Magicians, random questions. Options

[Angelone]

Although I'm having a blast as a rigger, my first character was a magician, coyote shaman to be more specific, casters have always held a special place in my gaming heart. So without further ado I've got questions about ya'lls magical MOs.

What types foci do you use:
For a starting character?
For an experienced character?
For a powerful character?

Do you solo initiate or use groups?
What's your favorite ordeal?
What order do you get metamagic?

Some cyber/bio or puritan?

How many spells do you usually end up with?

What spell do you consider useless?

What is your favorite spell? (singular)

Any interesting combos you like? (Spells or skills or gear or all of the above)

Any other questions you want answered?

I'll answer the questions later don't want to sway opinions just yet.

[toturi]

Bioware: Trauma Dampener. :D

[CrystalBlue]

First off, I don't get foci right away. It's blah to me untill you've initiated and gotten the karma to spend on it. But when I do get it, I like to take a lot of sustaining foci, maybe one power focus. I like dog and fox shamans, so having my detection and illusion spells up all the time without trying is a major plus. ^.^

I would never solo initiate. Though, for my character, he wouldn't know any better. I would like to get a group, and if I found one, weeee! I'd take it in a new-york minute. And if I initiate, the first ordeal is almost always the Oath. Then a thesis. After that, I'd take a familiar, then astral quest. After that...hmm...I don't know. The first on my list for metamagic is always centering. After that, I take quickening, then cleansing. I don't know what I've pick up after all that.

Cyberware? Bioware? You're talking to a person that uses shapeshifters every chance he gets. :P

My compliment right away...aronud 10 spells. Pump my needed spells to 6, the useful ones to 4, and keep most of my combat spells to 2. I do take one combat spell at 6, just to make sure I have something in a pinch.

Hehe...single useful spell? Drek...that's a damn hard question. I would have to say...Trid Entertainment and Trid Phantasm. Why that? Because that way, whatever I make is precieved by everyone, not just humans. Fun to use to cover your hoop if there are cameras around. And keeps people from video-taping the wrong thing.

Take Physical Camo, sustain it to a focus, take Improved Reflexes +3, sustain it to a focus. Max out stealth and athletics. Get a glass cutter, maglock key, and a full form-fitting suit padded down with thermal dampening. Now...can you see me? Didn't think so. Go away now. I have to rob you and your corp blind.

[6thDragon]

I never start with foci. I always give my mages the enchanting foci and do them all myself. weapons foci are great unless you don't ever plan on getting into hand-to-hand combat and don't travel the astral plane often. I've never been a big fan of sustaining foci, but I'm considering them for the mage I just started playing. Spell category foci have always been one of my favorite. And I'm considering a Shielding foci once I progress a little more. I think it would be incredibly useful when I'm in a tough spot.
I'm never done a solo initiation, the karma cost is much higher, but if I had the right character and it fit his background I'd do it. Oath and Thesis are usually the first two ordeals, but then I like astral quests and meditation. Metamagics I almost always get Masking and Sheilding, but with the character I just started playing I think I'll go with Psychometry and Centering.
I can't think of a single mage I've played that has not gotten some form of cyber or bio. Trauma damper is great, but a little munchie. Otherwise, mnemonic enhaners are great, especially if you get a incantation geas to offset the magic loss and a language for Centering. :D
Most mages are always adding to their selection, so I have no idea how much I'd end up with. Some of my favorites are Trid Phantasm and Control Thoughts. Control Thoughts is great because it doesn't give you away at first and can double as Compel Truth if you need to. Armor is also almost a must, but I've house-ruled it only counts as an extra layer of armor instead of adding the force to the armor total.
I had a character with weapon foci cyberspurs. It was a great character to play. Also pick an elemental manipulation spell like Fireball, then use a fetish to lower the force of the spell for resisting drain, learn it at one force above your magic attribute so you can cast it and still take stun drain :D .

[Sabosect]

What types foci do you use:
For a starting character?

Typically? Expendable. Get a few at Level 4, a few at Level 5, and a few at Level 6. You'll thank me for them later.

For an experienced character?

Still go for expendable, but grab the rest of the types as well. Try to get only one weapon focus.

For a powerful character?

Basically, a weapon focus and a few expendables. You should be powerful enough at this point to rely heavily on your magic. When that fails, you have guns.

Do you solo initiate or use groups?

Groups.

What's your favorite ordeal?

The Oath.

What order do you get metamagic?

That actually depends. Try to see what the campaign demands of you and compare it to your style of playing. Grab the metamagic that matches.

Some cyber/bio or puritan?

Puritan. Try to stay it. Geases are annoying.

How many spells do you usually end up with?

About 10 or 11 at start.

What spell do you consider useless?

Trust me, I have found the strangest uses for spells. I don't really see any of them as useless. Just depends on the situation.

What is your favorite spell? (singular)

Deathbolt, followed by a tie between powerball and fireball.

Any interesting combos you like? (Spells or skills or gear or all of the above)

Control Actions + Manaball. Make it look like the enemy mage is betraying his comrades.

