yep, and also her former employer.

Am I assuming correctly that Kerstin spoke the record in German?

Also, what about Eliza's commlink. Could I find it with my 6 hits?

Former employer? I think you are mixing something up.

Yes, the recording is in German, but it's a voice to text transcript (not that it matters, you can also play the raw data)

@Eliza's commlink: You manage to find her Persona, but it's not in a commlink but an expensive custom cyberdeck. DR 6 ASDF 8 (hurra for Kill Code)

Okay, thanks.
As the story advanced too far in the meanwhile, I'll attack Eliza's commlink another time.
I want Nacl's commcode, or whatever she uses to contact him. What would I need for that? Am I thinking too straight when I believe it should be as simple as reading the call log file? Of course, as every file so far, it will be encrypted and have a data bomb, I know...

@Eliza's commlink: You manage to find her Persona, but it's not in a commlink but an expensive custom cyberdeck. DR 6 ASDF 8 (hurra for Kill Code)

WOW -how much does that kind of technology costs?

If you ask Eliza she'll have no problem giving you the commcode - also he promised to meet up with you in three days near Innsbruck.

Nacl didn't call any of you directly so far, but yes, if he had called you, you'd be able to call him back - provided he doesn't use a burner that he discards afterwards.

Sure, but Eliza said she's got a number over which she can reach him. And I want this number ^^

Nun, du kannst es versuchen

Was für Aktionen würd ich denn brauchen? Hacking, Databomb auflösen, Encryption ... das übliche Verfahren?

HotF/Brute Force für 1 MARK
Matrix Perception
Decryption
Edit File

5 Punkte Distance Noise + 5 Punkte S&M Noise

S&M? Sadomaso?

bnc wants to make sure that the PDA itself or any tools attached to it are unable to send information. Matrix Perception (hot-sim): 15d6t5 4
retry: Matrix Perception (hot-sim): 13d6t5 5

If there are any hidden icons on the PDA, please let me know. Also, is there a hardware way to figure out if it can send information?

S&M= Smoke&Mirrors

The old commlink is physically incapable of using wifi in any form - both antenna and the requisite platine has been removed and even the Universal Dataport has been removed from the mainboard.

Also, there is nothing on it beyond the basic operating system and 15 year old bloatware.

The thing is as isolated as it gets.

The S & M noice doesn't bother me, only herself. Also, she must be a hell of a decker if she runs S & M permanently. Even with my really, really good dicepool I can hardly afford going into silent mode. A permanent 5 points of noice would render me incapable of doing anything except ordering pizza. Unless she only runs it when she isn't using her deck, of course.

The S&M noise also affects tracking - and it's all a question of noise compensation (and being able to switch configurator programms very rapidly)

It is a good practice to run S&M at full capacity anytime you are not using the deck. Lower it to whatever level you need when you do use the deck.

That said, I think that S&M is kind of an overkill for some reason. By far the most useful program in the list.

1. The negative of this program the noise - is actually something that you sometimes want. E.g. you can use Ewar + logic to generate noise with your deck as a complex action - here you get it for free.
2. It gives like 5 sleaze + 5 noise making you impossible to detect - and even if you are detected difficult to target. (like you feel with Eliza).
3. If you have perfect timing you can lower S&M to whatever level you need, (free action) Do whatever you want (complex action), and then raise it up again (free action). Your opponent faces terrible noise, and you don't take a negative dicepool. (and if you run silent you are sort of undetectable).

Not sure if Jack endorses such tricks, but perhaps for you to know as bnc might want to exploit them if it is allowed.

@Jack sure does but I don't try to performe Trace Icon. You wrote it yourself:

I don't try any tracing.

@gilga
By that logic, turning the fragging things off is even more OP: It gives you +infinite points of Sleaze when it comes to detecting at, and +infinite Firewall against any attempts of attacking it. And if you need it, you just turn it on.
The noice you generate only affects
a) all of your own actions; and
b) Trace Icon against your deck.
It does not add any dice against Matrix Perception!

Against Trace Icon, even without S&M, I have 15 dice to defend, without crippling myself. Don't confuse it with Ewar+logic with which I can cripple others rather than myself!

