Hi all,
I'm creating a mage for an upcoming SR4 game. Rules are standard 400BP, and we're playing in the AGS (Allied German States aka Germany). Now, I've never built a mage with 400BP before (I'm used to Karmagen). Anyway, here's the build, any ideas are much appreciated.



Gabriel "Endorphine" Teleam

Attributes:
Body 3
Agility 2
Reaction 3
Strength 1
Charisma 7
Intuition 4
Logic 3
Willpower 4

Magic 5
Edge 3

Positive Qualities:
Magician
Mentor Spirit(Raven)

Negative Qualities:
Allergy(Sunlight, mild)
SINner
In Debt (5000)
Sensitive System

Spells:
Stunbolt
Mind Probe
Heal
Increase Reflexes
Improved Invisibility
Turn to Goo
Control Thoughts
Levitate

Skills:
Assensing 3
Con 1
Counterspell 4
Dodge 2
Etiquette 1
Perception 2
Spellcasting 5
Binding 4
Summoning 5

Knowledge Skills:
German N
Spheretiel 4
English 3
Polish 1
Japanese 1
Lifestyle 2
Magic theory 2
spirit names 2
Biology(Parazoology) 1
Clubmusic 1
Gangs 1


Connections:
Dr. Kevorkian (Streetdoc) 2/2
CMOT Ahmed (Talismonger) 2/2
Fixer 2/2


Equipment:
Commlink (Novatech Navi, Iris Orb) w/ FTL Matrixware Net Wizard
Commlink (Meta Link, Vector Xim)
Trodes
Formfitting Body Armor (Insulation 3, Fire Resistant 3, Nonconductivity 3)
Synergist Business Longcoat
Emotitoy 6
SIN (Gabriel Teleam)
Mage license(Gabriel Teleam)
Fake-Sin (Thomas Schmidt) 4
Fake-License (Mager) 4
Magesight-Googles
Power Focus 2
Sustaining Focus (Healing Spells) 3
Binding materials (3k)
Contact lenses (Vision Enhancement 3, Image link, Flare Compensation)
Lifestyle: Middle (2 Months)


Any ideas? Did I miss anything essential?

- You don't have a Fixer
- Make sure to specify your contact lenses are optical, not digital, otherwise they impede LOS. I suppose Vision Enhancement is available in optical mode too.
- Unless you're starved for cash, substandard commlinks aren't a good move. For you real commlink, get one with maxed Firewall and Analyze programs.
- Negotiation is useful for procuring restricted gear, and getting good money off Herr Schmidt. With your Charisma, the rest of the team expects you to do most of the negotiation anyway.
- No physical spells? Dangerous.. you want the option to kill, and the ability to deal with drones yourself. (Though I suppose spirits could do it for you.)
- No Disguise? No Intimidate?

What is your tradition and spirit types?


Anyway, I'd take Mana Static and Turn to Goo over Orgasm and Increase Reflexes every time on a utility mage, which is exactly what your build looks like. Your Dodge score and Reaction simply isn't really high enough to justify going on Full Defense vs. gunfire, so I'd recommend just sticking with Jazz and playing it conservative when it comes to shootouts. If it's a Spirit, bolt it, if it's an enemy Mage Goo it, and if it's anything else sit your butt behind cover and let the Samurai and your Spirits do what they do. If it looks like the opposition has superior Magic support and Spirits, consider dropping a Mana Static even if you cannot stay out of the area of effect-- it will hamper casting but not counter spelling, so lowering the effective Force of everything in the area may be the best way to even the odds so that your teammates can carry the fight. When in doubt, assume that your primary role on the team will be to safely handle any nasty magical surprises that could spring up.

I can't see any glaring holes in the character... it's reasonably well made. No real need to min/max the hell out of it.

Like others mentioned, putting 1 rank in negotiations or better yet 1 rank in the social skillgroup will pay some nice dividends and common for charisma traditions. (con, disguise, etiquette, and negotiations are ALL usefull skills and well worth the 4 for 1 10BP special). You already have 8BP in con & etiquette, I'd find 2 more for the group. (and if you don't like the group.. 2 karma to specialize negotiations early to break it is pretty cheap).

Start equipment wise... mage sight goggles are okay... I'm not overly fond of them as opposed to just using a small mirror. You lack ritual materials though... with your high charisma... you really should have a stockpile of ritual materials on hand to bind some spirits before play commences. (10 points worth per BP). Also some starting cash or a month or two of prepaid lifestyle doesn't hurt.


The only thing I notice, is that your namesake is not treated well... you need spells like magic hands, and levitate to act like your namesake!!! And you need to be surged to get the horns! And another spell to imitate some of the more offensive attacks of the force vectors (like say 'stroke') manipulation spell. Also spells like deflect as defense against bullets!

Castitus lilium you most definately are not ;P.

