I figured an example of the full process of casting might make it more clear how I want things to work, so here goes:
Moralis the Magnificant is a shaman with 12 Will, 9 DX, Magery 2, Path of Energy [8] +0, Path of Crossroads [4] -1. His best friend and travelling companion, Baltog, Warleader of the Western Isles, has been captured. After several days of tracking and asking the spirits, Moralis has made his way to the outskirts of a camp of twenty enemy soldiers holding his friend hostage. Moralis knows that he won't be able to just charge in and grab Baltog, so he rolls against Thaumatology to find out what spirits are around. Being successful, he learns of the presence of Maltrus and Aaron. Maltrus is in the first post. Aaron is below:
Quote:
Aaron: Aaron was once a human scout for the town of Fontir. He learned of an impending invasion of the town and beseeched the spirits to help him reach the town faster. He was transformed into a hare in order to reach home and warn his people. As a side-effect, he seemed to have become immortal. Aaron has wandered the woods and watched over the town of Fontir ever since.
Aaron allows any spell relating to mobility or speed. He also allows animal spells specialized to hares. Aaron gives +1 to all spells he supports that are used for protection and another +1 if the goal is the protection of Fontir.
Attribute: DX (Aaron is impressed with displays of skill and athleticism and often has to be chased down by the mage).
Tradition: Hermetic Deacons.
Energy limit: 45 energy
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Moralis considers two spells: A Path of Crossroads effect using Aaron to get Baltrog out quickly and a Path of Energy fire spell using Maltrus to blow his way in. While the first is the better match for the situation, his lower Path of Crossroads combined with his low DX will mean he'll be rolling against 9 (DX) + 2 (Magery) – 1 (Path) = 10. Going with the Path of Energy spell will give him an effective skill of 12 (Will) + 2 (Magery) +0 (Path)=14. As such, he decides to go with that.
He settles on a spell with the following stats: Greater Create Energy (6) + Damage, External Burning 6d (4) + Area of Effect 10m with 2 subjects excluded (9) + Charm (2) = 21x3=63. (Note: this is using the idea mentioned above where charms aren't based on Path of Magic)
This gives a -7, so he'll have to acquire some bonuses. This spell counts as destructive, so he gets +2 from Maltrus. He also takes an hour to do the casting, giving another +2. He sacrifices 2 HP and 4 FP for a +1. Finally, he uses hermetic modifiers for another +2. Altogether, he offsets the -7 and rolls against 14.
The spell takes down most of the enemies, stunning the rest and Moralis manages to grab his friend Baltrog and get out of there. Unfortunately, due to not having spoken with any locals about it, Moralis didn't know about the slumbering ritual. As such, his spell has awoken Maltrus and the mountain begins to rumble. Realizing they can't outrun the eruption, Moralis begins invoking Aaron. Let's hope he can pull off that Path of Crossroads ritual he didn't want to cast earlier and that he can do it before the eruption reaches them.
Basically, the idea is that you can only cast spells that reflect what spirits are around you and your attributes will give incentives to use certain spirits over others.