Let me clarify this - when choosing spells at character creation, as opposed to during play, do you add half the score of an Art you have an affinity with and the +2 bonus for Puissant Magic Theory, as I suspect to be the case, or is the entire total (Tech+Form+Int+Magic Theory+3) increased by half?

What do you think?

You wouldn't add half the score of an art that you have an affinity with. Affinities don't work like that.

Whenever you apply xp to an art or ability with which you have an affinity you multiply the xp's gained by 1.5. So if you assign 30 xp to an art that you have an affinity with that art gets 45 xp not 30. This works during character creation.

By the time you get around to selecting spells, the affect of your affinity is already taken into account by the character's higher art score. You don't calculate anything differently.

Pussiant ability, I believe, affects "all totals" involving an ability. Therefore I disagree with Mithriel, I believe that pussiant magic theory would affect the level of a spell that a character could take at character creation.

>Pussiant ability, I believe, affects "all totals" involving an ability. Therefore I disagree with Mithriel, I believe that pussiant magic theory would affect the level of a spell that a character could take at character creation.

It does indeed, sorry.

Puissant (Ability) (p. 48): Replace the first sentence of the text with: "You are particularly adept with one Ability, and add 2 to its value whenever you use it. Note that you do not, in general, use an Ability when learning it, teaching it, or writing about it."

Puissant (Art) (p. 48): Replace the first sentence of the text with: "You add 3 to the value of one Art whenever you use it."

Basically any bonuses that should apply were you to invent the spell after apprenticeship, should apply to getting spells during apprenticeship, because the formula is pretty much exactly the same if you take a look, the +3 for example represents a generic Aura bonus. So yes, if you have a Focus, major or minor, it will apply as well. The Puissant Art bonus always comes after any multiplication.

On that note, does Puissant Art come BEFORE division in spontaneous spells?

I think the bonus must be applied before the Magical focus

Puissant (Art) (p. 48): Replace the first sentence of the text with: "You add 3 to the value of one Art whenever you use it."

You add the bonus to the value of the Art, not to the total involving an Art, so, yes, it must be appled before the division in the spontaneous spell.

may the vis will be with you

"Puissant (Ability) (p. 48): Replace the first sentence of the text with: "You are particularly adept with one Ability, and add 2 to its value whenever you use it. Note that you do not, in general, use an Ability when learning it, teaching it, or writing about it.""

I'd say that the +2 for Puissant Magic Theory would still apply for learning spells. The parts in the errata about not using the ability when learning it, etc would apply if you were learning magic theory itself. If you're learning spells, though, you're not trying to learn Magic Theory, so the statements in the errata wouldn't apply. You would be using it and applying the magic theory to your arts when using it to learn spells.