[PK]

For a spellcaster in a con game, there are some basic guidelines:

1. Have a maxed-out list of conditionals prepared ahead of time. "You have the following spells ready to cast, once, by simply pointing and saying the right magic words: <list>. You carry the following charms (tiny bamboo sticks) that you can give to anyone, which cast the listed spell when broken: <list>," and so on.

2. For sages and other slow casters, that's probably all you need. For a witch, in-game spellcasting is going to be a thing. Pick 4-6 useful, low-cost spells and take Ritual Mastery for them. Include a simple description: What they do (in simple English) and the energy cost, nothing more. Make it clear that #3 (below) applies to these spells.

3. Add a note that the caster can attempt any spell, but it'll take longer (for adepts: "but it will take several combat turns, and possibly a few minutes"; for others: "but it will take several minutes and is thus not an option in combat") and should leverage the caster's best Paths . Don't bother explaining any more than this; if someone wants to cast a spell on the fly in play, it's your job as GM to give them a reasonable estimate of how wise the decision is ("You have skill 13 and you want to give everyone in NYC Precognition? Um, no, I wouldn't recommend attempting that.") and then to do the work for them.