The Idiot's Guide To The Matrix Thread, Support for the Matrix-challenged Options

[Synner]

Matrix Overwatch Walkthrough
Actually that was misleading on my side, I've corrected it now. I meant to say certain types of reactive IC (especifically referring to Scout not Probe).

Only deckers and proactive IC can actually use Combat Maneuvers according to the rules in SR3 page 225; Scout starts out as Reactive but switches to Proactive as soon it is targeted for Cybercombat.

Apologies for the confusion I was mixing up the two IC that are currently active on the Host.

[BigKnockers]

Well seeing as this thread has demystified decking, inspired me to buy matrix and give me the courage to give it a go. I'll let you off.

Just this once ;)

[Kurukami]

There we go, Synner. Sorry to take so long on the reply -- I just got hired to a new full-time position this week, and so I haven't been able to check in as often. I've updated my post with the Position attack description and game effects. I got three successes, and my Evasion is 6 -- will the Host be able to beat me out on my Position Attack before Cheng makes her attack?

Man, I definitely got to get my SR3 rulebook spine-sliced and spiral-bound. The bloody binding is starting to give way in a number of places... including the Matrix rules, since I have the book propped open so often.

[Synner]

Matrix Overwatch Walkthrough
Kurukami - Your lucky streak remains and Cheng beat the odds. The GM could fairly easily role two 6's on his Resistance Roll and knocked the Damage down to Serious which would leave you in a fight with a Seriously wounded Scout with no Attack program loaded. However, luck and the spirits favor the bold and the Host only landed one success against Cheng's One-Shot Attack.

Cheng's luck keeps up and the IC swarm reels under the hail of code shot, attempts to retain cohesion, then crumbles and derezzes on the YCAP's hospital ward-floor (one success on the Icon Damage Resistance Roll means the IC took a Deadly wound). Spent Cheng's blunderbuss Utility also erodes away in a cloud of tinted smoke and vanishes (since it is a One-Shot and must be reloaded with a Swap Memory operation). Crouching over the crashed IC code Cheng gestures a pictogram over it with her free hand, locking the code into a programming loop and stopping alerts from leaking to the Host operating system.

Satisfied Cheng's stands up and decides her next move. Movement continues and figures dart about behind the double YCAP hospital doors leading to the inner Host subsystems, but here in the hallway she has a moment's respite...

Over to you...

[Kurukami]

Cheng lifts her hand in an index-finger extended, thumb-backward motion and blows phantom smoke away from the imaginary "barrel". then glances around the immediate code-environment to see if another IC-guard manifests to ambush her. Lacking immediate opposition, and with the realization that most of her obstacles to date have been IC rather than corporate deckers, she falls out of the heightened awareness of cybercombat and decides to drop her Blinder-Erosion utility from her Active memory. In this situation, she reasons, it'd be best to reload with multi-purpose viral Attack programs. A wisp of smoke floats from a pocket of her greatcoat as she releases the Blinder's memory sectors, and as she gestures at the smoke it swoops back down into the areas concealed by her apparel.

[ Game aside, question: Synner, Swap Memory indicates in the SR3 rulebook that it (bold emphasis mine) "enables a decker to load a new utility program into his deck's active memory and then upload it to his on-line icon". Should that be taken to mean that you must perform a Swap Memory operation for each utility you wish to upload?

I assume, for the moment, that such is not the case. Since Cheng used her one-shot Attack program, that brings her active memory load from 1341 Mp down to 1296 Mp. She then uses a Free Action to drop Blinder/Erosion-6 (192 Mp) from her deck's active memory, then Swaps Memory to upload Attack-6S (a gleaming Chinese longsword with faint runes etched into its blade) (144 Mp) and two copies of Attack-6D (the wheel-lock pistol) (45 Mp apiece).

