>>43352651Here's two builds I have done.
1. "Diplomat". Background: Life. Halflings.
Perks: A Righteous Ruler, 5x Life Link, Make Love, Not War, Divine Power, Charismatic & Famous, Archmage, Alchemy.
Drawbacks: Gaming Classic, How Do You Work This Thing? Uh, Where is the "On" Button?, Is It Crowded In Here?
Gets nothing out of nodes, but is excellent at getting mana from worship and alchemy. Uses nodes as bargaining chips once captured. Builds alliance among good, or at least not-evil wizards. Trades enchantments with them, etc.
2. "Creature Master". Background: Nature. High Elves.
Perks: Walk the Path, 5x Nature Link, Bounty of Nature, Nature Mastery, Conjurer, Archmage, 1x Chaos Link.
Drawbacks: Gaming Classic, You're a Shifty..., Let's Get Him/Her!
I picture just waves of fantastical nature creatures; both Nature Mastery and Conjurer reduce their cost. This is going to terrify other wizards, which in-story justifies the cause of the drawbacks. The Chaos Link will let me start with Hell Hounds, which are a fantastic early game summon, benefiting from "Conjurer", and due to "Walk the Path" will move rapidly over the map.
As for Node Mastery, it is probably only worth it for builds that are Dual Link with two of the three necessary links. Dipping one link in the third, then grabbing node mastery, may be worth it for the *enormous* magical boost, depending on how many CP you are working with. If you've boosted up to 1600 or more, I think it definitely would be in that case.