Missing the point ! And confusing myself too!

[Tichy]

The magic skills you give your pretender on creation are in paths of magic like air, astral, etc.

The magic skills you research are in paths like thaumaturgy, alteration, etc.

In order to cast a spell you need a pretender or recruited or summoned unit that has a high enough level in air, astral, or whatever (or some combination of two of them) AND you have to have researched the appropriate path to a high enough level.

For example: A spell might be Astral 5/Air 3, and Thaumaturgy 5. So you'd need a mage with S5/A3, and you'd need to have researched Thau to 5.


As for ages: The different ages vary by the relative balance of strength between non-magic troops and magic. Early age = stronger magic (i.e. easier to research, more mages with higher levels available to recruit), weaker troops (more primitive weapons, less armor). Late age = weaker magic (but still important for most nations), but stronger, better protected troops.

Enjoy!