[Volomon]

Ok to me this makes no sense.  Why would you get it as a Runner?  First off you have to be casting a spell in order for a mundane person to know your casting a spell even as a mage you can't tell what magic someone has only that they might have magic which isn't illegal in itself.  Casting spells that would need a license: Healing, Entertainment, ect,. ect probably only need a license for "taxing" purposes.  Once you cross over to manipulation and lethal/non-lethal attacks your entering into the forbidden zone, I'm sure most summoning is looked upon as forbidden due to not knowing what an individual might use it for.  Your committing crimes, there is no license to commit a crime.  So whats the point, why are you entertaining people and healing random strangers?  Your a shadowrunner not a walking show.

So whats the point, like to me it shouldn't even be recommended in the book.  I think it's a waste of money for any player to get.  Weapons it makes sense to get a Fake License you can't exactly hide them 100% all the time, your going to get caught walking around with that Restricted Item, then bam you pull out your License.  Spellcasting your in the middle of toasting someone I don't see LoneStar calmly walking up and asking "Hey do you have a license to fry this guy into charcoal?"

The only possibility I can think of for having one is if you literally entertain people or heal people as part of your cover identity, the first one is crazy as a cover the second is almost as crazy.  You should try to stay out of the spot light as much as possible.

So whats the logic behind even having it shown in the book?

[TheDarkMessiah]

Well, just being a magician means you need a license, it is not for specific spells. It's because The Powers That Be, have convinced everybody wizards are going to read your mind and cast fireballs just like that... doesn't matter if you happen to be a Magi-Medic or SFX-Mage. A mage is a mage.

Plus, some law enforcement divisions have folks who can read Aura's and I think Mages have an aura which reads different from a mundane.

[Volomon]

Well, just being a magician means you need a license, it is not for specific spells. It's because The Powers That Be, have convinced everybody wizards are going to read your mind and cast fireballs just like that... doesn't matter if you happen to be a Magi-Medic or SFX-Mage. A mage is a mage.

Plus, some law enforcement divisions have folks who can read Aura's and I think Mages have an aura which reads different from a mundane.

That isn't true, you only need a license to spellcast not be a mage.  Exactly how do you tell an infant he can't be magical?  Ya Auras do tell you if someone is a mage, but it doesn't tell you if they are casting have been casting or are going to be casting a spell.

Think of it like this Technomancers are technically magical beings, are they ever discovered?  Ya but only when they give themselves away.  Same thing with mages.

[JackVII]

The license examples on p. 367 list: "License to practice magic & Registered Awakened Individual" as two common magic licenses. I think that is enough to support TheDarkMessiah's point. It basically depends on where you happen to be, some areas may be more open than others.

Edit: Spellcasting also leaves astral signatures which could be traced back to the spellcaster. If it happens, it could help to have a license for a restricted combat spell, particularly if you really WERE defending yourself against an attack from a gang or some other law-breaker.

[firebug]

Jack's example with "License to practice magic" would be what you'd have.  And it doesn't mean specifically the casting of spells.  Astral perception and astral projection being available to any magician are reasons enough to enforce registration on awakened individuals and punish unregistered ones.  Along with purchasing reagents and lodge materials.  Saying "a license to spellcast not to be a mage" is like saying you need to buy a license to shoot a gun, not to have one and carry it around with you.

You seem to have totally forgotten about sustained spells.  And yes, there is very much a reason to want to be able to legally walk around with spells sustained on yourself without breaking the law.  Considering armored clothing isn't even suspicious these days, walking around with a Quickened or sustained Armor spell is reasonable, as long as you don't wind up getting Lone Star on your ass just for casting it.  Any detection spell would be best kept sustained through you or a focus (owning a focus likely being another thing you need a license for). 

Keep in mind that "astral patrols" are very much a thing, and the books have stated that security mages will spend their entire shift in the astral.  Magic in general is not as unknown as you seem to think it is; there's a lot of security very much focused around magic, and an entire department of magic forensics based around astral signatures.

[Justice]

I've always approached it as a government requirement: they want all magically active people registered. Simultaneously, it's much more difficult to enforce given that you need someone with astral perception to determine the state of the person. If you want to risk running without one, that's certainly an option. But it will give the Knights or the Star an excuse if you're tagged without it.

[Ryo]

The Awakened in Shadowrun are like Mutants in X-men when Senator Kelly has his way. You are inherently dangerous, so you have to be registered in a central database. Not being registered is illegal. So yes, if you don't have a Fake Magician License, you are breaking the law just by existing, and you run the risk of getting arrested just from a casual glance from an awakened investigator.

[Wakshaani]

Ayup, you have a magician's registration, which doubles as a license to cast certain spells (The non-Restricted ones, like most Detection or Health spells), and then a second one for more dangerous spells, such as combat spells. Magicians can read your mind and reduce you to ash with a snap of their fingers! They're Daaaaaanagerous. We have to keep tabs on them for the good of all. (Also, Mages? The community fears and hates you. You should totally come work for us, where we can protect you and shower you with high pay.)

[TheDarkMessiah]

My Telekinesis Mage is going to have a fake licence stating he is a "Construction Mage"

"Don't worry about those floating bricks, Officer. I'm taking them to a building site. Definitely not going to smash your face with them. So, if you'd just take off that helmet?"

[GiraffeShaman]

My Telekinesis Mage is going to have a fake licence stating he is a "Construction Mage"

"Don't worry about those floating bricks, Officer. I'm taking them to a building site. Definitely not going to smash your face with them. So, if you'd just take off that helmet?"

Gives new meaning to bricking someone's gear.

[Silence]

That's about as bad as when I play with Air spirits with Accident.

[Xenon]

wonder if stop sustaining levitate (dropping bricks from high altitude) count as an attack action
- or if you can cast a combat spell during the action phase as well

[Michael Chandra]

You're going to have to resist 10P damage, Xenon.

[Reaver]

Yea, basically being born awakened means you are breaking the law unless you register with the authorities. Without a license, just waking down the street is a crime!

We'll have to wait for more 5e sourcebooks to be sure, but using 1-4e rules there are a few things to consider:

Using health spells without a license (both medical AND spell casting) is a crime.

Mental manipulation spells can not be licensed.

Summoning a spirit (no matter the force or type) requires a license. (and anything that spirit does, you are responsible for! And is treated as premeditated!) reguardless of if you have control if it.

Combat spells can not regularly be licensed! (there are exceptions based on profession of course)

••••

The bigger question is: As a shadowrunner, why bother at all with licenses???

And to that the answer is simple: to get by day-to-day. Unlike a gun or a piece of equipment, you can't leave your awakened nature at your flat :p
Being awakened and going to the store for soy-milk could get you arrested (and thus end your career!).

•what about the SINless awakened?
Given how rare magic is to start (what? 2% of the total population?) there would be actually very few Sinless awakened given the level of demand for them. Just about any Corp or government agency would hire (and issue a SIN) to any awakened that wanted a job..... And pay them extremely well!
So really, the only sinless awakened would be those that choose to be SINless, or are not recognized as 'metahuman' (like pixies or shape changers in the UCAS)


Of course YMMV depending on the country in question.... The Tirs might not require a license due to their views on magic.... While being awakened could be a death sentence in other countries!

[Shamie]

The bigger question is: As a shadowrunner, why bother at all with licenses???

Personally, for moments like this http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y51IFVB-7Oc