Full Version: Technomancer riggers?
I was thinking of playing a technomancer and jumping into a drone to accompany the PC's on a run. IF they went into a wireless area or the drone got jammed I'd lose connection right? Or does being jumped in mean my consciousness is in it and I wouldn't lose connection?
If it got jammed, you would be dumped. As for going into a wireless area- I am not sure what you mean. Most of the world is a wireless area.
I meant a dead wireless area.
| QUOTE (Lord Ben @ Dec 12 2005, 03:03 PM) |
| I meant a dead wireless area. |
If you went into a dead zone, it would entirely depend on your Signal rating. At the max for a starting character (Signal 5), you've got a broadcast range of 4 km. Go outside of that, and you'd be dumped. However, as long as you are within that range, it doesn't matter if the area around you is dead or not.
[edit]I forgot that we were discussing otaku. Since a starting otaku's Signal is limited to 3, your range is 400m. You can increase that by adding a cyberlimb booster, which can take you up to the aforementioned Signal 5/4 km range.
indeed. cyberlimbs are handy for making brain-lasers shoot further.
Sigged.
actually, it is very doable for a starting character to attain signal 8 by simply buying a satellite connection.
avail. 4, 500
to buy.
of course, that still doesn't help a technomancer much, unless they use it to relay their commands.
avail. 4, 500
to buy.of course, that still doesn't help a technomancer much, unless they use it to relay their commands.
agh. i misread the first time, and thought you said they could buy a satellite constellation.
Also, unless your technomancer gets a control module, he won't really be at his best in a drone... but doing so would cost him essence/resonance. a command program isn't bad, mind you, but if you're planning on being jumped into the machine, I would recommend a control module.
personally, i would recommend having a machine sprite living in the drone just in case you get booted from it. that way it can still act, can still help the rest of your group, can still make intelligent decisions, and can let you know when you can take control again. plus, you don't want anyone else stealing your drone, and the machine sprite will protect it from getting stolen too.
I apologize for the middling-deep threadcromancy, but my browsings took me through technomancy into rigging, and I thought on this, and my search-fu came up with this topic.
So, to summarize... There's no inherent reason why technomancers can't be riggers, right? All they need is the ability to wirelessly connect to drones and issue commands, which they can do naturally, right? A Control Rig is a plus, but causes resonance loss, making it a trade-off (+2 on control tests for -1 on many hacking-style tests and a 1-point reduction in signal).
Anything I'm missing?
So, to summarize... There's no inherent reason why technomancers can't be riggers, right? All they need is the ability to wirelessly connect to drones and issue commands, which they can do naturally, right? A Control Rig is a plus, but causes resonance loss, making it a trade-off (+2 on control tests for -1 on many hacking-style tests and a 1-point reduction in signal).
Anything I'm missing?
| QUOTE (neko128) |
| There's no inherent reason why technomancers can't be riggers, right? |
Exactly - and since they happen to be the only ones ever getting 4 IPs while jumping into...
the seperation between 'decker' and 'rigger', in SR4, is a matter of skill and gear selection. this applies equally to hackers and technomancers.
| QUOTE (mfb) |
| the seperation between 'decker' and 'rigger', in SR4, is a matter of skill and gear selection. this applies equally to hackers and technomancers. |
That's what I thought. And I have to say... That's just damned cool. I have this mental image of a technomancer walking down the street with his "friends" (drones) walking, rotoring, crawling, and trundling along with him... Controlled by his mind.
And since I assume one of the books is going to introduce the technomancer-equivalent concept of ally spirits (permanent, powerful sprites splintered off of or linked into their resonance), what fun could they have if it inhabits a drone?
Mmmm. This bears more serious consideration.
| QUOTE (neko128) |
| And since I assume one of the books is going to introduce the technomancer-equivalent concept of ally spirits (permanent, powerful sprites splintered off of or linked into their resonance), what fun could they have if it inhabits a drone? |
Rumor has it you have to buy the drone a tank full of Premium Unleaded first.
| QUOTE (neko128) |
| That's what I thought. And I have to say... That's just damned cool. I have this mental image of a technomancer walking down the street with his "friends" (drones) walking, rotoring, crawling, and trundling along with him... And since I assume one of the books is going to introduce the technomancer-equivalent concept of ally spirits what fun could they have if it inhabits a drone? |
I ran a technomancer hacker in a one-shot a while back. I whistled up a couple of sprites and loaded them into spyball drones equipped with touchlink & smoke grenades and told them to go into full EMCON. I sent them along with the party to act as scouts and distractions. If they needed to interact with a player they'd roll up to them or blink their status LEDs and request a touchlink. If the drek hit the fan they were to go back on-net and the sprites were to sow chaos by hacking opponent's gear. This was handled as a remote service, burning up all the sprite tasks.
The riggermancer kept the spyballs and a couple of bug drones on his combat harness with their passive sensors live, giving him spare sets of eyes in various spectrums (redball had thermo and audio upgrades; greenball had lowlight, vmag, and laser mic; buggies had ultrasound and MAD weapon scanners) . He usually kept a sprite or two handy to either remote-op one or more drones or to use as his own form of black ICE.
He wasn't the best rigger or hacker but he was a good all around character useful for plugging into a runner team lacking both. What he ultimately wanted was a tachkoma (Ghost in the Shell: 2nd gen).