I can think of no situation whatsoever where S&M could be useful. If I know I'm being tracked, I just reboot the thing and watch those buggers retry to find me and get marks on me again. With Sneak, I'm even immune against GOD's auto-tracking. If I don't know I'm being tracked, I wouldn't ever suffer negative dice pools mods only to raise my limit a little more.


PS: How can there be 5 points of distance noice if she's mere 100 metres away from me? O.o
Or did you mean background noice?

That's why I noted the noises separately 😉
I not only endorse such tricks, I actively develop them.

With two free actions and a configurator program you can rapidly switch your program and limit layout. S&M ist only active while Eliza doesn't use Matrix actions of her own. The additional sleaze makes it harder to be found and traced - something she is very careful about.
And no, she is not in the van, she merely owns it. Her deck is far enough away that 5 distance noise apply

Jack - I learned most of these from you. Volker, I usually modify my (cheap) decks with a vectored signal processor (-2 noise) and a program module with signal scrub (-2 to noise) this hopefully leaves room for S&M to increase sleaze without removing dice. E.g. with no noise I can get away with +4 sleaze.

Now my deckers are not that good to enjoy very high limit, but having +4 sleaze (+5 with the other program, or even +7 for HoTF) means that I can put the lowest attribute on sleaze and enjoy better data processing and firewall.
E.g. My Erika (1,2,3,4 deck) would typically be configured when I do Sleaze actions: Sleaze 2, Firewall 4 and Data processing 3. So I find the S&M to be perhaps the most powerful program. Perhaps now that you have a super expensive deck you disagree as all your deck attributes are good.

By the way, you might want to check out the new decks from kill code. I did not find anything better than my Erika - but I got under the impression that for your price range you can have perhaps better decks. E.g. custom made decks.

May I assume that S&M is not running while she's doing research..? ]>

I didn't mean to send Eliza data searching, but rather, that she might already know from their past run...

Bye
Thanee

Actually, research wouldn't be impeded by noise as there is no distance noise to contend with and the noise reduction is high enough anyway to not be impeded by it.
That said, Eliza doesn't need to research the question since she already knows about the Black Lab.

@Thanee Ah okay
well, I guess bnc got you wrong ^^

@Jack okay, that sounds fair
But: wait. Are you telling me that any decker can just have an agent perform I am the Firewall 24/7 and then roll on demand? I can remember when I had my agent search all icons in the area (Munich, BMW center), you ruled that if I do that, the agent has to buy hits (rather than rolling them) and since the opponents can buy more in their Sleaze tests, my agent can't find anything. I don't understand why her agent doesn't follow the same rules.
Mind you, it would change anything about the situation. Even with a dice pool of 12 she would have spotted my attempt with this defense roll. But are you really sure you want to allow 24/7ing IatF? That would basically grant immunity against hacking for everyone who affords an agent and I'm relatively sure that's not what the rule writers intended (though I can't read thoughts, of course).

If you really want that: Assume that henceforth, if the agent is tasked otherwise, it will always firewall me

@Jack: When was the file created and last accessed and/or modified?

Happens.

Bye
Thanee

@Volker

Yeah, buying hits it will be from now on - it's the first time I got to try out the new rules and wanted to see how it would work out.
But yes, if you do want, Eliza can share this protection with the team.
As for what the writers intended: I'm still not sure how practical the new rules are, but there is only one way to find out. (Playtesting is probably something that happens to other RPG Franchises, it seems)

Okay, that makes sense. For me, it's a relatively cheap way to render yourself practically immune against hacking attempts. But sure, it makes sense to try something out before judging it.
So, consider bnc's agent busy

Immune is a strong word. It's certainly another layer of protection - you'll have to target the agent first though.


Alright: Unless anyone wants to do anything in Vienna while you are here (equipment, contacts, a stroll over the Prater) we can start the next chapter.

ad 1: I said "practically immune"
adding 3 bonus dice to an already balanced system is at least a very strong shift. And you can't target the agent directly as it's a program and no persona. So the agent has the full protection, too.

ad 2: yep, I'm in!

Nope, agents are their own persona:

p.235 core
You can only run one persona at a time; switching requires you to reboot both the device you’re currently on and the device to which
you want to shift your persona.
Some personas are agents, performing tasks on behalf of their owners. Agents running alone on a device replace the device icon the same way a living user does. If you’re running an agent along with your persona, it appears with its own separate persona, even though you’re using the same device.

