Technos away from the Matrix - Dumpshock Forums

Technos away from the Matrix, Is this just another allergy reaction?

Valentinew View Member Profile	Jan 4 2006, 11:02 PM Post #1
Moving Target Group: Members Posts: 207 Joined: 3-November 05 From: KCMO Member No.: 7,922	I know the book pretty much says only that Technos get grumpy/agitated when away from the Matrix & start to lose dice if they're away too long. I know most Z zones are dead zones. In our game last week, our team ended up in a Z zone chasing ghouls. My GM & I ended up treating my techno's reaction as a sort of phobia/allergy reaction. She started out griping, but eventually was getting completely distracted by the fact that she couldn't connect. Basically, she became mostly useless to the team. My question is basically this: If we treat this as essentially a phobia/allergy reaction, shouldn't technos be able to build up a certain tolerance? Any ideas/thoughts/suggestions?

Replies (1 - 24)

Jaid View Member Profile	Jan 4 2006, 11:31 PM Post #2
Great Dragon Group: Members Posts: 7,089 Joined: 4-October 05 Member No.: 7,813	or you could blow a whopping 500 nuyen, buy yourself a sattellite uplink, connect it to your broadcasting commlink, and be fine as long as you're within 100 miles of somewhere with a matrix connection. i know what i would do :P

RunnerPaul View Member Profile	Jan 4 2006, 11:33 PM Post #3
Neophyte Runner Group: Members Posts: 2,086 Joined: 26-February 02 Member No.: 364	Don't think of it in terms of phobia/alergy. Think of it in terms of addiction. I realize that SR's game mechanics have always been draconian, but no matter whether you use the rules as written or houserules to handle addiction, essentially, technomancers have a matrix addiction that they can't buy off no matter how much karma they spend. There's just no going clean, unless you fill yourself with so much cyber you're no longer a technomancer.

Guest_MK Ultra_*	Jan 4 2006, 11:47 PM Post #4
Guests	speking of matrix addiction, I think many people in 2070 should have it (maybe like Korea in the 60´s). Allmost all my SR4 Charakters will probably get this :spin: I´m rather sure I´d be addicted, too, even in 2030 :grinbig: "I NEEED IMPUTT :dead: "

PlatonicPimp View Member Profile	Jan 5 2006, 01:27 AM Post #5
Running Target Group: Members Posts: 1,219 Joined: 26-February 02 From: Lofwyr's stomach. Member No.: 1,320	Yes, well, the average Joe would, that's for sure. Shadowrunners maybe less so if they conspicuously avoid pointless matrix interaction for fear of datatrails and profiling.

Guest_MK Ultra_*	Jan 5 2006, 01:38 AM Post #6
Guests	there is something like "pointless matrix interaction" :wobble: is this the extension of wirreless :D Computing in the 80´s you needed a damn large box in toe 2000´s you´ve got a flatscreen in the 2050 you needed only a line than kame wirreless, now finaly you don´t even need to have a point. I´m afraid my post is pointless Well since allmost all my characters were deckers ore sideline deckers, I guess I´ve got a hightened susceptability for TriX-Addiction.

Dale View Member Profile	Jan 5 2006, 04:09 AM Post #7
Moving Target Group: Members Posts: 126 Joined: 20-December 05 Member No.: 8,088	I get fidgety if I don't spend at least an hour online a day. How the hell did that happen?

PlatonicPimp View Member Profile	Jan 5 2006, 04:59 AM Post #8
Running Target Group: Members Posts: 1,219 Joined: 26-February 02 From: Lofwyr's stomach. Member No.: 1,320	I can't even start work unless I get a 30 minute fix of webcomics.

Backgammon View Member Profile	Jan 5 2006, 05:04 AM Post #9
Ain Soph Aur Group: Dumpshocked Posts: 3,477 Joined: 26-February 02 From: Montreal, Canada Member No.: 600	My girlfriend gets distracted and irritable if she forgot to bring her cellphone somewhere. Does that mean she's a technomancer? That would be kind of cool. :grinbig:

Moon-Hawk View Member Profile	Jan 5 2006, 02:34 PM Post #10
Genuine Artificial Intelligence Group: Members Posts: 4,019 Joined: 12-June 03 Member No.: 4,715	When I was in college me and my friends noticed that most of us had some degree of information connectivity addiction. (of course, this was for electrical engineering, so take that for what it's worth) There's just something about getting used to being able to find out virtually anything you want, anytime you want, quickly and easily, and being able to know what's going on all over the world; and then.....it's gone. With the all-pervasive AR wireless matrix of SR4, I would expect everyone to have some level of matrix addiction. But the technomancers; they've got all that connectivity happening at a subconscious level, so no wonder it'd be MUCH worse for them.

TheHappyAnarchis... TheHappyAnarchist View Member Profile	Jan 5 2006, 06:06 PM Post #11
Moving Target Group: Members Posts: 203 Joined: 18-November 05 Member No.: 7,978	WHY? INFORMATION OVERLOAD MAN!!! POISONING THE AIRWAVES!!! :eek:

Talain View Member Profile	Jan 5 2006, 06:49 PM Post #12
Target Group: Members Posts: 22 Joined: 5-June 02 Member No.: 2,839	I WANT THE CLUB SANDWICH!

TBRMInsanity View Member Profile	Apr 26 2006, 02:12 PM Post #13
Running Target Group: Members Posts: 1,002 Joined: 22-April 06 From: Canada Member No.: 8,494	I think the cost of the technomancer is too low and this "allergy/phobia" is an ingrained side-effect of being able to connect without a commlink. The same side-effect would effect magically active people if magic suddenly disappeared. They wouldn't be able to reach out and feel the magic around them, they wouldn't be able to feel the sense of being more alive then alive. They wouldn't feel the spirits and astral energies flowing through then any more. In short they would become grumpy and disillusioned.

