[MH] Ritual Path Magic - how many paths to a ritual?

[mlangsdorf]

I'm trying to figure out how an anti-aging spell would work for RPM. Specifically, when do you have to use multiple effects?

A spell to prevent aging could be treated as:

1. A Crossroads Greater Transform effect (significantly altering the time of the living subject, which is always a greater affect)
2. A Crossroads Greater Restore effect (healing the passage of time of the living subject, which is always a greater affect)
3. A Crossroads Strengthen effect (protecting the a living subject from the effects of time, targeting the living is always a greater affect)
4. A Lesser Transform, Restore, or Strength effect for Body (altering, healing, or protecting the living in a subtle way)
5. A Greater Crossroads effect and a Lesser Body effect
6. A Lesser Crossroad effect and a Lesser body effect, with the introduction of the Path of Body increasing the base energy cost but simplifying the Crossroads effect to lesser

It looks to me that option #5 is the most correct reading of the rules, but it seems odd that a Greater Crossroads effect that is Greater specifically because it targets a being also has have a Body element. That would seem to imply that to damage someone with lightning I'd have to use a Body effect and an Energy effect, which looks like it would get expensive in a hurry.

The ghost-banishing example on p 34 seems to imply that you only need 1 path that applies to the target, but I'm not sure if that's entirely applicable since you're destroying the connection and the ghost is withering, just like destroying the rope that summon is hanging from with Path of Matter will likely cause them to die from gravity, and the caster doesn't have to invoke Path of Matter or Path of Energy for that.

Any thoughts?