Valentinew
Jan 4 2006, 11:02 PM
I know the book pretty much says only that Technos get grumpy/agitated when away from the Matrix & start to lose dice if they're away too long.
I know most Z zones are dead zones.
In our game last week, our team ended up in a Z zone chasing ghouls. My GM & I ended up treating my techno's reaction as a sort of phobia/allergy reaction. She started out griping, but eventually was getting completely distracted by the fact that she couldn't connect. Basically, she became mostly useless to the team.
My question is basically this: If we treat this as essentially a phobia/allergy reaction, shouldn't technos be able to build up a certain tolerance?
Any ideas/thoughts/suggestions?
Jaid
Jan 4 2006, 11:31 PM
*or* you could blow a whopping 500 nuyen, buy yourself a sattellite uplink, connect it to your broadcasting commlink, and be fine as long as you're within 100 miles of somewhere with a matrix connection.
i know what i would do
RunnerPaul
Jan 4 2006, 11:33 PM
Don't think of it in terms of phobia/alergy. Think of it in terms of addiction. I realize that SR's game mechanics have always been draconian, but no matter whether you use the rules as written or houserules to handle addiction, essentially, technomancers have a matrix addiction that they can't buy off no matter how much karma they spend. There's just no going clean, unless you fill yourself with so much cyber you're no longer a technomancer.
MK Ultra
Jan 4 2006, 11:47 PM
speking of matrix addiction, I think many people in 2070 should have it (maybe like Korea in the 60´s). Allmost all my SR4 Charakters will probably get this
I´m rather sure I´d be addicted, too, even in 2030
"I NEEED IMPUTT
"
PlatonicPimp
Jan 5 2006, 01:27 AM
Yes, well, the average Joe would, that's for sure. Shadowrunners maybe less so if they conspicuously avoid pointless matrix interaction for fear of datatrails and profiling.
MK Ultra
Jan 5 2006, 01:38 AM
there is something like "pointless matrix interaction"
is this the extension of wirreless
Computing
in the 80´s you needed a damn large box
in toe 2000´s you´ve got a flatscreen
in the 2050 you needed only a line
than kame wirreless, now finaly you don´t even need to have a point.
I´m afraid my post is pointless
Well since allmost all my characters were deckers ore sideline deckers, I guess I´ve got a hightened susceptability for TriX-Addiction.
Dale
Jan 5 2006, 04:09 AM
I get fidgety if I don't spend at least an hour online a day. How the hell did that happen?
PlatonicPimp
Jan 5 2006, 04:59 AM
I can't even start work unless I get a 30 minute fix of webcomics.
Backgammon
Jan 5 2006, 05:04 AM
My girlfriend gets distracted and irritable if she forgot to bring her cellphone somewhere. Does that mean she's a technomancer? That would be kind of cool.
Moon-Hawk
Jan 5 2006, 02:34 PM
When I was in college me and my friends noticed that most of us had some degree of information connectivity addiction. (of course, this was for electrical engineering, so take that for what it's worth) There's just something about getting used to being able to find out virtually anything you want, anytime you want, quickly and easily, and being able to know what's going on all over the world; and then.....it's gone.
With the all-pervasive AR wireless matrix of SR4, I would expect everyone to have some level of matrix addiction.
But the technomancers; they've got all that connectivity happening at a subconscious level, so no wonder it'd be MUCH worse for them.
TheHappyAnarchist
Jan 5 2006, 06:06 PM
WHY?
INFORMATION OVERLOAD MAN!!!
POISONING THE AIRWAVES!!!
Talain
Jan 5 2006, 06:49 PM
I WANT THE CLUB SANDWICH!
TBRMInsanity
Apr 26 2006, 02:12 PM
I think the cost of the technomancer is too low and this "allergy/phobia" is an ingrained side-effect of being able to connect without a commlink. The same side-effect would effect magically active people if magic suddenly disappeared. They wouldn't be able to reach out and feel the magic around them, they wouldn't be able to feel the sense of being more alive then alive. They wouldn't feel the spirits and astral energies flowing through then any more. In short they would become grumpy and disillusioned.
