I just joined a game and I am playing a rigger for the first time. I'm fine making the character, I think, high mentals, decent physicals skills in B/R and skills related to commanding drones and driving. However, I was wondering if some people who might be more experienced with rigging could give me some equipment/program/tactic pointers and things to expect. I would appreciate any and all input.

Chris

I recommend getting a comlink with a Biofeedback Filter program, and run your rigging connections through that any time you use VR, to reduce dumpshock damage. Alternatively, get a cracked copy of BF, and run it on each of your drones.

Once you have the resources for a fleet of drones, cracked copies of autosofts are a big cost saver over buying a new license/copy for each drone. Have a high Program skill, or a friend with high Program skill, or Contact with a warez dealer. (If that's OK with your ethics, of course.)

Any of your drones or vehicles *could* become compromised, damaged, etc., so file off serial numbers and otherwise reduce ways they can be tracked back to you eg by forensics. Install antitheft measures eg Pepper Punch dispenser into your primary vehicle, and get it a high Pilot and Clearsight and Motion Sensor, Microphone, Camera w/Thermographics, so that it can detect thieves, unfriendly spy drones, etc. Other accessories for primary: internal fire suppression system, wi-fi-blocking paint (with a hardwired port so you can connect your or a teammate's comlink to the external antenna), an extra layer of catalyst paint that you can burn off for a quick appearance change to the color of the underlying fireproof paint. A van can be outfitted with Stations (see Augmentation) - including Auto Repair & First Aid.

Handy gadget: Relay Cable - a length of fiber-optic cable with a tranceiver antenna at either end. Useful for, say, going into a tunnel and still having a way to communicate with your vehicle parked topside. (cost: as per signal upgrade for each end, plus cost of cable)

Minidrones can be treated much more expendably.

Learning EW skill is optional; you can have drones/agents with the EW autosoft, and a rating 6 signal scanner is only $150.

What's your combat option if you get attacked in a place where you can't have a gun-drone, eg inside a bar?

Another possible idea: Only bother raising your key driving skill(s), buy skill wires and skillsofts for the ones that are of secondary concern.

So, I'm in the Carib League. Looks like my main transportation(land) is going to be a tricked out Bulldog, and I'm not sure what my main water transportation will be probably the Sea Otter. Sadly, I do not have the money to purchase a plane. Instead of the Otter, I may just buy a hovercraft. Easier to sink, but more versatile. Not sure.

I'm thinking several Fly Spys, maybe a microskimmer or two, maybe a crawler, not that likely though, at least one doberman, and probably two roto-drones, at least one stormcloud, one crashcart, and at least one Steel Lynx.

So, I've heard tell that individual drones can total up to some outrageous prices. Any suggestions where I can/should cut corners or just general "This crap is wonderful to have on your drones" stuff?

Chris

A tricked out drone can run you 40k and up.

You wouldn't happen to have an example lying around would you, Dire?

Chris

- FlySpy drone with visual enhancement. Grenades that have the "detonate on AR" option enabled.

- "Overwatch" blimp drones (disguise as marketing drone if you go downtown). Depends on you visualisation of the setting of course.

- Drones working as relay station for hacking attempts. Tune signal strength to avoid triggering security paranoia.

- Cars belonging to someone else don´t have to be sold; they make capable weapons and "door openers". This happens even today, despite the lack of remote driving.

@DTFarstar:

05000 Steel Lynx
08000 Response Upgrade
03000 Signal Upgrade
15000 PilotUpgrade
03000 Firewall Upgrade
----- Overall Device Rating 6: achieved
02500 HK XM30 (SSGs have no business on a Steel Lynx IMO)
00500 minimal Sensor costs

37000 Overall. Spice with autosofts to taste.

This can be paid by work, mostly. You only buy software once, and hardware upgrades can be constructed for half-price.

