When using a spell at Arcane range, do you have to be touching the Arcane Connection?
it appears, that the core book doesn't spell it out clearly.
But I always read it's various "having an Arcane Connection" as "holding an Arcane Connection". And I cannot really imagine a troupe accepting indirect ways of "having an Arcane Connection": like hidden at the bottom of a shoulder bag, stashed in the lab, carried by the shield grog / apprentice, or pawned with the Redcaps.
Cheers
We assume that you must be "in the presence" of the Arcane Connection, and possession of it must be uncontested. For example, you can cast a ritual curse on a rival sorcerer, officiating an unholy rite in front of an altar to which you have chained the target's familiar. You don't need to be constantly poking the familiar in the ribs for you to claim the bonus.
At the same time, touching might be insufficient to claim the Arcane connection. You can't grab the target by the arm, and fast-cast a spell on the target claiming the arm as an arcane connection to him.
That seems to be some quite rational interpretations of things. The matter has never been tested in my group, but I think the situations above fit the bill of what I expect.
I suddenly have a question: what about if it is in contact with the magus' talisman ?
Specifically, I can picture a sword mage, with his blade being his talisman, drawing blood from the enemy, and using him immediately to cast a powerful spell with big penetration bonus to finish him off.
It is so specific that we are probably entering the realm of house rule, but I could see a fighting magus build around this concept.
What you touch with your talisman, you touch (ArM5 p.98).
Cheers
On the other hand, unless the talisman has no enchantments, it will likely need to penetrate magic resistance to draw blood.
I have a box as a talisman. It's hidden in my sanctum and it's where I hold all of my ACs. I can Intangible Tunnel to it whenever I like, and while said IT is active, the box is me, and I am thus able to use any of the ACs.
...that made me think of attuning my lab as a talisman.
(And that made me think of using Hermetic Architecture to turn a castle into a talisman, an idea which is undoubtedly a sign that I've spent way too much time in Twilight.)
Better ask your troupe about that first.
Being able to cast R: Touch spells at something - like here at the box talisman through an Intangible Tunnel - does not imply touching it. And for the box to be part of you (by ArM5 p.98), you need to touch it.
But you certainly can magically transport the box talisman and its contents to your location, touch it there and through it the ACs in it.
Cheers
...I was writing on a Sub Rosa article on that idea, but never finished it...