Not sure how this applies, this is not really a point I raised.
Subtle + Quiet x2 is excellent, if a major investment, to cast any spell while in nonhuman form (one of the Bjornaer in the Covenant, Arni, has just such a set of Virtues). However, I saw the focus on InMe, and did not see high Muto or the Shapeshifter/Skinchanger virtue, thus my suggestion on the Deft Mentem virtue.
You obviously know best the direction you Magus wishes to take!
You are right. My reasoning for Subtle + Quiet was not shapeshifting to non-human form, but rather casting without being noticed. So the question of Deft Form (Me) applicability is indeed important.
There is - as you noticed - a clear preference for Mentem. Although Imaginem - most notably Aura of * is a second preference that cannot be seen yet in the build. Probably most Imaginem spells can be cast upfront so that voice and gestures is less problematic...
First reaction to my question is, of course Deft Form allows no gestures and no voice without penalty also in human form. See [url]https://forum.atlas-games.com/t/deft-form-while-in-human-form/11920/1]
I spent a lot of time considering deft form, and in the end I found it rather expensive. It really only helps the dedicated single-form specialist. It does not help you with any of those level five spont's which random situations keep calling for, and which you want to do regardless of you specialty. It is true that subtle + 2xQuiet magic is expensive though, and I am sure there exists a strategy which calls for deft form too.
BTW. Nice backstory. Nice character.
Yeah, I also not sure what to do about it. The comments about Sta and Persona and ease factor 9 were quite valid though...
It is ... supernatural ability virtues tend only to be worth the cost if you boost the relevant characteristic 
You haven't spent all your xp, have you? There seems to be a lot left to raise persona Or did I miscount?
60xp from skilled parens are unspent. And - as usual - so many things worth raising,... Persona, Intrigue, Etiquette, Greek, Mu, Im,... 
But yeah spending all/most on Persona would be worth thinking about...
Could be a good excuse to base yourself in Meru Mudi, the 5 Aura gives a huge boost to the transformation. Would have to be really committed to that Persona, head out to the Despotate and return next season, probably no transformation mid-season. With just 2 points in Persona (10 xp) + a specialty, you'd only ever miss on a 10, which is anyway a possible botch. Still, that sort of full commitment to build an alternate identity is very Tytalus, yeah? It helps if you see the Persona as a Ritual, maybe, within your capabilities, but has to be planned for, not an everyday thing.
*edit: however, a boost to Sta 2 would be amazing for all the usual reasons
Where did you find Sta + Persona? Couldn't find it in HoH:S...
Page 89, HoH: S, Left hand uppermost insert.
Let me prevalidate another rough companion idea:
- major flaw: Lycantrope
- Virtues around Animal Ken and wilderness sense
Maybe "Feral upbringing" and a very young age
I could literally just run into the troupe. Either as a frightened child seeing other humans the first time in his life or in animal form (I'd favor bear or lynx over wolf, unless prey instead of predator would be ok as well; in that case a huge deer would be my favorite)
What do you think?
(from a scholar to a feral child! that's 180 degrees)
I'd think another Companion that can go on adventures (ie, some physical and combat skills) would be most welcome! For my part, my Companion character Maia is a Redcap guide with Animal Ken, but you could certainly make a much more focused character with different areas of expertise.
Note that if you make him too young, he might not be as effective as you might hope. Or he might be awesome in 5 skills, what do I know.
I think that Lycanthrope has to be some sort of scary and dangerous carnivore. I know a big deer can be very dangerous, but seems to me very non-lycanthropic.
How about making him a Mercenary Captain or Outlaw Leader and giving him a gang of grogs who all have the Skinchanger virtue? If you have some ability to enhance them, and they have each useful skill sets, they could be very effective. And they could be trained to cage you/take care of you on those bad nights... He'd need some Leadership.
Per the rules definitely.
Not sure this is what I am looking for. Maybe the feral upbringing was actually too much in the wrong direction as well.
My initial picture was that of a little shepherd boy, a little shy, very kind, and during full moon he turns into a beast that rips those he should protect.
I will come up with ideas and drop them here until I find something that resonates well with the rest of us. (Same would be true for the magus, if Prometheus does not resonate well, I'd rather come up with more ideas)
Next idea would be a falconer (or probably his son) from before the fall of Constantinople.
Animal Ken, (Magical) Animal Companion, maybe Skinchanger (eagle?)
Learned the profession of his father, had to leave Constantinople, lost his family (either lost contact or they are actually dead). Got into the wilderness. Maybe some birds told him about a new 'special' bird that arrived in the area (Arni) and that's how and why he gets to the covenant.
Hi eldarin ,
This sounds really awesome, certainly rife for conflict and interaction! The Bjornaer are as a House not keen on shapechangers/skinchangers, so this would be an interesting meeting. Particularly if your character is obsessed with birds (both Bjornaer have a bird Heartbeast!) A falconer is also a profitable business, right, once you start breeding the birds? Of course, the buyers would be noblemen, and this would bring attention to the Covenant, maybe. More stories! And a mountain seems incredibly appropriate for this sort of work. You could also have something in common with Alexios Chalkeus, one of the Companions, who I believe hails from Byzantium as well.
I don't understand. You should do what you feel comfortable doing, but I thought Prometheus had a great backstory and was very focused, and that you were just tweaking the last details. His expertise was entirely different from the other magi, which is always good; he has reasons to be there in Meru Mudi, excellent; and Tytalus Mentem specialists are always fun to play!
Don't get me wrong, I am very keen on playing Prometheus and there is only details left to start doing so. I just think that not only I have to be comfortable playing some character, but the troupe has to be comfortable having him as well (at least to some degree).
I will wait for more comments if the falconer is a good idea for this group.
Is falconry just 'animal handling' or should I include 'Profession: Falconry'?
Is 'Skinchanger Eagle' stretching the commonalities and conflict too far?
p.57-61 of Lords of Men have you covered. There's a Profession:Falconer, also a minor social virtue: Falconer, on page 61, and definitely includes Animal Handling as the other very important skill.
I thought so and was downloading already from warehouse23...
Falconer virtue sounds a bit problematic. As much as I like additional xp, I suppose being employed by a local noble could be problematic for joining the covenant? In addition I was seeing him more like keeping civilization at bay as far as possible since he had to flee Constantinople...
I would take it for my upbringing and xp, but that seems inappropriate as it wouldn't be my current social status.
As the senior Eagle in the covenant, I suppose a comment from me is expected 
I cannot see anything bad with the falconer idea, but I think there are a few things missing to make it good. While useful and interesting traits, neither eagle shapeshift nor falconeering in themselves answer why he would want to adventure or how he would survive it. There will be other skills which make him a character to invite for adventuring and to contribute to survival.
Considering compatibility of characters,I don't think being a skinchanger, or that skin being an eagle, is overly important. There is of course a certain tension between the bjornaer and more superficial skinchanger, but tension can be found anywhere. Much more important, I think, is the character's faith, life goals, ethics, etc.
In other words, if you want to play the falconer, go with it. It can be good, and we do not really know before we see it in play.
The muslim medic, seemed to be a very playable character. Medical skills are always useful, and he had his religious and ethical convictions which provide some interesting tensions to play on. I see absolutely no reason to scrap it, if you want to play it.
The feral upbrought shepherd boy, would make me worried though. I fear it is very hard to make a feral upbrought character who is not uni-dimensional, and which becomes monothonic and boring after a few sessions. OTOH, its being hard does not imply that you cannot do it, and I shall be happy to see my worries smothered.
What the troupe is short on, is martial abilities, I think.