[JmOz01]

Looking at picking up a single target ranged elemental spell.  Which one do you guys think is best?  I am going back and forth between three.  Now as we all know they all have the same basic mechanics, but vary in secondary effects, which are minor boons

1)Flame thrower:  The ability to light a guy on fire at DV3...
2) Lightning Bolt: -5 Init, -1 Die pool
3)Acid Stream: -1 Armor, but does not continue to effect the guy (Acid spells instantly fade away)

Right now I am leaning towards Lightning bolt but wanted some opinions

[Whiskeyjack]

Lightning is the best element, bar none. Stripping initiative is a big deal.

Ball Lightning is better than Lightning Bolt. The latter you dodge like any gunshot, the former you have to use a special action to do so, and even then, it's not a sure thing. Plus, AOE.

[Top Dog]

Mind you, lightning does have one big drawback - because Electrical is so good, Nonconductivity is the most popular armor enhancement. Whether or not that's a problem depends on your GM. Barring that, yes, it's best.

Just in case you're unclear, the -1 Armor from Acid Stream ís permanent (until repaired). The "Instantly fades away" means he doesn't get an extra -1 every turn, but the instant -1 still stays. And stacks with multiple castings.

[Herr Brackhaus]

You've got other options, just in case you haven't considered them.

Chill (Shadow Spells page 16); direct spell (so the target doesn't get to dodge) that deals Stun damage, and has a chance to lower initiative (1 per net hit, max 5)
Firewater (Street Grimoire page 103); combines fire and water elements, so has chance to light a target on fire and cause knockdown, Also, the area around the target equal to (Force/2) in meters becomes slippery, meaning all actions involving movement, which includes defense tests, take a -2 dice pool modifier.
Ice Spear (Street Grimoire page 103); does Cold damage and can permanently break armor

Lightning is a pretty common choice, and as Top Dog mentions that means several opponents may come prepared. Several mooks in adventure modules have non-conductivity upgrades, so that's something to consider at least.

[Csjarrat]

fire is pretty awesome but if your GM plays flammability rules, it might not be long until the fire crew arrive to pull you out of a burning bar/apartment block/whatever.
Lightning bolt/ball are excellent and works against drones fairly well iirc, firewater is really decent and the cold ones are good for bypassing defenses as most mooks won't be running around in insulated armour unless you're playing up in canada/arctic/north russia for example

[ZeldaBravo]

Hmm, and what happens if a character gets hit with a lightning bolt or a taser and soaks all the damage? Does he still get a -5 initiative penalty?

[Herr Brackhaus]

Hmm, and what happens if a character gets hit with a lightning bolt or a taser and soaks all the damage? Does he still get a -5 initiative penalty?

No. As per the core rule book:

An Electricity attack that does damage can stun and incapacitate the target as well, though if there is no damage, there is no secondary effect at all.

[Whiskeyjack]

I like Napalm as well. Great for drones. The water really wrecks them.

I suppose Electricity is most common but my GM generally doesn't meta game like that, though if we consistently were to fight the same gang or whatever I'm sure they would catch on. If anything I think fire resistance is more likely for most people because being set on fire is terrifying and Fireball is the iconic mage spell

[Herr Brackhaus]

Whiskeyjack
I don't think of a GM equipping his mooks with non-conductivity is metagaming. Look at published adventures; this seems to be a trend, and I think it has more to do with the fact that shock gloves, stun batons, tasers, and stick-n-shock rounds (or bolts and arrows) are commonplace enough to warrant it.

My guess is magicians and mundanes equipped with flamethrowers are less common than mundanes equipped with electricity-based attacks. Hence, nonconductivity is a more commonly employed defensive strategy that is thematic to the world, and does not represent metagaming on behalf of the GM.

[Top Dog]

That's my thought as well. My own characters pretty much always slap on some nonconductivity because it's by far the most common type of elemental damage ánd the most painful one. If it makes sense (in-universe) for me, so does it for the NPC's - at least those that bother to customize their armor.

It'd be metagaming if your GM did it because the PC mage has Ball Lightning, yes.

(By the way, Fire would probably be a close second because the reasons Whiskeyjack mentioned - and flamethrowers - with Cold and Chemical being a lot more rare (well, except for armies when it comes to Chemical).

[Herr Brackhaus]

I'd argue that chemical protection is probably more common than fireproofing, except in certain circumstances.

Again, the prevalence of chemicals like CS/tear gas, nausea gas, neuro-stun, and pepper punch, which security forces would be likely to field, would likely mean that the same security forces would be likely to be somewhat protected against this (low-level respirators and chemical protection can be pretty potent).

To my mind, flamethrowers and fireballs are way more along the mil-spec vector than simple tear gas or pepper punch, the latter of which anyone can pick up (avail -) and weaponize (2 + chemical, in this case -). Tear gas is barely more controlled at 4R.

[Whiskeyjack]

That's fair and you're right, it makes sense for gangs and criminals as well as cops to be aware of shock batons and SnS and see that as more common of a threat than fire.

I guess I meant it would irritate me of the GM was adding nonconductivity in random mooks solely because I threw Ball Lightning a lot and not for actual in setting reasons.

But I do think the public thinks of throwing fireballs when they think of magic. It's scary but also less disturbing than remembering that these people can basically sift through your mind at their leisure with the right spells.

[JmOz01]

We tend to see a lot of fire resistance and non conductivity mods.  The reasons given for non conductivity is basically the above, while the fire resistance is because of makeshift weapons and fear of mages (Even though most won't ever deal with a fire spell, the fear is there)

[JmOz01]

For what it is worth I intend to have 2 combat spells (mostly a buffer/debuffer)

I want one to be a single target one to be a Area Effect
I want one to be an indirect elemental, the other to be a direct
I want one to be a stun one to be a physical

[Whiskeyjack]

Can't go wrong with Ball Lightning/Stunbolt.