3.5   LIMITATIONS OF MAGIC While ceremonial magic does allow the practitioner to do many wondrous things, it has its limits.   In movies we see the sorcerer raising his hands and casting spells on the spot (invoking fireballs and lightening bolts), but these things are beyond the scope of a true sorcerer.  Such displays of spontaneous magic are impossible.  The practitioner of magic must always work through celestials beings bound to his service.  He himself does not possess any great inner strength. Additionally, the ceremonies themselves are fraught with difficulties and dangers.  Not only does the practitioner have to worry about failure (which occurs in a majority of cases), but he must protect himself from the very creatures he is calling on for service.   Many a sorcerer has been ripped to shreds because, in his zealousness to accomplish his goals, the words and symbols of protection were forgotten. The sorcerer has only two outlets for his magic.  One is to have his orders carried out by a celestial servant, while the other is to create mystical talismans, which when on his person will grand various powers and immunities.   In either case an arduous ceremony is necessary, and much preparation goes into even the simplest act of sorcery. The talisman, while it can be almost any cleansed item, usually takes the shape of an amulet or ring worn by the practitioner.   Unfortunately, the powers of the talisman are not limited to the sorcerer who created it.   Any mortal creature who adorns the item will receive its benefits.   Many a sorcerer has been dispatched by and adversary that was able to get his hands on one of the sorcerer's own charms.  Additionally, the moment the talisman is taken off or broken, the user immediately returns to his frail self.   Practitioners of magic are also limited by the limited body of authentic texts that exist in the world.  They cannot wake up one day and decide to create a new ceremony.   They are reliant on the work of other sorcerers before them, and in many cases these mystical tomes are fraught with error and ambiguity.  While it is possible for a sorcerer to create his own ritual, the research of the needed material and the countless hours of experimentation involved would take years to complete. Though a sorcerer can wear talismans to protect against all sorts of physical trauma or even to keep themselves young, they can never ascend to immortality.   The moment the talisman is taken off, they return to their normal state.  Hence, if a sorcerer were to wear a talisman that allowed him to retain his youth for the last 150 years, the moment he took it off, he would most likely instantly die (having been immediately returned to the age of a man well past the life span of the children of clay).