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Ryu
And with extended range, I don´t see how one can consider the range "short". Spatial Sense is very good to have, worthy of a sustaining focus IMO. Drones I´m not concerned with, thats the area of the hacker and samurais.

Analyse Device can be very useful - You sustain the spell to support important skill tests of other chars, say "Demolitions(Disarm)". It is not at all useable with sustaining foci because the high force makes those expensive. And the spell is never on the priority buy lists my players show me... hmm...
Eyeless Blond
So what does make your short list of spells, and where would the more powerful detections fit? Because that's one big problem I'm having with detection spells now; they just don't seem worthwhile to specialize in, unlike say control/tk manipulations or illusions.
Whipstitch
I actually think Detection's a pretty worthwhile specialization if it fits your Mage's particular niche. Detect Life can render Detect Enemies superfluous with enough hits and Analyze Device is pretty useless if you don't have the dice to beat OR by a decent margin. I'd say that Manipulation is the best overall specialization, but that says more about just how broad the Manipulation spell category is than it does about any real weaknesses in the Detection spell list.
Whitelaughter
QUOTE (Eyeless Blond @ Feb 27 2008, 08:56 AM) *
So what does make your short list of spells, and where would the more powerful detections fit? Because that's one big problem I'm having with detection spells now; they just don't seem worthwhile to specialize in, unlike say control/tk manipulations or illusions.

Sure, but that's caused by the niche that Shadowrunners fall into. A Detection specialist isn't going to be a runner; he's better of doing Corp work, or running a legitimate business.
Eyeless Blond
Like PI work? I suppose no one ever does legwork on your runs? Not everyone's cut out to be a Lone Star detective, you know.

Unfortunately it seems that all the really cool detection powers went to the adept side of life. Guess that's why the modified Occult Investigator was retrofitted into a mystic adept, emphasis on the adept, with only a single Detection spell on his list.
Whitelaughter
That's hardly new. When an Adept can be a bloodhound for .25 of a power point, magicians find it hard to keep up. Even back in 2nd ed, Adepts were the investigators par excellence.

Legwork? How often does legwork involve what's within 10*Magic metres?
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