The wording of the section on Mana Barriers is talking about magical force to break through the barrier, not physical force. The comparison it makes to any other physical barrier is to inform you to use the same system for tracking damage to the barrier.
On page 315 in the entry you mention there is a chart which describes the caster's options for where the barrier will be present, and lists the specific page governing the spell or effect which causes the barrier. Mana Barrier itself can be found on page 294 of the 5th Edition core rules, and describes a barrier which does not prevent the passage of non-living (physical objects) or living things unless they are 'magically active.' For comparison, the next listed spell is Physical Barrier.
Unbound/uncontrolled spirits active in the area are affected by the barrier and have to contend with it like anyone else. Whether or not a summoning could take place on the other side of the barrier would very much depend on the situation and the barrier.
If a mage (or other affected being) desires to pass or have an item which is affected pass through the mana barrier they have three choices:
The subtle way is trying to magically bypass it as described on page
316, where every additional hit allows them to slip other affected
items or beings through with them. This is described as pressing
through the barrier, much like Dune's 'the slow knife will penetrate
the shield.' This approach does not automatically notify the creator of the barrier
The forceful way is to target the barrier with damage-causing
magics. This is handled 'just as you would with any other barrier,'
by dealing with its Armor and Structure ratings. These ratings are
equal to the Force of the mana barrier. The barrier must be overcome
in one Combat Turn or else its Structure refreshes. This approach
automatically notifies the creator of the barrier.
The third option (page 317, sidebar) is to attack the source or
basis of the barrier. In other words you can deal with the anchor,
destroy the lodge, or geek the mage responsible for sustaining the
barrier. With the source out of the way, the barrier is no longer a
problem. This approach, if it brings down the barrier, will notify
the creator automatically.
These choices are the same regardless of where the barrier is on the Astral Plane, on the Physical Plane, or on both.
Mundane gear and allies are unaffected by Mana Barriers.
Affected beings or items cannot normally pass through the barrier, unless they Press past it or bring it down. In some cases a mundane object may force them through the barrier (page 316) in which case they must pass an Opposed Test or be disrupted.
The effects of disruption are listed in the Astral Intersections passage on page 316. Foci are deactivated, spells end, spirits are dispelled, and living beings are Stunned. Afterward, foci can be reactivated, spells can be cast again, spirits can be summoned again, and living beings will recover from Stun... providing the owner of the mana barrier gives them the time to do all of this.
No amount of time is listed as a penalty for passing through a mana barrier, just the condition resulting from that intersection. Using the details of that imposed condition indicates a deactivated focus can be reactivated by the person it is bonded to as a Simple Action - if they are conscious. Likewise, spells and spirits can become available again in the time it takes to call them forth. Living Beings will recover from Stun normally.
Sadly, Spirits are Astral. It could Materialize, but even then it would have Immunity to Normal Weapons (as long as it is materialized).
That immunity can be circumvented in several ways:
This applies to all attacks that are not magical in nature; weapon foci, spells,
and adept or critter powers function normally. If the critter also has the Allergy weakness, then the Immunity
does not apply against non-magical attacks made using
the allergen.
Since you know you're going to encounter a Spirit, perhaps you can:
- Let the Mage project, so that he can take out the Spirit in Astral combat. You guard his location in the meantime.
- Hire extra magical muscle (such as an extra Mage, Physical Adept or Shaman)
- Enhance the weapons of the Physical Adept with a weapon focus
- Gain more info about the mages used by the target to get a better idea of the type of spirits that you could encounter
- You could bring serious firepower, in an effort to bypass the hardened armor. But the resulting weapons barrage would trigger a stronger security response as well.
For example, if you're attacked by a Fire spirit inside a compound and the mage yells this out to the team. Any non-magical team member could then:
- Trigger the sprinkler system
- Trigger the firealarm (knowning that this triggers the sprinkler system)
- Just use a nearby fire hose reel station
That's assuming the the mage doesn't need protection while he takes down the spirit from other threats.
Best Answer
When you have a spirit summoned, but it's not actually doing anything, it sits in astral space on standby, taking no actions. It takes a Simple Action to call a previously-summoned spirit (this makes it appear in the summoner's vicinity in astral space), then a second Simple Action to issue a command to a group of spirits.
As soon as it is called in combat, a spirit is entitled to roll its initiative; astral spirits all use (Force × 2) + 3D6. Since the Combat Turn is already underway, the spirit will need to subtract 10 from the result for each Initiative Pass that has already gone by. Note that while spirits have Edge equal to half their Force, summoned and bound spirits do not (SR5, p. 304); however, the summoner can use his own Edge on his spirits' tests, and they can use that to Blitz.
When the spirit is ordered into combat, what it does depends on its target. If the target is in astral space or is dual-natured, it can attack without materializing first. In this situation, the spirit must use Mana-type powers (like Confusion or Fear).
If the target is only in the physical world, or the spirit wants to use Physical powers (like Accident or Elemental Attack), it must first take a Complex Action to use the Materialization power. When it does, this changes its physical attributes to the numbers listed for its type (for example, a Force 4 air spirit changes its Reaction from 4 to 8), and its Initiative changes as well.
Per the rules on Changing Initiative (SR5 p. 160), you apply the difference between the base Initiative scores, then add/subtract any changes in dice. To use the Force 4 air spirit as an example, its astral initiative was 8 + 3D6; its physical initiative is 12 + 2D6, so you would add 4 and then subtract 1D6.
To revisit your example: