But I'm kind of suspicious. If Mother Winter lost something, she'd have had to gain something in another area. It's technically what the Sidhe are. So if she lost the Blackstaff... what did she gain?

A hell of a grudge.  I think you're mistaking the fae intense dislike of undefined debt with them automagically always getting balanced deals.  Doesn't work like that.  Theft is by its very nature unbalanced, even for the fae.

a head-on collision would be even worse because you have the speed f both vehicles adding to each other's speeds for purposes of the impact  force 45mph+45mph head on is the same as 90mph against a wall capable of withstanding the impact (I got spun like a top so didn't get the full force)

The Mythbusters did exactly that last season because they made the same mistake and some physics hobbyists called them on it.  Result: 45car vs 45car = 45car vs wall.

I thought it was a pretty good analogy.  PDFs and conjured constructs both have the same effect but no "real" physical substance and hardcover and constructed constructs both take a real physical shell and slap the important bits inside.  Granted it's not an in-game analogy but I thought it covered the point I was trying to make.

I still prefer the three spell way of doing bindings to pseudo-animate objects but if they prefer to do it all in one go, I don't really have a problem with that.  I'm fine with using the detailed creation of a physical body as a buttload of declarations to cheapen up proper golems too.  I still think they're getting off too cheap though.  Courier Capsule only costs 14 but a rock bottom zombie costs a minimum of 16 and there's no mojo to a zombie but a summoning and a binding.  They're essentially getting a NN matter body for free.  Add 33-50% to the cost to allow for body creation then let the golem makers make declarations for all the work they put into the body and I'd be fine with it.

Why I said that about the laws?  That's more or less how Luccio explained why the laws are what they are to Harry.  It reflects well in how the mental stress track is the easiest way to take someone out and in how dead people or people turned into ladybugs hardly ever come back around trying to kill you.  The 6th and 7th laws are basically to keep the universe from getting irreparably broken.  Even Kemmler couldn't manage to break the world and he was an uber-badass at necromancy, so I'm inclined to think necromancy falls mostly in with the first four.

May just be me.  I like campaigns that could fit into Jim's world without altering the flavor of the books for me.

Interactive PC creating web page is coming along nicely.  Still have some design decisions to work out for how to lay out skill selection but I think I'll skip that in favor of working on stunts and powers today.

Question for those who'll be using it: Do you want refresh levels above and below the RAW ones or will those four be enough?

Just think of it as a really loooong weapon.

Summoning rules.

Always did think casting three spells for one effect was kinda silly.

Eh, I've got pretty big beefs all up and down that but if it works for someone's table, more power to them.

Does that make these more acceptable to you, Buzzard?

Yeah, more or less on the same page now.

Anyway, the relevant question here is whether or not these guys are balanced against other Thaumaturgy effects of the same complexity.

Is a single-function-robot Flying Harness that lasts a lifetime roughly equivalent to a 24-shift ward that lasts a lifetime?

I'm honestly not sure. But if not, I want to make it so.

I know for a fact that problems will likely arise anyway due to the problems with the Thaumaturgy system in general. But that's no excuse for not trying.

Not sure how you're calculating shifts necessary but bear in mind you'll need enough to A) make the construct last X duration, B) summon the controlling spirit, and C) bind the spirit to the construct for the same duration.

So, a lifetime Courier Capsule should cost at the very least: summoning cost (6-10)
And in another phase base construct cost (?) + duration + binding (10-14) + duration + (add a temporary power X number of powers) + (add duration to powers X number of powers).

Honestly, I've no idea if they're balanced or not.  I go spell by spell on thaumaturgy in my games and I'm incredibly arbitrary about setting limits on it.  Some things I just will not allow for a chest deep wizard that I would allow for a 15 or 20 base refresh wizard, no matter how much time they spend on it.