Hacking Gear, What's necessary, what's useful Options

[Eratosthenes]

Eratosthenes, the skinlink is so that the datajack (/whatever) can communicate with your (skinlinked) gear; you're right, it can already communicate with your arm, etc.

Ah! I hadn't thought of that. Thanks! (IMG:style_emoticons/default/biggrin.gif)

[J. Packer]

Put together a basic gear list for a totally non-augmented hacker. Am I missing anything, or mispricing things?

[ Spoiler ]

CODE

1250  Erika Elite Commlink
4000  + Response Upgrade (5)
1000  + Signal Upgrade (5)
5000  + Custom OS (System 5, Firewall 5)
350   + Sim Module w/Hot Sim
500   + Optimization (Stealth)
250   + Customized Interface
150   + Biometric Lock
400   + Armored Case (8)
50    + Trodes
50    + Subvocal Mic
500   + Satellite Link
2000  + Analyze 5, Browse 5, Command 5, Edit 5
2000  + Encrypt 5, Scan 5, Reality Filter 5, Purge 5
15000 + Armor 5, Attack 5, Biofeedback Filter 5
15000 + Black Hammer 5, Blackout 5, Decrypt 5
20000 + Defuse 5, ECCM 5, Exploit 5, Medic 5
20000 + Sniffer 5, Spoof 5, Stealth 5, Track 5
15000 + Corrupt 5, Disarm 5, Nuke 5

102500

[WearzManySkins]

Restricted Gear (Response 7)
Restricted Gear (Response Enhancer 5)
Simsense Booster
Encephalon I
Math SPU
Datajack
PuSHeD
Cerebral Booster 2
Novatech Airware
Upgraded Response 7
Upgraded Signal 6
Novatech Navi
Firewall 6
System 6
Simsense Accelerator
Hardening 6
Optimization [Browse]
Personality Software
Customized Interface
Biometric Lock
Environmental Resistance
Skin Link
Armored Case 6
Response Enhancer R 5

VR Initiative 17
VR Initiative Pass 5

Lets see a beginning TM beat that VR Initiative and Passes. (IMG:style_emoticons/default/grinbig.gif)

[PoliteMan]

You probably want a cyberlimb, I recommend Lower Arm. Stick your datajack in there, a Nanohive in there for the Neural nanites (+3 to logic skill tests), plus some armor or maybe an internal commlink. Cyberlimbs are great for combat hackers because you can stick a bunch of useful stuff in there and the armor/bonus to physical tarck gives you some added staying power in combat.

You'll probably want to build a small bot net (about 5) after chargen for two reasons. First, you can get +5 to probing targets, which is always nice. Second, if your hoop gets in drek, it's nice to have an army of code zombies to call (presuming you're somewhere they can get).

I strongly recommend either buying an agent at chargen or pirating one immediately. Automated searches are nice but the real juice is that they can spoof your lifestyle and build botnets for you automatically. Build it right and you can be paying your bills and building your cyberzombie army while you sleep. No hacker should ever pay a penny in lifestyle. If your nice (and have the spare processing power) you can even do it for your chummers.

Something to consider (haven't been able to play around with this too much) is buying a Trojan like RAT or Vector, then downloading it to a couple of optical chips for your chummers to stick in the system. Might be a nice way to include your chummers is the tech side, since it builds off their skills to sneak in. Work example, build a nasty worm with some viruses loaded on, download a copy of vector to an optical chip and pass it around to your chummers. If they come across a electrical system or a spider, just find a place to slot the chip into the system and suddenly the spider has bigger problems than who is sneaking down his hall.

[J. Packer]

Mucho stuffus:

[ Spoiler ]

Restricted Gear (Response 7)
Restricted Gear (Response Enhancer 5)
Simsense Booster
Encephalon I
Math SPU
Datajack
PuSHeD
Cerebral Booster 2
Novatech Airware
Upgraded Response 7
Upgraded Signal 6
Novatech Navi
Firewall 6
System 6
Simsense Accelerator
Hardening 6
Optimization [Browse]
Personality Software
Customized Interface
Biometric Lock
Environmental Resistance
Skin Link
Armored Case 6
Response Enhancer R 5

VR Initiative 17
VR Initiative Pass 5

Lets see a beginning TM beat that VR Initiative and Passes. (IMG:style_emoticons/default/grinbig.gif)

Looks like quite a list, but you're going to need a lenient GM or plenty of restricted gear - so not ideal for a starting character at all. And unless I'm misreading something, don't commlinks only have four slots for upgrades?

[Yerameyahu]

Well, mix and match. You almost never need to be 'fully optimal', however awkward that phrase is. (IMG:style_emoticons/default/smile.gif) What's the exact (BP) cost of that shopping list, for kicks?

[J. Packer]

Well, mix and match. You almost never need to be 'fully optimal', however awkward that phrase is. (IMG:style_emoticons/default/smile.gif) What's the exact (BP) cost of that shopping list, for kicks?

My list is 102,500. The super-duper-cyber-bio-geneti-nano list is terrifyingly higher. And outside the availability of a starting character in several areas.

[KarmaInferno]

Looks like quite a list, but you're going to need a lenient GM or plenty of restricted gear - so not ideal for a starting character at all. And unless I'm misreading something, don't commlinks only have four slots for upgrades?

