Here are some caster schools by me for my Unknown Armies 3e Adept tactics series. This is how casters from the school respond if attacked when they aren't expecting it, casting spells to either quickly eliminate the threat or open an escape route. If they expect a fight they bring backup, weapons, magick items and preprepared buffs, in which case you should dig into the full spell list rather than using this quick reference.
Aspergillophagy is an expensive school with a limited number of Sigs to go around, all of which cripple the caster in some way. The mage can get a sig any time they like by taking on a permanent impairment, but doing so in combat takes an action. Mold Mages who can afford it keep a single Sig in their back pocket to dodge death. Every spell they cast brings the caster closer to the end but they've got some fight enders in their deck.
Apathy (1 minor) lets you ignore a failed stress check. This is important if you've made yourself weak in a stress meter through charging.
Aspergillosis (1 minor) deals unarmed damage and takes away the target's action if they fail a Fitness save. This is how Mold Mages fight when they've got unused minors but no sigs, and they don't have better options because they removed their ability to Struggle or Pursue.
Extremophilia (1 sig) grants immunity to a category of damage. No-sell firearms or blades or fists. I never thought about making yourself immune to blasts, if I would allow a generic immunity to direct damage spells or if I would break it down by damage types. IE the Viaturgy blast hits you with a car so that falls under blunt force. Entropomancy brands you with letters, Epideromancy peels your skin, but what's the method of action there?
Fruiting Body (1 sig) resurrects the caster after death as a fungal zombie if they have a Sig charge in their pocket. The mold mage can play dead and wait for them to leave, or keep fighting/fleeing through the damage.
Kiss of the Rotwood (1 sig) shares one of the Aspergillophage's impairments with another person, who doesn't get a save against the curse. For a Mold Mage carrying around a lot of curses this one can get really nasty. Taking away a martial arts master's Struggle score not only stops him from hitting you but demoralizes him beyond the inability to deal physical damage.
Saint Anthony's Fire (1 sig) starts a riot and gives you limited control over it. Like all the riot spells in the previous deck, targeting a group of player characters with this in a public place can deal firearms damage to the whole group and bury them in bodies and stress rolls.
Tubular Network (1 sig) lets you step into a fruiting fungus and squirt away. If the enemy force is truly overwhelming and nothing else on the list fits the situation, just leave.
Black Pneumatics can get minor charges easily if they have a square job. Sigs are harder to come by, enough that the caster is not going to generate them unless they have a use planned out for them. The spells aren't bad in a magick duel. Unknown Armies players can generally be trusted to accurately report information that might disadvantage them mechanically. They're not going to say "my character doesn't drink coffee!" unless it's actually true.
Don't Talk To Me Until I've Had My Coffee (1 minor) lets the caster overheal themselves. An experienced caster should have a pool of temporary WT from repeat castings but it's not worth casting in battle.
Vagus Nerve (2 minors) weakens a single target's weakness to stress checks. The target gets a saving throw against any checks made under the influence, per the usual rules for shocks. It's a nice thing to stack before a battle, not a good use of your one action per round.
Inflammation (2 minors) is likewise of limited use in a real fight. The minor blast deals small damage and can produce instant evacuation of the target's bowels, but only on special die results.
Crunch Time (1 sig) gives bonus actions in exchange for turns of inactivity after the first round. It's a nice prebuff to cast but sigs are too expensive for Black Pneumatics to drop willy nilly. If you have it up anyway, use it to hit hard or run away in the first round.
Migraine (1 sig) and a good casting roll lets you remove a single enemy from the fight with a debilitating curse, rendering them incapable of passing most D100 rolls. Not a bad play if you can afford it.
You Want A Coffee? (1 sig) stops a fight and temporarily turns it into a negotiation. The battle resumes once you say your bit, but calling a truce gives you an opportunity to prepare an escape or for reinforcements to arrive. This is the best use for a sig if you've got one.
Mancymancers copy spells from other casters they observe using magick. The biggest headache with this spell school is that you have to decide what an NPC caster has available to them. If they get into lots of fights with mages they'll have a big deck of combat or escape spells castable. Go through this series of posts and pick out a few.
Pyromancers have a tough time charging and living to tell the tale. It's a magick school that's hard to hide and makes you easy to catch when you pursue Sigs. If you've got charges to burn (heh) it's got a bunch of nasty spells to throw out in a fight.
Fanning The Flames (1 minor) lets you turn a die roll into a crit. You can knock someone out with one punch if you're willing to burn identity points and drop the roll to an 01. It's very expensive but in a life and death situation it's better than the alternative, plus Pyromancers don't think very far ahead.
Kirk's Fire Instigation (2 minors) is the minor blast. It can ignite targets who are especially flammable but is otherwise not competitive with just hitting people using your fists.
There Is A Light That Never Goes Out (2 minors) lets you ignore a stress test. Like most other abilities that do this, it's worth it to stay in the fight (or preserve your faculties while you escape).
Unburned (1 minor) grants ablative fire protection. It's not worth casting in a fight but a lifestyle Pyromancer should stack it at every opportunity and have some bonus WT saved up. Run through a burning building and dare the enemy to pursue, or blow up a car and tank the damage while your enemies burn.
Born Beneath A Blazing Star (1 sig) hits a group with a stress check when they see your flaming skull. The rank is anywhere from 1 to 10 and the targets get saves, but it's can hit a whole group and hopefully disable at least one or two rampaging player characters. If you've got backup, the spell inspires your allies so they can use your hardened notches instead of their own.
Fireball (1 sig) is the sig blast. It can clear an entire room of opponents if used indoors. It's an obviously magickal direct damage spell that not only inflicts shocks from being attacked by magick but also makes the players nervous out of character. This is a custom spell school, they're not going to have read it and know how hard it is for a Pyro to get charges.
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