[Deamon_Knight]

A little OT, but I have a question about foci in general. An active focus is dual natured, so if a mage is astrally precieving he can target the focus' astral form with a manabolt, and thus destroy the enchantment. However, it seems this leaves the focus intact.

I wonder if the astrally precieving mage could cast a powerbolt and destroy the focus item along with the enchantment; SR3 says only mana, not physical, spells can effect astral forms like foci and spirits. But, that runs counter to most other rules about spellcasting, or is that rule intented to mean if you only INTENDED to destroy the enchantment instead of the focus item itself, then only a mana spell would do?

[Herald of Verjig...]

What runs counter? Only mana spells can be cast along the astral plane. You can target a physical spell through astral perception, but you still need the material form to be visible for that to work.

[Angelone]

What types foci do you use:
For a starting character? Expendable, Sustaining
For an experienced character? Expendable, Weapon, Sustaining
For a powerful character? Weapon

Do you solo initiate or use groups? My runner group will have 3 or 4 magicians at any given time so we made an intiatory group
What's your favorite ordeal? Meditation or Astral quest
What order do you get metamagic? Masking, Quickening, Cleansing, Filtering, anything else

Some cyber/bio or puritan? Puritan, cyber or bio is handy but don't like getting it.

How many spells do you usually end up with? 10 or so starting, the highest number I've ever gotten is 28

What spell do you consider useless? Deflection, would be different if the successes added to the TN to hit you but adding to combat pool is kinda eh.

What is your favorite spell? (singular) Turn to Goo, name says it all

Any interesting combos you like? (Spells or skills or gear or all of the above)Ice Sheet, Chaotic World, Mass Agony, and Stench. I'm a very cruel person.

Any other questions you want answered?

Any spells you've made that you're proud of? Emperor's New Clothes. Turns someones clothing invisible, like I said I'm mean.

[Dawnshadow]

Foci:
starting -- varies, none to sustaining. Depends on the power of the game.
experienced -- (or starting, high powered). none (only one character) to power, sustaining and expendable. Optional weapon focus.

Initiation:

I want groups. I am solo. The other PCs had a group, but my character at that point was a little outside of the groups range of members. To the point that there was suspicions if they found out about him they'd try and kill him. Repeatedly. Currently, just starting, but it's looking like if we want a group, the PCs will have to make it. And I really don't want to be the one to do that, because I'd be making up most of the group.. (have two characters)

Cyber/Bio/Puritan: Yes.

Two puritans, one conjurer with trauma dampener, mnemonic enhancers, nictating membranes, and smartlink-2.

Useless spell: Not sure. I haven't really thought about it..

Useful spell: Not sure. Useful ones that become liabilities quickly.. (berserk IR+3.. bad thing, that)

Combos: High Charisma, ungodly conjuring, trauma dampener, invoking.
Who cares if you only have 5 willpower when you're conjuring force 6 greatforms, and cannot take drain from them?

Spells I'm proud of: Sustained manaball that looks like black fire. Lightning+thunder bolt (Work In Progress)

[Ryu]

Foci
For a starting character? none
For an experienced character? sustaining, spell category
For a powerful character? power

Do you solo initiate or use groups? Groups only
What's your favorite ordeal? Meditation
What order do you get metamagic? Masking, Shielding, other

Some cyber/bio or puritan? Datajack, some senseware, some bio, max. 2 points magic loss

How many spells do you usually end up with? insufficient intelligence

What spell do you consider useless? Detox (toxin power is usually high)

What is your favorite spell? Physical Mask

Any interesting combos you like? Illusion spells and extended spell sustaining by low-powered water elementals.

[nick012000]

Foci? Force 1 sustaining (improved initiative 3).

[6thDragon]

[Cain]

What types foci do you use:
For a starting character? Depends on the character. Expendable, mostof the time, though; occasionally, a force-1 sustaining focus for Inc Reflexes 3, and maybe a force-1 Power focus if I've taken any cyber/bio.
For an experienced character? More of the same. Maybe add a Centering focus if I've got it; also, spirit foci if I'm doing a lot of conjuring.
For a powerful character? Same basic layout; sometimes add shielding foci and/or a better power focus. I don't bother with weapon foci, I shouldn't need to get into melee at this point.

Do you solo initiate or use groups? Groups, when possible. It depends on the character.
What's your favorite ordeal? Oath, Astral Quest, Meditation, occasionally Familiar.
What order do you get metamagic? Depends on the character. However, I almost always go for Masking, Shielding, and Centering; the order just varies.

Some cyber/bio or puritan? Again, it depends. If I go for 'ware, it's usually a trauma damper, and/or a smartlink, and/or skillwires.

How many spells do you usually end up with? As many as I can get.

What spell do you consider useless? None are *useless*, but I think stunbolt/ball is much better than manabolt/ball. They've got roughly the same array of possible targets and the effects work out to be pretty close in actual use. You might as well go with the lower drain on the Stun spells.

What is your favorite spell? (singular) I've had a lot of fun with a lot of spells; but Fashion/Makeover can be a major ace in the hole.

Any interesting combos you like? (Spells or skills or gear or all of the above) Again, Fashion/Makeover. Use them carefully, and they become an undetectable disguies.

[Ancient History]

[Apathy]