Quick question, before I drive to work. I'm going to want to make some enchanted jewellery in my first 7 years. How do I account for the raw material cost or the silver/gold and gems?
Which is, IMO, a good idea: The more you can do with magic on these fronts, the less important companions and grogs become. Like, no need for the social companion or skilled bookbinder if you can make anyone his equal or better with one or two spells.
It also means that even magi focusing solely on magic must invest in Penetration, Finesse, Penetration, Concentration and Magic Theory, instead of just casting their "spell of perfect skill". Likewise, those who style themselves knights must learn weapon skills instead of just casting 2 spells to have dex 05 (MuCo, "unnatural" dex, yeah!) and, say, Single Weapon 15 (CrMe "platonic" skill, here we go!)
Rhooo, nice!
IIRC, it's free. I can't remember a single player ever having to fiddle for this.
Back-story up to gauntlet added.
I've just realised I don't know what "casting tools" actually comprises. I had assumed that it simply meant I have one object of some kind which I must have in order to cast Formulaic spells; but I see arguments on this forum over whether it should mean 15 tools - one per Art - or one tool per spell! How are we playing it here (and does anybody care)?
Different options, each equal in their advantage/disadvantage balance value.
- One Tool per Spells: That is a lot of tools, but loss of one does not mess up your ability to cast other spells
- One Tool per Art: Fewer tools, but the loss of one potentially inhibits casting of several spells.
- One Tool per Combo: A lot of tools again, but potentially less so than one for every spell, and loss of a tool may affect multiple spells but far less than one tool per art.
- Just One Tools: Techniclly, nothing says you have to use a bajillion tools. Only one may be extreme, but loss of just that one item would prevent you from casting any formulaic spell.
Those are my thoughts on the subject. I also figure you can mix and match, use one tool for a group of related spells, some spells each have their own tool, etc.
I've always been of the opinion that it's one spell = one casting tool, but as best I can recall RAW doesn't actually say, even in Mystery Cults, and I can see the arguments for the other options.
If I had a voice, I'd say pick one and stick with it, for better and for worse.
Enchanted Casting Tools is one spell, one tool.
That is for enchanted tools, and too obscure a reference to base a hard ruling on.
Well, it's closer than anything else. But, I agree that Enchanted Casting Tools can be different enough to require one tool per spell, while normal casting tools might be completely different. It may also be that all kinds of tools exist within the House. Certain lineages have one per spell (and they discovered Enchanted Casting Tools) one has one per Art, one per TeFo combo and one tool to rule them all...
And tools are easily lost/destroyed. A one-tool is putting way too many eggs in one basket and just asking for trouble.
And it might have worked in reverse. The guy that invented Enchanted Tools developed the tool-per-spell method adapting to the requirements of his discovery (an enchanted tool being pretty specific crafted item). The Flaw requiring tools for spontaneous spells, I think that is a tool-per-art deal. Not sure.
i say you determine what the tool is each time you invent a spell. Sometimes you repeat tools, sometimes you don't. Or find a style that fits you best.
Tool per Focus category? 
Can someone give me some pointers on a couple of details of how Enchanted Items work?
I'm intending to create a Ring of Invisibility, as per Veil of Invisibility (PeIm 20: T, S, I). I have determined that a silver ring can hold 6 pawns, and hence up to 60 levels of effects. I would like the ring to trigger mentally, which I see adds an InMe 30 effect, and +3 levels to the main effect.
My questions, then, are as follows:
- Does a Personal effect in a device affect the wizard carrying it, or the device itself?
- If an invested effect has Sun duration, can it be "switched off" before that time? Or would that require a Concentration effect?
Actually, thinking it through, a Concentration-duration, maintains Conc item is probably more efficient... but the questions above still stand.
Okay, this is my try at an answer based on the rules as I understand them. (Fixer, please correct any mistakes.)
- Personal range effects the device; Touch range effects the user. (See, Core Rules, p. 100, first column.)
- If it has a Sun duration, then you're stuck with the effect for the entire duration (unless you know Harnessing).
As you point out, it's probably better to make the spell (R: Touch, D: Conc., T: Ind.) with the device maintaining concentration.
