Agree to both.
No, you cannot take a lesser enchanted device and make it your talisman. The only magical devices that can be attuned as a talisman are those you have personally prepared for enchantment yourself.
Lesser devices, before they're enchanted, are not prepared for enchantment - there's no need to do so, and that's why they're good: saves on time and vis if you can handle the enchantment you need in a single season.
So by definition, talismans (which need to be prepared for enchantment by you) must be invested items; because opening an item for enchantment is what makes it an invested item in the first place.
Okay, one more time 
. Iâm trying to get this nailed down, as I canât figure out the rest of Solomonâs downtime until I figure this out and determine whether I will need to invent this spell again. So first, here is the spell Solomon was attempting to invent:
Not having heard any dissenting opinions, and getting positive feedback from Fixer, Iâm going to assume it is a good/proper spell design, and if invented normally would do what it is designed to do.
However, I decided to try out the experimentation rules, and things didnât work out as planned. As mentioned before, here are the results I got for two seasons of experimentation.
What I need help from the troupe figuring out is what those two middle results (The actual effect of your experiment is modified x2) entail. The only guidance from the rules is an example of the spell Curse of Circe with this effect that changes the target into a goat, vice a cow. So it still has the effect of transforming the target, just in a different way.
Note, this is different than completely changing the spellâs purpose while keeping within the TeFo. Thatâs a completely different result on the table. There have been a couple of folks who presented recommendations:
As much as I hate to admit it (because it will mean a few more seasons of work), I tend to agree with the direction Fixer (and Ironboundtome with (f)) are going.
So the first thing is to identify what the spell is meant to do; in this case Detect/Locate persons with the Gift. If we keep the Detect/Locate portion of the spell (which I think fits with the book example) then what it is locating needs to be changed, yet still somewhat close to the original. So I think one way to go is:
Another way to go, based on Fixerâs idea is:
One problem with this route is that using scrying magic on the Infernal is at best an iffy proposition. Now, if the Increased Potency effect could be used to violate that lesser limit, Iâd be all for this 
This version also takes the spell farther away from its original purpose than the previous example.
Does anyone else have any other ideas, or comments on these?
Someone had once suggested having the spell detect items. That would be very useful to use as a semi-regular security sweep of the covenant.
But that is a major change.
hmmmm....
Unfortunately, I'm pretty much out of discretionary time during the leap, especially if I need to squeeze two seasons to swap Masteries with Roberto. I don't think I can drop anything without failing my promise to Arachne to do some research or crafting for the covenant, failing to perform my duties to the covenant and House, or failing to be ready to train my apprentice. Already I've ditched my plans to enchant a talisman.
If you can wait on it until 1242, then I may be able to squeeze things in. But I'm guessing you don't want to wait that long.
That's my problem with Lucas. He's always willing to help people out. It's made a shambles of my personal advancement strategy.
Actually, I was thinking about stuff she could do for Arachné (The Spider and the Serpent...kinda has a nice ring to it, n'est-ce pas?), and this was a "Wouldn't it be cool...?" thing. It can wait until 1242, which frees up a couple of seasons to work on recruiting her Snake Army.
Does Summer of 1241 work for him? Putting the finishing touches on her Final and Official Advancement on the planner, and that (or Spring) look like the [strike]best[/strike] only options I see.
Summer 1241 sounds fine.
We ought to figure out what he's being paid for this and the other season. We tend to play fast and loose with silver. But that's probably what he'd be paid in.
How does ÂŁ1-2/3 per season sound?
Marko/Fixer,
I don't suppose Vocis would "lend" Mica to Solomon for a couple of seasons to help him in invent Gifted Among the Masses? He's just a few points in his lab total from getting it done in two seasons by himself, so some help should get him to two seasons.
His lab total at spell invention is: 78+13 (for a level 65 similar spell) = 91. The Spell level is 65, so he needs a total of 98 to pull it off in two seasons (so just 7 more points).
I'd be willing to accept help from anyone else, but I figured Mica is the one with least to lose by spending a couple of seasons in the lab.
No issue with that. But I ask what about Kesara? Solomon is her Mentor after all. And as she is unstatted and has no "plans", it won't disrupt anything.
Int of +2 at leats, MT 4+ seems reasonable. Will that work?
Would Bashir also be willing to teach Phelippe, somewhere from Summer '36 to Winter '37?
How about Winter 1237? What does he want to learn?
Although don't grogs just get 20xp/year abstracted?
A "local" language, I forget if that's Spanish or Occitan. Or Latin, although that probably less urgent, since he can converse with Antoine in French.
As for grog advancement, I confess I'm not sure. I don't know whether the "20xp/year abstracted" was a hard rule for all time, or what would be considered to happen any season they didn't have anything explicit planned.
Damn! I always seem to forget about her. I need to get her more involved.
Yes, Solomon would love to have her help, so he will ask her. As a full-fledged maga, she can of course refuse and Solomon won't be upset. Personally, I would argue that her help would constitute service to the covenant, since this spell will theoretically support all of the maga at the covenant. However, he needs her total to be at least a 7, so Int +3 and MT +4, or Int +2 and MT +5, or something like Inventive Genius.
Do you use a lab routine already?
Early Riser adds a +1, the only downside is if you are interrupted at night during a season is you are cranky and have a long term fatigue level until you rest.
Her specialization is Intellego, so that would nudge it into place 
Good for me.
This is a more useful effect that the one I proposed, so I'd go for it, unless you prefer the Infernal powers detection spell: While you don't have what your wanted, your seasons are less wasted IMO.
In fact, long term, this could be more useful to the covenant than the gift-detecting effect.
You're not violating any limit.
Demons are immune to Intellego effects. Maleficia aren't 
Unless Marko has a different idea, I was considering having the following enchanted effect come from the serpent head charm from the caves of entropy, and wanted to run this past everyone:
Conception of the immaculate beast Cr(re)An:
the item must touch first a male of the species, then a female , which will transfer the male's seed to the female and ensure that conception occurs. This effect only works for mammals (giving live birth) and avoids the requirement of vis by using the natural ability of an animal to procreate. Alone it neither accelerates the pregnancy not grants any virtues beyond what are achieved by breeding.
base 15 (create a mammal) +1 mag (Re requisite avoids need for vis) target part+1, range:touch +1, level:30
item: 1 use per day, no special triggers or attributes
any thoughts?
If you want to be really technical you should probably make it touch both animals at the same time. I would also say that this is clearly non-Hermetic.