[FST_Gemstar]

Still trying to make a functional melee mage concept... not yet complete. Would appreciate some ideas/help!   

Goal is to be a melee combatant that instead of dealing physical damage, either does mundane stun/electric (shockhand) or uses touch magic/touch powers for their effects. Goal is to have effects on different kinds of targets (shock hand particularly for vehicles/drones/equipment or for a more typical stun attack, rot for baddy critters, Death Touch and Adept Accident for Spirits, Covert Blood to Ichor/Nauseate for more mundane targets, Nerve Strike for when you don't want to hurt a target at all... ) 

Character can use Narco with Psyche/Zen for cheap boosts Drain (from 12 to 16) without losing initiative/defense (-2 Reaction and +2 Intuition cancel out), while still keeping Improved Reflexes 2 initiative boosts... That high Drain might make some of the powerful high drain spells risk casting at Force higher than Magic (ex. Convert Blood to Ichor/Rot), especially with the character's high edge.   

Growth : Magician's Way for Master of the Nine Chakra and access to other metamagics...  Raising Reaction. Rounding out skills.

Note: I took Touch as specialty for spellcasting subject to GM approval, but a health spell works too. I don't love the Alt Mentor Rat, but more thematic mentors didn't provide the kind of bonuses I wanted (Death, Bear, Shark, are also on the table...)

Karma spent: 10 nuyen, 25 PP, 15 PQ, -25 NQ = 0 remaining 
Nuyen: With only gear bought being 'ware, character has 25k nuyen left for everything else. 

== Personal Data ==
Street Name:
Name: Unnamed Character
Movement: 12/24 (1m/hit)     Swim: 7 (1m/hit)     
Karma: 0
Street Cred: 0
Notoriety: 2
Public Awareness: 0
Dwarf
Composure: 10
Judge Intentions: 8
Lift/Carry: 6 (45 kg/30 kg)
Memory: 9
Nuyen: 25,080¥

== Priorities ==
Metatype: A,4
Attributes: C,2
Special: B,3
Skills: E,0
Resources: D,1

== Attributes ==
BOD: 3
AGI: 5 (6)
REA: 1 (3)
STR: 3
CHA: 3
INT: 5
LOG: 2
WIL: 7
EDG: 6
MAG: 5

== Derived Attributes ==
Essence:                   5.11
Initiative:                8 +3d6
Rigger Initiative:         8 +3d6
Astral Initiative:         10 +3d6
Matrix AR:                 8 +3d6
Matrix Cold:               5 + DP +3d6
Matrix Hot:                5 + DP +4d6
Physical Damage           Track: 10
  Stun Damage           Track: 12

== Limits ==
Physical:                  5
Mental:                    6
Social:                    7
   Impassive [-1] (Does not include Intimidation.)
Astral:                    7

== Active Skills ==
Con (Fast Talk)          Base:  1          Pool:  4 (6)
Counterspelling          Base:  4          Pool:  9
Perception (Visual)      Base:  3          Pool:  9 (11)
Sneaking (Urban)         Base:  1          Pool:  8 (10)
Spellcasting (Touch)     Base:  6          Pool: 11 (13)
Unarmed Combat (Cyber Implants) Base:  6          Pool: 12 (14)

== Knowledge Skills ==
Anatomy                  Base:  0          Pool:  0

== Qualities ==
Addiction (Mild) (Psyche)
Addiction (Mild) (Zen)
Impassive
Insomnia (Basic)
Jack of All Trades Master of None
Mentor Spirit (Rat (Alt))
Mystic Adept
Perfect Time
Quick Healer
Resistance to Pathogens/Toxins
Thermographic Vision

== Tradition ==
Psionic, Resist Drain with: WIL + INT (12)

== Spells ==
Convert Blood to Ichor   DV: F
Death Touch              DV: F-6
Heal                     DV: F-4
Improved Invisibility    DV: F-1
Levitate                 DV: F-2
Nauseate                 DV: F-2
Rot                      DV: F

== Powers ==
Adept Accident
Combat SenseRating: 1
Improved Potential (Physical)
Improved ReflexesRating: 2
Nerve Strike

== Cyberware/Bioware ==
Datajack
Muscle TonerRating 1
Narco
Shock Hand

== Weapons ==
Shock Hand
   Pool: 12 (14)   Accuracy: 5   DV: 9S(e)   AP: -5   RC: 2
Unarmed Attack
   Pool: 12   Accuracy: 5   DV: 3S   AP: -   RC: 2   



Edit: 

I'll also add an elf variation for comparision.... 

