Hey, all,

I read a thread from late October about a metasapient AI used for rigging, with a sidenote that a hacker AI was also doable. I tried, but I'm really not impressed with the outcome of the character.

I'm basing the question off of what RAW I can find in the Runner's Companion and Unwired expansions, which have given me some trouble as far as building a 400 BP starter character as a metasapient AI. I think I follow that an AI is much like an Agent in how it exists, but is much like a Hacker in how it runs programs, connects to other nodes, and so on. But my stab at interpreting the rules seems to really soften the metasapient AI as a hacker PC:

1) How these AI interact with sim modules, their upgrades, and related gear (sim accelerator and the like). AI do not have meat brains, so I don't think they could logically use any of this equipment. Admittedly, metasapients get the natural bonus to Matrix Perception tests, and have some nice positive qualities for use in hacking, but that seems weak in comparison to the nice bonus to all Matrix tests that VR Hot Sim modules grant. Also, whereas an appropriately cybered Hacker can have up to 5 Matrix IP with the right cyberware and commlink modules, the AI can only ever have 3 Matrix IP.

2) The benefits to Home Nodes that come from a metasapient AI are cool, but the AI doesn't actually make use of the attributes of its Home Node for most things, which narrows the advantage to Response and Signal. Neither of these change the AI's success in Matrix actions, where the dice pools are usually based on skill + program. The benefit is a decreased cost to upgrade a Home Node commlink, but to actually use the Home Node benefit to get a better-than-average Home Node, one has to pay high lifestyle costs. Also, moving outside of your Home Node for whatever reason negates these benefits for you.

3) Interval time for Spoofing your accessID is 1 day, which makes multiple runs on the same system excruciating. Whereas a Hacker can reboot, spoof, and log back into a system to try again, the AI risks an ugly trace.

4) Realigning is great, but in the time it takes to realign, it seems easy for another hacker or spider to reboot and get ready for your next pass at cracking a system. This is discouraging when they're already faster than the AI, with better rolls in some cases (notably cybercombat).

5) AI are immune to Black programs, but can still be 'killed' by strong regular Attack programs due to Matrix condition monitor overflow, so it doesn't seem like much of an advantage. Also, an angry Spider with access to your hardware can always just shoot that - commlink case armor isn't that great.

The gist seems to be that metasapients could be a bit better at slow, stealth hacks (if only due to the Rootkit positive quality) but are also much slower and a tad underpowered when forced to hack on the fly or engage in cybercombat. Am I interpreting all the rules properly? Could anyone offer me some tips or tricks to offset these problems? Thanks!

In fact, a hacker doesn't need to reboot at all, he can spoof his AID whenever he likes and simply is disconnected. If he 'installs' a spoof 'chip' into his commlink this doesn't even require any test, which essentially makes immune to the subversive effects of black IC.

where did that chip come from?

MicroDeck

Its in arsenal's mods its for cars and such manly but i think you can slot it in a com. but wait couldn't a AI do the same....... its not a test so maybe then can.

That's one of the big issues, I think - I'm not sure what kind of hardware or equipment an AI can benefit from. I'm not even sure they can use chips or modules installed in a commlink that they're using for a Home Node. The simsense gear seems right out, at least.

Unwired, p. 34: "Technology has created computer interfaces that allow the user to move through the Matrix at the speed of thought. However, being made of optical chips and electromagnetic waves, the Matrix moves at the speed of light. The body and the brain are slower than even the lowliest program, and as such a hacker’s attributes are less
important than his software and hardware."

How is it that hackers in the flesh can make themselves faster than an AI, merely by buying gear that links them more quickly to a virtual world that the AI doesn't need to link to in the first place?

Assuming maxed out Karma, they can operate with six programs at Rating 12 regardless of the System rating of the node they're loaded on. Metasapients win at hacking.

BAr the 3 IPs I feel like they shoul havea way of hitting 5 at least 4

How does this work?

As "Agents," they use their own System rating to limit their programs rather than those of the hardware they run on*. Runner's Companion specifically says that they can buy and use their inherent programs up to double their Rating. So they buy their attributes up to 6s, making their System, Response and overall Rating 6. They can then buy all six of their inherent programs up to Rating 12 with karma and use them with impunity.

Ouch.

*: of course, if they were actually agents, then their System rating would be limited by the Response of the hardware they're on. This isn't the case for AIs, especially if they're in their home node!

Actually, a sppof 'chip' per Arsenal is just a firmware upgrade. The means - it's software.