Idiot's Guide to the Matrix 2.0 Options

[Jaid]

defusing. you defuse a bomb to make it not go off.

diffusing is where something is spread out through something else, like when you take food color and drip some into water it starts to diffuse :D

[Monnock]

Earlier in the thread there was a question about technomancers and being able to be hacked. I skimmed over the other post but saw no resolution so I figured that I would chime in:

[Ranneko]

[Dashifen]

[Monnock]

[Dashifen]

You may be correct on the commlink, but a TM does need offline storage as their brain isn't capable of recording digital information, only reading it. Granted, they could have memory built into their clothing if they want to.

[Monnock]

Dashifen: I just said they don't have permenant storage in the post that Ranneko was refutting! That has nothing to do with my point that most of the time you can't hack a technomancer. I was just pointing out that their living persona is not run through a commlink as he suggested.

[Dashifen]

Gotcha. Either way, I'd disagree. You can hack a technomancer whenever you are within signal range. Granted, once you do so, there may not be anything to find when you do so if they don't have some form of personal storage and/or devices subscribed to their node.

I don't see there being a matrix astral plane, as you described above, into which TMs manifest. Instead, I see them as a permanent fixture of the matrix. They cannot disconnect, nor would the want to. For all intents and purposes, they are a commlink that lives and breathes. 'Course YMMV.

[Dissonance]

Y'know how Lucille Ball claimed that she got secret Russian transmissions through her fillings?

I figure that Techies kind of work like that, to some degree. In that they manage to tap into already existing thingers through bizarre happenstance.

[Aku]

am i looking at the same -2 dice for "trying again" the the defuse as normal?

[Voran]

[Aku]

Hmm, thats not something i thought of, that the bomb isnt there anymore to hurt me :D. Typically, if the bomb was on a file, it would generally be set to destroy that copy of the info as well, but since this was guarding a node, i dont think it would've been prudent...


And on that thought, i'm gonna /facepalm myself. Hindsight tells me that, since packets are going in, they much have the correct encryption for the bomb, i could've intecerepted one of them and attempted to get the key that way, correct?

[Dashifen]

[Aku]

My next action would be to obviously hack into the new node. unLike last time, i'm going to probe the target to be safe (giving the node only 1 chance to detect me, as opposed to 1 for every attempt), I'm also going to go for admin level access adding 6(!) to the threshold i'm using hacking+exploit with a threshold of firewall+system+6.


However, i'm not sure what modifiers would apply. I would assume that my load out -1 does, however, since i'm working onto a new node, i dont think my botched reality filter would, Dash, what are your thoughts?

[Dashifen]

I would feel that your botched reality filter does count because you're still in the node in which you botched the test. Don't forget the matrix damage modifiers from the 4 damage you took as a result of the bomb. 'Course, if you have the Medic program you could try to fix that up.

[Aku]

ofcourse i forgot about the damage, and ofcourse i have the medic program!

so thats a computer(5)+meidc(6) minus the usual 2 dice, for a usual total of 9 dice.
1, 1, 3, 3, 3,
3, 5, 5, 5

For 3 hits, healing 3 boxes, taking me down to 1 total point of damage, and thus no modifier.

since i dont know if this node is using the same stats as the node i'm on, i'm going to make some rolls and assume that it is, meaning that my threshold is 16(!)

1,2,2,2,3,3,4,4,5
2,3,3,4,5,5,6,6,6
1,2,2,3,3,4,6,6,6
2,3,4,4,5,6,6,6,6
1,1,2,4,4,5,5,6,6
SUCCESS!
18 hits in 5 intervals.


That means that i've probably just put my team in a SERIOUS amount of danger, as the interval time on this is 1 hour(!) but for my safety i think it was worth it.

[Hasimir]

As my first presence in the DumpForums I'm jumping into this VERY interesting discussion...adding my 2 nuyens ;)
Obviously what I express is just my personal interpretation of the rules ^_^

____________________________________________________________

1) Noob question...
What is the "RAW" manual you often quote?
Is it the pdf version of the SR4 book, or something else?
And speaking of it...how can I know if my version the pdf-book is up to date?