Karma spent: 25 pp, 21 PQ, -25 NQ = 4 remaining. 

== Personal Data ==
Street Name:
Name: Unnamed Character
Movement: 12/24 (2m/hit)     Swim: 8 (1m/hit)     
Karma: 0
Street Cred: 0
Notoriety: 2
Public Awareness: 0
Elf
Composure: 8
Judge Intentions: 9
Lift/Carry: 7 (60 kg/40 kg)
Memory: 7
Nuyen: 28,630¥

== Priorities ==
Metatype: C,2
Attributes: B,3
Special: A,4
Skills: E,0
Resources: D,1

== Attributes ==
BOD: 3
AGI: 6
REA: 2 (4)
STR: 4
CHA: 3
INT: 6
LOG: 2
WIL: 5
EDG: 4
MAG: 5

== Derived Attributes ==
Essence:                   5.41
Initiative:                10 +3d6
Rigger Initiative:         10 +3d6
Astral Initiative:         12 +3d6
Matrix AR:                 10 +3d6
Matrix Cold:               6 + DP +3d6
Matrix Hot:                6 + DP +4d6
Physical Damage           Track: 10
  Stun Damage           Track: 11

== Limits ==
Physical:                  5
Mental:                    5
Social:                    6
   Impassive [-1] (Does not include Intimidation.)
Astral:                    6

== Active Skills ==
Con (Fast Talk)          Base:  1          Pool:  4 (6)
Counterspelling          Base:  5          Pool: 10
Perception (Visual)      Base:  3          Pool:  9 (11)
Sneaking (Urban)         Base:  2          Pool:  8 (10)
Spellcasting (Touch)     Base:  6          Pool: 11 (13)
Unarmed Combat (Cyber Implants) Base:  6          Pool: 12 (14)

== Knowledge Skills ==

== Qualities ==
Addiction (Mild) (Psyche)
Addiction (Mild) (Zen)
Drug Tolerant
Impassive
Insomnia (Basic)
Jack of All Trades Master of None
Low-Light Vision
Mentor Spirit (Bear)
Mystic Adept
Perfect Time
Quick Healer

== Tradition ==
Chaos Magic, Resist Drain with: WIL + INT (11)

== Spells ==
Convert Blood to Ichor   DV: F
Death Touch              DV: F-6
Dehydrate                DV: F-4
Heal                     DV: F-4
Improved Invisibility    DV: F-1
Inflict Disease          DV: F-3
Levitate                 DV: F-2
Nauseate                 DV: F-2
Physical Mask            DV: F-1
Rot                      DV: F

== Powers ==
Adept Accident
Combat SenseRating: 1
Enhanced Accuracy (skill) (Unarmed Combat)
Improved ReflexesRating: 2
Nerve Strike
Nimble Fingers

== Cyberware/Bioware ==
Datajack
Narco
Shock Hand

== Weapons ==
Shock Hand
   Pool: 12 (14)   Accuracy: 6   DV: 9S(e)   AP: -5   RC: 3
Unarmed Attack
   Pool: 12   Accuracy: 6   DV: 4S   AP: -   RC: 3

[ShadowcatX]

First, by a melee mage you seem to mean a mage who casts touch range spells, rather than a mage who can handle melee combat, correct?

For the dwarf, how attached are you to high edge? You can drop race to C, move magic to A and attributes to B. You lose 4 points of edge, but gain 4 points of attributes (approximately equal) while gaining 2 skill points and 3 spells. Not a huge gain, but not entirely inconsequential.

