Decline I hate what has been done to video game mages/wizards because I play shitty action games

[Slow James]

I disagree - Mages were turned into battle blasters by the removal of non-combat skills across the board by ARPGs. It removed the entire dimension of magic outside of doing damage. In that regard, Mages are insanely overpowered, but have real limits on how often they use that power (at least in DnD).

With the Diablo/MMO/ARPG model, Mages are instead expected to spam magic attacks non-stop, turning a staff from a worthless combat stick that had (sparingly used) magical attacks to a electric rifle, while the spells most powerful in a Mage's arsenal were to be used over and over and over again.

Ironically, the first Diablo had telekinesis which you could use to interact with the environment, a petrify spell. various teleportation spells, etc.

True. I had actually forgotten about the telekinesis spell, in all honesty. But the petrify and teleport spells are combat spells - you used them solely to stun an enemy and to escape being attacked, exclusively. That may not be damage dealing, but it certainly was combat related.

Check out this list of 2nd Level Wizard spells from DnD. Look how many non-combat, strictly utility spells are on this list:

Abjur

• Arcane LockM: Magically locks a portal or chest.
• Obscure Object: Masks object against scrying.
• Protection from Arrows: Subject immune to most ranged attacks.
• Resist Energy: Ignores first 10 (or more) points of damage/attack from specified energy type.

Conj

• Acid Arrow: Ranged touch attack; 2d4 damage for 1 round +1 round/three levels.
• Fog Cloud: Fog obscures vision.
• Glitterdust: Blinds creatures, outlines invisible creatures.
• Summon Monster II: Calls extraplanar creature to fight for you.
• Summon Swarm: Summons swarm of bats, rats, or spiders.
• Web: Fills 20-ft.-radius spread with sticky spiderwebs.

Div

• Detect Thoughts: Allows “listening” to surface thoughts.
• Locate Object: Senses direction toward object (specific or type).
• See Invisibility: Reveals invisible creatures or objects.

Ench

• Daze Monster: Living creature of 6 HD or less loses next action.
• Hideous Laughter: Subject loses actions for 1 round/level.
• Touch of Idiocy: Subject takes 1d6 points of Int, Wis, and Cha damage.

Evoc

• Continual FlameM: Makes a permanent, heatless torch.
• Darkness: 20-ft. radius of supernatural shadow.
• Flaming Sphere: Creates rolling ball of fire, 2d6 damage, lasts 1 round/level.
• Gust of Wind: Blows away or knocks down smaller creatures.
• Scorching Ray: Ranged touch attack deals 4d6 fire damage, +1 ray/four levels (max 3).
• Shatter: Sonic vibration damages objects or crystalline creatures.

Illus

• Blur: Attacks miss subject 20% of the time.
• Hypnotic Pattern: Fascinates (2d4 + level) HD of creatures.
• Invisibility: Subject is invisible for 1 min./level or until it attacks.
• Magic MouthM: Speaks once when triggered.
• Minor Image: As silent image, plus some sound.
• Mirror Image: Creates decoy duplicates of you (1d4 +1 per three levels, max 8).
• Misdirection: Misleads divinations for one creature or object.
• Phantom TrapM: Makes item seem trapped.

Necro

• Blindness/Deafness: Makes subject blinded or deafened.
• Command Undead: Undead creature obeys your commands.
• False Life: Gain 1d10 temporary hp +1/level (max +10).
• Ghoul Touch: Paralyzes one subject, which exudes stench that makes those nearby sickened.
• Scare: Panics creatures of less than 6 HD.
• Spectral Hand: Creates disembodied glowing hand to deliver touch attacks.

Trans

• Alter Self: Assume form of a similar creature.
• Bear's Endurance: Subject gains +4 to Con for 1 min./level.
• Bull's Strength: Subject gains +4 to Str for 1 min./level.
• Cat's Grace: Subject gains +4 to Dex for 1 min./level.
• Darkvision: See 60 ft. in total darkness.
• Eagle's Splendor: Subject gains +4 to Cha for 1 min./level.
• Fox's Cunning: Subject gains +4 Int for 1 min./level.
• Knock: Opens locked or magically sealed door.
• Levitate: Subject moves up and down at your direction.
• Owl's Wisdom: Subject gains +4 to Wis for 1 min./level.
• Pyrotechnics: Turns fire into blinding light or choking smoke.
• Rope Trick: As many as eight creatures hide in extradimensional space.
• Spider Climb: Grants ability to walk on walls and ceilings.
• Whispering Wind: Sends a short message 1 mile/level.

Shape changing, seeing in the dark, PLACING magic locks on things to prevent theft (as opposed to the CRPG staple of always breaking in), hiding particular objects from view, reading people's minds... these all have close to zero application to combat. A player would never map one of these skills to blast at demons in Diablo like they would, say, Fireball or Chain Lightning.

Because a player never needs to. The player controls the Mage and never needs to climb a wall, or send a message to someone else, or float to reach a destination slightly out of reach. The ARPG mage only needs to blast enemies over and over and over again, refilling mana by chugging potions and kiting around mindless enemies.

I liked Diablo, don't get me wrong... but that type of gameplay is the reason why Wizards could be switched with archers with different animations in most games. And that's not a good thing.