Ranulf from MoH now 150 years post apprentice!!!!

[Erik_Tyrrell]

Artisano is fond the spell Pilum of fire (or if he isn't already that's going to be the next personality trait from the familiar bond) so Ranulf and Artisano are going to enchant the ability to produce something very much like it into his familiar bond.

Here's a recent thread about this sort of enchantment.

The two of them can instill a level 45 effect into the bond in a single season, this would let Artisano throw Pilums of fire for no might cost and they'd have two mastery points left over (perhaps for multi casting and fast casting). That would be great, but they decide that if this is worth doing at this point in their lives, it's worth doing in a more impressive fashion.

They spend a single season researching this spell for the similar spells bonus. Just working on the enchantment for three seasons gives almost the same final level as spending one season researching the spell then two on the enchantment benefitting from the similar spell bonus so why not have the spell too?

Breath of the Fire Drake
Mu(Cr)An(Ig) 40
R: Touch, D: Sun T: Ind.
The targeted creature gains the ability to create a magical effect similar to the spell Pilum of Fire. This can be done at will by the creature but costs it three might points (or fatigue levels if the targeted creature does not possess might). The created bolts of fire have a penetration score of 0, but gain the benefit of any penetration skill that the targeted creature possesses. The effect has an initiative score equal to the targeted creatures quickness -8. Not all creatures have the ability to create sounds as loud as humans can, for some creatures the created bolts will have a very short range.
(base 25, +1 Touch, +2 Sun - effect design: lesser magical quality, spell level 20 rather than 25 giving a single mastery point- spent on lowering might/fatigue cost)

Then two seasons instilling the following effect in the familiar bond

Gift of Dragon's Breath
Mu(Cr)An(Ig) 66 two uses per day
R: Touch, D: Sun, T: Ind.
When this effect is activated Artisano gain the ability to shoot bolts of fire at targets that he can see. This creates a bolt of flame in most ways similar to the bolt produced by the spell Pilum of Fire but differing in that the bolt does +30 damage rather than +15 and that the magic is effective at a range of sight rather than a range of voice. This ability takes no might or fatigue to use, it can be used as a quick response similar to a fast cast spell With a quickness of 9 + Artisano's finesse score, (17 when Ranulf is 150 years out of apprenticeship), Artisano can multi cast up to 4 of the bolts simultaneously, and he can choose to create less powerful bolts which +20 damage rather than +30 damage. Created fire bolts have a penetration of 8 + Artisano's penetration score (15 total when Ranulf is 150 years out of apprenticeship), they have an initiative of +9.
(base 40 +1 touch, +2 sun, +2 magnitudes improved powers, +1 level 2 uses per day - effect design greater power of level 40 leaving 2 additional mastery points for a total of 12, 4 are spent to lower might cost, eight are spent on spell mastery style abilities, multi casting, penetration, fast casting, the ability to produce a bolt that does less damage, and 4 on improving the speed of the effect)

Artisano develops an irrationally great fondness for Pilum of Fire style effects, Ranulf's love of flying increases.
The description of a greater power says

@Realms of Power: Magic

...each point can increase Initiative by 1, reduce the Might cost of a power by 1, or give the character 5 experience points in Concentration, Finesse, or Penetration. Also, a mastery point can increase the maximum level of a Focus Power by 5, so that it exceeds the character’s Might. Personal, Lesser or Greater Powers can have a Might Point cost of 0; Ritual Powers have a minimum cost of (the effect’s magnitude / 2, rounded up), and you cannot modify the cost of Focus Powers at all. At the storyguide’s discretion, this Quality can also be used to modify a power in the same way magi can master a Hermetic spell. Each time this Quality is taken, the character’s mastery score with the power is increased by 1, and this gives the character a spell mastery special ability

After reducing the power's cost to 0, I had eight points left.
*Multi casting and fast casting were used mostly as is but I restricted multi casting to 4 bolts rather than 9 which just felt excessive.
*I used something akin to penetration mastery to improve the effect's penetration by 8. This was much better than just adding 5 xp to Artisano's penetration score (which didn't make any sense from a setting perspective).
*While mastery points can be used to increase initiative I used four of them in a manner akin to quick casting mastery to add to both initiative and to fast cast speed.
*I used one to allow the production of bolts of flame that aren't as likely to flat out kill a target (and that can themselves serve as a target for Ranulf's Talisman enchantments of Pila of Unmatched Heat and Pila of Jagged Bone, although Artisano at present is not large enough to hold the staff in the proper way to trigger these.

So there's some things that might benefit from scrutiny in this effect.