The Jopp
Apr 26 2006, 02:31 PM
QUOTE (TBRMInsanity) |
I think the cost of the technomancer is too low... |
They are already gimped from the beginning so why should they cost more? They cost just as much as a mage and must buy their complex forms like spells, except they must buy their spells for each lvl they want for them. AND they must buy their resonance just like magic rating.
For 1 BP a hacker gains a lvl 5 hacking program. For 2 BP a tehnomancer gain a lvl 1 hacking program.
For starting characters it is almost better to gain a high skill than buying a high rating complex form, except for perhaps complex forms like stealth. The cost in BP for just the needed complex forms are just horrendous.
James McMurray
Apr 26 2006, 04:31 PM
I'm not overly familiar with the technomancer rules, but don't threading and compiling help with that by letting you increase your ratings, generate new CPs, and "summon spirits" with skills you don't have?
FanGirl
Apr 26 2006, 07:32 PM
Yeah, but you take stun damage when you do that.
Geekkake
Apr 26 2006, 07:40 PM
QUOTE (The Jopp) |
QUOTE (TBRMInsanity @ Apr 26 2006, 02:12 PM) | I think the cost of the technomancer is too low... |
They are already gimped from the beginning so why should they cost more? They cost just as much as a mage and must buy their complex forms like spells, except they must buy their spells for each lvl they want for them. AND they must buy their resonance just like magic rating.
For 1 BP a hacker gains a lvl 5 hacking program. For 2 BP a tehnomancer gain a lvl 1 hacking program.
For starting characters it is almost better to gain a high skill than buying a high rating complex form, except for perhaps complex forms like stealth. The cost in BP for just the needed complex forms are just horrendous.
|
Actually, I'm working on a technomancer exactly like this. 2-3 Resonance, hacker skills, commlink, good programs, horrible complex forms, where available at all. He's gonna work his way up.
James McMurray
Apr 26 2006, 07:46 PM
So you trade extreme flexibility (sprites and threading) for possible danger (stun damage). While I haven't seen it in play, it sounds like something that could be balanced.
emo samurai
Apr 26 2006, 07:47 PM
QUOTE |
Actually, I'm working on a technomancer exactly like this. 2-3 Resonance, hacker skills, commlink, good programs, horrible complex forms, where available at all. He's gonna work his way up. |
Oh, god, that'll take several decades.
Geekkake
Apr 26 2006, 07:50 PM
QUOTE (emo samurai) |
QUOTE | Actually, I'm working on a technomancer exactly like this. 2-3 Resonance, hacker skills, commlink, good programs, horrible complex forms, where available at all. He's gonna work his way up. |
Oh, god, that'll take several decades.
|
It may, it may not. I'm not really that concerned about it. Being a technomancer isn't his central role to the team, it's being a hacker. Being a technomancer is a personal pursuit for him.
emo samurai
Apr 26 2006, 07:53 PM
What do you mean? He'll use mostly programs on his comlink? Then there's really no need to even be a technomancer, then; complex forms don't work with comlink hacking, and he'll need two sets of skills to work with both.
Geekkake
Apr 26 2006, 08:03 PM
QUOTE (emo samurai) |
What do you mean? He'll use mostly programs on his comlink? Then there's really no need to even be a technomancer, then; complex forms don't work with comlink hacking, and he'll need two sets of skills to work with both. |
You see, emo, while there is no mechanical need to be a technomancer, it is a roleplaying opportunity. Say it with me.
emo samurai
Apr 26 2006, 08:05 PM
An expensive one; and why would a technomancer choose to use a comlink instead of his undoubtedly much more interesting Resonance abilities?
Geekkake
Apr 26 2006, 08:11 PM
QUOTE (emo samurai) |
An expensive one; and why would a technomancer choose to use a comlink instead of his undoubtedly much more interesting Resonance abilities? |
Because he has to make a living, and at chargen, he's going to absolutely suck as a TM. He was already a decker during the Crash, and discovered the Resonance during that time. He took to hacking, and for quite awhile after, years, he couldn't explain the strange experiences and connections he was having with the new wireless Matrix as it was being implemented.
Essentially, he's just starting to come to terms with the concept of the Deep Resonance, and with his part of it. As a consequence, his Resonance abilities are practically useless. He'll use them where he can, but at this point, believes that the commlink is a better tool for anything serious. He's really only exploring the concepts and slowly understanding the applications at this point.
