And here where you not understanding how the system works shows it self, there's a big difference between those too sources of bonus dice, name the fact that first one is limited by skill*1,5 augmented maximum while latter isn't, meaning if you have skill of 6 the latter can be combined with improved ability power at level 3, while the former caps that power to level 2.
If specialization is a skill modifier and not a dicepool modifier, then you actually need a mimimum skill of 4 to actually get the full +2 benefit and i kinda think thats somethink they would mention in the rules if in fact specialization was a skill modifier like you claim.
Even ingnoring that, adding spec before split can lead to some very wierd situations:
For example my gunslinger has both pistols and automatics at rating 4 with specialisations for semi-automatics and machine pistol respectivly, so now if all he has are non smartlinked pistol and machine pistol, he can actually get 1 extra dice for shooting his machine pistol if he also shoots at something with his pistol at the same time(The pool doesn't have to be split in half, so you can use only one dice for shooting that pistol)
If specialization is a skill modifier and not a dicepool modifier, then you actually need a mimimum skill of 4 to actually get the full +2 benefit and i kinda think thats somethink they would mention in the rules if in fact specialization was a skill modifier like you claim.
Even ingnoring that, adding spec before split can lead to some very wierd situations:
For example my gunslinger has both pistols and automatics at rating 4 with specialisations for semi-automatics and machine pistol respectivly, so now if all he has are non smartlinked pistol and machine pistol, he can actually get 1 extra dice for shooting his machine pistol if he also shoots at something with his pistol at the same time(The pool doesn't have to be split in half, so you can use only one dice for shooting that pistol)
Specializations add bonus dice to the skill, but do not change the base rating. That's how they word it: "bonus dice to the skill."
Wrong again... You must split pools if you are doing two things simultaneously. Here is an example. Driving and shooting a gun at the same time. You use the LESSER of your Dice Pool, and then split from there. Some towards the Driving and some towards Shooting. Same for Athletics, when you are jumping and shooting at the same time. Split Pools. There are a lot of instances where you may be called upon to split the dice pools. You just apparently do not recognize them as such. As for the Smartlink. A Smartlink will apply to a single target shot, even if you are splitting your pools between shooting and Driving, so it is a relevant point.
I'd really like to see the rules quote on that one. I think you're either making stuff up or getting your systems crossed.
Interesting analysis, the numbers make a strong case but they're not enough on their own. Just because option A is greatly more efficient than option B where action X is concerned one can't conclude that one of the options must be erroneous. There are always better and worse ways to do things.
And whilst the ratios presented in your example are extreme, it is an extreme example (that few would survive at reasonable Force) of one sub-aspect of magic. Ultimately it makes for a small incongruence in a very few occasions of a less than usual action. Which is not enough to so conclusively deduce it mustn't be permitted.
And whilst the ratios presented in your example are extreme, it is an extreme example (that few would survive at reasonable Force) of one sub-aspect of magic. Ultimately it makes for a small incongruence in a very few occasions of a less than usual action. Which is not enough to so conclusively deduce it mustn't be permitted.
What you have to compare it against is Overcasting, which is the preferred standard for doing more damage. Do you overcast the stunbolt, or do you cast 2 of them?
Under the FAQ logic, your Magic 5, Spellcasting 5, Power Focus 4 mage gets 14 dice for one stunbolt, or (evenly) 7 dice each for two. Multicasting you get (say) 2 hits each, doing 7S twice. The average-ish resistance might be about 1, so you can expect the target to take 12S from this action, and you need to roll against 2S Drain twice. Three spells and they're only getting 4, 5, and 5 dice, meaning they're only at slight odds to get the spell off and do the minimum 6S. Singlecasting, you get (say) 4 hits, doing 9S, with that 1 resistance, bringing you to 8S. You would need to overcast at Force 9 to get your 12S damage in, bringing the drain to 3P. Win goes to multicasting.
Under TJ and Max logic, your same mage gets 14 dice for one stunbolt, and 9 each for two. Not a huge difference. But bring the spell multicasting to three spells, and things get wonky. They're still getting 7, 7, and 8 dice, and only taking 3S Drain three times. That's enough dice to reliably beat an average target all three times, bringing the expected damage up to 18S. Bring it up to 4, and they're still getting 6, 6, 7, and 7 dice, and only taking 4S drain 4 times. That's still enough to reliably get more hits than an average defender, bringing the damage total up to 24S (and killing the target from overflow).
Also, under their logic, throw in a decently-powered Spellcasting focus and reserve it for each Drain test.