[Manuk]

Some loose toughts about indies.

-Lizard Shamans rock. They cast Arcane probing and curse, 2 Very useful spells.
-Wolf Tribe Shaman are 10% death-1 = Dark Knowledge = Access to death.
-Other tribes shaman are less useful because with 1 air or 1 earth you can't do much and the Lion or Jaguar tribe are crappy.
-Druids don't look too impressive at plain 1 nature but they have the side-ability to call god if you mass them.
-Garnet sorceress = blood hunting = cool (is there other easy way to expand on blood?).
-Jade sorceress can clam specially at const 6 with the water bracelet.
-The Onix tribe have the priestess at Holy 2 = Sermon of courage, and they also can get magic paths at a cheap price.

At magic 3 any 110 gold shamans are great researchers for the upkeep cost.

The site mages are totally random but they can be even better than your national mages. The lore masters have 3 totally random magics. Enchantresses are very useful with they elemental knowledge. I got the Shadow seer in one of my MP games (astral 3 and ethereal) and I got them thanks to the indy lizardman shaman casting Arcane probing (nation: Pangaea).

edited, thanks micah