Kremlin KOA
Apr 26 2006, 08:12 PM
I am wit Emo on this one, Geekakke
the problem with it is that technomancer would need SERIOUS self hatred issues to use a comlink in prewference to his powers
and being a technimancer is not a hobby, any more than being a mutant in marvel universe is a hobby
Geekkake
Apr 26 2006, 08:21 PM
QUOTE (Kremlin KOA) |
I am wit Emo on this one, Geekakke
the problem with it is that technomancer would need SERIOUS self hatred issues to use a comlink in prewference to his powers
and being a technimancer is not a hobby, any more than being a mutant in marvel universe is a hobby |
I'm not trying to protray it as a hobby, sorry if it came across that way. This character has no guidance, no real knowledge of his "condition", mostly just speculation and hype from news sources. Similar to the mutants of the Marvel Universe who aren't part of the various mutant organizations; they have no one to teach them, and their development slows to a crawl because they have to reinvent a Hell of a lot of wheels.
I'm attempting to play out the exploration and philosophical consequences of suddenly acquiring this ability. And I think I might use the self-loathing idea, I like that. It would certainly speed-up his attempts to harness his own abilities, probably straining the living shit out of himself in the process.
Voran
Apr 26 2006, 09:23 PM
QUOTE (Jaid) |
*or* you could blow a whopping 500 nuyen, buy yourself a sattellite uplink, connect it to your broadcasting commlink, and be fine as long as you're within 100 miles of somewhere with a matrix connection.
i know what i would do |
In this case, I'd say you'd only be able to avoid the negative effects if you fully immersed yourself (VR type state) in the satellite stream line. Which would lead to the usual full vr penalties for interacting in the real world at the same time.
hobgoblin
Apr 26 2006, 10:02 PM
QUOTE (Backgammon) |
My girlfriend gets distracted and irritable if she forgot to bring her cellphone somewhere. Does that mean she's a technomancer? That would be kind of cool. |
i think its more a case of addiction(matrix) then technomancy.
now, if she starts to text you without a mobile or similar tech available, its a diffrent story...
Shrike30
Apr 26 2006, 10:18 PM
QUOTE (emo samurai) |
Oh, god, that'll take several decades. |
3 months of weekly play has netted my current group of players about 60 karma. "Decades" might be pushing it
Geekkake
Apr 26 2006, 10:30 PM
QUOTE (Shrike30) |
QUOTE (emo samurai @ Apr 26 2006, 11:47 AM) | Oh, god, that'll take several decades. |
3 months of weekly play has netted my current group of players about 60 karma. "Decades" might be pushing it |
That sounds about right for the reward level of my games, as well. Awesome.
emo samurai
Apr 26 2006, 10:38 PM
That'll give you enough for one and a half immersions; that's not a lot at all, and in the end, those hacker skills will be completely wasted.
FanGirl
Apr 26 2006, 10:44 PM
QUOTE (Geekkake @ Apr 26 2006, 03:21 PM) |
QUOTE (Kremlin KOA @ Apr 26 2006, 03:12 PM) | I am wit Emo on this one, Geekakke
the problem with it is that technomancer would need SERIOUS self hatred issues to use a comlink in prewference to his powers
and being a technimancer is not a hobby, any more than being a mutant in marvel universe is a hobby |
I'm not trying to protray it as a hobby, sorry if it came across that way. This character has no guidance, no real knowledge of his "condition", mostly just speculation and hype from news sources. Similar to the mutants of the Marvel Universe who aren't part of the various mutant organizations; they have no one to teach them, and their development slows to a crawl because they have to reinvent a Hell of a lot of wheels.
