Ars Magica GRIMOIRE

[callen]

@comunevelynnn

AVIS CONJURA CrAn30
(yes, bad Latin, like a true Bjornaer [?])
R: Touch, D: Diam, T: Group
Create a group of up to 100 raven-sized birds (Size: -4) from the hand of the magus. The conjurer don't control the ravens only with this spell, but the birds act as commom birds.
(Base 10, +1 Diam, +2 Group, +1 Touch)

Ravens are Size -3 (see notes below). Why is this artificially limited to 100? It could handle 200 if you want. It's OK to limit it, though. Also, any Size -3 bird? That's a lot of variety. Usually you at least need a magnitude for complexity/flexibility, but I see none.

@comunevelynnn

BIRTH OF THE HEARTBEAST CrAn20
R: Per, D: Sun, T: Ind
Conjure a single raven-sized bird (max. Size: -3), but it comes from inside the Bjornaer. The bird must match the exact type of the heartbeast of the magus, with little fashion differences. This spell, after successfully cast, causes extreme pain, and a Sta + Concentration roll vs Ease Factor of 15 must be made to keep concentration on anything else, which is very difficult. The "Imperturbable Casting" spell mastery option can add the Mastery Score to this roll.
Also, it causes +20 Animal Wound Damage to the caster, that can be soaked up with Sta + Heartbeast + Animal Form Bonus + Stress Die. Note that a wound caused this way can be used as an arcane connection to the bird.
(Base 10, +2 Sun)
Note: A ritual version with momentary duration is called True Birth of the Heartbeast, and it creates a permanent animal. It makes more sense to do it for the next spell, since the duration reduction will drop the spell level to exactly 20. A Rego requisite could be added to dictate the behavior of the animal at the moment of the cast, but the range would need to be increased to exert the control after it's "born", and even increase the base level. From this spell you can design another to cause someone else to give birth to this animal, but the original inventor did not get this way for religious purposes.
The concentration ease factor was calculated by the formula 3 + (3 x magnitude of the spell), and the Damage is equal to the level of the spell. Yes, it is an unnecessary cost of this spell, and it's all for the flavour: I find it cool for the character to scream in pain while giving birth to the "children" of his own Heartbeast, very dramatic for some scenes, and this have a religious touch with a lot of meaning in being a true part of the nature, expressing what life and vitality means.

@comunevelynnn

BIRTH OF THE HEARTBEAST'S FLOCK CrAn30
R: Per, D: Sun, T: Group
Conjure a group of up to 100 raven-sized birds (max. Size: -3), but it comes from inside the Bjornaer. The birds must match the exact type of the heartbeast of the magus, with little fashion differences. This spell, after successfully cast, causes extreme pain, and a Sta+Concentration roll vs Ease Factor of 21 must be made to keep concentration on anything else, which is almost impossible.
The "Imperturbable Casting" spell mastery option can add the Mastery Score to this roll (HoH: S).
Also, it causes +30 Animal Wound Damage to the caster, that can be soaked up with Sta + Heartbeast +Animal Form Bonus + Stress Die.
(Base 10, +2 Sun, +2 Group)

I don't like these two spells. Look at the first one. Consider changing it to Touch/Momentary. Now you have a CrAn 15 spell you can cast on a person to do +20 Damage? On top of this damage is creates a massive penalty to Concentration, even if the damage is Soaked? Now bump it up to Voice or Sight and you've got an overly powerful combat spell. Even without the combat issues, this is trying to get around proper Range (should be at least Touch to make this bird; Personal isn't valid) by incurring pain, and it doesn't even use Muto Corpus or anything else like that to try to justify it. These two spells invite huge problems.

@comunevelynnn

GROWTH OF THE WINGS MuAn10
R: Per, D: Sun, T: Ind
When in a bird heartbeast form, the Bjornaer can increase his size up to a average human (size 0). It's possible to go back to the normal size by rolling Sta + Heartbeast against an ease factor of 5 (3 + spell mag.).
Raven-sized birds are Size -4, so a +4 growth represents +8 to Str and -4 Qik. Max Str. is +4.
If cast again, it goes to the size of an auroch or bull (Size +3, Str +14, Qik -7). Max Str. +8.
(Base 4, +2 Sun)
Note: it was a result of the troupe concession - not even experimentation, but, by the rules, the guideline allows for a +1 size increase only, as Itzhak says below.

