Sprites, How to play them. Options

[Vantive]

I am new to a technomancer, I understand pretty well what I am doing as far as threading and hacking stuff.

One thing I am not 100% comfortable with is playing with a sprite.

From what I've read, Tank and paladin sprites will be very handy for me given that I don't intent on cyber combat at this stage.

I would like to thread my stealth and exploits up high before I have to get into a node. Is it best to let the sprite carry my complex form sustain or take it myself? Im not entirely sure what to even do with them..

Can you give me an example of when I sprite has really come through and rocked for you.

In combat, hacking, hiding. Making people piss...

I seem to be coming across alot of building stuff, big groups of people and nodes in areas....

[CodeBreaker]

Sprites for Technomancers are really good for alot of things. One of those is pushing your Stealth Rating so high that, basically, no one can ever find you never mind attack you. I always try and keep a few Rating 6 (Or higher) Sprites registered with as many tasks as possible in my stable. With those I have one of them Sustain Threading on Stealth, and I have another use Assist Operation to push it even further. With that you should be able to have a Passive Stealth Rating of 18. If your Sprites have enough registered tasks attached (Or you use Linking on them to keep it at 18 for 256 days at a time) you can almost certainly keep it up for the entire run. Remember, it costs nothing but time to register Sprite Tasks, during downtime use a fair bit of it to get more tasks.

Doing this basically makes you a Matrix Ninja. That is a good thing.

One of the other things I like to do is use Nuke on Nodes. Sprites are not affected by such things, so any IC loaded onto that Node is going to take a serious hit to its abilities. A small note, there is an inconsistancy in the Nuke rules.

A sprite’s Matrix attributes are independent of the attributes of any node in which it is running;
it runs on other, inexplicable resources. (Page 240 of SR4A)

Due to the unique and organic nature of the living persona,
technomancers are immune to Nuke attacks, while sprites and
other autonomous entities that depend on the resources of the
node they are on (rather than the technomancer), are not. (Page 111 of Unwired)

My group uses the SR4A part (As it is specifically in a section about Technomancers, and so we play it with precedant), but your GM might disagree.

[Vantive]

With that you should be able to have a Passive Stealth Rating of 18. If your Sprites have enough registered tasks attached (Or you use Linking on them to keep it at 18 for 256 days at a time) you can almost certainly keep it up for the entire run.

Thats interesting, my GM mentioned the sustaining complex form through a sprite for X amount of combat turns.

What is this linking? The idea of rolling around with level 18 stealth rocks...That in combination of throwing the disarm program on the nodes analzye will make me invisable. But To keep the sustaining on me for that amount of time. How? (IMG:style_emoticons/default/biggrin.gif)

[McAllister]

A compiling technomancer can semi-permanently script
a registered sprite to a task or set of tasks (so called linking) by
paying Karma equal to its rating. Once linked with Karma, the
sprite no longer counts against the technomancer’s limit for
registered sprites, and any remaining services are lost. The linked
sprite will remain at its final service 256 days, unless decompiled
or disrupted, in which case it will return to its duties after 16 days
minus its rating (see Crashing Sprites, p. 154).

Note that a rating 1 sprite can sustain any level of threading. This is actually obscene. A TM can, at any time, make any threading of his (either improving a program or creating a new one) last 8+ months by spending 1 karma. Holy exploitable, batman!

EDIT: re-read registering rules. So it takes an hour before the TM can register the sprite, at which points thread + link = win.

[Vantive]

That is really really cool. I've got 15 karma. So I could link a sprite to give me increased stealth and exploit? So I can molest any node I find.

I have currently 4 hacking, 5 Resonance and 5 exploit/stealth..

Was very tight on BP given Im doing the face role too..

with home ground and other such things i've got about 13 to roll to thread, If I dont like my roll can I just reroll and elect to take 0. So then I resist 0 fading. (IMG:style_emoticons/default/biggrin.gif)

What book and page can I find out more about linking?

[McAllister]

Unwired, 154.

The reroll idea is despicable in a moral sense, but there's nothing wrong with it from a game perspective, so I hope your GM agrees.

Why combine the face and the TM? Charisma is Biofeedback filter and the number of sprite you can register, but I don't think it does anything else for you unless you want it to resist drain with. If I were you, I'd thread up a rating 5 Empathy program (arsenal page 60 or so) and link that for 1 karma, it'll help your social dice rolls a lot (and since its software, you can thread it).

[BlueMax]

That is really really cool. I've got 15 karma. So I could link a sprite to give me increased stealth and exploit? So I can molest any node I find.

I have currently 4 hacking, 5 Resonance and 5 exploit/stealth..

