Seriously if anything that is an advantage because then people might waste actions dispelling my "weak" focus instead of just killing me.
Thank you for admitting the buff is so slight that the antagonists would simply ignore it. You've made my case better than I ever could.
Wow, that is absurd. Any buff is better to have dispelled than be killed. Your case sucks hard. I used math to show how broken it is, it saves money and karma in the short and long run. There is no cost for a fairly large gain.
No, you did not. Here's my counterexample.
Magicker McMage is ready to rock-and-roll. He has focused concentration 1. He needs this thing to rock, so he takes out 6 drams(120 nuyen) and casts the spell at force 1. He gets 5 successes. So now he's got +2d6 on his roll and +5 to his initiative score. The spell is force 1 but with 5 net hits.
Magicker McMage is spotted by a watcher spirit as he's preparing to enter the EvilCorp central office. The watcher spirit reports Magicker and his spell to it's owner, a security mage on site.
Naturally, Evilcorp's mage. He then casts his own increase reflexes spell at force 3. He's got 3 in focused concentration. He gets 4 hits but only gets to keep 3.
A fight shortly thereafter ensues.
Magicker's own spirit informs him of the Evilcorp mage and his spell. Magicker, being a manly man is just going to kill the enemy magician.
Magicker's initiative is 3d6 + 13 = 23
Evilcorp's intiative is 26d + 11 = 18
Magicker winds up and throws a lightning bolt at force 6. He's got 6's in the spellcasting group and magic attribute. 12 dice nets him 4 hits.
Evilcorp counterspells. Hard. He only has 5 in his sorcery group. He adds those 5 dice to his intuition 5 + reaction 3 roll. 13 dice net him 8 hits
18: Evilcorp dispels Magicker's spell. Evilcorp has 11 dice. He gets 4 hits. The spell resists with 7 dice. It gets 2 hits. Those 2 net hits reduce the effect of the spell immediately and Magicker has to roll a dice to subtract from his initiative.
Magicker rolls a 3 for a total of 5 intiative lost. Magicker's new intiative is 17.
Next pass:
Evilcorp goes first at 8. He dispels again. 11 dice vs. 7 gets him 2 net again. Poor Magicker loses another 1d6 + 2 off his initiative and now has a meager +1 from the one net hit remaining. His die roll comes up a 4 for a total of 6 lost.
Fortunately for Magicker, he still has 1 initiative. He throws another lightning bolt with his 12 dice. Evilcorp has only 8 dice to dodge and get his by 2 net hits. He rolls his 4 body + 12 armor - 6AP to resist. He gets 3 hits and takes 5P from the attack. He would also loses -5 initiative and takes a penalty for the rest of the combat turn. Fortunately for Evilcorp, the combat turn is now over.
Next initiative:
Magicker: 1d6 + 9 for 12 initiative
Evilcorp 2d6 + 11 - 1(wounds) for 17 initiative
Evilcorp throws his own lightning bolt with his 10 dice(including wound mod). Naturally, Magicker is going to counterspell. He has 14 dice total and avoids the first bolt.
Magicker casts lightning bolt back with 12 dice. Evilcorp throws his counterspelling into it for 13. He also avoids the first bolt.
2nd pass.
Evilcorp goes again and throws 10 dice, again. This time Magicker only has 8 and gets hit. His 5 body + 12 armor -6 AP give him 3 hits. He takes 4P and a -5 to his initiative, which costs him his remaining action.
3rd turn
Evilcorp rolls 2d6 + 10 and gets 17.
Magicker rolls 1d6 + 8 and gets 11.
Evilcorp casts lightning bolt, yet again...but against Magicker's full counterspelling...he dodges.
Magicker realizes he's in a bad way and decides to remedy the situation. He pulls out his trusty drams, drops his sustained spell, and throws out another force 1 increase reflexes with 6 drams. His 11 dice net him 3 hits. His initiative goes up by 1d6 + 3, for a total of 6. He's now going at 17/7. Now it's Evilcorp's turn.
Evilcorp dispels. 10 dice vs 6, he gets 2 net. Magicker loses 1d6 and 2...he's back down to 11.
Magicker goes at 1. Frustrated, he casts a lightning bolt at Evilcorp yet again. Evilcorp counterspells for 11 vs 13. He misses.
...Do you see where this is going yet?
