Hello, I'm new to Shadowrun and new to being a GM as well. I intend to run a game for my sister as a practice run and while creating her character with her I bumped into a few things that are unclear (there was plenty, but thanks to some googling and reading probably a hundred different discussions here and elsewhere I managed to figure some things out). I have Runner's companion and Street Magic along with the Core rule book (20th Anniversary). I'm still waiting for the Unwired, Arsenal and .. er.. ah.. Augmentation to arrive. Which could take up at least a month. They're bit hard to come by.

Here goes. We're using Chummer btw. to make the characters.

1. If you decide to get an ocular drone, what would be the cumulated cost for it and what are the necessary procedures for it? Also what kind of penalties would it accumulate?
She's thinking of playing a Wakyambi (called Daddy-longlegs, which was a funny coincidence considering there was a weird characters list in here) that has only single-eye drone that she could then take out and use to spy stuff.

What I assume the things required are:

• Cyber-eye with at least rating 2 (cap 8, to make up for Drone's capacity cost of 6): 750y (possibly halved due to only single-eye operation)
• Ocular Drone plugin for the cybereyes basic system: 1500y
• Lone Star iBall (eyeball? Is it named such because it's supposed to be and ocular drone?): 1500y
  

  - However I read from somewhere that Lone star iBall would need to be "refitted" for being the eye-implant which would increase its cost to 3000y, but I'm not sure if the retrofitting is included in the combined cost of the implant and the iBall (which conveniently make up 3000y)
  - What other options do I have for the ocular drone? Is it just the iBall (in core) or can I basically use any that might fit in. I.e. probably not skimmer (garbage lid size), but the Shiawase Kanmushi microdrone for example? Examples from other books are welcome too.

• Some sensor(s) for the iBall (e.g. 2 cameras and a microphone): irrelevant to question
• At least the command software to give instructions to the drone. (e.g. in Basic User Suite): 300y

= 4050 + sensors + possibly autosoft with maneuvering for 500y

What I assume incurred penalties for the unbalanced eyes are:

• Unbalanced eyes (-2 or even -4) when trying to do anything. Unless it's possible to adjust the single eye to the vision of the other.
• 0,3 essence cost for the cyber-eye (or halved due to single-eye?)
• Loss of low-light eye (unless a vision enhancement is bought)

What I assume spy drone capabilities are:

• Possibility to control it via AR, as far as signal range is good enough.
• Both (commlink and spydrone) working in silent mode and still being able to communicate with each other.
• Spydrone doesn't need an image link to provide user with image/sound from it's point of view. Image link just displays the information in case player has DNI (handles all senses with sim module) or cyber eyes, trodes, glasses, contacts etc.
• ??? Something cool?

2a)If you get a microdrone (e.g. Shiawase Kanmushi) and your character isn't a rigger, what would you need to be able to mostly handle it in spying and controlling it in various environments?

• How easy is it to detect it, if you don't know it's there?
• Silent mode probably helps in keeping it hidden.
• How could maneuver autosoft help with for example Shiawase Kanmushi? Or iBall?
• Adding maneuver asks for text in Chummer, should this be the type of instructions included? Like Ground, flying, swimming, etc?

2b)How can I use up my microdrone capacity?

• Can I add more micro cameras? Microphones etc.? Chummer doesn't seem to calculate the capacity loss with sensors and would seemingly allow me to add 50 microsensors with cameras if I had the money. Or is it up to GM?
• Chummer lets me add modifications, but they're very limited. Such as Generic mod, Modular electronics(? what is this?), Rigger adaptation (which I assume is included in all drones already), weapon mount and then the firewall, response and system upgrades. Adding "gear" doesn't use any capacity, so I assume I can't add binoculars or earbuds to this.
• Should the autosofts be added to the drone itself, or the commlink they're controlled from?

3. Getting an implanted commlink. Do I need to buy the commlink separately along with the os (and apps) in the gear and then get the implanted commlink cyberware indicating that it's implanted? I assume upgrading it to a new one or into a better one requires some medical help.
EDIT: Quick additional question: With gecko tape gloves (+2 to climbing assisted) does the player still get the assisted bonus (+2, SR4A p.132 Climbing tables) totaling to +4 or does it just replace the +2 bonus from the assisted? What if there's already a specialization in assisted climbing? Does it then go to +4 or even +6? (+2 climbing assisted +2 specialization +2 Gecko gloves)

Also, if player has specialization in Freehand, obviously the freehand specialization doesn't count since the checks are considered assist, but what difference does it then make if you're climbing freehand with specialization or with gecko gloves without? Both give +2 to climbing checks. Is it just fluff about gecko tape not letting go so easily or such? (unless dealing with water of course)
Thank you.

