- We have that non-spell users can achieve high skill bonus rapidly for their main skills, with talents aid, 2 ranks per level, etc. We have special rules for 'combat styles' that allow to improve combat too.
- In our side, we aid to semi-spell suers too by removing the SCSM for 'armor wear' if your bonus in 'trascend armor' is >= than penalty, in other words, if penalty for armor to SCSM is <=0.
Then I am thinking about apply the same than with armor but to level difference (caster/spell). So if your bonus in a spell list is >= than the penalty for casting a spell higher level than caster, use automatic casting instead a SCSM roll.
Because I think that if a character develops the list in many ranks, and develops too 'magical language' and 'spell mastery', and has talents to add spell list bonus, I think is good to reward him with no SCSM (that have more failure %) and accelerates the game with less rolls.
Viewing the spell casting table, we can see that a difference of 5 levels is reasonable, and then is more and more difficult.
Could we use this rule for 'spell time prepare' too?. Maybe with these type of rules spell caster like more to increase their spell lists bonuses, I see it very interesting because we increase very much importance to one skill that IMO should be fundamental to spell users, but with the current rules (too restrictive) I am sure that is not very important in our games, because spell users usually want to evade the SCSM and never (or almost never) try to cast higher level spells or in less time, still having a decent spell list bonus skill.
This shouldn't be applied for other modifiers, as 'no voice', 'no free hand', etc. that you can consider (and surely all of us too) that are preventive for spell casting, for example if you need voice to cast a spell, and you can't use it, the you must roll a SCSM, although you have your spell list bonus greater than the penalty.
But there are other factors that I don't see them as preventive for spell casting, I see them simply as 'more difficult' for spell casting (as level difference, armor wearing and maybe preparing time).
As summary you can see that we usually reward to characters that develop/specialize certain skills that we think are fundamental, and spell users can be added to this group now with these rules.