A couple suggestions for spellcasting

[Sniperfox47]

I don't mean to step on any toes here, I understand it's your game and it'll be made however you want, but I have a couple suggestions for spellcasting.

A) Five new general augments (three with greater versions of two). The first two of these allow the creation of affects similar to many well known spells such as chain lightning and magic missile. The cone one was added in so that cone area's don't feel left out:

Multi-target, Targeted (1mp). By spending 1mp you can add an extra target to a spell that targets an area or creature. If you add the "Area, Targeted" enhancement you must pay the mp cost for each target to add the area. For example a spell with 3 target must pay at least 5mp on general enhancements to have a 10ft area, 2mp for the two extra targets and 3mp to add the area (1 for each target). Most spells may not affect the same target twice in this way, but a spell effect with a basic enhancement that adds dice to the primary affect (such as the evoke and heal spell lists) may sacrifice targets for die at a 2:1 ratio.

Bent, Line (1mp). When you choose this enhancement choose a trigger and target. The trigger may be any observable event such as the line traveling half it's distance or hitting a creature, and the target may be any choice of redirection such as turning 90* left, traveling a random direction or targeting the next closest visible creature. The target cannot differentiate between friend and foe unless "Discerning" is also purchased. At any one occasion during the travel of the line, if the trigger happens the line changes to match the target. A spell with a range of short (30') is treated as having the greater version for free.
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Arc, Line (varies). By spending mp equal to half again the cost of the line's range rounded up (1mp for 30', 2mp for 100', 3mp for 500', and +1mp for each +500') you allow the spell to either redirect any time the trigger event occurs or to specify multiple triggering events to be followed in order (but not both) rather than only once.
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Focus/Diffuse, Cone (1mp). By spending 1mp on a cone spell you can either focus the energy into a narrow cone, or diffuse the energy into a wider cone. For a narrow cone double (2x) the effective range, but half (1/2x) the cone's spread. For a wide cone half (1/2x) the effective range, but double (2x) the cone's spread.
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Focus/Diffuse, Cone, Greater (2mp). Treat the multipliers as 1/4x and 4x.

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B) A new tradition, specifically focuses on casting out of spell-books.

[TABLE="class: grid, width: 700"] [TR] [TD]Book Mage

1d6 Years
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[/TD] [/TR] [TR] [TD]Prerequisites: Mage I, Int 6+[/TD] [/TR] [TR] [TD]Spell List Options:

Effect:Any
Action:Any​

Special Restriction: The Book Mage must have at least one spell in their spellbook that includes the exact spell list in question, and they must have cast this spell successfully at least once. Count the spellbooks included with the first rank of this tradition as having been successfully cast for this purpose.[/TD] [/TR] [TR] [TD]Some mages prefer to study out of books in libraries, rather than continue more practical training. While their magic power may not grow as fast, they make up for this with even more versatility than regular mages.[/TD] [/TR] [TR] [TD]

INT +2, WIL +1, MAG +1, REP +2
ALCHEMY, HERBALISM, CONCENTRATION, LITERATURE, HISTORY, MAGICAL SKILLS
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[/TD] [/TR] [TR] [TD]I: You may treat spells from your spell-book(s) as signature spells (without having to preallocate mp to prepare them), even if you don't know all the spell lists. You must still read the spell-book to cast the spell, and each signature spell from a spell-book counts as two spells towards your limited number of signature spells.
You also begin play with a spell-book containing a number of spells equal to your number of known spell lists, including those you gain from ranks of this tradition. Each spell includes a cantrip-level version of one of the spell lists known plus no more than 1mp of general enhancements.
[/TD] [/TR] [TR] [TD]II: The Check for casting spells from spell-books is a Routine [10] + the spells MP cost INT check, rather than the usual Challenging [13] + MP cost.
[/TD] [/TR] [TR] [TD]III: You may add a personal embellishment onto any spell cast from a spell-book, excluding those you are treating as signature. You can add enhancements to any of the spell lists you know (including general enhancements) in a given spell equal in MP to your Book Mage rank.
Include this MP when determining whether you can prepare the spell, but not for the spells INT check.
[/TD] [/TR] [TR] [TD]IV: Spells from spell-books that the Book Mage treat as signature only count as one spell towards a Book Mage's limit.
[/TD] [/TR] [TR] [TD]V: The Book Mage may create compressed spell-books, using a stenographic compression. Such books only use 1/10th the normal space but may only be read normally by the Book Mage who created them. They can be decoded by others using Divination (details omitted due to upcoming changes with divination) but must be either copied into a normal spell-book or decrypted each time they're used.
[/TD] [/TR] [/TABLE] The new spell enhancements should be fairly balanced. I tried them with my playtest group and they seemed okay. The tradition I think is balanced looking at it, but I haven't tried it yet. If you want to make use of either of them, feel free to change them freely however you like. Some sample spells using the enhancements are below.

Chain Wrath | Adsumo Nex 10MP
Evoke Death V/Gen V
Range: Medium (100 ft.) line
Duration: One minute
Area: 5ft wide arc
Checks: MAG vs. AGI (defense)
Force of pure death arcs to the nearest creature (who hasn't been previously affected) each time it hits a target, dealing 6d6 points of death damage to each one until it travels a total of 100ft. This spell, known for hitting allies as often as enemies, is often used by necromancers, who's undead are immune to the effect.
Costs: 5 MP death damage, 3 MP medium line, 2 MP Arcing.

