Bodyguard

Lore & Background

In Shadowrun's setting, magic and technology coexist in a tense, often contradictory balance. Mages and shamans draw on the Awakened world to summon, bind, and direct spirits—entities that exist partially in the physical realm and partially in the spirit plane. Among the many spirit types a mage might call upon, the Bodyguard is one of the most straightforward in purpose: it stands between its master and harm.

A Bodyguard spirit typically manifests as a large, broad-shouldered humanoid figure, sometimes wreathed in faint spectral light or trailing wisps of aetheric energy. It does not strike first; it absorbs, blocks, and endures. In combat, it positions itself in front of its summoner, using its physical and magical resistance to soak damage that would otherwise reach the mage. This makes it especially valuable in the Shadowrun world, where a single well-placed round from a corporate security team or a rival's fireball can end a run before it begins.

The tech-and-magic duality defines how a Bodyguard operates. Against purely kinetic threats—small arms, heavy weapons, vehicle impacts—it functions much like a very durable shield. Against magical attacks, it can resist or partially negate the spell's effect, leveraging its spirit-nature to interact with forces that bypass ordinary armor. This dual resistance is what makes a Bodyguard spirit a prized asset in a world where a single enemy might field both a .50 caliber rifle and a bound fire elemental.

In Their Own Story

The rain came down in sheets of neon-tinted water, the kind that made the streets of the sprawl look like a circuit board shorting out. Kael stood in the doorway of the noodle bar, his cybernetic left eye cycling through threat assessments, and felt the familiar cold prickle along his spine. Three figures. Corporate security. The one in the middle was holding something that hummed with a frequency his augmentations couldn't quite parse.

He didn't have time to reach for his sidearm. He didn't need to.

The air behind him split open like a page being torn, and the Bodyguard stepped through—seven feet of coalescing shadow and faint blue-white luminescence, its jaw set in a permanent, silent snarl. It turned, placed its broad back in front of Kael, and raised one massive hand. The humming thing fired. The spell struck the spirit's palm and shattered into sparks that rained down on the wet asphalt. The Bodyguard didn't flinch. It never did.

Kael exhaled, pulled his gun, and stepped around the spirit's shoulder. "Let's go," he muttered. The Bodyguard followed, one hand still raised, still glowing faintly where the magic had broken against it. It would be gone in a few minutes. It always was. But for now, the way out was clear.

Reader's Guide

The Bodyguard is a protective spirit type in the Shadowrun universe, designed to shield its summoner from both physical and magical harm. Its core function is interposition: it stands in front of its master and absorbs or resists incoming damage that would otherwise reach them.

In terms of role, a Bodyguard fills the gap that pure technology cannot. A runner's cybernetic armor stops bullets; a Bodyguard stops the bullet and the fireball that follows it. This dual resistance—against kinetic force and against spell effects—makes it one of the most versatile defensive assets a mage or shaman can carry into a run.

Mechanically, the Bodyguard is a summoning investment. The mage spends essence, time, and willpower to call it into the physical plane, and the spirit's effectiveness scales with the mage's own magical capability. A more experienced Awakened can summon a stronger, more durable Bodyguard that soaks more damage before being driven back to the spirit plane.

Across editions, the Bodyguard has remained a consistent spirit type, though its exact stat blocks and summoning costs have shifted with each revision of the rules. Its identity, however, has not changed: it is the spirit you call when you need to be alive on the other side of the fight. In teams, it pairs naturally with offensive mages, street samurai who lack heavy armor, or any runner whose job is to stay standing while others do the damage.

In the broader world, the existence of Bodyguard spirits reinforces one of Shadowrun's core tensions: magic is not just a weapon. It is a shield, a tool, and in this case, a partner that stands between you and the end of your story.

Did You Know?

• In Shadowrun, spirits are not merely summoned as one-shot effects; they can be bound to a mage and called repeatedly, making a Bodyguard a long-term defensive investment rather than a single-use resource.
• The Shadowrun setting is built on the coexistence of cybernetic technology and magic, meaning a single combat encounter can involve both a .50 caliber round and a bound elemental—exactly the dual threat a Bodyguard is de
• Shadowrun has been published across multiple editions of tabletop rules, and the Bodyguard spirit type has persisted as a recognizable category through those revisions, even as specific numbers and costs were adjusted.
• The franchise has also been adapted into video games, including titles like Shadowrun: Dragon Fall and Shadowrun: Hong Kong, bringing the tech-and-magic duality to interactive audiences.