Hi everyone! I found the SR5 rulebook to be a little bit unclear on this. Can an agent be run on a Commlink, or do you need a full blown deck for that? Thx for your help!

If I remember correctly per RAW, Comlinks are not actually capable of running any programs at all... Nope, not even the common ones. So that would eliminate the Agent completely. Pretty sure that most just ignore those flawed rules, though.

So it's impossible to edit text or graphics, per RAW, on a commlink now?

That's where the difference between "Common Programs" and "Hacking Programs" is. Common Programs can be run on Commlinks. But Agents aren't listed in any of those two categories...

No - you can do that with a commlink. That is a Dataprocessing action, which commlinks can do. The only thing you can't do are Attack or Sleaze Actions.

You just cannot run any programs on them...

Do you have any rules reference for that?

Indeed...

Shadowrun 5, Page 221


Shadowrun 5, Page 243


Shadowrun 5, Page 246



Pretty self explanatory, really. Programs are not for Comlinks, as ludicrous as that sounds. That includes Agents.

This is exactly the kind of semantic argument that makes me wonder what's going on with shodowrun players that they are all simulationists.

It think the rules are pretty clear that it's referring to 'cyberprograms' being the kind of stuff used by hackers for the purpose of the game. You're not meant to take that to mean that it can't run software.

It is quite possible to have a rule that stops you running hacking related software but not common software like browsers, word-processors, etc. It doesn't have to be all or none.

those aren't considered programs in game terms. those are just part of the operating system, essentially.

programs don't let you perform matrix actions. programs let you perform matrix actions more effectively, frequently by increasing a limit, providing a straight-up dice pool bonus, or modifying what a check can do (for example, by increasing the matrix damage you deal)

And yet you are completely wrong in your assessment here.

PROGRAMS are for DECKS ONLY by the RAW. YOU DO NOT NEED PROGRAMS to perform Matrix Actions (Which comlinks can do just fine without any Programs). Comlinks come loaded with everything they need to run the Matrix. Says so right in the 1st Quote I provided. (SR5, Page 221). Go look at it again and you will see that it is there. Here, let me quote it for you again...

Shadowrun 5, Page 221


That being said, however, I think many people allow comlinks to run Common Programs (with slots equal to half the DR). It does not break the game, afterall.

Sorry to bump an older thread, but I'm reacclimating myself to the system. In SR4 was it that they made Commlinks basically cyberdecks with all the related bells and whistles, but now in SR5, they moved back to 'commlinks are commlinks' and 'cyberdecks are back to being cyberdecks"?

Yup. Commlinks are nothing but a glorified cell phone as of 2075/01/01 and cyberdecks are magically back in the hands of hackers deckers after having gone the way of the dinosaur after Crash 2.0 in 2064.