I need some rules clarifications about defense dice pool for drone, but unfortunatly, the lattest version of the FAQ doesn't explain them.


First of all, which dice pool a drone should roll for defense ?
The SR4A rulesbook gives p170 : When a vehicle is attacked in ranged combat, the driver rolls his Reaction +/– Handling as the defense part of the Opposed Test. Drones roll their Pilot +/– Handling. See also Rigging, p. 244 for tests while “jumped in.” But the table p247 gives "Autonomous drones roll Response for ranged combat defense".

In the same way, the driver can add his Vehicule skill for evasive driving (SR4A p170), but the table p247 gives Dodge as the skill for full defense.

Is the paragraph p170 "Attacks against vehicules" only apply to chase combat and the table p247 only apply to tactical combat ?


Next question: Does a rigger received the +2 modifier for "hotsim RV" on a vehicule defense roll if he drives the vehicule using hotsim in remote control or jump-in control ?

In the same way, does a hacker received the +2 modifier for "hotsim RV" on his Response+Firewall defense roll during a cybercombat ?


Does a rigger received the +2 modifier for "control rig" on a vehicule defense roll if he is jump into the vehicule ?


The SR4A rulesbook stimulates "Drivers must spend at least one Complex Action each turn driving
their vehicle" during a tactical combat (p168). Is it true for all kind of drivers :
a rigger with manual control ?
a rigger with remote control ?
a rigger with jump-in control ?
an autopilot ?

Indeed, I think that is correct for manual or remote control but I'm not sure for "jump into" rigger (because when he jumps into the drone, he becomes the drone and people don't need to spend Complex Action to control their own body) or the autopilot.


If the drone doesn't move at all during a turn, does the driver must still spend his Complex Action or not ?

It never registered to me before, but yes there is a contradiction between pg 170 and 247 as far as the dice pools for drones.

However, the portion that talks about a driver adding their pilot skill for evasive driving is the same as a character taking full defense in non-vehicle combat. It is also talking about someone driving a vehicle, not rigging it. Granted, if they were to 'jump in' to rig the vehicle instead of manual piloting skills it would be the same as being 'jumped in' to a drone. But that doesn't answer the question of contradictory dice pools. One thing that comes to mind, however, is that as far as drones and vehicles are concerned, their Pilot rating and Response rating are the same thing.

It's also stated earlier (around pg 167) that the Handling rating is added to pretty much anything that involves maneuvering a vehicle or drone. Don't know if the rambling up to this point helps at all, but it's what crossed my brain.

The +2 from a control rig is applied to any Vehicle skill roll taken when a rigger is 'jumped in'. So any dice pool that includes the Gunnery or any of the Pilot ** skills.

The +2 from being in hotsim VR applies to the dice pool for every test performed in the matrix. This includes virtually everything a rigger does while 'jumped in' or using remote control while in hotsim VR. And yes, the hacker in question above gets it on their cybercombat defense test as well.

Indeed, the +2 from a control rig is not applied to vehicule defenses because they aren't "vehicule skill" test, but the +2 from being hotsim VR is ever applied.

Thus, a rigger controlling a drone rolls for ranged combat defense :
Normal defense : Response (or command) +/- Handling +2 (if he uses hotsim VR)
Full defense : Response (or command) +/- Handling +Dodge +2 (if he uses hotsim VR)


OK for this part, but what about my questions about "Drivers must spend at least one Complex Action each turn driving
their vehicle" ?

It is not required that a "driver" spend an action controlling a vehicle each combat turn. It's only if they do not do so a Vehicle Test is required.

So if the driver does nothing to control the vehicle, for example spends all actions shooting, they are required to do a control test.

If they perform a vehicle stunt, that counts as a the action controlling the vehicle.

If the vehicle does not move, and they do not spend an action controlling it, the Vehicle control test will be very very easy. So easy they maybe can buy hits or have a threshold of 0.

Yea, i dont think you DRIVE a non moving vehicle, so i dont think a drving test would be needed LD

Didn't know a rigger used his Dodge skill when jumped in to a vehicle.

If you are in a drone, you are rolling the dodge test, so you use the rolls from p.170

If the drone is acting on your instructions, but you are not in the drone, it uses its Pilot rating. Its response = its Pilot, so you can use the attributes interchangeably to describe how they would dodge.

I would think that a pilot directly controlling a vehicle in hotsim with a control rig would get a +4 if they are actively dodging (just their reaction + hotsim if dodging without using up an action).

Yep. When jumped it it becomes the drone's attributes driven by the rigger's mind and skills. So their dodge when attacked, their gunnery when attacking, etc.

Gunnery makes sense: its a mounted weapon regardless of how you're firing it (a manned turret, a remote control turret, and a "I am the turret" all fire using gunnery).

You're tying to say that when jumped in, you get Dodge, just like you get Automatics when firing the drone's mounted assault rifle.

I wrote "dogde" because it is the skill indicated in the table "common rigger/drone tests" in SR4A p247 for a rigger in remote control or in "jump in" control.

If its RAW, that's fine, I just don't agree with it.

Othermise, you could make an "evasive driving" (SR4A p170) ans use the Vehicule skill for the full defense. Thus, you could have the +2 from control rig and even a bonus from your control rig booster.

But IMO, this method give too many dice to a defense test.