[Cormroc]

I am looking for advice/critique on a raven mage built using a falconine shifter meta type. I have built/played a number of SR5 chars, but never a magic user. Having never played a mage I am sure there are elements that I am over or under valuing, as well as things I may have completely overlooked. Hoping to have some helpful people guide me to what things fall into which of those categories.

Rough concept is a druidic mage that turned to shadowrunning after a corp severely polluted the land he had claimed. Prior to becoming a runner never had significant interactions with society, was mostly focused on studying the land.

Prime Runner
A-Magic - Magician
B-Attributes
C-Metatype - Falconine(3) - Human alternate form
D-Skills
E-Resources

**ATTRIBUTES**
Body 3
Agility 4
Reaction 5
Strength 2
Willpower 5
Logic 5
Intuition    6
Charisma 3      
Edge 4
Magic 6

**SKILLS**
Automatics 3
Assensing 4
Perception 4
Spellcasting 6
Summoning 6
Counterspell 5
Arcana 5
Outdoor Group 2
Sneaking 2
Unarmed 1
Considering reworking this for specializations in some combination of Spellcasting, Counterspell, Summoning

**QUALITIES**
Spirit Bane(Man)
Prejudiced(Corp-Outspoken)
Blighted (6 months)
Uncouth
Driven
Focused Concentration(4)

**SPELLS**
Heal
Resist Pain
Combat Sense
Shadow
Imp Reflexes
Still trying to decide on the rest, top considerations currently are:
Indirect AoE (Trying to decide if Icestorm is worth the extra drain)
Indirect single target
Direct (having trouble deciding due to increased variables, Mana/Physical, Physical/Stun, Single Target/AoE)
Imp Agi (mostly to use on myself should it become necessary to shoot someone)
Invisibility
Control Pack
Armor

**GEAR**
Haven't put a lot of thought here yet. I was originally planning to use point buy to get by with minimal possessions(Armor Jacket, SMG, cheap Comlink, low rank SIN, foci), but the priority character turned out better in most areas and has 100k nuyen and more spells. I was also originally planning on getting foci (Sustaining, Summoning), but that decision was complicated upon discovering that a shifter loses tattoos when shifting.

Remaining Karma 15

I was planning on using most of the remaining karma to bind Sustaining and Summoning foci, but am now questioning the usefulness of that approach. I am also not sure what path to take for advancement. Initiation seems to work best if you focus most of your karma into gaining more Initiate levels. Other than that I could see focusing on obtaining more spells and increasing Spellcasting and summoning skill, possibly working on getting ritual spellcasting and alchemy skills as well.

Thanks in advance to anyone who takes the time to try to help me out.

[Whiskeyjack]

Practically speaking, Arcana is solely used for initiation. Buy 1 with karma, then don't worry about it for a bit. Binding is a much better option, because having multiple spirits on-call is pretty useful.

If you're a druid, why so much LOG? It isn't doing anything of note for you. I'd say max your AGI and increase your CHA. It's nice to throw bullets better, and bind more spirits.

Spells. Armor is a bad spell, for two reasons: (1) it makes you glow, which gets you killed; (2) soak is cheap, and sustaining a spell for soak isn't cheap. I don't care if you do it for free, that means you're tying up a valuable sustaining resource with a bad spell, when it could be used for a good spell.

Resist Pain is ok, but I'm not sold.

Indirect single-targets are like guns that bite you. If you're good at guns, they're not worth it. Ball Lightning and Stunbolt, though, are absolutely worth it. The best element of damage, that's extra nasty vs drones, and a stun spell that can hit even the dodgiest spirits.

Just max your AGI and don't use a spell, because you have to cast it at Force equal to your rating, which is a huge pain. You're lacking in debuffs and utility. I'd suggest Levitate (since not everyone on your team can just turn into a bird), Hot Potato, Trid Phantasm, Improved Invisibility (better than normal as it works on tech not just living things), and either Chaotic World or Opium Den. Sterilize is also a very good utility spell to erase fingerprints and DNA from an area.

UNCOUTH IS A HUGE TRAP. Huge huge huge.

Get a mentor spirit. Raven and Seducer are awesome, I will say.

Don't get a low-rating SIN. Max your SIN. Get a sustaining focus so you can sustain 2 spells (Combat Sense and Increase Reflexes probably) without penalty, and then can cast a third. Get reagents, because they make magic delightfully broken.

[Glyph]

Uncouth is a trap, true; driven is not much better, either - for a piddling 2 points, it gives you a super-high Threshold test to resist behavior that can be seriously detrimental to both the character and the rest of the group.  Code of honor might be a better choice for one of your flaws.  You get a lot of points for it (I assume this  is because they wanted it to be one that many players took), and while it is a serious detriment, you really get to customize it for your particular character.

[Rift_0f_Bladz]

Unless you talk with your GM and work out some kind of deal or it is a Pink Mohawk/Shades*, then yeah Uncouth is never your friend. Otherwise, fallow WhiskeyJacks advice. Deflect is in many ways better than armor, except it doesn't work against melee, but it can't be seen.

*Pink Shades, think something like the TV show Chuck.

[FST_Gemstar]

100k nuyen with resources E? Is this a prime runner character? If that's so, I would probably go a more sustaining foci (health) route than Focused Concentration 4, as you will have the extra cash and karma for it, possibly making room for other Positive Qualities. I would argue that bonding more foci at character generation is a solid way to go for a magic with karma/cash to spare (foci are the one thing that mages use that can cost serious cash, and can be harder to obtain in play). I agree with Whiskey on everything else here.

[Whiskeyjack]

Unless you talk with your GM and work out some kind of deal or it is a Pink Mohawk/Shades*, then yeah Uncouth is never your friend. Otherwise, fallow WhiskeyJacks advice. Deflect is in many ways better than armor, except it doesn't work against melee, but it can't be seen.

*Pink Shades, think something like the TV show Chuck.

What book is Deflection in again?

A mage threatened in melee needs to have a spirit on call. This really shouldn't happen unless you get flanked. But even then, throwing reagents to set a high-Limit Stunbolt or debuff should get you pretty far.

[PiXeL01]

Deflection is from Street Grimoire p. 115