[Hobbes]

+1 to that.
It's not for nothing a staple choice.

If you happen to have high unarmed skill the Punch spell is very effective too - especially if you get it as limited spell with a fetish: F-8 Drain allows you easily to risk casting it at F 12, doing 12S AP-12 + Successes (there is no resistance check besides Counterspell, since the defense test is rolled against your unarmed attack)

Has to be a damage resistance test unless the spell specifically states the damage resistance test is bypassed.  Unfortunately I haven't memorized every spell but it should default to either the Direct, Indirect, Manipulation, or Normal Combat rules unless specifically says no damage resistance test.  It certainly could, but then I'd wonder why anyone ever cared about Spellblade....

Considering you can one shot a Dragon with this if there isn't a Soak test, just need a one-two punch.  First mage throws a spell to use up counterspell and then die writhed in flames, second mage then runs up and one-punches the Dragon...  easy peasy?  At least for the second mage.

[Jack_Spade]

@Hobbes

I might have phrased that a bit imprecise: Of course you still get a soak roll. With resistance test I meant the Rea+Int defense roll against the initial attack.
But due to the high AP the soak roll will for most enemies be little more than their body.

[Hobbes]

Thank you.  I was making plans for an Elf Mysad Dragon Puncher...  I still may.

[Quatar]

I believe Punch was errata'd to just use the Spellcasting test in place of the Unarmed?  So that it is simply a touch-ranged spell.  But I could be wrong...

I don't find anything about that.

[Tecumseh]

It's not errata; it was a informed opinion offered by Aaron (a freelancer/contributor) as a clarification of developer intent.

See here: http://forums.shadowruntabletop.com/index.php?topic=11514.msg238774#msg238774
And here: http://forums.shadowruntabletop.com/index.php?topic=11514.msg241022#msg241022

The site is giving me grief about quoting the relevant post, so I'll just copy and paste:

In the specific case of a touch-range combat spell, the Spellcasting test takes the place of the Unarmed attack. So you only need to make the Spellcasting Test, which is defended against by the target's Reaction + Intuition.

It is not official but it is reasonable.

[Jack_Spade]

Yeah, in only contradicts specific written out rules - not that I have a problem with that. It's less powerful with that rule, but the combat is a lot speedier that way.

[Tarislar]

So, mechanically, Punch it the exact same thing as Clout, only you have to be right on top of the guy?
In turn you have an added -3 Drain ?

Meanwhile, for the same drain you would get +3 DV & -3 AP v/s Shooting them from Range?
Seems like a fair trade off, getting in close could cost you some pain & turns you could have been doing other things.

Actually, it makes Clout the weakest of the 3 now.
A combo of Blast & Punch would be nasty, provided you don't mind burning 2 spell slots.

[Rooks]

you mean recklessly casting punch and knockout while wearing shock gloves? thats um punch  Force +net hits for knock out net hits against resistance test for dv -force for knock out and 8S DV -5 AP for the shock gloves

[bangbangtequila]

Well, you're unable to make two attacks, period. So technically you could combine a spell with shock gloves, but what's good for the gander...

[Rooks]

well are ritual spells limited by the range too? like does the spotter of a touched range spell have to touch the target?

[Tym Jalynsfein]

well are ritual spells limited by the range too? like does the spotter of a touched range spell have to touch the target?

No... The ritual means that the spotter only has to observe the target, not touch him.

[dposluns]

• MAGE & SPIRIT COMBO SPECIAL!!:  Mana Static!  Just causes background count equal to the hits.  It isn't resisted by anything.  BG causes a penalty to everything a spirit does, and anything the mage does that uses the MAG attribute.  If they have a focus, the force is lowered and it can be snuffed out.  If they have sustained spells, this can snuff them out as well or just weaken them.  If you get in the area, move it, or stop sustaining it.  It's not to be overlooked.

I'm interested in exploring this idea. First of all, I notice the spell is Permanent so it's a pretty clever idea to cast it and treat it as a regular sustained spell and just drop it before (Force) combat turns (most battles don't last more than a few turns to begin with).

How do you envision it working based on the likelihood most magicians and spirits can easily move out of the affected area with a free action?

[Tym Jalynsfein]

• MAGE & SPIRIT COMBO SPECIAL!!:  Mana Static!  Just causes background count equal to the hits.  It isn't resisted by anything.  BG causes a penalty to everything a spirit does, and anything the mage does that uses the MAG attribute.  If they have a focus, the force is lowered and it can be snuffed out.  If they have sustained spells, this can snuff them out as well or just weaken them.  If you get in the area, move it, or stop sustaining it.  It's not to be overlooked.

I'm interested in exploring this idea. First of all, I notice the spell is Permanent so it's a pretty clever idea to cast it and treat it as a regular sustained spell and just drop it before (Force) combat turns (most battles don't last more than a few turns to begin with).

How do you envision it working based on the likelihood most magicians and spirits can easily move out of the affected area with a free action?

I used this tactic to GREAT effect in the Lagos part of the Artifact series. Not always can an opponent move out of the area [quickly enough], and when you drop it on them whilst they are there, and it is sufficiently powerful, well, ALL SPIRITS go poof, and the infected all had a really bad day....

[dposluns]

I used this tactic to GREAT effect in the Lagos part of the Artifact series. Not always can an opponent move out of the area [quickly enough], and when you drop it on them whilst they are there, and it is sufficiently powerful, well, ALL SPIRITS go poof, and the infected all had a really bad day....

Can you clarify "all spirits go poof"? The closest thing I can find is SG p. 32 in the sidebar on Background Count Rules, which states that "Dual-natured creatures or purely astral creatures take a negative dice pool penalty to all actions equal to the background count."

[Tym Jalynsfein]

I used this tactic to GREAT effect in the Lagos part of the Artifact series. Not always can an opponent move out of the area [quickly enough], and when you drop it on them whilst they are there, and it is sufficiently powerful, well, ALL SPIRITS go poof, and the infected all had a really bad day....

Can you clarify "all spirits go poof"? The closest thing I can find is SG p. 32 in the sidebar on Background Count Rules, which states that "Dual-natured creatures or purely astral creatures take a negative dice pool penalty to all actions equal to the background count."

My Apologies...
The Artifact Series is a 4th Edition Campaign addon, and I forgot that Background Count worked differently in 4th Edition than it does in 5th Edition. To whit, MAGIC Score was reduced per the rating of the Background Count (in this particular instance, by 12, since I got a stupid amount of successes on the spell by spending Edge - But at least Frosty did not have to bail us out   ). If that score was reduced to 0 for a Spirit, they were Disrupted. Not as Handy in 5th Edition.  Also of note, the Mage in question had few to no Combat Spells (His Mentor Frowned upon using Combat Magic - How can you convert someone when they are dead?). So to make sure he could cover his and his team's ass in a crisis, he was fairly skilled (Skill 3 with a Specialty) in Assault Rifles for when the Mojo was not an option.