The words the creator sang at the beginning of time are beyond the understanding of men. Some have learnt a little of the secrets, and these are held as powerful. Such are the echoes of the song down the ages that the 'words' may be invoked in many ways other than the spoken word. Other common forms of invocation are the runes struck by some spellcrafters, the mystical kata of the martial artist, and the visions of shaman. Though known as 'words' their definitions are vague and complex. Indeed they are called different things (eg. runes) and named in many different ways throughout the cosmos. 'Word' and 'Rune' are used interchangeably.
All invokers must have a skill through which they invoke the words of power. This may be the carving of runestones, the writing of scrolls, a specific weapon skill, some musical ability, or almost anything else (with a little imagination).
Some spellcrafters use focuses that are likely to have been prepared long before the casting, ie. scrolls, runestones, tattoos. The rolls for these spells are made at the time of casting, on the assumption that any spellcrafter would destroy a focus he knew to be flawed, lest reality come crashing down around his ears. Also, these type of focuses are not used up or otherwise drained in the casting of the spell. The same focus may be reused, just as a spellsinger could sing the same song again.
#Or let non-spontaneous spellcrafters roll beforehand?
No-one may know more Greater runes than their MS as this results in crazy wizards. No spell may include more runes than the casters MA invoking skill. Each rune in the spell causes the loss of one point of ME, as Fatigue. After a casters ME is expended additional casting loss is taken as mental Injuries to the casters ME, in a similar fashion to Injuries sustained in combat. The difference is that crippling wounds to ME cause mental damage, ie. Madness.
A desperate caster may instead use PE or SE to power spells after his ME is expended. PE used in this way is lost exactly as combat Injuries. SE expended in this way uses a fragment of the casters soul and may never be recovered. Earth races may never use SE to power their magic (Certain diabolic rituals may allow this, but they would essentially be destroying part of the worlds soul). Fey may never use PE to power their magic as their physical form is simply an expression of their soul. True spirits may use SE to power magic but this is managed in the same way as Injuries for them.
Physical beings who's SS, SE, and SA are all 0 is 'Spiritually Suppressed'; No pure spirits (ie. no Px) can see the character and they are unaffected by spells containing the spirit rune. They also do not naturally heal Sx.
The specific look and feel of a spell is at the casters whim. For example, summoning a sword of pure flame is simply the caster creating a flame to use in hand to hand combat. A sword skill is of no use wielding this weightless blade which cannot parry or be parried , ie. The Creation of a single Fire rune is enough.
The spellcrafters focus skill+#RELEVANTSTAT# is the maximum number of runes that may be included in a spell.
To cast a spell the spellcrafter adds up his skill with each of the runes necessary for the spell.
The spellcrafters skill with each word dictates the maximum number of that word the caster may employ in any given spell.
Wizardry
A spellcrafter may learn a specific spell as a skill and use this. The spell will always use the invoking skill it was learned as.