[Skelefish]

Greetings Chummers, wanted a few suggestions on my creation as I am a first timer, fresh off the transport and your ruleset is a bit bloated from what I am used to (DnD 4E & 5E).  ind4 D&D hate, yeah yeah I know...

Concept: Magical, but not combat mage, focuses on Gunplay or Staff Melee, out-of-combat/supplemental magical abilities.  Slumming-Midlevel courier.
Role: Leaning towards a Mystic Adept
Campaign: GM banned all technomages from PCs atm, it's entire 6-man table (inc GM)'s first venture into the 6th world so he gave us a few directions and sent us all off to create.
Misc:
Melee will be reluctant but efficient scrapper, GM already approved a extendable staff.
Want to have Heal, 1 indirect AOE spell, then up for suggestions spell wise

Priority currently looking:   A Magic, B Attributes, C Skill, D Meta (Elf), E Resources

[Hobbes]

Mechanically a melee elf spellcaster summoner Mystic Adept is pretty rough to pull off. 

Elf Mystic Adept that is a traditional Mage?  Ez-Pezey.  Elf Physical Adept?  Easier to put together than most Ikea furniture. 

Elf MySad that hits people with sticks is going to be rough.  You'll want around 5 or 6 Agility, and some way of boosting it.  Either a Sustained Spell or an Adept Power, flip a coin.  If you go with a Stun Baton you'll be able to keep Str low. 

Skills, Spellcasting, Summoning, Clubs (Stun Baton), Counter Spell all maxed.  You'll want to try and scrounge up a couple skill points (probably from Karma) to pick up Assensing, Perception, and Sneaking at whatever you can.  Pick up some spells to help with the sneaking like Improved Invisibility, Levitate, or Shapechange.   

[Skelefish]

Would a regular adept with a few magic spells be easier?  Again the staff is mostly flavor, but I want to be functional.  I'm more of a support in mind than leading the fray.  Magic in combat as a last resort/panic mode.

[Jack_Spade]

Well, you can create a capable Elf  MysAdept with Sum2ten (Run Faster rule book)
Attributes A
Race C
Magic C
Skills C
Money E

That gives you 5 spells known
Heal
Ball Lightning (Best rider effect of the elements) (Fetish for 2 less Drain - Street Grimoire)
Increase Reflexes
Increase Agility
Levitate

Invest 30 Karma into Power Points
1 Astral Perception
0,5 Combat Reflexes
0,5 Focused Concern (Shadow Spells - helps you to maintain spells without losing dice)
Leaving 4 points for cool stuff

If you want to wield a staff you'll want clubs + spec (stun staff) (Run & Gun)

Invest in Perception
Get a few points in Assensing

Max Summoning and Spell Casting (Specs: Spirit of Man, Combat)

[Rosa]

In regards to spells, there are literally tonnes of out-of-combat utility spells, so it depends very much what role you see yourself fulfilling. You mention that you want be a support kind of mage, but what kind of support?

I'll mention a few examples.
Detection spells : clairvoyance, detect life, detect enemies, mind probe, mindnet. ....etc.
Health spells : heal, increase reflexes,  increase attribute  ( body or agility  probably )......etc.
Illusion spells: improved invisibility,  physical mask, chaff/ decoy, chaos, Trid phantasm, .....etc.
Manipulation spells : armor,  levitate,  Influence,  control thoughts,  fix,  [element] wall,  mana/physical barrier. ....etc.

In any case it's a good idea to actually decide before you start picking spells what you actually want to acomplish with your magic.

Also,  getting a mentor spirit that provides bonus to whatever type of magic you end up focusing on might be a good idea.

[Skelefish]

Any step-by-step guide or builder you guys recommend?  Have Chummer but having a lot of difficulties getting it to work.  As first timer I'm not willing to drop $35 for hero's lab yet.  I'm really struggling with this system as in depth everything falls.  Amped to play in this cyber-setting, but can't make heads/tails of all the points and where they should go.

[The Bald Man]

As a caster you can bypass the need for a melee weapon (and the skills to use it) by picking up a touch combat spell (one of the indirect so you can overcast it for extra damage). 

I had trouble getting chummer to work also.  Someone recently posted an exel based character generator/sheet - you could try that.  I snagged a copy and it worked. 
http://forums.shadowruntabletop.com/index.php?topic=24040.0