Was very tight on BP given Im doing the face role too..

with home ground and other such things i've got about 13 to roll to thread, If I dont like my roll can I just reroll and elect to take 0. So then I resist 0 fading. (IMG:style_emoticons/default/biggrin.gif)

What book and page can I find out more about linking?

To avoid wasting time with my Three technomancers taking 0 successes and rerolling, I let them chose how many they were looking for, and resist the fading.

even better is that since Threading isn't even a free action, a TM can literally appraoch the threading infinite times......................

Wee.

BlueMax

[Vantive]

Unwired, 154.

The reroll idea is despicable in a moral sense, but there's nothing wrong with it from a game perspective, so I hope your GM agrees.

Why combine the face and the TM? Charisma is Biofeedback filter and the number of sprite you can register, but I don't think it does anything else for you unless you want it to resist drain with. If I were you, I'd thread up a rating 5 Empathy program (arsenal page 60 or so) and link that for 1 karma, it'll help your social dice rolls a lot (and since its software, you can thread it).

Working the face job because the rest of my team are uncouth gun slingers or bi-polar wizzers.....

Naturally the charisma is high and so for the sake of about 60 bp, I was able to roll about 13 die for social tests.

With the programs you mentioned, a level 5 empathy program, what would that actually do? What does that allow me to roll?

On another note, once I have an incredible stealth rating, I would hit the node with Disarm to kill its analyze against me so I have free reign for awhile.. If I take a sprite with me into a node. The sprite has its own independant stealth rating doesnt it? It would be caught where I would not be? how do you over come this? Can I sprite sustain my complex forms from outside the node im hacking?

[BlueMax]

Working the face job because the rest of my team are uncouth gun slingers or bi-polar wizzers.....

Naturally the charisma is high and so for the sake of about 60 bp, I was able to roll about 13 die for social tests.

With the programs you mentioned, a level 5 empathy program, what would that actually do? What does that allow me to roll?

On another note, once I have an incredible stealth rating, I would hit the node with Disarm to kill its analyze against me so I have free reign for awhile.. If I take a sprite with me into a node. The sprite has its own independant stealth rating doesnt it? It would be caught where I would not be? how do you over come this? Can I sprite sustain my complex forms from outside the node im hacking?

If I am not mistaken, the sprite must remain with you. So thread up a sprite with a good stealth.

BlueMax

[Vantive]

So, If I take a rating 1 sprite in with me sustaining my rating 7 complex form, the sprites own stealth will only be rating one.. and he would be detected almost straight away. Does a sprite have the ability to thread its own stealth up?

[toolbox]

If I am not mistaken, the sprite must remain with you. So thread up a sprite with a good stealth.

But does it have to be with your currently active icon, or just any icon you have in any node at the time? Can it sustain its linked CF from your biological node (which should have a copy of your icon in it)?

[Default]

If I were you, I'd thread up a rating 5 Empathy program (arsenal page 60 or so) and link that for 1 karma, it'll help your social dice rolls a lot (and since its software, you can thread it).

Are you sure this is right? I thought when they were referring to Programs, they meant stuff like Armor, Stealth and such. How would you thread Empathy sensor software? Would it be treated like a skillsoft, so it's equivalent to having Etiquette skillsoft and so you will need Biowire?

[BlueMax]

But does it have to be with your currently active icon, or just any icon you have in any node at the time? Can it sustain its linked CF from your biological node (which should have a copy of your icon in it)?

Your question about Biological Nodes is one which members of my group have asked here and not gotten an answer. I too would like to know.

From what I recall, the sprite must be with your active icon.

BlueMax

[toolbox]

Are you sure this is right? I thought when they were referring to Programs, they meant stuff like Armor, Stealth and such. How would you thread Empathy sensor software? Would it be treated like a skillsoft, so it's equivalent to having Etiquette skillsoft and so you will need Biowire?

There's a sidebar in Unwired that allows you to use things like sensor software and tacsofts as CFs if you have appropriate sensor feeds/databases/whatever available, subject to GM veto. A bit of fiction in one of the books (Unwired? maybe Arsenal) has an infiltrator's TM teammate scan him with a facial recognition CF to test his disguise.

[Default]

But does it have to be with your currently active icon, or just any icon you have in any node at the time? Can it sustain its linked CF from your biological node (which should have a copy of your icon in it)?

Even though you can have multiple icons in multiple nodes, you can only have one "acting" icon (SR4A, 225). And the Sprite must remain with the TM or can be dismissed (SR4A, 241), so you figure they are always with the "acting" icon when they are around. Or at minimum, you would think the Sprite has to be present to hold your CF or to do an Assist Operation for your "acting" icon while you do the hack.

