[Jack_Spade]

The new adept spell ability has prompted me to look extra hard at the spell list. That drew my attention to Analyze Device:
The spell tells you everything about a device or piece of equipment and gives you bonus dice for your net hits to operate the thing.

So I was wondering, what equipment gets the most from this spell?

The new Plasteel Toe Boots are a hot contender: Running, kicking, sneaking, dancing, climbing (or at least hiking) are all possible operations you can perform with those boots.

Ares Alpha or AK 98 are two weapons with different weapon skills

And for the powergamer: Use an analyzed powerfocus to boost your spellcasting to boost your analyze device check until you reach your limit....
...but be prepared for a hurled rulebook from your GM.

So, which piece of gear would you suggest?

[ScytheKnight]

OK to me this requires the item to be a "Device", thus it must be something mechanical, or preferably electronic in nature.

So you little hold our revolver? Iffy. Smargun? yeah doable. Pick sticker knife? Really? No.

So getting running and gymnastics bonuses from analyzing your boots? No, stupid, just plain stupid. Getting those kind of bonuses from analyzing your cyberlegs? Yeah, alright, I can see that.

[firebug]

Yyyyyeah, no go on the analyze device: boots.  That makes about as much sense as going "I'm wearing a chameleon suit covering my whole body, so Analyze Device will boost all of my dice pools!"

See: similar cheese with Diagnostics via TM's Machine Sprite.

Best use would probably be a deck; a magician using Analyze Device, Increase Gear Limits, Increase LOG and Increase INT can be an amazing decker without any augmentations.

[Jack_Spade]

About it having to be a device:
"This spell allows the subject to analyze the purpose and operation of a device or piece of equipment within range of the sense.[...]Each net hit also
gives the subject a bonus die while operating the device and allows the subject to ignore any skill-defaulting modifiers for using it as long as the spell is sustained."

Knowing the exact balance and performance of a knife on an intuitive level should definitely give you a better chance to use it successfully. Likewise you boots, If you know how they will interact with the ground you can place your feet down in a way that minimizes the resulting noise.

You can of course interpret it to only apply to high tech gear, but that's not what's in the rules text.

About the chameleon suit::
Of course not, but an analysis would allow you to sneak better. That's what this piece of gear is used for in a test after all.

[ScytheKnight]

Cheese can also be gear...

[Jack_Spade]

If that's the best you have to contribute...
What ends up in game and what is RAW are two very different things. I'm only concerning myself with the RAW here.

Who knows, without any Denkverbote (how do you translate that - "ban on thinking" maybe?) someone might have an idea that's both useful, creative and in line with everyone else's cheese level.

[firebug]

About the chameleon suit::
Of course not, but an analysis would allow you to sneak better. That's what this piece of gear is used for in a test after all.

I'm only concerning myself with the RAW here.

Well purely by RAW, it just says "while operating the device".  And if you're wearing the suit, you're operating it.  It doesn't say "with that device" or "for operating the device".  RAW if I use it on my biomonitor, as long as I'm using the biomonitor to track my stress levels, I perform absolutely everything better.  I dunno, due to some deeper understanding of how to micro-manage my overall body function.  You don't need to justify it if you're just going Rules As Written.

[Checkmate]

Err... I'm inclined to side with Scythe and Firebug. My understanding was it gave the mage a magical intrinsic understanding of the object. I read it as some sort of mechanical device. I wouldn't be as harsh on device (I'd be ok with AD cast something like a water wheel.)  But obviously inanimate objects are outside the purview of the spell. Smartgun? Sure, I abuse it myself. But you can analyze your boots all you want, it won't give you mad dancing skills (Or any other skills for that matter.)

You seem to have focused on this part:

"or piece of equipment"

and missed this part:

"This spell allows the subject to analyze the purpose and operation of a device."

The 'Purpose and Operation' of boots is not dancing. Or Climbing. Or Stealth. Or kicking people in the nuts.
Honestly I'd probably just give you a bonus on any tests to successfully wear boots since that seems like their most basic purpose...
And maybe shoelace tying...Hmm...

and this:
'And for the powergamer: Use an analyzed powerfocus to boost your spellcasting to boost your analyze device check until you reach your limit....
...but be prepared for a hurled rulebook from your GM.'

