I am down to spending my last 35 BP on complex forms and I wanted to get the DS forum's opinions on what I should buy, and what I should thread as needed.

Thanks in advance,
Cyntax, newbie technomancer.

Buy Stealth. You'll need it running all the damn time, so if you're threading it, you'll be at a -2 almost all the time. I'd also suggest getting anything you want for Cybercombat because that's not a good time to have penalties. After that, it's up to you. Just about everything else can be threaded as necessary. Alternatively, get a bunch of forms at Rating 2 or so and then thread them higher only if you need to.

Yeah, Stealth. Analyse, Armor, Attack. Exploit, Spoof. If running RAW Command. (All at 5)

ANALYZE!

Also, ANALYZE!

Did I mention Analyze?

I blame "analysieren". Does it hurt?

Terribly zorry, I mean sorry. I´ll endeavour to better myself.

Sorry, I wasn't referring to your British spelling. I was trying to emphasize that Analyze is an important program. Your post came up while I was working on mine, so I didn't see it until after mine was posted.

For the record, I don't particularly care about people's spelling on DSF. And I believe that "Analyse" is correct, anyway, just British.

Analyze 6 (with Mute program option)
Stealth 6
Exploit 6 (with Mute program option)
Shield 6
Blackhammer 6 (with Mute and Psychotropic [Phobia: Cybercombat/Severe] and Psychotropic [Simsense Vertigo] program options)


Use Sprites to Scan, Browse, Encrypt and Decrypt and you're all set. For light combat use Sprites, against other TM's and VR Hackers use the Blackhammer. Also... use Nuke to reduce the Node since your TM isn't affected by the Response/System of the node he is in.

Nasty, I like it. Thanks!

i'd swap black hammer for attack with the biofeedback option (doesn't need to be high rating). note that you don't have to use the option if you don't want to (yay technomancers). you could then simply thread whatever psychotropic option you want (because let's face it, why settle for one psychotropic option when you can pick and choose at your convenience) whenever you nee it. note that it will cost you 1 BP per rating of program option you wish to purchase, so those psychotropic options are either costing you a bunch of BP to buy up, or won't be at a very impressive rating anyways, and you'll still want to thread it.

so yeah, the attack with the biofeedback option gives you the choice of dealing matrix damage, matrix + RL stun, matrix + RL physical, or matrix + RL (stun OR physical) AND psychotropic. what's not to like? (but that's just me)

No problem at all, I found it funny even while thinking that the joke was on me.

Are complex forms not limited by the technomancers system attribute? If not, what good is it for anyways?

it has a number of uses. perhaps one of the most noteworthy ones is to resist matrix damage, which will become normal damage for a technomancer.

it has other uses as well, it sorta crops up in a bunch of weird places. to a chargen technomancer, one of the most significant areas is that logic also determines how many starting CFs you can have, and you want to have as many of those as you can get.

Per an FAQ from Catalyst CF's are resonance abilities and thus not limited by Response or System. This means Nuke used against the Response of a Node is especially potent since it makes all non-resonance defenders suddenly REALLY suck. Then the TM cleans the house.

Biofeedback on Attack isn't legal per RAW. its for Data Bomb and Simsense programs only. I *wish* that were legal but sadly, nope. The verbage Unwired uses is, "Program Types: Hacking (Data Bomb only), Simsense"

What use is Logic? Per Unwired, 2xSystem is a living persona's max number of subscriptions. In this budding world of Tacsofts and Unrestricted Agents and Botnets its getting easier and easier to need more subscriptions even if only for some extra spy drones are an additional comm with Sensor Software.

Threading causes a -2 sustaining penalty to all other actions and I find it handy to have Matrix Perception at max dicepool. Program Options are 1 build each and don't count as levels in the CF so they can add a lot of utility to the TM.
(And I totally agree, YAY for optional use of program options!)

thread it (2 hits shouldn't be hard to soak the fading, nor should it be hard to get) and then drop it once the attack is made

hurray for threading as a non-action! =P

Interesting. 'Threading as a powerup' as it were. I'll have to check that out!

the main drawback is that it will take 3 times as many rolls for you to attack, unless your GM allows you to buy hits in combat (many GMs probably won't). on the other hand, if you actually are throwing, say, 12 dice at threading, and 12 dice for drain, and you only need 2 hits on those tests, they may just do it... you never know...

ARISE, THREE DAY OLD TOPIC!

...ahem.

I'm looking to create my first technomancer - a pirate trid operator. Looking for a set of complex forms (let's also assume 35BF) to make her a stealth-oriented information queen. Any recommendations on that front?

You could put Browse on the list for even faster info searches, maybe in place of command on my list above. Your needs are not that much different from a normal TM´s. Look for contacts and knowledge skills to flesh out such a concept.

Stealth 6
Spoof 6
Exploit 6 (with Mute program option)
Decrypt 6 (with Mute program option)
Edit 6 (with Mute program option)
Shields 2 (this one is GM Discretion per Unwired)

My first recommendation is that you buy the maximum number of complex forms (2*Logic Rating).

My second recommendation is that you spend the maximum build points on complex forms. Buy them FIRST not last.

And if you can free up the build get the program options too. They dont count as CF ratings so they can be bought in addition to the CF. As a good example of a great Program Option the "Targeting" program option gives +2 to Cybercombat when using the attached program. (Unwired, pg136)