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Dumpshock Forums _ Shadowrun _ Technomancers and Personas

Posted by: Wiseman Jul 21 2006, 01:48 AM

Alright, trying to figure out exactly where the technomancers organic tech differs. I'm fine with commcodes - MSP address, & access codes - hardware serial number, as techno's can subscribe to an MSP (give and receive calls), and can spoof or memorize bogus acess codes.

But i'm really fuzzy on the Persona Node thing. First the book talks about in the matrix, you are the Persona, then talks about the icon. Your Subscription List is to your Persona.

Then I read stuff like hackers can use editing for subscription lists, and your icon appears in your node.

Now technos have the Living Persona, no real node to speak of.

I see no problems with TM being jammed, tracked, cybercombat, etc.

But can they be hacked and edited?

Posted by: FanGirl Jul 21 2006, 04:02 AM

I shall consult the Holy Writ! (Brings up her .pdf of the BBB)

P. 206 says your icon is the graphical representation of your Persona.

P. 221 describes the differences between the processes for rebooting Living Personae and regular Personae,

P. 233 summarizes the Living Persona's attributes, noting that they don't have a Matrix Condition monitor, but DO get a free Biofeedback filter with a rating equal to their Charisma.

Posted by: Wiseman Jul 21 2006, 01:28 PM

quite familiar with the whole section on techno's and the matrix.

But it doesn't really (or I should say clearly) define whether or not you can exploit/hack a TM and then use Edit on his subscription list (as you could with a hackers commlink)

Way I see techno's is they have a lot of in built balance (why the advantage only costs 5 BP)

To me their akin to a D&D Sorcerer while the hacker is more like the Wizard.

It's implied that they do everything the same, so the question is, is the "organic commlink" a hackable node.

Do TM's have active, passive, hidden modes or are they always hidden? If their active or passive and not currently "using" the matrix, is there an open node in their brain?

Of course with no memory you couldn't hack data or upload an agent, but what about tapping their calls or using edit to unsubscribe some drones? If a TM is hacking a node and gets successfully traced, what does the tracing agent/hacker find?

Posted by: hobgoblin Jul 21 2006, 02:32 PM

if i apply my logical/physical split then i could say:

yes, technomancers have a node that can be hacked. but when trying to analyze it to get hardware details, you will only get giberish as there is no hardware (physical).

and for a interesting twist, the VR experience of a TM's node could be anything the TM wants. and may well be a windows into the person psycological health and current mood (a child TM's node may well be filled with cotton candy and teddybears. but when the kid becomes angry or scared the bears turn rabid, growing fangs and claws).

Posted by: Rotbart van Dainig Jul 21 2006, 02:36 PM

QUOTE (hobgoblin)

yes, technomancers have a node that can be hacked. but when trying to analyze it to get hardware details, you will only get giberish as there is no hardware (physical).

..and as TMs can't store anything directly, no paydata for you.

Posted by: hobgoblin Jul 21 2006, 02:52 PM

rember that a node can be more then one physical device as its just a logical contruct (a subnet if you like). therefor while the TM's organic comlink may not provide storage, other devices thats part of the node could.

Posted by: Wiseman Jul 21 2006, 02:55 PM

can't store anything? not in their organic commlink but they could easily interface and store paydata almost anywhere, including clothing (see the sidebar on storage in the matrix section).

QUOTE

and for a interesting twist, the VR experience of a TM's node could be anything the TM wants. and may well be a windows into the person psycological health and current mood (a child TM's node may well be filled with cotton candy and teddybears. but when the kid becomes angry or scared the bears turn rabid, growing fangs and claws).

I like it, doesn't change the rules, keeps the "weird" feel without anything drastic.

I already assumed as much (since I couldn't think of better ideas) but i'm very interested to see how other people view the crazy stuff techno's do with their brains.

Posted by: X-Kalibur Jul 21 2006, 04:10 PM

QUOTE (hobgoblin)

For some reason that really makes me think of Akira.

Posted by: Wiseman Jul 21 2006, 05:17 PM

QUOTE

For some reason that really makes me think of Akira.

