[Bushw4cker]

                                       
Most Important thing your Commlink                                       
Renraku Sensei          1K   Your using your Willpower to resist Cyberattacks so that gives you 9 Dice. You don't need 5k Commlink                           
Armor Jacket         1K                              
 w/ Fire Resistance (6)         1.5K   I think Fire Resistance is better then Nonconduct..but your choice. Rating 6 Max                           
Fechetti Security 600         350¥   Better for you character then Predator, more concealable, more ammo.                           
 w/ 2 clips x 30 rounds reg         190¥                              
 a silencer or suppressor is forbidden so your screwed if your playing play by rules appearing character.                                       
use your spells if you want silence..                                       
Invisibility + Armor Jacket > Urban explorer jumpsuit.                                       
Contacts (Rating 1)         1375¥   Image enhancement adds to Limit, unless your wireless then adds dice.                            
 w/ Flare Comp                                       
 w/ Image Link                                       
 w/ Low-light vision                                       
I'm tying to visualize Mage w/ helmet and googles…                                       
Ear buds (Rating 1)         50¥                              
Subvocal Mic         50¥                              
AR Gloves         150¥                              
Survival Knife          100¥                              
Gas Mask, Survival Kit, Respirator, and Medkit..Easy to get if you really need. You would probably get penalized if you tried to carry it all                                       
and you have Heal and Oxgenate.                                       
                                       
         5765¥ for above gear.                           
                                       
10 Karma for 20K nuyen                                       
You could still Easily get Rating 4 Fake SIN.                                        
Fake SIN (Rating 4)         10k                              
Fake Licenses (Rating 4) x 3         2.4K                              
Magic Lodge (Rating 6)         3K                              
Low Lifestyle (1 Month Paid)         2K            

Only 17.4K nuyen, so you could get mid Lifestyle if you maybe got rid of License or took to rating 3.                  

[Bushw4cker]

That 4 Extra Skill points is worth 36 Karma. If your taking skill from 2 to 6. Actually 26 if you spend the 10 Karma on Resources. At least 3 gaming sessions worth. Karma being WAY more valuable to mage than any other class, I think it would be better Idea to take Astral Combat or Summoning 6 instead and only get gear you actually need. Talk to your GM though, I could be wrong, show him/her your list. They should be helpful to new player.

[Vidnaut]

Note that having a DNI (like trodes) on your PAN can substitute for image link, sound link, and the primary usefulness of AR gloves in addition to being able to manipulate AR hands-free, downgrading a lot of action requirements, and being able to do without the wireless bonuses on certain devices (namely grenades).

I'd still probably get an image/sound link, sub-vocal mic, and AR gloves in your back pocket in case the trodes get bricked or you have to go without them but the trodes are top-choice overall.  Of course, since trodes don't have a wireless option the only real way they're gonna get bricked is through direct damage (like a tag eraser).  If it's bricked through a matrix source then your comm is compromised and you have bigger problems.

[Bushw4cker]

Note that having a DNI (like trodes) on your PAN can substitute for image link, sound link, and the primary usefulness of AR gloves in addition to being able to manipulate AR hands-free, downgrading a lot of action requirements, and being able to do without the wireless bonuses on certain devices (namely grenades).

I'd still probably get an image/sound link, sub-vocal mic, and AR gloves in your back pocket in case the trodes get bricked or you have to go without them but the trodes are top-choice overall.  Of course, since trodes don't have a wireless option the only real way they're gonna get bricked is through direct damage (like a tag eraser).  If it's bricked through a matrix source then your comm is compromised and you have bigger problems.

I'm curious if you agree with me that you don't really need 5k nuyen commlink? Trodes on non decker character make me nervous, it's a direct link to your brain...and that's important even for the Non-Deckers.

[Beaumis]

Note that having a DNI (like trodes) on your PAN can substitute for image link, sound link, and the primary usefulness of AR gloves in addition to being able to manipulate AR hands-free, downgrading a lot of action requirements, and being able to do without the wireless bonuses on certain devices (namely grenades).

I'd still probably get an image/sound link, sub-vocal mic, and AR gloves in your back pocket in case the trodes get bricked or you have to go without them but the trodes are top-choice overall.  Of course, since trodes don't have a wireless option the only real way they're gonna get bricked is through direct damage (like a tag eraser).  If it's bricked through a matrix source then your comm is compromised and you have bigger problems.

