You're trying to be crafty and cast a spell in a public place without being noticed when along comes that good old fashioned noticing spell casting test.

In theory the better you are at the spell the harder it will be to notice it but the table in SR3 gives pretty hefty penalties especially to shamans who do totem bonus magic. Does anybody have a way around this?

Noticing if someone is using a magical skill requires a perception test. Tgt# is 4 + MagicAttr - ForceSpell. (SR3, p162) If you want to cast and not be noticed, get Initiated a few grades. Being a Shaman has no bearing on this test.

http://forums.dumpshock.com/index.php?showtopic=7450

We just talked about this a little while ago, so the memory is still fresh.

secret spell slinging sucks, sam.

Heh, mutually assured alliteration

The best answer is to apply cover modifiers and vision penalties as if it were a normal perception test (which it really seems to be). Cause a distraction that will have all eyes pointed away (such as turning off the Big Game in the bar - all eyes will be on the shouting patrons or the bar tender).

Thanks or the link guys it's what I was after.