So inspired by
http://forums.shadowruntabletop.com/index.php?topic=24158.0 I think I found a combo that is actually a mechanical advantage to Shifters. Pretty much a standard Gnome/Herimetic but for 3 Karma you pick up 2 Edge and a bunch of sensory improvements.
So.... bear with me, chummer doesn't do Shifters and I'm on my fourth pint here so math may get a little sketchy.
Skills A, Magic B, Meta C, Stats D, Resources E.
Canine B3 A2 R3 S1 W7 L3 I4 C2 M6 E2
Gnome B3 A3 R2 S1 W7 L4 I3 C1 M6 E2
So, stats are awful, but even in Priority a Gnome Mage with stats D was always going to be awful, and you were flipping a coin between Stats or Skills of D. The other option is Magic A, Stats B, Meta C, Skills D, Resources E? I'll leave that for another post.
Karma spend, Canine 10, Gnome 0, Nuyen 10, Focused Concentration (4) 16, Mentor Spirit 5. 9 left over for odds and ends.
Skill Groups: Conjuring Group 6, Stealth 4
Spellcasting 6, CounterSpell 6, Computer 6, EW 6, Hacking 6 , Software 1, Hardware 2, Alchemy 3, Astral Perception 1, with specializations.
Spells usual mix with Increased Logic as an Alchemical prep. Mentor spirit as you prefer.
Gear, budget hacker commlink and requisite runner crap.
The extra couple points of SAP let you sneak in the Skills A and keep a Magic 6. The Skills A lets you sneak in moderate hacking pools. At least enough to be a back up or hack a camera along the way. May or may not be enough to warrent playing a Gnome/Shih Tzu mix.
Still need to work in an Unarmed skill somehow so you can bite peoples.