I'm curious if you agree with me that you don't really need 5k nuyen commlink? Trodes on non decker character make me nervous, it's a direct link to your brain...and that's important even for the Non-Deckers.

You dont need to worry about trodes as long as you're running in AR mode.

Biofeedback damage is only dangerous when you’re in VR mode. Unless the attack says otherwise, biofeedback is Stun damage if you are using cold-sim VR and Physical damage in hot-sim VR. You resist biofeedback damage with Willpower + Firewall
P. 229 Core.

A non decker won't go VR unless he absolutely needs to, which definately rules out combat situations. The worst a hostile decker can and will do to you is brick your trodes, which is a hell of a lot cheaper for you to replace than getting your comlink bricked.

I'd still probably get an image/sound link, sub-vocal mic, and AR gloves in your back pocket in case the trodes get bricked or you have to go without them but the trodes are top-choice overall.  Of course, since trodes don't have a wireless option the only real way they're gonna get bricked is through direct damage (like a tag eraser).  If it's bricked through a matrix source then your comm is compromised and you have bigger problems.

Or you could just have a second set of trodes available. First gets bricked, ditch them and put on the new ones. Trodes are also legal and readily available everywhere.

Frankly, unless wearing trodes is a social issue, there's little reason not to do so for a runner. Though, personally, even my mages get a datajack at some point, just so I'm no longer depended on the trodes.. Usually along with cybereyes or retinal mods. Cybereyes have the additional benefit of including a camera, which allows you to share your vision with your party by opening a life feed through the send message program. A team where every runner has cybereyes can basically share their vision among each other, ensuring that everyone sees everything.
[Goggles, Contacts and Smartguns can achieve the same thing, but they are kind of the same as trodes in that they are conspicuous and problematic in some situations. Cheaper to replace when bricked though.]

[All4BigGuns]

                                       
Most Important thing your Commlink                                       
Renraku Sensei          1K   Your using your Willpower to resist Cyberattacks so that gives you 9 Dice. You don't need 5k Commlink                           
Armor Jacket         1K                              
 w/ Fire Resistance (6)         1.5K   I think Fire Resistance is better then Nonconduct..but your choice. Rating 6 Max                           
Fechetti Security 600         350¥   Better for you character then Predator, more concealable, more ammo.                           
 w/ 2 clips x 30 rounds reg         190¥                              
 a silencer or suppressor is forbidden so your screwed if your playing play by rules appearing character.                                       
use your spells if you want silence..                                       
Invisibility + Armor Jacket > Urban explorer jumpsuit.                                       
Contacts (Rating 1)         1375¥   Image enhancement adds to Limit, unless your wireless then adds dice.                            
 w/ Flare Comp                                       
 w/ Image Link                                       
 w/ Low-light vision                                       
I'm tying to visualize Mage w/ helmet and googles…                                       
Ear buds (Rating 1)         50¥                              
Subvocal Mic         50¥                              
AR Gloves         150¥                              
Survival Knife          100¥                              
Gas Mask, Survival Kit, Respirator, and Medkit..Easy to get if you really need. You would probably get penalized if you tried to carry it all                                       
and you have Heal and Oxgenate.                                       
                                       
         5765¥ for above gear.                           
                                       
10 Karma for 20K nuyen                                       
You could still Easily get Rating 4 Fake SIN.                                        
Fake SIN (Rating 4)         10k                              
Fake Licenses (Rating 4) x 3         2.4K                              
Magic Lodge (Rating 6)         3K                              
Low Lifestyle (1 Month Paid)         2K            

Only 17.4K nuyen, so you could get mid Lifestyle if you maybe got rid of License or took to rating 3.

The comms below 2,500 are a trap, don't take them. As to your comment about Willpower, that's for those using VR. Otherwise, attempts are going against the Device Rating.

You'll likely need around 5 fake Licenses (assuming generalized licensing) or more if the GM requires a separate one for every item.

The gun you chose is crap. The only Light Pistols worth touching are the Light Fire ones. There is always Tasers, but that's a separate category.

The Contact Lenses you put are illegal. They need to be at least rating 3 to hold those enhancements.

Only 1 month of lifestyle? Another trap.

[ZeConster]

I'm not sure what purpose the contacts serve for a mage, as their enhancements don't give you any boost to your spell targeting.
A4BG: why would a mage need a good commlink?

