> My issue is not so much that magic is dominant, but that the
> wrong variables are dominant. I have no problem with ability levels
> in augmenting affinities being a major factor in deciding a
contest.
> I do have a problem with the less important variables of number of
> feats and rounds of preparation being more decisive factors than
> ability level.
>
The exact same issue would arise where the hero had multiple followers who augmented him or even where everyone in the group opted to augment their best warrior on the first turn of a combat (sacrificing the initiative in return for having an unstoppable killing machine on their side). The turns of preparation was just how this particular hero got so powered up.
I do think that at higher levels the hero with the most magic will usually win, yes this does shift the balance to be different to low levels where mundane skill is more of a critical factor. If that feels wrong to you then some sort of powering-down/scaling-down of augmentation house rule is probably in order. Simply ruling that augmenting feats work as edges unless clearly worded otherwise might be all you need (many of the augments in the example looked more like edges than skill enhancements to me) or it might not. If you try it let us know!
-- Nic
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