I know that Armor Stacks with dermal sheathing, but how exactly do you determine stacking?

If someone is wearing an armored vest and a jacket on top of that, and pants, but no protection for his head, do you count just the jacket? Or Does the vest and jacket stack?

I understand that a called shot to the head incurs a negative dice pool modifier equal to the armor, but for just a normal shot, is it an assumed headshot? What's the RAW on this?



Also, this has been answered before, but still makes no sense to me.

Basically, Let's say your commlink has a range of 400 meters, so you go and connect to the node, making a matrix perception test (all in ar) and notice a couple other people on that node, you then want to jump to a node further. Could you run a scan program with your pursona from that node to jump to a node further, and keep doing this? (assuming the range can find something else)


So how does trace work in this regard? It doesn't say whether or not you can tell if you are being traced in ORDER to do a redirect action.

Secondly, when you spoof your datatrail, does it change your access ID temporarily? Or does it switch it around every time you do that?

For example: If I jump to a node in a mall, and some other persona (lets say he's running a stealth program so I don't notice him in the node) starts a trace program on me, if my commlink is supplying a bogus access ID, can he still trace me with it? Or would changing it right then and there throw him off and make him need to re-look for my access ID?




Honestly, I just want to see more examples either in text, or like this one .mp3 I have of a very simple node hacking example.

Armor olnly stacks if there's a + before the number. Thus the helmet which is 0/+2 stacks with other impact armor. However, if you're wearing an armored jacket and an armored vest (8/6 an 6/4 respectively) only the higher number counts (thus: 8/6 is your armor). The exception to this is some of the articles in Arsenal which are either (a) meant to be worn together and, thus, stack or (b) stack with everything (i.e., Form Fitting Body Armor).

There's information for you about Armor in the Combat chapter on p. 148 of SR4.

Called shots are also covered in the Combat chapter. Basically, the answer is this: the shooter can aim for the head and call the shot suffering the dice pool penalty for it and, if they hit and kill the target in one shot then great! they performed a head shot. But, if the shooter doesn't call the shot and still kills the target in one blow, then great! they also performed a headshot. The game master can feel free to describe any wounding so that it's internally consistent. Maybe the target tried to dodge and and actually stepped into the line of fire.

I'd try to get your players (or your co-players) out of the habit of claiming head shots or kneecaping. Shadowrun doesn't work well, in my experience, when you try to describe how you're hurting someone before you roll the dice. Declare, instead, simply that your calling the shot for more damage or to ignore armor and roll. Then, describe the wound based on the damage incurred by the target.




Yes. Devices in SR4 can act like a router so if you can connect to node A which is in range of node B, you can go into A and then into B.



I recall Unwired having something to say about noticing when someone is tracing you but I couldn't find it just now. I'll hope that someone else can find the reference.

When you spoof your datatrail it does change your access ID. More information on that can be found in Unwired starting on p. 98.

For your example above, if you know you're being traced, you can spoof your access ID and the trace would only get to the node in which your old ID -- the one the other guy is tracking -- was active within. This is all within the second paragraph under "Spoofing the Datatrail Online" on p. 99 of Unwired.

Most armor types don't stack. So, you'd only get the Armor Jacket, since it's the better of the two.

As for the headshot, the RAW answer is that neither counts as a headshot. By RAW, there is no hit location, so it's just a shot to a vulnerable spot. Doing the +DV/-DP tradeoff works the same way.

As far as the armor plus dermal sheathing question, it's simple. You add the two values together. SR4, like previous editions of the game, uses an abstract armor system. An armor jacket gives you 8/6 armor, period. Called shots can be represented as head shots or kneecapping when you describe them, but rules-wise, you either ignore the armor rating by taking a dice penalty equal to it, or increase your damage by up to +4 by taking a corresponding dice pool penalty.

You get the full of the higher value, plus HALF of the next higher value, plus whatever has a + in front of it. So if you're wearing an armor jacket (5/3) and an armor coat (4/2), you'd take 5/3 (the higher of each), and add 2/1 (4/2 divided by two). Throw on a helmet for +1/1 and it becomes 7/4.

If you look at the Rapid Transit Line suit, I believe that's something like 2/4. Stack that with an overcoat (4/2) and you have 5/5 armor, with no penalty if you have Quickness 6.

Some people read the rules as saying you only add the first TWO pieces of armor, some people don't. That's up to GM's discretion. Regardless, after two pieces the penalties start to get pretty outrageous.

I don't remember dermal sheathing off the top of my head, you'd have to reread the description to see if it counts as normal armor or not.