____________________________________________________________

2) About the overload "degeneration spiral"...
The SR4 book is very thorough in repeating (endlessy and quite annoingly) every thing that has to be considered or not considered in terms of rules and effects.
As previously noted the book describes the Response and System featurs talking about their ratings...but when it comes to the overload effect it only refers to a reduction of "Response".

This leads me to read it as follows:
- Programs are capped by the System _rating_
- System _rating_ is capped by the Response _rating_
- overloading will decrease the Response, not its _rating_

Reading it backwars we notice that the Response we use is deacreased, making us slower, but its _rating_ is safe and sound ...
If the Response _rating_ is ok then the System is ok too and the Program's quality is also safe.

Tagline: the effect of overload is a modifier to triX initiative and "agility", much like carrying too many objects around will generate an "encumberance" modifier to meatbox initiative.
Period.

____________________________________________________________

3) About the current run...
I'll do a general recap of the run, adding some personal thoughts and comments on the info we got so far:

- Aku managed to get INSIDE the corp building to do the hacking
- as soon as he jacked-in he found himself in front of an high-security node...the only access to the network

This is odd...wage slaves that work from legal terminals into the building should be already INTO the network, past the harsh defenses layed down to prevent EXTERNAL intrusion...so that you just need to get user-status into the terminal.
This is almost the only good reason to physically break into the building!

But this company runs valuable affairs and therefoe is paranoid, requiring ANY matrix operation to be verified through the choking node before it is granted access to the more internal work-areas.
Fine with this :)

So Aku gets to the job and exploits himself a nice user-level access.
-> Aku (Hacking+Exploit) vs Node (Firewall)
-> Node (Analyze+Firewall) vs Aku (Stealth)

At that point he IS safe to operate...the problem is that the 3 agents are not in a passive mode, awaiting suspicious activity to wake them; they are constantly ACTIVE and scanning ALL traffic.
So even if Aku seems a legitimate user he is scanned by them...
-> Agents (Pilot+Analyze) vs Aku (Hacking+Stealth)

The Agents are fooled by Aku and will let him go.
Now he tryes to get more comfortable by reshaping the sculpted system of the node...but fails, making it all even more awkward.
-> Aku (Response+Reality Filter) vs Node (System+Response)

In-game you tryed to use the Filter first, then the Agents scanned you.
I inverted the order because it's more plausible that the already active (and ever watchfull) programs will look at you as soon as you access the node, rather then letting you do "something" before they can asses your identity.

Feeling lonely, Aku launces one of his own agents and frees it in the node with a nice subscription.
"Running a program into my company system" looks quite legit and harmless, so this action should be in the range of his user-level account; but this node is NOT a work-zone...it is just a high-security access point to the real system and probably the ONLY action allowed to a normal user is "passing through" and maybe "looking around".

Just launching one of my programs does NOT require any test, and surely not an Edit action...starting an agent and subscribing it should definitely be an automatic action.

Instead, IF this action is not in the range of a user-level access privileges the system should get a chance to notice the anomaly, expecially since the offloading of the agent causes the node to overload!
For this I would go as far as decreasing Aku's Stealth by 1 point, due to such a messy and noisy action...or let the node check the situation even if it would have normally ignored it.
THEN the 3 agents will scan the new Icon, as per their normal routine.
-> Node (Analyze+Firewall) vs Aku (Stealth) or (Stealth-1)
-> Battlecat (Pilot+Stealth) vs Agents (Pilot+Analyze)

So now Aku is in good company and the node looks to be fine with that...good.
He starts looking around to find out what to do and his idea is to detect & follow any traffic in the node.
-> Aku (Hacking+Sniffer) [no opposition here :P]

This reveals that the node has only one entrance and one exit...wich is not in sight.
That's odd...
We established that all the corp terminals MUST get past this node before entering the company network; it strikes me as strange that the only links available are to the open matrix and to a hidden door o_O''
This would mean that the terminals installed into the building are connected ONLY to the open matrix...the one and only entrance-point to this node.
And even the hidden/trapped link is strange, unless even the low-level wage slave users have a pass-code to automatically detect and open the passage to the hidden node.

