I searched and failed. Please help.

They're mentioned some in Feral Cities. There's a bit of info on them on page 74.

That's it? That sucks.

I think there is something in Runners Companion on them.

Pages 60, 62 and 79 all have tiny bits of text on them

Runners Companion p 60, p 79
Running Wild p. 62

So rules wise, they're Ghouls with +1 reach and not being standing doesn't effect their mobility. Does that also mean that a knockdown attack doesn't really have an effect?

On a related note, wouldn't a high background count bother ghouls?

I'd say that a knockdown attack would still have an effect.

They're still being forced to the ground, and they still suffer modifiers for being prone, it's just that once they're prone, they can still walk and run as normal without having to take an action to stand back up first, which can be useful.

~Umi

Depends why the BGC is there. One born of violent death might, well, "smell like mom's cooking" or some such.

The effects of BGC on critters can be found in Running Wild pg 205.

BGC has an effect on Astral visibility too (since Ghouls are dual-natured). Ghouls don't have that many Paranormal Critter powers, so there won't be a huge impact. Nosferatu and other Infected will be more heavily impacted.

Doesn't going blind count as a huge impact?

They're already blind, being more blind sucks yes, but they are losing one power rather than three or four. Besides, Ghouls can get cybereyes which counters the natural blindness.

and also kills their astral perception unless they raise magic

So, a gang of feral Sasobonsam in an area with a rating 5 background count would be entirely blind, wouldn't they?
I'm doing the Dawn of the Artifacts series, and my guys are in Lagos, about to go hunting for an artifact. The adventure suggests a gang of Sasobonsam led by a toxic shaman in a rating 5 domain aspected to corruption (I think). But if the ghouls are going to be actually blind because of the background count, I think I'll change to some other creature. Or just the shamans spirits.

.... they would indeed be blind unless the Background Count was aspected FAVORABLY TO THEM.

Blind but not helpless, Ghouls can hunt by scent alone and their eyes still functions... A little (-6 to visual perception)

I know the section you are talking about Bearclaw and we just ran it as if the BGC was aspected to the ghouls as PAX suggests. Makes little difference to the ghouls powers to do so and there is no reason that little part of hell shouldn't be aspected to ghouls.

Good idea. I think. Honestly, the party is 2 mages, a TM and a phys-ad sneaky ninja sniper type. They're going to be mostly helpless, so I'll need to watch the power levels of the bad guys. I'm going to set it up as more of a running fight, with lots of avenues of escape. Cause they just don't have the firepower with the BGC of 5.

I guess neither of your mages have Cleansing then? Cuz a good roll on that will take out most of the BGC and allow the magic types to actually do something. I hated that place when I went through there. My mystic adept got nailed with fear from one of the Toxic's spirits and spent the whole fight running while a couple of those ghouls chased him. Damn annoying cuz once it wore off I still couldn't do much magically due to the BGC.