BSF
Explorer
It has finally come up and I realized I don't have as solid an understanding of spellcasting limits as I would like. 
OK, page 21 of the PDF discusses spellcasting limits.
In general, you can only pop 5 MP into a spell for every related spell list you know. You know 1 Evoke, you can only burn 5 MP into said Evoke. If you know 2 Evokes, then you can spend 10 points on an Evoke. If you know 3 Evokes, you can spend 15 MP. With 4+ evokes, you can spend 20 MP.
That seems straightforward enough. But what about general enhancements? Do those count?
Let's go extreme here. We will assume we have a 20th level mage that has focused on just about everything except Evoke lists. At 20th level, the mage finally chose an Evoke Fire spell list. Woot! Our mage can finally deal direct damage. But how much?
Can the mage only spend 5 MP total on a pure Evoke spell? Or can the mage spend 5 MP on the Evoke, and then spend up to 15 MP more on general enhancements (range, area, duration, etc)?
It seems logical that the general enhancements don't count toward that total because you could combine lists. (Perhaps something along the lines of Shearing Flames out of Lyceian Arcana.) And the overall spell wouldn't be limited to just the Evoke Fire limitations. Am I correct in this assumption?
OK, what about with Enduring Damage? That would be limited by the number of spell lists right? So the same mage could Evoke Fire 5 with 4 of that being Enduring Damage basic for 1 minute. But the mage could not utilize Enduring Damage short for 10 minutes because that requires 10 MP in the Evoke aspect of the spell. Is this generally correct?
Along similar lines, it seems like a high level mage with two only Evoke Lists, maybe Evoke Fire and Evoke Metal, could create a 20MP spell by spending Evoke Fire 10/Evoke Metal 10. Perhaps to attack an adjacent opponent with a huge, flaming sword using a touch attack.
Just looking for a little feedback to clarify if I understand the intent of the rules correctly.
Now, just to add a little levity and usefulness to the post, how about I write up that spell? Maybe at a slightly lower level to make it useful in more games.
Beltin's Sword of Surtr
Evoke Metal 2/Evoke Fire 5
Total MP: 7
Range: Touch
Duration: Immediate
Area: Creature Touched
You summon a large greatsword (Fire-giant sized to be precise) covered with flames that immediately strikes an adjacent enemy. Make a ranged touch attack. If you hit, the target suffers 3d6 slashing damage + 2d6 fire damage and the target will catch on fire. Burning targets suffer 1d6 damage each round. Each round, a creature on fire may make a DC 15 Reflex save to put out the flames. Rolling on the ground provides a +4 bonus to this save.
Costs:2 MP Metal damage, 2 MP Fire Damage, 3 MP Moderate fire side effect.
OK, page 21 of the PDF discusses spellcasting limits.
In general, you can only pop 5 MP into a spell for every related spell list you know. You know 1 Evoke, you can only burn 5 MP into said Evoke. If you know 2 Evokes, then you can spend 10 points on an Evoke. If you know 3 Evokes, you can spend 15 MP. With 4+ evokes, you can spend 20 MP.
That seems straightforward enough. But what about general enhancements? Do those count?
Let's go extreme here. We will assume we have a 20th level mage that has focused on just about everything except Evoke lists. At 20th level, the mage finally chose an Evoke Fire spell list. Woot! Our mage can finally deal direct damage. But how much?
Can the mage only spend 5 MP total on a pure Evoke spell? Or can the mage spend 5 MP on the Evoke, and then spend up to 15 MP more on general enhancements (range, area, duration, etc)?
It seems logical that the general enhancements don't count toward that total because you could combine lists. (Perhaps something along the lines of Shearing Flames out of Lyceian Arcana.) And the overall spell wouldn't be limited to just the Evoke Fire limitations. Am I correct in this assumption?
OK, what about with Enduring Damage? That would be limited by the number of spell lists right? So the same mage could Evoke Fire 5 with 4 of that being Enduring Damage basic for 1 minute. But the mage could not utilize Enduring Damage short for 10 minutes because that requires 10 MP in the Evoke aspect of the spell. Is this generally correct?
Along similar lines, it seems like a high level mage with two only Evoke Lists, maybe Evoke Fire and Evoke Metal, could create a 20MP spell by spending Evoke Fire 10/Evoke Metal 10. Perhaps to attack an adjacent opponent with a huge, flaming sword using a touch attack.
Just looking for a little feedback to clarify if I understand the intent of the rules correctly.
Now, just to add a little levity and usefulness to the post, how about I write up that spell? Maybe at a slightly lower level to make it useful in more games.
Beltin's Sword of Surtr
Evoke Metal 2/Evoke Fire 5
Total MP: 7
Range: Touch
Duration: Immediate
Area: Creature Touched
You summon a large greatsword (Fire-giant sized to be precise) covered with flames that immediately strikes an adjacent enemy. Make a ranged touch attack. If you hit, the target suffers 3d6 slashing damage + 2d6 fire damage and the target will catch on fire. Burning targets suffer 1d6 damage each round. Each round, a creature on fire may make a DC 15 Reflex save to put out the flames. Rolling on the ground provides a +4 bonus to this save.
Costs:2 MP Metal damage, 2 MP Fire Damage, 3 MP Moderate fire side effect.
