GM Advice, Technomancer Options

[nightslasthero]

There is a wheel chair in one of the books that could be used for the character when he needs to move around. I like the concept though and thought about doing it once, but in the end it seemed to be a bit to problematic over the long run. Makes good for a one shot game, but for a long extended game it could be problematic.

I like most of the advice that was given, though I think going after sensative data could be problematic. Though if a file is on a non wireless connected computer, then I wouldn't expect wifi inhibitors to be present. Getting traced is going to be the issue, since if you suceed in one trace attempt the character is effectively dead.

He should have some contacts. He should probably have a bodyguard or someone in addition to his cartaker that can relocate his body in a dire situation. Namely he shoudlnt' expect his caretaker to be able to defend him against threats and get him to saftey.

However, this coudl make an interesting encounter. As he should have a drone on standby at his coffin motel in the event of emergencies, having to jump into the drone to take care of things back home while the team needs him woudl be interesting.

I would say to not cut him any slack with the trace. Let him know that he is likely dead if one of the trace attempts work.

[Tymeaus Jalynsfe...]

I would say to not cut him any slack with the trace. Let him know that he is likely dead if one of the trace attempts work.

At that point, a Proxie is your friend. (IMG:style_emoticons/default/smile.gif)

[Irion]

I would say to not cut him any slack with the trace. Let him know that he is likely dead if one of the trace attempts work.

Actually, he just needs to make it look like somebody broke in his network.
They won't find hacking software in his house...

[NorthernWolf]

All great ideas, and thanks for the advice, but too much work on both sides in retrospect. Fact is we can barely figure out Matrix rules, nevermind go into this much complexity.

Cheers.

[Sengir]

I'm not sure what you intend to reference on UW 55. That explains some things you cannot do without a subscription; one of them is enter a node in AR or VR. Yes, that is true. Ergo, you cannot enter a node in AR or VR with only a public account; you need at least a User account.

In other words it makes no sense, hence ignore the offending rule

Oh, I thought you thought you had discovered the slave daisy-chain. That's actually much easier to hack and contains an enormously pointless amount of wasted money. Here's how you hack it: walk up to the server, put in an optical tap or wireless adapter, hack it.

Firewall concepts don't protect against an intruder with physical access. Captain Obvious called, he wants his job back...

[BishopMcQ]

Actually, he just needs to make it look like somebody broke in his network.
They won't find hacking software in his house...

That might work if it's the cops. If you tripped the security on a Renraku black project by having your buddies string some repeater drones and an optical tap, then got traced, the Red Samurai team will probably shoot first and do divinations on your corpse. (This is an extreme example, but really it comes down to who you pissed off enough to make them find your meat.)

It also depends if he's running a nexus with a bunch of pirated software and unrestricted Agents vs just the CFs in his head and a few manservant drones to keep the place tidy.

[Udoshi]

I'm not sure what you intend to reference on UW 55. That explains some things you cannot do without a subscription; one of them is enter a node in AR or VR. Yes, that is true. Ergo, you cannot enter a node in AR or VR with only a public account; you need at least a User account.

False. unwired doesn't contradict the log on action. You gain a subscription at the time you enter the node.

Take 50 commlinks and daisy-chain them via cable. The first in the chain connects to the matrix, the last to your server, the others just to their neighbors in the chain. The result is that your server now is unhackable unless somebody hacks all 50 commlinks one after another...

Not True. This is covered by the FAQ. Chain-slaving just forwards you to the last. Regular links mesh network you to whichever one you want.
What you really want is a gateway node from unwired.

Another thing to keep in mind: hacking into a node requires either a subscription, or mutual signal range. If you don't already have a subcription (which you need a User, Security, or Admin account for, normally), and you're outside mutual signal range, you can't get in.

Umaro, going back to the original arguement that started this chain of discussion.... While I know the matrix rules are a convoluted piece of shit, I'm fairly sure you've got the wrong of it, possibly misremembering some rules.
So put up your quotes. You've intrigued me, and I want to see exactly why you think this doesn't work.

[Tymeaus Jalynsfe...]

Not True. This is covered by the FAQ. Chain-slaving just forwards you to the last. Regular links mesh network you to whichever one you want.
What you really want is a gateway node from unwired.

Sengir never mentioned slaving. He is talking about running each comlink as a hardwired Gateway Node to the next comlink, with a Wireless Access point at the outermost Comlink Node. So, in his case, he is absolutely correct. (IMG:style_emoticons/default/smile.gif)

[Udoshi]

Yeah, I got that slaving wasn't necessarily involved.
My second sentence onward obviously wasn't worded clearly enough.

