Casting into Background Count Options

[Prime Mover]

Under Cyberzombie entry it says the personal "domain" of the CZ affects spells cast on,at and by the CZ.

Not really seeing rules for casting into Background count, just in it. So if caster is 10 meters beyond the effect of Background count and casts a force 6 spell. When it enters the Background Count of 4 does the force of the spell drop to 2 with cap of two success's?

[Buster]

In SR4, spells don't "travel": spells are targeted from outside an area, but the spell "erupts" in the target location. Therefore, even if cast from outside a background count area (or from a million miles away via ritual), the spell's effective force will be reduced by the target location's background count.

[Prime Mover]

[Buster]

The background count never affects drain (whether you're inside or outside the background count area), it only affects the effective force of the spell.

Hope this helps!

[Moon-Hawk]

[Prime Mover]

[Dashifen]

[Prime Mover]

[Dashifen]

Quickly looking at Aug., I can't find the information about casting at a CZ that you reference in the original post. Can you post a page number?

[Prime Mover]

Pg. 157 Second paragraph under Astral Hazing. "This astral haze affects all attempts to cast magic on,at,or in the vicinity of the cyberzombie."

So my question is simply doest this mean if cast "at" do you apply the affects of the domain as if the caster were in it? Didnt seem like if cast from outside range of domain that the force cap and drain would be effected? But maybe Im mising somthing.

[Dashifen]

I would rule that the force of the spell is effected, but the casting of the spell is not (as the mage is not in the background count ... unless, of course, the mage is in the background count, but then she's got bigger problems as she might be within arm's reach of a cyberzombie :eek:).

In other words, you cast a force 8 stunbolt at a CZ and you cast and resist as appropriate to the background count in which you're currently residing. Then, when the spell actually hits the CZ, the force is reduced by 4 like the paragraph I quoted from Street Magic above indicated you do with foci, etc. Thus, the CZ would get hit with a force 4 stunbolt.

[Prime Mover]

I agree.

[Moon-Hawk]

Background count is incredibly mean.
Casting a spell within a background count:
1) The caster's magic rating is reduced by the rating of the BC, and thus their max force for spells goes down.
2) Then when they do cast a spell as force X, they resist the drain as though it were force X+BC.
3) Finally, the spell functions, but spells have their force reduced by the rating of the background count so it only functions as force X-BC.
That's just too mean, I must be reading something wrong.

[Apathy]

Let me re-state, and please tell me if I've got it right.
Scenario: I'm a mage with Magic 8 casting Manabolt at max possible force (usually force 16).

If I'm inside a CZ's domain casting at the CZ:

• My magic is temporarily reduced by 4 (to 4).
• Therefore my max force spell is force 8, and anything above force 4 is physical drain.
• My drain from casting the force 8 Manabolt is calculated as though it were a force 12 manabolt.
• Upon hitting the CZ, the force 8 Manabolt actually has the effect of a force 4 Manabolt.

If I'm outside the CZ's domain perimeter, casting into it at the CZ:

• My magic is not reduced.
• Therefore my max force spell is force 16, and anything above force 8 is physical drain.
• My drain from casting the force 16 Manabolt is not effected.
• Upon hitting the CZ, the force 16 Manabolt actually has the effect of a force 12 Manabolt.

If I'm standing beside my friend the CZ, casting at a target outside the range of his domain:

• My magic is temporarily reduced by 4 (to 4).
• Therefore my max force spell is force 8, and anything above force 4 is physical drain.
• My drain from casting the force 8 Manabolt is calculated as though it were a force 12 manabolt.
• Upon hitting the targe, the force 8 Manabolt has the normal effect of a force 8 manabolt.

Right?

[Moon-Hawk]

[Ol' Scratch]

No. Spells (excluding Indirect Combat spells) don't travel to a target.

If you're outside the domain and casting a spell on the cyberzombie, you're affected by his domain just as if you were standing inside. At least as far as the effective Force is concerned (both for the end effect and drain), as you're attempting to manipulate the mana inside a contaminated area.

[Fortune]

[Ol' Scratch]

Nope, it's affected in exactly the same way since you're attempting to use magic in a contaminated area. You're just also attempting to manipulate mana outside the area as well.

If there were two cyberzombies with different types of domains (just to skip that whole argument) and you were standing next to one and trying to cast a spell on the other, you'd be hit with a double whammy.

[Fortune]

So basically what you are saying is that BC will affect Magic if either the caster or the target are inside that Background Count. Right?

[Buster]

[Ol' Scratch]

Yup. But only as far as aspects like that go. If you're outside of a background count and, say, use Astral Perception you're just fine and dandy. If you summon a spirit and then send him into the background count, your drain is unaffected (though the spirit's abilities will be diminished). etc.

[Ol' Scratch]

[Buster]

So you're saying that if I'm standing in a rating 4 background count and casting into a different rating 3 background count, I'll have my force reduced by 7 and my drain code raised by 7?

[mfb]

that seems... really weird. only one of the bg counts affects you of they're physically overlapping, but they both affect you if they don't overlap? i think it makes more sense to treat them as overlapping any time you're dealing with multiple background counts.

[Apathy]