[SunRunner]

Mystic Adepts give up astral projection and have to pay a premium (1 power point) just to have astral perception to have the option to spend a boat load of karma to buy adept powers. I say boat load because you have to pay 5 karma per adept power point you want. If you go with the standard Magic 6 that 30 karma. So you pay alot but you get alot to go with it. Adept powers can accomplish things you cant do with spells as well as let you get them done for less resources. After char gen the only way to get more PP is to take the adept power point meta magic which is costly as since your a mage you tend to want all the shiny mage meta magics. That said despite thier detractors Mages are competitive with them. Mainly because a pure mage tends to have a little better spell arsenal and magic skills because thats where they put the karma the mystic adept spent on power points and such. Mystic adepts tend to be the Jack of All Trades characters that are covering alot of bases, but they also tend to be the Masters of None as they are so broad in a lot of cases.

[ShadowcatX]

Mystic adepts tend to be the Jack of All Trades characters that are covering alot of bases, but they also tend to be the Masters of None as they are so broad in a lot of cases.

When I do a mystic adept, it is the opposite, I'm burning a lot of karma but I'm specializing my character. For example a face / shaman who gets to be a social adept that has backup magic or a combat mage who gets a higher combat skill and heightened reflexes. Where as my non-mystic adepts get to spend karma building out wide (or tall, specializing in magic, which in and of itself lends to going wide).

That said, I do not think one is necessarily superior to the other. If a character doesn't have a clear reason to go mystic adept I think they are probably served best by going straight mage. (And I do think this build would likewise, be served well by going straight mage.)

[SladeWeston]

Thanks for the great feedback everyone.  While I stuck with Mystic Adept, I did shuffle my skills around a bit, to better take advantage of tall stacks, and either removed or replaced a few one pt skills with karma buys.  I also dropped focused concentration 1 for Deus Vult! which seemed more functional and way more thematic for a priest assassin type.  Lastly, I swapped out stun ball for Ball Lightning.

Last question, since the game is tonight.  I still have one point of karma to cash I could convert and I was considering a fetish.  I wanted to see what peoples thoughts were on fetishes.  Are they worth the dependency it gives for the extra drain resist?  If so, which of my spells would you choose?

Also, any other last minute obvious changes I missed would be appreciated.

== Personal Data ==
Street Name:
Name: Unnamed Character
Movement: 10/20 (2m/hit)     Swim: 6 (1m/hit)     
Karma: 0
Street Cred: 0
Notoriety: 0
Public Awareness: 0
Human
Composure: 8
Judge Intentions: 9
Lift/Carry: 6 (30 kg/20 kg)
Memory: 7
Nuyen: 415¥

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

== Attributes ==
BOD: 4
AGI: 5
REA: 5 ( 8 )
STR: 2
CHA: 3
INT: 6
LOG: 2
WIL: 5
EDG: 3
MAG: 6

== Derived Attributes ==
Essence:                   6
Initiative:                14 +4d6
Rigger Initiative:         14 +4d6
Astral Initiative:         12 +3d6
Matrix AR:                 14 +4d6
Matrix Cold:               6 + DP +3d6
Matrix Hot:                6 + DP +4d6
Physical Damage           Track: 10
  Stun Damage           Track: 11

== Limits ==
Physical:                  6
Mental:                    5
Social:                    6
   Ballistic Mask [+1] (Only for intimidation, Must be visible)
Astral:                    6

== Active Skills ==
Assensing                Base:  0          Pool:  7
Counterspelling          Base:  5          Pool: 11
Flight                   Base:  1          Pool:  6
Gymnastics (Dodging)     Base:  1          Pool:  6 ( 8 )
Navigation               Base:  1          Pool:  7
Perception               Base:  5          Pool: 11
Performance (Sermon)     Base:  1          Pool:  4 (6)
Pistols (Semi-Automatics) Base:  6          Pool: 11 (13)
Running                  Base:  1          Pool:  3
Sneaking (Urban)         Base:  2          Pool:  7 (9)
Spellcasting (Combat)    Base:  6          Pool: 12 (14)
Summoning                Base:  6          Pool: 12
Survival                 Base:  1          Pool:  6
Swimming                 Base:  1          Pool:  3
Tracking                 Base:  1          Pool:  7

== Knowledge Skills ==
Italian                  Base:  1          Pool:  7
Latin                    Base:  1          Pool:  7
Spanish                  Base:  1          Pool:  7
Charity Shelters         Base:  1          Pool:  7
Gangs                    Base:  1          Pool:  7
Magic Traditions         Base:  1          Pool:  3
Religion (Christianity)  Base:  6          Pool:  8 (10)
Sprawl Life (Soup Kitchens) Base:  2          Pool:  8 (10)

== Contacts ==
; Gang Leader (4, 5)