Also, you're kind of spending a lot of resources for not huge gains. You're giving up a point of magic and buying a bunch of cyberware for the narco it would seem but using the narco to boost your drain resistance, but you're using touch spells which are generally lower drain to begin with so drain isn't your biggest threat to start, and if you were really worried about drain, just use fetishes. (Going from 12 to 16 is worse than going down 2 points of drain.)

This seems like a build that would love channeling, but sadly can't summon a lick.

[FST_Gemstar]

Character uses touch magic primarily in melee. Can use a shock hand well too, but is not going to be able to take a lot of hits of melee, no. 

I am trying to avoid channeling due to the stigma (I try to keep it to aspected conjurers for that reason too). 

I am not attached to being a dwarf, but I feel like having some edge is important to a not heavily armored melee character.

I should look more into festishes. I always glaze over by the time I get to reading about them in SG. Character only has one typical combat touch spell, the rest are higher drain health spells, that even with Magic 6, character would likely want to overcast anyway to get full effects (ex. blood to ichor effects grow a lot with higher force). 

[ShadowcatX]

The problem with your health spells at high force, you're not hitting enough successes to make high force matter. You're rolling 4.666 successes on average. Force 6 would be plenty for most of your rolls. And as to blood to ichor, why? I get that you're using suboptimal spells but a force 12 punch will have the same drain as a force 6 blood to ichor, and do you much better in the combat while still being on theme.

And high edge is nice, but your body is very bad for someone who is wanting to be mixing it up in melee by casting spells. Geek the mage first, and all that. Compare the survivability of 2 points of body and 2 points of reaction to 4 points of edge.

[Reaver]

No matter what, you are not going to be able to stand up and trade blows with a dedicated melee attacker, your Body and Strength are just too low (affects the amount of armor you can wear, remember?).

So don't trade blows. Use stealth, and ambush attacks to try to drop the foe quickly.... Which means you need to rethink your spells. You want at least one spell that can out right kill, and at least one spell that can subdue in a single pass (for those times you don't want to, or can't kill). 

Your other options are to try to boost your body (for damage resistance) or your Strength (for more armor ability). Or find a way to do so with spells later on.


You've made this harder on yourself by going Mystic Adept. You lose a lot of options in the Power Points as those 25 Karma can buy some really nice options for either a mage or an adept.

[Hobbes]

Mystic Adept, 6 Body, Level 1 Flesh Shaper, (Advance to Level 2 at earliest convenience), Shark Totem, Shapechange Spell, Favorite Melee Adept abilities.  Change into anything from a Crow to a Crocodile out of the gate.  Elephant mode after just 10 Karma.  "Melee" mage. 

Dwarf or Orc optional, can be done with a Human or Elf though as you can get the 6 Body.  If Elephant mode isn't necessary you can dial back to 5 body and forgo the 2nd level of Flesh Shaper. 

Spell selection is just supper-dupper Utility Mage guy, Combat is handled by turning into a 'gator and chomping someone's leg.  Spirit of Man for a bonus spell sustain.  Or if you really want go Alchemy and just drop 4 preps before you go nuts and rampage through the building.

Anyway, with the body/willpower you've got you can easily take a bunch of levels of Adrenaline boost and use your PP on all kinds of stupid.  You're a floating, invisible, silent, rampaging elephant with 20-odd dice defense tests, mediocre soak, scary damage, and you're an Elephant. 

[Marcus]

Why Rat over Shark?
Your P-limit is a real issue given your build is unarmed. The elf version is an improvement but don't get crazy, touch spell drain is stupid low, you don't need to push drain soak to the Nth. Accepting a lower the standard melee build strength is fine, but you need a lot more reaction,  and even with the touch only advantages a limit that going to get through.
When in doubt add weapon focus Knucks.

[Csjarrat]

Have a look at pure mage with prototype transhumanist. You get a point of essence-free bioware so can get initiative boosts and keep high magic that way. Weapon foci on a knife or something makes for a good option, chuck in martial arts and touch spells and you've got a well rounded skill set. Can summon spirits for extra killyness