A short story for Shadowrun
by Linda Naughton O'Meara

Freaks. Weirdos. Outsiders.

I know that's what some of you think about magicians. I know because I've been there myself. I've had some of those same thoughts. Now I know better. People tend to fear what they don't understand, and they try to shut it out, either through denying its existence or by down-playing its value. I know there are lots of magophobes out there who want nothing to do with magic. But when you're out on the streets, there's no room for prejudice. To survive, you need every edge you can get. And in our world, chummers, the edge is magic. Even if you don't have it, your competition will, and you're going to be doubly fragged.

Some of you are probably wondering why you should give a frag what I have to say. Well, like I said, I've been in your shoes. For the last three years, I ran the shadows. The team I was with was among the best, and it was because we had magical resources and knew how to use them. I spent many months scanning every chip I could find on magical theory. I knew about physical threats, and I wanted to know about the magical ones too. "Know your enemy" and all that drek. But then I got to know a few real magicians, and learned more about magic by experiencing it first hand. With my skills as a street sam, and my knowledge of magical theory, I was able to integrate our team's resources, combining physical and magical means to give us the best results. Now I'm retired, and I guess the humanitarian part of me wants to help some of you newbies out there get to the finish line, like I did. So if you're interested in living, read on.

In our Awakened world, no team of 'runners is complete without a magician. Of course, I realize that even after my spiel in the last few paragraphs, most of you are still going to be skeptical (if you're not, go home - you're not paranoid enough to run the shadows); so I'm not going to just tell you "Get a magician". Instead, I'm going to tell you what a magician can do for your team, using concrete examples, and then you can decide whether it's worth finding one of the gifted few and convincing them to join your team.

One note though, before I begin. Sometimes it may seem as though I'm ignoring the personal aspect of a magician by only telling you how you can best use one on your team. That's not meant to imply that magicians aren't worthwhile just as individuals. In fact some of my best friends are mages and shamans. I even married one, for that matter. But this article is meant to tell you why you need a magician on your team, not why you should set aside any prejudices and take the time to get to know him personally.

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Stealth

When you're on a 'run, the less attention you draw to yourselves, the better. I think we can all agree that it's far safer to sneak past the sec guards than to duke it out with them. Maybe you like being shot at, but I'm a little sensitive to lead, personally.

A magician with an invisibility spell can make you disappear. Make sure it's a good spell, though- one that works against tech as well as against people. No sense sneaking past the gate guards if the rigger on the closed-circuit camera will be able to see right through the spell and sound the alarm. I've even known a few mages who have designed their own improved invisibility spells, that work against other forms of sensors as well - thermographic, RADAR, you name it.

If you're willing to fund your mage, you can get him (or her - like I said there's no room for prejudice when your hoop is on the line) to conjure a water elemental to help out with the casting. But the ritual conjuring materials cost money, so you have to consider it an investment. It can be a worthwhile investment, though, if the elemental makes the spell work well enough to fool the big troll with the panther cannon.

Shamans' nature spirits can't help them cast spells like that. On the other hand, they have an extra advantage when it comes to stealth. Just about every type of nature spirit can conceal you (and it doesn't cost money to buy ritual materials to summon one). And the best part is that the concealment carries over into the astral plane. For complete undetectability, there's no substitute. The only down side is that a nature spirit is limited to a specific geographic domain. If you move from one domain to another, you'll be visible for the brief period of time it takes your shaman to summon another spirit appropriate to the new domain.

For optimum stealth, I recommend using an improved invisibility spell on each team member, and then have a nature spirit concealing the invisible team. That way, you've got all the bases covered, and are going to be nearly impossible to detect.

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Recon

Any 'runner who goes into a mission blind deserves what he gets. A rational team will perform reconassiance first, to find out what they're up against. One common means of reacon is a Matrix 'run to find out about the security surrounding the place. Another is using surveillance drones. A third is magic.

A mage or shaman can learn the clairvoyance and/or clairaudience spell. These two spells are invaluable when investigating a site without magical barriers around it. Just have the magician sneak a peek inside the building from a block or so away, and often you can find out anything you need to know.

Of course, most of the interesting targets are going to have magical protections up, so the spells become less practical. Another form of magical recon is to go in astrally. An astrally projecting mage is limited, however, to general layout, guard patrols, and other non-technological data. Unless he overhears something, he won't be able to tell you what kind of electronic security the place has. Technology just doesn't show up that way in astral space.

