I think you got ot. Remember, there is a -3 penalty to your effective parma score when covering others. This does not mean you need a minimum score of 3. If your score is 3 or lower, the effective shared MR is 0 (which still resists magic if it has no penetration such as from a low casting total or an item without leve?s of Penetration).
The technique was developed by Flambeau magi who like to get their hand dirty 
. To remain part of the group, a magus must Fast Cast spells without Gestures, as he is also busy wieling armaments in battle. It is a difficult technique, but if properly employed, it can be very effective.
Oh. If he's part of the trained group, too, bump up the required leadership score by 1. I find it hard to pull off a trained group that way because there is such a good chance at least one combat score will be too far off to allow the group.
Well, Vocis can fight in melee, but he'd much rather be invisibly ambushing someone while doing it. 
I normally assume group combat is employed by a unit of grogs to keep enemies away from the magus while the magus casts spells to support the grogs. I know Vulcanus probably won't fight that way, but it seems to me that even a combat-optimized magus like Guillaume or Vibria would be better served staying behind the grogs rather than drawing a weapon and joining in. All they'd be doing is making spells harder to cast and inviting wounds they wouldn't otherwise suffer. Why risk Twilight or injury unnecessarily?
That said, Vocis's overconfidence will more or less compel him to keep up with his more militant sodales. If this is how the Flambeau of Andorra want to fight, Vocis will help make it happen.
Hehe, yep. I designed Vulcanus to wade into battle first and wait for the grogs to catch up. Spellcasting? Pfft. If you have to cast spells in combat, that means you showed up to battle unprepared.
As I mentioned, it is difficult. Usually your soldiers are better fighters. Magical augmentation needs to be evenly distributed. And standing back while they guard you also works as long as they are protected by parma.
It isn't that Andorran magi expect or prefer this. Carmen is not a fighter, and the rest are a whole new crop of characters. Inigo used to do this, but he had a very high parma score.
The heart of the concept is to protect your soldiers with parma. Don't treat grogs like cannon fodder. Treat them as humans deserving of dignity.
Ryu is half right. Defensive spells should already be in place. Offensive spells like PoF are useful, but the soldiers need to be taught to coordinate with a spellcaster on the team.
Ah, I see. No worries on this count, since two of Vocis's usual grogs will be family members.
This is the sort of thing I had in mind. Sorry about the misunderstanding.
By "spellcasting in combat == unprepared" I meant any magical effect you need in combat should already be enchanted into an item.
Ah! Good point.
Arachné loves the way you think 
How long would it take to install Vulcanus into Dimir Taar's former lab?
It was destroyed, so you need to refine an existing lab.
It takes 1 season to instal a minor virtue, 2 for major. i allos you to count refinement time towards instilation (meaning that during a one season refinment you may also instal a minor virtue or a major with one more season).
free virtues are inconsequential.
also, I have been having a lot of trouble with these forums lately. Don't know if this message will even post. And I am in the middle of moving. So please be paitient.
You're not alone. There's a discussion going in the main ArM forum and complaints have been sent to Atlas. I'm currently unable to see the third page of the chapter 2 thread.
Phantom posts. i get them too.
tried to post in that discussion you mentioned. wasted an hour of my life on it and post got swallowed anyway.
Upon inspection of Dimir Taar's lab, is the Hammer still intact? And whatever the Lesser Horde was, are they still lurking about?
Vulcanus will oversee construction of the new smithy. He'll make sure the building is outfitted with a grand entrance and an attached studio.
When construction on the new smithy is completed, Vulcanus will cast Laboratory of Bonisagus within. I think that the forge can be installed as both a Greater Feature and a Greater Focus at no extra time because they balance each other. He stocks up the lab with good ingredients and then carries in The Tireless Servant and turns it on.
Flawless Equipment, Flawless Tools, Spotless, Dedicated Building, Grand Entrance, Studio, Precious Ingredients, Greater Feature: Forge, Greater Focus: Forge
GQ +3, Upkeep +6, Safety +1, Warping 0, Health +1, Aesthetics +5, Items +9, Vis Extraction +2, Creo +1, +1 Longevity Rituals
Vulcanus will oversee construction of the new smithy. He'll make sure the building is outfitted with a grand entrance and an attached studio.
When construction on the new smithy is completed, Vulcanus will cast Laboratory of Bonisagus within. I think that the forge can be installed as both a Greater Feature and a Greater Focus at no extra time because they balance each other. He stocks up the lab with good ingredients and then carries in The Tireless Servant and turns it on.
Flawless Equipment, Flawless Tools, Spotless, Dedicated Building, Grand Entrance, Studio, Precious Ingredients, Greater Feature: Forge, Greater Focus: Forge
GQ +3, Upkeep +6, Safety +1, Warping 0, Health +1, Aesthetics +5, Items +9, Vis Extraction +2, Creo +1, +1 Longevity Rituals
I was going to mention that granting free virtues with no BP or time cost can be abused pretty badly, but Ryu already designed a lab that made my point for me.
Many of those "free" virtues cost me vis, and the rest of them cost the covenant silver.
I understand costing the covenant silver with a high Upkeep, but why did they cost you vis?
You are confusing time and space. When you invest the time to add a Virtue, you lose unoccupied space or you pick up Flaws. So adding Minor Feature takes 1 season and no space by including Minor Focus. Then a second season will upgrade that to Major Feature and also take no space by changing Minor Focus to Major Focus.