[Kel]

For your first game with SC's I would suggest not using arcoscephale, as it is one of the weakest races for supporting SC's.

This is true in the early game. In the mid/end game, Arco's variety of magic, ability to craft about anything, being able to site search efficiently (including death), and their astral income gives them a wider variety of SCs than most nations. So it depends on which SCs you are looking at. If you want to see the biggest variety of SCs available in the end game (and experiment with them), Arco is still a good choice, imo.

It also is not hard to get into death magic. I avoid empowering since it is so inefficient but a ring of sorcery, otoh, is always a goal for me, as Arco, in the mid game. From there, its skull staff, skull face and there you have a 4 death caster, assuming you don't find indies that are better.

Blood, otoh, is pretty unlikely, without a good indie mage. Arco's variety of gem income will often let you trade for a few blood slave items (blood thorn, for example, a better fit on Nat than a wraith sword, imo (though a higher const level)) though, honestly, it's hard to get too many since every blood user has their eyes on the ID's or contracts

- Kel