Unwired, Overdrive and Biowire Options

[Tarantula]

Technos can get programs with program options. Technos can emulate skillsofts into complex forms and then learn them with karma, this includes program options/ratings. If a techno emulates a skillsoft with the overdrive program option, do they only suffer the distraction downside (since it can't damage their biowireness?)

[Noirfatale]

well if the technomancer is stupid enough to learn a skill soft with a flaw, he could damage is bioware (stun damage in case of having glitch and lethal in a botch)

since is bioware is in his nervous system the damage goes in directly - ouch.

[hermit]

Considering the Techno's inherent immunity against malware and software bugs, I'm afraid he'd suffer no consequences, keeping this in line with the basic concept of technomancers in Unwired (which would be invincible Neo).

[Ryu]

What with all CFs being active all the time, "just the distraction modifier" works for me.

[Tarantula]

He'd need to choose which skillsofts were loaded into his Biowire system though. So, only while he had his Pistol skillsoft in the biowire would he have the distraction penalties... Unless you think that they could run all the skillwire programs they know at once as complex forms.

[hermit]

There's no processor limit regarding ordinary CFs, so yes, I think they can.

[Pendaric]

Well, people did ask for the technos to be un-gimped.
Be careful what you wish for.

[Tarantula]

Next question, its a threading test to emulate the skillsoft. If the techno gets more hits on that test than the rating of the skillsoft, can they learn rating 5+ skillsofts?

[MaxHunter]

ok, ok, I am seeing something really wicked coming this way...

Clarifications? Help?

Cheers,

Max

[Ryu]

No, because the test converts the existing software. Net hits gain you nothing.

I don´t think this echo is overpowered. All CFs should run all the time, no need to gimp that. The limit of (submersion grade) on the skillwire system is very hard, as you can´t spend edge. Submersion grade 8 and a support operation service on your skill CF seems hard, but is absolutely nothing compared to the stunts of initiate degree 8 mages or deltaware samurai.

The more relevant in-between levels will see the TM cover for his chargen limitations. Everyone with the money can now run eight Pluscode-3 rating 4 skillsofts at once on skillwires of rating 4. The TM will need the skillsofts, 32 karma, and a submersion grade of 4. Do the math on the skillwire system and lost resonance.

[Tarantula]

Except, for a measly +1 karma per skillsoft, the technomancer can buy them with DIMAP which is a rather cheap (4k, +2 availability) option to tack onto all of those skillsofts. When the techno memorizes them, he now gets the skill with edge use, at up to rating 4. So, for a cheap 16k, and 5 karma, technos can essentially learn any skill at rank 4, and have full edge use with it also.

Edit: This is after reaching submersion 4. Of course, technos seem to benefit more from submersing more (or using the option to find echoes) than they do from actually raising their resonance rating.

[Ryu]

Except, for a measly +1 karma per skillsoft, the technomancer can buy them with DIMAP which is a rather cheap (4k, +2 availability) option to tack onto all of those skillsofts. When the techno memorizes them, he now gets the skill with edge use, at up to rating 4. So, for a cheap 16k, and 5 karma, technos can essentially learn any skill at rank 4, and have full edge use with it also.

Edit: This is after reaching submersion 4. Of course, technos seem to benefit more from submersing more (or using the option to find echoes) than they do from actually raising their resonance rating.

Qualify "edge use". "Rerolling a failure" is often "rerolling because the net hits are not sufficient". Can´t do that with DIMAP, as you have a success. "Failure" is pretty much limited to success tests with insufficient hits, and opposed tests on defender wins. As opposed to normal edge use, you reroll the whole test instead of just the misses.

[Tarantula]

"Failed test." If the test is threshold 4, and you got 3 hits, you fail the test, and thus, could use edge to reroll your non-successes to try to get that last success.

[Ryu]

"Failed test." If the test is threshold 4, and you got 3 hits, you fail the test, and thus, could use edge to reroll your non-successes to try to get that last success.

No. You could reroll the test, not reroll misses. The DIMAP option even stresses that this is an exceptional use of edge, added emphasis compared to the skillwire expert system.

[Tarantula]

No. You could reroll the test, not reroll misses. The DIMAP option even stresses that this is an exceptional use of edge, added emphasis compared to the skillwire expert system.

So, slightly worse off than regular edge usage, which is still hardly a disadvantage considering you can learn level 4 skills for 12,000 nuyen and 4 karma, 13,000 and 5 karma with DIMAP.

Not to mention re-rolling the test still would negate glitches/critical glitches, so thats the primary use for edge there.

[Ryu]

Yeah, skillwires are very good. My argument is that you are paying 4 karma for a skillsoft rather than a skill.

I find the loss of all hits on a reroll very limiting. Rolling a dicepool of 9 + edge, one method has three expected hits, the other five. A skill rating of one will often be better than the skillsoft at rating 4, if you have edge available, and costs no money.

[Tarantula]

Oh? Lets see... 1+normal attribute of 5, = 6 dice. Expect 2 successes, reroll 4 dice, 3 successes total. 4 + 5 = 9 dice, expect 3. Seems fairly even to me, particularly since skillsoft/biowire are for the skills you aren't going to be super amazing in, more for the ones you'll just pick up for utility since they're so cheap and easy to get. Also you don't HAVE to learn it, you can just buy all the softs, and emulate them on the fly, as long as you've got them in storage. (Sucking up that thread sustaining penalty for doing so of course)

[Rotbart van Dain...]

No. You could reroll the test, not reroll misses. The DIMAP option even stresses that this is an exceptional use of edge, added emphasis compared to the skillwire expert system.

But at the end of the day, DIMAP and the expert system do the same thing - the expert system just saves time and money at the expense of essence.

I find the loss of all hits on a reroll very limiting.

Of course, it is still much better than having no kind of second chance at all. (IMG:style_emoticons/default/nyahnyah.gif)

[hermit]

Next question, its a threading test to emulate the skillsoft. If the techno gets more hits on that test than the rating of the skillsoft, can they learn rating 5+ skillsofts?

This is awaiting a Word of God in the Unwired Questions Thread. Personally, taking the threading rules into consideration, I'd say 'yes, he can'.

Submersion grade 8 and a support operation service on your skill CF seems hard, but is absolutely nothing compared to the stunts of initiate degree 8 mages or deltaware samurai.

Mages are pretty imbalanced too, I agree, though not as much as post-Unwired mancers ... and the Augmentation essence hole rule cripples the delta samurai pretty efficiently.

Sucking up that thread sustaining penalty for doing so of course

Two times Swap - comes with the first two submersions
unlimited sustained CFs - priceless

[Tarantula]

Two times Swap - comes with the first two submersions
unlimited sustained CFs - priceless

I'm pretty sure swap only works for the first threaded penalty. You thread one thing, you get -2 penalty, swapx2 reduces that to 0. You thread 2 things at once, you have -4 penalty, swapx2 reduces that to -2 instead. And so on.

[Aaron]

Doesn't a technomancer, when learning a CF she is emulating, initially learn it at Rating 1? Then she buys it up normally?

[Tarantula]

Doesn't a technomancer, when learning a CF she is emulating, initially learn it at Rating 1? Then she buys it up normally?

No, emulation is an exception. P. 149 Unwired.

[Aaron]

Huh. That does seem to be an extremely cheap way to buy skill-like ratings.

[Rotbart van Dain...]

There is a cap of Submersion grade, though.

[Tarantula]

Which isn't that bad, considering you can get to grade 6 before you have to start spending karma on raising resonance.