Domains / Background counts Options

[Machiavelli]

I play mages continuously since 15 years and until yesterday i thought that i have understood most of the corresponding rules, but in our last run we stepped into an area with background count and got no consensus how the rules are acutally working correct.

My mage has magic 6 and spellcasting 5. I tried to cast a manabolt level 7 to get rid of some really nasty insect spirity. The GM told my that

1) my magic is decreased by 2 (the existing BC) which means that the dice pool is reduced by 2
2) the drain raises by 2
3) the force of the spell is also reduced to 5.

This meant that i really got fucked up and every mage that would be stupid enough to enter even the lowest BC would be really handicapped if not even useless.

Did the GM made a mistake e.g. by mixing old rule versions or was that completely correct?

[toturi]

1) and 2) are explicit in Street Magic and thus are, by the rules, correct.

3) is debatable. There has been some discussions on the matter.

[Ascalaphus]

As I read it, the following happens:

1) Magic is reduced by the BC. This also affects at what Force you can cast and overcast.
2) For purposes of Drain, use Force+BC instead of Force.

Unless the BC is aspected to your Tradition, in which case
1) You receive additional dice for all Magic and Drain tests equal to the BC.

Only positive BC is ever aspected.

(SM p. 117-119)

[Neraph]

1) and 2) are explicit in Street Magic and thus are, by the rules, correct.

3) is debatable. There has been some discussions on the matter.

I agree. On the matter of 3), the example story on page 120 Street Magic tells us how we should handle spellcasting in backround count. 1) and 2) are done, but not 3).

[D2F]

My mage has magic 6 and spellcasting 5. I tried to cast a manabolt level 7 to get rid of some really nasty insect spirity. The GM told my that

1) my magic is decreased by 2 (the existing BC) which means that the dice pool is reduced by 2
2) the drain raises by 2
3) the force of the spell is also reduced to 5.

As mentioned before, he was right on count 1 and somewhat right on count 2:

[...] This means that areas with background counts of –2 and 2 affects(sic) a character’s Magic the same; a character with Magic 4 would act with a modified Magic attribute of 2 in both areas [...] A background count-modified
Magic attribute counts for all uses of magic, including dice pools and limitations imposed on the Force of spells or spirits. [...] the absolute
value of the background count is also added to the Force whenever a character resists magical Drain.

So, technically, it would only add half the BC to the drain, as Drain is based on F/2.

When it comes to count 3, he probably just mixed a few things up. He seems to have confused cast spells, with sustained spells/wards/anchored spells/quickened spells and/or spirits.

A spirit’s Force is reduced in the same manner as a character’s Magic [...] Pre-existing wards, mana barriers, active foci, sustained spells, and quickened/anchored spells are similarly affected. Reduce their Force by the absolute value of the background count. If the Force is reduced to zero or less, wards and mana barriers will collapse, foci will deactivate, and spells will fizzle.

This meant that i really got fucked up and every mage that would be stupid enough to enter even the lowest BC would be really handicapped if not even useless.

Yup, BC is a bitch, unless aspected to your tradition. That's why fighting a toxic shaman on his home turf is literally suicide.