[All4BigGuns]

I'm not sure what purpose the contacts serve for a mage, as their enhancements don't give you any boost to your spell targeting.
A4BG: why would a mage need a good commlink?

Everyone should have at least a Device Rating 4 comm (that's the point where the 2,500 one falls) to keep their info and other shiz secure except for the Decker since his device can do what a comm does along with its other stuff. Not like there's that many of the trap ones anyway.

[Bushw4cker]

I'm not sure what purpose the contacts serve for a mage, as their enhancements don't give you any boost to your spell targeting.
A4BG: why would a mage need a good commlink?

Everyone should have at least a Device Rating 4 comm (that's the point where the 2,500 one falls) to keep their info and other shiz secure except for the Decker since his device can do what a comm does along with its other stuff. Not like there's that many of the trap ones anyway.

Having a high Willpower will help when your connected to your commlink so I don't think it's as important for this character to have as high rating of commlink.
from the Book:
When a defense test calls for a Mental attribute,
use the owner’s rating. Even if she isn’t currently defending
or even interacting with the device, her previous
interactions and settings affect the defense test. If
a device is completely unattended, the Device Rating
stands in for any Mental attributes an icon needs but
doesn’t have. For example, a device that an owner sets
and forgets, like a door lock, uses its Device Rating in
place of Intuition as part of the defense pool against a
Control Device action.

Should still talk to GM. He/she might insist he get Rating 6 Commlink. I don't give my players too much grief unless they take Meta Link, and even then most of the time it works just fine.

[Jimmy_Pvish]

I like to have 5k commlink at chargen but for resource E maybe we can't afford it.

Buy 2 cheap commlinks, instead. (I always have 2 commlinks)

Keep important data in one and never bring it when running shadow,

Use another "blank" one for the run.

[Kanly]

Sure, licenses come down to the GM, but you don't really need a license for everything, only the things you want to carry with yourself when going "legal". Obviously anything illegal goes to your safehouse and if you're going on a run and if you're stopped by the police you're burned anyway.

About "having a hard time imagining the mage with goggles and a helmet". First of all you don't want to look like "a mage", but that's obvious. I see no reason not to wear a helmet anyway.

Why is having only 1 month of a lifestyle a trap?

[All4BigGuns]

Sure, licenses come down to the GM, but you don't really need a license for everything, only the things you want to carry with yourself when going "legal". Obviously anything illegal goes to your safehouse and if you're going on a run and if you're stopped by the police you're burned anyway.

About "having a hard time imagining the mage with goggles and a helmet". First of all you don't want to look like "a mage", but that's obvious. I see no reason not to wear a helmet anyway.

Why is having only 1 month of a lifestyle a trap?

Getting stopped by the police is going to happen eventually, no matter what.

It is a trap because it appears to be a perfectly viable solution when in fact all it does is ensure that you have no breathing room for saving cash thus preventing an appropriate rate of nuyen-based advancement. Always get at least 2 months for that breathing room, preferably at least five if you want to see any nuyen-based advancement any time soon. Even Awakened have nuyen-based advancement, as those better foci as well as materials for binding and various other things cost money to acquire.

[Kanly]

Okay I think I got what you mean and it makes a lot of sense! Thanks.

About police stops: if you're carrying something F(orbidden), then it won't really matter if you don't have a license for some other stuff? I mean, sure you'll probably get more years but it's going to end your character's career anyway, won't it?
For example weapon mounts on my vehicle are totally forbidden. So I'm not really going to bother buying a license for anything I'm "bundling" together with a Forbidden item.

I know this is off-topic and I apologize!

[Michael Chandra]

Forbidden means you're screwed anyway, yes, doesn't matter how much.

[All4BigGuns]

Okay I think I got what you mean and it makes a lot of sense! Thanks.

About police stops: if you're carrying something F(orbidden), then it won't really matter if you don't have a license for some other stuff? I mean, sure you'll probably get more years but it's going to end your character's career anyway, won't it?
For example weapon mounts on my vehicle are totally forbidden. So I'm not really going to bother buying a license for anything I'm "bundling" together with a Forbidden item.

I know this is off-topic and I apologize!

On weapon mounts, if the vehicle is only R(estricted) and comes stock with weapon mounts, then you're fine. You only run into the problem of F(orbidden) on weapon mounts modded on.