Alright, so having played through one and a half games as straight human, and human-awakened, I've decided to go off the deep end and make a pixie hacker.
Because hey, who doesn't like to start off 50 points in the hole on BP? x.o

Looking at trying to make a hacker-rigger build, making him a former neonet spider, one piece of cyberware- a datajack. (delta, as per the rules, he can't take less than that.)

Concept: We're partnering him with a troll sammy, wanting to convert a smuggling compartment in the sam's arm into a tiny rigger cocoon, and have him jack into the commlink that's -in- that arm to work.

So, I've never statted a hacker before, thoughts, suggestions, your take on it..? Definitely want to raise his magic to two points to keep the ability to fly, and this is as far as I've gotten in character creation, aside from basic personality and background, mostly because I honestly don't know what a good build for them is :)

(Yes I know I probably come at character creation from the wrong side ^.^; many many years freeforming, with only a handful of table top games under my belt.)

~The Dragon Girl

Well... you could always use a 'trode net and save the Essence and Magic. Otherwise you'll need to be at least an adept and that will cost you 5 BP and 10 BP for the second point of Magic. If you use a trode net and then slave his link to your, then you'll save the 15 BP needed to to get the second point of Magic.

Now one way of doing this is that you can be a full mage and just get defensive and healing spells. Get counter spelling really high and a single level of spell casting. This to me is bass ackwards, but hey, you want to have a pixie hacker and still be able to fly.

Actually thats not true, I'm allowed to raise my magic, without being an adept or a mage, I just can't take spells for the character, the raised magic points go towards his natural magical abilities- flying, perceiving astral, and concealment.

If you're going to spend the points on Magic, then Adept only costs 5 BP and you can use Improve Ability for your hacking skills. Also, since you don't have to buy each Adept power like you do with spells... you pretty much get those extras for free.

making a pixie hacker is not substantially different from making any other hacker. buy a commlink, add in every program at the highest rating you can use, throw in the appropriate skills, and you're done.

(on a side note, cybering up is a good idea for a hacker... there's some 'ware that adds to all hacking checks, and some gene mods that improve skill checks for logic-linked skills... ie pretty much all hacking skills. not to mention the simsense booster, of course. regardless, it still isn't very different from any other hacker, as far as the setup... you just have less BP leftover at the end to figure out what to do with)

Look up the negative quality "Uneducated". It says it costs twice as many BP/Karma to learn new "Technical Skills/etc" and to increase those you already know. That is a horrible quality to have as a hacker. I guess if you want to start horribly disadvantaged then do it. Otherwise I wouldn't recommend.

Edit: Especially if you are going to be a rigger. Being an uneducated droner would be rough.

Edit2: I just read you can buy it off for 20 BP, so not as bad as I thought.

Well technically by the rules you cannot start with deltaware - and being Uneducated is such a massive flaw with zero gain you are technically 60BP down the hole, but who am I to argue?

I'd look at making an Adept Hacker. That way you can focus on giving yourself Improved Ability (Hacking), (Computer), Eiditic Memory, Analytics and some other odds and ends and have some good reasons why you want to retain your magic.

Oh BTW, you don't need a datajack to be a hacker. Trodes work just fine now. I'd look at using Restricted Gear to deck out your commlink personally. Resources will be less of an issue with this build as a lot will go into buffing your Magic attribute to make being an Adept worthwhile. Consider getting Improved Initiative if you want some combat ability (why however as a pixie is beyond me).

- J.

PS: I would seriously reconsider being a pixie. Maaaaybe if you're using karmagen instead but even then... I can't mentally fathom it.

The problem there is that -everything- you buy for a pixie as far as cyberware has to be Delta. I need to be able to think about the advantages and disadvantages of everything I do- especially with the way it eats into his ability to fly.. and at a bit over a foot high, flying is important.
I had someone say that your stats don't matter for hacking, just your programs- is that true?



I've thought about the Trodes, but there was this massive argument in one of the other threads that lead me to think that a datajack would be better if my GM will allow the hardware, and other folks have told me they're really easy to jam, if I knew fer sure there was a way to stop people from jamming them while hes working that -would- be ideal

Heh, actually buying off the Uneducated flaw was calculated into my 50 bp in the hole from the start, and yes, I know that making the pixie hacker is not the most numbers economic way to do things, its a challenge, and I like challenges, both in chargen, and in play.

A few people have mentioned it might be a good idea to go ahead and make him an adept hacker (I would not be putting him bodily into combat no) is there anything besides improved ability(hacking) that you guys find shiny that way?

Unless you use the optional rule called Chrome Critters- then you can use normal 'ware, but Essence cost for that is increased by 20%.

Note that in any case, sapient critters can get geneware without problems.
PuSheD is just the right thing for any hacker.



Improved Ability (Infiltration) and Attribute Boost (Agility) would further enhance your sneakiness, which is absolutely vital for any pixie character- i mean, let's face it, you have a max Body of 3, you'll probably start with 2, this means only 4 points of armor (6 with FFBA) without encumbrance (if you find armor tailored for your size in the first place).
This translates to extra squishy, so you'd better not get hit or shot at in the first place.
That's why your character should be as stealthy as possible.
Hackers can easily branch out into other areas anyway and being an infiltrations specialist is one of the best possible choices for pixies.

Oh, Combat Sense helps you not to get killed, too, as does a high Reaction attribute and high ranks in Dodge or Athletics.
If you want to do more for your defense, you may want to consider Mystic Armor.
It is cumulative with worn armor (but does not seem to increase encumbrance) and also protects in astral combat, but it's expensive.

Correct. Unless you're physically at a control panel manipulating switches/buttons/wires.

I might -have- to use the Chrome Critters option, esp with most GMs opposed to letting you start with any kind of delta ware, even if you've got good reason for it.

I hadn't even thought of geneware, nor researched it, I will have to go do that now



Ah! That makes sense, I suppose.

It does, and it doesn't. But assuming that you don't need logic in the matrix, then it makes perfect sense ("where the drek does this wire go!?").