I know this has been discussed on the boards, and Synner has informed all of us on this small tidbit of knowledge, but I cannot find it anywhere. I and my player, have been having this argument every game session for the past 4 sessions. Area of Effect spell targeting. He is kinda stuck in 2nd and 3rd ed where you could target an area with a Direct Combat spell ie Stun/Mana/Powerball, whereas now you must specify a specific individual target for these spells.

Indirect I know follow the grenade rules for targeting we have agreed on that. I am a strict RAW/Canon rules lawyer GM. I follow what is written down in the BBB, FAQ, Errata and what Rob and Peter have put down and clarified.

I cannot find a page reference for Spell targeting an Area of Effect Direct Combat spells. Can anyone throw me a page reference? I ran a search for it on the Forums and found tons of refereces to the subject but not a page reference or online reference.

My initial reading is that you can target an area with Direct Combat Area spells, but that targets in that area must be visible to the caster in order for them to be affected.

p. 173 SR4
"Area Spells: Some spells target areas or points in space; in
this case the caster must be able to see the center of the area affected.
All visible targets within the area are aff ected; area spells
can aff ect more than one target at a time. Th e base radius for
all area spells is the Force in meters. Area spells aff ect all valid
targets within the radius of eff ect, friend and foe alike (including
the caster). For this reason, spellcasters oft en choose to vary
the radius of area spells. Th is is done by withholding dice from
the Spellcasting Test. Th e caster can reduce or expand the base
radius by 1 meter for every die withheld from the Spellcasting
Test. Dice expended to change the radius of eff ect cannot be
used in any related test, such as resisting Drain for that spell."

p. 195
"Direct Combat Spells: Handle these as an Opposed
Test. Th e caster’s Magic + Spellcasting is resisted by the target’s
Body (for physical spells) or Willpower (for mana spells), plus
Counterspelling (if available). Th e caster needs at least one net
hit for the spell to take eff ect. Direct Combat spells aff ect the
target from the inside, so armor does not help with resistance.
Direct Combat spells cast against nonliving objects are
treated as Success Tests; the caster much achieve enough hits to
beat the item’s Object Resistance (see p. 174). Net hits increase
damage as normal (the object does not get a resistance test)."

p. 160 Street Magic
"Area Effect: As described on p. 173, SR4, area spells affect
all valid targets within an area of effect. Area spells cannot affect
individuals who cannot be seen, even if they are within the area
designated for the effect. Magicians also may not selectively ignore
valid targets within the area of effect, including themselves.
The base area of effect can be centered anywhere within line of
sight and has a radius equal to the caster’s Magic in meters."