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Posted by: ayago Jun 15 2008, 04:53 PM

Hi everyone, I'm a rookie that is getting into a campaign. We're gonna have 2 players, the other guy is a complete newbie to Shadowrun, I've played the Genesis game and a little in book 1. I'm told that one of us needs to be able to do some hacking, and I was wondering if anyone can help point me in a direction, kinda overwhelmed by the book so far. We're going a 425 point build if that helps.

Thanks in advance!

Posted by: swammeyjoe Jun 15 2008, 05:36 PM

I'm still pretty new to the game (playing since January) but I'll try to answer your question.

If you have the main rule book, look in the section on character archtypes. There is a hacker in there that you can use if you don't want to create a character. There are also several character generators on the net that you can download that help you with stuff like BP and attribute limits and all that good stuff. As for learning the rules, well, I would suggest reading over the chapter on the Wireless world and hacking at least once, so you are familiar with all the things your character can do. Beyond that, I would need specifics.

Posted by: Dr Funfrock Jun 15 2008, 05:48 PM

I strongly reccomend to your GM that if s/he is running a two player game, they need to provide an NPC hacker. The hacking rules are simple enough, but very poorly explained, and just add another layer of complication to an already complicated game.

Ideally one of your two PCs should be a mage, because they are incredibly versatile, the other should take a mix of social skills and combat skills, backed up with plenty of cyber/bio ware. That will cover all of your essential party roles. The NPC hacker does matrix overwatch, and deals with most of the electronic security, the mage deals with magical security and the other guy deals with physical (by talking or shooting their way through it).

Posted by: Aaron Jun 16 2008, 03:09 AM

Welcome to Dumpshock, new folks!

Have you had a chance to look over the http://pavao.org/shadowrun Web site yet?

Posted by: weblife Jun 16 2008, 04:34 AM

Enter the Hacker-In-A-Box. A Commlink with Response 6, with an Agent rating 6, and whatever programs you want to issue it with. In most cases, this guy will roll 12 dice vs. whatever you set him to be doing.

The GM should/could provide him, and it can do most the things you need a hacker to do for you. And it will never betray you. Well... sorta.

It might be cheaper if one of you take a Hacker contact with High Loyalty rating.

Posted by: kzt Jun 16 2008, 05:13 AM

And if the GM runs it you don't have any issues with the fact that the hacking rules just don't work. The contact or NPC does the stuff that they are supposed to do and you don't have to worry about hackastacks, agent smith, the uses of "computer" and "hacking" skills and all the other poorly written stuff. It just happens.

Posted by: Cthulhudreams Jun 16 2008, 05:22 AM

Kudos to FrankTrollman

Race: Elf (30 BP)
Attributes: (210 BP)

B: 3
A: 2
R: 5
S: 2
C: 6
I: 4
L: 5
W: 1
Edge: 5
Ess: 4.55

Mad Skills: (154 BP)
Mechanics Group 1
Influence Group 2
Stealth Group 4
Outdoors Group 1
Perception 1
Pilot Ground Craft 4
Pilot Aircraft 2
Gunnery 6
Armorer 1
Demolitions 3
Forgery 1 (ID Forging +2)
Automatics 1

Knowledge Skills: (27 Free)
Spanish N
English 3
Nahuatl 3
Border Patrol Tactics 4
Auto Mechanics 3
Engineering 3
Aztec Politics 2
Hideously Expensive Things 3
Street Drugs 2
Smuggling Routes 4

Qualities: (-35 BP)
Incompetence: Longarms or some shit (-5 BP)
Combat Paralysis (-20)
Low Pain Tolerance (-10)

Cyberwares:
Internal Custom Commlink: 5/5/5/5
Control Rig
Data Jack
Implanted SimRig
Fingertip Compartment
Tooth Compartment
Skin Pocket

Gear and Lifestyle: (55 BP) <-- To much I know, but he's playing a 425 BP game.
Middle Lifestyle (1 month)

* Programs Analyze 4, Browse 4, Command 5, Decrypt 5, ECCM 5, Edit 5, Encrypt 5, Scan 4, Sniffer 4, Stealth 5, Agent 4, All other Programs (Exploit, etc except blackout and databomb) at Rating 4
* Pilot 4, Clearsight 4, Defense 4, Electronic Warfare 4, Maneuver (Groundcraft 4, Maneuver (Aircraft) 4, Targeting (Heavy Weapons) 4, Targeting (Automatics) 4.
* Linguasofts: Cantonese 3, French 3, Inuit 3, Mandarin 3, Nihonji 3, Sioux 3, Sperethiel 3

Urban Explorer Jumpsuit w/helmet, w/ Chem Protection 6, Fire Resistance 6, Insulation 6, Nonconductivity 6

Ammunitions
20 HE Minigrenades (Dalmatian)
10 Gas Grenades (CS Gas, Doberman)
100 rounds of EX-Ex rounds (Doberman)
100 rounds of Gel (Doberman)
100 rounds of Tracer rounds (Lynx)
100 rounds EX-Ex rounds (Lynx)
100 rounds Gel (Lynx)
160 rounds of normal Ammunition


Rating 4 Fake SIN
Second Rating 4 Fake SIN
Vehicle Shop
Armorer Kit
Demolitions Kit
Drones
[list]Eurocar Westwind 3K (Response 5, Signal 5)
Suzuki Mirage (stock)
Shiawase Kanmushi
MCT FlySpy
Doberman (Response 5, Signal 5, Ares Alpha)
Steel Lynx (Response 5, Signal 5, White Knight, Rating 4 Area Jammer)
Dalmatian (Response 5, Signal 5, Armtech Mini Grenade Launcher)
Ingram Smartgun X + 4 spare clips.

