General Shadowrun Questions III: Ya like that, Chummer?

[TheMightyQuinn]

No. Those are computer actions you can take.

They assume that you have all kinds of programs running.

The ones that take up "slots" are ones that give you a significant numerical bonus.

[Lord Torath]

Anyone ever run/play through the Bottled Demon adventure? What were your thoughts on it? Did you encounter the Children of Sophocles? How did they intercept the party?

[comicshorse]

Anyone ever run/play through the Bottled Demon adventure? What were your thoughts on it? Did you encounter the Children of Sophocles? How did they intercept the party?

That's going back a bit. I have played it but it was ages ago. All I remember is bits. I remember a fight in a junkyard that was great fun and involved toppling piles of junked cars all over the place and somebody summoning a huge Junkyard spirit that looked like a rusty Golem made up of destroyed cars.
I think we encountered the Children and minced them because they didn't have a reaction spell lock between them.
I do remember the G.M. being slightly annoyed when we killed Blackwing (particularly when he's meant to show up in a later adventure)
I remember it being a slight if fun adventure but written by someone who didn't really get how NPC's in Shadowrun need a reaction boost of some sort to not be cannon fodder for the average PC.

[Lord Torath]

That's going back a bit. I have played it but it was ages ago.

What can I say? I like the oldies! I prefer 2E with VR 2.0, but not Rigger 2.

All I remember is bits. I remember a fight in a junkyard that was great fun and involved toppling piles of junked cars all over the place and somebody summoning a huge Junkyard spirit that looked like a rusty Golem made up of destroyed cars.
I think we encountered the Children and minced them because they didn't have a reaction spell lock between them.
I do remember the G.M. being slightly annoyed when we killed Blackwing (particularly when he's meant to show up in a later adventure)
I remember it being a slight if fun adventure but written by someone who didn't really get how NPC's in Shadowrun need a reaction boost of some sort to not be cannon fodder for the average PC.

That's a common problem with those published adventures, and Threat Ratings don't affect initiative. Back in the day when I ran through it as a player, we didn't have a shaman, just a mage. Who never seemed to go astral. I had a Rigger who put three-quarters of a million nuyen into her car, but didn't have any really useful drones. We didn't really know how to build runners very well....

[comicshorse]

What can I say? I like the oldies! I prefer 2E with VR 2.0, but not Rigger 2.

That's a common problem with those published adventures, and Threat Ratings don't affect initiative. Back in the day when I ran through it as a player, we didn't have a shaman, just a mage. Who never seemed to go astral. I had a Rigger who put three-quarters of a million nuyen into her car, but didn't have any really useful drones. We didn't really know how to build runners very well....

Hey I actually played the Private Investigator archetype in a game (no cyberare, no magic)

[druid91]

Hmmm. Would it be a terrible gimmick to have a hacker who plays missile command and has drone trucks rigged up to launch long range smart missiles out in the barrens?

[Enixon]

Hmmm. Would it be a terrible gimmick to have a hacker who plays missile command and has drone trucks rigged up to launch long range smart missiles out in the barrens?

Probably.... but you should do it anyways!

[LibraryOgre]

Hmmm. Would it be a terrible gimmick to have a hacker who plays missile command and has drone trucks rigged up to launch long range smart missiles out in the barrens?

No, but that's the kind of thing that draws immediate, official, attention.

[druid91]

So, this is perhaps an odd question, but while I have a fairly strong grasp of what other concepts do.... I have a fairly shaky idea of what a hacker should be doing?

I get hacking into enemy nodes and the like but I feel like there should be more to it? I dunno.

[Lord Torath]

Have you ever seen Sneakers? Whisper is the Decker/Hacker. The Italian Job? Lyle is the Decker

A Decker can infiltrate computer systems to steal data, override elevator controls, control traffic lights, spoof security cameras, plant false data, control HVAC/lighting, and kick other deckers off the Matrix.

