[Csjarrat]

So, disclaimer; i've never actually played a mage in any game of shadowrun, ever. always been a techie!
so that said, i want to change things and actually get into a game as a spell slinging summoner. thoughts on the below build? i'm well aware that the foci eats up a huge amount of my karma + cash reserves but i figure from a mechanical standpoint they're handy to have at chargen as they're not cheap to acquire later on in terms of karma + cash. means i can focus karma on skills + initiation and cash on rounding out my gear selection + getting a vehicle of some description.
He should have reasonable dicepools to do his thing I hope.
Any glaring omissions or tweaks to make?
cheers guys

Full mage, SR5

Priorities:
A-Magic (6 +10 spells +2 R5 skills)
B-Attribs (20)
C-Skills (28/2)
D-Resources (50k)
E-Meta, Human (1)

Attribs:
BOD 2 (+1)
STR 2 (+10 karma)
AGI 3 (+2)
REA 3 (+2)       20/20
CHA 4 (+3)
INT 4 (+3)
LOG 5 (+4)
WIL 6 (+5)

ESS 6
EDG 3 (+1)
MAG 6

___________________________________
Qualities:

+ve:
Mentor Spirit (-5 karma)
Thunderbird: +2 intimidation, +2 summon air spirit

-ve:
Common, mild allergy (10)
SiNner; national (5)
Distinctive style; neck tattoos (5)
Spirit bane; Beasts (5{7})

Starting 25
+ 25 neg
-10 gear
-10 STR ->2
-2 (arcana 1)
-2 (Intimidation 1)
-20 (foci)
=net +1 karma

___________________________________
Skills:

Groups:
Influence 2          2/2

Individual:
Spellcasting 6 (Manipulation +2)      28/28
Summoning 6 (Air +2)
Counterspelling 5 {free}
Ritual Spellcasting 5 {free}
Pistols 4 (Revolver +2)
Assensing 4 (Aura reading +2)
Perception 2
Computer 1 (Data Search +2)

Karma:
Arcana 1 (2 karma)
Intimidation 1 (2 karma)
___________________________________
Spells: 10 free

Manipulation:
Ice Sheet
Control Actions
Influence
Physical Barrier

Health:
Heal
Improve Reflexes

Combat:
Manabolt
Lightning bolt

Illusion:
Improved Invisibility
Trid Phantasm
___________________________________
Gear: +10karma = 70,000

Magical Gear:
Sustaining Focus F2 (Health) 8,000 (bonded /4karma)
Sustaining Focus F2 (Illusion) 8,000 (bonded /4karma)
Power Focus F2 36,000 (bonded /12karma)

Magical Lodge Materials R6 3,000

55k spent so far
___________________________________
Electronics, ID + Lifestyle:

Renraku Commlink (DR3) 1,000
-Trodes 70
-Subvocal mic 50
-Sim module 100                       1220

Fake SiN R3 7,500
 +Fake License R3(weapon) 600
 +Fake License R3(mage) 600
 +Fake License R3(foci) 600        9300

Low Lifestyle (1 month) 2,000         2000


Monocle R1 120
-Image Link 25                         145

Earbuds R1 50
-SSF R1 250                            300

12965 spent
67965 total
__________________________________
Weapons + Armour

Ruger Super Warhawk  400
-Laser sight (top) 125
-Flashlight (side) 50
-Concealable Holster 150
-X2 speed loaders 50
-x30 regular rounds 60                 835

Armour Vest 500 (arm 9)                500

Clothing 50                             50

Helmet (arm +2) 100
-Flashlight 25
-Microtransceiver 100                  225

1610 spent
69575 total
__________________________________
Misc:

20 Drams reagents 400

Silver credstick 20
-5 NY embedded

70,000 spent
__________________________________
Contacts: 9 +1 karma =10

Talismonger 3,3
Fixer 3,1

Knowledge skills:
Chemistry 3 (reagents +2)    18/18
Geology 3
Parageology 3
Parabotany 3
Parazoology 3
Bars + clubs 1
Local gangs 1

__________________________________
Calculations + Dicepools

INIT
 -Meat +AR: 7 +1d6 (before magic)
 -VR: 7 +3d6
 -Astral: 8 +3d6

Condition monitors:
Physical: 9
Stun: 11
Overflow 2

Limits:
Mental: 7
Physical: 3
Social: 6

Main Dicepools:
Pistols = 10
Casting = 14{16 Manip}
Summoning = 14{18 Air}
Drain = 11
Intimidation = 7

[ZeConster]

Some quick questions:

• No Indirect Area spells?
• You know you're allowed to use skill points to raise those skills from your Magic Priority from 5 to 6?
• Is this for Missions? If so, you'll want more Arcana levels at some point, since Intuition 4 + Arcana 1 means you can only Initiate up to grade 2.
• Why a Force 2 Health sustaining focus? For Increase Reflexes you'll want either a Force 4 focus, or a Force 1 focus and Push the Limit or reagents to increase how many hits you can keep.
• 10 dice in Pistols seems a bit low - you sure you don't want to use a weapon with burst-fire mode?

