So I found that aura type spells cause intense lag...

I experimented a bit with a dot-on-self effec that calls on a large template spell every turn for 7 turns.

Ouch, lag was somewhere around a minute per turn.

Code:

<spell name="Boom Box" type="template" templateID="100" anchored="1"
 
icon="skills/warrior/macery2_32.png" >
  <description text="Killer beats."/>
  <effect type="damage" blasting="4" blastingF="0.25" />
  </spell>
 
<spell name="Techno Beats" type="self" icon="skills/rogue/skill_lockpicking2_32.png" >
  <requirements mp="15" savvyBonus="0.30" mincost="7" />
  <description text="Killer music."/>
  <buff useTimer="1" turns="7" icon="skills/spells/magic_steel64.png"
 
smallicon="skills/spells/magic_steel32.png">
  </buff>
  <effect type="dot" amount="7" spell="Boom Box" />
  </spell>

The "buff" is simply there so there would be a visual icon while it runs. That didn't work btw(no icon appeared).

 

I think "dot" effects have to be placed outside of the buff tag.
I might be mistaken, though, seeing as I'm kind of tired now.

 

You must be, because it is outside the buff tag.

 

It doesn't matter either, your effects can be absolutely anywhere within the bounds of the spell as long as they don't break any syntactic rules. I have no problem with such things, for instance in wind magic there's an eye of the storm ability that works very similarly and has no problems at all.

 

Wind Magic is my favorite magic skilltree by far. EotS would be a perfect template to use for how to do what you want.