a freeform magic system

A piece of magic is constructed of terms which either name entities to be effected or adjure them with certain commands. A single piece can incorporate many terms to achieve greater effects---though this increases the complexity of the magic---but all magic must contain a name and an adjuration.

Ex: a magician wishes his foes to become lost in the mists, and constructs a spell that names the mists and adjures them to confound. If he wished only his foes to be lost and others to be to pass normally, he could add another term naming his foes.

The base complexity of a piece of magic depends on the magician's mastery of the adjurations involved. These ratings range from 5 (a fifth-rate magician) to 1 (a first-rate one). To this, add the complexity of the naming.

Using a genuine name the complexity varies depending on what is being named: self (0), a bodiless spirit (1), another person (2), other living beings (3), a place or insensate thing (4). One can also name entities present without knowing their names. This has a complexity of 4 for a person, 3 for a living thing, 2 for an insensate one and 1 for a bodiless spirit. If many individuals or an undifferentiated mass are named, increase this by one (by two if some present entities of the same kind are to be excluded).

Ex: the magician is a second-rate confounder, so the base complexity of this spell is 2, and the magician names mists which are close at hand (insensate 2 + 1 for a mass 2), so the complexity of the broad spell of confusion is 5.

To work magic, one needs magical power. Magicians use their own power, tap into an artifact's or call on the power of others. Roll a d6 for each power invoked (re-roll 6s, adding 5 each time) and total them. Sources of power are tapped if their die was re-rolled in working the magic.

Ex: if the magician used only his own power, he would need to roll a 6. He chooses to invoke the Hoary Hosts of Hoggoth, rolling a 1 and 7, for a total of 8, which is more than enough but taps the Hoary Hosts of Hoggoth, so he will not be able to call upon it again for some time.

If the total is greater than the complexity for the magic, it takes effect as intended. Otherwise, the ref may drop terms from it or modify the entities named to create a different effect.

Ex: if the magician had rolled a 2 and a 3, that would not have sufficient for the magic. If another subject could have been named for 1 complexity, the ref could do so. However, they decide that no other subject makes sense and the magic simply does not take hold.