their ignorance with Malpractice and Mortify. Give them hope, then laugh while you steal their life away through Abrogate. Unleash devastating diseases that can single-handedly collapse entire armies. 



• Psychosis
  

These are spells that play with Vanilla mechanics of fear, frenzy, and calm. Spells like Mental Vapors and Psychosomatic Manifestation give strong early-game payoffs for applying influence spells to enemies, while Grisly Spectacle, Fervid Visions, and Unbroken Focus let you affect enemies that are stronger than you and break the game's caps of Illusion level. This section also includes powerful debuffs like Hymn of Anguish that further augment the playstyle, and Ceaseless Torment is scarily effective if you can manage to frenzy enemies. 

• Mentalism
  

Illusion, as a school, might lack the raw power of Destruction and Conjuration, but being master of the mind has its perks. You're unparalleled when it comes to fighting other mages, counteracting their spells while augmenting your own. Early on, spells like Spell Pierce and Damping Matrix can really hamper opposing spellcasters, while Ignite Memories makes short work of anyone trying to cast their own spells. Later on, you can use your massive brain to spark fireworks. Spells like Clash of Wills, Overwhelming Intellect, and Spark of the Master flaunt your intelligence in the form of devastating, magicka-based damage. 

• Deception
  

But pride goeth before destruction, and a haughty spirit before a fall. Why fight out in the open when you remain hidden, and strike when the enemy's guard is down? Deception is all about incapacitating the target, and attacking from the unseen. Spells like Attrition and Shroud of Shadow bolster an assassin's arsenal, even at low levels of Illusion, While Delusive Smokescreen and Flash Step let you jump in and out of invisibility mid-combat. If you prefer to strike from afar, Spellshot Repeater and Spotter's Strix test your accuracy, and reward skilled snipers with chunky headshot damage. 

• Atromancy
  

These are the summons, unique summons with unique abilities. I think the core idea going in for me was to make these summons situationally powerful, or very powerful only in certain spots, or with great costs. They encourage players to play around them and build around them. Conjure Putrid Imp summons a weak imp that increases the damage you deal to a target. Death's shadow gets stronger the lower health you have, and prevents you from healing altogether. Soulforge Sculptor copies your right-hand weapon, and beats your enemies in concert with you. Howlpack Alpha summons a wolf for every nearby enemy when you conjure it, allowing you to instantly turn the tides of a fight. Then there are a multitude of spells that allow you to enhance or manipulate your summons, using them in more strategic ways. Oblivion Rift teleports your summons back to you, providing much needed utility. Ritualist's Circle allows you to inscribe a magic glyph into the earth, enhancing your summons within. Finally, the most experienced of Atromancers might find themselves with the power to meld two generic elemental atronachs into something much much more, or open a portal to Oblivion itself and watch the chaos ensue.

• Necromancy
  

Necromancy has always been traditionally underpowered, so I sought out more ways to reward players for going through the arduous task of finding available dead bodies. Arcanum provides a slew of ways to empower your zombies, making them far more damaging than daedric summons. Essence Extraction allows you to transfer the Racial powers of one corpse to a zombie. Vigor Mortis heals and empowers an undead unit at the cost of your own health, and Army of Darkness can exponentially increase the size of your undead horde.

• Soulbinding
  

I wanted to create more creative options for bound weapons, so this was perhaps the most experimental school. Bound Tomahawk creates a one handed bound axe that can be thrown as a ranged weapon. Kynreeve Swordstorm summons sentient bound swords that strike down enemies around you. Bound Demonblade grants you both a dashing attack and massive magical damage, at the cost of your own health - it cannot be sheathed until it has tasted blood. Finally, with full control over the vast armory of bound weapons, why even bother to wield them when you can hurl them at your enemies as projectiles?