Would end with maniacal laughter and a flat no. I would absolutely not let AD be cast on anything magical. Ever.

[Halinn]

The 'Purpose and Operation' of boots is not dancing. Or Climbing. Or Stealth. Or kicking people in the nuts.
Honestly I'd probably just give you a bonus on any tests to successfully wear boots since that seems like their most basic purpose...
And maybe shoelace tying...Hmm...

I could see a bonus to Running with running shoes (not Plasteel Toe Boots)

[Rift_0f_Bladz]

I might could buy into combat knife/throwing knife getting a boost as well. But the foci boosting bit, nope, might let it work for how much extra damage I get for throwing my core book to the fools skull.

[Halinn]

But the foci boosting bit, nope, might let it work for how much extra damage I get for throwing my core book to the fools skull.

On average, you'll get more if you analyze it first.

[Duellist_D]

Speaking purely mechanical wise:

I don't think "Analyze Device" is a usefull choice for the Adept Spell, opportunity costs seem way to high.
Keep in mind you'll have to beat the the object resistance and will most likely only have around 9 Dice (raising spellcasting >3-4 seems a bit of a waste, imho)
So, 1, maybe 2 bonus dice minus the mods for sustaining a spell?
Seems like wasted Nuyen and Karma to me.

[Rooks]

Speaking purely mechanical wise:

I don't think "Analyze Device" is a usefull choice for the Adept Spell, opportunity costs seem way to high.
Keep in mind you'll have to beat the the object resistance and will most likely only have around 9 Dice (raising spellcasting >3-4 seems a bit of a waste, imho)
So, 1, maybe 2 bonus dice minus the mods for sustaining a spell?
Seems like wasted Nuyen and Karma to me.

Unless its a cyberdeck that governs what 6 different type of skills all of which are decker

[Kincaid]

Speaking purely mechanical wise:

I don't think "Analyze Device" is a usefull choice for the Adept Spell, opportunity costs seem way to high.
Keep in mind you'll have to beat the the object resistance and will most likely only have around 9 Dice (raising spellcasting >3-4 seems a bit of a waste, imho)
So, 1, maybe 2 bonus dice minus the mods for sustaining a spell?
Seems like wasted Nuyen and Karma to me.

Unless its a cyberdeck that governs what 6 different type of skills all of which are decker

That's still a very nasty OR to overcome.

[Jack_Spade]

Err... I'm inclined to side with Scythe and Firebug. My understanding was it gave the mage a magical intrinsic understanding of the object. I read it as some sort of mechanical device. I wouldn't be as harsh on device (I'd be ok with AD cast something like a water wheel.)  But obviously inanimate objects are outside the purview of the spell. Smartgun? Sure, I abuse it myself. But you can analyze your boots all you want, it won't give you mad dancing skills (Or any other skills for that matter.)

You seem to have [...]

missed this part:

"This spell allows the subject to analyze the purpose and operation of a device."

The 'Purpose and Operation' of boots is not dancing. Or Climbing. Or Stealth. Or kicking people in the nuts.
Honestly I'd probably just give you a bonus on any tests to successfully wear boots since that seems like their most basic purpose...
And maybe shoelace tying...Hmm...

Seriously? Not even tap dancing? 

Besides, you are focusing on the wrong part of the spell description. It's about the last part:
"Each net hit also gives the subject a bonus die while operating the device and allows the subject to ignore any skill-defaulting modifiers for using it as long as the spell is sustained."

If you kick someone with your boot that is no different from having one of those shiny new cyber claws. Why would you deny the boot (which is explicitly stated to be a weapon) that bonus?
Also the text mentions that the boots influence your stealth check (negatively by providing a bonus die to perception), therefore this is part of "operating" the boots.
Granted, the text says nothing about running, but since your foot wear usually has a major influence on running, why would you arbitrarily exclude that from operating your boots?

@Duellist_D

Sustaining can be handled the normal way by foci and adept centering (as well as having an attuned animal with living focus, but that's another topic).
Analyze device is useful and versatile enough to boost your skill in spell casting: It allows you to use effectively every piece of equipment you find. That includes a space shuttle (if you get lucky and it rolls low on its object resistance roll).
It's good enough that it might be worth to get the Quickening meta-magic.
With that you can try every day after you wake up to cast with edge and hope for the perfect roll vs. the perfect low roll on OR.