1296 - 192 = 1104 Mp (space in use after dropping out the Erosion)
1104 + 144 + 45 + 45 = 1338 Mp (space in use after uploading multiple Attack programs)

I would prioritize the first copy of the Attack-6D to load first. Since I'm uploading 234 Mp of data to my online icon, and my I/O is 360, the entire operation should be finished in about 2 seconds. The 45 Mp upload of the Attack utility should be finished in about 3/8 of a second (figure by the end of this full Action). ]

Logically, with a Security Tally of 10, the Scout-IC shouldn't be the only thing that became active in the System. As soon as the Attack programs finish uploading -- and the weight of the rapier and an additional two pistols on her belt is a comforting sensation -- she manipulates her Analyze program to locate and identify any other IC which is lying in wait within the Host's system. A ring of miniscule smoky runes floats out from her, searching the immediate system for traces of Intrusion Countermeasures.

[ Cheng has decided, since she knows the Security Tally is at 10 right now based on her earlier Analyze Security operation, to attempt a Locate IC operation. On an Orange-Hard host, it is unlikely that only one piece of IC would pop up in response to that amount of system warning flags. So, knowing that she needs to lose any hangers-on before attempting to provide Matrix overwatch, she'll delegate two dice from her Hacking Pool (and, since she's suppressing the IC she just killed, she only has seven now available to her) to add to the seven Decking dice she'd normally roll.

Locate IC is an Index test using the Analyze utility, so my DF boosts as I roll: 15, 8, 5, 5, 4, 1, 1, 1, 1. An unusual result, which will probably grant Cheng between two and four successes. I can only hope that (as the player knows) the 10 dice granted by the Probe IC added to the 10 dice the Host normally rolls isn't enough to counteract my smokin' mojo... :vegm: ]

You're up, Synner.

[hobgoblin]

im not sure if synner will agree with me on this but i personaly read the swap memory to say that you need to do one pr software you want to load...

oh and nice work on the icon images :) and the fact that software cna have a virtual weight had not dawned on me before your text talked about it, nice idea :)

as for what gets triggerd on level 10, who knows, didnt you move on from the chokepoint?

[Kurukami]

Yeah, I wasn't sure about the "one program" thing or not, which is why I brought it up. Since I've dropped out of combat, and nothing is trying to bite Cheng's head off right now, I'd probably just take as much time as was necessary to properly load up the programs.

And yup, I'm past the chokepoint... but as Synner pointed out earlier, since the Host I'm currently on was located within the chokepoint's PLTG, any Security Tally that I gained on the chokepoint automatically transferred over into the Host. I gained, I think, 7 points there, and another three here when I did my Analyze Security operation, bringing me up to 10.

With each particular Security Level of Host (Blue, Green, Orange, or Red), the Security sheafs trigger on particular numeric Security Tallies. The details on this are mentioned on p. 211 of SR3. But basically, Orange has triggers between every 3 and 5 points of Security Tally. Since I'm at 10, I've almost certainly gone past two triggers, and the next one may be just one point of Security Tally higher.

[Kurukami]

[hobgoblin]

except the taste of blood :vegm:

[Synner]

Kurukami - I for one agree with hobgoblin, I've always interpreted Swap Memory as applying to one utility at a time. Just as I assume each Download Data applies to one file at a time. However, as you said, there doesn't appear to be any immediate danger and there are no Tests involved in Swap Memory operations.

Matrix Overwatch Walkthrough
Regarding your tactical analysis of the situation I think it is something every decker does, especially when he has a general idea of how deep in drek he already is. I think it is plausible, and not metagaming, that Cheng check out hidden dangers on a system of this level, especially if she's intending to stay.

So back to the action...

While Cheng launches her Analyze Utility to help in the Locate IC Test, the Host system rolls only one success to Oppose her results (and to add to her Tally) - she's very lucky since one success on 20 dice is way below average. She nets 3 successes although only one is needed to achieve a result with Locate IC (per the rules in SR3 page 217).

The smoke ring curls in a non-existant breeze, drifting swiftly towards a corner of the SAN room's ceiling. The ring settles in space and the minute runes shine as if lit from within, while inside the smoky ring a floating camera Icon appears. IC... and by the looks of it something reactive.

Next move...

[Kurukami]

That Icicle is most likely ( discounting player knowledge :ork ) to be Probe or Scout. Reactive IC other than those is rare -- Probe and Scout are the obvious ones, intended to trip up and focus on an intruding decker, but others include Scramble (which doesn't go after you), Tar Pit/Baby (either of which in this case are unlikely, since I've used Offensive and Operational Utilities -- the most logical targets for Tar -- and it hasn't taken a swipe at either), and Data Bombs (for protecting files/remote slave-device icons only).

