Thaumatology Sorcery prohibitively expensive [Rant]

[Nedorus]

WOW!
It's really interesting reading all of your comments.

My real issue is that I need to balance the Rigger, Hacking, Cyberware and Mage abilities in the Cyberpunk game I'm aiming at.

In the original I can easily have a Mage with 6-7 spells, the Astral-Space abilities and conjuring some Spirits alongside a Cyberware-packed Streefighter, Drone-flying Get-Away-Car-racing Rigger and a Cyberdeck-wielding Bit-Jockey all at the same point level.

The typical game level I want to run is 250 Points (even lower for a "Beginner-level game") and it works well with those other "Classes".

But if the Mage needs to spend ~100+ points just to be able to cast something "simple" like 'Invisibility' something is weird... OK, I do understand that other (cheaper) spells can easily be bought at 1/5 the full cost but the prerequisite seems really steep...

I've already added a "QN-Roll required" and some other limitations to bring costs down, but that really doesn't do much in the direction of bringing this Mage even close to what the "original game" would produce.

Examples:
1. Healing
This version of the spell restores 1d HP to the target. The target must be touched (skin-to-skin).
The casting roll is at -2 if the subject is unconscious.
If used more than once per day on a given subject, you are at a cumulative -3 per successful healing.
Failure costs you 1d FP in addition to the QP spent for the casting. A critical failure also causes the recipient 1d damage.
There are five levels of this spell each healing 1d damage per level.
Statistics: Healing (Magical -10%; Mana Spell -20%*; Based on QN, Own Roll +20%, Contact Agent -30%;Injuries Only, -20%; Affects Self, +50%; Cannot restore crippled limbs, -10%; Capped & Reduced Fatigue Cost -5%**) [23/36/50/63/77]

* a modifier that limits when and where the spellcan be cast considering astral space and insubstantial being etc...
** I've rolled 'Capped' and 'Reduced Fatigue Cost' points into one modifier in order to make the GCS-version of this spell more easily "leveled". otherwise it's just these two modifiers. The higher levels each heal an additional d6 in damage.

2. Entertainment
You can create lifelike illusions as animated, three-dimensional images of anything you can visualize. Illusions lack mass and substance, and can’t affect material objects in any way besides hiding or illuminating them. The illusion can include visual and audio effects in any spectrum you can see or hear naturally (Cyberware counts as 'natural').
You must concentrate to change the illusion or to have it behave “intelligently” (e.g., to make an illusionary person talk). Without concentration, it will conform to your expectations for how it should behave.
There are four levels of this spell. Each allows an illusion of up to 2^level meter radius.
Other versions of this spell can cover other senses that the caster may not necessarily have.
Audio- and Visual-Only versions of this spell also exist.

Statistics: Illusion (Sorcery -15%; Mana Spell -20%; Accessibility: Does Not affect Machines, Cameras or other technological sensors -20%; Requires QN-Roll, Add own roll, non-resisted -10%; Ranged +40%; Area Effect 1 +50%; Independence +50%) [34/46/59/71]

Please compare this to:

3. Firebolt
Roll to cast, then roll to hit / defend normally.
A 'simple' attack which does 1d burn damage per level with a range of 100/100 Acc 3, RoF 1, Rcl 1.

Statistics: Innate Attack (Burn; Sorcery -15%; requires QN Roll, add own roll, non-resisted -10%; 10x increased 1/2-Damage +15%; Physical Spell -20%) [4/7/11/14/18/21/25/28...]

I know I should cap this spell somewhere at level 6-7 limiting it to 6d-7d damage which is about the same as a single shot from an Assault Rifle. But even at that level it feels WAY CHEAPER than the other spells above.
The Mana Spell based combat spells which are built on Malediction and thus ignore armor are more expensive but still feel much cheaper.

Is that most basic Illusion (with a 2m radius) for 40+34/5 = 47 points REALLY as powerful as a level 10 Firebolt doing 10d burn damage for 40+35/5=47 points?

And then I compare that to the Streetfighter / Samurai who can get the Smart-Link as head-gear giving +1 to guns (which must have the matching hardware) and Gunslinger for a meager 15 points? Adding in a Reflex Booster 2 giving her an extra attack (multi-strike) and Increased Basic Speed Level 4 for 16 points plus the matching Reaction Enhancers for 14 points giving her Ambidexterity, Combat Reflexes and another Increased Basic Speed Level 1... (WiFi must be enabled to benefit from both of the last two). So for a total of 15+16+14=45 points I've made her a literal monster!

Does this really sound balanced?

P.S.: Yes, I know that I can get all of the above spells for 40+36/5+34/5+35/5=62 points but I still only have the most basic versions of the spell... Healing at level 2 ... ok, granted ...