He'll cast it once the game begins, as long as the vis holds out. It's an area effect, so I wanted to get all the magi in the effect before I did it. He has a +9 for Ars Notoria, and a +3 that he'll have from his staff, so casting total isn't a problem. I just wanted the other players to be on-board.
Just out of curiosity, can you use Ars Notoria to figure out an auspicious time for someone else to cast a ritual spell? The description in RoP:D doesn't seem to restrict it only to formulaic spells or rituals that you cast.
Asking for a friend. 
The answer is probably no, since it refers to "your casting total" in the asterisked comment. But I thought I'd ask.
I agree with your interpretation. It's for the skill owner only.
Poeniten’s Creations
The only item that Poenitens has worked on is his talisman. It’s a cedar and hickory staff, shod with brass, with basalt, red coral, and cinnamon embedded in the wood.
He opened it with 16 pawns of vis. 12 pawns have been used:
A Bright Summer Day – This effect creates a light as bright as daylight CrIg 30 (Base 5, +1 Touch, +2 Sun, unlimited uses) [This is the source of his lab's Heating and Lighting virtues]
Warmth of A Summer Day This effect warms up the room to a warm, comfortable temperature. CrIg 25 (Base 2, +1 Touch, +2 Sun, +2 Room, unlimited uses)
Righteous Fire – As Pilum of Fire with more Penetration CrIg 53 (Base 10, +2 Voice +54 Pen, 50/day uses)
Lab Total for CrIg is 80: 30 Cr + 8 Ig + 5 Int + 8 MT + 6 Aura + 5 Talisman + 4 Shape (staff) + 4 material (Hickory) +4 Similar spell Pilum of Fire + 6 Familiar)
This takes five seasons of work. He has five casting bonuses:
+10 Against Demons
+5 Mentem
+4 Ignem
+3 Perdo
+3 Corpus
(Also note that Poenitens, with Ways of the Town, gets a +3 against people)
Poenitens has a tiny opal on a ring that is enchanted with InIm 30 Eyes of the Eagle, 24/uses a day.
He is owner of an Item of Quality, a quill that grants +7 to the holder’s Profession: Scribe skill.
Poenitens has written fourteen tractatus on various subjects. All are Quality 14.
Creo (2)
Perdo
Rego
Animal
Corpus
Herbam
Mentem (2)
Vim
Magic Theory (2)
Parma Magica
Philosophae
Added spells: Poenitens spent two seasons writing out spells for the library:
Postpone Reaper's Kiss CrCo 45
Stamina of the Heroes CrCo 60
Silent Inquisitor InMe 25
Stalwart Guards MuCo 25
Gift of Reason CrMe 40
Palm of Flame CrIg 5
<edit - added spells provided to the library>
<edit Needed to split heating and lighting into separate effects. Done, I'll adjust vis to make up for this. 23-jan-18)
Just out of curiosity, will those tractatus be available in the library? They're better than any tractatus that we'll start off with.
Of course. I probably got my magic items through trading some of them.
Peoniten's Spells:
Gift of Stamina CrCo 45 (Base 40, +1 Touch) Adds one to target’s Stamina, up to a +2.
Postpone Reaper’s Kiss CrCo 45 (Base 40, +1 Touch) Heals target from a Terminal Illness.
Stamina of the Heroes CrCo 60 (Base 55, +1 Touch, Target: Circle) All within circle get a +1 to Stamina, up to a +5.
Stalwart Guards MuCo 25 (Base 10, +1 Touch, +2 Sun). Add +2 to Soak. Also reduces fine motor coordination by -1. Reduced from Gift of the Bear’s Fortitude so that it doesn’t cause Warping.
Gift of Perception CrMe 45 (Base 40, +1 Touch) Adds one to target’s Perception, up to a +2.
Gift of Reason CrMe 40 (Base 35, +1 Touch, Target: Circle) All within the circle get a +1 to Intelligence, limited to a +1.
Silent Inquisitor InMe 25 (Base 15, +1 Eye, +1 Concentration) Like Pose the Silent Question, but allows multiple questions.
Vis used and Build Points:
Vis
8 for familiar binding.
4 for mindlinks
7 for 1st LR
9 for 2nd LR
27 casting Sta 3 times
9 casting Per once
4 upgrade familiar
6 two more familiar enchantments (transform to human, see through eyes)
16 opening talisman
6 Bright summer day (2 effects)
6 Righteous fires
5 copying book
16 casting Int gain.
Total 123 vis used
Vis 31 = 155 – 123 has 32 on hand – 3 Ignem 8 Corpus 8 Creo, 3 Me, 10 Vim.
