Question: What are your thoughts on a MUTATE SCHOOL? My Answer: A school where you pick your spells for free from any of the three elemental schools, going up the LVL chain from cat/snake/beetle (for LVL 1) to elf/bats/serpent (for LVL 5) ETC. Along the way you quest for MUTATE/CONVERT SCHOOL SPECIFIC SPELLS - i.e. after ENROLLMENT you get a spell unique to this school. Also a CHIMERA or MUTATED MINION(s).
Some possible ideas to make this work:
1) ____-over-time spells that revolve around your feet like D.O.T. spells. Or some type of TRAP or CONVERT or BLADE. [But I'd say Damage-over-time/Heal-over-time type spell since the programming is already there for 3 turns.] For as long as it is active, the typical 3 turns, whatever spell you cast is converted to a different element. i.e. - all Ice Monster Spells become Fire spells for 3 turns; Evil Snowman mutates to Magma Man if summoned during those 3 turns.
2)Or perhaps the spells themselves are X-pip spells. 1-pip = Lightening Bats; 2-pips = Fire Bats; 3-pips = Frost Bats.
Q: What are your thoughts on MUTATE DECKS? My A:
1) DECKS - TYPE A: an example would be ICE MUTATE DECK where any elemental summon card becomes the mutated version of that card when placed into your deck. i.e. - any FIRE ELF placed into ICE MUTATE DECK becomes an ICE ELF.
2) DECKS - TYPE B: the mutated cards are not based on decks so much as they are on the quantity placed in a deck. i.e. - taking FROST BEETLE from your library and into your deck a maximum of three times actually places into your deck one of each of the following Frost Beetle, Fire Beetle, Rain Beetle!
Q: Finally, what are your thoughts on MUTATE clothing, wands, etc.? My A: These items would have a persistant and possibly specific MUTATE EFFECT on them. i.e. - wearing a MAGMA MAN HAT or CHARRED KNIFE :)with a MUTATE EVIL SNOW MAN effect on it would mutate any Evil Snowman you summoned onto the field into a Magma Man. (This would be a great idea, actually, as it would increase farming, not just of bosses, but of normal mobs... of course the items would have to be extremely rare. And, of course, No Trade! )
As for WANDS/AMULETS, mutated versions of the creatures we know and love would be pre-loaded onto the wands/jewelry just like the WANDS our wizards start with or the AMULETS we can purchase. YAY! Oh I just imagine to be able to wear a lvl.5 STORM ELF amulet!