I've found that the best way to perform a magical recon is to first have your astrally projecting magician (preferably with a nature spirit tagging along, concealing the astral spy from prying astral eyes) scope out the target, checking for obvious astral security like barriers or wards. Then see what you can learn through clarirvoyance. And then if you want more data, send in the magician again astrally to get a better look.

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Speed

The best getaway is a fast getaway. And when you've just finished a 'run and you're trying to get out before the Star shows up, having a spirit around to increase your movement can make the difference between slipping away and getting busted. It doesn't have to be a nature spirit. Elementals can also speed you up. However, nature spirits are better because they can conceal you, or guard you from any unfortunate accidents (like wrapping your Americar around a phone pole when an elemental's got you going 800kph).

One of my favorite tricks (works especially well against facilities with good perimeter security and open killing grounds) is to use those Nightflyer gliders that came out a year or so ago. You cast invisibility on the team, and fly in on one of those things, sped up by an air elemental or sky spirit. You've landed at the front door before the guards even have a chance to react, assuming that by some miracle they actually spotted you. And then once the run is over, you do the same thing on the way out - and you're gone before anyone has a prayer of giving chase.

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Spells

It may seem pretty fraggin' dense to make a point of saying that magicians have spells. But aside from the fireball spells you see the wizzards slinging on the trid shows, what do you really know about the spells that are out there? I'm guessing not a lot, unless you know some magicians. So let me fill you in.

The best thing is that there's not a whole lot that can't be done with magic, once you spend time figuring out the right spell formula. Why bother with a disguise kit when you can get a spell to make you look like someone else? And I can tell you with absolute certainty that sometimes a good magician can be more successful treating wounds than the best doctor around. There are few limits on the types of spells you can design if your mage has the imagination and theoretical background to handle it. Of course, designing, and learning new spells requires a lot of time and effort, but it can be worth it, believe me! I can't tell you the number of times a new spell designed by one of our mages has saved our hoops.

A particularly useful spell is one that detects people who mean you harm. It's the ultimate last-ditch safeguard against an ambush, especially if your magician can get a good range on it (Although you've still got to watch your back and be careful. Don't rely on the spell too much.)

One of a really good magician's most valuable abilities is Quickening. You want to be stronger? Faster? Smarter? Sure you can get cyberware, but did you also know that you could get a magician to put a spell on you to do the same thing? They can attach a spell to you permanently (until it gets destroyed, that is) which can increase your abilities. It takes a lot of investment on the magician's part, though, so you've got to do some fast talking to convince him. If you can, though, it's worth it. You do risk having some astral magician come along and tear the spell apart, but while it's active it's great. I speak from experience, since for the last year I've had a quickened reflex spell on me. I wasn't as fast as the fastest street sam or anything, but I could hold my own against most cyberjocks.

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Magical Defense

An old adage says that you have to fight fire with fire. Well, the corps sure believe in that one. They know that many 'runners are going to have magical support, so they're going to get some of their own. And when some corp sec-mage starts hurling fireballs at you, you'll be glad that your team's magician is there to help shield you from the spell. Of course, he won't be able to protect the entire team all the time, especially if you actually want him to be able to cast spells on his own effectively, but it can still be a lifesaver.

Another particularly nasty corp trap is to have an anchored mana barrier. When it detects an intruder, it goes off, trapping you in that area. Without a magician, you're not getting out of that one, chummers. You can still shoot through the barrier (assuming they only have the one, and didn't add a bullet barrier, too), but you can't move out of it without first destroying the spell (which mundanes like us can't do.)

Also, manifested elementals and nature spirits can really make your life hell if you don't have a magician around to banish them of fry them with spells. Most spirits are tough to kill with firearms and other ranged attacks. You're better off walking up and pummeling them (Unless it's a fire elemental, which will burn you - try throwing water on it instead. No, that's not a joke, it really works.) However, most spirits don't do too well against spells, in my experience.

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Conclusion

I coudl go on and on listing the endless possibilities available through magic, but that would take forever, and I hope you've gotten the point. Even if you can't find a mage or shaman willing to run with your team (which is entirely possible considering that only 1% of the population is magically active), you will still be much better off knowing what can be thrown against you. The world has changed, chummers, and is only going to keep changing. Magic is a part of our lives, whether we like it or not. You can either deal with it, and learn to use it and take advantage of it, or you can wait for it to deal with you. Permanently.