Youa re carrying a gun, and a decent ammount of ammunition, with no pistol skill and an agility of 2? If you ever fire that thing, you have a 1/6 chance of doing serious injury to yourself! I would either ditch the gun, or get one level of skill with it.
Yours,
Joel

Not exactly true about the contacts. You can always see through them (except when the flare comp kicks in). You just won't be able to use the enhancements to target spells. Like if you're using thermo to see in the dark, you have to turn that off to cast. And there's no optical option available for contacts, except vision correction. What's "optical lowlight", or "optical enhanced vision"?

Agree about the negotiation skill. Mages need expensive gear, and a good negotiation skill can save you (and your team) big money in the long run. With a 7 CHA, you don't need a high skill.

Is Your Mage Human?..if so, max charisma for unaugmented human is 6..cost of cha 6 is 25bp (5 ->6 ), and those BP's could be used
for raising STR/AGI or skills..
Trodes for Commlink, gas mask/respirator (for blocking the pollution/tear gas)

Oldschool binoculars provide optical vision enhancement. With another 52 years of improving material science, it's not implausible that something contact-lens sized could be developed.

Contact-sized themographic or low-light is probably a lot harder; I suppose you could try some fancy crystals to change light wave frequencies while perhaps preserving the original photons. That'd be stretching the concept of LOS pretty far though.

You already have both the Con and the Etiquette skill at 1 each. That is 8bps between the two of them; for 10bps you can get the Influence group, which will give you 1 leadership and negotiation. Two skills for the cost of 2 bp's. I may have miscounted, but you only have 25 bp's of negative qualities, pick up another one perhaps "Impaired attribute - Str" for an extra 5 bp, buy the influence group instead, and use the left over three BP for either another spell, or a boost to a contact.

Ditch the gun. You're more likely to shoot yourself in the foot. An armored jacket would be keen, it stacks with FFBA. If not that, then Magical lodge materials, or Binding materials.

My two cents.

Armored Jacket have B 8/ I 6, for body 3, it means major penalties..Better choice would be Longcoat (4/2) (Arsenal pg. 46) combined w/
Form Fitting Body Armor (half-body version) (4/1, but counted as 2/0 when looking penalties), and some parts of PPP (Arsenal pg 49)
(and adding the Chemical Protection to them..)

From the 7 Charisma and knowledge of Sperethiel, I'm guessing you are an Elven Shaman. Indicate the tradition so that you know what your drain stats are. You have to pay 30 BP to be an Elf.

Right you are. I was running off memory - didn't have the books available. Either way, he should get more armor.

Hi all,
thanks for the answers so far! To answer the questions:

@Ascalaphus: Ok, I'll add in the Fixer, it seems reasonable. As for physical attack spells, their drain value seems to be a tad bit high. I'll make sure to ask my DM whether optical lenses are ok with him.

@Whipstitch: The character's an Elf (already calculated into the cost), utilizing the "Black Magic" tradition from Street Magic. It has the same spirits as the Hermetic tradition (Fire, Water, Air, Earth, Man). Turn to Goo sounds excellent, I'll swap Orgasm for it. I'm not sure about Mana Static; we have two adepts in our group, and they'll be affected by background count too.

@Falconer: Alright, Influence it shall be then. I'm not too fond of Leadership, but Negotiation seems worth the investment. I still have some cash left, and after scrubbing the pistol, it should suffice for some binding materials. BTW, I do have Levitate, and Horns can be added with minor surgery. However, while appealing, I shall not rebuilt my namesake. At least, not for now

@JoelHalpern: Ok, I've ditched the gun. It was mostly for show anyway.

@Stingray: Ok, added all of those.


So, with all your input, here's the new sheet:

Gabriel "Endorphine" Teleam

Attributes:
Body 3
Agility 2
Reaction 3
Strength 1
Charisma 7
Intuition 4
Logic 3
Willpower 4

Magic 5
Edge 3

Positive Qualities:
Magician
Mentor Spirit(Raven)

Negative Qualities:
Allergy(Sunlight, mild)
SINner
In Debt (5000)
Sensitive System

Spells:
Stunbolt
Mind Probe
Heal
Increase Reflexes
Improved Invisibility
Turn to Goo
Control Thoughts
Levitate

Skills:
Assensing 3
Con 1
Counterspell 4
Dodge 2
Etiquette 1
Perception 2
Spellcasting 5
Binding 4
Summoning 5

Knowledge Skills:
German N
Spheretiel 4
English 3
Polish 1
Japanese 1
Lifestyle 2
Magic theory 2
spirit names 2
Biology(Parazoology) 1
Clubmusic 1
Gangs 1


Connections:
Dr. Kevorkian (Streetdoc) 2/2
CMOT Ahmed (Talismonger) 2/2
Fixer 2/2


