Gothic Rose
Nov 22 2005, 11:51 PM
I'm gonna be playing an elf street sam in an upcoming game, and I'm not sure if cyberware needs to be skinlinked - so, can someone tell me what on this following list of Cyb/Bio/ware should be 'linked?
Also, do sim modules need to be skinlinked? Also, if my eyes are skinlinked, do i need to skinlink my smartlinked guns?
Cybereyes IV - Capacity 16
+ Flare Compensation [1]
+ Smartlink [3]
+ Vision Enhancement III [3]
+ Vision Magnification [2]
+ Low-Light Vision [2]
+ Thermographic Vision [2]
Datajack (Alphaware)
Fingertip Compartment (Alphaware)
Fingertip Compartment (Alphaware)
Wired Reflexes II (Alphaware)
Reaction Enhancers II
Skillwires III
Muscle Augmentation II
Muscle Toner II
Bone Density Augmentation I
Reflex Recorder, Exotic Melee Weapons(Monowhip)
Reflex Recorder, Firearms Skill Group
Jaid
Nov 23 2005, 12:40 AM
cyberware is all DNI linked, i thought...
so, it shouldn't need a skinlink.
if, for some reason, you want to have access to your cyberware through your commlink as well, however, you may want to put a skinlink into your cyberjack, so that you don't have to broadcast.
(for example, if you want to be able to have other team members able to see what you can see, you could transmit it by activating the skinlink and transmitting through your commlink. although i suppose a simrig would serve the same purpose, without putting your cyberware at risk. )
[edit] the smartlink connection on your gun would have to be skinlinked, actually (i think), now i look at it... but should be able to reach via the datajack, so same thing. you still just need the datajack to be skinlinked. and i think sim modules are an accessory that's attached to your commlink, although i could be wrong about that... [/edit]
Gothic Rose
Nov 23 2005, 12:55 AM
So, if I'm reading this all right, you can turn off the wireless functionality of your 'ware and use it through the DNI, correct? That makes it harder for a hacker to hack your body, correct?
Feshy
Nov 23 2005, 01:21 AM
QUOTE (Gothic Rose) |
So, if I'm reading this all right, you can turn off the wireless functionality of your 'ware and use it through the DNI, correct? That makes it harder for a hacker to hack your body, correct? |
Well, in theory it does. Unless you've got it all skinlinked up to your commlink, and your comlink is active. And then, despite all the hassle, you're exactly as well off as someone who just declared all their gear was slaved to their commlink.
Which, I think, is good, as that rule seems designed to simplify hacking a character's gear greatly (there is a common point of entry; no need to deal with 30 different items). It's also bad, because subscriber lists are limited... It would really stink to have your subscriber list filled by just cyberwear.
Though, maybe a good house rule will be letting you slave all your cyberware to a single subscriber slot.
I wonder what happens when you slave all your gear to your commlink... and then turn off your commlink?
Drace
Nov 23 2005, 01:33 AM
All cyber is instantly DNI, and can be routed through your commlink, so your eyes can send images to your commlink, sending them to friends, your bod-ware like the reflexes can to if you beleif it will have a better defense than on its own aswell, but make sure to keep your pan hidden if you do subcribe your ware to it
Skinlink is meant mostly for gear that needs cords or wi-fi connections, like a commlink can be skinlinked to eliminate the need for a datajack(I beleive, since in effect its the same cost as a set of trodes), and for other gear that can be linked to your comm, ie your gun, AR gloves, glasses etc
Jaid
Nov 23 2005, 02:03 AM
skinlink does not replace trodes. nor does it replace datajacks.
trodes replace datajacks.
skinlinks replace either wireless signals being sent throught the air or (somewhat less likely) wires running between your gear.
so, for example, a skinlink lets you connect your commlink to your trodes by passing the signal over your skin instead of having them transmit (and be vulnerable to hacking, as an example).
BlackHat
Nov 23 2005, 12:59 PM
Skinlink everything.

