Yeah, I'm definitely making your companion. 
How do we build non-Redcap companions? Is it standard 15 xp per year? 10 xp twice a year for their free seasons?
Note the 15/year is house-adjusted to 20/year. I know it doesn't answer your question, but it does alter things.
Actually, it does. I'm assuming normal companions won't earn vis wages, so all I need to do is spend xp.
As for his virtues, I have an idea for a Lesser Malediction that I want to run by the troupe. The idea is that the guy is drawn to battle. It's not that he enjoys it, he just can't seem to escape it. If he's around and a fight can break out, it probably will. He aware of his curse and he's tried to settle down, learn a trade, and put down the ax, but it never lasts long. Does this work from a mechanical and saga perspective? I'm also giving him Judged Unfairly, with everyone thinking he's a bloodthristy savage no matter what he does.
If anyone's read Joe Abercrombie's First Law series, I'm drawing on Logen Ninefingers as my inspiration. And if anyone hasn't read Joe Abercrombie's First Law series, you really should. 
It's probably viable if you change to "can" to "is reasonably likely to" or something like that. For example, if you're in the vicinity of any grog, a fight certainly can break out, but not likely with an ally. And you wouldn't want to be fighting allies regularly.
But the later seasons could be 2x exposure + 2x free, less a wasted season and other shifted seasons to accomplish something. I don't know.
Good point. I'm thinking of a couple situations here. One is a tense encounter where an undercurrent of potential violence exists. If he's around, the situation is more likely to turn to violence, even if he doesn't get directly involved. The other is more random, where he's just in the wrong place at the wrong time when two groups get to fighting. That could range from fights breaking out at the local bar to two noble's forces starting a pitched battle just as he rides into town. Both of these situations happen to him. He's cursed with bad luck that forces him into fights.
Keep it simple. I deliberatly changed the numbers for simplicity 
The base for Companions and Grogs is 20xp per year (in abstract average). The rich get 30xp/yr and the poor only 15.
Magi are different. But as an apprentice for 15 years, they recieve 300xp and 150 levels of spells. This is an average of 20xp per year, same as for a companion. Ans 10 levels of spells. Those are probably gained in bulk towards the end. Maybe.
You realize I'm going to have to call you "Bloody NIne" affectionately, right? ...You might need to lose a finger 
Your description reminds me more of the protagonist in KJ Parker's Scavenger trilogy, actually. Which, if you haven't read, you really should!
...
I promise you. I counted multiple times to make sure it did add up to 6 and not 7. Yet I am at 7. I know I was tired, but still, this is frightening. I guess I must have either forgotten some, or counted a +2 as 2 and not 3.
I was refering to this: Personal Power: Ghostly Form/Physical Form [1]
A lvl 15 effect to give you a ghostly form??? 
Or by ghostly, you mean something like blurred/invisible?
Ah, ok, we understood different things.
Works for me.
Great idea. In the end, I'll probably settle for some norwegian goodness, but for now, this'll do.
Again, you are mixing up Powers. I copied the Power straight from the Orphan Born. They have another Power: Incorporeal Form. You are reading "Ghostly Form/Physical Form" and thinking of Incorporeal Form.
Will do.
I'll check it out.
A couple of questions regarding familiars and the house rules. My understanding is that once they have been bound, they can gain exposure XP when helping with lab work, is that right? If so, do they also gain XP when our magus is gaining adventure/learning XP, and if so would they get the 10 XP or just exposure XP?
On that note, could you guys take a look at my proposed familiar and make sure she looks kosher? This is my first time writing up a magical creature. I built her starting with a magic might of 15 and Summer season for XP purposes.
Sophia - Magic Owl (will bind with InVi)
Magic Might: 20
Characteristics: Int +2, Per +3, Pre 0, Com 0, Str -6, Sta +2, Dex +1, Qui +6
Size: -4
Season: Summer
Virtues: Magic Animal (free), Improved Characteristics (minor), Keen Vision (minor)
Flaws: Magical Friend (minor), Nocturnal (minor)
Magic Qualities: Major Virtue: Greater Immunity - Arrows, Improved Might, Improved Soak, Minor Virtue: Improved Characteristics x3, Minor Virtue: Second Sight, Minor Virtue: Wilderness Sense, Unaffected by the Gift
Personality Traits:
Combat:
Claws: Initiative +5, Attack +7, Defense +13, Damage -4
Soak: +4
Fatigue Levels: OK, 0, â1, â3, â5, Unconscious
Wound Penalties: â1 (1), â3 (2), â5 (3), Incapacitated (4), Dead (5+)
Abilities:
(Area) Lore 2 (geography)
Athletics 5 (flying)
Awareness 4 (rodents)
Brawl 3 (claws)
Hunt 4 (rodents)
Second Sight 3 (ghosts)
Stealth 3 (silent flying)
Survival 4 (woods)
Wilderness Sense 3 (find prey)
Immunity to arrows doesn't seem very thematic for an owl. Maybe Lesser or Focus Powers associated with Mentem, Intuition, Piercing Gaze, Gift of Tongues, or perhaps a personal power of invisibility?
I agree with Ryu regarding the immunity and would add a 'night vision' Personal Power to his list of recommendations. You seem to be short several points in Qualities, so adding a few thematic powers shouldn't be difficult.
Nocturnal owls already see in the dark naturally, they don't need magic for that 
A diurnal owl would arguably make a better familiar, but I'm thinking medieval paradigm lets all owls see in the dark.
They gain normal xp for whatever they did, so long as their magus was involved somehow. Familiars are not magi though, so the 10xp per season does not apply to them (nor does it for grogs or companions). The xp gained is based upon the value for the adventure they accompanied their magus on, exposure for lab assistance, and Teaching/Training based upon the scores of their magus.
For pre-game development, treat familiars as companions (20xp per year).
AĂŻe.
I maybe wrong, but this may bring havoc on callen: I'm not sure, but I believe that, in the absence of a rule on this, he used 40XP per season on his familiar, so this may mean sharp cuts on it, but also on Guillaume (Or at least on some of his spells 
). Hopefully not much, since I don't think he gave it starting abilities either. Callen?
Not that treating them as companion doesn't make more sense, I agree, but this is something you should write in the HR paragraph about familiars, since, in this game or any other, this is bound to happen again.
It impacts me too, though not quite as much. I gave Celeste 3 seasons of 10 xp per year.
+1
Yes. I did (10 or 2)/season with wasted seasons. It probably came closer to 25-30/year. I can make sure the impact isn't so huge if I make a few changes, and I'd be happy to do that for consistency. We also didn't have the familiar advancement rules at the time, either. I can remake Astrid as a magical wolf. With a little Intelligence instead of starting with Cunning, she'll provide the same lab bonuses with a lower Magic Theory. Since it would be helpful to bring her in line with the new rules and won't be that hard, I figure I should do this.
Edit: Just checked quickly. If I drop Ignem to 7, that saves 10-2=8 points for one more season in the lab that I'll need for a small change. Meanwhile, the original lab total was high enough for a Might 15 wolf familiar, so there's a lot of flexibility there. Looks like the change should be pretty easy. I'll have to write things up quickly in Guillaume's development page later.