What's the task pool used for again? I can never seem to find it because I never use it but my Encephalon tells me I get extra dice for it (how do we determine dice for it again and where is it found as well)? Thanks.

It's all in Man and Machine.

Encephalon adds its rating to your Task Pool, and a Cerebral Booster 2 will add another +1, for a max of 3.

It can be used as pool dice for: Technical, B/R, Knowledge and Language skills. M&M p48.

In the case of the Computer skill it doesn't apply while you're decking (although Encephalon adds its rating to your Hacking Pool instead in this case), but rather for things like programming tests, information searches, etc.

On the subject of task pools, the text for the chipjack expert driver seems to indicate that it adds a task pool to any chip slotted into it "from tai chi to Italian cooking". Checking the Task Pool entry on p. 48 offers no relief, since it comments that "some devices add the Task Pool to all skills (see expert driver, p.19)". That seems grimly open to creating killer combat characters; get some skillwires, add in a chipjack with a rating 10 expert driver (for a mere 1 Essence and 50k nuyen, not exactly an obstacle to a starting samurai) and BOOM! you're getting +10 dice to your Tai Chi Ch'uan attacks. Or your firearms. Or... well, you get the idea. Move over, adepts, you've met your master!

Tell me there's a way around this. Please.

The chip jack expert driver can only be used for slotted skills meaning your active skill is over ridden and you cant use combat pool. Also the errata limits it to rating 3 (I think) if not rating 6 is still the best for a starting character.

You could use it for combat skills but the skill soft would be very expensive at street samurai levels although it would allow you to withhold more combat pool for dodging (because you cant use it for the attack)you don’t have as much task pool as combat pool.

I did consider using chip sec guards at one point. As the software can be duplicated for minimal cost you can give all your security guards unarmed combat, pistols , blunt weapons and maybe some others on a skill soft jute box with a chip jack expert driver 3 making them quite competent in just few minutes and if you need them for heavier work you can slot them assault rifles, heavy weapons, lunch weapons, gunnery and SMUT as you break out the mill spec if things get really bad. You can evon include a light personofix to give them curage and loyalty in the face of dangers they where not mentally trained to deal with.

Edward

Edward one day I still want to play that self aware P-Fix chip

Yes.

Well for starters it is still a pool, so those dice would only refresh every three seconds. But more importantly the latest printing of M&M restricts the expert driver to a maximum rating of 3.

Edit: Yeah what he said etc.

Play it up like the Dixie Flatline. Turn him off and on again, he's meeting you for the first time again.

~J

Note that the three primary sources for Task Pools -- Cerebral Boosters, Chipjack Expert Drivers, and Encephelons -- each have their own rules for what that Task Pool can affect.

The CED Task Pool only works with chipped softs BUT it can be applied to any type of chipped soft; it could be Strength-based and it would still work. The Encephelon Task Pool works only with Intelligence-linked skills from the Technical, Build/Repair, Knowledge, and Language Skills lists EXCEPT for Computers (an Intelligence-linked Technical Skill) while decking. The Cerebral Booster Task Pool follows the same rules as the Encephelon's except that it lacks the restriction on using the Task Pool die it grants with Computers while decking.

I have no idea why they bothered creating a single named pool for all three of them (especially in the case of CEDs) instead of keeping them working as independant bonuses, especially since they insisted on adding completely different rules for each one. My guess is that the game designers are insane.

Either that or they figured that "Task Pool" sounded like a good name for a generic pool that applies differently in every case that it's used.

One thing that has been bothering me is why they bothered to include the little bit about how the encephalon-granted Task Pool does not add to Computer tests, but then go on to say that, instead, you get an equivalent boost to your hacking pool. Is there really a significant, functional difference between having a hacking pool of 8 and having a hacking pool 6/task pool 2, where in the latter case the task pool can be applied to computer tests?

Hacking Pool can be used for things your Computers skill (augmented or not by a Task Pool) cannot, such as improving your Detection Factor. It makes the Encephelon's bonus more powerful for a decker than the one granted by a Cerebral Booster.

Hacking Pool is actually more versatile since it can be used to suppress IC and add to one's Detection Factor.

[edit]

Make sure you have a bottle of Aspirin and a slide-rule handy when you do.

There's an additional difference. One that's not obviously appearent until you specifically go looking for the restrictions.

I dunno if it's an oversight or not, but the description of the Task Pool in M&M does not include the rating limitation and the references in the general rules for pools states they're limited by what the specific pool limitations describe.