[LibraryOgre]

It also somewhat depends on edition.

In 1e-3e, the Decker was, for the most part, baggage. You got them into the place to do their thing. They would then help with security and such while they did their thing. You would get them out.

4e, the Hacker became a lot more active. There were lots of things with wireless functionality that you could hack out in the world... someone's wireless smartgun? Turn it off, eject the magazine, switch the FOF indicators, whatever. You could more or less talk a door open with your commlink. They became a lot more active in the game.

[druid91]

So, first time making a Technomancer. Or really, a character that interacts much with the Matrix at all outside of making use of it to detonate bombs.

So what Complex Forms/ Programs are the absolute must haves?

[Fable Wright]

So, first time making a Technomancer. Or really, a character that interacts much with the Matrix at all outside of making use of it to detonate bombs.

So what Complex Forms/ Programs are the absolute must haves?

First question: What system?
Second question: How well does your GM know the Matrix rules?
Third question: How creative are you as a player?

[Dimers]

Fourth question: power level of the party?
And fifth, if it's a 4th-ed game, is the GM using Unwired or not?

[druid91]

First question: What system?
Second question: How well does your GM know the Matrix rules?
Third question: How creative are you as a player?

Fourth question: power level of the party?
And fifth, if it's a 4th-ed game, is the GM using Unwired or not?

1.) 4th Anniversary.

2.) Fairly Well I believe.

3.) Not sure what you mean by this one.

4.) High power. Very High Power.

5.) Unwired is in play.

[Dimers]

4.) High power. Very High Power.

Ah. Well, I can't tell you a whole lot, then. That game's in a whole other category from what I'm used to. I do suggest that tacsoft be on the list, though. An easy +4 to almost every important skill for every member of the team ... kinda handy.

[Telwar]

The guy who played a techno in my game swore by sprites.

[Lord Torath]

2E Question: When attacking a critter with the Hardened Armor power (treat armor as a barrier and treat body as ballistic/impact armor), do you degrade the Hardened Armor as you would a barrier? Think Str 10 MMG vs Bod/Armor 15/8 Western Dragon. The barrier rating is doubled vs firearms when considering damage to the barrier, so you'd compare the Strength-10 MMG vs a barrier rating of 16. The MMG is over half the barrier rating, so that would lower the barrier's value to 7 for future attacks. Or vs a Strength 10 combat axe, you'd again reduce the barrier rating to 7.

[comicshorse]

2E Question: When attacking a critter with the Hardened Armor power (treat armor as a barrier and treat body as ballistic/impact armor), do you degrade the Hardened Armor as you would a barrier? Think Str 10 MMG vs Bod/Armor 15/8 Western Dragon. The barrier rating is doubled vs firearms when considering damage to the barrier, so you'd compare the Strength-10 MMG vs a barrier rating of 16. The MMG is over half the barrier rating, so that would lower the barrier's value to 7 for future attacks. Or vs a Strength 10 combat axe, you'd again reduce the barrier rating to 7.

Off the top of my head I'd say as its a Paranatural power then it wouldn't degrade like a barrier.

[Lord Torath]

Off the top of my head I'd say as its a Paranatural power then it wouldn't degrade like a barrier.

Would you say Vehicle armor would degrade? Or does the Damage to Barriers rule really only apply to actual barriers?

[LibraryOgre]

I would degrade vehicle armor, but not natural armor. Vehicle armor, obviously, can be repaired, but natural armor is repaired as the underlying creature is healed.

[Daremonai]

I've been playing with the idea of a character who was trainee military/spec-ops for a corp, but decided to cut & run after the rest of his squad were burned as part of a powerplay by superiors, but....

Where would that leave him SIN-wise? Presumably he'd have had a full corp SIN while he was still serving, but now he's "dead" and/or AWOL does that still count, or is he effectively just SINless?