I'm attempting to play out the exploration and philosophical consequences of suddenly acquiring this ability. And I think I might use the self-loathing idea, I like that. It would certainly speed-up his attempts to harness his own abilities, probably straining the living shit out of himself in the process.
|
It just seems a little implausible that such a hacker, who presumably spends much of his time in the Matrix, hasn't come into contact with a single TM in the five to six years since the Crash. Sure, they're rare, but you'd probably find some if you looked hard enough around the Matrix, especially in the kinds of nodes where hackers tend to gather. It should be even easier to track down a TM if you are one yourself, because you could sense the Matrix signatures that TMs leave when they use Resonance. Also, I'm pretty certain that TMs would be naturally drawn to each other, either out of their mutual need to figure out what the fuck happened to them (I'd imagine that there are a lot of "technomancer support groups" out there for this very reason), or simply because "birds of a feather flock together." IMO, to make his lack of knowledge plausible, your character would have to have a very overdeveloped "lone-wolf" mentality in addition to his self-loathing.
Shrike30
Apr 26 2006, 10:45 PM
Before I take a TM through immersion, I'd probably bulk out his repetoir of CFs and generally solidify his skillbase.
A couple of my players are playing magicians. Asides from the fact that one of them bought Stealth 1, they both sink their points straight towards Initiating and raising Magic. Of course, neither of them can Counterspell very well, and they haven't bought a single spell (3 karma! 3!) since character creation, but they're both sitting on that big Magic 7 right about now.
Pushing the raw power of a TM is helpful, but you can get a lot of mileage out of the less karma-expensive related sinks. Besides, a lot of the tasks a decker is asked to handle in your average group involve network security and bulking out the hardware used by other players... and often times that means using conventional Computer skills, not TM ones.
James McMurray
Apr 26 2006, 10:45 PM
Yeah! What kind of idiot doesn't power game? Buncha morons!!!
That's sarcasm folks, please don't kill me.
emo samurai
Apr 26 2006, 10:49 PM
POWERCLAW TO THE FACE!!!!
Shrike30
Apr 26 2006, 10:51 PM
I dunno, man.
It's about, what... 65 karma to initiate once and to raise your magic from 5 to 7? I can get almost 22 spells for that, granting me a phenomenal range of ability that the starting 10 or so spells really don't allow for. If I was going to power game, jamming straight for the higher Magic attribute wouldn't be the first thing on my mind...
James McMurray
Apr 26 2006, 10:56 PM
YEah, you just can't cover all the bases with your starting 12(?) spells. Getting more versatility is a good thing.
Kanada Ten
Apr 26 2006, 10:59 PM
Too bad you can only have a number of spells equal to your Sorcery times 2.
James McMurray
Apr 26 2006, 10:59 PM
Unless I'm misremembering, you can only start with that many spells. The number you learn over time isn't limited.
Kanada Ten
Apr 26 2006, 11:00 PM
That's good.
emo samurai
Apr 26 2006, 11:15 PM
It's 5 karma per spell, isn't it?
hobgoblin
Apr 26 2006, 11:38 PM
hmm, it just hit me that 12 submersions and a techno have the transmission power of a naval radar
James McMurray
Apr 27 2006, 12:03 AM
How much karma is that?
Voran
Apr 27 2006, 12:57 AM
TM's to me come across as something like a person who suffers from auditory hallucinations, who lives with them so long, that when they are on their meds (in this case, the equivalent would be standing in the middle of a Z zone or non-wireless zone) they get all antsy because its a BIG change to what they consider their normal existance. Kinda like the psychotic who doesn't take their meds, cause well, they kinda like being psychotic.
FanGirl
Apr 27 2006, 02:56 AM
Are you saying I'm crazy? You're the one who's crazy, man! Why can't you open your eyes and see the truth?!
emo samurai
Apr 27 2006, 02:58 AM
It's... the WIRED, maaaaan. It's, like, alIVE.
Bryce963
Apr 27 2006, 10:38 PM
Another thing about being away from the wireless matrix, how would a TM interact with a wired computer network, as in having to hack in without a wireless connection, do they need a datajack?
James McMurray
Apr 27 2006, 10:47 PM
Yep, if it ain't wireless they'll need another route to it.
Valentinew
Apr 27 2006, 11:53 PM
I don't see why they'd need a datajack. Maybe I'm being thick, but why couldn't they plug their commlink into the wired system & use that as an entry?
hobgoblin
Apr 28 2006, 12:33 AM
should work nicely as the comlink would supply a nice connection.
its kinda like bringing a portable wifi gateway/access point that you can plug into an existing ethernet port
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