Full Version: Help Help Technomancer Build Needed Help Help
OK so I am totally clueless on how to build a 5th edition Technomancer. So, I came looking here. Could y'all please post your characters so that I can look at them for sources of information? I tried search but its hard to sort the wheat from the chaff, y'know?
Here is the one I made for the Game I am in.
She has worked pretty well, in game, so far.
She has worked pretty well, in game, so far.
[ Spoiler ]
If I were building a TM (I'm just going to leave a skeleton here), I'd do the following:
Priorities:
A: Skills
B: Attributes
C: Technomancy
D: Broken human w/ 3 points
E: Money (+20,000 from 10 karma)
Remaining karma goes to 3 more complex forms and a minor attribute boost taking something from 1 to 2. You'll have to take a disadvantage of some kind to make that work.
Max logic (first) and intuition for sure. Balance Cha, Will and physical attributes depending on concept.
With skills A you can grab other interesting skills while still making a very competent decker (hacking dice pool is 12) and TM (you can still get resonance 6). You're still a little strapped for attributes, but the character should work out pretty well.
Priorities:
A: Skills
B: Attributes
C: Technomancy
D: Broken human w/ 3 points
E: Money (+20,000 from 10 karma)
Remaining karma goes to 3 more complex forms and a minor attribute boost taking something from 1 to 2. You'll have to take a disadvantage of some kind to make that work.
Max logic (first) and intuition for sure. Balance Cha, Will and physical attributes depending on concept.
With skills A you can grab other interesting skills while still making a very competent decker (hacking dice pool is 12) and TM (you can still get resonance 6). You're still a little strapped for attributes, but the character should work out pretty well.
i don't know that i would focus on resonance. +3 resonance means you can soak 1 extra rating point of complex forms on average. +3 edge means you can ignore limits, and therefore reduce your fading down to the minimum possible, in critical situations up to 3 extra times.
considering that in many cases it means you can leave your threaded CF rating at 1 instead of 5-6, that's probably saving you 4-5 fading when you really need it, although you do of course lose out a bit on your fading for mediocre stuff... but then, why on earth are you using complex forms for simple stuff anyways? if you have a decent dice pool, just use regular hacking with no complex forms for standard stuff. i'm not convinced there's such a thing as a build that can handle using complex forms for everything anyways, so you're already saving them for special occasions; would you rather have to eat 7-8 points of fading in crisis situations, or 2-3?
considering that in many cases it means you can leave your threaded CF rating at 1 instead of 5-6, that's probably saving you 4-5 fading when you really need it, although you do of course lose out a bit on your fading for mediocre stuff... but then, why on earth are you using complex forms for simple stuff anyways? if you have a decent dice pool, just use regular hacking with no complex forms for standard stuff. i'm not convinced there's such a thing as a build that can handle using complex forms for everything anyways, so you're already saving them for special occasions; would you rather have to eat 7-8 points of fading in crisis situations, or 2-3?
I've put together this guy, who I haven't played yet, but want to. I've compounded the usual difficulties by making him a Dwarf, but what can you do? 
[ Spoiler ]
QUOTE (DMK @ May 14 2014, 01:12 PM) 
I've put together this guy, who I haven't played yet, but want to. I've compounded the usual difficulties by making him a Dwarf, but what can you do?
[ Spoiler ]
Hey hey now, nothing wrong with dwarves
Trolls now..that's different.
Some say Trolls use 50% more Bandwidth when decking. 
QUOTE (Sendaz @ May 14 2014, 02:38 PM)
Some say Trolls use 50% more Bandwidth when decking.
Well... DUH!!!
I was looking through complex forms to make a list I recommended (since there are some duds in the list). I stumbled upon a topic worth discussing:
Puppeteer allows you to command a matrix action from a device or a persona. Invite marks (any number) is a matrix action. So my interpretation is that you can use puppeteer to force any device to give you three marks with out any risk of detection (beyond a resonance signature) on failure. This seems tremendously powerful.
By the way, the only must-takes I saw in the complex form list are: Cleaner, Puppeteer (if above interpretation is correct) and Infusion of Sleaze
Others that are situation specific: Static bomb, Resonance veil, Stitches and Infusion of firewall
Resonance Spike and Editor might be interesting if you want to try to build a TM without hacking, EW or computer.
Puppeteer allows you to command a matrix action from a device or a persona. Invite marks (any number) is a matrix action. So my interpretation is that you can use puppeteer to force any device to give you three marks with out any risk of detection (beyond a resonance signature) on failure. This seems tremendously powerful.
