A couple of questions from an old noob

[Flop]

Alright, so for the third year in a row, I'm trying to learn how to play this game. I've only just signed up for my second mp game, so I've mainly been playing single player. I have a couple of questions, although most of them are not very specific I'm afraid. Hopefully, someone will be able/willing to help out anyway.

1) One of the reasons I'm having a hard time learning Dom3 (I think) is the sheer amount of options. While there are usually at least a couple of spells and items that I want, and try to aim to get, most of it is usually too specific to be of any immediate use to me (while some spells/items seem almost useless). With spells, I can at least look through the lists of the different schools, and use those to plan ahead, but with items, I can only see the ones that my guys can currently craft, and with a nation like T'ien Ch'i, I almost have to check each one of my mages, because their picks are so diverse.

This wouldn't be such a bad thing, if only I knew (and could remember) what all the items do. Usually, I'm looking for some specific effect (like invigoration, for instance), and end up having to look through all the stuff each one of my mages can craft, only to finally realise that no one can craft such an item. I know I can just read through all the descriptions in manual, but really, that's 24 pages (it doesn't sound so bad, but this is each time I want an item, plus some of the items have been changed in the CBM mods). Is there some easier way, or am I just stuck doing this, until I can remember all of it by heart?

2) As a small follow up (and what brought on this thread), is there an item that grants invigoration? I'm trying to experiment a bit with some thug builds, and reinvigoration seems kind of important. Also, I'd love add some etherealness, and was considering Robe of Shadows, but that would mean almost no protection. Can anyone suggest an alternative? If anyone has any suggestions for good go-to equipment for thugs, I'd love to hear them.

3) I've never actually been in a proper end game, because I was killed of in turn 40-something, in the only mp game I've been in, and I usually get bored before the end game, when I play sp. As a result, I don't really know what I should be aiming for, and I generally don't have a long-term strategy beyond getting access to rings of sorcery/wizardry, and some nice battle spells. I've seen plenty of posts mentioning how important it is to plan for the mid- and end-game, but I'm not sure how. What is it I should be trying to do? Getting SC's in the end-game? Thugs in the mid-game? I just have no idea, and I'm afraid it will show in my next mp game. Maybe I should try reading some AAR's, instead of all the guides I've been reading, but good Dom3 AAR's are sursprisingly difficult to find (I don't doubt that there's a bunch on these forums, but they must be buried somewhere in the mp subforum).

Thanks guys. I hope someone can help.