Ah yes, the eternal question of "how to make a mage be combat survivable".
There are two basic approaches.... The first has been outlined. (Buff spells, foci, sustaining).
There are some drawbacks to this approach. The first is its resource intensive. Between karma, build points and cash, you can sink a lot into trying to buff up physical combat. The other issue is astral intersections with wards... you hit a ward unaware, and you will either lose all your sustained buffs, or collapse the barrier and alert the ward's mage.
The other approach is the 'stealth' approach. You rely on sneaking and invisibility to keep the attention of hostles on the meatier members of your team.
The key to this trick is trick is remaining unnoticed, so you want to use mana and other direct combat spells as they don't give off visual clues to your location. (Nothing says 'invisible mage!' Like a gout of flame coming from nothing!).
The drawback to this approach is that it is basically a one trick pony, and the astral plane (but less so then the first approach). You are also generally not as enhanced initiative wise... which limits your actions - or increases your opportunity costs.
*****
Remember the first rule of combat: Geek the mage first!
This isn't a saying, its a tactical doctrine of the 6th world! You look like a mage, you act like a mage, every bullet is comming for you first!
So, don't look or act like a mage! Avoid flashly displays of power, or light shows of elemental indirect spells. These paint a giant bulleye on your back. (And really, whats more terrorfying, a troll with an assault rifle OR a mage that can burn you and your squad to death with a flick of a finger?).
I generally use the second approach, as well as judical timing of actions during combat.... which means some combats I am doing nothing at all. After all, a mage is basically a one man arty unit. You don't use artillery on plebs, you use it on bunched enemies and to suppress..... which is exactly what I do.