By the way, the only must-takes I saw in the complex form list are: Cleaner, Puppeteer (if above interpretation is correct) and Infusion of Sleaze
Others that are situation specific: Static bomb, Resonance veil, Stitches and Infusion of firewall
Resonance Spike and Editor might be interesting if you want to try to build a TM without hacking, EW or computer.
QUOTE (pragma @ May 14 2014, 08:17 PM)
I was looking through complex forms to make a list I recommended (since there are some duds in the list). I stumbled upon a topic worth discussing:
Puppeteer allows you to command a matrix action from a device or a persona. Invite marks (any number) is a matrix action. So my interpretation is that you can use puppeteer to force any device to give you three marks with out any risk of detection (beyond a resonance signature) on failure. This seems tremendously powerful.
By the way, the only must-takes I saw in the complex form list are: Cleaner, Puppeteer (if above interpretation is correct) and Infusion of Sleaze
Others that are situation specific: Static bomb, Resonance veil, Stitches and Infusion of firewall
Resonance Spike and Editor might be interesting if you want to try to build a TM without hacking, EW or computer.
Puppeteer allows you to command a matrix action from a device or a persona. Invite marks (any number) is a matrix action. So my interpretation is that you can use puppeteer to force any device to give you three marks with out any risk of detection (beyond a resonance signature) on failure. This seems tremendously powerful.
By the way, the only must-takes I saw in the complex form list are: Cleaner, Puppeteer (if above interpretation is correct) and Infusion of Sleaze
Others that are situation specific: Static bomb, Resonance veil, Stitches and Infusion of firewall
Resonance Spike and Editor might be interesting if you want to try to build a TM without hacking, EW or computer.
The trick with Puppeteer is that because it's resisted, you'll be dealing with ridiculous Fading codes to use it, which renders it an emergency trick at best.
QUOTE (RHat @ May 15 2014, 12:16 AM)
The trick with Puppeteer is that because it's resisted, you'll be dealing with ridiculous Fading codes to use it, which renders it an emergency trick at best.
you'd be dealing with ridiculous fading codes even if it wasn't resisted. the fact that it's resisted just means you face even worse ones.
i mean, at rating 1 it's 5 points of fading. for that much, i can drop an AOE sustained mind control spell that will last for several rounds if i'm a magician.
but yes, this is a prime example of why i value edge more than resonance. when you're facing 8 fading or something crazy like that to use your CFs that are actually worthwhile, an extra 3 dice to soak feels hardly worthwhile (and in difficult situations, you may even get stuck taking physical fading). certainly not compared to being able to reduce that to only 5 fading, at least, though that's not exactly sunshine rainbows and lollipops either.
Ask your GM if you can create a SR4A (karma rules) Technomancer. And convert him to SR5.
QUOTE (Cyntax @ May 14 2014, 03:17 PM)
Hey hey now, nothing wrong with dwarves
Trolls now..that's different.
Trolls now..that's different.
Heh.
I just meant that giving up your C priority to be a Dwarf is tough on a Technomancer.
being a technomancer is tough on being a technomancer. but yes, having to give up priority C (which could have otherwise been used on being a technomancer so that A and B are available for other things) is indeed more difficult for a technomancer.
Step one: Acquire your GM's copy of the rule book
Step two: Fudge the Fading values to something sensible, taking spells as a guideline
Step two: Fudge the Fading values to something sensible, taking spells as a guideline
There are actually quite a few ways to build one. The only really important point is that you need a B or better in attribs.
A lot of people think they want an A pick for resonance, but if you let your Resonance drop to C, you only get one CF to start, but honestly, with the way they are, you dont want to many to start, so you dont accidentally kill yourself with fading.
If you go with a C resonance, then you can pick between A skills for versatility, or A attribs for survivability.
You can put the A in resonance, but that means a C skills and you will be scraping to get all your matrix skills on par, and your non-matrix skills will be non-existant.
Past that you can go with D in resources, and be fine, or put your resources in E and probably have to shore it up a bit with karma, but a technomancer can get by with no resources better than some classes, buy good armor. There isnt a whole lot that you will want that you can buy with 50k that you couldnt buy with 6k-10k.
If you have E for metatype, you probably should put the special point in resonance but edge can be viable. if you have a D for metatype, you can either go Elf for some extra Attack attribute on your personal deck and a decent ability to play face for a group, or go human +3 and get your resonance capped out at 6.
The most effective character is probably
A: stats, B: attribs, C: resonance, D: metatype, E: resources.
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