Ask your GM:

As a RAS override is possible to override the limp noddle for regular SIM, and VR is the natural state for a TM.

My GM interrerptutted that to mean:

1) TMs naturally can override.

2) As a 'natural' sense, much like dual-natured creatures TMs are not at penalties for being VR active, while doing physical things.

3) THe 'real world' is pretty much treated as a matric connection, meaning he TM can still only do something in any one connection at a time... but between phase could switch between them freely.


In our game anyways, treating a TM as a 'dual-natured' creature rather then an astral perceiving creature, followed existing game logic and seemed to work well.

There were a few issues, where the TM had to use the rules and purposely disconenct/shut down. but save for those times, the TM is ALWAYS active in VR, worked well gives them that edge of hackers, makes them noticably different/special gives some nice advantages and a few disadvantages.

Rules could be open to interperation.

Rules are very clear that if you us a sim module the default has an override to keep you from flopping around... yet TMs (doing it their way) dont use a SIM module... so they mantain control of their body. (whats doing the override).

The rules for penalties doing physical things (while VR active) or listed under the rules for overriding the sim module disconnet.... which if a TM isnt using wouldnt apply...

It may be far from universal acceptance.
But it is not against canon (based on interpertation).

Especially with a small group (and the possible need to help fill all roles') you might find you GM will follow the above.

It worked well in our games, but didnt seem to overpower the TM.

Who is still very weak 'physically' but not 100% completely helpess, or backed into a remote drone controller / sprite boss.

Oh, I totally agree that technos are boned as the rules stands - l33t Matrix ninja they may be (in theory), they are worthless on the physical (and horrific karma sinks to boot). I originally houseruled that implants didn't effect their Resonance, but with the new fluff explanation in Emergence (that I am satisfied with btw), I can't see my way clear to doing that.

Personally, I think the karma costs for their Complex Forms could stand to be lowered (since they have a cap of Resonance), plus the Echoes/Echo changes already mentioned and the one AR pass per turn (for everyone except technos with Overclocking or AR Overclocking, which option one goes with) thing would go a long way to making them more viable. But then, no one in my group cares about them to date, so field testing this idea is a slight problem

Hmm, I like it.

IMO an adept hacker is an abomination.

Well, for one I'm kinda equating receptivity/signal and Resonance (a quasi-erroneous association I know, but all I got at the moment to explain why they even loose Resonance in the first place). My basic thought is that the techno's body could in time adapt bioware to his "frequency" to maintain receptivity/signal (since both the techno and the bioware are both meat). Cyberware, on the other hand, doesn't have that possibility of growth and adaptation that flesh does.

My logic at the moment at least.

i don't see why the TM couldn't adapt cyberware to be resonance based, still. sprites are resonance based, and they don't have a signal rating at all.

not saying they should (though i don't think it would unbalance things) i'm just saying that it's at least as logical that a technomancer (who, after all, specialises in manipulating the matrix/machines) would be able to manipulate their cyberware as that they could manipulate their bioware.