Anyway...we are in a room with just the exit door and a flow of vermins disappearing somewhere near a wall; this calls for a deeper look around...that leads to a secret door with a nice boobytrap on it.
-> Aku (Computer+Analyze) vs Node (Firewall+Stealth)

Our hacker tryes to get rid of the trap but his stiky fingers trip an explosion...that luckily fails to rise an allarm.
-> Aku (Hacking+Defuse) vs Bombx2

Despite all the noise and commotion the system looks very quiet, so Aku spends some time to repair his Persona...and then invests a whole hour in probing the new mysteious door.
-> Aku (Computer+Medicine)
-> Aku (Hacking+Exploit)
-> Node (Firewall+Analyze) but just onece.

____________________________________________________________

4) About the Hacking of a Technomancer...
Reading the book leads me to belive that a you CAN hack into the brain of a TM.
But I'm too tierd now...my mind has collapsed about five minutes ago o_O''

[Dashifen]

Welcome aboard Hasimir.

1) RAW stands for Rules As Written. So, in this context, yes it's the SR4 rulebook. As for knowing if your PDF is up to date, if you purchased it from BattleCorps online, I know they email me when there's a new version available. Not sure about others; YMMV (your mileage may vary).

2) I would disagree with some of the way you're using terms, but in essence, I think you're correct.

3) A note on your recap: Aku was hacking his access to the system and, thus, he is faced with the chokepoint. Normal, legitimate users of the system would have an access key that would allow them to either bypass the chokepoint, or be analyzed by it and recognized as legitimate. Either way, they'd not have to face the security. It's not Aku's physical location that determined his need to face the chokepoint, but rather the method by which he's hacking his way into the system.

Thanks, I guess, for the recap, but in the future I'd prefer to do any recapping myself. It reduces clutter and it makes sure that the recap doesn't happen before we're done with the run. I'd prefer to have the tutorial work as a play-by-post until we're done with each scenario, then we can have a recap, then we'll start a new scenario.

[Dashifen]

[Moon-Hawk]

Resisting damage typically does not apply wound modifiers, but that's not what this is.
Casting a heal spell while wounded or using first aid while wounded both apply injury penalties. I'd say this does, too.

[Voran]

As for levels of access, even if logging in from an inside building location, I think that's still covered by the access level you've spoofed. Due to HIPAA stuff, there are varying levels of access in our offices to client-sensitive information. User access here would probably be the clinician computers that can access our common server, agency forms, etc. My level of access would be somewhere around 'security' level, I work in the clinical QA section so I need access to the client data, and our IT guy has admin access. I can login to any comp in our network (any workstation, even the ones off island) and have my same level of access. Likewise, anyone can login to my computer, but unless they're using my account, they won't see any of my files.

[Voran]

Sidenote, I'm thinking it might be a good idea to bring back something akin to the security count tree from SR3. Be nice to see what they come up with.

[Aku]

voran i disagree on the access, i think its new node=new access, or, atleast the chance to change it, perhaps, if i was running the scenario, i would lower the threshold for someone changing nodes that was keeping the same access, but i dont feel user level is going to be enough for me on the second node.

[Voran]

Woops. Sorry I was referring to Hasimir's post. I agree that user level access probably won't be enough. Our network (as far as I know) can't be accessed from a terminal outside the network, so it'd be akin to having to physically be onsite at least at one of our satellite offices, to get even basic server access.

[Hasimir]

Thanks Dashifen for the answers :)
My recap was actually made more to my own benefit that any other's...I needed to clear exactly WHAT had been done over this 8 pages of discussion, so that I can comment in the right way ^_^