[Dimers]

I've been playing with the idea of a character who was trainee military/spec-ops for a corp, but decided to cut & run after the rest of his squad were burned as part of a powerplay by superiors, but....

Where would that leave him SIN-wise? Presumably he'd have had a full corp SIN while he was still serving, but now he's "dead" and/or AWOL does that still count, or is he effectively just SINless?

Effectively SINless, yes, because if he were to use that SIN he could get in a lot of trouble fast. But in some nations/corps he could apply for a SIN as if he never had one before. So if you don't want him to be (practically) SINless, he doesn't have to be.

[Delta]

No he wouldn't be SINless, there'd still be a corporate SIN with his data, if the corp knows he's not dead they may well be more or less actively looking for him.

That's why hiring someone to erase/change that data would be a wise move for such a character, once your SIN is marked as dead and its biometrics don't match yours, there's no way to connect you to it.

[JustIgnoreMe]

If he was burned, the suit who burned him might well have erased his SIN to clean up (or make life harder for him). She'd have kept all the relevant details to brief her own kill-teams, or her contacts in the Star, or her pet decker.

[Delta]

If he was burned, the suit who burned him might well have erased his SIN to clean up (or make life harder for him). She'd have kept all the relevant details to brief her own kill-teams, or her contacts in the Star, or her pet decker.

Um erasing that SIN would make life significantly easier for the character, not harder. Still might do it to clean up something they don't want to come out, but definitely not that. If you just want him found, you flag him as a criminal which would make it massively easier for him to be spotted in a random check.

Simple example: His fingerprints show up at a crime scene, if he has a criminal SIN it's quite possible a search for those fingerprints triggers an alert and immediately, corp security knows "Oh, this guy we're looking for showed up!". If his SIN is erased, nothing happens unless that one specific cop you leaked his information to is in a position to look at the case, and no decker can monitor every security force in the world.

[JustIgnoreMe]

I don't think being SINless is easier than having a corporate SIN, and erasing a corporate SIN from your own corp's database is easier than faking a criminal SIN. Also, if the suit erases the corporate SIN, there's less proof that the patsy ever worked for the corp.

While having no SIN makes life easier for a professional criminal, it makes life hell for Joe Shmoe who's lived his entire life in the light, working for his corp. The character being described has never had to run the shadows, has no support network, no shadow contacts, probably very little certified cred (all their money would be corporate scrip, now revoked and worthless).

[DodgerH2O]

I've been playing with the idea of a character who was trainee military/spec-ops for a corp, but decided to cut & run after the rest of his squad were burned as part of a powerplay by superiors, but....

Where would that leave him SIN-wise? Presumably he'd have had a full corp SIN while he was still serving, but now he's "dead" and/or AWOL does that still count, or is he effectively just SINless?

As a GM I'd be flexible, as long as you fit it with your background story and mechanics. SINless would probably have to be accompanied with a lower amount of corp related contacts/leftover gear, or take the SINner penalty and use it to have better connections and/or gear, with the downside of being in a corp database, hope he worked for a low-profile security corp and not a mega!

[Delta]

I don't think being SINless is easier than having a corporate SIN

If said corporation is looking for you, yes, not having a SIN in their database makes life much easier for you.

While having no SIN makes life easier for a professional criminal, it makes life hell for Joe Shmoe who's lived his entire life in the light, working for his corp. The character being described has never had to run the shadows, has no support network, no shadow contacts, probably very little certified cred (all their money would be corporate scrip, now revoked and worthless).

How is any of this relevant to his situation? He cannot actively use that corporate SIN anyway, because otherwise the corp would immediately be alerted to his presence, so it does absolutely nothing to make his life easier, it only helps the corp to make it easier to track him down.

[Delta]

hope he worked for a low-profile security corp and not a mega!

Low profile security corps don't usually have military/spec-ops operatives. If you're not at least AA and extraterritorial (and therefore a mega), you don't have that kind of firepower (or if you had, you couldn't realistically use it)