So with the massive changes in SMR "stuff", and feats and statuses and this and that all going on... there are now a couple of different things that have Bards (and presumably other casters) getting messages, like "having to wait" for your spell to prep or the condition of your throat keeping you from casting at all (if you have something prepped).

The first time I ran into it, I walked over to another room and just waited it out. But then I said, "Huh." and tried something different.

Turns out that "renew 1030" works just swell, and blasts out some damage at the thing who just stopped your casting.

Even more interesting, just this evening I had TWO creatures in front of me, and hit "renew 1030"... and not only damaged both of them, but paid only the single-target (10 mana) price to do so. This was observed on several (for as long as the non-Reim-area-boss creature lasted) consecutive casts, so definitely not a fluke.

Other Bards--and GMs, I suppose--make of that what you will.