Magic in the Shadows (MitS) is the latest Third Edition supplement. I was fairly unimpressed with the Shadowrun Companion (Revised.) Its was the same old stuff in a new wrapper. As a devotee to the line, I felt compelled to buy it. I bought it, and I was severely disappointed. However, MitS made that painful memory fade away. Quickly.
MitS is compilation of source material on magic since the Second Edition Grimoire came out. This covers a lot of ground: Tir Nan Og, Germany Sourcebook, Bug City, Awakenings, Threats, Cyberpirates, and Corporate Security. MitS takes all of this material and filters it into one comprehensive book.
I think the term "coherent" is best term to describe MitS. Whereas all of the previous works pulled magic in all different directions, MitS brings it all back together into one consistent, understandable format. MitS changes the system in subtle ways. Its not a radical rewrite as was VR 2.0 or Rigger2, but its not the same system that's been under "the hood."
There's been a lot additions. For example, its no longer just a matter of being a shaman or hermetic. Maybe you want to play a Chinese magician (wuxing or wujen), or a Wiccan? Maybe you want to be a shaman that can summon ancestor spirits? Its now possible to be just about anything in SR3. A new order of Christian mages has been added, too.
Initiation has substantially reworked. You no longer receive all of the metamagic abilities at Grade O. Instead, you can pick and chose. Some new metamagic abilities have been added. One of the more interesting ones is "possession." An astrally projecting mage can "commandeer" an astrally active form, including a dual natured critter. So, if you got the cojones you can attempt to posses Lofwyr. Good luck...you'll need it. Just make sure you've got a will and place to dump you lifeless body.
There are new elemental effects and new spells. One of the things I was glad to see was the change in the way the spells Transform and Shapechange worked. It depends on the body rating of your target and the body rating of the animal your going to. Its now impossible for a body rating 2 mage to turn into an elephant or a rhino. However, you can still turn into a tiger (with natural wired reflexes 2) and wreak havoc.
MitS is a very thick book. Its more than a system book. Its got a lot of good descriptions about playing a specific type of magically active character. The only problem I have is the with a lack of new adept powers. Most of the powers printed in MitS were the same from Awakenings. Some of these powers were very unbalancing to the game, but they were too expensive to make them practical. For example, its very expensive to combine "killing hands" with distance strike. With SR3 came a big change in the way adepts gain powers. An adept can initiate, but they can also pay 20 karma to gain a new power. As a result, most smart players initiate while its cheaper than 20 karma and then switch to buying the points at 20 when initiation gets more expensive. Now, the real expense in developing these powers has been mostly removed.
Overall, MitS is a very good book for both GMs and players. The threats info has been updated, so now there's even more stuff for GMs to torture their parties. MitS is a quality product and (IMHO) a must buy for any serious Shadowrun player or gamemaster.
Style: 4 (Classy and well done)
Substance: 5 (Excellent!)
