If you do have to leave the meatbod behind, not to worry as Helmut would likely be left behind (or in the transport) on most occasions also. I have him up to 5 IP's in hotsim, 4 otherwise. I've never ran with a TM before so not sure of your abilities, nor how well they can work in tandem with a hacker, but we should be able to take on anything that comes our way.

How did you get up to 5 IP in the Matrix? As far as I know, Advanced Overclocking is the only exception to the 4 IP's max rule (in fact, it says specifically that in Unwired, that it's an exception to the rule). Extra IP from things like Wired Reflexes don't carry over into VR (though they do apply for AR).

How did you get up to 5 IP in the Matrix? As far as I know, Advanced Overclocking is the only exception to the 4 IP's max rule (in fact, it says specifically that in Unwired, that it's an exception to the rule). Extra IP from things like Wired Reflexes don't carry over into VR (though they do apply for AR).

Hackers and TMs can both get up to 5 IP. TMs start at 3 in hot, and get 2 from each of their overclocks, which brings them to 5. Hackers start at 3 in hot, can get simsense booster cyberware for +1 IP, and then there is something similar in unwired (Commlink accessory I think) that gives another +1 IP and says that it allows breaking of the 4 IP max.

Simsense Accelerator
This state-of-the-art mod increases the speed at which simsense
signals are transmitted between the commlink and a persona controlled
via hot-sim VR. It increases a VR-using character’s Matrix
Initiative Passes by 1. It does not boost Matrix Initiative in cold-sim
VR or AR. It is compatible with simsense booster cyberware (so a
hacker in hot sim with a simsense accelerator and simsense booster
cyberware has 5 Initiative Passes). Initiative Passes; this is an exception
to the rule that normally limits IPs to 4).

Ok, just looked it up, you must have both the simsense accelerator AND the simsense booster cyberware. Wow, I never knew about those, kinda makes TMs a little less special in the Matrix if anyone can start with those and the TM hasta spend a total of 29 karma to get it, and you can still pull off 4 IP in cold sim which makes you less vulnerable to taking damage (at the loss of the extra 2 dice modifier for hot sim), while as a TM I take real damage even when running in AR from basic Attack programs. Hehe, I'm looking to leaning more towards letting a TM have the optional rules in Unwired if I ever GM a Matrix heavy game.

Oh, right, and when did he mention that we could buy an initiation/emersion? I thought we got the one freebe and that was it.

We will use a 1bp = 2 Karma ONLY for the purposes of purchasing initiation/submersion related items. You may also purchase ONE additionally intiation/submersion under this system.

Yes i'm insane.

Yeah, it looks like I may have to do the same, drop a bunch of skills I wanted and just be passed out in the back of the Wagon with a machine sprite in a doberman protecting me and Helmut, while I hack or just sit in my biological node and do the rigger thing with other drones (my smaller ones will be carried by members of the team to be used when I need to, the roto-drones will just fly about on their own). So can once again drop Athletics, Firearms, Infiltration, etc. On the plus side, if I can get tacsoft as a CF, I can do wonders for hooking everyone up.

Perhaps not the most practical route, but it might be the only option in cases like dead-man triggers.

I thought dead-man triggers worked when someone lost control and stopped holding a trigger shut. Wouldn't being sucked into the Matrix make you lose control of your body?

Maybe someone should pick up a petrify spell for this case.

Thanks for the compliment Malachi. I did forget a couple things about my views on hacking - namely AR hacking vs. combat hacking vs. infohacking.

Your average mundane hacker is probably going to be better as what I like to call an AR hacker, a cybered hacker who uses their hacking abilities to suppliment their combat or infiltration. This usually involves brute-force hacking into enemy tacsofts and commlinks to screw with enemy cyber and vehicles. Important programs: Scan, Exploit, Browse, Attack, Armor, Corrupt, Blackout. The goal here is to scan for their pan (which will most likely be in hidden), crack open the commlink firewall, access a slaved device (Wired reflexes, etc.), and corrupt some sort of file necessary for its function. Bing, bang, boom, baddie's spinal cord is offline. Oh, then you shoot them in the face with your supplementary pistol skills. With this method you'll likely encounter some nasty IC including agents and a matrix oversight specialist, so it's useful to have some attack and armor programs to protect yourself. Any supplimentary money/karma will probably be used to upgrade your agents/programs up to military grade, and to purchase better general running gear.

An alternative view of an AR hacker is an infiltration specialist who can hack into localized security systems and open doors/decrypt nodes and steal locally housed data. For this I'd add a stealth, decrypt, and disarm program for good measure.

Combat-focused VR hackers are silly unless you're doing pink mohawk or specialized matrix oversight. I say don't bother, as there are much better hacker countermeasures than an attack program.

Infohackers are really where the hacker shines. This is the hacker that hacks security systems, loops cameras, reroutes drone patrols and opens locked doors. They're "easy buttons" for the rest of the team, and basically make everything a lot more manageable. Important programs: Stealth, Exploit, Edit, Spoof, Armor, Disarm, Decrypt, Tacsoft. This usually relies on a lot of hacker tricks for effectiveness, as well as management of the team's network/tacsoft.

I find the best AR hackers are mundanes whereas the best dedicated infohackers are Technomancers. I'm my team's primary hacker and I've spent a lot of time reading the matrix rules and if you'd like to know some tricks to piss your GM off, just PM me.

GrimWulf/Helmut - AR Hacker (if you have Wired Reflexes or something similar), otherwise an Infohacker
Me - Infohacker all the way, with a bit of rigging via machine sprites.
Darquewing - Infiltration specialist

AFB at the moment but.... uhm... simsense accelerator...? Think that might be it. (also has that exception to the rule comment on whatever it is I'm using)

Alright on consulting with the oracle for purposes of buying intiation, initiation related items and binding foci 1bp = 1karma. Unfortunately no, no echos/metamagic outside of submersion/initiation for now.

No simsense accelerators please.

Alright on consulting with the oracle for purposes of buying intiation, initiation related items and binding foci 1bp = 1karma. Unfortunately no, no echos/metamagic outside of submersion/initiation for now.

For the record TM's are not underpowered compared to normal hackers, far from it actually. Sprites and threading put them a fairly signifigant step ahead of their mundane counterparts which is more or less where you want them to be given their trade offs.

Ok, so while flipping through the TM chapters in SR4A and Unwired, I came across a couple side bars of optional rules and was wondering which ones we're using, if any, once we get into play. I'm asking here in the open because one of them I swear has a mage equivalent to it, and I know there's a bunch of optional mage rules in Street Magic. I'm sure most (if not all) will be shot down, considering our discussion in PM already about slaving and TMs, but never hurts to ask.

The others I'll pretty much just let you look up, as there's too many of them to list in one post sanely. The TM ones in Unwired are on pages 137 and 138, and the mage ones in Street Magic are on page 31 (roughly, I have the older blue cover, not the reprinted orangish color one so might be a page or two off), and page 79 for spirits aiding enchanting.

Together with
the Overclocking echo, the technomancer receives a total bonus of
+2 Response and +2 Initiative Passes while operating in full-sim VR

Th is grants the technomancer + 1 to his Response
(also increasing his Matrix Initiative), and grants him an additional
Initiative Pass while operating in full-sim VR.