The Jopp

Apr 26 2006, 02:31 PM

Post #14

Runner

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QUOTE (TBRMInsanity)

I think the cost of the technomancer is too low...

They are already gimped from the beginning so why should they cost more? They cost just as much as a mage and must buy their complex forms like spells, except they must buy their spells for each lvl they want for them. AND they must buy their resonance just like magic rating.

For 1 BP a hacker gains a lvl 5 hacking program. For 2 BP a tehnomancer gain a lvl 1 hacking program.

For starting characters it is almost better to gain a high skill than buying a high rating complex form, except for perhaps complex forms like stealth. The cost in BP for just the needed complex forms are just horrendous.

James McMurray View Member Profile	Apr 26 2006, 04:31 PM Post #15
Great Dragon Group: Members Posts: 5,430 Joined: 10-January 05 From: Fort Worth, Texas Member No.: 6,957	I'm not overly familiar with the technomancer rules, but don't threading and compiling help with that by letting you increase your ratings, generate new CPs, and "summon spirits" with skills you don't have?

FanGirl View Member Profile	Apr 26 2006, 07:32 PM Post #16
Moving Target Group: Members Posts: 684 Joined: 8-April 06 From: My dorm room Member No.: 8,438	Yeah, but you take stun damage when you do that.

Geekkake

Apr 26 2006, 07:40 PM

Post #17

Moving Target

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QUOTE (The Jopp)

QUOTE (TBRMInsanity @ Apr 26 2006, 02:12 PM)

I think the cost of the technomancer is too low...

They are already gimped from the beginning so why should they cost more? They cost just as much as a mage and must buy their complex forms like spells, except they must buy their spells for each lvl they want for them. AND they must buy their resonance just like magic rating.

For 1 BP a hacker gains a lvl 5 hacking program. For 2 BP a tehnomancer gain a lvl 1 hacking program.

For starting characters it is almost better to gain a high skill than buying a high rating complex form, except for perhaps complex forms like stealth. The cost in BP for just the needed complex forms are just horrendous.

Actually, I'm working on a technomancer exactly like this. 2-3 Resonance, hacker skills, commlink, good programs, horrible complex forms, where available at all. He's gonna work his way up.

James McMurray View Member Profile	Apr 26 2006, 07:46 PM Post #18
Great Dragon Group: Members Posts: 5,430 Joined: 10-January 05 From: Fort Worth, Texas Member No.: 6,957	So you trade extreme flexibility (sprites and threading) for possible danger (stun damage). While I haven't seen it in play, it sounds like something that could be balanced. :)

emo samurai

Apr 26 2006, 07:47 PM

Post #19

Dragon

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QUOTE

Actually, I'm working on a technomancer exactly like this. 2-3 Resonance, hacker skills, commlink, good programs, horrible complex forms, where available at all. He's gonna work his way up.

Oh, god, that'll take several decades.

Geekkake

Apr 26 2006, 07:50 PM

Post #20

Moving Target

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QUOTE (emo samurai)

QUOTE

Actually, I'm working on a technomancer exactly like this. 2-3 Resonance, hacker skills, commlink, good programs, horrible complex forms, where available at all. He's gonna work his way up.

Oh, god, that'll take several decades.

It may, it may not. I'm not really that concerned about it. Being a technomancer isn't his central role to the team, it's being a hacker. Being a technomancer is a personal pursuit for him.

emo samurai View Member Profile	Apr 26 2006, 07:53 PM Post #21
Dragon Group: Members Posts: 4,589 Joined: 28-November 05 Member No.: 8,019	What do you mean? He'll use mostly programs on his comlink? Then there's really no need to even be a technomancer, then; complex forms don't work with comlink hacking, and he'll need two sets of skills to work with both.

Geekkake

Apr 26 2006, 08:03 PM

Post #22

Moving Target

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QUOTE (emo samurai)

What do you mean? He'll use mostly programs on his comlink? Then there's really no need to even be a technomancer, then; complex forms don't work with comlink hacking, and he'll need two sets of skills to work with both.

You see, emo, while there is no mechanical need to be a technomancer, it is a roleplaying opportunity. Say it with me.

emo samurai View Member Profile	Apr 26 2006, 08:05 PM Post #23
Dragon Group: Members Posts: 4,589 Joined: 28-November 05 Member No.: 8,019	An expensive one; and why would a technomancer choose to use a comlink instead of his undoubtedly much more interesting Resonance abilities?

Geekkake

Apr 26 2006, 08:11 PM

Post #24

Moving Target

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QUOTE (emo samurai)

An expensive one; and why would a technomancer choose to use a comlink instead of his undoubtedly much more interesting Resonance abilities?

Because he has to make a living, and at chargen, he's going to absolutely suck as a TM. He was already a decker during the Crash, and discovered the Resonance during that time. He took to hacking, and for quite awhile after, years, he couldn't explain the strange experiences and connections he was having with the new wireless Matrix as it was being implemented.

Essentially, he's just starting to come to terms with the concept of the Deep Resonance, and with his part of it. As a consequence, his Resonance abilities are practically useless. He'll use them where he can, but at this point, believes that the commlink is a better tool for anything serious. He's really only exploring the concepts and slowly understanding the applications at this point.

Kremlin KOA View Member Profile	Apr 26 2006, 08:12 PM Post #25
Shooting Target Group: Members Posts: 1,590 Joined: 11-September 04 Member No.: 6,650	I am wit Emo on this one, Geekakke the problem with it is that technomancer would need SERIOUS self hatred issues to use a comlink in prewference to his powers and being a technimancer is not a hobby, any more than being a mutant in marvel universe is a hobby

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