[Kalzazz]

I admit the 'on the fly magic building' is one of my most very most favorite parts of RPM (and Sorcery) both!

I allow the Fast Casting advantage I mentioned earlier this thread for RPM, and a 'Compartmentalized Mind, for Improvising' both in order to help encourage more 'on the fly' stuff

If I was going to refiddle with how magic works with RPM, Id probably do 'Effect Shaping, Fast Casting 10 mandatory, no charms or such, on the fly only!'

Hmmm. But I do like grimoires and charm labs and such as good loot sort of things. So maybe not. But really, while ADnD style 'my spellcaster is my prepared spells' is well and cool, Id just as soon get rid of the incredibly annoying process of making spell loadouts that make me feel playing in traffic would be a more fulfilling life choice than playing RPGs

That said, one fun way to make spell design more fun is you can design spells at least partly IC, 'Hmmmm, so we need a wall? Lets see, how about a Variant off Bewitched Basketry using that dirt over there to make one? It can use subject weight, say, 200,000 tons, and we'll do a Bestows a Bonus to help with my crafting, lesser, greater, well, really doesn't matter its my crafting not the magic thats the issue'

It gets better of course if more party members A - have characters with some excuse for knowing RPM, and B - players that sorta know the system. The system uses mostly plain English sounding stuff, so it sounds very natural IC for people to be discussing Control, Transform, Sense, Greater, Lesser, Path of Magic/Body/Matter etc, so can be a ton of fun

Really, I haven't found RPM causes slowdown, if anything, RPMists sometimes can treat RPM as a big enough sledgehammer to make anything a nail. Slowdowns come more I've found from Magic Magic or skill based characters who are pouring over their 100 lines of spells / skills hoping one of them presents itself as a solution to the puzzle at hand, RPMists tend to have at most a handful of numbers (or often only two numbers) they need to remember, so either they get an idea or they dont for using said numbers

As a player or DM, I much more enjoy seeing a spell designed during the game. Its part of the game, theres something a character is trying to do in game they think the spell will help with. My friends are there taking part in said spell design. Its cool and interesting and advances the game. Designing a spell outside of the game is usually just a chore. Its a necessary evil, like making a character is, because if you want to play a spellcaster you need spells,just like you need a character to begin with.

On the fly casters I've found really don't slow combat, they design their spells while other people are taking their turns (as all people should be doing, getting ready to act before its their turn), only delays if the scenario suddenly changes (scenarios changing mess up anyone who wants to plan ahead of time) or if they want to do something weird (which no matter what mechanics your using, doing weird stuff takes time). Of the things which cause things to slow down, RPM is not one of them (bursts to the head! Or people who just tell me some random action and a dice roll, and then leave me to take their character sheet and try to interpret what said dice roll means in relation to said action)


Also related to the op, since the op likes Threshhold, I like mlangsdorf's idea of less horrible calamity tables, and his idea that recovery should exceed safe tally, to tempt people into playing with said tables