[toolbox]

Even though you can have multiple icons in multiple nodes, you can only have one "acting" icon (SR4A, 225). And the Sprite must remain with the TM or can be dismissed (SR4A, 241), so you figure they are always with the "acting" icon when they are around. Or at minimum, you would think the Sprite has to be present to hold your CF or to do an Assist Operation for your "acting" icon while you do the hack.

I guess the question is whether threaded CF ratings carry over to all your icons in various nodes or not. I've never seen an answer to this one way or the other. I mean, your reading makes sense, but I'm not sure if it makes more sense than mine or not.

[Default]

There's a sidebar in Unwired that allows you to use things like sensor software and tacsofts as CFs if you have appropriate sensor feeds/databases/whatever available, subject to GM veto. A bit of fiction in one of the books (Unwired, I think) has an infiltrator's TM teammate scan him with a facial recognition CF to test his disguise.

Okay found it, Unwired, p136. So it's like the emulation rules, you basically can thread up as CFs from the original programs, but you still need the actual equipment. That'll teach me to ignore the sidebars (IMG:style_emoticons/default/wink.gif)

I guess the question is whether threaded CF ratings carry over to all your icons in various nodes or not. I've never seen an answer to this one way or the other. I mean, your reading makes sense, but I'm not sure if it makes more sense than mine or not.

I think threaded CF, like regular programs, is part of all your icon. But the question is, is the sprite with you to use its powers or perhaps they have multiple icons too.

[toolbox]

Okay found it, Unwired, p136. So it's like the emulation rules, you basically can thread up as CFs from the original programs, but you still need the actual equipment. That'll teach me to ignore the sidebars (IMG:style_emoticons/default/wink.gif)

It's even better than that. Remember that a TM has the equivalent of a sim module for free (it's how they use VR). It's possible to thread a simrig CF in the same way as a smartlink, so your physical senses can act as sensors in a lot of cases. Anything requiring standard video/trideo should work with just your eyes and a threaded/learned simrig CF, f'rex. You'll notice that much of the sensor software, including empathy, works fine with visual feeds, so in a lot of cases you really only need to see your target.

[Vantive]

Im not sure that answered my question, There must be a way to get this to work.

What good is me having like a level 18 stealth rating if my sprite is going to be seen anyway?

[Jaid]

But does it have to be with your currently active icon, or just any icon you have in any node at the time? Can it sustain its linked CF from your biological node (which should have a copy of your icon in it)?

well, if i were to wander into your non-active persona, and hit it with a rating 12 attack CF, would you get damaged? (the answer is yes, incidentally).

how about if i disarmed your non-active persona? would it get disarmed? (the answer is also yes)

how about if i do *anything* to your non-active persona? does that same "anything" happen to your main persona? (the answer is also yes)

so if i sustain threading on your non-active persona... why would it magically work differently from everything else in the entire game?

[toolbox]

well, if i were to wander into your non-active persona, and hit it with a rating 12 attack CF, would you get damaged? (the answer is yes, incidentally).

how about if i disarmed your non-active persona? would it get disarmed? (the answer is also yes)

how about if i do *anything* to your non-active persona? does that same "anything" happen to your main persona? (the answer is also yes)

so if i sustain threading on your non-active persona... why would it magically work differently from everything else in the entire game?

Right, that's my thinking. I can see why something like Assist Operation might need to be used in the same node as the TM's active icon, but sustaining threading feels like it should work anywhere within the TM's online presence (i.e., in a node with any of his icons).

[Vantive]

Alright then, so I can go in thinking that I have sustained on me while being away from the Sprite


I guess its the same as a spirit. Spirits can sustain invis on a person while they leave and head away, and other such spells. sprites are spirits....


One last question. I have Compiling (By sprite type) Whats the sprite thats most used? Im not often in combat at all and I've never actually used a sprite yet. Not sure which I'd wanna summon first.

I need to chose my specialization for compiling and registering. What do you all think?

[toolbox]

One last question. I have Compiling (By sprite type) Whats the sprite thats most used? Im not often in combat at all and I've never actually used a sprite yet. Not sure which I'd wanna summon first.

That's really situational. Machine and Tutor sprites are great if you want to moonlight as a riggermancer, Paladin sprites are hax for node raiding, Code, Courier and Data sprites make legwork trivial, etc. What do you want to do?

[Jaid]

and of course, i'm not sure you've mentioned yet what stream you are... regular cyberadept? technoshaman? really, it does depend a lot on what you want to do.

[Vantive]

I have no stream yet...

Just a regularmancer at this stage, a bit more reading for me.