Chain Lightning | Adsumo Levitas 8MP
Evoke Lightning IV/Gen IV
Range: Short (30 ft.) line
Duration: One minute
Area: 5ft wide arc
Checks: MAG vs. AGI (defense)
Lightning crackles and shoots from your fingertips, arcing between up to 7 enemies or metallic objects (so long as the total distance is no more than 30 ft.). Each target hit takes 2d6 electricity damage and must succeed on a Challenging [13] END check or be stunned for 6 rounds. The check can be retried each round to end the stun.
Costs: 1 MP lightning damage, 3 MP lightning side effect, 2 MP short line, 1 MP Arcing.

Force Missiles | Adsumo Navitus 4MP
Evoke Force 0/Gen IV
Range: Short (30 ft.)
Duration: One minute
Checks: MAG vs. AGI (defense)
Three balls of force spring up around you looking for targets to attack. On a successful attack they move towards the targets of your choice dealing 1d6 force damage. Directing multiple orbs at the same target only affects them once, but if all three strike the target it instead takes 2d6 force damage.
Costs: 0 MP force damage, 1 MP short target, 2 MP extra targets (2).

Force Bursts | Adsumo Navitus 8MP
Evoke Force II/Gen VI
Range: Short (30 ft.)
Duration: One minute
Checks: MAG vs. AGI (defense)
Three balls of force spring up around you, pulsing with energy and looking for targets to attack. On a successful attack they move towards the targets of your choice and explode in raw force, dealing 3d6 force damage in a 10ft area. Directing multiple orbs at the same area only affects targets in them once, but if all three strike the area, targets in it instead take 4d6 force damage.
Costs: 2 MP force damage, 1 MP short target, 2 MP extra targets (2), 3MP targeted area.

Hellfire Blast | Partum Adsumo Incendia 8MP
Evoke Fire II/Create Fire I/Gen V
Range: Short (15 ft.)
Duration: One minute
Area: 15ft cone, double width
Checks: MAG vs. AGI (defense)
You blast a wide cone of flames (twice as wide as usual) from your hands for 15 feet, dealing 3d6 points of fire damage to targets caught in the blast. Clawing green and blue flames cover the ground for the next 10 minutes, dealing 1d6 continued fire damage each round to anyone who remains.
Costs: 2 MP fire damage, 1 MP Create Fire, 3 MP short cone, 1 MP diffuse cone, 1 MP 1-minute duration.

 

[Morrus]

Awesome stuff!

I certainly agree that there's room for more - maybe lots more - spellcasting traditions.

Things like "The Check for casting spells from spell-books is a Routine [10] + the spells MP cost INT check, rather than the usual Challenging [13] + MP cost" -- that's functionally the equivalent (almost exactly) of a +1 die bonus at starting tier. Generally speaking such things are better expressed as die bonuses, I think -- that said, a +1 die bonus to a specific action type is itself functionally equivalent to a skill. You're basically giving the character a "Book-casting" skill (which is a perfectly valid skill).

The grade V ability - I'm not sure anybody would take that. It's not much benefit in play, especially given that grade V of a tradition is expensive in terms of XP.

 

[Khaalis]

Nice work.
Look forward to more stuff like this.

 

[Sniperfox47]

Things like "The Check for casting spells from spell-books is a Routine [10] + the spells MP cost INT check, rather than the usual Challenging [13] + MP cost" -- that's functionally the equivalent (almost exactly) of a +1 die bonus at starting tier. Generally speaking such things are better expressed as die bonuses, I think -- that said, a +1 die bonus to a specific action type is itself functionally equivalent to a skill. You're basically giving the character a "Book-casting" skill (which is a perfectly valid skill).

I understand where you're coming from with that, and I guess I should have followed your guidelines more closely. I'm not sure what it would be worth replacing with though.

I went the way I did with it though because I look at it as "+1 bonus to your check and -1 to the DC may have the same effect but they're not the same flavor wise". I look at +1 to your dice pool as being "well you have to work just as hard but you have specialized knowledge that lets you succeed where others may fail" whereas dropping the check by 3.5 is "you're so used to doing it that it becomes more trivial for you to do it".

Personally if someone wanted a "Book-casting" skill in a game I was running I'd say "nope pick a different skill" or I'd say "Okay, but it'll be limited when you can use it". Otherwise (at least with the current mechanics) there would be no incentive to take the magic skills for any specific schools. Essentially you'd be giving them a skill that does the job of... 16 other skills. Even if it only applies to casting spells from spellbooks and doesn't provide the +1max mp bonus of magical skills there's no reason for a character not to take it.

The grade V ability - I'm not sure anybody would take that. It's not much benefit in play, especially given that grade V of a tradition is expensive in terms of XP.

Really? I looked at that as being more potentially beneficial than any of the other abilities listed, although I guess it is fairly situational. Rather than carrying a 40lb spellbook with hundreds of your spells stored in it, the same spellbook would weigh only 4lb and fit in your hand if compressed (plus maybe a few pounds for the cover).

Also consider you have 4 spells lower than 5mp(1 page each, 4 total), 1 between 6 and 10 (2 pages), and 1 between 11 and 20(3-4 pages) that you cast regularly. Rather than needing to take time flipping through a book with 9-10 pages you pull out a one page sheet and read off the spell you need.

Add to the the idea of getting tossed in a cell, they look at scribbles on your page and toss it at your head saying "Have fun with that", then as they walk away they get hit in the back with the fireball spell written on it.

It may not be worth the 5th grade of the tradition but that's part of why I said it may need editing, because what I think fits may not be what you'd want.