How flexible is a formulaic spell?

In another thread, a question was posed about a CrTe ((Ritual) spell to create a lump of silver...

And that raises the question in the subject line - how much flexibility does a Formulaic Spell have?

The guidelines for most any Te/Fo combo typically state something along the lines of: "Apply the Technique to X general category of Form" - but does that mean that a single spell can cover any of that example, or only one very specific example?

The question above is a good example. The CrTe Guidelines state "Base 15: Create precious metal" - so does the spell description read...

"Create a lump of silver"
?...or...


"Create a lump of a precious metal"
?
More, does/can a spell using Base 15 encompass Base 10 and lower as well? Does a ReTe spell that affects metal also affect gems, stone, glass, sand, mud and clay?

I can find little in the rules to clarify how variable a single spell should be, and different canon spells (especially some found in supplements) seem to apply widely different guidelines. (Especially in the Imagonem and Mentem categories, sometimes a spell is very specific and sometimes very flexible.)

I doubt if there is a canon answer, so this thread may well be an exercise of kicking the question around and giving "ims" examples. For instance...

Ims, I allow some but not a lot of flexibility. In the above example, the spell would have to specify the type of metal, but with a Finesse roll I'd say different types of silver might be produced - pure, sterling, whatever. For CrIm, the effect is limited to one "type" of thing - a horse, a wolf, a tree, but details within that limitation are up to the mage (and a Finesse roll). However, I also allow +1 magnitude (or more) to be added to create some flexibility - any precious metal or any animal or any bush/tree/etc - something like that.

So...
CrTe 15
A Disposable Mortar*
Create a ceramic bowl that lasts Moon Duration.
(Base 3, +1 Touch, +3 Moon)
...or...
CrTe 25
Disposable Lab Equipment*
Create a glass, stone or ceramic flask or bowl that lasts Moon Duration.
(Base 3, +1 Touch, +3 Moon, +1 elaborate shape, +1 flexible)
(* Note that, by the Covenant rules (p 122), if either of these spells were used to gain a lab bonus (for instance to save money on Upkeep), it would also add to Lab Warping.)

I've considered a loose houserule that if a spell is overly specific it receives a -1 magnitude adjustment, but it would have to actually be a limitation on the spell itself - creating only 1 type of wolf would not be a disadvantage, but creating only 1 specific illusion might well be. (The IG rationale for this involves Platonic Forms, and how a single specific PF is easier to incorporate into a spell design - or something.)

This is all extremely subjective, but short of adding a LOT more to the guidelines (specific categories and sub-categories for every class of example of that Form), I'm not sure how else it should be addressed.

I generally keep the original reasonably restricted and add a magnitude for flexibility/breadth as is done in ArM5 with Preternatural Growth and Shrinking.

Chris

Don't forget that Magical Foci and Potent Magic will lead to some more-specific-than-necessary spells existing.
A spell that hurls knives might exist, for instance, created by a magus with magical focus (weapons), even though it's no easier to create than a broader spell that hurls any metallic object.

Anyway, my general impression is that spells that create things, or change things into other things, should be very specific about what their result is, with more generalized versions requiring Finesse and/or extra magnitudes. Spells that detect, destroy, or manipulate things can be somewhat broader.

As for how many magnitudes...
My usual guidelines are like this:
+0: One specific thing
+1: A couple options, a set of very similar things, a simple continuum, or a transformation spell that can work in either direction (man to wolf / wolf to man, etc.)
+2: A significant subset of the form, containing at least three or four meaningfully different options
+3: A huge subset of the form, allowing extreme versatility but still with some things excluded
+4: Anything the base guideline could allow

For a spell that creates a wolf, or changes someone into a wolf, here's what you get for extra magnitudes:
+0: A wolf
+1: A canine
+2: A predatory mammal that lives in forests
+3: Any forest animal (provided the base guideline is high enough too; for instance, birds would be excluded if the base guideline used specified 'a land animal')
+4: Any sort of animal (restricted as above)

1 Like