So for each lvl of background the character loses 1 magic point

how is it worked out what powers each adept loses?
Does it affect sustained spells?
Does it affect any type of foci

Foci, spells, spirits, all of them get reduced by the count. Everything that has a Force rating is affected. With Adepts I think the player can choose which powers to drop.

Correct.

As I understand it mages get a 'double-whammy' on their spellcasting, because it both lowers their Magic rating, and lowers the force of spells cast. So if I've got magic soft-maxed at 5, and step into a BC of 2, my Magic is reduced to 3 (limiting my maximum overcasting to force 6) and my overcasted force 6 spell is then reduced by another 2, to force 4.

Which means that spellcasting against Cyberzombies (BC 4) is impossible without magic of at least 7.

Do I have this correct?

No, not really. A single Background count only affects you (and your spells) once.

The hit only affects once as stated above.

Now if you cast a spell outside of a background count and it crosses over into one (via being a sustained spell or just happens to overlap into a background count), then the spell's force is reduced.

Taking your Cyberzombie example...

You cast a Force 6 spell at the CZ from across the street. You are well outside his background count. The Force 6 spell is reduced to Force 2 when working against the CZ. If you were casting a Powerball and targeted a bunch of people along with the Cyberzombie, then only those targets within the BC from the CZ will resist against Force 2. Everyone else gets to suck it up at Force 6.

And background count adds to Drain, as well... (lowering the mage's magic means a higher likelyhood of overcasting, and Drain increases... so, ouch)

I believe it only adds to Drain if the casting / summoning mage is within the background count. Casting into a BC shouldn't do anything to the mage if he's not standing in it.

What is the deal with background counts anyway? I know that places that have a lot of strong emotions tied to them (usually negative) and radiation can cause it, but what is the exact nature of it? I mean, according to the SR3 book, any shadowrun firefight would automatically generate a background count of 2, which was absolutely rediculus. On the other hand Glow city has a background count of X, except for toxic shamans, who treat it like a power site . . . I am lost.

Space has a 'background count' of 10, if I recall, because there is no ambient mana to pull from, whereas Zurich Orbital has a background count of 8, because there are so many people there that they generate their own small mana field.

I know that Ares Firewatch mages have been doing astral runs against bugs in the metaplanes from some Ares space stations that have been specifically designed and stocked with plants/animals/people to provide some ambient mana field. So casting on some of the space stations is possible, but you have to be a very talented mage to do so.

Almost. It reduces your casting pool, but not your "maximum force" values. Then it reduces the actual force of the spell.

So a BC of 2 reduces your DP by 2 and the effective force by 2, but your can cast at the same levels (ie. force 5 for stun, force 10 for physical) and then adds additional drain.

The key seems to be that they are really honking powerful and skilled mages. Like magic 12 outside the background count.

Incorrect.

Spells cast outside of the Background Count, into the area of one, are reduced in Force by the Background Count absolute value.

Spells cast inside the BC, either at targets also within it, or targets without, are unaffected as they originate in the BC.

The Magic attribute of characters inside a BC is reduced by the Background Count absolute value (thus affecting their dice pool and maximum Force).

Foci, spirits, and anything else with a Force/Magic attribute are similarly affected when moving to within a BC.


Background Count ranges from -12 to -7 (void; example space), -6 to -1 (ebb; example barren desert), 0 (standard), +1 to +6 (domain; example Stonehenge), and +7 to +12 (warp; example Cermark Blast Zone).

Voids, Ebbs, & Warps cannot be aspected. Domains are always aspected. Domains can be temporarily created by strong emotions, usually hate, fear, & death associated with combat. Such domains should never go above rating 1 (maybe 2), should be used rarely in gameplay, & should never last long. Domains can be created & last for long durations (years +) by extensive, lasting powerful emotions, such as a concentration camp.

Domains created by negative emotions are almost universally aspected to twisted traditions. Domains can be aspected through metamagic, or focusing a specific type of emotion or belief for an extended period of time (Stonehenge is most likely an example of the second). If you are of a tradition associated with the aspect of a domain, it instead has the opposite effect, increasing your Magic/Force by its rating. Drain (I believe) remains the same. If you are not of a tradition associated with the aspect of a domain, it also increases the Drain of any spell you cast while in its area by its absolute value.

In the case of Adepts, unless the GM is an asshole, the player decides which powers are temporarily lost (aka suppressed). If the GM is an asshole, the GM can decide, or roll randomly. As far as I am aware, there is no specific RAW ruling for which method is used.


I think that basically covers it. For more detail, p.119, Street Magic

What happens when spirit enters aspected domain aspected towards spirits(summoners) tradition?
Like when druid summons spirit in Stonehenge. Magicians get + dp, what spirits get?

Force = BC + old Force? Or dp modifiers to everything?

Unless the spirit is a caster of the same tradition, it gets nothing. If the spirit is a caster of the same tradition, then it gets the same bonuses for casting.

They don't get any assistance in resisting being summoned from the domain aspect. Though I do believe SM has some examples of various ways one could aspect a domain such as bonuses to casting a type of spell (combat, manipulations, etc) or making it harder / easier to resist drain, certain spirit types being easier or harder to summon, etc.

The spirits do NOT directly benefit from a domain unless it's a bonus / penalty to something the spirit can do (like cast spells).

Actually, they get the BC as a positive dicepool modifier to any test that their magic rating is used on. That affects powers as well (I believe that is the intent; the wording is skill only).

Don't forget that in 7+ backround count (positive or negative), you take damage if you're Dual Natured.

The wording is "magician" so the intent is pretty open for interpretation. Close to RAW this would mean spirits do not benefit from domains, unless they use spellcasting (and are appropriate tradition).