free-form magic

[Torrent]

How about Time?  or Power availability.
Adding Limiters is about adding reasons for the mage not to do something?  In my mind there are several ways to make something, anything not just magic, harder to do..
1) Just make it harder, ie raise difficulty.
2) Artificial limits.. certain things just aren't possible, ie spell lists, groups, divisions.
3) Other costs... money, mana, items.  
4) Time. If an effect takes too long to do, it won't be feasible.  Small effects cast quickly.
5) Related to 3, power availability.  If a mage must 'gather power' to cast, he has a finite amount of it, sorta like mana.

Falkenstein has a neat system for this.  Where the mage must draw power to cast his spell.  This drawing takes time usually proportionate to the size of the spell.  And as that power is finite in an area, he can't cast alot of magic all at once.

Also, adding additional time restraints to spells will change the 'flavor' of magic.  A world where magic takes a long time to cast SHOULD encourage players to plan ahead and move slower.  

Torrent
.. ideas offered..

[Jeffrey Straszheim]

Have you ruled out treating magic as a "thou" rather than an "it"?  This,
I think, is the essence of Sorcerer's magic system. And if one wanted
a lighter theme replace the *demons* with *spirits*, or whatever.
Sorcerer certainly has as much variety as any more traditional
system, but instead of keeping track of your spell lists and magic points,
you now keep track of your relationships with the beings that give
you power.

So, in such a system, when a player asks, "What can I do?", simply
ask, "What spirits do you know?"  In this, the power level of magic,
its costs, and so forth, can blend into a general experience with the
personalities of the spirits, the price they demand, and the unknown
rules of the otherworld.

Any thoughts?

Jeffrey Straszheim

P.S.  I've met "immersion" type players who didn't like free-form magic
because they, as a player, couldn't understand the powers and limitations
of magic the way they thought their character could.  I don't know, but
I expect that a "thou" type magic system would address their concerns.