Besides, it's not much different from going full defense every round.

Starting the next chapter is fine by me.
What time is it by now? We should consider grabbing a good dinner to regain edge

I'd say during our drive we should scan the diary for any other leads.

Full defense reduces the decker's initiative - and comes with an opportunity cost. You lose an action from yourself, here - the agent does full defense for you and you do not lose initiative.

Since the highest skill level is 12 and the highest logic/intuition is 10 (or 11) 22-23 dice for a matrix action is the maximum a non adept decker can ever get. (sure there are some qualities but you get the picture). Eliza already rolled like 20 dice to defend, and with full defense, she'd be over 23 dice. Without saying a cooperative hacking roll I don't see bnc ever breaking even.

Though, perhaps crash program action is now actually important. Crash the agent on the decker's deck and suddenly all the team's comlinks are hackable.

Well, I could suggest one or two ways to break through - but then, where would be the fun in that

I will be unable to post on 29. and 30. of September.
@Jack: Should the necessity arise for Wraith to act, may I ask you to control his actions on these two days?

Thanks for the heads-up, consider Wraith taken care off

Much obliged

May I assume that I do know that Nagl?

Also... I keep learn interesting stuff about shadowrun by the day. How can Composure be used to resist a Con test? Is there a quality or something?

bnc remembers that janitor as someone who was neither a hindrance nor a particular help beyond doing his job and not interfering with her life beyond a friendly greeting.

As for the composure test: Sorry, that was a brain fart on my part: The basis was Con+Will, but somehow I translated that in my head to a Composure Test (likely because a Composure test is made with CHA+WIL)

Actually, it's resisted with Con+CHA not Con+WIL.

I guess I would allow Composure, however if (and only if) the passive part simply refuses to listen at all and doesn't respond.

As I will now be cut-off from the internet for two days, shall we perhaps fast-forward Wraith's conversation with the janitor?

Since Jack has already agreed to play out Wraith in my absence, going on would basically lead to Jack playing both sides of the conversation, which I imagine to be rather dull;) .

Alternatively, if you guys are against fast-forwaring, let's assume that Wraith asked Anna to help him with Hr Nagl, then she can carry on.

Something like:
"Anna, would you help me get this janitor to talk? I'm sure a pretty lass could work wonders with the man's memory."

I think that two days are not that long. Anna is probably doing astral overwatch if she is not coming with you. I mean, just like the safehouse these people may be under some surveillance.

@Gilga: Improve Attribute is a Physical spell, I believe.

And there is this little restriction:



Bye
Thanee

I cast it before I astrally project.

You can do that, the problem is... it does not do anything, while you are on the astral, because it does not affect your astral form.

Bye
Thanee

The way I see it, it augments her mental faculties and the spell is present on her body, not on her astral form. A cerebral booster would have a similar effect despite being a physical augmentation (and clearly not applicable to astral forms).
I see health spells as similar to these in function which is why I think they also work while astrally projecting (As long as they are sustained). The spell does not affect the astral form directly, it improves Anna's Intuition, which remains improved while she projects. Clearly, as a health spell, it affects her physical body.

However, that said I am not here to argue the rules one way or the other. I'll have a blast playing if improve intuition helps in astral scouting and if it does not. So let's just see what Jack says about it, and worst case I'll take a bunch of dice off my roll - and be a bit more vulnerable while on the astral.

Body and soul are inextricably linked - any damage done to your body will also affect your astral form and vice versa. I think it's only fair if beneficial effects likewise carry over - provided you cast them on the body.

Yeah, seems fair.

Bye
Thanee

Are Nova and Anna sharing their info on the team's channel as well and/or have they granted Wraith acces to any audioreceivers they are wearing?

EDIT: For this occasion, I'm assuming they're sharing it somehow.
But in general: did anyone except Nova (smartgun) and Wraith (glasses, mic) share gear so far?

Nova has earbuds that can be shared so the remote team members can listen to the conversation in the van.

Her smartgun system won't be shared in general, though. That was for the guncam of her pistol.

Bye
Thanee

Great

If sharkboy has shared it's been with Wraith. I don't believe he's allowed access to his equipment otherwise.

How far away is the van from the janitors flat?

Bye
Thanee