How would you interpret “incapacitate” for a spell?

Question

I want to take a Cat as Mentor Spirit, and the disadvantage is unclear for me:

Cat magicians toy with their prey. Unless you succeed in a Charisma + Willpower (3) Test at the start of combat, you cannot make an attack that incapacitates your target. If you take any Physical damage, all this playing around stops.

Does this limitation mean I can not use combat spells at all, or I can not use high Force?
How could I know what incapacitates a Troll?
Or does this mean leaving the target alive to be able to play with it later?

Answer 1

According to Merriam-Webster:

in·ca·pac·i·tate transitive verb \ˌin-kə-ˈpa-sə-ˌtāt\

: to make (someone or something) unable to work, move, or function in the usual way

I would interpret this (in the spirit of "toy with their prey") that you do not want to make an attack that you expect to kill, paralyze or knock out the target. So, no sleep spells, nothing that's typically a one-hit kill, etc. And don't try to find loopholes, that would just be bad roleplaying. Your character does that because it's fun and they can't resist doing it.

But note the last sentence:

If you take any Physical damage, all this playing around stops.

So the restriction really only applies to surprise attacks and uneven fights.