How long can a mage sustain a spell?

I currently have a mage the holds invisibility with the levitate spell, spell locked. Then he just narco-jets security guards. any sugestions?

Yep hit me.

What kind of suggestions are you looking for?

1. Wards. When a ward is penetrated the creator[s] instantly know. Combined with Alarm ward, and your mage is most likely going to set off alarms quickly, without his or her knowledge.

2. Dual Natured guard animals. Far more common than one would think, automatically penetrates Invisibility. Combined with bio-monitors for the security guards and animals then the mage will paint a virtual target on himself and allow them to isolate him.

3. Totally automated security. No living creatures to affect.

4. Enemy mages, spirits, astral shallows, and so on.

5. A different type of objective, new challenges.

Ways to get around his levetation/invisibility combo. He currently belives he is god's gift to runners because of the combo. I could always out mage him but I am looking for as many ways to take him down a peg as possible.

Ah. I didn't realize you were speaking as a GM looking to challenge such a character.

Kanada Ten hit the big ones. #5 is my personal favorite.

Thanks Kanada Ten

Any other sugstions are welcome. I can't belive forgot about wards. *hangs head in shame*

One of the things I think is really important is understanding that Corporate Security gets paid millions of dollars to invent counter technology.

These two spells are among the top employed by Shadowrunners. Simple ways to foil them? Doors that don't have maglocks but are simply activated by laser sensors. When they detect a person enter the field, they open the door. Invisible people do not trigger these sensors, thus the door does not open. Not only that, but the door opening triggers the camera. Pressure sensors activate the lights and cameras, so the floating invisible mage must use augmentation or go blind. Monowire meshes that retract when the the lights go on could make a deadly surprise, especially when combined with spells like Astral Static and Invisibility of their own - even Watchers on patrol in those corridors will keep the mage on the physical. A few well placed wards, and the facility requires at least a decker and some muscle when the drek hits the turbine.

Personally, I really think Biomonitors are the most under used weapon against runners. Corporations must already outfit the guards with radios and armor, a small additional price per guard eliminates the need for paired guards. The entire complex can be monitored from a single point. Biomonitors actually make mundane dogs useful (they can smell invisible beings), even if left to roam.

Biomonitors on mundane dogs! Now that's the kind of inventive thinking I come here for.

That is prefect because he won't think of the dogs as a threat untill it's too late. And if he Narco jets the dog it will have already regesterd a spike in its heart rate when it smelled him.

The monowire mesh I will save for a Knight Errant trick.

Thanks again.

Does biofiber light up if spell are active around it/

Would you also need a tracking signal so you know where the dog is knocked out or does the biomonitor provide that as well?

Adding a location transponder to a biomonitor should be child's play. And since the dog is in a known compound, you could even use multiple antenna mounts to simply triangulate the biomonitor signal without even modifying it.

And while Kanada Ten hit the most obvious, here are some other counters to invisible flying mages:
(Continuing KT's numbers)
6. Ground Surveillance Radar, able to pick up things within 10 meters of the ground.
7. Ultrasound monitors, tied to current sonic map that will note changes and alert security, unless an appropriate biomonitor accompanies said disturbance.
8. (if it is inside) Air current doppler monitors, much like scaled down more sensitive weather radars today. You can't move through the air without disturbing it. Air flow dynamics can plotted and large enough variations can set off warnings that can then be assessed and turned into alarms if need be.
9. RF absorption. There are experimental systems today that look for the 'holes' in the cell phone radiation to see where something is blocking it or absorbing it. Designed to track stealth bombers, similar methodology could be brought into your game. The human body does absorb RF. If you doubt it, put yourself into a microwave oven.

Any how, there are some ideas, and yes some of them would involve cutting edge technologies, so maybe the group has to bypass and then steal some of this.

Yes, you can spite the mage with the cutting edge, but it's always more fun to shatter him with something disturbingly mild (or just unexpected).

Guards with ultrasound vision can spot him (reasonably well) and fill the area with lead. It's not a very costly cyberware compared to some that are useful for guards, and a squad of 5 has a pretty good chance of at least scaring him while maybe getting a hit or two.

Have a job against ghouls. Invis does exactly drek against astral perception, they don't have the +2 penalty, and they can use their terrain to get to him in whatever way they want.

Attempt to steal something, but have the place pre-trashed as they arrive. A Wednigo on the loose.

The other options listed do also work, plenty of options that will scare the other PCs and make that floating invisible mage completely impotent.

Change the environment. Put him in a place where you need to crawl or that has low ceilings and narrow hallways. Even guards that can't see him have a chance with blindfire.

Another option is to put him up against another invisibility user, but make certain that astral is NOT an option by filling the area with background count or living beings (in a jungle, or a greenhouse packed full like a jungle). He'll probably think he's at an advantage at first, because he'll know that astral perception won't work against him.

