Taking Questions for Unofficial Hacking FAQ Options

[Conskill]

Do Technomancers have a "living node" that houses their persona? If so, can it be hacked by others? If so, can a hacker screw up the Technomancer's normal neurological functions?

Could you clarify the game-mechanics effect of subscripting a device to only accept input from another device (say, a drone to the rigger's commlink)? Is this simply fluff text, or does it make the peripheral device completely unhackable except through the master device?

Do drones need to remain within Signal range of their rigger, or can they be remotely rigged via Matrix coverage?

[Smokeskin]

When crack sprites trigger an alarm it is suppressed for several turns - if in the meantime the sprite hacks in, can the alarm be disabled?

When you trigger an alert, will security automatically spot you, or do they still need to succeed in an opposed matrix perception test?

[M.Fillmore.1138]

Matrix Condition Monitors (SR4 p. 231) are defined as using 8+(System/2) to calculate the number of boxes. But what about sprites? Is the MCM for a sprite determined by the node it currently resides in? Does it use the System of the living persona of the technomancer that summoned it, or should you use either the Rating or Response of the sprite? Should you use the highest value of any of the attributes (Response, Firewall) that can be higher than Rating?

Update: Okay, it has been pointed out to me that Pilot is the right answer. Can this be clarified in the FAQ please?

[Serbitar]

Can sprites be detected in a node?
How do they avoid being noticed?
Do they need an account to avoid being flagged as an intruder?
Do they have to be inthe node with the TM to aid the TM ?

[Cheops]

In one of the Shadowrun Missions (The Grab) the runners get pinged by a security drone to check their commlinks. Does this mean that if you have LOS on a person you can automatically ping them to determine what mode their commlink is in without having to use Scan to check all nodes?

Can Crack sprites hack a system for a TM and pass along the back door to him?

Since System and Firewall are programs is it possible to encrypt them? Specifically can a TM use a courier sprite at rating 1 to prevent the system from communicating with the firewall?

If a character implants a simrig, full arms, legs, torso, skull, and builds a neck brace could he be rigged like an anthroform drone?

Can spirits and critters (i.e. dragons) use AR?

Edited: Changed SR Missions quote to quote the correct Mission.

[M.Fillmore.1138]

There are some anomalies in the sprites that I would love to see corrected.

Courier, Data and Machine sprites all have a CF called "Transfer". In the case of Courier and Data sprites, this is a standard CF. The problem is that data transfer is handled by Edit (SR4, p 226) -- there is no Transfer CF.

Edit is already a standard CF for Data sprites (and another optional CF for Machine, as is the Transfer non-CF).

So, should Edit be added to the list of CF's for Courier sprites? Edit already exists for Data sprites, so that is no problem[1]. For Machine sprites, it should be dropped from the list of Optional CFs, since Edit is already on the list.

[1] Since Decrypt should move to the standard CF list, that will fill that void.

[Lagomorph]

I know this thread is done and over with and that it's too soon for the FAQ in any fashion to be released, but I'm hoping that Bull can reply and let us know if he got a chance to get some of these questions answered. I think we're all very anxious to hear any news about this.

[Tekumel]

Where the hell is the Sprite Bane flaw for Technomancers & Hackers? Perhaps available to everyone, with a reduced BP bonus. 5/10 maybe, like some of the others?

[Serbitar]

A hot sim VR user gets +2 dp to all matrix actions, 229, SR4. Does that mean a rigger using hot sim VR gets that bonus to tests for controlling the vehicle? Pilot, Gunnery, Vehicle Infiltration, etc.?

[Rotbart van Dain...]

[Bull]

Questions are compiled and I'm slowly working my way through them. There are a lot of very good questions, and there are a lot that are not, unfortunatly, answerable strictly by the rules (WHich is likely why they were asked :)).

I'm working out everything I can, and will be hopefully talking with some of the other Hacking Geek freelancers to try and make sense of the more confusing stuff.

Bull

[hobgoblin]

looking forward to the results. and maybe this should be a hint as to the required verbosity of unwired.

[Luggage]

[RunnerPaul]

[hobgoblin]

atleast.

[Bull]

Just wanted to post a quick update... I have the basic FAQ done on paper, but am only about halfway done typing it up, and it's still gotta go to a couple of the freelancers for second opinions... Been a bit pressed for time lately, so it's on the backburner for a bit. Will hopefully get back to it soon.

Bull

[X-Kalibur]

Awfully nice of you to update us Bull, looking forward to seeing it.

[Serbitar]

Can a supressed (by a sprite) alarm be:

a) cancelled with admin rights while it is suppressed
b) rerouted to another matrix Acess ID with admin rights while is is supressed (the node still goes into alert, but the alert information is sent elsewhere)
c) none of the above. when the supression ends, the node goes into alert mode and the alert message is sent to the appropriate matrix access ID(s)

[Balcon13]

I have a PC set up with a Sim Module (Cold), Datajack, and Control Rig. My question is, if I load and activesoft "Pilot Aircraft" Level 4, and "Jump" into the aircraft with Rigger Adaptation and go full VR, do I need Skill wires since its my mind doing the driving and not my body?

[Bull]

Ok, Rob's working on an SR4 FAQ this week, so I sent in what I got done to him. I have no clue how long it will be before he posts it, and there were a handful of answers I left for him to make the final call on, as there were definately some ambiguous questions and answers there. So I can't even post a "prelim" Hacking FAQ as I don't know what some of the final answers will look like.

Thanks for all the questions though, you made me spend far, far too much time digging through the SR4 Hacking section. :) I've reread that section so many times I've almost worn it out!

Bull