Xavi has it right as far as skills go. As for the side effect, I say call it a zero penetration deal.
Excellent, all understood (I think!)
What about languages? Do I get any benefit to learning due to my native French? Or are they too dissimilar?
There is no native language of Transylvania unless you are from Transylvania, which you are not. And since you cannot tell me the name of the language, the answer is no. 
And, by the way, there are many languages spoken in that region of the world. Thinking they all have one language is another reason to say no.
I know I sound mean, but I am helping you. The correct response is "oh. no, I knew what I was talking about all along. I didn't think you did so I simplified it for you. Here are the real facts...", and spit back everything I am about to tell you and pretend that you new it all along.
:mrgreen:
The major language categories (as some relevant dialects) include: South Slavonic (Serbian, Bulgarian), Vlach (Romanian), Oghuz (Turkish, Turkman, Azerbaijani, Pecheng), Kipchak (Cuman), Magyar (Hungarian, Transylvanian), Low German (Saxon), and Greek (Romaic).
Only one Language on this list is a Romance Language, but I will not tell you which one. Distantly related with French, you can speak it at a -4 penalty (and thus have an equivalent score of 1, so it is not really worth it).
And no, it isn't Transylvanian 
If you speak French and Latin, those should be able to get you by.
Heh - nope! My knowledge of mediaeval Europe is ropey at best. I bow to your superior knowledge 
I was merely hoping for 5 extra XP 
Ok, fair enough. I think I still want one, though, so that I can actually talk to my fiancée (wife, perhaps? Otherwise we'll be marrying very late). I also intend to be in the covenant Vocis is visiting, so I can meet him. If that doesn't have a defined "local" language, I'll pick one at semi-random; hmmm, South Slavonic. (Edit: Which I know is not the Romance language - at a guess, it's Romanian [clue's in the name])
He is at Coeris, which is in (looking it up); it is in Hungary. His next stop is Scholomance, which is...also in Hungary. Usually. And Lycanedonis,um, Hungary.
So Hungarian it is?
That's a very good question, one that also applies to Twilight Scars, and has never been answered AFAIK. In so far a I can tell, Marko's answer is just as good as any.
Okey-dokey, Hungarian (well, Magyar, since my speciality isn't a dialect).
Getting pretty close to Gauntlet now - mechanically, I'm just picking spells. Which is hard, especially given I only own ArM5.
I have a bunch of the supplements and it's just as hard. There are so many options and they're spread out in so many books. It's hard to keep track of them all.
Spells by Form
[atlas-games.com/pdf_storage/ ... byForm.pdf](http://www.atlas-games.com/pdf_storage/SpellIndexbyForm.pdf)
Or if you prefer sotred by Technique
[atlas-games.com/pdf_storage/ ... hnique.pdf](http://www.atlas-games.com/pdf_storage/SpellIndexbyTechnique.pdf)
It's not perfect, as you may not know what the spell does...
Awesome
Thank you Broseph
When picking/designing spells, think of effects you want to enchant. You get a similar spell bonus toy our Lab Total, and you have the Spell Mastery options of Lab Mastery (adds to your Lab Total again) and Optimized (lowers the level in terms of the vis required, not for ease).
Yep, that's the thinking behind the invis spell (shame it needs Ignem to nuke the shadow), the cleanliness spell and the Aura of Ennobled Presence. I'm planning on spending some of my post- gauntlet cycle putting them in a set of jewellery.
I'd be in the market for an invisibility item if you're looking for clients ...
Can someone help me stat a spell to enhance concentration? I suspect it'd be Rego Mentem, base 3 or 4; but I'm not sure what an appropriate level of enhancement would be.
I seem to remember there's a spell that does just that in A&A, or similar
Going by the spell list, I'd say... Gotcha. Or at least, it does sound like it. "Singlemindedness of the Concentration Wizard*", ReMe 20, A&A p34.
I may be wrong, though.
- And yes, the spell index has it written like that... I suspect an error somewhere
Singlemindedness of the Concentrating Wizard
ReMe 25
R: Per, D: Sun, T: Ind
The caster receives a +3 to all Concentration rolls for the Duration of this spell, but automatically fails any Intelligence roll which does not involve Concentration.
(Base 15, +2 Sun)
Wow, that's... significantly less potent than I expected. And I'd be hard-pressed to cast it. Thanks, though - it's definitely imbuable. I ought to look up the rules on triggering to end an effect in an item.
From what I've seen. the designers seem very conservative when it comes to using spells to augment Characteristics or Abilities.
It is not the authors, it is the playtesters, who constantly through back anything that doesn't fit their narrow conservative view.
Ok, all pre-Gauntlet XP spent and spells allotted. Tomorrow, I'll embark on Cycling him.
Current plan with True Love is to have him meet Isolde - who, as would have been traditional, is much his junior - during his first cycle (unless this plays badly with True Love being a "chargen" virtue); he'll propose (in play) upon deciding to leave for Andorra. This explains why they're not already married, and lets us have a wedding in-covenant at some point. It also means there may be some tension regarding Longevity, as they probably want kids, and he'll be 35 in three years.
I had originally planned to have Isolde be a covenant smith's daughter, who he meets while learning more smithing. However, his craft is high enough that it doesn't make much sense for him to be acting as a mundane smith's apprentice for experience, so I'll come up with something else.