Its only $50 and who knows when it'll be useful... plus, having tacky optical cables hanging off of you is so last season.
One thing I wondered about skinlinking... is if two bioelectric fields overlap, could one use skinlink to communicate across them? Like, two corporate buisnessmen meet at a conference and shake hands. When their bioelectric fields cross, their commlinks do an electronic handshake of their own, saving a "virtual buisness card" along with any other relevant data about the person.
Azralon
Nov 23 2005, 03:44 PM
QUOTE (BlackHat @ Nov 23 2005, 08:59 AM) |
One thing I wondered about skinlinking... is if two bioelectric fields overlap, could one use skinlink to communicate across them? Like, two corporate buisnessmen meet at a conference and shake hands. When their bioelectric fields cross, their commlinks do an electronic handshake of their own, saving a "virtual buisness card" along with any other relevant data about the person. |
I think there's even canonical reference to that exact same thing. I'll get out the PDF here in a minute.
..... Yeah, I dunno, I can't find it. I know I read the exact example somewhere previously.
PlatonicPimp
Nov 23 2005, 05:31 PM
Better yet, Skinlinked hackers transfering files discretely at a rave by brushing against each other in the Mosh Pit.
BlackHat
Nov 23 2005, 06:27 PM
QUOTE (PlatonicPimp) |
Better yet, Skinlinked hackers transfering files discretely at a rave by brushing against each other in the Mosh Pit. |
Or simsense fans sharing emotive tracks... very dangerous if you don't trust the people you're interfacing with... but would be kind of cool at a rave or something.
PlatonicPimp
Nov 23 2005, 06:37 PM
Not to mention the implications for SEX.
"Crap, I did it with this cheap hooker and now my commlink has a sexually transmitted virus."
Azralon
Nov 23 2005, 06:39 PM
Well done.
Hasaku
Nov 23 2005, 07:34 PM
QUOTE (PlatonicPimp) |
Not to mention the implications for SEX.
"Crap, I did it with this cheap hooker and now my commlink has a sexually transmitted virus." |
Use a firewall or feel the burn, eh?
Jaid
Nov 24 2005, 12:18 AM
QUOTE (Azralon) |
QUOTE (BlackHat @ Nov 23 2005, 08:59 AM) | One thing I wondered about skinlinking... is if two bioelectric fields overlap, could one use skinlink to communicate across them? Like, two corporate buisnessmen meet at a conference and shake hands. When their bioelectric fields cross, their commlinks do an electronic handshake of their own, saving a "virtual buisness card" along with any other relevant data about the person. |
I think there's even canonical reference to that exact same thing. I'll get out the PDF here in a minute.
..... Yeah, I dunno, I can't find it. I know I read the exact example somewhere previously.
|
i believe someone on the boards came up with the idea of a face character who would have his commlink connected to a skinlink, and then when he shakes hands with people who have purely skinlinked PANs the team's hacker would go through the face's commlink to get at the target's PAN.
or something like that.
i see no reason why it wouldn't work, personally. naturally, you'd still have to hack it, but it's basically just allowing you to locate the PAN and be able to reach it, which you normally couldn't (another interesting idea is to plant skinlinked RFID tags

)
Demon_Bob
Nov 24 2005, 12:33 AM
Where I like the idea of two peoples skin-linked PAN's being able to talk to each other while they are touching it seems like that would be an offly long handshake.
Hasaku
Nov 24 2005, 06:52 AM
I don't think the extra distance would be significant. The capability is there and it meshes well with the social practice of handshaking. Hell, it's even called "handshaking" in computer terms. I can't see how this wouldn't be the norm for exchanging the usual meet and greet info.
Xenith
Nov 24 2005, 04:37 PM
I imagine you could have some sort of conductive dye that soaks into the skin as well, creating a more "noise free" data stream. It would make for interesting and functional bodyart.
Wether or not that possible or plausible, I don't know. I'm just throwing stuff out off the top of my head.
hobgoblin
Nov 24 2005, 04:38 PM
QUOTE (Demon_Bob) |
Where I like the idea of two peoples skin-linked PAN's being able to talk to each other while they are touching it seems like that would be an offly long handshake. |
not realy, depends on the transfer being automatic when a new skinlink signal is picked up or have to be initiated by tought. hell, you may even have it initiated by the neural signals the handshake itself produces...
it realy depends on the bandwidth of the skinlink, and as storage is no longer a problem in SR4, i dont think bandwidth wll be a problem either

still, transfering the complete content of the library of congress in a handshake may be pushing it...
but a hacker in VR, going via one persons skinlink, into the other persons skinlink and comlink and then activating said comlinks ability to go online should be doable within a handshake. as long as there isnt to much security that needs to be bypassed...
maybe give it x number of dice rolls or something. not done within that time, forget about it.
btw, are there canon rules for hacking a persons PAN network directly? or are people just winging it based on the idea that its a broadcast system and therefor should be hackable if one gets within range of the signal?
Feshy
Nov 25 2005, 04:58 AM
QUOTE (Jaid) |
QUOTE (Azralon @ Nov 23 2005, 10:44 AM) | QUOTE (BlackHat @ Nov 23 2005, 08:59 AM) | One thing I wondered about skinlinking... is if two bioelectric fields overlap, could one use skinlink to communicate across them? Like, two corporate buisnessmen meet at a conference and shake hands. When their bioelectric fields cross, their commlinks do an electronic handshake of their own, saving a "virtual buisness card" along with any other relevant data about the person. |
I think there's even canonical reference to that exact same thing. I'll get out the PDF here in a minute.
..... Yeah, I dunno, I can't find it. I know I read the exact example somewhere previously.
|
i believe someone on the boards came up with the idea of a face character who would have his commlink connected to a skinlink, and then when he shakes hands with people who have purely skinlinked PANs the team's hacker would go through the face's commlink to get at the target's PAN. or something like that. i see no reason why it wouldn't work, personally. naturally, you'd still have to hack it, but it's basically just allowing you to locate the PAN and be able to reach it, which you normally couldn't (another interesting idea is to plant skinlinked RFID tags  ) |
That would be me.
Hacking a Handshake As for whether or not skinlinked items connect automatically, think about it this way -- do you have to mentally think "connect button" on your commlink, then press the connect button your predator IV, then pick it up? I hope not.
This is a "lo-fi" version of our main content. To view the full version with more information, formatting and images, please
click here.