Equipment:
Commlink (Novatech Navi, Iris Orb) w/ FTL Matrixware Net Wizard
Commlink (Meta Link, Vector Xim)
Trodes
Formfitting Body Armor (Insulation 3, Fire Resistant 3, Nonconductivity 3)
Synergist Business Longcoat
Emotitoy 6
SIN (Gabriel Teleam)
Mage license(Gabriel Teleam)
Fake-Sin (Thomas Schmidt) 4
Fake-License (Mager) 4
Magesight-Googles
Power Focus 2
Sustaining Focus (Healing Spells) 3
Binding materials (3k)
Contact lenses (Vision Enhancement 3, Image link, Flare Compensation)
Lifestyle: Middle (2 Months)




Another question: Is Restricted Gear + Power Focus 4 a viable option?

Just pure BP wise if you buy the influence group, it's 10 Bp for con, etiquette, negotiation and (only listed for completeness) leadership. 1 level in Con and etiquette is 8bp. Two more BP will get you one level of negotiation and (listed for completeness) leadership . Really worth thinking about.

You have Increase Reflexes, Control thoughts, turn to goo, improved invis, and levitate. Lots of sustained spells, but no sustaining foci. A sustaining foci would be good for you to pick up sooner than later, though maybe not a chargen... However as this topic is about chargen this paragraph is slightly tangential.

IMHO Turn to Goo isn't that great. You have to roll against the target's BOD+Counterspelling. Orgasm, or even better Orgy is against the target's WIL+ Counterspelling. A target's BOD is mostly higher than its WIL. With TtG it is an all or nothing thing. With Orgasm, you can hinder the target even if it isn't completely incapacitated. 2-8 net hit incapacitate the target(s) completely. Orgasm is also more drain friendly and there is an area version. Getting Cyberware out of the goo isn't easy either. It's easier to kill the person and cut him up (No Barrier of BOD+Net hits)

You haven't used your maximum of 200BP. Increasing attributes with karma is very expensive in SR4A or the latest errata(New Rating*5).

Cut Me Own Throat? Someone knows discworld.
I'm not sure if I would want to be treated by Dr. Kevorkian, at least not if it is a life or death situation.

YES!!!

Well, I do have a sustaining focus for Health spells (mainly intended for Increase Reflexes).




Hmm, I'll have to think about it some more. The main advantage of "Turn to goo" seemed to be the ability to target Body, which synergizes quite nicely with Stunbolt.




I'm somewhat starved for points. What would you suggest removing in order to increase the attributes?



The names are mostly placeholders, I'm not sure my group get the references



Alright, I'm going to remove the mentor spirit and the sustaining focus in order to purchase the power focus.

Where is the synergy? The stunbolt is resisted by WIL. If you ment different angles of attack, you are right.

I always lack points for edge. Otherwise the problem is that the Focus takes a lot of BP. Still this is a good investment as well.

This is efficient.

I realize you are a bit starved for BP, but I do advise putting the gun back in the build with one point in pistols and a specialization. I realize you are a mage and all that lovely jazz, but you do need to be able to fire a gun. There are times where background counts/magical defenses are vicious, you can't take the drain, or a host of other reasons why competence with a pistol is valuable. Agi 2 + Pistol 1 + Spec 2 + Smartgun 2 = 7, which is a mildly respectable dicepool and something you can use in a pinch.

Not a huge deal, just a suggestion.

Also, if you are that low on BP you may consider dropping the loyalty on your contacts (fixer should prolly be 3 con anyway...).

Another thing that may help would be dropping you perception to 1 (2 is a bit bp inefficient and if you are in need of the points now, its not a bad move) and ditching dodge in favor of the Athletics Group at 1, which would give you gymnastics to dodge with and a spare 2 points.

Again, I am no guru, just a few things that may help.

It won't necessarily do that; Body as a threshold is tougher to beat than Willpower as an opposed test-- between Turn to Goo and Control Thoughts, the latter will almost always be more reliable. It's worth noting that Turn To Goo is far more appropriate for disabling someone for long periods of time than Control Thoughts is, however-- Unless it's been nerfed with SR4A updates, with Turn To Goo they won't need oxygen and they don't get to chip away your mental hold every Force combat rounds. You can literally just scrape them into a hefty bag and toss them in the trunk. With that said, it's a pretty expendable spell, but I'd still take it over Orgasm which is honestly a spell I just never really found that much use for.

Turn to Goo does not have BOD as threshold, only the force of the spell has to be equal or greater than the target's BOD. If this condition is met, it is an opposed test of MAG+Spellcasting vs. BOD(+Counterspelling)

Control thoughts or other mental manipulations have not been nerfed in SR4A contrary to Indirect Combat Spells and those spells that are "resisted" by OR.

Orgasm isn't that great, but Orgy is great, especially since it is a lot better than Mass Agony