== Qualities ==
Day Job (10 hrs) (Soup Kitchen)
Deus Vult!
Distinctive Style
Family Curse
Mystic Adept
Wanted (30,000)

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

== Spells ==
Ball Lightning           DV: F-1
Heal                     DV: F-4
Improved Invisibility    DV: F-1
Increase [Attribute] (INT)DV: F-3
Levitate                 DV: F-2
Manabolt                 DV: F-3
Physical Barrier         DV: F-1
Trid Phantasm            DV: F

== Powers ==
Astral Perception
Heightened Concentration
Improved ReflexesRating: 3
Linguistics
Nimble Fingers
Rapid Draw

== Lifestyle ==
Old Church (Low) 1 Months
   + Obscure/Difficult to Find [+10%]

== Armor ==
Armor Jacket                       12
Ballistic Mask                      2

== Weapons ==
Ares Light Fire 70
   + Hidden Gun Arm Slide
   + Silencer, Ares Light Fire 70
   Pool: 11 (13)   Accuracy: 7   DV: 6P   AP: -   RC: 2
Savalette Guardian
   + Concealed Quick-Draw Holster
   + Personalized Grip
   + Smartgun System, Internal
   Pool: 11 (13)   Accuracy: 8   DV: 8P   AP: -1   RC: 3
Unarmed Attack
   Pool: 4   Accuracy: 6   DV: 2S   AP: -   RC: 2

== Gear: Equipped ==
Ammo: APDS (Heavy Pistols) x30
Ammo: Capsule Rounds (Light Pistols) x30
   + Pepper Punch
Ammo: Stick-n-Shock (Light Pistols) x30
Contacts Rating 1
   + Image Link
Earbuds Rating 1
   + Select Sound Filter Rating 1
Fake License (Adept License) Rating 3
Fake License (Firearms License) Rating 3
Fake SIN (legitimate Preacher) Rating 3
Micro-Transceiver
Reagents, per dram x30
Slap Patch, Trauma Patch

== Vehicles ==
Entertainment Systems Cyclops     
   + Gyro-Stabilization
   + Sensor Array Rating 1

[FST_Gemstar]

Save the karma for later. 

starting contacts can't have more than 7 total points in connection/loyalty... your fixer is over spent. You can drop it down to 3/4 and pick up 1/1 contact. 

[SladeWeston]

Save the karma for later. 

starting contacts can't have more than 7 total points in connection/loyalty... your fixer is over spent. You can drop it down to 3/4 and pick up 1/1 contact. 

Good catch.  Thanks.

On a side note.  Can someone help me to understand whats all needed for the smartlink bonus?  Obviously the gun has to have it, but do you also need it in your eyes/contacts/glasses or is an image link adequate?  I ask because I just noticed that all of the examples in the book have smartlinked optics to go with their SL guns.

[ShadowcatX]

For bonuses you need smart link optics. That's why they exist. The bonus increases if your smart link optics are paid for with essence / inside a cyber eye that you paid for with essence.

I like fetishes for high drain spells or spells that you over cast. Ball lightning, for example, is a spell I would often put as a fetish spell. If you take a fetish spell, it is often a good idea to have at least 2 fetishes though, they're cheap enough, and given your lack of a talismonger contact you might have a problem if one gets destroyed.

ETA: Build looks good by the way. And have fun tonight. I'm jealous.

[SladeWeston]

For bonuses you need smart link optics. That's why they exist. The bonus increases if your smart link optics are paid for with essence / inside a cyber eye that you paid for with essence.

I like fetishes for high drain spells or spells that you over cast. Ball lightning, for example, is a spell I would often put as a fetish spell. If you take a fetish spell, it is often a good idea to have at least 2 fetishes though, they're cheap enough, and given your lack of a talismonger contact you might have a problem if one gets destroyed.

ETA: Build looks good by the way. And have fun tonight. I'm jealous.

hmm... so now I'm torn.  Do I get smartlink on my contacts or a fetish?  I guess I could always drop my bike and be "that guy" who has to tag along with others.

[ShadowcatX]

It is +1 dice to rolls you will make fairly often (both guns have a smart link, right?) vs. taking less damage when you have to use ball lightning, but not actually having it come up very often. Mechanically the smart link will probably be better, but if you don't do the fetish now, it has a higher cost. if you want to do it later (since you would have to learn the spell a second time).

[SladeWeston]

Okay, it looks like one of the players is going to be a rigger so we've got vehicles covered.  So lets say I have 6500 more nuyen, what stuff, magic or otherwise, would you purchase?  I'm also going two tweak my contacts based on your suggestion to have a Talismonger handy.  Thanks for that suggestion btw.

[ShadowcatX]

Increase your Fake SIN to rating 4 for sure.