Those aren't exactly low profile, but I'm certain an ambitious 'runner would find a use for one in SR 
| QUOTE (neko128) |
| And since I assume one of the books is going to introduce the technomancer-equivalent concept of ally spirits (permanent, powerful sprites splintered off of or linked into their resonance), what fun could they have if it inhabits a drone? |
The real question, though, is can you then dikote that drone and have sex with it?
Sorry.
| QUOTE (TonkaTuff) |
| The real question, though, is can you then dikote that drone and have sex with it? |
Do you even have to ask that? Of course you can.
| QUOTE (Shrike30) |
| Those aren't exactly low profile, but I'm certain an ambitious 'runner would find a use for one in SR |
That depends; can you get the ruthenium stealth system on it?
Man, I love the idea of insanely chipper combat drones equipped with autocannons and an addiction to non-synthetic oil.
| QUOTE (kigmatzomat) | ||
That depends; can you get the ruthenium stealth system on it? Man, I love the idea of insanely chipper combat drones equipped with autocannons and an addiction to non-synthetic oil. |
"Just one more quart! C'mon, man, it's been a week!"
The one thing I didn't like about Tachi's was they didn't seem to weigh enough. Watching them nimbly leap across rooftops was okay (I could buy that the limbs were strong enough to push them like that), but one of those things has got to weigh hundreds if not a couple thousand pounds, and yet you never saw them do something like accidentally crunch a hole in a rooftop with those tiny feet.
| QUOTE (kigmatzomat) |
| I ran a technomancer hacker in a one-shot a while back. I whistled up a couple of sprites and loaded them into spyball drones equipped with touchlink & smoke grenades and told them to go into full EMCON. I sent them along with the party to act as scouts and distractions. If they needed to interact with a player they'd roll up to them or blink their status LEDs and request a touchlink. If the drek hit the fan they were to go back on-net and the sprites were to sow chaos by hacking opponent's gear. This was handled as a remote service, burning up all the sprite tasks. |
Did you use registered sprites? Because if not, then you can only have one unregistered sprite at a time. However, if you did use registered sprites, then you didn't have to burn all unused tasks with the remote one you described.
| QUOTE ("p. 234") |
| A technomancer can only have one unregistered sprite in his service at a time; if he wants more, he needs to script a sprite for longer service... . |
| QUOTE ("p. 235") |
| Remote Tasks: Registered sprites conduct remote tasks just like unregistered sprites, but the sprite does not dissipate aft er 8 hours and so can continue on for some time. A registered sprite that still owes tasks will go on standby when it finishes its remote task, unless specifically instructed otherwise. |
Thus, with X registered sprites (X <= Charisma) you could run X drones for as long as you want and you wouldn't have to worry about losing tasks since they're registered.
Don't have my books handy but I know that a spirit with a remote task no longer counts against the summoner's limit of controlled spirits and we interpret the sprite's remote services the same way. After all, it's running on other nodes (in my case the drone's CPU) and the rigger can't give it any further instructions.
Can anyone find me the passage that says spirits on a remote service don't count towards a summoner's limit? Looking at the passage on Remote Tasks for Sprites, it doesn't seem to say this, though:
| QUOTE ("p. 237") |
| Remote Tasks: Sprites can be instructed to undertake a remote task in another node, sent to operate away from the technomancer. Th e sprite can only access public nodes or private nodes that it either has the passcodes to or can hack its way into with an Exploit complex form. Remote tasks forfeit any other tasks the sprite owes. |
Seems to me like it still counts. I don't have time to search for the equivalent paragraph of the spirit chapter as I'm of to the gym, so I'll punt the search to some other intrepid dumpshocker.
p.178:
Once a spirit has been given a remote service, it is technically
released. Spirits on remote services no longer count against the
limit of summoned spirits.
You're right that I don't see similar verbage for Sprites. Hmmm. That seems odd since a sprite is unable to operate in a node without the technomancer unless it is on a remote task. I would think that means it is self-sufficient and no longer relying on the technomancer.
Once a spirit has been given a remote service, it is technically
released. Spirits on remote services no longer count against the
limit of summoned spirits.
You're right that I don't see similar verbage for Sprites. Hmmm. That seems odd since a sprite is unable to operate in a node without the technomancer unless it is on a remote task. I would think that means it is self-sufficient and no longer relying on the technomancer.
the otaku in 3rd edition had that ally equivelant, the 'daemons'. Stands to reason we'll be seeing them again. Hate waiting for books.
| QUOTE (fistandantilus3.0) |
| the otaku in 3rd edition had that ally equivelant, the 'daemons'. Stands to reason we'll be seeing them again. Hate waiting for books. |
Yeah. It's like, it's already been published once, and you know it's logically going to make a comeback, so you hate waiting for it...
I love the potential of hackers in here. I can't wait for Unwired, which I'm hoping will make 'em even better.
| QUOTE (Jaid) |
| actually, it is very doable for a starting character to attain signal 8 by simply buying a satellite connection. avail. 4, 500 to buy.of course, that still doesn't help a technomancer much, unless they use it to relay their commands. |
You couldn't start with a Signal 8 as you cannot start with a rating higher then 6
However it wouldn't be that difficult to have enough starting cash to purchase it once the game starts
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