Munchkin heaven. Seems OP.
So if understand this right, lets say you have a book which isn't that special. 14/14. So I can study 7 tractati? It does say "a number of tractati". If I'm a specialist who has focused on a technique and form, I study one of the other 13 techniques or forms, only getting 7XP in the art I don't care about which I'm using as a mechanism to read 7 tractati in a season.
Integrated Study Theory : Major Breakthrough
Relevant Spells : Intellego spells to study magical items, researching spells based on effects instilled in a magical item, based on the Lab Text of said item.
Sources of Inspiration : Reading Lab Texts of enchanted items, and studying magical items in the lab to learn their powers.
Stipulations : At least 35 breakthrough points for this breakthrough must come from sources of insight.
Effect : This breakthrough provides the following breakthrough Virtue:
Gainful Texts
Minor Hermetic Breakthrough Virtue
When using a Lab Text of a magical item, you gain the Similar Spell bonus if you research a spell that is similar to the effect described in the Lab Text.
I mean, if you have 14/14 Summa in your game and don't consider those to be particularly special, (and you are willing to continue to purchase huge numbers of tractati, of which there are not an unlimited number), then yes.
This is intended to be a very large, important breakthrough that could radically change the order if released. Part of what this breakthrough is meant to be is a transition to the use of books that more reflects how they are used in study and research in the modern day.
This is a powerful, game changing breakthrough and that is my intent. I don't think the idea of something being "overpowered" is well reflected in Ars Magica's paradigm, since it lacks the kind of game framework where balance has any real meaning.
It does staggeringly change the game balance, by allowing you to read other tractatus at half a Summa's level per season, rather than one/season. Even the summa you can find are only level 10, that still allows massive tractatus reading, allowing people with access to summa to hit peak study very quickly.
Those with access to the most tractatus will progress much quicker than those relying on teaching, experimentation, studying from vis (which isn't done much anyway - those in low vis sagas can't afford it, those in high vis sagas worry about the risk of botching) or following mysteries.
I don’t personally like it but at the very least the level function should take into account that Art Summae have much higher levels than ability summae and allow a lower number of tractati to be read at the same time than Summa level/2. One possible suggestion might be Art Summa level/6 rounded down which would be halved then thirds.
Something that came up in another thread that I figured should be coded up.
Restoration of Roman Units (OR Major Breakthrough 50)
Sources of Insight: -
Relevant Spells: Spells that push some aspect of their Range/Duration/Target up to the Roman measurement (at +1 Mag); Spells that use the Range or Target Road and Road Network
Stipulations: All points must come from Relevant Spells, though no more than half may be from Road or Road Network useless they are pushed to the Roman measurement (and have the +1 Mag).
Effect: The Magus can use the Roman units for Range, Target, and Duration rather than the standard units. This will result in increases of distance and duration. However the casting time for Rituals using these effects is increased to a minuta (24 minutes) per Magnitude.
The Roman Pace is 5' (~1.5 meters) compared to the standard of 3' (~1 meter). This will increase both the size of Base Individuals as well as things like the Boundary Target and Road/Road Network Range/Target. The Duration Momentary is increased to a secunda, equal to 24 seconds (4 rounds). The Duration Diameter is increased to a minuta, equal to 24 minutes.
A Magi who learns this breakthrough will primarily use the Ancient Roman Units in their speech and writing. This is a role-play restriction and should not be pressed OOC. Consider it flavor and a side effect of the change in thought required to use this breakthrough.
Some thoughts on expansions involving the Arma Magica/Parma Magica Folds:
The ability to teach them through a book, rather than requiring a teacher (Minor)
This one may be opposed if the Order really dislikes the idea of books on anything to do with Parma Magica.
The one I'm kind of fond of, even though it's a huge project:
Step One: Develop the Parma Custodia fold as per the book. (Major)
Step Two: Further research along the lines of the original Parma Magica, spliting it out into it's own Virtue: Parma Custodia [Minor, Hermetic] with associated Ability. (Hermetic)
Step Three: Full Hermetic Integration. (Major)
Step Four (Optional): Make it so that both Parma Magica and Parma Custodia can be performed as part of the same two minute ritual, instead of having to do two back-to-back rituals before you have full coverage. (Minor)
You could probably do something similar with splitting out other folds into their own things, as a "have your cake and eat it too" sort of deal. The one that springs most readily to mind would be Parma Condensa, which would grant Magic Resistance at Parma Condensa Rank x 5 for one Form (chosen at casting). It stacks with Parma Magica and your Parma Condensa rank cannot exceed your Parma Magic rank. The net effect would be doubling your Parma Magica score against one Form, just like the fold would normally do, but without needing to halve your other scores.
These are probably mostly only of interest to fighty-type magi, but they'll probably be real interested. Also, it's probably safe enough to go ahead and teach Parma Custodia to apprentices, both to keep them safe and to instill good habits early on regarding the Parma. Though I now have a mental image of a Tytalus parens chucking something heavy at an apprentice yelling "Parma check!" 
As for more general Parma improvements, maybe the ability to lower your Parma without needing to concentrate? Not like switching it off or something, if you loose consciousness or something it comes back on, but being able to hold it off without penalties. Minor breakthrough, probably?
This breakthrough is designed to allow Magi to create minor spells with the remainder of their Lab Total. Since there is a hard limit of Level 5 on these spells, it results in the generation of lots of very minor spells which in general have a very limited effect and are good for teaching apprentices.
