Being a huge fan of the Daniel Keys Moran novel, "The Long Run", I've been trying to pattern an SR4 character after Trent Castanaveras.

My problem is..... he's from Keys' universe and I'm struggling to decide if he's a better fit as a Hacker or a Technomancer.
The novel describes him as a "Player, datanet prodigy, webdancer, thief" and he
isn't cyber'd at all, aside from the "Inskin" he has implanted in his temple which allows him to go "Inside" and merge with his "Image" (his Matrix persona he calls Johnny Johnny). My knowlege of the character has me leaning towards a Technomancer/Face rather than a Hacker, at this point.

Now here's the snag...
Trent's Image (Johnny Johnny) appears to act as an independent entity within the Matrix, but only rouses to full wakefulness when Trent closes his eyes and "merges" with him. AND Johnny Johnny can never remember the between times, when Trent is not with him, how it is to be truly alive in the Infonet (Matrix).
The relationship in the novel is described as a "partnership and symbiosis" with Trent's touch bringing Johnny Johnny to life. Trent reliquishes all touch with Realtime, falls away into the glowing "Crystal Wind", merges with his Image, becoming more than the sum of the two parts.
Does this seem to fit the Technomancer character type?
My assumption is that a Living Persona doesn't exist until the Technomancer enters the Matrix which kind of trashes the "symbiosis of 2 independent entities" idea which is the core of Moran's character concept.
Any advice/info on translating this character into SR would be much appreciated. I realize I'm being uber-geeky here but I'm counting on someone here being a fan of both Moran and SR.
Thanks in advance,

Clark

You could take a special kind of amnesia flaw that keeps him from remembering when he goes full VR. Now a technomancer is technically always "on" when it comes to that theses things, so a living persona is as well (unless a technomancer wishes it be offline... a condition they likely feel very uncomfortable about.) So in a sense it could still be a symbiosis.

technomancers can't use AR, so how the persona acts in AR is not relevant.

well, i should qualify that: technomancers cannot use AR as technomancers. they can, of course, buy the necessary gear and access AR in the same manner as everyone else.

in any event, perhaps if it's a normal hacker you could have the persona be an agent when you're not jacked in?

pretty sure it says technomancers can only access the matrix via full VR. maybe i misread something though. i'll have to see what i can find later. still, i coulda swore i saw that somewhere...

If you can find it please do post it.

hmmm... well, i am either not finding it, or i misread... the closest relevant information i can find is as follows:

Thanks for the feedback guys!

I can't believe how long it's been since I've read the novel, but it's always been a favorite of mine.
In the begginning of the book, Trent uses sunglasses containing traceset contacts and a handheld "InfoNet link" which contains the traceset itself.
Translation: a Hacker with a commlink and trodes.

Later in the book, when it appears that someone is starting to make the connection between Trent and his Matrix "Image", he sees a biosculptor and has his fingerprints, palmprints, and retinal print changed. Rather than upgrading his handheld InfoNet link and traceset to an "Inskin", however, he opts for having the Tytan NN-II surgically installed, which is described as a nerve net designed to sit in high memory and model what's happening in your brain. This AI nerve net is inserted into the fluid layer between your skull and the outer surface of your brain and basically bonds with the host's brain via billions of chemical connections. Full VR with no socket, no handheld, and no traceset. Regardless of the in-universe sci-fi explanation of what exactly this is, it sure as hell sounds like a Technomancer's built-in biological commlink doesn't it?

As for Trents "Image" Johnny Johnny, he definitely floats around the Matrix doing menial tasks unless asked by Trent to shut down or hide for a while. Trent can call on him without "merging" in Full VR and, in return, Johnny Johnny can contact Trent if something is going on in his assigned routines that Trent needs to be aware of. Only when they merge in Full VR, do they become one entity.
So.............. Can a Technomancer's Living Persona act independently? If not, should I could consider Johnny Johnny to be the Living Persona when they are "merged" but have him transform into a registered sprite when Trent is in RealTime? Is a sprite the same as your Living Persona, only that it's acting as a separate entity? Thoughts, comments, and advice most welcome. I really want to stat this character out.

Clark

just give yourself a minor flaw that keeps you from using sprites when in VR.

Great idea. Thanks!

I like the duality concept so I might see if my GM is willing to allow me to have Johnny Johnny as a Sprite when they are separate entities and Trent is in Realtime, in exchange for the inability to compile Sprites when Trent/Johnny Johnny are in Full VR .
Sounds like a more than fair trade off in the interests of getting my SR character closer to this concept. Then again I may be severely limiting my Technomancer character with this exchange. I'm going to hit the rulebook some more before I try and make a deal. :lol
Thanks for the input everyone.

Clark

ack..

I really can't see this conversion working. Short of being an AI (and isn't there only a few in the whole Matrix?) it's hard to justify Johnny Johnny as an independent entity within the Matrix during Trent's Realtime. The idea of Trent (while in Realtime) being able to converse back and forth with his Image was a cool aspect of their relationship, but there's not enough negative qualities in the game to justify this and what would be protecting his Image when they're not merged in VR.
That's the hard part about trying to import your favorite book or movie character into the context of a game's mechanics. The concept seems great until stat them out and realize that they'd be dead meat in short order.
In keeping with the character, Trent would also lack sprites and have a very strong adversion to guns and killing. Now how long would THIS guy last?
Back to the drawing board. :lol

Clark

So, uh, is "walking through walls" a quality?

Seriously, besides his hacking skills, Trent had a LOT of other skills/powers/capabilities.

Be pretty hard to do just to him with a starting character. But, enjoy none-the-less.

Too bad DKM will (probably) never publish another novel. Emerald Eyes and The Long Run were my two favorites.

Dave

Dave - great to hear from another DKM fan. Don't forget The Last Dancer (the 3rd book in the series). Not as good as The Long Run, imo, since it focuses more on Denise than Trent. Apparently DKM's 4th book in The Tales of the Continuing Time is titled The AI Wars, but I've only read a brief 2 page teaser and doubt it was ever written, let alone published.

Did this guy pass away or something?

No, he's still around, just not into sci-fi writing anymore, apparently. There is a mailing list which I am a part of and which gets sporadic traffic, and updates. Not from him, but from others. he is definitely still alive, though. Continuing-Time mailing list is the title, I think. Do a google, and you can find the website for it.

Yep, read the Last Dancer as well, just as good, just a different focus (in my opinion, at least)

Dave