Hmm. Let me try:

Trace (pg. 218 main book)
(Computer+Trace, 10, 1 IP), apply opponents stealth as negative dp mod
Use: Trace permits you to find the originating node of a matrix icon, revealing the physical location (with 50m deviation in case of mobile devices, but it´s easy), and updated as long as Trace is running. Requirement: The targets icon has been detected.
- Spoofing your Datatrail disrupts Trace, but disconnects all your subscriptions due to your changed access ID
- Spotting a trace takes a Matrix Perception test on the originating node (Unwired)
- If your target uses a Proxy, Trace attempts lead to that node. Ask your Matrix Service Provider or a hacker friend. Sat uplinks are also an option (Unwired).
- see the Misdirect Trace (English name?) Complex Action

For the question at hand: Trace leads directly to the targets commlink, no need to subscribe to all nodes on the route. A spoofed AccessID will still lead to your commlink and current location data, you will just leave less incriminating traces behind.

Dermal armor, Orthoskin, and Bone Lacing stack without penalty. They are not even counted when you determine encumbrance.

Also, you don't take any penalty for encumbrance until you exceed (Body * 2) armor.

on what page is the rule that a second set of armor give half its value? i cant find it...

It's SR3.

not surprised

Well the OP didn't say he was asking for SR4 specifically.

maybe so, but two things are to be considered.

one, he also askes a comlink related question. comlinks do not exist in sr3.

two, the user registered in 2008.

all in all i usually assume sr4 (being the currently sold version) unless some other is specifically mentioned...

Does the Mystic Armor adept power or the Armor spell stack with normal armor? Or each other?

So if I Spoof my datatrail while inside a corporate system, I'll be dumped from the system, because I'm no longer subscribed? If I use the misdirect trace action, is it the same? I've never came to this conclusion myself, but that's understandable with the SR4 Matrix rules.

OTTOMH, Mystic Armor does stack. Not sure about the Armor spell though.

Yes. The description for Mystic Armor on pg. 188 of the rulebook specifically says that it "is cumulative with any worn armor."

The description of the Armor spell on pg. 202 of the rulebook specifically says that it "provides both Ballistic and Impact armor (cumulative with
worn armor) to the subject equal to the hits scored."

Don't forget that wearing multiple types of armour, even if you're only using the rating from one of them, adds together their ratings to determine your encumbrance (pg.300, rulebook). Mystic Armor and the Armor spell don't add to your encumbrance, however.

Misdirect Trace just prolongs the Trace. It might be a good idea to use an agent running inside your persona to handle the Misdirect IPs, but be careful with that if traced by a hacker (those can have way higher dicepools than IC, often more IPs, and have edge).

Spoofing your datatrail spoofs your accessID. The subscription list information of any subscribed node is now wrong, the subscription is broken, and therefore the datatrail that is traced does no longer exist. You have to create new subscriptions from the "new" accessID - but you might get traced, again.

What I missed before is the option of Disarming the Trace program that is used against you, ideally before the trace even starts. A misdirecting agent might buy you the necessary time. Who of the "hacker in a box" people brought two?

The Matrix Specialist in my game actually has four HiaB. Of course, he has an implanted commlink for himself, plus four other ones subscribed/hidden mode for the HiaB, and a crappy public one. Yes, the boy walks around with 5 (well, 6 if you count the one in his head) Commlinks.

About the only armor that really should stack, but isn't noted to to so, is the AltSkin Armor upgrade.

So, if I was in a node, and another Icon in the node started Tracing me, what would be the reason to do a redirect as opposed to spoofing my ID? Would I immediately be dumped from that node? AKA would I have to log back in?

I had an idea for a hacker that I called "Nexi-Man"... sounds like your player beat me to the punch. I was thinking about clustering the commlinks together though.

As I said, you would loose all your subscriptions. You wouldn´t be dumped from that node, but from all nodes.

If you used hacking on the fly to gain one-shot access to a node, said access is gone. If you use a fake account on the node, you log back in and the security hacker / IC restarts the trace, no win.

Redirect gives you time to act inside the node, especially if you handle it via an agent.

I thought they fixed that by the FAQ or Erretta.

There is no Augmentation Errata.

Never mind, was thinking that second skin see through clothing thing.

That doesn't stack, either - but should, like other form-fitted body-armor.

Yes, but I thought that was addressed in an FAQ in which it was stated that it should stack the same as form-fitted body armor.

Performing the Redirect Trace action allows you to stay logged in, but it only prolongs the Trace. However, that might give you time to do whatever you need to do in the Node before the Trace completes, or give you the time to Crash the IC/Persona originating the Trace. If you Spoof your Access ID, then you are immediately dumped from all Nodes you are in, except for your Commlink's node itself. You must then Hack back into any nodes you have lost access to.