Contacts: (11 BP)
Fixer 2/2
Warehouse Owner 2/2
Software Pirate 1/2

Posted by: masterofm Jun 16 2008, 06:06 AM

With only two players I would go either rigger/face and sniper/infiltration to avoid the magic system and hacking. If you don't want that then rigger/sniper and mage/face is a good two man combo as well.

Posted by: Ryu Jun 16 2008, 11:00 AM

I´d not recommend to play a hacker/rigger with willpower 1.

For simplified matrix rules, search for Moon-Hawks houserules. It is one of the Logic+Skill approaches that use program ratings for capping hits (like force ratings do). If you assume that every needed program is running at Response, a matrix test is done VERY fast.

Posted by: Cthulhudreams Jun 16 2008, 11:41 AM

Why does willpower one really matter?

Posted by: Aaron Jun 16 2008, 11:53 AM

Dumpshock, perhaps?

Posted by: Cthulhudreams Jun 16 2008, 12:53 PM

The smuggler is clearly not planning on actually hacking because it don't have no hacking skills - it has a tracebuster ^H^H^H^H^H^H agent. So dumpshock isn't an issue there.

As for rigging...

The rigger rules really are confusing, but this is how I think its supposed to work

Is she really planning to jump into anything? Shes get command (5) + gunnery (6) + a potential AR bonus if she does stuff remotely, jumping in just nets another +2 and does expose you to dumpshock, but only in the sense of your drone exploding (Hint: Jack out before that). So its not a huge issue. If you are really fussed, take 1 or 2 point out of edge and add to willpower.

http://forums.dumpshock.com/index.php?showtopic=21176&view=findpost&p=653414

Franks orgininal writeup:

The Smuggler archetype suffers from not being good at, well, smuggling, She can drive, she can fix a car, and she can fight. Can she bluff her way past a check point? Not really (2 dice for Con). Can she sleaze under observation through traffic? Not really (4 Dice for Shadowing). Can she hide contraband from investigating authorities? Again no (4 ice for Palming tests). Basically there's nothing she can do as far as smuggling goes except put a tool box on the accelerator and hope that the fuzz doesn't show. That's unfortunate. Hell, she has metal in her bones and she can't even personally walk through a checkpoint without having alarms go off.

Goal: This character should be able to be more than the wheels of the team. She should be able to get people, places, and things into and out of Seattle with a minimum of fuss.

Smuggler
“This baby can make the Kessel Run in 20 furlongs.”

So how did we do? In extreme mortal kombat she is a terror. Minigrenades and machine guns blaze at 13 dice (Command 5 + Gunnery 6 + Control Rig 2), and she can get 3 IP by going limp. She drives her car, motorbike, or Steel Lynx with a not inconsiderable 11 dice. She can talk her way past most check points with her 8 dice at Etiquette or Con and a passable usage of every language in use on such check points from here to Hong Kong, Europort, and Caracas. Her 8 die shadowing pool is decent, very decent when she's stalking people with recon drones.

Weaknesses: The obvious limitations are her low Palming skill (6 dice), which is only slightly better than the 4 dice that the original archetype rolled with. Also, she's complete shit in combat unless she has a drone on hand. That's the price she pays for being able to successfully pass herself off as harmless – she actually is harmless.

Problems I had making this archetype:
Once you extensively house rule a section, it is amazing how much you forget is fucked up in the original document. Like, you can't actually purchase a sensor rating for vehicles. And there's really no reason to even have an Electronic Warfare skill because every one of your drones has the same dice pool for the skill that you do (even better if you don't max out your EW at chargen). Argh, god damnit those rules are incomprehensible.

-Frank

All I did was add some extra programs (the rest of the hacking set) so the agent can do its thing with 8 dice, bolted on 2 more points of edge and added a sub machinegun.

Posted by: Ryu Jun 16 2008, 01:15 PM

The smuggler is not good at hacking, yes. Rigging is not the requested ability here.

Posted by: Dr Funfrock Jun 16 2008, 05:45 PM

Double post

Posted by: Dr Funfrock Jun 16 2008, 05:45 PM

Because jumped in riggers take damage soaked with Willpower + Biofeedback Filter every time their drone takes damage.
And because hackers use the same pool vs Black Ice and Dumpshock.

Oh, not to mention that it leaves you with a Stun Track of 9, which will be getting filled by a lot of stuff attacking you.

So, yeah, enjoy having 1 in your only relevant Soak attribute.