Shadowrun, Sixth World archetype
Mage
Mage is an archetype in Shadowrun, Sixth World: Full magician who casts spells, summons spirits, and reads the astral plane the rest of the team cannot see.
Last reviewed
Overview
The mage is the most flexible runner on any team and the most expensive to keep alive. Spells cover damage, healing, stealth, and mind work, summoned spirits do jobs nobody wants, and astral perception finds the watcher, ward, or dead body that physical senses miss entirely. Every option is paid for from one pool. Magic rates 0 to 6 and feeds Sorcery, Conjuring, and Enchanting alike, and drain from casting lands on the caster personally, which makes Willpower the second attribute a magician cannot skip. Augmentation is effectively closed to this archetype: Essence loss reduces Magic, so the chrome that upgrades a samurai downgrades a mage permanently.
How it works
Key Attributes: Magic, then Willpower for absorbing drain, then Logic or Charisma depending on how your tradition is framed at the table. Key Skills: Sorcery for spellcasting, counterspelling, and rituals. Conjuring for summoning, binding, and banishing spirits. Astral for perceiving and fighting in astral space, and Enchanting if you want foci and alchemy. Dice Pools: Magic plus Sorcery, counting each 5 or 6 as a hit. Spirits are conjured on Magic plus Conjuring on the same scale. Gear: Foci, reagents, and a lodge. Keep augmentation near zero, because Essence spent is Magic lost.
Tips and playstyle
Best for: Players who want the widest option list on the team and are willing to manage a resource that depletes across a whole run. Character concepts: A combat mage on retainer to a fixer, a hermetic academic renting out rituals between runs, a shaman whose spirits answer for reasons the team never fully learns. Synergies: Dwarves can push Willpower past the usual ceiling, which is the single best support for sustained casting. Pair Astral with a decker's Matrix sweep so the team clears both invisible layers before anyone opens a door.
Frequently asked questions
Why should a mage avoid cyberware?
Implants cost Essence and Essence loss reduces Magic. Since Magic is half of every Sorcery and Conjuring pool you roll, a few implants can cost you more dice than the implants give back.
Mage or adept?
A mage projects magic outward as spells and spirits, an adept channels it inward into physical ability. The mage is more versatile, the adept is more durable in a fight and needs far less setup.
What limits how often I can cast?
Drain, not a spell count. Each casting pushes back at the caster, so a mage who leans on high force without Willpower behind it is out of the run before the objective.