[RPM] Ritual Builds — Double-Checking

In addition to my how do I handle magical items struggle with adopting RPM into Dungeon Fantasy—or, let's be honest, the real struggle is adopting RPM into anything that involves actual players, because players do crazy and unpredictable stuff—I have a number of possible / proposed rituals that I'd like to get folks' opinions on in terms of mechanical integrity. These are all cooked up by my players, and while I'm still floundering around trying to get my RPM feet under me, I need some help double-checking (or triple-checking) them to confirm that they aren't pulling one over on me.

Heavy Shot

Spell Effects: Strengthen Matter
Modifiers: External Damage
Greater Effects: 0

Makes a missile fired from a gun heavier, denser and more deadly, punching through armor and flesh. At the moment of impact, the projectile becomes considerable more weighty, increasing damage accordingly. Replaces bullet damage with 3d+3. [Ed. This character uses a pair of S&W Number 3 revolvers in .44 Russian. The normal damage is 2d pi+, so this slightly-less-than-100% improvement is how they're claiming a Lesser effect.] This is intended to be a one-shot conditional spell.

Casting: Strengthen Matter (+3), External Damage 3d+3 pi+ (+3). 6 Energy.

[Ed. I'm very iffy on this one. Strengthen effects don't explicitly allow for increasing the damage of an attack, so I don't understand why this wouldn't be a Lesser Transform effect. Or even something related to Create Matter. I don't want to really get into the ballistics of it all, though—I just want to make sure that the effect they're after is being achieved in a mechanically sound way. On top of that, "Ammunition Charms" per RPM are linked damage that has to separately penetrate the target DR, not jacked-up natural damage of the ammunition itself—if I understand that right, it means this ritual should be priced based on External Damage 1d+3 pi+ as linked to the original 2d, but that doesn't make conceptual sense. So I'm lost about what to do with this.]

Better Armor

Spell Effects: Lesser Strengthen Matter
Modifiers: Altered Traits, Duration
Greater Effects: 0

Add DR 3 [Ed. a 100% improvement over the character's usual DR 3 armor] to existing Armor. A good "before dungeon" spell.

Casting: Strengthen Matter (3), Altered Traits DR 3 (15), Duration 6 hours (5). 23 Energy.

[Ed. I can't find anything wrong with this one, so feeling okay about it.]

Conjure Armor of the Old Knight

Spell Effects: Greater Create Matter, Lesser Control Matter
Modifiers: Altered Traits, Duration, Subject Weight
Greater Effects: 1 (x3)

Conjures a suit of detailed and majestic armor that falls over the caster's normal, flexible and concealable armor, allowing it to layer. Additionally, Control Matter allows the armor to move in a natural way (lesser effect), thus supporting its own weight and not limiting mobility. Does not cover shooting arm or either hand.

Casting: Create Matter (6), Control Matter (5), Duration One Hour (3), Weight 30 lbs. (1), Altered Trait DR 6 (30), Greater Effect 1 (x3). 99 Energy

[Ed. I'm not convinced that the "support its weight and not inhibit mobility / cause layering penalties" is a Lesser effect for a suit of armor... but maybe it is. (I mean, the armor's going to move that way anyway when the character moves, so maybe that's a natural way for it to move?) I also don't understand the Weight modifier's presence. Is that necessary for the Control effect to apply the conjured armor? If so, are we assuming that this suit of armor weighs less than 30 pounds?]

Conjure Cover

Effects: Lesser Create Matter
Modifiers: Weight
Greater Effects: 0

Creates a wall in front of the caster to provide some cover.

Casting: Create Matter (6), Weight 1,000 lbs. (4), Duration 10 Minutes (1). 11 Energy.

[Ed. I don't understand anything going on here. How is conjuring a half-ton wall out of thin air a Lesser Effect? If it's "Use the material in front of you to form into a wall," then I could understand maybe a Lesser Transform effect or some sort of Control effect, but this is clearly conjuring something from nothing. Even assuming "Lesser Create," does it need to have a Lesser Transform added in order to shape it into a wall? Also, what material is he conjuring? How many yards does it cover? How thick is it? How tall is it? What's its DR and HP for penetration purposes? What? How? Huh?]

Reload!

Effects: Greater Create Matter
Modifiers: Weight, Duration
Greater: 1

Refill all guns with magical bullets that last up to 10 minutes.

Casting: Create Matter (6), Weight Under 10 lbs. (0), Duration 10 Minutes (1). 21 Energy.

[Ed. Okay. I get this one. I'm okay with this. You're talking 2d pi+ bullets, so even if the need to account for External Damage (2d pi+) comes into play, that's at the 0-cost threshold for external damage.]

I have one more ritual from this guy that I'm fuzzy on, but I need to get clarification from him on one of the particularities of it before I can even intelligibly ask a question about it.

[RPM] Ritual Builds — Double-Checking