[Magical Styles/Thaumatology] flexible magic and magical styles

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Originally Posted by ericthered

What do you mean by flexible magic system?

Specifically, I'm asking about the syntactic magic systems from GURPS Thaumatology (verb/noun magic and Realm-based magic), though symbol-based magic also falls under "flexible".

For those unfamiliar with these systems, they replace the standard spell-based magic system with rules for systems in which mages improvise magical workings when they cast. In verb/noun, Mages study magical verbs and nouns and combine them for magical effects (e.g. "create fire" could make a fireball, start a campfire, light a torch, etc.). In realm-based magic, the universe is divided into a few categories over which mages can gain power, (example set: "Nature, Artifice, Wisdom, Luck") (there's not a set list of categories; GMs select their own).

So my problem is that Magical Styles explains how some perks are taken per-spell, but the "per-spell" line is pretty blurry with flexible magic.

EDIT: Effect techniques are techniques of word/realm skills that, like spells, are not that flexible, allowing mages to improve a particular casting they use often.