Thus with a Cerebral Booster and an Encephlon 2 and a rating of 1 in a Tech skill would still get to roll all four dice. Or a rating 1 set of skillwires with a CED of 3 would still roll all four dice.

Also, if two different pools apply to one skill test, and since the limit is specific to each pool rather then a global limit to all pools, the limit of dice capable of being used is only a limit of dice from that specific pool. (Example: Player is using a skill with a rating of 6, they can pull 6 dice from pool A and they can pull 6 dice from pool b). Fortunately this is a rather rare occurance (to the extent that outside of Task Pool I can't think of any).

The wording with the Encephlon gets around this, but the bonus from the Cerebral Booster still applies so that a decker with a 6 in computers could still conceiveably roll 13 dice to attempt the action.

EDIT: Comprehension evades me.

There is a general rule about Pools in the Pool section of BBB (SR3) that applies to all Pools, which states that no more Pool dice can be used than the character has skill levels. This has been addended in the Errata (or FAQ?) to apply to all Pools that a character can or is using in the test (such as the Astral Pool or Task Pool).

Since no excption to this rule is listed in the Task Pool description, the general rule applies.

Uh, if ya could point it out specifically Fortune, I'd be grateful, cuz the only thing on limitations in the BBB on pools in general is:

Since there is nothing in the Task Pool description indicating that it is an exception to the general rule, I don't see how you can logically assume that it is an exception, being that any exception would be listed in the specific Pool's description. I believe that the Spell Pool can be an exception, in the way that Spell Defence dice are assigned.

The FAQ is official, whether we like it or not. Any further rulebooks and official releases are written with the information in the FAQ as canon.

As the standard dice pool rules specifically state that one should look at the specific pool description for any limitations on how many dice can be used on a single test, and as there is no such limitation provided in the description of task pools, we are led, logically, to the fact that Task Pools have no such limitation.

While the FAQ is canon, it is also inconsistant with canon.

I hadn't realized that Synner had become an employee of FanPro instead of a freelancer…

~J

When did I say he was? As a freelancer though, he is subject to, and limited by the rules of the game when submitting material for inclusion in canon. These rules are dictated by the Line Developer.

But, seeing as that isn't clear enough, ShadowFAQ is an emplyee, and he has stated the same things in regards to the FAQ and canon.

Let me explain it this way.

If the material in the FAQ is canon, you are requiring internet access to play the game with all the rules. The errata all makes its way into the books, and is thus available to offline players; the FAQ, while parts of it may make their way into the errata and thus into a printing, is not available in a hard copy format at your FLGS or anywhere else.

Regardless of Synner's perspective, he does not have the authority to declare the FAQ canon. It is possible that official FanPro word would be that the FAQ is canon even without going anywhere near a physical book, but this would be a monumentally stupid decision for the reasons outlined above.

One of these requires being mistaken, the other requires a serious shortage of forethought or intellect. I choose to give the FanPro staff (Rob, or is there anyone else?) the benefit of the doubt and assume that Synner is mistaken. Your choice is up to you.

~J

Maybe you should send an email to Rob to clarify the relationship between canon and the FAQ. As this question has already been answered to my satisfaction from more than one source, I don't feel I need the confirmation.

So you choose to believe that Rob is a fool. That's a valid choice. Well, either that or not think about it.

~J

No, but please feel free to put more words in my mouth.

Then explain how a third alternative fits into this. Please, by all means.

~J

Except they don't (have to) conform to the FAQs, and the FAQs are just general guidelines even for the writers of the game. The only solid rules are those written in the actual books themselves.

Considering the sheer number of inconsistancies between the FAQs and canonical material (especially considering how little research goes into FAQs answers, ala the last discussion about cybereyes), including new material being put out, well... they must not follow their own advice very well at all if that third option you mentioned is the one being used.

Then it's a writer's guideline. Still doesn't make it necessarily canon, and still doesn't mean it's sensible at all to declare it so until it hits the books.

~J

I think I actually have interpreted task pool right when I ruled that it wasn´t a dice pool at all. But every time I hear the term I think I might have missed something. It certainly sounds like something every character would have. Tests that allow dice pools you effectively have twice the rating in, why does that not include all tests? Well, dice pools are only for combat-like situations. It works because tests in shadowrun are always opposed tests when it matters. Tests made with dice pools are resisted using a dice pool. Tests made without them will not be resisted using them either. Task pool confuses me and should not have been named that way.

I know karma pool works differently but it´s an important ecception and it might as well be the only one.