[Senko]

I'm just trying to get a better idea of how mages are treated in shadowrun if their legitimate so I'd appreciate which of these two scenarios people think would be more likley.

The situation is there's a company office holding several mid-level managers (area or regional) and its been determined that there is a high chance it will be attacked for information held onsite (not 100% but right now security there isn't going to stand up to a proper attack and there's a lot of data there about its systems and property). So they plan to relocate all the equipment/data and staff to a new more consolidated and secure facility however until that transfer goes ahead they've temporarily beefed up security onsite including a permanent mage reassigned from their normal duties. To protect and encourage the mage to accept this which of the two options is more liklely . . .

1) Assigned a GMC bulldog to carry magical gear and equipment as well as transport themself, assigned moderate level security gear (swat or the like) and a handgun as well as a computer/office in the site.

2) Assigned a Rover 2072 as a mobile office (telecommunications gear, comfortable seats for when they astrally project, a mini lodge for spellcasting) and given good security gear assault rifle and light security armour. Of course in this case they will probably need to share the rover with the other security staff as a friendly social thing

Bear in mind this is a "short term" thing until they relocate the office staff and resources (of course being a corporation buried in red tape they were meant to be moved out 2 months ago) and when the relocation is done the mage will return to their normal duties and hand back the vehicel and security equipment regardless of which scenario is picked. This is also a reasonably experienced mage, on par with a new character.

[Squirrel]

Is the mage their employee? Then the company's budget is the limit. They would likely provide whatever the mage requests within the financial constrains.

Is she/he not their employee? Then the mage will have their own equipment. Additional needs can be provided by the company. The base hire and expenses also have to fit the budget.

So both are equally likely as I have no idea how much the safety of their stuff is worth. As with everything in life, money is the key factor.

[Senko]

Full corporate SIN, company wage mage, day job 40 hours a week with fame 2 (Iocal due to their being a fairly powerful mage) earning 10k a month. Reassinged internally from their usual duties (R&D, healing, entertainment, foresnsics or whatever).

That's what I'm wondering just how well does a mage get treated. In a situation like this would they get the luxury van and security armour to protect them while acting as onsite magical protection or would they get mass produced swat amour, a large truck to haul things and a vistors computer?

[Kincaid]

Mages are valuable commodities, so the corp would want to keep him safe and may spend a little extra on armor and so forth.  On the other hand, keeping him safe and keeping him comfortable (as any solider can tell you) are two goals that are often at odds with one another.  A luxury van may draw too much attention, plus leather heated seats do nothing to stop a bullet.

[Senko]

Attentions not an issue, this isn't a secret facility so they could park an Ares Roadmaster out front on that front. The question is more along the lines of cost vs comfort/security. I picked the Rover because its the second most armoured (12 vs 18) and its all luxuruously apointed so the mage can spend the day doing a 12 hour overwatch in comfort with access to communications and the like. A heated leather seat wont stop a bullet but it will allow the mage to wallow in warmth on a cold day when they're spending 8 hours lying there astrally projecting.

Sill going by the replies it seems the corp would have no problems putting these vehicles/gear at the mages disposal especially since its short term and they can reclaim for use elsewhere after they relocate. So the question is more would they use the Rover for comfort or would they start with a roadmaster for security and put some comfortable seats and the like in the secured rear compartment?

[Kincaid]

Is there a reason he'd be astrally projecting from a car parked outside instead of a secure room inside?

[Senko]

Basically there isn't one. This place is an old facility repurposed for its current role. Security consists of a glass door with scanner wouldn't stop an average person breaking in hence the armoured vehicle to protect the security staff and relocating to a more secure facility when the threat to it was confirmed as high. This place was secure against casual vandalism not a proper attack.

It's not a secret research facility with cutting edge info it's a prior office containing building plans, ground plans, circuit diagrams. The odds of an actual attack on it specifically are low but the data there could be used in planning an attack on a more important place and the threat to the company as a whole is high.

So they put a permemanent security presence there with an armoured van as a secure room and scheduled the staff/data to be moved to rooms in a more secure facility that does have its own secure rooms, blastproof fence, security guards etc, etc.

[Xenon]

The security decker that is responsible for the integrity of the host where all the premises cameras, drones, sensors, weapon turrets, elevators, maglocks etc are slaved to can be located anywhere in the world and just enter the host. He will not be in an armored car outside the facility.

The security rigger that keep track on on premises cameras, drones, sensors, weapon turrets, elevators, maglocks etc can be located anywhere in the world and just enter the host to where all the on premises security devices are slaved to. It will be as if he is himself on premises. He will not be in an armored car outside the facility.

Wage Mages that are responsible for the astral protection of the facility; astral projection to patrol the premises,  summoning watchers to patrol the premises, placing and keeping track of wards around and in the facility etc. can be located anywhere in the world and then simply astral project to the site. In a combat situation they could be responsible to deal with dual-natured threats and could possible even commanding a spirit to materialize to help out with mundane threats, but their main purpose is to patrol the facility from the astral. They will not be in an armored car outside the facility.

The physical on premises security force will be physically on the premises. The security force might or might not include a combat mage, but the security force -including the mage if the force have one- do this this for a living. They are not your ordinary professional rating 0 wage slaves and bureaucrats temporary reassigned for this task. This team will be physically located on premises and will coordinate together with the astral patrol and the security rigger to ensure physical safety of the facility. They don't expect special favors or luxury vans just to do their regular job. And while they theoretically all could be located in an armored van outside the facility it would leave them kinda vulnerable to be taken out all at once by a single anti-vehicle rocket....

[Senko]

Unless I missed something a mage can't cast spells on physical beings when astrally projecting?

The original question is based on the premise that the core rulebooks security mage is accurate with its statement these mages are usually tasked from elsewhere due to magical scarcity.