I only see two pieces of Restricted gear, the Restricted Gear the Response 7 and the Response Enhancer 5.

[edit]Ah, found the "four slot limit" in Unwired. Huh, never seen that before. Sneaky bastards.



-k

[Yerameyahu]

Commlinks are considered to have 4 available modification slots.

[Eratosthenes]

I only see two pieces of Restricted gear, the Restricted Gear the Response 7 and the Response Enhancer 5.

[edit]Ah, found the "four slot limit" in Unwired. Huh, never seen that before. Sneaky bastards.



-k

Simsense Accelerator is Availability 14

[KCKitsune]

You probably want a cyberlimb, I recommend Lower Arm. Stick your datajack in there, a Nanohive in there for the Neural nanites (+3 to logic skill tests), plus some armor or maybe an internal commlink. Cyberlimbs are great for combat hackers because you can stick a bunch of useful stuff in there and the armor/bonus to physical tarck gives you some added staying power in combat.

Go with a cyber lower leg. I say this for two reasons. First off, it gives you more capacity for the same price. Second, it's easier to hide than a lower cyber arm. With an arm you will need a long sleeve shirts and a glove to cover up the fact that you have a cyber arm. With a Cyber leg... you need pants, socks and shoes... which is what most people wear anyway.

[CanRay]

Depends on the city. If you're somewhere hot, shorts would be the norm and you'd look out of place unless they've very loose and light pants.

Also, synthskin covereth a multitude of sins. Including cybernetic limbs. Of course, it's a pain getting it replaced every time it gets ripped.

[Yerameyahu]

As far as I know, pants are the norm in the hottest places on earth.

[CanRay]

Unless it's a nudist colony. (IMG:style_emoticons/default/nyahnyah.gif)

[KarmaInferno]

I say, go whole hog. Get an obvious cyberskull!





-k

[J. Packer]

Simsense Accelerator is Availability 14

And the Signal 6 upgrade is also A14.

And what's the pricetag on a Response 7 upgrade. Is that out of War! or something? I've heard the book is rife with power creep...

[Yerameyahu]

Not like you even need it, you're running rating 6 programs.

[KarmaInferno]

Yeah, on double checking you'd have to start with a few of the items at lower ratings.

Response 7 is Avail 20 and 24000 nuyen. Kinda steep for just a +1 die bump over 6.

Stick with Signal 5 or even 4 - not only is it hard to get, it's pointless, as Signal 4 (1 km) is plenty far enough range for most runs. If you're more than 1 kilometer from any wireless connection it's time to break out the satellite comms anyhow.

Might as well drop the Response Enhancer down to 3 while you're at it, the extra die isn't worth the use of Restricted Gear. Upgrade later.




-k

[Ascalaphus]

Personally I think Encephalons are too expensive in Essence and (IMG:style_emoticons/default/nuyen.gif) for what they do.

Simsense Booster and Simsense Accelerator are absolute must-haves.

[Udoshi]

Personally I think Encephalons are too expensive in Essence and (IMG:style_emoticons/default/nuyen.gif) for what they do.

Simsense Booster and Simsense Accelerator are absolute must-haves.

PuSHeD is a good alternative to an encephalon.
If you NEED max bang-for-buck, a cyberhand with a second-hand nanohive using logic-linked nanites is very cheap and very effective.


I'm a fan of buying firewall/system 6, and some hacking utilities at start. They get nerfed/lagged down to your Response(5)....
but if you plan to get a response 6 chip in play, its a solid investment! (seriously, its only 8k. thats like 1-2, maybe 3 runs of effort)
Otherwise its 3k for system, 3k for firewall, 6k for EACH program on top of the response chip..... its just more efficient to do it with BP than earned cash.

[WearzManySkins]

Not like you even need it, you're running rating 6 programs.

With the the VPN contact Warezhouse 24, and a major push in Datasearch skills,.you can less than 10 minutes of beginning game time, have a full suit of rating 7 soft-wares.
When you are rolling 20+ dice per roll, glitches do not happen, I know have rolled data-searches out for rating 6 soft-wares using Invisible Castle.

[Yerameyahu]

They're really not. At all. They're nice, but you don't *need* that many IPs.

You're assuming that rating 7 programs exist at all (outside of the military/etc.), and that you can find them pirated.

[Ascalaphus]

More IPs aren't necessary if your Stealth outclasses the system you're hacking, but if things go sour, they're pretty nice. IC gets 3 IPs, if you have 5, then you can either tear it apart, or go Full Defense and still do all the hacking (especially smash & grab) that you came for.

[Yerameyahu]

They're definitely nice. Sometimes *really* nice. I'm just saying, there's 'must-haves' and there's 'gravy'. (IMG:style_emoticons/default/biggrin.gif)

[WearzManySkins]

They're really not. At all. They're nice, but you don't *need* that many IPs.

You're assuming that rating 7 programs exist at all (outside of the military/etc.), and that you can find them pirated.

I assume nothing merely playing a game that has very little with RL.

You are attempting to insert RL point of view.

Only that at Chargen only availability of 12 is the limit unless you get the restricted gear quality, even that has a upper limit

No Where in RAW does it limit what a player can gain after Character Generation.

Warezhouse 24 is limited by the availability of the software. That is not much a limitation, just merely takes a few more datasearches.

If you chose to House Rule that Military Software is not avail in Warezhouse 24 you can but it is not RAW.