So just a thought exercise at the moment but how would you mechanically represent/encourage/differentiate for themed mages.

For example you have Anskiere the Stormwarden. Specialises in magic that uses air, water and weather.

What sort of talents or rules tweaks pop to mind to encourage this.

To do so, you'd have to establish how magic works in your game. Do you break the spells up, or do you leave it as the book does and let players cast whatever? The latter option is easier to develop themes for, as you can create various elemental spells, as well as talents.

As one idea what do you think of breaking the spells into elements instead (again just a thought)

Each element would incorporate the existing spells to a lesser and greater degree based on theme. So fire is better at attack earth better at defence etc.

Not just elemental mind you but how best to emulate say an abjurer or necromancy as a Specialty or path.

You could just up the difficulty of non-specialty types of magic by one and/or give your specialty magic a free advantage. Make it something you pick in character creation. Mark your specialty magic. That way everyone still has access to all the things but they are automatically better at what they specialized in. Possibly add in a way to add specialties, once for each dot of intellect, make it a talent (+1 specialty), or perhaps let them pick one every X talents?

3 hours ago, HorusArisen said:

As one idea what do you think of breaking the spells into elements instead (again just a thought)

Each element would incorporate the existing spells to a lesser and greater degree based on theme. So fire is better at attack earth better at defence etc.

Not just elemental mind you but how best to emulate say an abjurer or necromancy as a Specialty or path.

That could work. An approach I took for skill-based casting was the magic schools from the Skyrim—Destruction, Alteration, Restoration, Conjuration, and lllusion—and I used these in a short campaign based on the Edge of the Empire Beta Rules (several years ago now!).

I think it depends on the lore of your world, what types of things "magic" is capable of, and how mages interact with it. If all your magic is "elemental" in nature, then it makes sense to break up the magic skills into individual elements. But if elemental magic is only a portion of the magic in your world, then consider just having an "Elemental" magic skill alongside whatever other skills you feel are appropriate.

1 hour ago, Darksyde said:

You could just up the difficulty of non-specialty types of magic by one and/or give your specialty magic a free advantage. Make it something you pick in character creation. Mark your specialty magic. That way everyone still has access to all the things but they are automatically better at what they specialized in. Possibly add in a way to add specialties, once for each dot of intellect, make it a talent (+1 specialty), or perhaps let them pick one every X talents?

If you put a cap on it, that would be best. Unless of course you want characters to be able to "specialize" in all the magics

"Oh you're a specialist? What school of magic is your focus?"

"ALL OF THEM!"

If you want to just use the basic rules then all you really need is the player to get descriptive. Every time they cast a new combination of spell with additional effects ask them to describe it and give it a cool name.

so a basic attack spell could just be called Shock Bolt, a small electric bolt that injures the target. Add the Autofire effect and it becomes Chain Lightning, an energetic bolt of electricity that leaps from one target to the next. Ensnare and Empowered could make it Manans Pinning Hurricane, a swirling storm of wind rain and lightning that holds the target in the eye and batters them.

If you want to come up with some new rules though then you need to figure out what game resources the players have and what benefits they may seek. A talent that turns the right kind of Environmental Setback into boosts would be cool, basically a way that the conditions of the environment can be directed rather than having to fully create the desired effect.

Signature Spell is always a good one too.

I'm trying to come up with a similar thing for a "Magician" based setting, which involves figuring out which magic is "Lesser Path" and which is "Greater Path". As a general rule of thumb , it seems to be that magic which affects the mage or their body directly is Lesser Path, while that which affects others is Greater Path, and LP practitioners that want to use GP magic can only do so through items like scrolls.