[Whiskeyjack]

No Binding?
Manabolt < Stunball
The Data Search specialty is a bit of a waste imo
I'd encourage you to find 1 more Body somewhere for another condition box

[Sir_Prometheus]

Is this for Missions? If so, you'll want more Arcana levels at some point, since Intuition 4 + Arcana 1 means you can only Initiate up to grade 2.

Huh?  Why?

[Kincaid]

Is this for Missions? If so, you'll want more Arcana levels at some point, since Intuition 4 + Arcana 1 means you can only Initiate up to grade 2.

Huh?  Why?

Because you buy hits with downtime in SRM.  So your first test for grade two would be 5 dice, which buys 1 hit (and takes one month).  Your second test is -1 die, which leaves you with 4 dice, still enough to buy 1 hit, for a total of 2 (and takes an additional month).  Once your threshold hits 3 (grade 3), you won't have enough dice in month 3 to buy a third hit.

[Sir_Prometheus]

Huh.  Can I say Adepts needing Arcana just to initiate is a little odd. 

[Tenlaar]

Huh.  Can I say Adepts needing Arcana just to initiate is a little odd.

You sure can, that seems to be one of the common(ish?) house rules from what I have seen from people posting. Substituting a skill that is considered the "core" of the adept in place of Arcana.

[Csjarrat]

Is this for Missions? If so, you'll want more Arcana levels at some point, since Intuition 4 + Arcana 1 means you can only Initiate up to grade 2.

Huh?  Why?

Because you buy hits with downtime in SRM.  So your first test for grade two would be 5 dice, which buys 1 hit (and takes one month).  Your second test is -1 die, which leaves you with 4 dice, still enough to buy 1 hit, for a total of 2 (and takes an additional month).  Once your threshold hits 3 (grade 3), you won't have enough dice in month 3 to buy a third hit.

-Nope, not for missions, would be for pbp (my rl game stopped after one game of SR3) can always "up" arcana with karma cheaply after a couple of missions. easy to RP too, stting down reading books and AR texts :-)

No Binding?
Manabolt < Stunball
The Data Search specialty is a bit of a waste imo
I'd encourage you to find 1 more Body somewhere for another condition box

-never really thought of binding spirits as particularly nice thing to do to a sentient being and iirc, the drain on it was horrible, especially considering the drain of binding a decent force spirit in the first place.
this said, i've got no in game experience so sell me on binding please, how often does it come in useful in your games?
-spells can easily be switched around, consider that fixed
-was just to make the dicepool a bit more respectable as a legwork skill
-yeah, where would you make the cut? CHA seems the obvious one but i like having social pools on non-face chars because ive come across sadistic GM's that punish players for not doing so lol

Some quick questions:

• No Indirect Area spells?
• You know you're allowed to use skill points to raise those skills from your Magic Priority from 5 to 6?
• Why a Force 2 Health sustaining focus? For Increase Reflexes you'll want either a Force 4 focus, or a Force 1 focus and Push the Limit or reagents to increase how many hits you can keep.
• 10 dice in Pistols seems a bit low - you sure you don't want to use a weapon with burst-fire mode?

-i can take one, was a toss up between lightning bolt and ball lightning. less drain to deal with and not stealing the limelight off the sam were my concerns with that though.
-i was going to go with reagents, just figured it might be useful to get a higher rating at chargen in case i needed a higher one later. that said, i could easily swap it for an F1 and get another F1 for something else
-10 dice in pistols is ok, its only a backup in case I tire of bolting people or for putting holes in drones + light vehicles or things that have really high object resistance dicepools. plus, I always use machine pistols on nearly every build for a mechanical reason and i just love the power that the warhawk has as a handcannon :-)

[Sir_Prometheus]

Huh.  Can I say Adepts needing Arcana just to initiate is a little odd.

You sure can, that seems to be one of the common(ish?) house rules from what I have seen from people posting. Substituting a skill that is considered the "core" of the adept in place of Arcana.

