QUOTE(Olav @ May 19 2006, 02:16 PM)
I also think the spell is bugged, so it costs more magicka than a similar self-made spell costs. Not sure about this though.
Ok I just had to check this myself, and here you go:


As you can see the Finger of the Mountain spell costs 143 magicka, and it has a range of 5 ft. Self made spells can not have 5 ft range, as they start at 10 ft. Even then, a self made shock spell with 90 damage at 10 ft costs less magicka to cast (111 points), even though it has a wider radius... The Finger of the Mountain damage is immediate though, while the custom spell takes one second (in this case) to 'finish'. Maybe this has some relevance...
Note that the Finger of the Mountain spell is leveled, so the stats may vary depending on what level you were when you got it.
Also note that magicka cost depends on destruction skill (I have 100).