i just dont see it

[potestas]

I look and read and i just dont see it. There isn't any real advantag to using sponsered magic if you can already do normal magic. You get no boost of power in the rules you get a compel if you use it. it is still limited by your own conviction. sure you maybe able to cast a certain type of spell that wouldn normally by thaumaturgy but it is still imited your abilities  a lore of 5 doesnt give you a hell of a lot of power to instant cast a block. The block might last and you might not get a headache casting it but but doesnt offer much of an advantage. And if punched through(which is likley considering the strength of the spell) it was a waste to cast. What am i missing. I also see a lot of "self sponsered" spnsered magic which seems to me bunk and just a way to be able to cast thaumaturgy fast without being compled by someone elses agenda. What am I missing? how do i creat and effect that is anywhere near as cool as some of what dresden or the winter knights could do

[Sanctaphrax]

Sponsored Magic generally gives some form of thaumaturgy with evocation's speed and methods, plus an extra benefit like reducing the Toughness of creatures from an opposing Faerie Court. And an extra evocation element, but that's minor. Two small but meaningful bonuses and half a Refinement for 2 Refresh is usually a decent deal.

Doing stuff that's as cool as the stuff Dresden does is mostly about how you play your character and how you narrate the spells you cast.

[Haru]

I think it's mostly a color thing. Like you said, other than a few relatively minor things, sponsored magic is mostly channeling + ritual with a paint job. But it can make a big difference in how things play out and how things feel, if the magic is yours or if it's only been borrowed to you.

Having a sponsor linked to your magic will also make you very aware of how your character is linked to that sponsor. After all, you could always draw on more magic, it is just a compel away. And that's future me's problem. It can also be a justification for other powers. If you are already sponsored by a powerful being, you are kind of her emissary, so adding on a few powers after that is less of a stretch than it would be if you had channeling+ritual by yourself.

Sometimes, sponsored magic can come with other perks as well, it isn't limited to the way the ones in the book are written. Intellectus comes to mind, for example. If you take it as an upgrade to your standard wizard powers, there can be all kinds of fun stuff.
I've proposed a while ago, that temporary could just as well be a limitation on sponsored magic as a location would be. In that regard, you could spend a fate point to temporarily tap into the ambient energies of a place for all kinds of cool effects. Tap into a thunderstorm. Or the energy of a gospel choir in an old church. Or the celebrations in a football stadium. You'd have to deal with the sponsor debt a bit differently, since it isn't as though you can pay anyone back, but the sponsor debt can be internalized. You could have flashbacks to the event, causing you to fumble. Or you could have bouts of euphoria that lead you to do crazy and dangerous things. Anything like that, really.

Also, sponsor debt should not be underestimated. It can be the difference between getting that last spell in or not. Evothaum adds a bit more versatility to your spells, which can be nice, but I'm pretty sure more often than not, you can get around it by being creative with your evocations.

So there's a lot you can get out of it, I think, if you look at it as more than just a bunch of numbers.

[Mr. Death]

I think you're misunderstanding something about Evothaum. It means you cast a thaumaturgy spell just like an evocation -- i.e., you're not limited to your Lore score with power, you're limited only by the same limits as Evocation.

So someone with Lore of 5 might be able to pull off an on-the-fly summoning at 10 shifts instead.

So it's not that someone can cast a 5-shift thaumaturgy Ward on the fly -- it's that they can make their 10-shift block last a lot longer without extra shifts.

I'm also not sure where you're getting the idea that you're compelled every time you use it. That's simply not written into the powers.

[Blk4ce]

For 2 refresh you get:
-Evothaum
-an extra benefit (from Refinement to a stunt to anything)
-the ability to take sponsor debt (don't underestimate the ability of casting more spells)

[Belial666]

There isn't any real advantage to using sponsored magic if you can already do normal magic.

1) You can use Thaumaturgy at the speed of evocation. For example, an evocation block will last 1 exchange unless extended and will break if beaten by an attack. An evothaumaturgy ward will last until sunrise, could be extended to last practically forever, will not break unless specifically dispelled or repeatedly attacked, and will reflect attacks and spells that fail to penetrate it back at the caster. Other spell effects are similarly boosted.

2) You can take sponsored debt instead of using mental stress. I.e. you can power spells even if you'd otherwise run out of power with mortal magic.

3) Not being mortal magic, Sponsored magic ignores the Laws of Magic.

[Locnil]

Also worth noting that past a certain point (about 5 refresh spent on evocation Refinements), it's more optimal to just get sponsored magics for their extra benefits, instead of buying more Refinements.

I've never been too sure about how exactly evothaum's supposed to work, though. As far as I can tell it just lets you cast rituals in combat time.

[Mr. Death]

3) Not being mortal magic, Sponsored magic ignores the Laws of Magic.

I don't know about this. Kemmlerian Necromancy, for instance...

[Blk4ce]

I don't know about this. Kemmlerian Necromancy, for instance...

It isn't justified even /how/ it's a sponsored magic. Unless they indirectly tell us that Kemler succeeded in becoming a necromantic god.

[Belial666]

Kemmlerian necromancy draws power from the same dark well vampires do for their magic - it's not the same as a wizard's. But to become a Kemmlerite necromancer in the first place, you have to have mortal magic - which would mean lawbreaking if you actually used it.

[Sanctaphrax]

1) You can use Thaumaturgy at the speed of evocation. For example, an evocation block will last 1 exchange unless extended and will break if beaten by an attack. An evothaumaturgy ward will last until sunrise, could be extended to last practically forever, will not break unless specifically dispelled or repeatedly attacked, and will reflect attacks and spells that fail to penetrate it back at the caster. Other spell effects are similarly boosted.

...

3) Not being mortal magic, Sponsored magic ignores the Laws of Magic.

Eh. Debatable.

[potestas]

Eh. Debatable.

there in lies the problem everything is debatable, there is barely a baseline anywhere

[Locnil]

there in lies the problem everything is debatable, there is barely a baseline anywhere

All too true. I, at least, always found Evil Hat's policy to be a cop-out.

[Wordmaker]

In addition to the benefits explained here, there's also the potential for Sponsored Magic tripping an opponent's catch, like Seelie Magic does for the Winter Fae, and vice versa. Or using Soulfire against a Denarian.

[Sanctaphrax]

All too true. I, at least, always found Evil Hat's policy to be a cop-out.

I like Evil Hat's policy, actually. I don't want the game to be half in the books and half in online advice/errata. I just wish they'd written clearly in the first place.