Welcome to madness ...



Cybereye cost (700¥ to 1500¥ depending on rating)+ occular drone cost 3000¥ (as per SR4A core book). This includes the actual spydrone (with Lone Star iball stats)



Per rules: only the iball. However, as a GM you can handwaive and say, that every other microdrone can fit in, perhaps with slightly increased costs for customization.



You find rules for that in Augmentation (they have rules for single cybereyes as well.



AR and VR, depending on what you want.



Correct

Correct



Nothing special, a commlink with trodes and sim-module, command/encryption soft on the link, maneuver/clearsight/infiltrate-autosoft on the drone. Thats about it. you should increaes the sensor rating (described in the Arsenal 2070 book) to get better perception resuls. for 1000 to 2000¥ you can have a sensor rating of 6.



Around the size of a marble or golf ball. Pretty easy to conceal if you really are not searching for it.


Hidden mode is more or less the standard mode for all runners and their toys.



Tell drone to *go up the stairs*. Drone rolls Pilot or Pilot + Autosoft. Which can be 1-2 hits more if you can roll up to 4 dices additionally.



Every drone has a sensor package (see sensors in the core book) Each sensor package has capacity, each sensor (like camera) uses up this capacity. Every drone has a total of 4 slots for modification, if you want further/bigger sensors they take up these slots (improved sensor array, Arsenal 2070, drone slot modificatoin).



You should not use Chummer if you dont know the rules or don´t have the books - becaue Chummer does not show the rules behind the values and stats.

You cannot put earbuds on the drone. You can put a microphone in the sensor package, if there is enough size (see Arsenal 2070 drone/sensor/modification rules).



The drone.



Yes and yes.



It´s added. One is a skill specialisation, the othe is a gear bonus.

SYL

As a tip: read in the core book the sensor / sensor package rules before toying with modding the drone. Basically its a 3 step system

1) Choose the sensor size according to the drone size, write down sensor package capacity (3 for a mini drone for example).

2) Choose sensor types like camera an microphone and deduct their capacity cost from the sensor package cpacity (camera costs [1] capacity for example).

3) Trick out some of the sensors (the camera for example with infrared). Some sensors like the microphone and the camera has an INTERNAL capacity as well for things like audio enhancement or infrared/zoom.

As an example:

1) Mini drone => mini sensors => sensor package capacity is 3.

2) -1 capacity for camera rating 6 (camera rating is independent of the camera capacity cost for the sensor package capacity)
-1 capacity for microphone 6

Hmm, 1 sensor capacity left ... lets take the cyberscanner

-1 capacity for cyberscanner 6

3) Now I can trick out the camerea and the mic as well. Lets go with the classic

camera 6 with 6 internal camera capacity
-1 infrared
-1 zoom
-1 visual enhancement 3
- 1 low light

microphone 6
-3 audo enhancement 3

###############################

Now the drone has a sensor rating of 6, because in this small bug drone my tech connection squeezed in a state of the art cam, mic and scanner, each rating 6. The drone can operate in total darkness due to IR/Low light, can zoom in and if I want to hear or see something in details, i get +3 dices. In addition it can get close to a target and scan them for cyberware, weapons, equipment with the cyberscanner. Costs around 5000¥. In addition my mini drone still have 4 modification slots for toying around (like gecko tips, improved sensor array for a sensor capacity of 5), fuzzy logic and chameleon coating.

SYL







SYL

Thank you for the reply! Glad to be here!

I still haven't received my other books (namely Arsenal, Unwired and Augmentation) so for now I have to deal with core rules (and Runner's Companion). I'll check the rest out once I get them. So until then I'll have to be without the improved sensor arrays, single cyber-eyes and such... or make my own rules. Can't wait to get the extended drone modification stuff, as there's a truckload of cool stuff there it seems. (gecko tips, camouflage? Count me in. )

Chummer has still been a valuable help in clearing out the certain questions about the BP use and maximums. And in my defense, I did read the rules about things, but the gear and the plugins and accessories themselves seemed a little gray as their connectivity and possibilities weren't that well explained in the core book. At least some parts of the tricking out I had figured already. Thanks to your post I got them cleared out now. I intend to run a pretty low-level single-player practice campaign. The main character is pretty poor and rundown (amnesia!), so skills and money are spread a bit more thin for versatility. No rating 6 drones or other kits for her until she earns them. (and as we learn to play the game)

Thanks once again, got a fair confidence boost from this. Waiting excitedly for the weekend.

Yes, sensor and mod rules are even with the rule books a little bit ... *sigh* in some areas. Start small, expand a little bit, step by step. Thats the best way to learn SR and to know your stuff.

SYL