Poenitens spends 31 BP on 155 Vis. The remainder is:
+14 BP Item of Quality tool
+35 BP 7/year vis source Mentem?
+12 Ring with opal, enchanted with Eyes of the Eagle (InIm 25, 24 uses/day)
+8 Chamberlain with +1 Presence and Profession: Chamberlain at 7
31 + 14 + 35 + 12 +8 = 100 Build Points.
Are we allowing BP to be spent to buy vis sources? That really seems like it should require the PVS virtue.
(Not that it bothers me too much. Vis does not seem to be a concern in this saga,)
Consider it a contribution to the Covenant's Vis sources.
FWIW, I doubt any of us will be hurting for vis.
nice even if they are only Ql 7 tractatus for Paulos its still better then study via vis.
This also means if I find time to write down the lab texts bevor game start they add to our library without costing BP (although non of our other mages have use for them its still nice to have them around for apprentice)
Sadly the tractatus my magus can write are not really good but I already have a teaching score of 15 when teaching my familiar 20 years past apprentice time and plan to increase this more. (needed this score in the year of binding to teach Holy Magic once)
Studying from vis will be a stress die plus the aura, which is a +6. You could expect an 11 SQ on a generic roll.
Alectyron, Peoniten's Familiar +60
Alectyron
Magic Might: 14
Characteristics: Int +1, Per +2, Pre +1, Com -2, Str -4, Sta +3, Dex +1, Qik +2
Size: -2
Virtues and Flaws: Magic Animal, Magical Friend, Essential Virtue (Magnificent appearance), Unaffected by the Gift, Lesser Immunity (to non-lethal diseases, Noncombatant, Compassionate(minor)
Magic Qualities and Inferiorities: Ritual Power (x2); Improved Abilities, Improved Might (x2), Ignem Resistance, Improved Powers, Personal Power; Minor Flaw: Restricted Power, Susceptible to Deprivation
Personality Traits: Ibis* +3, Loyal (Poenitens) +3, Magnificient Appearance (Presence) +3
Combat:
Dodge: Init +2, Attack n/a, Defense +7, Damage n/a
Soak: +3
Fatigue Levels: OK, 0, -1, -3, -5, Unconscious
Wound Penalties: -1 (1-3), -3(4-6), -5(7-9), Incapacitated (10-12), Dead (13+)
Abilities: Area Lore 3 (Thessalonki) Athletics 6 (flying), Awareness 6 (food), Brawl 5 (dodging), Carousing 3 (heavy drinking) Folk Ken 3 (townspeople), Greek 5 (merchants), Guile 3 (Excuses), Ignem Resistance 7 (solar heat), Magic Theory 7 (spells), Stealth 4 (quiet), Survival 5 (wetlands)
Familiar Bond Powers:
- Mind Link Poenitens-->Alectyron
- Mind Link Alectyron-->Poenitens
- Alectyron can change into a human, who is short and handsome.
- Poenitens can see through Alectyron's eyes.
Now that Alectyron can change into a human, he's having a marvelous time, especially with the grogs. He's discovered wine, and thinks it's one of the greatesst inventions, ever. His Stamina allows him to drink many under the table. Poenitens occasionally starts lab work at dawn, after Alectyron has been drinking. Note that Poenitens cast Gift of Reason twice on Alectyron, and raised his Intelligence to +1.
Can you really do both for just level 20? The light I can see as individual. But shouldn’t the warmth be room target? And is lighting and heating the same base 5? The description given in the core rule guidelines simply says create light, not create heat.
From page 140 of ArM5:
CrIg 2 is "heat an object to be warm to the touch"
CrIg 5 is "create light as bright as daytime"
You're correct about that one is an individual, the other is an area. My original implementation was CrIg 5, +1 Touch, +2 Sun +2 Room, but that's sixth magnitude, and will cause Warping. So I took it down, but that's not valid. Ok, I'll go back and fix it.
I understand that there are two different guidelines, one for heat and one for light. What I wasn’t certain about was whether you could combine them.
It’s kind of like saying I want to create a MuCo 20 spell that both turns me into a bird and gives be +3 soak, since turning into a bird is level 20 and getting a +3 soak is level 15.
I’m perfectly willing to be told I’m wrong. That’ll make my own lab easier to light and heat. But I tend to think you can’t combine different guidelines into one spell.
Hm, or why couldn't I have one CrCo 60 spell that raised all four physical stats at the same time? No, you're right, it was sloppy thinking and laziness on my part.
A point here- the spell does not target the occupants of the room, so what would be warped specifically? That may not be the concern you think it is. Also keep in mind that Daedalus is a Verdituous with an ignem affinity, so you are likely redoing some of the work he has (in the case of heating the room) or will (for light) do.