[drakir]

Played with Chummer and came up with this mage I haven't thought possible before. This mage can really throw a lot of dice. Initiative is okay even before Increase Reflexes.
The karma was not enough to bond the sustaining focus (2 karma left and needs 8 so maybe after the first run. When bonded used for primarily Increased Reflexes). The money on the other hand was enough to buy a really nice car 
Already playing with another character and not planning to use this so haven't thought about backstory, only the crunch.
Any comments and or suggestions ? What spells should it be? Negative qualities? Is the money well spent? Give him/her a story? Knowledge skills? Should the 2 karma go to JoaT?

Priorities: Meta: D, Attributes: B, Magic: A, Skills: E, Resources: C  (Standard priority)
Attributes: Bod 3, Agi 4, Rea 5, Str 1, Cha 3, Int 6, Log 2 (karma), Wil 5, Edge 4, Magic 7, Init 11+1D6
Qualities: Excep Attr Magic, 25 points negatives not yet decided.
Skills:
16(18) Spellcasting 6+2 (Combat)
16(18) Summoning 6+2 (Spirits of Man)
16(18) Binding 6+2   (Spirits of Man)
7          Assensing 1  (karma)
12        Counterspelling 5
7(9)     Perception 1+2 (Visual)
4          Etiquette 1   (karma)
5          Sneaking   (karma)     (Hopefully enough with help from Spirit)

Spells: Stunbolt, Heal, Inc Reflexes, +7 more
Gear: Power Focus rating 3 (bonded), Sustaining Focus (Healing) rating 4 (Not Bonded), Lodge rating 6, Fake SIN rat 4, Medium lifestyle, Vashon Island Sleeping Tiger Armor, Transys Avalon commlink, Hyundai Shin-Hyung Sports Car.

Karma spent: 10 Logic,  14 pos qualities, 6 skills, 18 Focus bonding, 2 left.

The big reason I choose magic 7 is otherwise there would be problems with focus addiction. And it's really nice to be able to summon F7 Spirits without physical drain...

[gilga]

You can kick higher if you like:

Mage: max out on negative qualities gives you 50 karma.
F6 power focus =36 karma  + Restricted gear 10 karma

So you can do magic (6) + power(6) + skill (6) + spec (2) 20 dice for your fave skill.
Or the coolest part for me, 1 point skill gives 13 dice already, so it is really easy to branch into other magical domains.
(Rituals, alchemy and so on).

[gradivus]

The only problem with 20DP for spellcasting is your about 7 hits avg which means you'll get 8 quite a bit and that is physical drain territory. Of course if you have the drain pool to handle it, then that's not really a problem.

[bdyer]

I hope your an intuition tradition because if your not then you will never soak high force spells.

It's not worth it to have an unbound sustaining foci at chargen, karma is what your always going to be hurting in, not money.  I would either bind it or drop it.

If you want to sneak I recommend getting increase attribute agility.  You can sustain it in the same foci as normally increase reflexes would. This would put you up to 8 agility making you a decent sneaker ( be aware Astrally you will be a Christmas light)

Don't forget a mentor spirit.

[Whiskeyjack]

Going for combat spell specialty is kind of a waste.

[drakir]

@Gilga
Yes but as Gradivus said, the last few dice are nearly useless. 18 dice, 7 magic is IMO a lot better than 20D,6 Magic. And you want that sustaining focus, otherwise you are down to fewer dice anyway.

The other part (13D with skill 1) I like better. Will maybe tinker with that idea. Pity you don't have any karma left for anything else. With the build above I did not get a Mentor spirit which I think every Magic character should have, and with the Focus rating 6 build there's even less karma to play around with.

@bdyer
Yes, i was thinking Int tradition. Chaos for example. You may be right about an unbound Focus. When I started the build I wanted  a rating 3 Power focus and with C resources had a lot of money left over. Would've love to afford a mentor spirit, but the karma is not there unless I skip all the karma skills. Is that worth it?

@Whiskeyjack
Stunbolt (and the rest of direct combat spells) can always use the extra dice. Damage is only net successes. In 4th edition, a mage could put someone to sleep with a single stunbolt. In 5th that is not happening anymore in my experience. Being able to hit a dodging adept with a lightning bolt is also nice. Where would you put the point instead? Other specialty or different skill altogether?