So, Cheng is going to enter cybercombat, with the intention of readying her rune-carved longsword, and then tries to perform a hopefully unconventional move -- she'll sprint towards the wall, readying another ever-useful smoke capsule. As she leaps into the air below the camera's icon, she flicks the Cloak-capsule at the wall to distract the target as she Positions her Attack. Next, she'll shift her internal perception in midair so that the wall becomes down, rolls out along the wall's surface as though it were a floor, and neatly skewers the countermeasures icon with the razored tip of her blade.

... all the while, keeping codestrings ready in the front of her mind to prevent the soon-to-be-fragged IC from upping her Security Tally.

That attempted, she'll allow the momentary bending of the rules of this Host's "reality" to fade, and drop neatly into a three-point landing at the base of the wall.

[ Game aside: Cheng's leaping into cybercombat to junk the spying IC quickly, so that she can get in control of the electronic security measures present at the site and pass the word to her teammates that the way is clear. She rolls her initiative -- wow, 6, 6, 5, and 5, therefore adding 22 to her base Reaction of 14 for a final Initiative of 36 :eek: -- and, assuming the IC doesn't beat her on Initiative, Positions for Attack and launches a strike with her longsword (Attack-6S).

For the Position Attack, she rolls her six Evasion dice against the already-known TN of 5, adding in two dice from her Hacking Pool. The dice come up 21, 10, 7, 4, 4, 3, 1, 1 -- a base three successes that the Host has to contest. Without knowing the final net successes (Synner, as the Host, has to roll his 10 dice against my Evasion's TN of 6), I'll presumptively put those successes into increasing the Power of my attack.

For my Attack program, I receive six dice for the utility itself and I'll throw in another two dice from my Hacking Pool. Since Hacking Pool refreshes as soon as one enters cybercombat, the use of these dice will narrow my Pool down to three -- one die is already in use suppressing the previously-destroyed Scout IC. Naturally, I want to keep another prepared to suppress this IC as well if I destroy it... and, well, it's tres unwise to blow all of your Hacking Pool on your first Initiative Pass without knowing what might occur. :ork

I roll my eight dice and get 10, 7, 5, 5, 4, 4, 3, 2 -- enough for four successes against a TN of 5. That'll boost the base damage for the Attack to Deadly, and the Power for it will be 6 (the utility's rating) plus however many net successes I received for my Position Attack. ]

En garde, Synner...

[hobgoblin]

hmm, tar ice have a bad habbit of being tagged to some other ice for defensive use most of the time...

allso, remember that inside a pltg there can be any number of hosts and i have a feel cheng have been going from host to host lately (unless the metaphor have been messing with my head) so while there have not been any tar signs lately one may run into them now that one is at a new host...

(bah, cold fingers, fast typing and bad keyboard makes for messy writing. add to that the fact that it seems one hand writes faster then the other and you realy get messed up text)

[Kurukami]

Oh, I know that. But I've engaged in a number of operations here at THIS host -- the one that I hoped to infiltrate -- using both Offensive and Operational utilities, and as yet, no Tar IC has jumped out at me.

[hobgoblin]

ah ok, but it couldstill be that they failed the test (if they have a test, dont recall and to lazy to look it up) or that they are higher up in the chain...

[Kurukami]

For those who aren't familiar with the way Tar Baby and Tar Pit function, the details are on SR3, p. 228-229:

[Synner]

Somebody's been seeing way too much Matrix lately I'll wager.

Matrix Overwatch Walkthrough
Back to the Host...

Boosted by her Response Increase firmware, Cheng's speed widely outclasses the IC. Springing into nanosec action, her Maneuver places her on virtual highground as she brings the longsword down through camera ICon.

