One Battle Spell questions:

[Deadnature]

1: research is completed before the battle-phase. So, if you finish researching a spell "that" turn AND you script your mages to "cast spells" or no script at all (or their scripted spells run out before the battle ends), then there is a chance that said mages will casts the newly researched spells.

2: If you don't have the path requirement, then you can't cast the spell. Unless, of course, you use gems to boost an existing path, or you use a communion to boost your mages' paths. Check the manual.

3: If a spell has a gem cost, then your mage needs to have the required gems in his inventory, I think that if the mages ability is greater then the spells required path, then you get a cost reduction if the gem cost is greater than 1-- not sure about this one though.