3 quick questions - noobie

[Taqwus]

Non-combat magic can be a very, very large factor except perhaps in the fastest, smallest furballs. Non-combat magic can be used to move armies, kill commanders, forge items to help commanders in various ways, summon assorted troops and commanders, gather intelligence on enemy provinces, find more magical sites, grant great health to your units, etc. You can't control spells in combat once the scripts run out (other than stipulating that the commander should cast spells or should instead melee or whatever) but for the duration of the script and outside of combat you have good control.

[mlepinski]

I quick clarification (I know this isn't obvious because I'm a newbie myself and it took me a while to figure it out).

To cause a commander to cast a sequence of specific spells in combat:
- Go to Army Setup and Click to Set Battle Orders for the commander
- Click "Cast Specific Spell"
- Choose the spell you want him to cast on turn 1
- Click "Cast Specific Spell"
- Choose the spell you want him to cast on turn 2
...

You can script spells in this manner for the first 5 rounds. After that you can choose a generic "Cast" order and the computer will pick spells for the duration of combat.

- Matt L. :->

[EternalSpearman]

In the vein of what mlepinski said, to cast a ritual (one not cast in a battle) spell:

Click the word "Defend" (or whatever the current orders for the commander is) under the picture of a mage, and click "Cast Ritual Spell", and choose one from the list. Some are summoning spells that summon a particular creature or creatures, some are global enchantments that effect the world as a whole.