Despite the higher target number (Cheng's target number is actually the Security Value of 10 - 5 (Cloak Utility)= 5 per the rules in SR3 page 224), Cheng beat out the Host on the Position Attack maneuver roll by three success. Pumping that success into the power Cheng strikes. The attack roll with a target number of 5 - the default target to hit a Legitimate Icon on an Orange Host (according to the very useful reference table in SR3 page 224) give Cheng 4 successes rising the 6S Attack Damage to 9D (thanks to the Position Attack above).
The Host then rolls the Damage Resistance Test for the IC, rolling the Security Value (10) to reduce the 9D damage. In this case the Host rolls 2 successes enough to stage the Damage back down to a Serious.

The IC crackles and bleeds novawhite sparks from where the longsword disrupted the graphic code but does nothing else. Since there is no apparent response or change effected, Cheng realizes she is facing simple Probe and slashes again twice with longsword.

She racks up another 4 successes on both attacks with a target number 5. The enemy Icon derezzes in a cascade of white light.

Note - Since Probe doesn't counterattack, because it is pure Reactive IC (unlike Scout), I took the liberty of having Cheng take it down. Normally the best attack solution against Probe specifically on a high-rating Host is to use the Simple Actions to attack twice, since it's always possible for the IC to stage a Deadly Attack down a level but is unlikely to do so with two hits. If you're on a lower rating Host Kurukami's Position Attack maneuver is a pretty good option since it increases the power of the Attack if you can rack up enough successes. The risk with the double strike is simply that the Reactive IC might be trapped with some form of Tar.

Cheng weaves a net of code with her free hand, catches and wraps up the disrupted IC silencing its alarm call with some effective on the fly programming (not to mention one more point from her Hacking Pool).

Your move Kurukami...

[Kurukami]

There's a quick point I should make, that I thought I raised before. All combat maneuvers do have a TN of the Security Value, that's accurate. But that TN is lessened by your Cloak utility. Since my Cloak utility is rating 5, that makes my effective TN for combat maneuver (10 - 5), or 5.

Now, the TN to hit an opposing icon with an Offensive program... that's based on the Color of the Host and whether or not the target icon has a valid or invalid passcode to be there.

[Synner]

Apologies I missed the Cloak reference in your post. I have ammended the post above.

[hobgoblin]

hmm, better kick this thread back into orbit i think...

[Synner]

Sorry, I've been waiting for Kurukami's next move after I ammended the text above. The end result is the same so now he has to decide what next.

[Kurukami]

Sorry I've been taking so long with my reply... things have been muy busy this week at work, and so I'm getting home quite tired. I'll put in my next moves tomorrow... gotta get some sleep right now.

[Kurukami]

Now that potential obstacles have been disabled, the system is at Cheng's fingertips (as long as she doesn't trip too many more flags during the infiltration).

[ I reach out and take hold of my newly-spiral-bound rulebooks, no longer falling apart at the spine... :ork ]

To be of use to her compatriots, Cheng first needs to locate the particular slave controls which will allow the team to enter the facility undetected. For safety's sake, she decides, it would also be wise to keep a digital extremity on the security communication lines.

So, initially -- Cheng retrieves the rice-paper scroll that her Browse utility manifests as and attempts to Locate a File which lists the facility's security commcodes. Logically, there should be a file which serves as some sort of Matrix rolodex which tracks all potential extensions within this facility (and potentially a wider spread of commcodes for Yamatetsu). But she doesn't want the full directory at this time -- just the commcodes which correspond with security stations within this facility.

After all, assuming the run goes well, she can snark a copy of the whole commcode file on the way out. For the moment, just an abbreviated, dynamically-generated sublisting of the whole file will find a cozy spot in the storage memory on her deck...

... just as soon as Cheng, paranoid as always, throws a quick Analyze Icon at the file she's located to make certain the tasty data-fruit doesn't have any worms or other nasties hidden within it. A quick pass with the smoldering incense-brand should be enough to determine that one way or the other. Then, from yet another inner pocket, she extracts a corked glass bottle containing a swirling, translucent reddish gas. Standing over the file, she carefully uncorks the container and pours a small measure of the gaseous substance out above the file's icon. The reddish cloud slowly settles towards the icon as dry ice or mist might, morphing into the alphanumerics and more arcane characters contained within the file. Then, with a gentle puff of breath, Cheng causes the cloud-characters to lift free of the file's icon and spiral back to the breast pocket of her greatcoat, and then replaces her glass bottle. The Download Data operation, then, should be complete.

