(04-22-2017, 07:28 AM)4. Wrote: Lastly just more of a general question which often holds my creativity back, but what is the extent of the type of magic they can produce. Are all the spells tied to a specific school of magic (As the in game spells all seem to be about damage over time spells and such) Would they be able to produce fire or other kind of elemental spells that a thaumaturge could do?
I'd like to expand a bit on this last part;
It is a known fact that Conjury can actually use the other 3 elements we usually associate with Thaumaturgy and to a certain extent Black Magic. However, in-game we don't see any Conjurer/White Mage flinging a fire ball at enemies due to mere balance choices taken during the production of A Realm Reborn. But, lorewise, just like there are elementals and sprites for Earth, Water and Wind there are those for Fire (as seen in Thanalan), Lightning (as seen in Mor Dhona) and Ice (found all over Coerthas). Thus, a Conjurer would be able to "borrow" Aether from those elements and conjure those aspects of nature.
It is also valuable to know that there are more "classes" over Hydaelin than there are available to the player. Take a look at the Chirurgeons found among Ishgardian spellcasters. Effectively they are Conjurers, but they take a completely different approach to their magic since they are trained at the Scholasticate under the watchful eye of the Church. And, depending on how similar to traditional Gridanian conjury and Ishgardian chirurgy are to each other, I like to imagine they are attuned to the element of ice instead of water, for example.
In the end, magic is basically Aether being focused or aspected under an element to achieve a desired goal (read: blast one's enemies into oblivion). While exotic, I see no reason why one couldn't call winds of gale to blow an enemy away with Thaumaturgy. The only reason we use the present spells is because we are trained by the Order of Nald'thal who, in their duality philosophy, employ the use of Umbral and Astral properties in magic while the elements of ice, fire and lightning, naturally chosen for funeral rites, are focused for battle properties (and the Thaumaturges are also undertakers and part of the clergy body of the Order of Nald'thal). Using the same principle we have people such as Ser Hermenost the Thunderous, who wields an axe on the battlefield but he is also a skilled mage who devised an unique method of combat that involves imbuing his axe with lightning. An element of Thaumaturgy not being using thaumaturgy-ly.
What brings us back to Arcanima. It is obvious an Arcanist can reproduce elemental magic with their arcane geometries. They merely choose to apply them into their familiars instead of using directly on their magic (probably a fossil of their Allagan summoning roots, now long forgotten). But now, if one Arcanist decided to draw a certain shape in their grimoire that happens to aspect Aether into fire, yes they certainly would be fully able to launch flames.