Sorcery

A big part of the system is that you have a school of magic you study, and that influences the types of spells you can do. A person who has a fairly Qabbalistic magical system is going to be better at casting different types of spells from someone who does tantric work. Also, not all spell systems work as well with spell hanging. Like tantric magic or herbalism. While it's not impossible (you'd be amazed what a tantric mage can do with candles, blessed oil, and the Victoria's Secret catalog) it's just generally more difficult.

Below are some general guidelines to explain what can be done with sorcery. These represent the possibilities of "average" magic. Shadow-specific situations can hinder or aid a sorcerers' magic greatly. For instance, trying to transmute objects in Amber is known to bring on migraines (and looks of pity from Fiona). Whereas some shadows easily allow magical teleportation or use of nano-magic. This is just the possibilities of "average" magic.

Also, the intention of this is to create a relatively fast-and-loose, if relatively low powered sorcery system. Something grittier and less cinematic than the Merlin-series style magic. If you go for sorcery, try to keep that general feel in mind when developing your character's system of magic.

The first important aspect of this system is power level. It's not very high. Barring high levels of sorcery, you won't get much more effect than you would from an artifact. Having an exceptional psyche can boost this up a bit, but don't stake your life on it. So a damaging spell is going to be about as powerful as a deadly damage blade, and unless you're willing to suffer a bit, will affect about as big an area.

A second is that teleport is right out, especially "shadow gates" of ADRPG fame. You can manage really slow moving shadow shifting if you have a relevant spell, but that's it. And if you happen to step into a shadow where sorcery doesn't work, or your spell duration expires, pray that the natives are friendly.

Third, you cannot create anything with this. You can, however, change an object in a particular physical state to another substance in the same physical state. You can change oxygen to chlorine gas, you can change water into acid, you can change lead into gold. But changing water to gold is generally out (with exceptions, see below). You can also play with energy. Lightning, fire and cold are all doable. You can add momentum to objects to make them fly. You can manipulate light. Nuclear explosions, fine atomic manipulations, or anything that would necessitate the use of nuclear or quantum physics or nanotechnology is straight out.

Because I know you're going to ask: Yes, you can change water to ice to gold. But it's a pain in the ass. Changing oxygen to liquid oxygen to solid oxygen to bullets to flying bullets takes time, and if the flying bullets are meant to save your life...

Spellcasting takes a long time. It takes at least an hour filled with chanting and gesturing to cast a spell. If you have some method of hanging a spell, you can probably get it off in 10-20 seconds of chanting and gesturing, essentially putting in the bits that you left out for hanging purposes. Which is fine if you're having a sorcerous duel of spell slinging, not so good if someone's trying to stab you. Oh, and if you get hit by an ashtray in the face, you will lose concentration and the spell goes bork! If you start wanting to do something like effect an area (like a fireball, instead of a flaming bolt) or if you have a sophisticated process (creating bullets from thin air, see above), then it's gonna be a while. Figure at least twice as long, if not more. High psyche reduces time and increases effectiveness, naturally.

Spell casting is draining. Hanging a spell is draining, but at least it's hung and you don't have to worry about it after that. Much. It will still be a bit draining, but you could whip off a few hung spells back to back without passing out. You can't do that with an unhung spell, or while hanging spells.

Explanation of Partial Power Structure

Magical School

This is the initial training into a character's particular style of sorcery. At this level he may sense and analyze magic, but not do anything with it.

Cantrips

This is the ability to make very small magical effects, like making your eyes glow or making your porridge bluish. These effects typically take very little time to create.

Enchantment

This is the ability to enchant items. The longer you spend at it, the more lasting it will be. Figure at least a day per artifact point. Longer if you want it to actually leave the shadow. If you just want it to be a one-shot effect, like a damaging crossbow bolt, then the time frame is in the neighborhood of hours.

Sorcery

This is the ability to cast spells. The slow way. It takes hours. Don't use this in combat.

Hang Spells

This is the ability to hang spells. The sorcerer essentially casts the bulk of the spell into a spell matrix of some sort (Pattern or Logrus Lens, relevant artifact, etc).

Additional Schools

This is in case you want to study other schools. So you could be a hermetic sorcerer as well as a tantric one.

Guide Arcane

This is low-level, raw manipulation of power. Small telekinetic bursts (about enough to knock over light objects) and sparks of energy are the limits of this power.

Imbuing

This is the ability to draw upon outside powers for use in sorcery. Once capable of backing spells with an outside power source, sorcerers may now cast spells with greater power and speed. These powers would include such things as Trump, Pattern, and Logrus. Oh, and in Shadow Robert-L-Forward, where it's All-Science-All-the-Time-Magic-is-a-Pipe-Dream, you can actually cast spells. Not well. But you can do it. It'll definitely freak out the natives, though.

Summoning

This is the summoning of extra-planar creatures/spirits [elementals, demons, enemy's in-laws, etc].

Filler filler filler filler filler filler filler filler filler filler filler filler filler filler filler filler filler filler filler filler filler filler filler filler filler filler filler filler filler filler filler filler filler filler filler filler filler filler filler filler filler filler filler filler filler filler filler filler filler filler filler filler filler filler filler filler filler