What's the lore behind Blood Mages?

[Beloren]

Does the blood mean something special ? I keep thinking half the time I hear blood elves that they have something to do with blood - like the blood drinking San'layn. Those blood gems they have - were they like blue when they were high elves? why are they called blood gems?

and what other types of mages are there that you can't be as a player. What does being an Archmage mean or an arcanist, or a Magister/strix versus say a Conjurer - I realise some of these are highborne and high/blood elf titles but it's confusing

- - - Updated - - -

btw... I would hate blizzard to go and retcon lore just to simplify it... I really hate that, all they need to do is find a way to explain to people properly everything that goes on. Rather than "simplify" it for us, just point us to where we can find explanations or at least provide explanations when we come across the various groups.

[Zethras]

Blood mages are unique amongst spell casters in that they don’t use mana to fuel their magic, but the life energy inherent in blood, which in many fictional universes (namely dragon age), is more potent than mana, but comes at the cost of A) harming yourself, or sacrificing another, and B) being corrupted by its inherently malicious use.

It almost falls into the category of Fel magic, in that it consumes life, but isn’t related to demons at all.

As for other titles, Archmage implies one is a master of all 3 branches of “mage” magic, I.e Fire, Frost, and Arcane, like Khadgar. An arcanist is a mage who specializes in Arcane magic, just as a Pyromancer is a fire mage, Cryomancer is a frost mage, etc. Now, for the title of Magister(rix) those are unique to the blood elf culture, it implies someone of some position of political power, while also being a mage of some sort.

[Cheze]

the san'layn are scourged/vampiric blood elves who got conscripted into the scourge by arthas after he destroyed the sunwell

blood magic in the context of WoW doesn't seem like it involves literal blood a la dragon age; it's more of a catchall for evil/fel blood elf magic, like what they were using to siphon m'uru.

ed: blood elf paladins for example were called blood knights, even though their powers don't seem to have anything to do with actual blood

[OIS]

the san'layn are scourged/vampiric blood elves who got conscripted into the scourge by arthas after he destroyed the sunwell

blood magic in the context of WoW doesn't seem like it involves literal blood a la dragon age; it's more of a catchall for evil/fel blood elf magic, like what they were using to siphon m'uru.

ed: blood elf paladins for example were called blood knights, even though their powers don't seem to have anything to do with actual blood

But there are actual blood mages. Although the lore about them hasn't been expanded much so far.

[Jackishi]

In terms of WoW, Blood mages were simply Blood Elf magi who, to avenge the fall of Quel'thalas, turned towards the darker, fiery side of magic to burn down demons and scourge alike. Basically, Fire mages on the verge of rerolling Destro Warlocks.

[Cheze]

But there are actual blood mages. Although the lore about them hasn't been expanded much so far.

do you have an example? I don't remember ever running across any

[Beloren]

do you have an example? I don't remember ever running across any

you had Blood mage units in WC3 I think but it's the same like Spellbreakers Battlemages, they are there, but you don't see them much at all. @Zethras thanks for the info, it was helpful, but still need more info. I thought that frost, arcane and fire weren't the only schools for mages, just the ones for the player mage or the main ones, but there were many.
Also, Magister(ix) are titles that go back to the pre-sundering night elven empire, the night elves use those titles on their mage users as is clearly seen amongst the highborne/nightborne too.

As for blood mages @Cheze ... are you sure it's not like dragon age? Zethra's explanation seems really good, and we now a lot of stuff in wow is based in a similar fantasy settting so you would see a lot of common concepts

[Deleted]

Blood mages are unique amongst spell casters in that they don’t use mana to fuel their magic, but the life energy

Warlocks use life force / souls for their magic, Shamans ask help from the elements etc. Btw, is mana even a thing in the WoW lore?

[Beloren]

Warlocks use life force / souls for their magic, Shamans ask help from the elements etc. Btw, is mana even a thing in the WoW lore?

that doesn't mean blood magic doesn't, and it could be something else, and it certainly is not fel magic - maybe it affects the caster, so the caster is draining himself not others,

[Deleted]

that doesn't mean blood magic doesn't, and it could be something else, and it certainly is not fel magic - maybe it affects the caster, so the caster is draining himself not others,

He claimed that all other casters use mana to fuel their magic while blood mages are the only ones that use something else. I just corrected that.

[nonameelf]

They had nothing to do with blood originally. They were called blood mages because they were blood elves. They were mages that specialized in fire magic and constantly tip toed back and forth between arcane and fel without straying too far to either side.

[Rhlor]

Does the blood mean something special ? I keep thinking half the time I hear blood elves that they have something to do with blood - like the blood drinking San'layn. Those blood gems they have - were they like blue when they were high elves? why are they called blood gems?

and what other types of mages are there that you can't be as a player. What does being an Archmage mean or an arcanist, or a Magister/strix versus say a Conjurer - I realise some of these are highborne and high/blood elf titles but it's confusing

- - - Updated - - -

btw... I would hate blizzard to go and retcon lore just to simplify it... I really hate that, all they need to do is find a way to explain to people properly everything that goes on. Rather than "simplify" it for us, just point us to where we can find explanations or at least provide explanations when we come across the various groups.

Blood Magic is a style of magic, blood mages are under the orders of the grand magister.

magister Astalor is a blood mage

[Deathbelf]

Actually unlike popular belief, blood mages (magi?) are not exclusive to Belves. My favorite is actually a Gnome, Kasim Sharim. He's located in the Blasted Lands and is the Alliance equivalent of two Blood Elf Blood Mages in the zone.

[Rarespawn2012]

Well you see every twenty eight days or so, lady mages all become blood mages, until a certain age that is.

[Friendlyimmolation]

Actually unlike popular belief, blood mages (magi?) are not exclusive to Belves. My favorite is actually a Gnome, Kasim Sharim. He's located in the Blasted Lands and is the Alliance equivalent of two Blood Elf Blood Mages in the zone.

He might be a mage that does blood magic, but unless they recon, blizz said all true blood mages are blood elves

[Darktbs]

The first time we hear about Blood Mages is in Wc3 with Kael'thas,but i belive his form of "Blood Mage" Was more of a title then a actual class.He is a Blood elf Mage so he is a Blood Mage or whatever.If you look at his spells they are a hybrid between Warlock and Fire Mage:

Drain Mana,
Banish,
Flamestrike
and the spell that fire mages never got but probably are in the same school:Phoenix.

[Rhlor]

astalor look awesome using blood magic

[bloodmoth13]

A blood mage is basically a fire mages transition into being a warlock, so half and half.

The blood part is the fuel for the magic

as for blood elves, they renamed themselves from high elves i think after the fallen elves of silvermoon

Im probably missing a few things but thats basically it

[Cooper]

There are blood mages in Blasted Lands. Two of them are Blood Elves, one of them is a Gnome. They use literal blood in their spells, in their particular case having you harvest it from the local hyenas and basilisks. They also do not drink their reagents unless they are really thirsty.

[OIS]

do you have an example? I don't remember ever running across any

There were blood wizards in Deadmines. And I think there were one or two of them in Blasted Lands. I also think Bleeding Hollow orcs are practicing what can considered to be blood magic.