2000 Peregrine - Fuchi Helo-Drone (MCT-Nissan Roto-drone (Medium)) 6 2,000Â¥
Handling 0
Accel 10/25
Speed 100
Pilot 3
Body 3
Armor 2
Sensor 3
2500 - Weapon Mount
2000 - Ingram White Knight 6P –1 BF/FA 5 (6) 50 © or 100 (belt) 12F 2,000Â¥
4000 - Response 5
1000 - Signal 5
Sensor Suite
100 - Camera
100 Low Light
300 Vision Magnification
500 Smartlink
300 Vision Enhancement 3
50 Flare Compensation
150 - Radio Signal Scanner
50 - Microphone
300 Audio Enhancement 3
600 Select Sound Filter 3
450 - Cyberware Scanner 6
50 - Motion Sensor
10,000 Pilot 4
3000 Firewall 6
3000 Electronic Warfare 6
3000 Manuever 6
3000 Targeting 6
3000 Clear Sight 6
3000 Defense 6

1) Autosofts aren't bought for drones, they're bought for the rigger. The rigger can then upload those autosofts to whatever drones he likes, just like he can load up any agents he has with whatever programs he has. Nevermind that they're limited to a rating of 4, period, and only cost 1,100Â¥ each at that point.

2) Pilot upgrade for a drone is only 2,500Â¥ unless you decide to (randomly) ignore the logic of upgrading costs rather than buying stuff new. And yes, upgrading software is and should be viable. Go look at the price difference between buying Windows Vista new vs. an XP upgrade package as a nice, modern example.

3) With accurate prices, your example is only around 22,000Â¥.

1) This is for a drone designed to be expensive. Not for one you'd use as a disposable drone.

2) Conjuring Materials are 1.5k per unit. Know that Force 6 bound spirit your magician is toting around? 9k. And it's pretty much only useful for one run, too. Then you have to blow another 9k to either summon a new one or re-bind that one. And unlike a drone, there's no options available; it's going to be consumed one way or another, an expensive drone can survive through multiple runs and potentially never get destroyed.

3) Riggers can hijack other drones just fine, and thus never pay a cent for replacement drones.

4) Every other general type of character has expensive gear that can be lost or destroyed in the course of a run. Turn to Goo can and should destroy just about every piece of cyberware in the target's body with a single casting. Magicians have foci that can be targeted by malicious opponents. Hackers have commlinks that can get confiscated, stolen, or destroyed. etc.

So what makes drones and riggers so special?

Well for when you are in a bar, depending on how well your rigger preplans I could argue that a Van outside with a LMG can be used as a weapon. Since it can most likely penetrate most barriers between it and your opponent. Even if it doesn't, it should at least make the guy duck for cover. The tactic however does have its downsides, such as collateral, glitching, and of course being slightly pyschotic.

1) Nobody plans for drones to be disposable, but it happens.
2) True. And the mage can summon a spirit on the fly and pay nothing.
3) Good point. Depends on the GM, but you may or may not get the opportunity to snatch drones. (Works both ways, I'm pretty sure.)
4) Whatever. If I get turned to goo, I'm pretty sure my last concern is how much my wired reflexes cost. And my GM has never toasted a commlink or trashed a focus, nor have I done so. So yes, it's possible, but it NEVER HAPPENS.

That's what's different.

EDIT: I'm not trying to argue that rigging shouldn't be expensive. It should be: there's a reason why everybody doesn't simply send an army of robots to do their dirty work rather than roll up their sleeves and do the work themselves. But it clearly is expensive.

I agree, everything does depend on the GM. If he is paying out 5k AND trashing all your gear, I'd say most players will have a problem. If the GM is paying out 5k and giving you opportunities to pick up more gear to replace trashed stuff, cool.

The pay for a run DOES NOT equate to the value of the run...but everyone likes to focus on the 5K payment and factor nothing else in...

I had to throw some caps in as well:)

Hey Funk, I did not say you have to actually pay that price ingame. But in SR4, a pilot is software (the OS), and software can´t be upgraded but must be programmed from scratch. You can use the uninstalled part however you wish, including selling it. So we could decuct a bit from my prices.

In our games, runners don´t need to pay for many things. Thats what I told a player (twice), if his rigger can´t pay for a heli, he should try to steal one. Taking over a sec. drone is often better than smuggling in ones own drones, so riggers may actually aquire drones ingame all things considered. If your rigger/hacker needs to shoot his own gun in a high-tech facility instead of hacking, your sams are not protective enough.

hey, watch the quotes!

