I have not read the sections on Sorcery in depth yet, as I am not allowing a character to start off as a sorcerer. I have read some on a Patron and know they come with a cost that must be payed during upkeep. I get the cost in gold, but the cost in Vigor or Resolve does not make too much sense. If this is a permanent cost then that is way to steep (most characters would be reduced to 0 after a few upkeeps) and if temporary it is way to lenient (you regain those just by a brief rest). I assume I am missing something and any help understanding this or how others play it would be great.
Page 170 of the core rulebook says that Lost Vigor or Resolve are restored normally, though any wounds or trauma caused will remain. I would imagine then that the loss of vigor or resolve would affect only the current game session. So I would run it that the sorcerers stat is reduced for the entire session until the next upkeep.
Vigor and Resolve regenerate after each Scene, so it wouldn’t make much sense to let the sorcerer take Vigor or Resolve damage. However, depending on the Patron, you could say the sorcerer takes some Fatigue or Despair because they have to do some elaborate physical or mental rituals.
Actually the vigour or resolve loss from the patron cost in downtime regenerates long before the next game session as this is much longer than even the most protracted recovery period for such minor damage as per RAW.
Functionally, it is only of relevance if it produces a harm which must then be healed or counselled to recover. Nowhere do the rules state that despair or fatigue are generated by patron price. The costs are bad enough without crippling the PC sorcerer with non-regenerating damage like that.
Really the only time that patron price should I think figure in a game ‘live’ (and even it would be a little mean of the GM) would be if a carousing event precipitated an encounter ‘mid-downtime’ for the sorcerer.