I recalling seeing rules in 2nd ed for Mage/Deckers. I can't find any in 3rd ed, are there any?

Not sure what you want. A mage can be a decker, sure.

There arent any mage/decker specific rules that I've ever seen. Mages can be deckers without any special rules in 3rd ed. Well, none other than the fact that you cant cast spells in the Matrix, but that should be obvious.

Yes, there are rules. If the mage wants a datajack, they suffer a point of magic loss unless they geas it away. If they don't get a datajack, they have to use a 'trode rig instead, which has its own disadvantages. Magic doesn't work in the Matrix. Basically, the standard rules for deckers combined with the rules for cyberware and the Awakened, nothing more.

~J

There are a few rules scattered here and there. As I recall there's a special test you need to roll before projecting while decking (which obviously ends the decking session). Mostly stuff that'll never happen.

I don't recall, but they nixed that silly rule that gave you a penalty for having a magic attribute and decking or rigging, didn't they?

There used to be some pretty ugly penalties to actions in the matrix if you were magicially active, due to the differing worldviews. I think these were either in Awakenings or VR 2.0.

Wow.

Reaver=Spell Locks.

That's my summary of you.

BTW, WHAT THE HELL ARE SPELL LOCKS? I like to know when people are bitching.

they were a type of focus similar to sustaining foci. only they didn't have a force, you could cast any spell into them and it was "locked". its uber-broken munchy crap that people need to quit bitching about. systaining foci are way more balanced.

*Search through the old and dusty, give up and add from memory*
Spell locks cost 1 karma, could hold a spell of any force, could be turned off without requiring the spell to be recast, but resisted like any other force 1 focus.

Waaaaaa!

When I converted my character from SR2 to SR3, I switched my spell locks for sustaining foci of the appropriate forces. And then I quit whining about it.

Hey!

Back on track!

Decker magi! The character type makes a great 'doorman' with the ability to open almost any kind of barrier. Kinda stink at maging and decking, but them's the breaks. Question is: is it worth trying? Or are the penalties too horrible to deal with?

It's a perfectly viable character concept. The minimal cyber you need to be a decker doesn't hurt your Magic too badly (and if you're getting the datajack and losing/geasing the Magic point anyway, you might as well take another 0.8 Essence of handy cyber/bio while you're at it), and being Awakened doesn't affect you in the Matrix. Your points are going to be spread kind of thin - you won't have a lot of capability outside your core foci - but it's doable.

And later on, you can dump your Karma into improving your magic and your cash into improving your deck, which works out nicely. Both fields can be severe time sinks, though.

no kidding. devolping an Analyze Code spell might be worthwhile--works like Analyze Device, but gives you points in an appropriate Program Design knowledge skill.

I want a Force 6 Debug spell.

~J

groan.

I'm in school now so I can't look it up, but I'm pretty sure there was something about mages and decking in the first Virtual Realities (first edition). There where some penalties, and then you always have... "Sir Twist" (?) from the "Secrets of Power" trilogy. His icon limped because he was a shaman.

I don't remember there being anything in Awakenings nor Virtual Realities 2.0. I think they dropped that idea when they went to the second edition, just like they (sorta) dropped the rules for decking without a deck. No, I'm not talking about Otaku, I'm talking about regular deckers being able to deck without a deck and the rules for it.

Deck Naked!

~J

Yeah! Fastjack did it in the opening story in First ed. Check the cover, the elf popping what looks like spurs, is actually specialized cyberwear for deckers to jack in without a deck, basically precurser to the Cranial cyberdeck.

Well, I've looked it up and they give two options:

1) Increase all TN:s with the magicians Magic Attribute.

2) Increase all TN:s with the magicians Sorcery skill.

Edit: This is from Virtual Realities from first edition.

I ran a decker/sorcerer in a game about a year ago. It was an extremely fun character to play, particularly since the GM wanted to do a lot of Matrix activity and had the players make a "street" character and a matrix runner. I convinced the GM to let me use a single character since the concept filled both roles.

Anyway, magic, outside of the essence loss, wasn't an issue in the game although, I did create a spell (using a sustaining focus) designed to sever my connection with the Matrix if the feedback increased beyond a certain amount. The GM looked at me like I grew a second head and said okay, but said it would degrade my performance. I didn't care since I was decking alone most of the time and wasn't the lead cracker on my runs.

I liked the character, a lot. He wasn't maximized for efficiency like the specialist characters, but his presence in multiple environments was a lot more satisfying for me in a roleplaying sense.

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I had a fun character made using the "newbie runner" rulles from an old Ka-Ge. Sorcery adept and decker. "Smith". As in, "Locksmith, opener of doors". A good old fashioned B&E specialist. Not much use in a fight, but the only character I've come across directly who could deal with a good old mechanical lock, a maglock, or a ward......