I've got a rough idea for a character concept, but I was looking for tips from the general masses. I'm not looking for best min/max build, but just what people think would be important abilities/skills/spells/etc to try to make a rough concept work. As you can probably guess, the concept is that of an Awakened Threats hunter. This is still a rough concept, so I don't know how I'd want to specialize that more (bugs, blood magic, toxic, etc), so I guess what I'm looking for is more in the line of a Magical Investigator/detective type to track the threats down. Definately more of a subtle find them, trap them approach than someone just blasting their way through.

To add to this, the thought of doing this as a Free Spirit has some appeal if it's possible to be competent (again, I don't need a total min/max idea, just trying to see if it's feasible). To give an idea of what I consider competent: Vampire Hunter D is the master and not what I'm looking for, but the Ghostbusters (especially towards the beginning of the movie) had just enough to get by and were therefore competent.

I would go for an aspected mage, or a mystical adept.

Those will work, but I suggest a Physad. There are a few powers there which can really help a magic detective-type, and you can save a lot of points for those all- important detective skills by skipping the two magic skill groups.

It would be a bit harder, but you could also try a mundane. Large amounts of skills and a high-loyalty sidekick mage for the arcane bits are quite a doable combo. A nice thing is that magic threats can (much like players) underestimate what a threat a skilled mundane can be.

Magic is nice, but knowledge is better.

Maybe a mundane with some kind of custom spirt pact.

Mystic adept, with plenty of spell resistance. Iron will, cloak, great leap and freefall for those rooftop parkour chases while bad techno music plays in the background. Obviously you're going to either need a weapon focus, or astral perception, astral combat and attacks of will (Kiai martial art style for the +3 to DV on attacks of will?). Astral perception and assensing would be a good idea in the first place. Magic sense would be a good thing to look into.

Free spirit is unlikely to be viable, if only because they cost 250 BP right out of the gate. They come with the mage quality for free (I believe), but you're going to have trouble getting anything more than some 2s for stats and 2s and 3s in your skills. Not to mention you'll have even more trouble taking realistic form or something similar to keep yourself standing out (Bad thing for a detective).

Mage with a strong focus in detection and illusion spells. Illusion helps with getting into places he isn't really supposed to be, and detection is great for making sure you overhear that conversation or even simple things like that categorize spell (Why wasn't there any food in the apartment, or why was there alot?)

You could drop or keep low your summoning spells. Watchers are going to be among your most useful to have them keep tabs on people. Low force spirits can be great for "Go check if there is anything in the air ducts, on the roof, in the attic, etc" and can once again keep tabs on people. Could even opt out of the binding skill entirely.

I'd imagine counterspell would be more important than spellcasting for the idea you're going with, putting that up to max along with a good willpower can make you fairly immune to many threats short of high magic foes with foci and maxed out spellcasting. Maybe get a combat counterspelling foci to make sure even those types can't just stunbolt you to oblivion.

Gnomes or Fomori with their arcane arrester might be a decent choice. Spirit pacts are cool too, its always seemed like a cool concept to make a deal with the devil

Faustian Mages are often considered threats themselves.

If you do go the mage route, I would suggest either a sustaining focus or bioware Initiative enhancement. Nothing sucks more than when you have have to move fast and you CAN'T.

Try to branch your character out into general investigation, with skill specialties to match your chosen prey. This will make him/her/it more employable to a generic Johnson. Learn to think like a hunter as well as a detective - out door skills are just as useful as investigative. Have some social skills for when you need to bargain with the intelligent critters. Maybe you can convince that wraith to stop bugging the little old lady down the street and instead go after that executive who screwed your team last month.

Make sure you pick up plenty of appropriate knowledge skills. You need to know your prey in advance to be able to rely on contacts. In the field that's a rare luxury. Every time you encounter evidence, ask your GM if it points to a particular type of critter, magic tradition, etc. Ask the GM what weaknesses and powers such critters have, their behavior and habits, etc. Your GM might even give you an idea of game stats on critters.

Astral perception is an absolute must - assessing a scene will tell you more about your target than hours of forensic work. Even a lack of astral evidence tells you something about you quarry, namely that it's smart enough to cover its tracks.

Many threats are unintelligent, stupid, or predictable. Some aren't. The sooner you can identify what you are up against, the sooner you can get out the correct gear (allergens, weaknesses, etc.). Again, that's where knowledge skills come in handy. Develop a collection of weapons/gear for different opponents. Try to keep it portable, like a brief case or too for field work, and be prepared to share with the rest of the team. Having a few dozen rounds of specialty ammo on hand can turn a nasty fight into a manageble one. Even just placing allergens around a base camp might keep dumb critters away - even if it won't do damage, they won't like to come into contact with it.

May I suggest a Changeling with Arcane Arrester and Astral Hazing.
Give them Synaptic Booster II for reflexes so that you have at least 5 meter area around you that disrupts anything lower than F5 and lower the rest to F1-F2.

Any critter with magical abilities against the character will be at a disadvantage – except Ghouls perhaps.

Also, a modified Slivergun to fire Full Auto and improved clip size should take care of anything without armor. Against anything armoured I suggest a sawed off hunting rifle.

If this character is a PC for a regular team, make sure that your character can still:
* work with a team: disrupting mana all around you can be useful, but it the team's mage can't do anything when you're near, it can lead to problems.
* do something else than hunt awakened threats, so that you can have fun even if the mission isn't about an awakened threat.

The first one can be a problem, as the mage (And everyone she casts a spell on) has to stay 5m away from the character in question. You might actually find the hazing more useful if you drop your essence down around 1. This way you don't bug your allies, but you are still basically immune to spells, can still drop enemy awakened critters and such that try and engage you in melee (You'll seriously shut down melee adepts against you), and can nullify/weaken awakened enemies just by keeping them in a headlock or something similar.

As for dealing with non-awakened threats, presumably if one can handle awakened one can handle normal people too. But yeah, don't forget your mundane combat abilities, especially things like dodge for when bullets come your way instead of spells.

I recommend using a mage, jacking magic up... possibly even to 6, and throwing in some Cyber to help out. Cerebral Boosters especially. Analytical mind makes a nice quality to add in as well. Make sure you have plenty of Assensing and counter spell, and a pocketMage Library couldn't hurt. Knowledge of things like Spirits, Awakened Chemistry, Magic Background, Forensics, Awakened animals, etc.

Don't worry about necessarily being the muscle with this mage, instead focus on detection and, for my taste, manipulation spells, with some illusion as well.

I would suggest an adept. Astral Sight, Magic Resistance, Mystic Armor, and perhaps improved senses or three-dimensional memory for mundane detective work. Pick up contacts in various magical traditions for weakness information and occasional assistance if need be, and snag SURGE for Arcane Arrester, since Adept powers don't have Force and shouldn't be effected by it. A Weapon Focus would be indispensable, unless you wished to go Unarmed, in which case Killing Hands would be critical.

Hope my 2 helps ya out