Help a newbie out?, Creating a Mage for first ever SR game.. Options

[Mana_Prysm]

I'm having trouble figure out just how to work the spell part of it.. I've got the character sheet pretty well fleshed out, but I've been looking at the sections on magic in the books and they don't make a lot of sense to me. (Not like a lot of the sections make sense)

If somebody could explain some basics about magic for a mage, I'd be very gratefull. :dead:

[toturi]

Which part of the magic section that you do not understand?

You learn a spell at a specific Force at which you can cast at the Force or less. That spell can be either Fetish or Exclusive Limited for ease of learning - you spend less Spell Points to learn or less Karma once you are in-game.
When you cast a spell, you need a target. You roll yas much of our Sorcery and Spell pool as you want against a TN (this is variable depending what you target). The target may roll to resist. And you need to roll to resist drain.

[Mana_Prysm]

Okay, that part I sort of get, but how do you bond foci? How much does it cost?

[the_dunner]

At character creation, Foci are bonded using spell points. You start off with 25 spell points, and can buy additional spell points at :nuyen: 25,000 each. So, in terms of foci -- a level two power focus is either going to cost you ten of your 25 starting spell points or :nuyen: 250,000 just to bond it.

Obviously, other types of foci are a great deal more attainable.

[toturi]

Don't forget, you got to buy it first.

[Mana_Prysm]

*chokes*

Okay, so aren't the spell points used to buy spells? or both?

Also, I'm a bit confused on the whole cost of spells thing.. Is it each Spell costs a certain amount based on Force drain type: one time or each time you cast?

And, the damage\ stun damage for casting spell... does casting spells hurt the caster, or is that for the target?

As you can see, I still don't know an awful lot about the system..

[toturi]

Spell points can be used to:

1) Buy Spells

2) Bond Foci.

Once you learn the spells, you can cast them as many times as you like as long as you can resist the drain. So you pay the spell points for the spell to learn it (once) and you can cast it (as many times as you can take the drain). Drain is a type of damage that you do to yourself when you cast a spell, kind of like getting tired or hungover.

[Mana_Prysm]

Ahhh... Thank you. That makes sence.

But really, buying expendible foci sounds like the best deal...

[toturi]

At first, it may seem that way. But expendables do not help with Spell Defense and they are one shot things, so make them count.

[Brazila]

Most GMs also consider the dice from exp foci to be a "pool" and if so then remember that you can't add more pool dice (even if from different pools) to a test than skill dice used.

[Glyph]

There is absolutely nothing in the rules for expendable foci to suggest such an interpretation. Any GM who plays it that way is using house rules.

Expendable foci are nice, but if you are a full mage, you might as well spend 6,000 Nuyen on a Force: 6 elemental instead of 9,000 Nuyen on a Force: 6 expendable spell focus. The elemental can use its Aid Sorcery power... and usually more than once (each time costs a service from the elemental). The only downside is that there is no elemental that can aid health spells.

Other foci only really start to look attractive when you have 400,000 Nuyen (for a mage) or 1,000,000 Nuyen (if you are an aspected awakened character, like, say, a sorcerer). But when you can afford them, foci can really make a difference. They give extra dice, and you can use them over and over again.

[Mana_Prysm]

Hmm... Tell me some more about elementals. - How many times you can use them, what neat things they can do.... :)


I'm learning a lot here guys thanks!