I'm thinking about how to have fun with my mage, and I'm considering "specializing" in illusion and conjuring. Basic idea would be to make some custom spells and use conjured minions to do my fighting, resorting to some destruction if need be. Here's what I've got so far for custom spell ideas (haven't made them yet), feel free to suggest more. Also, which conjured creatures are typically best? I have Mighty Magika installed, finding the Zombie + Headless Zombie spell to be somewhat of an effective distraction if I don't run into anything leveled too much above me.

Stop Hitting Me!
Calm level XX for 10 sec in 10ft on Touch
(Useful if I happen to get surrounded)

Voices Told Me
Frenzy level XX for 20 sec on Target
Rally level XX for 20 sec on Target
Chameleon for 25 sec on self

Mind Control
Command Humanoid level XX for 30 Sec on Target
Fortify Strength XX for 30 Sec on Target
(Envisioning one poor Bandit Leader suddenly going nuts and getting beat on by his buddies)

We all Fall Down
Paralyze for 1 sec 10ft on Target
Weakness to Shock 100% for 4 sec in 10ft on Target
Shock Damage 20pts for 10ft on Target
(Hallway full of Marauders running at ya? No problem.)

Characters like this are incredibly fun.

My Healer won't do any direct damage to anyone, only using indirect methods of attack when needed, such as conjuration and various illusion techniques.

It certainly makes you think a lot more, plus it saves on magicka.

Combine this with some mod that makes bodies fly really far on spell contact and you'll have an awesome explosion of Marauders. :laugh:

You're on the right track. My mystic archer is horrible with elemental damage spells and basically only uses them for cooking or lighting torches, but when she runs out of arrows, she can still finish clearing a dungeon as simply as this:

Command humanoid / creture spells to thin crowds down to one. Go invisible if detected (usually not required with good stealth).

Then to deal with the stray survivors, she casts a combo spell: Summon clannfear x 20 seconds + invisibility on self x 20 seconds. She then safely charges right past her foe dragging a her very mean clannfear into their face. She then buffs her nails while Spike is doing his bloody job.

Wash, rinse, repeat. :dance:

And what mod would that be? Sounds like fun. I'm using Mighty Magick and Midas for spell mods right now. I do notice on occasion a wolf will run away if I throw a fireball at it or a bandit will fall down if I shock it too much

Well Hilarity at least adds more flying distance to corpses when hit in addition to all the other stuff it does. There are probably some more out there with long-range corpse launching as a side effect, but probably not a mod specifically designed to do just that.

Cool, I'll look it up.

Now, that second part of my post...whats typically a better summon...daedra, undead, ghosts...or Shivering Isles summons?

Idk what mods u use / what they do but if u use wrye bash one of the tweaks will allow you to increase the amount of summons you and NPCs can have. So, more to the point... why choose?, just summon a whole horde. If a type of summon seems to die too quickly, replace it with another. (I hate skellys, dislike zombies, and like/love mostly all SI/daedra)