Its cause in the lab scene they're all playing with their powers and toys and Tetsuo had that big teddy bear attack him.

Posted by: Conskill Jul 22 2006, 04:59 AM

QUOTE

I already assumed as much (since I couldn't think of better ideas) but i'm very interested to see how other people view the crazy stuff techno's do with their brains.

I'd assume that a normal hacker getting into a Technomancer's Living Node (for lack of a better term) just isn't going to be able to do much; they've approached as close to the threshold where the logic of the Matrix breaks down into the supernatural of the Resonance as they ever will.

Taking this approach, conventional programs and IC might begin to break down or do some fairly weird things in a Technomancer's brain. Anything that tries to do anything more than skim the surface of the VR environment is going to turn up not just gibberish, but anomalies in function and violations of computer science. The overriding theme for a Hacker in Technomancer land is that this should not be.

On the other hand, another Technomancer or Resonance-driven creature could probably operate just fine. Depending on the need of the plot or how entertaining the idea strikes me at the time, I'm even open to the idea of a hostile Technomancer being able to hack the brain itself (motor functions, cognition, etc) through the Resonance.

Posted by: Dender Jul 22 2006, 07:26 AM

i'd almost thin it would be like what happens when someone steps into a node with an AI

Posted by: Konsaki Jul 22 2006, 11:17 AM

Thinking about it, Technomancers might be the reason people rumor about UV nodes...

"Joe scans and finds a weird looking node, hacks in and finds a world of jibberish and is completely unable to do anything worthwhile. He stays in there for only a few seconds cause he immediatly gets attacked by some wierd agents that dont respond like normal agents. He makes it out alive and posts about some wierd node that he wasnt able to find again."

Posted by: Wiseman Jul 22 2006, 04:12 PM

QUOTE

Now thats pure GM goodness. Ties into conceptual RP background, could give a hacker player nightmares, definitely adds to the paranoia that any shadowrun team should be sweating out constantly. Makes me want to create a prime runner villian techno they have to track down.

I'm humbled

Posted by: FanGirl Jul 23 2006, 10:15 PM

I play a TM with Emo as my GM (hey, that rhymes!), and here's my 2 nusen.

This is what Emo has established so far:
FanGirl has a free sprite resembling a wolf cub, whom she has named Rudy. Rudy comes to FanGirl to escape from his master, the fourth AI (who is apparently known only to FanGirl, as far as she knows). FanGirl gets an unbearable headache whenever Rudy is inside her personal node, so she "stores" him in her dummy commlink. The pup enjoys frolicking in the "backyard" of the commlink's node, and when he wants to go out, he starts scratching at the firewall (represented by a glass sliding door) until she lets him out.

Here's how I imagine FanGirl and how she uses the Matrix, even though it hasn't come up in game yet:

FanGirl's usual icon looks something like http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y24/BeatricePortinari/fangirl.jpg. She also likes to adopt eccentric alternate personalities from time to time, however, and will change the icon to correspond to the role she is playing. For example, when she is feeling particularly piratey, she'll dress her icon in a pirate costume, then go around brandishing a cutlass while yelling things like: "Avast, ye scurvy n00bs! I be Fifi LaFolle, the yarrest sea-farin' wench in the Seattle Grid, and I'll send yer agents down to Davy Jones!" The personal node in FanGirl's brain is sculpted to resemble a hip twenty-something's loft apartment, complete with framed posters reflecting her interests. The personal node in her dummy commlink, however, is sculpted to look like the suburban tract home she grew up in.

Hope this helps.

Posted by: Dogsoup Jul 24 2006, 12:40 AM

QUOTE (hobgoblin)

and for a interesting twist, the VR experience of a TM's node could be anything the TM wants. and may well be a windows into the person psycological health and current mood

Heh, I'm reminded of "Being John Malkovich"...

Posted by: Cynic project Jul 24 2006, 04:12 PM

QUOTE (Konsaki)

Nope.UV predates Okatu. Just ask Alice.