Remember, you are limited by your Magic Theory Score. So, to make use of this the magus has to already have a Magic Theory Score of +80. If his Magic Theory Score is only 5, it doesn't matter how many bits of wood are on his necklace, he will only get a +5 bonus.
Heh. If his magic theory is 80+, why precisely does he NEED the bonus? 
Come on, once a munchkin, always a munchkin! TO make even better items, of course! 
Raising MT by one point effectively means raising Lab Total by 2, since the cap on Shape & Material bonus is raised as well.
Taking ultraviolet's point one step towards the specific here, you can find the the source of what realtors later warped into their own principle from Flambeau and like minded magi- "Penetration, Pentration, Penetration."
Actually, in my seeking a gross hyperbole, I loss track of the rules and plead dramatic license.
If you're fighting something where you need THAT much penetration, ever considered you're doing it wrong? But we're getting off topic.
Considering myself a bit of a specialist with Verditius, here's my little grab-bag of tricks:
Crafting items is almost always better than inventing spells. It costs vis, but your Lab Totals are so much higher it's totally worth it.
Houses of Hermes: Mystery Cults contains example Confraternities that give access to Minor Magical Focus in (crafted item), say MMF (swords). These are not unique examples of MMF subjects, so you might as well take it for whatever you think you'll be making the most of. Metalworking works very well since it can provide a base jewelry for whatever you're trying to make.
Affinity and Puissant Craft and Magic Theory are almost always worth it, especially the Magic Theory - it allows more Shape and Material bonuses to be added, so those MT ability points basically count twice.
You're saddled with casting tools so you might as well make good use of them. Having Potent Magic (HoH: MC, or tM(R) has this virtue) with the focus being, say, metalworking (as the possible subjects of Magical Focus are also the possible subjects of Potent Magic) nets you an easy +X to your Lab Totals plus allows you to pimp out your casting tools for Potency bonuses relative to the fact that a metalworked ring can have just about anything inlaid, set, or carved into it.
From Art and Academe there's the ability to research a Minor Breakthrough and include Aristotlean categories to Hermetic Theory, adding Artes Liberales to your Lab Totals. It's a nice goal to have while you're working on other things, since you can always take Cautious with Magic Theory to reduce the chance of experimental botches. 
I'd never allow metalworking as one ability. In the Middle Ages, there were different kinds of smiths (goldsmith, silversmith, blacksmith, armorer, swordsmith,...), each guarding their privileges jealously.
I also think that some of the most interesting magi ex Verditius have very specialised interests: like, for example, the shipwright from Ordo S in the Rhine Tribunal.
But then again, my goal vastly differs from yours. I'm not out to create the most powerful magi possible, but try to achieve atmospheric ones.
"Metalworking" is a placeholder - yes, I'm aware of the differences and no, it doesn't matter in the game what metal you choose. Make him a silversmith crafting silver rings, make him a goldsmith crafting gold rings, and in either case that ring is going to have a sliver of elm and a gem and a tiny shield on its surface and maybe a bell or something.
I have no idea why you would think that a powerful magus would not be atmospheric to play.
Personally, I'm going for a Verditius who's got a solid interest in mundane clockwork and such also. Duration ring on an hourly timer, anyone?
Clockwork sounds lovely: Black forest clocks with magical birds...
I feel that development is a major topos in both literature (especially fantasy) and role-playing games (think: development points).
Starting with too a powerful a character might spoil the joy that growth brings.
This exemplified by Frodo, Hans Castorp, Hamlet, Stephen Dedalus, Harry Potter, Jean Valjean and Holden Caulfield, to name just a few.
@mean_liar: I think that Jeanmichelle refers to the fact that you didn't discriminate, so your magus seems to be able to work equally easily while crafting intrinkate silver pendants and chain armor or a sword. Those were areas covered by different craft skills in the middle ages: you are either an armourer, a weaponsmith, a blacksmith, a goldsmith a silversmith.... so allowing "metalworking" as a skill would be over the top here
If you did not mean that, and were only refering to the fact that any metalworking skill (but only selecting one) is really useful for a verditius (I agree, BTW) then the criticism is lessened quite a bit, I think
@JeanMichelle: did I get it right?
For me generic "metalworking" would not pass the troupe's filter. It would be like saying Single Weapon specialty: Combat.
Going slightly OT here, I think that Frodo does not evolve. He only gets "corroded". The one that evolves is the true hero of the story: Sam.
Cheers,
Xavi
Hi all,
So far we've only had 2 sessions. The only item I made was a healing blanket, but I've replicated it a few times. Once for the covenant for my season of service, then another pair (yay lab texts!) for a covenant sponsored trade, then a third time for vis (yay pricing system!)
A question. I know that the Confraternity of Balentto gives a Minor Magical Focus in swords, and others have mentioned a mystery possibly granting a Minor Magical Focus in jewelery or gems. (For the record, I have 4 ranks in weaving and jeweler, puissant for both. I wish I hadn't taken weaver, but what can ya do). A question about a focus in craft items: Does it apply when you're instilling effects into an item that matches the focus? Or only when the spell/effect concretely involves said item? Much as my latent twinkishness opts for option 1, I imagine option 2 is the answer.
For example, say I have a Minor Magical Focus in gems. I decide to open a gem up as an invested device. I instill three effects into it: A fireball launcher (CrIg), a weather controller (ReAu), and an effect that destroy's people's rings and necklaces (PeTe). Would my magical focus apply to all three effects (since they were enchanted into a gem) or only the third (since it's the only effect that targets jewelry)? Forgive the contrived example.
Unrelated note, I think I may have to (dangit!) rule that Lab Safety can only reduce you to one botch die.
I'm looking forward to when my Beta-ST runs the Verditius contest.
I'm definitely planning on taking a few seasons to upgrade my lab. It may just be me, but I would never live in the sample labs that the book lists. Warping, penalty to health, penalty to safety? Heck no! (Granted, my eventual lab will take almost 3 years to get up and running, but even so...).
It applies when you're instilling effects into an item that matches the focus. If you have a focus in swords, then effects you enchant into swords benefit from that focus.
This is discussed, especially as it allows a veriditus to have essentially a Magical Focus in Everything to long as he's enchanting, say, Metal items (For a minor Magical focus in Metal) or Swords (MMF in Swords), even miniature ones.
Avenger, 2 threads on this might interest you, as they present a wide range of PoV and options:
viewtopic.php?f=4&t=2668&start=0&hilit=focus+items
viewtopic.php?f=4&t=2673&start=0
Agreed and well worth it.
Why?
Simple way to make weaver VERY useful:
Use the skill together with a MuTe spell to make metal softer and then weave the jewelry together.
This is taken from reality even, only difference is that in reality the jeweler could only use the very softest of metals(like gold thread) for it. It could potentially allow making some really pretty jewelry and would also allow using multiple metals together(more S&M bonuses for one).
Easily found examples online(which is still far below what could be done with the help of a pinch of magic):
static.jewelry-weblog.com/jewelr ... ucci-3.jpg
z.about.com/d/jewelry/1/5/M/8/wo ... choker.jpg
static.jewelry-weblog.com/jewelr ... ucci-4.jpg
slimages.macys.com/is/image/MCY/ ... 0&fmt=jpeg
sfitzgeraldfineart.com/jewel ... als_fs.jpg
g-ec2.images-amazon.com/images/I ... uides_.jpg
There is no such thing as a "useless" skill (well, almost), some are merely useful more often than others. My first maga was a faerie blooded lass from Hibernia, and according to my conception of her she came from a pretty "backwoodsy" covenant (her mistress was a renegade Diedne, it turns out, but that's another story). I wanted to give her a mundane "character" skill that would offset some of her faerie weirdness, so I chose Sewing. At the time I accepted that it was probably a wasted xp (again, it was really for "character") but lo and behold during play she was gifted with a faerie dress and was obliged to return the favor with a similar item. So she created a ritual spell that transformed moonlight into "moon cloth" and sewed a dress for the Faerie Queen with it. (It was the first, and last, time I've ever made a sewing roll in an RPG. That's how cool ArM is, folks!) The Queen was delighted, and her acceptance of my character had a real meaningful impact on our covenant. I imagine your weaving skill would've been able to manufacture the moon-cloth even better than her spell.
And considering the Fixer's suggestions as well, don't feel bad about that weaving skill, you never know when it will not only come in handy but maybe be the difference between success and failure.
Also, if your SG is anything like me and mine, she may have scrutinized everybody's character sheets and noted those odd little skills and details and maybe has a secret plan for them. Just sayin'.
Yes, I mean that any Verditius magi that can be molded by their master towards a certain Craft would naturally favor the making of small trinkets. Honestly, if you've got Craft (shipwright) you're really cool... but tied to making ships, meaning your creations aren't really all that universally useful. Someone with Craft (silversmith) can really make just about anything they need for Shapes for any real reason while maintaining portability and subtlety, and on top of that can just as easily put a small metal trinket into a ship to enchant it with the only real cost being the Range: Touch you'd have to incorporate into the effects.
Indeed. My ability for my character with weaponsmith: Siege weapons (SG decision, was the closest to being a siege engineer for a while. Character background stuff) is not useful to me in terms of creating items, generally, but is very handy in 'understanding complex mechanisms'. Then again, I've got "Engineering: Mechanisms" also, for clockwork etc.
Though with my SG's saga, I may end up using my siege weapon making ability, on a much smaller scale 