Can't give you the page right now (but it's in the chargen section). The cost for pre-summoned Spirits at chargen is 1 Spell Point per point of Force plus two Spell Points per service owed. Each of your Force 4 Elementals with 4 services would cost 12 Spell Points.

Well: Your character doesn't need strength. Unless you want to hit something or carry something heavy yourself I'd just get a low force (force 3 or so?) elemental to do it if it really matters. Also: the rounding down is done to the magic rating, not the 1/2ed bio index (by the example on their site)

You don't need the muscle aug anyway, a good body and quickness are the only musts. It might be a good idea to consider the dermal sheath-1 cyberware that adds two body and 1 impact armor for 24k (and .7 essence) from P28, M&M.

I'd suggest buying an alphaware dermal sheath and a rating two muscle toner whilst keeping your willpower at 6. Willpower isn't as important for non-spellcasters but it's still the linked attribute for the conjuring skill. You may want to consider taking some minor flaws so you could buy edges like bonus attribute point or something.

If you are going to reduce your magic rating with cyber/bioware then it becomes even more important to buy a power focus of some form to make-up for the loss. You could also geas the loss but then you'd be wanting to spend one of your initiations removing the geas, which I suppose is OK as a level 1 initiate can't do all that much (perhaps summon a force 4-5 great form spirit at a stretch).

Why should it be in the Spirit section of anywhere when it specifically deals with character generation? The rules for starting Availability are not in the Gear section, even though they apply to gear, and the rule for the starting number of Spell Points for magicians is not in the Magic section. All of these are in the section on Character Generation because that is where they belong.

Magic has a starting value equal to the character's Essence minus (Bio Index ÷ 2), rounded down. So a starting magician with Essence 5.8 and a Bio Index of 1 begins with a Magic rating of 5 (5.8 - 0.5 = 5.3, rounded down to 5). Direct copy from the sr site.

Essance 5.8
bio index 1
now as we see in the example 5.8 -0.5 not -1 = 5.3 round down. so if you say that the character has a full essance of 6 then - the 0.5 this character is at 5.5 round down you get 5.

as to cyber old school thinking cyber & magic bad bio better but still have issues with it.

next up will. you have a point so move a point from intell. to will. killed the mus. aug. 4 down to 2 added a cerebral 2.

as to any optional rules in the companion not allowed so no edges/flaws

lastly why do you think it is bad to start with less than a 6 magic in my oppion it is called role-playing rationalized as because he is a groggie he just never felt fully impowered but he's working on it be building up to initiation. Or before he was awakened he got the bio then has regreted it sence because it has limited his abilitys.

While you speak truth there are mutipule references to see p.xx in those sections and that is what i'm saying should be in the sections reguarding spirits.

If you re-do the example in the erratta with a essence 6 and bio index 3.2 you get:

IE: Your magic rating is reduced by 2, not 1.

By your example a character with 1.99 bio index wouldn't even lose any magic as you were rounding down with respect to magic loss (as opposed to rounding-down with respect to magic rating).

There is no real problem with starting with a lower magic rating. In-fact I take-back the comment about taking a geas being a bad idea as hermetic conjurers are never going to be bound or gagged when they conjure (IE: gesture and incantation geases are fine).

You are just completely removing the possibility of conjuring a good (force 6+) spirit. The most powerful aspect of hermetic conjurers is that they don't need to summon at the time (hence they can sleep drain off). The problem is that you can't sleep-off a physical wound like you would get from a decent force spirit.

It would also make logical sense for your character to buy a power focus to offset the loss he had previously incurred from taking bioware as it would allow him to summon more powerful spirits without risking a physical wound.

Ok lets try this broken down a little more the first part says this: (bio Index ÷ 2), rounded down. Thus a bio Index 3.2 ÷ 2 = 1.6 rounded down is 1. Which reads like this 6 - 1 = 5.

The second part you say a 1.99 bio means no magic loss. No it means bio Index 3.98 ÷ 2 = 1.99 rounded down is 1 thus 1 point of magic loss.

Now as to the taking of physical damage from conjuring on p.188 it states you only take physical if the spirits force is greater than my magic attribute so i can get a force 5 and only take stun. However if i were to summon a force 6 I only take M physical not a big deal a few hours and i'm good to go not a problem seeing as conjuring take several hours anyway this is something I have players do and other gms have had me do in advance of starting a game session. You know something i did between runs it's how i passed my down time.

Ok I am the GM and as I interpret the errata it clearly states you take the bio index of x and divide by 2 then you round down.

This is the sentence it has a beginning and an end hence the period which as you read it it says:

Magic has a starting value equal to the character's Essence minus (Bio Index ÷ 2), rounded down.

Now in math unless things have changed excessively you do the math inside the () first then figure out the remaining part of the problem. This means I take the bio index divide by 2 and get a number then I finish the formula which states round down.

So, there for as is stated (bio index 3.2 ÷ 2 = 1.6) rounded down = 1. It in no way shape or form tells you where to round down to I.E. round down to the nearest tenth of a point or round down to the nearest whole point so as I said unless math has changed I've done this right because my teachers taught me when they ask for something to be rounded off either up or down they want the nearest whole number.

Now if I am wrong about this I am sorry to say this is something that someone from Fanpro will have to tell me. because it's their rule and it is open to interpretation and as I said this is my interpretation on what is written.

The 'round down' clearly refers to the Magic Rating in that sentence, and not the Bio-Index.

Perhaps you should look at that as "Magic has a starting value equal to [the character's Essence minus (Bio Index ÷ 2)], rounded down." rather than "the character's Essence minus [(Bio Index ÷ 2), rounded down.]" as you seem to be doing. This would match the example given more closely, in my reading of the matter.

Um ok essance 6 - 0 = 6 then round down now do the math in ( ) 3.2 ÷ 2 = 1.6 then round down now finish the equasion 6 - 1 = 5. The rounding down happens after each step

I don't get what is so hard to see here?

That is your own quote...cool, huh? Notice how in the example, it is the sum that is rounded, after all calculations have been made. Not the bio-index, which is .5 in the given model - that is why .5 is still .5 and not 0 in the equation.

No, you haven't.

I don't know. I'm still waiting for you to tell me.

I saw it that way too when I started to read the errata.

Immediately I thought "What the fuck? 1.9 BI for free?" Luckily it was clarified by the next section which you guys have been quoting.