Hi guys,
The level 20 CrAn spell in the book "True rest of the injured brute" gives a +9 to recovery rolls for a month. Now if I developed a version specifically for one type of animal (rats), would it alter the level?
True rest of the injured rat
CrAn 15?
Only works on rats.
What do you think?
Could I make a version that worked only on a specific person and also get a level reduction? Why wouldn't folks always spont that? It's a little risky for me, but it may work for you. 
I don't like giving level discounts for specificity because of how abusive this could be when carried into spontaneous magic.
The only reason I can think of for it to only work on rats is if you have a rat-based major or minor focus and without it you cant pull a level 20. Otherwise, it would work on all small critters. (not including birds, fish and lizards) Thats what I think anyways.
Excellent point.
However, I would take Erik's point further in that I would say that it adds to the complexity of the spell to work only on rats. Seems kinda like trying to do pointilism with a roller brush.
Up to you and your storyguide, though. Never let a rule get in the way of a good game and all that. Talk it through.
-K!
Otoh, many spells require a magnitude of "complexity" to affect a variety of targets. Not every possible effect is listed in the Guidelines.
Conservative as I usually am, I think I'd allow it - one magnitude doesn't strike me as opening a door for abuse. (Famous last words! 
)
And once there, why not extrapolate that to specific individuals within the Corpus form? As far as game balance goes, one spell, that can heal only one, particular person, is not going to be very widely useful. So they get +1 magnitude bonus for a spell that can only heal themselves, or the King- if their apprentice gets nailed, or the Prince, pretty useless.
And if they want to invent a different spell for each foreseeable/necessary type of Healing for each member of the Royal Household, and their Covenant, even with the bonus for one "similar spell"- hey, it's good to have a hobby that keeps you busy. 
Well, because of the increased risk for botching or failing with the vis, for one. But if it's only 1 magnitude, that's not going to slow them down much anyway.
I think I could live with that. ymmv, natch.
That was Eriks point exactly cuchulain.. why would anyone ever spont up a normal healing spell?.. they'd just use one a magnitude lower to heal that specific person.
Eventually you'll get to the point that whenever using spontaneous magic, you'll get -1 magnitude as long as it's target individual, as you target everything specific to itself.
And where are these spells that need complexity to affect different targets?.. you might be thinking of ones which allow them to act on things they wouldn't normally, like Terram tends to do by affecting any object or such.. but you definitely shouldn't be charging +1 magnitude to affect any animal or any old person, thats what Corpus and Animal do
Famous last words indeed Chound! 
All those bjornaer will be extremely happy to have discounted spells to cast on themselves.
Cheers,
Xavi
I don't mind a -1 magnitude for severe restrictions (what you or your troupe could consider a severe restriction is at your discretion)
Obviously a spell that target only one person with a range self is NOT a severe restriction. 
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I would consider it only useable with formulaic because you can't use non-standard duration, targets and ranges with spont.
well, that was my two pawns.
Urgh. Uh, yeah.
Well, other than themselves, then. The range "Personal" already lowers it one magnitude, so... something. Doesn't work with Range = Personal.
(ie, "Shut up and sit down!", he explained.) 
As far as Spontaneous spells, meh - if you're worried about it, you simply rule that, similarly to non-standard R/D/T, this option is not available for Spont spells. You're making the house rule, define it as you wish.
Myself, I think the idea of personalized spells for a specific important character, PC or NPC, are full of potential flavour. Certainly exists outside Hermtic magic, and it works for longevity rituals.
I like the idea of it being a non-standard target. This cuts it out of spont spells. It could be researched and brought into hermetic thoery but all you'd get from the effort is the standard target of "my uncle Walter".
However I'd want to restrict it away from the caster or their talisman or their familiar or their lab. It still looks like a rules headache to me.
Brutus' mage might not be able to do this, but target bloodline might work if you only care about the rats in your covenant. They're probably all related. Then you would only have to do it once instead of once per rat... and healing rats with a kind of magic most often associated with evil curses is funny.
Oh! That is evil! The chaos that you could introduce and cost of clean-up... Hooo!
"Healed be you and all yours unto the seventh generation! ... Wait, that didn't come out right." 
Of course, these are rats were talking about so "unto the seventh generation" would only last until next month.