Guards with implanted/datajack linked biomonitors can have autoinjectors that either give an antidote to narcojet or a stimpatch. The total cost (datajack and reusable autoinjector) should be under 2000 nuyen. They'll go down and get right back up again. Don't explain what the datajacks are for, make him find out the hard way
(I love solutions that use a tiny amount of technology and yet totally frag the runners' day). Need an excuse: issue the guards a bunch of narcojet weapons. Now they don't have to worry about friendly fire!

Guards who go down could always trigger a flashpak or even a non-cyber version of the Super Flash cyber eye system automatically, along with a loud personal siren. It's a cheap way to call for help and put your attacker off balance.

Tear gas.

That Fiber Optic System that lets mages cast spells from inide a remote area. Does it allow them to use astral perception through the link? Well, a one way mirror (made of ballistic glass) will do just as well. Then see above.

All pretty low tech, low cost and essence friendly. Go ahead and throw 'em out there like candy whenever you feel like this character is doing a little too well.

And then there's the classic Watcher Attack pack strategy. Someone with active spells is going to be lit up on the astral. The watchers notice him, and call in a bigger spirit to attack his activated foci. Now, win or lose, the mage will know that a spirit is monkeying with his foci, so he'll probably go astral to see what's up. When that happens, the watchers gang-bang him. 1 Force-4 Spirit plus 6 force-2 watchers plus Friends in Melee = Big owchie.

He can escape the watcher damage quite easily, by going pure physical and shutting off his foci. The spirit now has to materialize in order to hurt him, and that means everyone else can deal with it as well.

assuming, of course, that he survives that first round of astral attacks.

Dual natured paracritters are also nice. Barghests, Hell Hounds, Cocatrices, and others are common watch paracritters. Heck, I remember the old Corp Sec Handbook also recommending Geese as normal watch critters. The most mundane magical security (pun intended) should also have a field day with this guys, just using spirits as already mentioned. Nature Spirits would also take him down, plus be a tad more effective in dealing with the entire group.

I can also see a lot of guards jumping to a wrong conclusion in that they might think there's an astral intruder rather than a physical one. He'd displace like an astral intruder, which might make his life a bit harder. And getting caught in a netgun might really ruin his day.

Paracritters that aren't dual natured might also pick him up, using smell.

Don

While it's tempting to go for dual-natured or magical security, I suggest a cheaper alternative.

1) Invisible people have to open doors too.
2) After hours, cameras will record all use of doors unless security is bypassed first.
3) Back in the security office, they will see the effects of mister invisible.

Easy, inexpensive, mundane ways to detect invisible intruders:
First, for the normal (mana) invisibility:
1) Sensors and remote viewers will see him just fine.
2) Scanway ™ floroscopic security arches. - like that security station in Total Recall.

For Improved (physical) invisibility:
1) Deep shag carpeting.
2) Beaded curtains
3) Ultrasound motion detectors
4) Big dogs.

Give mobile security troops a HUD letting them know where intruders are.

Deep shag carpeting. Beaded curtains. . . . What's next? Bell bottomed uniforms? I can just picture this place

That sounds like a talismonger's store! Add in wisps of incense smoke eddying around the room, and it would be real easy to tell if someone was there.

And so many people thought that the setup was just to hide the smell of drugs and make interesting hallucinations.

Dual Natured Nag Champa?

I can't tell you how many pothead NPCs end up in my game just because their apartments are filled with so much cool obstacle shit. Bead curtains, incense and pot smoke, plasma balls, weird pets, and 8 billion different ways to hide and secure a weed stash (and the deck/documents/chip/keycard/decoder-ring).

sustaining foci are powerful, but they do have drawbacks. make sure your player knows that he needs a specific focus for each spell. Also, a sustained spell can still be dispelled... just be thankful he hasn't packed increased reflexes and improved attribute sustaining foci on, as well.

Also, a sustaining focus has to have the spell cast every time the magician wants to use it. It can't be turned on and off, so unless he's going to cast the spells every time he wakes up in the morning, he'll have to do it slightly pre-infiltration, going in with any drain injuries that might occur--again, more likely at a high force.

If his spells are too powerful to be easily dispelled, he's got spells sustained at high enough force to make him pretty bright and visible astrally, which opens up the aforementioned astral security can of spirits/critters.

speaking of increased attributes, how do they appear to manifest? does increase attribute visible affect the target? is increase body going to make a little runner meatier? is increased intelligence going to improve posture?

You might also consider imposing some focus addiction rules if he's doing it every single time.

Hmm, I always thought that after you'd bonded a sustaining focus you could activate and deactivate it at will, like a reflex trigger and wired reflexes.

i was slightly imprecise about activation/deactivation. the sustained spell is active as long as the focus is in contact with the target of the sustained spell. if it loses contact, the spell is deactivated. alternatively, the magician can deactivate the spell at any time-- for example, it might be kind of strange to levitate while sleeping, or remain invisible while eating lunch. however, once the spell is deactivated in either manner it must be recast to be sustained by the focus.