So, not easier to sink, but easier to immobilize, I guess.

Chris

What is your availability limit? 12 still?

None! Seriously.

That's true, for some reason(probably because I was sleep deprived and in pain) I was thinking that if I wanted to be able to advance skills decently I would need at least 1 in them when it is really the opposite. Hmmm... time to retool. Anyone have any non-drone suggestions as far as gear and augments go? I mean, obviously Cerebral Boosters and something to make my physicals not suck. Cybereyes probably, though I guess beyond an image link it wouldn't hurt me to just have contacts or goggles. Definitely earbuds or cyberears. Maybe a MathSPU, Reakt, and PuSHeD. Maybe a full cyberlimb so I CAN shoot someone with something other than a drone if I need to. Any suggestions?

Chris

Seeing as I'm the lone tech character in a group of mages who all have 200 karma, and I just have 50K to go with that karma, I'm pretty sure I can sell Fisty on any non-insane thing I can afford. I dunno though, first time playing with him as GM he might be strict or might not care at all.

Chris

I lied!

That was the rule for converted characters. For new characters ...

Buy rating 4 skillwires, an expert system, ditch every skill that doesn't meet one of these criteria

A) You have to use it in conjunction with other skills (so like gynmatics because you use it for full defense while clutching a firearm, or perception which gets used all the time)

B) You want 5 or 6 ranks in it.

Then buy a bunch of activesofts.

Also if i was you I'd consider spending a huge chunk of cash and getting a initative booster.

Other points: it's more effective to advance attributes with karma than skills (i'm pretty sure, gooing off the top of my head here), so spend those karma points on attributes and set your skills to where you want them, unless skill maxes defy you.

This combination of things means you don't have to get any of these



Though maybe you want armourer really high for some reason? And as you seem to want some hot boating action, I'd take pilot water to 5 Or take gunnery to 6.

If you don't want to do hot skillwire action, advancing your stats instead of your skills would still help.

I was waffling back and forth between Wired 1 and a renewable autoinjector with extra doses and jazz. The only thing about skillwires is that even with rating 4 skillwires I can only run 2 rating 4 skillsofts at once, which with some skills could pose a problem, and since... actually, the more I think about it the more it works. I can completely work this into the character.... I think. Hmm, I think I can make this work. Let me work on it for a minute and I'll repost.

Uhg... the problem with skillwires like that is for it to work I need alot more money, which I can get if I drop most of my actual skills for skillwires, but for some reason I just don't particularly like the idea of someone who really doesn't have many skills himself. Though, I did just think of a way to do it as far as backstory. I think. I dunno, it just strikes me as wrong for someone with 200 karma to be so dependent on skillwires.

Chris

Yeah, the important thing is that the core skills you'll need at extremely short notice (dodge) or all the time (perception) you actually have.

But it's not like you'll have to fly a plane without enough warning to swap out mechanic for it.

Edit: just got your second post. it's just an idea, don't let it disrupt your planning.

If I could remember off the top of my head how much an activesoft cost I'd make up a character. I've got a char gen spreadsheet, but not the gear pricings )

Urgh, I'm trying to do it and the issue is not that you don;t have enough points to do it, its that your maximum money pool is limited to 300k, and that just isn't enough money to do it.

Actually, I don't have a limit on BP spent for money.

Although I am sure Fisty would kill me if I tried, technically I could have 1's in all my attributes and edge and no skills and spend 400 build points on cash to have 2mil + 50K

Chris

Ohh.

Mhm. Can you convert that KARMA into cash? Its much less useful in a way.

I'd seriously consider those skillwires. They fill the role of stopgap skills nicely. You can still have a lot of skills, you just save the skillwires for something you only want at rating 3, and don't need to use that often. So, rather than buy a Blimp skill at 1, you can get it skillwired at rating 3 for cheaper; and you won't be using that skill unless you're jumped in, anyway.

He doesn't have Karma to cash rules that I know of. I'm waiting for him to get on tonight so I can deluge him with questions.

Chris