Well, my adept has Edge 5, so I thought I could skate by with just using edge, maybe buy one point of arcana when it comes up. 

[Kincaid]

In terms of the mage, binding is handy, but the nature of pbp games makes it a little less functional.  I generally bind a Force 3 spirit (to get the one extra power, but give it fewer dice to resist) and use it for non-combat utility, like aiding spellcasting, sustaining a spell in the heat of battle, or something like Concealment.  If I just need you to die, I'll summon a Force 6 fire spirit and have her engulf you.

I would second getting the Body to 3 as well as going big or small when it comes to foci. 

It's not very creative, but the first two combat spells I pick are Stunbolt (for spirits or chrome monsters) and Lightning Ball (or everyone/everything else). 

[Whiskeyjack]

-never really thought of binding spirits as particularly nice thing to do to a sentient being and iirc, the drain on it was horrible, especially considering the drain of binding a decent force spirit in the first place.
this said, i've got no in game experience so sell me on binding please, how often does it come in useful in your games?
-spells can easily be switched around, consider that fixed
-was just to make the dicepool a bit more respectable as a legwork skill
-yeah, where would you make the cut? CHA seems the obvious one but i like having social pools on non-face chars because ive come across sadistic GM's that punish players for not doing so lol

Binding is only a dick move if you/your GM interpret it that way. Spirits may not like it much but unless you just keep sending them to pointless deaths it's not necessarily the case that you're being mean to them. Binding is excellent for having a spirit when you need it and having it appear without immediately taking Drain versus having to summon and take Drain on the spot. It's also extremely useful to alpha strike with multiple spirits at once. Saved our bacon more than once for the Charisma-tradition face/mage dropping in 6 Spirits at once during a really tense moment. And the binding lasts for multiple runs if you play it right. That's also a reason not to dump Charisma because you can only bind a number of spirits equal to Cha. It does make you more Multiple-Attribute Dependent though.

Yeah not a bad idea for legwork. Do you have a decker though? I'd say it's more important for Matrix legwork if you lack a decker. Otherwise your existing pool of 6 (plus possible Edge use) isn't terrible for a dabbler.

I also don't consider Ice Sheet that good except in vehicle chase scenarios (where it is pretty good to promo crash tests). Otherwise if someone falls over they can still shoot you from prone and it's only a Simple to stand.

I'd drop Willpower to 5. You won't lose a Stun box and all you really lose is 1 from your Drain pool which can be made up easily in other ways.

Have you considered Cerebral Boosters? Yes, you lose a point of Magic but you get +2 Logic (which should give you +2 to Drain). On the other hand, unfortunately +LOG won't be super useful for much else but Knowledge tests. So...it's iffy whether it's worth it honestly.

[ZeConster]

-Nope, not for missions, would be for pbp (my rl game stopped after one game of SR3) can always "up" arcana with karma cheaply after a couple of missions. easy to RP too, stting down reading books and AR texts :-)

As long as your GM allows spending Edge on Initiating, there shouldn't be any problem. With 5 dice and Edge 3, you've got an average of 3.19 dice on the first roll and 2.79 on the second, with a 61.96% of rolling 3+ hits on the first roll.

-never really thought of binding spirits as particularly nice thing to do to a sentient being and iirc, the drain on it was horrible, especially considering the drain of binding a decent force spirit in the first place.

That's more of a Shamanic attitude than a Hermetic attitude, though - nothing deal-breaking, just something worth mentioning. The Drain, however, isn't all that bothersome, since Binding is typically something you do inbetween runs, not during.

-i was going to go with reagents, just figured it might be useful to get a higher rating at chargen in case i needed a higher one later. that said, i could easily swap it for an F1 and get another F1 for something else

Not sure I follow. You can't upgrade foci, nor can you get a 'refund' on the Karma you spent on them if you get a better one; and there's no real purpose to having an F2 focus instead of an F1 focus.

[Csjarrat]

Yeah that's what I'm saying, I can drop it and buy two f1 foci instead. Thanks for all the help guys!

[Whiskeyjack]

Not sure I follow. You can't upgrade foci, nor can you get a 'refund' on the Karma you spent on them if you get a better one; and there's no real purpose to having an F2 focus instead of an F1 focus.

Depends on the focus. A F1 sustaining focus isn't going to give you much utility while an F1 power focus isn't...really ideal, but it's still powerful and helpful

[ZeConster]

The context was F2 sustaining foci versus F1 sustaining foci, yes.