In RoP:M p46 under the description of the virtue Magical Blood it states "...she receives a minor physical advantage appropriate to..." source of the Magical Blood.
In any of the books is there a character writeup with the virtue Magical Blood, that also describes the "physical advantage"?
In the RoP:M book both Atlantean children and The Stoneskinned are said to have Magical Blood, just not as a virtue.
In the description of each subtype of Magical Blood (Magic Animal, Magic Spirit, etc) there are examples of what kind of advantages you can get.
True, but the suggestions for Magic Animal subset especially seemed like it could be rather extreme.
I mean, would a character like that be recruited as an apprentice in House Bjornaer? Well, probably Yes if his HeartBeast matched the Magic Animal.
But I had been playing around with the idea of a magical equivalent of the Faerie virtue Blood of a Bee King, and could a bee be a Heartbeast? I will have to dig it up, but I am under the impression that insects like bees are considered vermin.
Heartbeast can't be smaller than a weasel (Size -7) or larger than an aurochs (Size +3); bees are smaller than weasels. And can't be a domesticated animal, which I'd argue would include honey bees.
The vermin exclusion is because they aren't "noble" beasts but since in paradigm bees have a king I think you'd have an argument that they're plenty "noble" -- if you can get out of the other exclusions.
Citation needed? (ducks)
I present a Diogenian counter argument.
Statements of Truth
Action.
Remove the wings and 2 legs from the bee.
Result.
The bee is now a quadriped.
Conclusion.
As a wingless bee and a weasel are quadripeds, as removing the wings and 2 legs is a removal of mass, a bee is clearly bigger than a weasel.
{Edited so it makes sense, after an error was observed. If you need me I'll be in my barrel flinging faeces in a fit of anger from making an error. }
Sure. Per wikipedia the mallard duck weighs 1.5-3.5 lbs. That is Size -5. You're okay to have a duck heartbeast. Glad to help.
Bees have 6 limbs, making them a winged hexaped.
So assuming you can get Magical Blood bee related, what would be the physical advantage?
An extra pair of limbs?
Compound eyes?
A posterior stinger?
Wings?
Tiger striped fur coat/exoskeleton?
Ability to create / change something into honey or wax? Or grant honey-like or wax-like properties to objects?
Including the ability to disembowel one self?
I'm thinking wings are much better.
I wouldn't get too modern in thinking here: in period there were arguments whether bees breathed or had blood (see Pliny talking about bees), much less an understanding of "exoskeletons" or that bees guts get pulled out by using their sting. Bees had been domesticated for so long that a lot was understood about them but not to the extent of modern entomology.
They were regarded as tireless workers; Magical Bee Blood would probably grant something along that theme.