[Whiskeyjack]

I am solidly in the "sustained debuffs are the best spells this edition" camp.

Not saying you shouldn't throw reagent-enhanced Witness My Hate Stunbolts or Spell Shaped Ball Lightnings as needed. But making people suck something like -7 to all dice pools from Chaotic World where they can't leave the AoE due to covering fire on them...or make them drop their guns or take a penalty to use them with Hot Potato..that's amazing. And it's one Drain resist versus one or more per pass if you're focused on blasts.

[falar]

Not saying you shouldn't throw reagent-enhanced Witness My Hate Stunbolts or Spell Shaped Ball Lightnings as needed. But making people suck something like -7 to all dice pools from Chaotic World where they can't leave the AoE due to covering fire on them...or make them drop their guns or take a penalty to use them with Hot Potato..that's amazing. And it's one Drain resist versus one or more per pass if you're focused on blasts.

Or Opium Den. If you can get 7 hits on that, most enemies are just going to drop into a pleasure-coma because you'll have more hits than their Willpower. Except for maybe the opposing Mage and he's still taking a hefty dice pool penalty and EVERYONE CAN JUST WHALE ON HIM.

[Whiskeyjack]

I really should take Opium Den.

[falar]

I really should take Opium Den.

Add the Curse ritual and get material links from random people. Put them in a roulette wheel.

EVERY DAY, SOMEONE'S GETTING LUCKY!

EDITED TO ADD: Combine with Greater Ritual and Magic 7 for Effective Force 14 jolts of pure pleasure.

[All4BigGuns]

Stunbolt (and the rest of direct combat spells) can always use the extra dice. Damage is only net successes. In 4th edition, a mage could put someone to sleep with a single stunbolt. In 5th that is not happening anymore in my experience.

You're definitely right there. Direct spells are pretty much worthless nowadays. The only real issue with them before was that they only got one thing added to resistance against them, so adding a second attribute (like say Logic or Intuition) to the resistance is all that it would have taken to 'bring them in line'.

Mage: max out on negative qualities gives you 50 karma.
F6 power focus =36 karma  + Restricted gear 10 karma

You aren't getting the 7 Magic with that under Priority due to the cost of Exceptional Attribute.

[falar]

Mage: max out on negative qualities gives you 50 karma.
F6 power focus =36 karma  + Restricted gear 10 karma

You aren't getting the 7 Magic with that under Priority due to the cost of Exceptional Attribute.

Exceptional Attribute = 14, Restricted Gear = 10 karma. 14+10=24?

[All4BigGuns]

Mage: max out on negative qualities gives you 50 karma.
F6 power focus =36 karma  + Restricted gear 10 karma

You aren't getting the 7 Magic with that under Priority due to the cost of Exceptional Attribute.

Exceptional Attribute = 14, Restricted Gear = 10 karma. 14+10=24?

Bonding the Power Focus prevents having enough karma to get Exceptional Attribute.

Look at the section I emphasized in what I quoted. That leaves 4 karma after paying for those two things (10 short of enough for Exceptional Attribute).

[falar]

Bonding the Power Focus prevents having enough karma to get Exceptional Attribute.

Look at the section I emphasized in what I quoted. That leaves 4 karma after paying for those two things (10 short of enough for Exceptional Attribute).

Oh, right! Got it! Then it's just a matter of which is more important - Magic 7 or Power Focus 6, since. You'd have to go for a max of Power Focus 4 to get Magic 7. At that point, it's a choice of how many hits you want to be able to get.

[bdyer]

If you truly want to be a combat spell slinging killing machine, here is what I'd do

 change resources to D and meta to c.
Max edge with the points
Drop exceptional attribute
Grab the following qualities:
Witness my hate
Revels in murder
Mentor spirit ( combat spells)
Oh and change stunbolt to manabolt

Basically throw a witness my hate direct spells at f3 throwing edge into it at the beginning allowing you to break the limit.   If the guy dies you get your edge back.

Direct: Total dice pool is 19+7 edge rerolling 6's averaging about 10 hits+2 for witness my hate.
Indirect average of 10 hits for dodged (f) damage resisted

Should be easily to kill anything living.  Spirits will be harder as they don't qualify for revels in murder.