[UmaroVI]

False. unwired doesn't contradict the log on action. You gain a subscription at the time you enter the node.

What do you think the statement I quoted from UW 52 means, then?

Umaro, going back to the original arguement that started this chain of discussion.... While I know the matrix rules are a convoluted piece of shit, I'm fairly sure you've got the wrong of it, possibly misremembering some rules.
So put up your quotes. You've intrigued me, and I want to see exactly why you think this doesn't work.

In order to hack a node, you must either be within mutual Signal range of the target node’s device or have an open subscription with the node through the Matrix.

"Mutual signal range" is pretty clear as to what it means.

"Have an open subscription with the node through the Matrix" confuses people sometimes, but it definitely means you must be subscribed to the node. "Through the matrix" means that if you ARE subscribed to the node already, you don't need mutual signal range. Thus if, for example, you have a User account in a node, you can subscribe with that, then meet the "open subscription" option for hacking, and proceed to use hacking to hack yourself an Admin account.

If you have neither mutual signal range, nor do you already have way to subscribe (setting aside the question of whether you need User+ to subscribe, or whether Public suffices), you can't use Hacking on the Fly or Probing to get one.

[Golgoth]

I haven't even opened my books in quite some time, but can't you get a subscription purely through the Matrix? IE: I want to order something from the local pizzeria, but I am outside of the 'mutual signal range'. All I need to do is find the Matrix address, log on (opening a subscription) and bam, I'm in. From there, if I was a dirty little hacker, I could, well, hack.

I had thought the mutual signal range would be for hacking someone's commlink, or hacking a wireless node that isn't connected to the rest of the world wide node. Hell, a commlink can also potentially be hacked in the above way, if it is active, right? I mean... I can hack your computer from my computer and we're both using wireless routers... Wouldn't that be something similar (I know, I know, reality /=Shadowrun).

I'll end my statement with: I haven't even opened my books in quite some time.

[Midas]

All great ideas, and thanks for the advice, but too much work on both sides in retrospect. Fact is we can barely figure out Matrix rules, nevermind go into this much complexity.

Cheers.

Probably for the best, for now at least. Might be a cool concept to put on ice and revisit sometime when both you and your player are more savvy on the mess that is the matrix rules. As you can see from the disagreements brewing on your thread, the rules are pretty complex and full of contradictions ...

[Sengir]

I haven't even opened my books in quite some time, but can't you get a subscription purely through the Matrix? IE: I want to order something from the local pizzeria, but I am outside of the 'mutual signal range'. All I need to do is find the Matrix address, log on (opening a subscription) and bam, I'm in

What Umaro is talking about is a node with no public access...imagine Dumpshock just giving you a password prompt when not logged in, instead of letting you browse the forums and only asking for a PW if your want to post something.

In that case, logging on (=creating a subscription) is not possible without hacking. However, SR4A says that "In order to hack a node, you must either be within mutual Signal range of the target node’s device or have an open subscription with the node through the Matrix" (p. 235). So you need an open subscription to hack the node, but to get an open subscription you need to hack the node (IMG:style_emoticons/default/spin.gif)



To repeat myself: it makes no sense, hence ignore the offending rule. Of course I can deface a site from the other side of the globe, anything else would be mind-bogglingly stupid. With a bit of common sense, the Matrix really is no more complicated than the average samurai ("can I coat my bullets with X and then fire them in a ballistic arc over the wall?") (IMG:style_emoticons/default/wink.gif)

[TP13]

Umaro6 has the right of this per RAW. For the daisy chain I'm pretty sure you would also need to load your persona out of your comlink and into the last link in the chain if you wanted to hack from it. Also physically hacking into a node requires both an optical tap and a wireless adapter or the Skinlink echo and it does not bypass the firewall. If you want to ignore these rules that's up to you, but keep in mind the consequences.

[Saint Sithney]

If you have a subscription to a device (like a drone or team member's commlink,) you have access to it's resources.

If you control a device within mutual signal range of the device you want to hack, then you should be considered to be in mutual signal range.

The entire matrix is organized as a distributed adhoc network. If traffic can't bounce from one device to the next and connections can't be forged through devices then the whole thing doesn't work.

Therefore, by the power of RAI > RAW, hack from home wins, wifi negation and wired networks not withstanding.