Mages are weak? No. Everybody else is just doing it wrong. At least that's what the developers said.
In Forbidden Arcana you could pick up a sword, swing it around, and become a powerful warrior in no time. Magic, not so much. The most powerful mage in the game was only capable of casting a fire pillar, Jericho was the fifth most powerful. Needless to say he was equally unimpressive.
He could have changed classes a hundred times, but from the moment he cast his first fireball, Jericho was hook...