If 12 spells is the maximum amount of spells you can start with, what are your top 12?

I'm thinking
Mana Bolt
Stunbolt
Stunball
Influence
Improved Invisibility
Mind Probe
Levitate
Increase Reflexes
Increase Reaction
Heal
Mana Static
Deflection

Technically, you could actually start with 14 spells if you took the Aptitude Quality for Spellcasting (or Ritual Sorcery).

Fashion is missing on that list.

Ditch Increase Reaction. Increase Reflexes can cover you nicely in that department.

You might need Increase Attribute Willpower. Only thing boosting willpower and its your Drain stat. Ditch Stunbolt. You need 1 AE and 1 ST damager, and you got that.

I'd have to read up on deflection to gauge its value though.

Good list otherwise.

If you can also summon spirits, Conceal Power might be able to take the place of Imp. Inivisibility.

I like combat sense and better than deflection, and deflection better than Increased Attribute [Reaction]. You should be able to get Influence from a spirit. As awesome as the stun spells are, I like going with spells you can't duplicate without magic. Neurostun and S&S are quit powerful and don't take karma/BP to field.

Now with your remain picks you should pick up to other tricks that have some synergy. For example chaotic world, trid phantasm, and mob mood will work wonders for an escape and diversion, as well as all being top notch in there own right(except maybe mob mood). Another way to go is the tank mage: physical barrier, mana barrier, and armor. You can use those on top of your other spells to make a drone or same basically untouchable. with 12 pics you can also rock out as an illusionist. Mask, Vehicular Mask, trid phantasm, together will let you make just about anything look like just about anything. Lastly there is the "no really you can't find me" mage with imp invisability, stealth, silence, camouflage, who makes use of the influance and confusion as well. I'm also fond of the detection mage in theory, but they have a way of screwing games.

Also there is are some really good threads on this topic if you search a little

I'd say "orgy" is incredibly useful. AoE and non-lethal. Lets you stop large crowds of people from doing something brash, and they won't hate you for it later (they might even feel some sort of debt...). Plus, even if you're wounded or sustaining other spells (oh, right, you get to sustain this one), and you flub the test, every hit counts. So what if they're not all on the floor rolling around in joy? With just one net hit, they're still at a -1 DP. Even if you aren't trying to avoid violence, this one will set them up nicely as targets for more bullet-minded comrades of yours.

I've always like the combination of shapechange and levitate for bypassing physical security. All you need is a nice nerdy (Low body) tech type to actually shapechange.
Shapechange the nerd into a form that can get past the detection device and levitate any tools they may need to shut it off/bypass it over to them.

Not to mention another revenue possibility if you have the control of the security system and are able to get a full Tri-D record of the event.

The Internet is for Porn, the Matrix is for SimPorn!

I was just wondering what you could sell of simsense recording of the effects of an edged force 6 orgasm spell for?
Find a simsense starlet with a simrig, and nail her with her.

I tink the choice of spells shows how spell casters approach a run.

Stun bolt: a good combat spell for taking out gunnies

Heal: first aid

Hot potato: a good distraction/disarm spell

Mind Probe: intell

Healthy glow: I'm vain

Fashion: ditto

Physical Mask: infiltration I like it better than invisibility because someone will check a door opening on it's own but not the cleaning lady.

Alter Memory: in case they do question it

Flame thrower: a great way to clear the hall-not casualties but people will duck

Contol thoughts: when I'm really desperate

Cure disease: just in case

Ram: fine tuned you don't need to smash a door if you can do the lock.

Sterilize and Mana Static are pretty good.

Deflection and Reinforce for buffing drones. So long as you can avoid melee, Deflection beats Armour hands down. I'm not keen on Illusion spells because most of them are resisted which makes them unpredictable and likely to provide less bang for your buck than other stuff.

If your going to augment a Drain stat you might as well do them both. Increasing both by 2 is a lot easier than bumping one by 4.

Shapechange is brilliant, split your pool with Fashion and keep your armour. Shape (Material) is also awesome if you like to get creative...

Oddly, I find that, in real life, many people respond negatively to being sexually pleasured against their wills. Mass magical rape is sensational enough to garner more headlines than mass magicla torture is.


Heal
Detect Life
Analyze Device
Fix
Stunbolt
Stunball
Lightning Bolt
Lightning Ball
Mind Probe
Physical Mask
Levitate
Improved Invisibility

Thats alot of combat spells there. I take it you prefer the combat role to utility?

Only four. If you need them then you'll want them. Better prepared than dead.

That's a good point if rape is nothing more than being sexually "pleasured" against one's will.

It's a good point that the effect could be taken negatively.

No Analyze Device? The super awesome spell that grants handfuls of dice to any object related task?
Maybe not handfuls, but Analyze Device would most certainly make my list.
And Manna Static is also a good one to keep in your pocket if you ever need to ambush mages or crowd control for a wiz-gang.
And I've seen Offensive Mana Barrier put to excellent use, though I am not sure it quite makes the top 12 if maximum all around effect is what you are looking at.

But then again I wouldn't even bother with many combat spells. Most other players have combat well handled. I think mages shine the best as utility characters. So gimme a comlink with Analyze Device cast on it, and half a dozen possessed drones over manaball spell any day.



I don't think being sexually pleasured against your will constitutes rape. The difference being arousal. Orgasm makes you jiz your pants and incapacitates you with waves of sexual pleasure. Rape is much more abusive, prolonged, and from my understanding involves nothing remotely akin to sexual pleasure. I think it could be safely said that it is fairly impossibly to be 'sexually pleasured' against your will. Admitedly the entire subject is one shaded grey area, but I think orgasim inducing magic would fall more over on the whiter side of sexual abuse.

I also doubt that random people would be like 'Thanks a lot, chummer! ' for you forcibly inducing them to cream their new jeans. Granted, with the proper setting and suplimentation with successful social rolls I could totally see you winning the devoted dedication (Dedicated devotion?) of an entire sex club as you blast them with wave after mecielss wave of frenzied sexual pleasure. Good way to make yourself a known as sexual icon while keeping yourself unobtainably aloof on any personal level...

Edit: I removed the referance to Orgasmo because it was just too obvious...

Control Thoughts PWNs. That and Influence definately take the cake in my book.

i prefer taking power bolt over stun bolt for it's utility in taking out physical objects 9drones, vehicles doors etc.
in one campaign we banned the whole control thoughts, influence spells because they were just too much.

They're at least easier to handle in 4th edition because the subject's aware of it. In a lot of situations, that can make a world of difference, and it limits the utility of such spells a lot.

Hmm...I'm nost sure where the subject is aware in either version of those spells. The exception being Influence when it's pointed out to them...but still a stretch to say aware.

I thought the rule on mental manipulations in 4e was that the subject is always automatically aware? Or is that just detections spells like Mind Probe?

Mind Probe reads that the subject is aware. Mental Manipulations have nothing in particular about them and Influence specifically reads that they treat it as if it was their own idea unless confronted with evidence to the contrary (ie a trusted friend/coworker asking about their actions). Control Thoughts just reads that they are compelled, which the argument could be made either way. I just use control thoughts as a combat spell that ends encounters (ie take over the enemy with the most 'ware and use him to take out the oposition then shoot themselves in the head). Influence is the catch all for making them do something they normally wouldn't (ie let me into this secure facility without any questions). As I said before, it's really all you need.