What does it take to detect a Technomancer? I know that they can be Assensed, but what mundane means are there? A standard body scan? A DNA test? An MRI? What can detect that someone is a Technomancer?

--Xel

I've never read of anything official, but I would imagine there has to be a way. Perhaps they put off a weak signal on a particular bandwidth. If you can access that bandwidth, there is a certain sound put off.

Then again, maybe there isn't anyway, or else everyone would be getting scanned all the time.

Short of assensing, is there a way to detect a mage or adept?

I seem to recall something in Emergence that mentioned that technomancers have physiological differences. That probably means there are markers in the DNA, although I wouldn't know whether they'd have been identified yet.

Basically none. The guy standing next to you could be hacking you right now, with his mind!

You could use a radio signal detector to pinpoint his radio-brain, but other than that there really isn't much to distinguish a technomancer, though most of them will likely have all physical stats in the 1s due to needing to hyper-specialize.

Though it's very likely that anyone who notices that the Technomancer is giving off a signal might think they just have cyberware implants. Watcher spirits would be the best way for just anyone to notice a Technomancer, considering they could even let mundanes know about it by simply projecting into the physical.

it's a threshold 4 assensing test. watchers roll 2 dice

it's more the kind of thing a force 6 spirit might be able to hit with some degree of consistency. force 8 would be better (could buy the hits). so not exactly easy.

RAW page 183
Assensing Test Table
5+ hits to know the subject is a Technomancer,

Must be some real good Watcher spirits to get 5+ hits ie 15 dice.

No Technomancers are not dual natured nor can they see astral space.

WMS

Well that's silly. If someone is using magic, you should be able to assense them pretty easily, be it technomagic or otherwise.

In Emergence, the megacorps had to use vivisection and exploratory surgery because the technomancers interfered with normal medical equipment.

So, technically you could try to stick them in an MRI...or you could get out a scalpel and start cutting!

couldn't you like, kick them in the face first so they're not awake?

technomancers are not magic. they don't have a magic attribute, they don't cast spells, they can't interact with the astral, they can't summon or bind spirits. they just aren't magical (there are those who take exception to this, and insist that anyone broadcasting the kind of signal strength they do from a metahuman body with no significant visible alterations would have to be magical, but canonically speaking they are not magical. they just do what they do somehow, and nobody is sure how).

Yep. It's almost like ... magic.

not really... all kinds of people have working theories on how magic works =D

All kinds of people have working theories on how technomancy works.

I actually know how it works.

First, you spend 5 BP on Technomancer. Then ...

Just to head shit off at the pass, so to speak:
Technomancy and Magic are different things. You cannot auto-detect technomancers with astral perception because technomancy is not magic. It is mysterious and different and may be something a lot like magic, yes, but fundamentally technomancy does not interact with astral space at all, in any way. And that's what 'magic' in Shadowrun mean - the ability to internally or externally tap into astral energies. That's why you can't see it with astral perception - because it doesn't go to that plane of existence. If some new ability cropped up in SR that allowed people to summon coffee from nowhere but didn't ever touch astral energies, guess what? It wouldn't be automatically detectable via astral perception, either.

That said, Technomancers can be detected using science. Granted, you have to MRI/CAT scan their heads or the like, but they have neurological structures that are distinct and detectible if you know what to look for. Although an easier way to do it would be to throw people in a Faraday cage after scanning them for cyberware and see who's still throwing WiFi out of their heads while they lack a headware commlink.

I thought this thread was a necro when I saw it on the first page. Previous thread here.

The gist of it is that there is no known DNA test. In fact their genetic code could be perfectly mundane and the changes seen could be due to differenced in expression or epigenetic changes that are difficult to detect.

Anatomically and physiologically you could probably do functional MRI, but thats not exactly subtle.

So in practice its pretty difficult to detect a TM by any means (science or otherwise).

*tries to look discrete as a he lugs his super conducting "pocket" fMRI down the street*

Oh don't mind just looking for technomancers.

Well I guess we could consider how sophisticated the diagnostic sensors on a Valkyrie unit are...

Brainscan had a handheld device to scan brains for otaku activity stuff.A similar device to scan for TMs is not too far fetched. You'd still need to strap on a trode net, I guess, but it should be more practical then an MRI.

hmm lets see put of trodenet brain scanning device on a TM, even unconscious, he/she could have Sprites ready to play games with the brain scanner. Since basically his brain is a commlink, with firewall rating and can have other extras too.

"Hmm no Technomancer here sir"

I go for the bladed surgery option.

WMS

It's doubtful the organic commlinks firewall would hamper scanners, since it kind of works like a firewall, not like some kind of Sci-Fi mind shield. It stops code from toasting the brain, not from a scanners picking up activity.
Sprites would need the order to fuck up the scanner to help the TM, so this one is out, too, and they can be destroyed via Matrix combat, so no real sweat here.

Well no, instruction protect my brain from being scanned, works well. Other variations are possible. More along the lines of instructions given to spirits by mages.

This has been addressed in other threads IIRC, since the sprite is occupying the brain/comm link, it can not be engaged in Matrix Combat.

WMS

If it is in the brain, it cannot effect the scanner. No harm done.
In a world were AIs are hunted down mercilessly, sprites really have the lifespan of a paperdog in hell.

@Malicant see the above quote. AH is not pulling your leg about it either.

If the megacorps had to use scalpel because the TM messed up medical equipment which includes brain scanners.

WMS

I've read Emergence, so I am aware of that. It does not prove though, that a TM cannot be scanned. Knock him out, scan him. Done. Or you might want to deactivate WiFi on your stuff and work with good old cables.

The vivisection part in Emergence didn't make much sense anyhow. It was more slasher flick then ruthless medical examination. But, meh, who cares.

Um, 'mancer' is a tag, they're not actually using magic. Or at least, not magic as the 6th World understands it so far.

Thats why we prefer the Virtuakinetic label. Not Technomancer or Pinball Wizard, confuses too many of the mundanes who think we are magic then.

Don't let the propoganda fool you. If it waddles like a duck, and quacks like a duck ...

... then it might still be a spirit that has taken the form of a duck with its Realistic Form Power, or its a holographic image to fool you.
Or perhaps it's just a part of your imagination, because you're crazy, or somebody tampering with your eye-ware, or your brain via hypnosis/magic/cyber-technology...

You don't know anything, mwhahahahahahahahahaha...

Hmm... that'd be my pregnant wife playing with the 2 year old...
(So glad she doesn't read dumpshock.)

Oh, I'll smack you on her behalf. You're a bad, bad man...