Can anyone help clarify this for me please?

You load an agent in your node so that it can assist you wherever you go. You hack into a node, find a file and start making certain 'corrections'. A spider finds you and launches an attack. Your agent has a copy of your Attack program loaded, so can you command the agent to attack the spider whilst you get on with your work? Could you even both attack the spider at once?

Can the spider attack the agent instead of you?

Presumably the same would apply to sprites...?

Yes.

Seriously, the answer to each of your questions is "yes".

One minor thing, however. Don't turn your back on the spider and "get on with you work". The spider can still attack you while being attacked by your agent. That could be very bad.

If it helps, think of the agent as a Drone.




-k

Thanks guys.

Ehrm. Doesn't the Agent need acces to the node you're in first as well? Or can you ride a single Agent on your own subscription?

Either, IIRC.

Also, whatever programs your Agent is loaded with are also cutting into your comm's System - in your above example you have at the least 3 programs running (two Attack programs and the Agent itself).

Ah, now wait a moment. I was of the understanding that this was only true of independent agents. Have I got that the wrong way round?

They have to run somewhere. Either they're running on your machine, or they're running on the remote machine (or, possibly, a dedicated machine that is the agent's 'home'). If it's not the latter options, then yes, they're using up your node's resources. 'Equpped'-but-not-running programs do not count.

Note that i think you can pass a running Attack program between you and any agent running on your comlink.

Also makes Nexi hacking such a powerful weapon, as you can stack up on programs and agents. Problem is that you likely need a van to transport it around

Well, some are smallish. A troll's backpack could certainly carry some of the low-/mid-level ones.

That's why I prefer Clustering. It's kinda expensive, but I had an AI-in-drone-body character that used his Home Node (drone's node) clustered with two R5 Commlinks in the drone's arms as his mega-node.

ugh, reminds me that i have a full borg hacker here somewhere that stuffed as many comlinks as he could inside his cyberlimbs. Came out kinda crazy.

Ok, here's a follow-up query regarding sprites –

If a sprite has a CF that the TM doesn't, can the sprite 'give' it to the TM for his own use?

The closest I can find to any rules on the matter is that sprites function mostly like agents. So if agents can do this with programs can sprites do the same with CFs?

No. A sprite can lend a TM or other sprite use of its CFs as much as a Spirit might lend a mage use of its powers or spells.
They could however Assist Operation or whatever it's called.

That's pretty much what I thought, though it seems to be a common sense thing rather than RAW since CFs are analogous to programs rather than powers or spells. I guess Assist Operation is already pretty awesome, what with the sprite not needing to know the CF themselves.

the CFs are analogous to programs in what they can be used for, not in every last detail of their behavior.

This, it's matrix with your mind, you loose some of the utlity of traditional programs because you summon them up from the Aether.

Basically they covered it, but they missed a Free Sprite entering into a Networking Resonance Bond with a Technomancer (page 160, Unwired).

True but that's so far outside the normal that's it's borderline not worth muddying the issue.