Instead of when you cast a spell that is already on you and it says that that spell is already in affect...have it instead reapply the spell bringing it back to full duration so that you can maintain your spells. I believe it already lags you and takes the mana anyway when you do that, might as well go the rest of the way.
I coded this for another mud and found it easy to implement(not that the coding is what holds back new ideas, at least I hope not) and went over very well.
That's what cancellation is for.
I don't think coding is the issue, since some spells already have this feature. It's an issue of making mages more powerful.
WC
To me its a convienance issue is all, and that is all it is meant for.
spells fall for certain reasons, such as Melee's getting the competitive edge and surprise.
This is why classes with cancellation have an edge.
It would overpower mages to be able to keep sanc up 24/7. As it is, they always have to let it fall.
Also, would underpower thieves, as they rely on that time overlap on sanc sometimes(or at least my thieves do)
It's a balance issue, not a code issue.
Having a spell with a weak time during battle is something we want to have.