Spoofing Agent Botnets, is it possible? Options

[WearzManySkins]

Ok a beginning character can have a rating 4 agent with a rating 4 Spoof program.

Can a character have 10 Agents loaded with Spoof 4 and Encrypt 4 and use them as a BotNet to Spoof a lifestyle in record time? This is using UnWired too.

If it can be done how many dice are rolled for the extended test ie total and per Agent?

WMS

[BlackHat]

If the character wants an unrestricted agent (pg 100, probably necessary since you're asking them to do illegal things), the availability goes up, so now we're taking about a rating 3 agent, with rating 3 spoof and encrypt. Of course, since we're using unwired, you could use rating 6 spoor and encrypt with the optimization programmning option - that way, the agent can run these, even if they're on a shitty system, with response/system 1.

Now, assuming they can find a rating 3 system to run on (a fair assumption), and that they aren't copy protected (might as well not be, especially since they are unrestricted), they'll have dicepools of around 9 for this task.

I don't think they would actually count as a bot-net, since those are more expensive, and harder to get - but even if they don't, you could still ask them to work together, on different nodes (unless you have a system 10 node that I don't know about) to spoof your lifestyle.

As a GM, I would probably ask that you buy successes, since otherwise that's a lot of rolling, and use the teamwork rules. But, even if you get to roll, using the buy-successes rule is a good rule-of-thumb for assuming a certain level of success. So, nine of the agents would buy 2 successes, adding 18 dice to the tenth agent's roll - which results in a dice pool of 27, which is JUST shy of 7 successes (so 6).

So, after day one, that's a low lifestyle, or after two days, a medium lifestyle. Eight days would be a High lifestyle, and since the dice pools are only 9, if your GM limits extended tests by dicepools, that's a high as they can go. Otherwise, given half a month of uninterrupted work, they could get up to a luxury lifestyle.

Of course, that is assuming they don't draw any unwanted attention, and none of them get shut down or anything. You should be fairly safe from glitches this way, at least, but expect the GM to throw you a curve-ball once in a while.

[Cheops]

Of course, that is assuming they don't draw any unwanted attention, and none of them get shut down or anything. You should be fairly safe from glitches this way, at least, but expect the GM to throw you a curve-ball once in a while.

Especially since it would be almost impossible to write scripts for these agents since they would encounter all sorts of decision points. I'd almost go so far as to house rule that Agents can't spoof life since it is a complicated task.

[WearzManySkins]

I do not have UnWired with me at the moment, but how many agents can a single hacker control at the same time?

The spoof lifestyle test does not indicate any "conditions" ie network etc. Each GM is allowed to house rule such. Seems to me to be an "abstract" test.

Also one can get pirated Warez/Agents at cheaper costs, so availability is the only limiting costs at chargen.

WMS

[RunnerPaul]

I do not have UnWired with me at the moment, but how many agents can a single hacker control at the same time?

That depends. How many nodes are in your version of the SR4 Universe?

[WearzManySkins]

Right now I am speaking the RAW SR4 universe ie UnWired.

WMS

[RunnerPaul]

Right now I am speaking the RAW SR4 universe ie UnWired.

Which does not give an exhaustive listing of every single node in the setting. So it comes back to the guy sitting behind the screen at the end of your table. How many nodes are there, total?

[WearzManySkins]

Ok with a response of 5 the max subscriptions one can have are 10. Technically 10 agents can be subscribed.

A Botnet sidesteps the subscription limitations.

Since spoofing a lifestyle is a "Abstract" roll of the dice, just like a generic Data Search for "Skid Marks" in Seattle. Going into minutia for such a Data Search is too anal for my tastes. Thank your for your tastes in Anal RP. (IMG:style_emoticons/default/grinbig.gif) What I believe you attempting to portray is a actual "run" to spoof a lifestyle, which is not what I am asking.

WMS

[Ryu]

Wee, botnets. I´m not sure what to think so far.

A botnet allows you to control an unlimited number of bots, but the rules on spoofing lifestyle say the hacker rolls his dice. Agents are likely not creative enough. (I also assume the combined intervalls represent time spend over the course of the month, not really in discrete intervals like the extended test often implies.)

The metagaming answer is: no, you won´t get luxury for free.

[WearzManySkins]

Wee, botnets. I´m not sure what to think so far.

A botnet allows you to control an unlimited number of bots, but the rules on spoofing lifestyle say the hacker rolls his dice. Agents are likely not creative enough. (I also assume the combined intervalls represent time spend over the course of the month, not really in discrete intervals like the extended test often implies.)

The metagaming answer is: no, you won´t get luxury for free.

Correction time interval is 1 day just the threshold is different which can take it to a month in some cases.

Actually you can get Luxury at half price if one hires a Hacker to do the work, availability rating not with standing.

As for what the actual meaning of the roll for spoofing a lifestyle ie what dice whose dice, is not specifically set in stone to me, but I understand the RAWinsta views.

It maybe a BotNet require closer supervision to add its dice to a spoof test even for lifestyle. But then it gets back to a response rating 5 running 10 Agents, since the Agents are technically closely micromanaged.

WMS

[Ryu]

I think its your skill in using the agents that counts. The agents can get you access, but you provide the pointers were access can be gained.

The technical possibility of unlimited bot numbers is now clearly in the rules. What I´m missing is a mechanic for finite numbers of agents supposed to do the same job. One approach might be to allow teamwork tests for agents, but at most (hacking/2) agents. That would be based on the idea that very similar agents are executing a limited number of programs, usually one per type per hacker, and all that based on similar or even identical scripts.