Minor Spell Creation (OR Major Breakthrough 40)
Sources of Insight: N/A (this is Original Research)
Relevant Spells: Spells are the only way to generate points and the spells must have been created as a Multiple Lab Activity. This does not prevent you from gaining points from others Stabilized Lab Text.
Stipulations: No more than the researchers MT points may come from a single Form.
Effect: Gives the Virtue Minor Spell Research. Note that this Virtue can be taught in a season or learned by reading a Tractatus.
Minor Spell Research Virtue
You can always create spells of the same TeFo with any leftover Lab Total you have, no matter what the base activity was. This includes creating minor spells in the last season of creating a large multi-season spell. These spells are limited to level 5 for any primary activity other than inventing spells. Generally, they should be related to what the primary activity was. For example, if the primary activity was enchanting a wand to create fire (CrIg) than any minor spells should create fire rather than light or heat.
I always thought it would be useful if it was the Opening of the Arts action was what granted access to the Parma Magica. If that as the case then you could have a million books for it and it still wouldn't matter to the random outsider.
The benefit of this is that the Parma Magica can be the first thing an apprentice learns and not the last thing.
This could be a breakthrough that empowers the Order.
There is nothing preventing you from teaching the skill to an apprentice before they pass their gauntlet, as long as you do not provide the final piece of the ritual. Having the skill without that last piece means that you can not perform the ritual. Teaching that final piece to someone who is not a member of the Order is what violates the code, not the actual skill (which is worthless without that final key).
EDIT: Actually teaching an apprentice the skill, directly or through a book, is actually advantageous if done before the gauntlet. You could have your apprentice perform their ritual daily with you at the sunrise, even if their one does not actually do anything. This will help get them into the habit.
I think its 'illegal' for a mage to teach an apprentice the final words because the apprentice is not considered a member of the order yet.
While I think this is illogical it seems to be how its set up now.
My addition of making the Parma Magica a special trait of the Opening of the Arts means there is no issue. An master can train their apprentice it first thing.
It also has the side effect of allowing 'schools of magic' to exist since everyone there would be shielded from the negative side effects of the Gift.
Wouldn't that cause some issues with House Ex Miscellanea, though? If Hedge Mages that are brought in cannot learn the Parma Magica, it kind of defeats the purpose?
I don’t really get how this breakthrough changes it in the least? Does it create a whole new ability where the books aren’t compatible with how the Parma has worked since Bonisagus? Are you proposing this is how Bonisagus initially invented the Parma?
Here is a question: let's say a magus has been researching people with the Unaging Virtue and has come up with an "Eternal Youth Ritual" Hermetic Virtue(better name pending), which causes people under a Hermetic Longevity Ritual created by them to also enjoy the benefits of Unaging.
Would this be a Major or Hermetic Breakthrough? My gut says Major, because I don't think you are actually breaking the limit of aging, but I'm not sure.
I agree with you that it wouldn't break the limit of aging. I'm not sure whether studying the unaging virtue would be useful at all in such a research. A supernatural virtue that isn't an ability cannot be simply taught, for example, and there is no active effect to study. Maybe original research could work rather than integration, but that sounds like a lot of experimental longevity rituals, and perhaps intellego corpus effects to understand the effects of aging. Not the easiest project to launch.
I would say it is a Major, since it is dealing with a Virtue. You are converting Unaging from a Supernatural to Hermetic Virtue, with the way to gain it being tied to a LR. Of course if was an OR and the researcher wrote a text describing it, anyone who studied the text would be able to grant the Virtue with a LR as well (the inventor could also teach it).
A stipulation requiring some portion of the effects generated towards a discovery require that they be cast on someone with the Unaging Virtue. They would not have to be in your lab full time but would have to be available so the spells/items could be used on them at least a few times while trying to stabilize the discovery.
Maybe something like, create and stabilize an experimental InCo(Vi) effect (the Vim is to analyze magical aging shenanigans as well). You don't get points for for it until you have used it to observe at least four(?) from the following list:
-An ordinary person (Easy, any mundane will do)
-A person under a Hermetic Longevity Ritual (Check yourself, avoids the scrying issue)
-A person with Unaging
-A person who ages more slowly than usual (Faerie Blood, Strong Faerie Blood, etc.)
-A person with Difficult Longevity Ritual (Always good to know what not to do)
-A person with Age Quickly
There are probably more. At least some amount of your break through points has to come from this sort of thing.
EDIT: If the troupe wants added difficulty, make it T:Group. You have to get a side-by-side comparison on the individuals.
Good list but four per stabilization might be a bit much. Better to assign a points limit to each one, such as 10 points. Some portion of the total points must come from this type of activity. I would say an amount about the point limit per type less than the total.
So if the total required was set at 45 and the max per type was set at 10, then at least 35 points would have to come from this type of research. The other 10 could come from it or something else entirely.
Looking for opinions, what level of breakthrough would each of these be?
-Corpus Form Bonus adds to Aging Rolls
-Longevity Ritual adds to recovery rolls
-Longevity Ritual adds to disease rolls
-Medicine Score adds to Corpus totals (the idea is meant to be similar to the "New Aristotle" adding to casting totals)
If I were the ST, I'd prefer the Corpus Form Bonus added to recovery and disease rolls, probably each as a Minor Breakthrough.