[ By this point, as cybercombat has ended, Cheng presumably has her mostly-full Hacking Pool back. Remember, it's only six dice right now because two of her Hacking Pool dice are tied up keeping IC remnants in infinite non-report loops.

Thus, I will roll my seven Decking dice, along with a Hacking Pool die to sweeten my luck, against the Index System for my attempted Locate File operation. From past posts, and a little bit of number counting, I know that my TN with my Browse utility against that subsystem should be 5 or so. Tough, but hopefully not impossible with 8 dice to throw at. I roll 9, 5, 4, 4, 4, 3, 3, 1, which should be enough to garner Cheng two successes and locate a file which corresponds to her desires. My Browse utility, like my Analyze, has Sneak-2, upping my DF by 2 while I'm performing any operations with it.

Having presumably located the file in question, my next step is to Analyze the Icon as a Free Action. It's a Control test, which means that Cheng gets that extra die for being a Cracker. I roll my eight dice for Decking, plus one from Hacking Pool, and get -- egads -- 4, 4, 4, 4, 2, 2, 2, 1, 1.

Normally, this would spell failure. However, when you run an Analyze Icon, not only do you get to subtract your Analyze utility's rating from the base Control TN, you get to lessen it by your Sensor rating as well. Those two elements combine to lower my TN by 11 -- which means that the 4's I rolled will still be successes. And, of course, my sneaky Analyze gives me that boost to my DF.

Assuming that there's no nasties lurking in the telecomm number file, Cheng next wants to Download Data to store the file on her cyberdeck. For that, she uses her Read/Write utility. It's rating 6, but not sneaky like some of the other programs I've got running. This is a Files operation, so I don't get an extra die as I do with Control ops. I roll eight dice -- my seven for Decking, plus the habitual one from my Hacking Pool for good fortune. A slightly better result than last time: 9, 7, 4, 4, 3, 3, 2, 1. That should get me two successes -- not bad, but not terrific either. I may have to try to snag said data again if the system doesn't like my forged access codes.

A quick question, Synner -- what are the physical defenses of this facility that might have been brought to the team's attention by the Johnson? Electrified/monitored fence? Cameras? Pressure sensors? Specific target we're trying to retrieve? ]

Next, Cheng wants to use the data garnered from that search to track down the slave-telecomms which correspond to security stations. To Locate a Slave within the Host requires Analyze, so she uses the data garnered from her file-browsing to paint a smoking query for the telecomms matching the central commcode file with the multi-purpose incense stick.

[ Like Locate File, the Locate Slave operation is an Index test. Cheng's TN should be somewhere around 5 or 6. She adds two Hacking Pool dice to the test. I roll, and get: 9, 9, 8, 5, 5, 5, 3, 2, 1. Presumably, the 6 successes I think I got should be more than enough to locate all the telecomms in question. ]

Next comes the security cameras, and any maglocks along the path Cheng's team had planned out for their infiltration. Those'll require an additional two Locate Slave operations, but having breezed to the location of the security comms Cheng is confident of her success.

[ For the first Locate Slave to find the security cameras which would track my teammates entry, I roll my Decking dice and two Hacking Pool dice and get 16, 9, 9, 8, 4, 2, 2, 2, 1.

For the second Locate Slave, to identify the maglocks that would block passage along that line of attack, I use my last Hacking Pool die of this "Turn" and roll -- wow, my luck is bizarre tonight -- 9, 8, 5, 5, 5, 2, 1, 1. ]

Set up the countermeasures, Synner, I feel like preemptively breakin' some ice for my celebratory drink... :ork

> An ebony Balrog [ SENSOR QUERY? identity=Yamatetsu BlackFlamingDeath r10.02 ] is present.

Oh shi&@#*^@%--

Kurukami has been disconnected.

[Nephyte]

[hobgoblin]

probably just a joke :)

[Kurukami]

Yup, just a small joke about me getting overconfident. I'm just waiting for Synner to drop an IC-berg on my head...