So I am building a Technomancer specializing in hacking + sprites with little remote controlling drones on the side. I avoid matrix combat as much as possible and send in Tank Sprites when not possible. But I seem to run ouf of karma all the time no matter how much I cut stuff. What Should I keep, what to cut and did I miss something absolutely vital?

22 karma left. Alphaware Encephalon + Cerebral Boosters 3 soon after chargen
First Echoes that I will take are Macro and Sprite Link(Tutor + Fault).
High Logic, PuSHeD, Encephalon + Tutor sprites makes me a wonderfull skillmonkey eventually.

Couple rules questions:

Macro: 1 additional non-combat complex action. Must be matrix action. The first can be absolutely anything, matrix or not? So for example suppressife fire + control drone to pick lock/give first aid/use some other skill/drive. Since control drone is a matrix action can I order one drone to do 2 actions as long as on of the is non-combat? Does it work the other way around, one matrix combat action + another non-combat meat action?
Since I can do 2 things at a time, can I assist myself on teamwork test?

Compiling Sprites is a Matrix Action and gets the +2 hotsim bonus, Registering is not even though it says in the description that it is done in VR?

I heard someone talking about Control Rig CF somewhere but cant find it in the books. Does it exist?
Flying Eye drone, Have seen talk about it here and there, cant find it in the books.

Thoughts?

[Edit] Updated buil, corrected some misscalculations
[Edit2] updated again

Yes, with a penalty to both actions I believe. [edit: Only in AR, in VR you're not moving the meat in the same round without mesh reality echo, or a -6 penalty]



Yes, with the penalty.



No. It says it must be a non-combat Matrix action.



Oh come on, no.



You get the +2 hot sim if you're in VR, but then you're not taking meat actions without switching initiative, taking the -6 modifier, or having the mesh reality advanced echo. Otherwise not sure what you're asking, if it's can you use the macro echo to compile a sprite, by RAW, yes.



Immersion Echo? Comes in two "grades" for +1 or +2 bonus while "jumped in" (each grade costing an echo)

Since you use Karma anyway (so your komplex Forms will be expensive as hell), it might be an idea to drop ressonance and get some more cyber so it is cheaper to buy up again.

Ty for answering.

I wouldn't use the teamwork thing, too cheesy. Just wondering if it is possible.

Ah, Immersion, totally missed that. Thought it was CF, not echo.



Not related to macro. Hot sim gets +2 to Matrix actions, Compile sprite is on that list, Registering is not. Even though it must be done in VR and technomacers in VR are always running hot sim. Its does say that the list is not exclusive list.

Both compiling and registering a sprite gain the hot sim bonus when done in VR.

And I misscalculated attribute costs. No wonder I had no Karma...

Compiling gets the bonus, RAW registering doesn't. It is commonly houseruled that it does, though.

Singularitarian is a subpar stream. If you're taking it for fluff reasons you can deal by taking Sprite Links, but if you are ambivalent, don't. Sourcerors are better. The difference is Code and Machine versus Tutor and Tank. Tutor, Code, and Machine are all universally good sprites. Tank blows and they are not good. You want either Fault or Paladin for fighting - either of them are far more useful. Since you have Shield I would want Fault personally. You are much better off taking Sourceror, then Sprite Linking the two good missing sprites (Tutor and Fault), which will leave you with the "power trio" of Code, Machine, and Tutor, and with a fighting sprite.

Macro is a good echo, but I would take it after Sprite Linking Tutor, and maybe before or maybe after Fault, depends how often you actually need to cybercombat. Sprites are very important to your usefulness as a technomancer.

No Spoof CF is a bad move. Not being able to spoof well means that you can run into some unsolveable matrix problems because Spoof is the only way to remotely deal with slave chains. You can probably live with like 3 Spoof, but you really can't afford to suck too hard at it.

Charisma is quite important (registered sprites) and you shouldn't cut that. Neither Willpower nor Intuition are nearly as important and if you have to cut stuff, I would pull from:

1 less Intuition
1 less Willpower
1 less Gunnery
2 less Perception
Cut the Crawler for now, just use the flyspy
Cut one of the Ford's and just swap weapons as needed.
Cut the Targeting autosoft. Machine sprites can bring their own, and you should be using machine sprites to drive, not dogbrains.

If you can swing it, I would really think about more Logic, and also more Charisma (registered sprites are very important, so is Fade resistance).

I edited just before you answered.

Registering should get it, I'll ask my gm about that.

Singularitarians I chose for being Logic stream, I can easily change to and rush Submersion for tasty Tutors. Hmm, the fluff is nice too. But they have no combat sprite and since I cannot fight either could be a problem until I get those Faults.

I seriously miscalculated my karma due to swapping things around and not remembering to make the karmachanges in calculations.
Forgot totally about charisma sprite link, will keep it at least at 3.
Perception, its just become a habit to put perception 3 to every character ever, since i forgot it on my first. Could drop it to 1 and rely on drone sensors.
Crawler was intended to work as a sensor platform/pet, but yeah it would be better to buy it after chargen. I'll drop the other Ford too.
Targeting autosofts are there only because Singularitarians dont get Machine Sprites.

I did get Cerebral boosters 3, but in the end that one point costs 26 karma(Cerebral 2 -> 3, alphaware Encephalon + restricted gear quality).
Maybe buy those after chargen and buy that spoof and up Charisma.

Gotta recalculate yet again.

I don't think CB 3 is worth the restricted gear on a techno. You don't really need money that much in the long run - karma is worth more. That's also why I suggested pruning drones - you will eventually have more money than you really need, but never more karma than you need.

I do see the problem with not having a fighting sprite, but tank sprites are the worst of the combat sprites and I would really hesitate to take a stream to get them. I'd much rather just suck it up for a session or two and then Sprite Link Fault or Paladin. And I'd still rather have Code to help me not get caught in the first place.

Dropped implants, crawler and second LEBD. Upped Cha.
Would Spoof 4, threaded when nessessary be enough?

What action is dropping a threaded CF?

About Codes, what makes them so good? Probability distribution? But they dont have stealth themselves so bring one and it will be noticed.
Can Probability Distribution be used on Compiling and Registering?
Fault and its Electron Storm, does the sprite have to use actions to keep it up?

[Edit] Hmm, after some calculations I noticed I could drop Cybercombat + Etiquette, change to elf, pump charisma to 5, buy Influence SG 2, pump spoof to 5 and still have 5 karma left without changing anything else. I could actually speak to people and have large swarm of Sprites with me.

Spoof 4 should cut it. It's not something that comes up all the time, it's more that it's a really bad idea to not have.

Dropping CF's is an action that takes no time.

Probability Distribution is the main thing, Info Sortilege is also nice - that's an echo in itself. PD works on any matrix action - so anything Hot Sim applies to should work. Compiling, in particular, yes. Registering, RAW no, but again it's commonly houseruled to be a Matrix Action. Ditto Threading. They are also helpful when rigging - they can Probability Distribution your Control Device. Or when hacking, they can Probability Distribution your Hacking on the Fly (which they do while in your bio-node, so their lack of stealth doesn't matter). I should also note that Code Sprites can "team up" with other sprites. For example, you can assign a Machine Sprite to drive your LEBD-1, and a Code Sprite to chill out and be its pal, while PD-ing for it. Basically, they are handy because they help with nearly everything.

That sounds like a good use of your karma. I would go for it.