Itzhak already pointed out the lack of magnitudes for size. But why are raven-sized birds Size -4??? When I look at the wikipedia page for the common raven, which is presumably this, it says 1.5 to 5 lb. 2 to 5 lb birds, which fits this nearly perfectly, are Size -3. I do see now that Itzhak's Animals of Mythic Europe contains a fan-submitted raven of Size -4, so maybe you got it there; that should ideally be corrected if @Red-Shadow-Claws updates it.

@comunevelynnn

THE HUNTING HAWK CrAn30
R: Sight, D: Conc, T: Ind Requisite: Rego
Creates a raven ou hawk-sized bird to search an area. The magus may concentrate to guide the bird, and it lasts only while the magus can see the conjured bird. The caster can make a Perception roll with a +6 bonus to determine if something is found by the bird. Whet it succeeds, a sign is given by the animal, like a howl or set movement defined at casting moment.
(Base 10, +1 Conc, +3 Sight, requisite is free due to experimentation)

A raven or hawk-sized bird allows for quite a bit of variety. Any bird of Size -3? Usually spells cannot provide this sort of variety, at least not without paying extra magnitudes for complexity/flexibility. And why this +6 bonus? Usually it would be based on Finesse or some Ability. +6 is pretty darn big. Meanwhile, if it's for the Fan Grimoire, it's best not to include the bonus for experimentation, instead including the extra magnitude for the requisite; that way others can work off the spell.

@comunevelynnn

RAVEN MASTER ReAn40
R: Voice, D: Conc, T: Group
Completely control a group of up to 100 raven-size birds.
(Base 15, +1 Conc, +2 Group, +2 Voice)

I'm guessing you're artificially limiting this to 100 ravens because you're unlikely to have too many within Voice range to do any control. But there are intangible tunnels, so I still don't know why it's artificially low.

@comunevelynnn

RAVEN'S NEW FEATHERS CrAn30
R: Per, D: Moon, T: Ind Spell
Give the caster a +18 bonus to Recovery rolls. This spell must be cast in the Raven Heartbeast form, but it takes effect in human form as well, but it only works in recovery of wounds taken in the Heartbeast form. It is ineffective against poison and disease.
(Base 15, +3 Moon, no Corpus requisite due to experimentation)
Note: there are versions of this spell for other Heartbeasts.

How does the spell know if a wound was taken in animal v. human form? Why is it ineffective against poison and disease? Were these the results of experimentation? On the flip side, who cares about experimentation and the lack of a Corpus requisite; the spell doesn't need a Corpus requisite because of the standard rules. Finally, why are there versions for other Heartbeasts? There really is no need.

@comunevelynnn

TOUCH OF THE RAVEN HEARTBEAST MuCo35
R: Touch, D: Sun, T: Ind Requisite: Animal
Turn a willing target into a raven for the duration. The target can end the spell at will. Equipment don't transform with the target, but talismans do. This spell only works if the caster's Heartbeast is a raven. There are other versions of this spell for other bird-like heartbeasts.
(Base 20, +2 Sun, +1 Touch)

End the spell at will? Not only does this disagree with the rules, but the target isn't even in control of the spell. If this were Tethered and Harnessed, sure. If there were a focus to break it, as per

These foci are essential if you are to be able to break the spell in this way.

then it might be reasonable, though there would still be the question of whether Passing the Reins of Corpus would be needed. I could see the focus alone sufficing. But without any of this stuff, the spell breaks rules.

I don't know why the caster's Heartbeast matters, but it's just a limitation to the spell for whatever reason. Maybe it was some experimentation thing.

@comunevelynnn

VOICE OF THE BIRDS InAn25
R: Voice, D: Conc, T: Ind Spell
Speak with a bird, also allows to see trough the eyes of a bird the caster previously counjured, within range.
(Base 10, +1 Conc, +2 Voice)

The base to speak with the animal is 10. It's a whole separate base to sense through its eyes. I don't see the extra magnitude(s) for the added base.