Let's see for an example character. After running a few mathatons, I'm upping health to 6 hp per point, and mana gets 2 points per point of mana.
As for uses of abilities, I am proposing to sort them into negliable, small, medium and big. Negliable uses are mostly flavours, like Nuriel stylishly igniting a cigarette would certainly cost no mana, but also standard magical attacks during combat. Small tasks cost 1 mana, and require no roll. Medium tasks need to roll at least a 3 to be succesful, or have a small drawback, and cost 2 mana. Big tasks need to roll at least a 6 to succeed, or a 3 and have a small drawback, or no roll but at a bigger drawback, and cost 3 mana, and require at least a mag of 9. Even bigger feats of magic become avaiable with a mag stat of 12 and 15, and progress similarly. Each character sheet should provide examples of what magnitude we are talking about in each class, and the GM should look over that carefully. In terms of damage, a neglieable mag attack just rolls with mag as damage, then mag*2, mag*3 etc, or increase number of targets an AoE can cover etc etc.
example drawbacks could be an attack dealing a bit (a d3 for small, d6 for medium?) damage to the caster, the caster being immobile (gets auto hit) while casting, a turn of charging, higher mana costs etc. It provides ample amount to differentiate characters from eachother.
I am thinking, if you guys think it might be a good idea, of allowing the addition of extra drawbacks to a spell to reduce mana costs.
anyway, here's an example character
Icarus (Independant Comabd And Rescue Utility System)
[backstory here once I get to writing the thing]
Stats (80)
Health: 10 - 60 HitPoints
Mana: 9 - 18 Mana
Speed: 13 (14)
Skill: 12
Strength: 9
Mag: 9
Defence: 12
Resistance: 6
Perk (I guess they carry over): Brisk - Speed roll is increased by +1
Ability: Overdrive. Icarus sends energy into her systems to for a short time, greatly increase her combat abilities. Not all stats can be buffed, details in backstory. Because her
current body (any ideas for names?) is not the high tech military hardware she used to pilot, her abilities are currently locked at minor acts, until the ICARUS-05 (medium) and/or the HYDRA-01 (big) have been attained
Negliable: Sensors. Unless whatever Icarus is scanning is actively shielded against scans, her Sensors can gather a large amount of information hidden to the naked eye. [locked]: Flight.
Small: Doubling of a single stat, increase by 1.5 of two stats. (TN: No roll, cost 1 mana)
Medium: Tripling of a single stat, doubling of two stats, increase by 1.5 of 3 stats (TN:3, cost 2 mana)
Big: etc (TN:3, minor drawback - deals d3 damage to body, cost 3 mana)
higher levels will be statted when they become avaiable.
This is an example of the magic system I propose, and the way Icarus for example would be using it. As for affinities, someone else should think that up, as unless Icaurs is equipped with special ammo or weaponry, her damage is just plain old physical damage. The current body is still weak to lightning, but is not fire resistant, with all the latex skin and all. The ICARUS-05, as we have it, lightning weak, fire resistant. The HYDRA-01, when we ever get to that, fire resistant, weak to the divine.