Yes, things like that might be nice. I'm looking more at lab texts. With a ReVi lab total in the low-mid 30s likely coming out of gauntlet, it could take a while to invent some ReVi 25 and ReVi 30 published spells. But 80 levels would cost 4 pawns, 1 1/3 seasons. Doing that would let me develop those 80 levels in 3 seasons, saving a lot of time, and then I could provide the texts to the covenant, too.
I am in a similar boat. My concept is based around a set of min level 35 rituals I think It would only take me a few seasons to invent the first one but the later ones are real tough.
Are the spells from Ars books or bespoke? If from cannon you could wait a year once game starts and but them from the vis salary drawn from the covenant. Especially plausible if other magi might benefit from the spells (like many Vim spells).
Adeline, as I mentioned, would probably be willing to help. Getting improved Characteristics would help her become the greatest Hermetic warrior ever, which would trump any social issues with assisting in the lab. Coming out of gauntlet I expect she could provide +10 (unless you're working at nights, in which case it's +4).
I think the problem is they're canon spells, many of which are also carefully guarded in canon. Of course, developing T: Circle versions can work better, but that requires you to develop your own.
In my case, two canon spells I'm looking at are Circular Ward Against Demons (ReVi 30 or so - not so critical, but useful and fitting) and Suppressing the Wizard's Handiwork (ReVi 25 - absolutely critical to my design), both of which might be generally useful to the covenant. I realized circular wards are great with Life Boost because you can figure you probably have a protected place to rest and recover, plus Affinity with Rego will provide for a good Rego score.
I thought that was canon, but maybe I'm mistaken. Anyway, I'm all for it since it shows character growth.
Someone else wrote that recently. I'd thought it was a house rule we always used. Now I just don't know. I haven't found it in the books yet, but I haven't looked hard.
The core book makes no mention of swapping specialties when you improve Abilities. I guess my question is: why would you?
One current case is wanting a specialty of pole arm (probably) for Great Weapon. Right now Str is too low, but not for a staff. So the specialty that makes realistic sense isn't the one I would choose. I could just choose the unrealistic one I want, but I was trying to avoid that.
You have a young companion joining a covenat. After a few years, his understanding of Folk Ken grows, but since he no longer lives among traders but among magi, he changes his specialty to magi.
This all sounds like in-game things to happen. Why would you change specialties during character creation?
Not during creation up to gauntlet. But in the 3 years up to game start: a young magus from the Theben Tribunal who increases his Order of Hermes Lore by traveling Normandy (10xp season) might want to change his specialty to Normandy especially if he knows he'll never want to return to Constantinople.
So, I've got a couple of questions about stuff I'd like my magus to try pulling off. But I'm not sure where to start, or what rules I'd have to go through. So I'd like to ask everyone here for their input. Please. 
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Vonette is immune to cold, but she isn't immune to fire. Now, I know that with her high Perdo and Ignem scores she could just cast some spontaneous spells to destroy any fire she gets in, or she could use ReIg to ward against fire. But that's just not good enough. At least, not for me, anyhow. What I'd like to do is craft a lesser enchanted device - specifically a cloak or robe of some kind - that has this protection built-in. Not necessarily to make her immune to fire, but perhaps to grant additional protection against it. I've tried looking through the canon spells, but nothing (at least to my untrained eyes) seems to fit. So how would I go about doing this? Do I take an existing spell (again, I can't find one) and invest it in the device? Do I have to experiment with spontaneous casting in the lab to get the right effect? If it's spontaneous or experimentation, how would I go about defining the parameters of the spell?
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I was looking at the spontaneous effects for spells, and I'd like to create a few custom spells based off of one particular effect I saw. ReIg 10, Control a fire in a very unnatural fashion (for example, fashion into a dancing humanoid shape). This seems like something a Flambeau would do, but I want to tweak this juuuuust a little bit. Vonette is PeIg, Boreas school for dealing with snow and ice. So what I'd like to do is to create one spell to carve ice into humanoid shapes, and then animate it much in the same fashion as the above. Perhaps a solidified version of The Unseen Porter? I'm not sure if this would require multiple spells (one for creating a block of ice, one to carve it, one to animate it), or if I could get away with a version of The Unseen Porter but with an Aquam requisite? And would this fall under the experimentation rules, or just the normal rules for inventing a spell?
Just create characters as they would be at the start of the game. Let's not overthink some of this stuff.
How about this because it fits her Minor Magical Focus: change a fire to do cold damage instead of heat. There is an example spell doing just this in MoH p.111: Boreal Flames. That way it both suits your Minor Magical Focus to allow you to cast it at a higher level as well as turning the flame to cold to which you are immune. And master it with Fast Casting.
- She doesn't have Minor Magical Focus. Or Fast Caster. I suppose I could use some of the post-gauntlet time to go find someone to teach me those Virtues, though.
- What is MoH?
Magi of Hermes, a book full of sample characters.
OK, first things first there is no reason to think the book spells are special, they do not dictate all magic that can routinely be done. You don't have to do Experimentation or anything to go outside of them.
Second thing "Ward Against Heat and Flame is a level 25 ReIg spell from the book. Page 143 ARM5. It would take a little bit for you to enchant it onto a device, you need to hit a 58 lab total to make it a lesser device.
You want to make it a Cloak with a ruby clasp (actually it could just be a ruby broach you wear, since precious stones are very good for enchantment) to get the +6 bonus to enchanting it with a fire related effect (p110).
You would take the level 25 spell, already touch and sun so that is good. You add 1 levels for twice a day, you add 3 levels for an external trigger (dawn and dusk) making it always active (standard practice for always active effects).
You can reduce the enchantment level by 10 by dropping the soak down from 15 to 10 (presuming it is based on the fire damage in the CrIg chart).
Overall not a bad item to have.
Only comment here is just that inventing spells is not experimentation. Experimentation is a specific thing you do when you need some extra lab total or you want to shoot for a beneficial effect.
Anyone can fast cast, the virtue makes you better at it. You can only fast cast spontaneous spells or formulaic spells you have mastered with with the fast casting mastery effect.
Would I need to already know Ward Against Heat and Flame to instill it into a device? I want to make sure I get it right; if I have to know the spell, there is nothing stopping me from spending a season inventing a version of it for myself. 
No you don’t need to know a spell formulaically to invest it in a device.
Textually, Explicitly, NO. You do get a similar spell bonus to your lab total if you have a similar spell (Another ward at the same target, Duration, Range or the exact same fire ward that is personal and concentration (for example).
Ghost - for the ice statue spell, you could use a spell similar to the Mystical blacksmith in covenants to act as an ice carver. Mystical Ice Carver on this page: (ReAq25) - it could be reworked to be lower level too.
See ironboundtome.wordpress.com/201 ... -part-two/