Trogdor is correct on both accounts 
Ok, thanks. Sorry this is taking a while. I haven't done Enchantments before, and it's complex! Can someone check my working on the following crafts, please?
Lesser enchantment - silver brooch of Cloak of the Duck's Feathers
Contains Cloak of the Duck's Feathers (Touch, Sun, Indiv): ReAq 5
Constant effect, as 2 uses/day + environmental trigger: +4 levels
Final effect: level 9.
Lab Total (assuming Lvl 5 Aura in Hungary): Int 4 + MT 5 + Aura 5 + ReAq 9 + Craft 4 + Genius 3 = 30
LT Bonuses: 1 (know mag-1 similar spell) + 1 (Philosophiae) -> 25
Effect < half LT, so fits in one season. Costs 1 pawn of (Re or Aq) Vis.
Quartz Pendant of Veil of Invisibility
Contains Veil of Invisibility (Touch, Conc, Indiv): PeIm 15
Maintains concentrations: +5 levels
24 uses per day: +5 levels
(Triggers on pressing the pendant firmly between finger and thumb)
Final effect: level 25.
Lab Total: Int 4 + MT 5 + Aura 5 + PeIm 11 + Craft 4 + Quartz-for-invis 5 + Philo 1 + Genius 3 = 38 > 25, so enchantment is possible; but 38 < 25*2, so a lesser enchantment is impossible.
Accrue 13 points per season.
Cost to open: Tiny semi-precious stone = 12 - Craft 4 = 8 pawns Vim. 1 Season.
Instilling is complete in 2 seasons; cost: 3 pawns Pe or Im.
Device has space for another 95 levels of effect.
Presumably, if I could get myself an assistant, I could potentially do this as a Lesser item - for instance, an Int 3, MT 3 assistant would push my Lab total to 44, allowing me a level 22 effect as a lesser device; that would restrict me to 3 uses per day, of course. Or I could experiment, to get +3 from Genius and +Stress Die.
I also want, probably, to put a constant Purity before the Noble's Court in something, and maybe even some amount of Aura of Ennobled Presence and/or Disguise of the Transformed Image. I haven't yet worked out whether these would be separate items, or whether I'd put them in the same object.
Does an enchanted Disguise of the Transformed Image fix the disguise at time of instilling, or is it as variable as the spell?
Oh, and one final question - do I get exposure XP from lab work done in this cycle, or is it assumed to be in the wash?
I would drop the environmental trigger and just leave it as 2/day, since you may not be touching/wearing the brooch at sunrise/sunset and if you are always wearing it, you may pick up Warping points from it being a constant effect. With Sun duration, 2/day will keep you as dry as you need to be.
I vote for experimenting. If you ask nicely, Marko might even let you hand-wave the roll to get your LT high enough because it happened during character development.
I think it's as variable as the spell, but the user of the item would need to make a Finesse roll to determine the quality of the illusion.
My understanding is that's captured in the abstract 10/season for advancement.
You get to add your craft and your Philosophiae to lab totals? Or is that just a Verditus thing?
A lab assistant has to have the Gift to add to your lab total, doesn't he? Aside from a familiar or an apprentice, i thought getting that kind of assistance was hard.
Is the spell variable? I thought it was fixed once you cast it, but I could be wrong.
A failed apprentice without the gift can add to your lab total. I think the reason it is supposed to be hard is that intelligent, ungifted individuals tend to find more personally usefull avenues of study.
That's part of the Verditius mystery cult. Craft adds to Lab Total; Philosophiae adds to Shape and Material, the sum still capped by MT.
Sorry, I expressed myself badly. The spell isn't variable once cast; but (IIRC) it is variable at time of casting. That is, I don't have a spell of "Disguise of the Looking-Like-Duke-Orsino"; I have a "Disguise of Looking-Like-Someone-I-Specify-Upon-Casting-But-Is-Then-Fixed" (you can see why I don't get to name spells...)
I hadn't realized that. The core rule book implies that you must have the Gift:
That covers Gifted apprentices and familiars. Where does it say that failed apprentices without the Gift can help?
Within the text of the Failed Apprentice virtue itself.