[KarmaInferno]

As I posted over on Dumpshock, I would like Hackers to be able to do combat attacks like temporarily blinding opponents by quick-hacking their cybereyes or goggles, forcing their firearms to eject clips, creating an electrical strike by hacking a nearby light pole, and the like.

The two former "attacks" are already possible, unless that gear is skinlinked, and creating an electrical strike by hacking a light pole I don't think is within the realm of physical reality.

Yea, you can do the first two currently. By rolling a test to find the opposing node, more tests to hack your way in and create an admin account, then commanding the device to do the action.

I was thinking of more like a single roll to use Blindfold v2.3 or GunHack Pro vs the target, much like a firearm attack is a single roll. Target would resist with some combo of gear rating.

As for the electrical strike, perhaps less realistic, but you see similar in fiction on occasion. Perhaps the hack messed with the control software and caused a transformer to blow. I dunno. Commanding tech in the nearby environment as a hostile impromptu attack is the general idea.

Stuff that can be used in the spur of the moment, as opposed to having to run the whole network infiltration sub-game.



-k

[Shinobi Killfist]

Unless you can do it to groups it is still kind of lame to hack their eyes or whatever.  So mages, sams etc kill people every pass and the decker temporarily inconveniences them?

If you can totally freeze thier weapons/eyes to the point where they can't fix them in the context of the fight that is kind of cool.  You could shut down a lot of guards to the point they surrender. 

[All4BigGuns]

Unless you can do it to groups it is still kind of lame to hack their eyes or whatever.  So mages, sams etc kill people every pass and the decker temporarily inconveniences them?

If you can totally freeze thier weapons/eyes to the point where they can't fix them in the context of the fight that is kind of cool.  You could shut down a lot of guards to the point they surrender.

Hopefully all this 'hacking cyber-ware' crap gets made--and explicitly stated--to be completely impossible to do. It is merely a can of worms best left unopened and something else can be incorporate that "lets hackers use their main skills in combat". (Though not all skill-sets are suitable for combat, and going that way lies the path of D&D 4e)

[RHat]

Unless you can do it to groups it is still kind of lame to hack their eyes or whatever.  So mages, sams etc kill people every pass and the decker temporarily inconveniences them?

If you can totally freeze thier weapons/eyes to the point where they can't fix them in the context of the fight that is kind of cool.  You could shut down a lot of guards to the point they surrender.

Hopefully all this 'hacking cyber-ware' crap gets made--and explicitly stated--to be completely impossible to do. It is merely a can of worms best left unopened and something else can be incorporate that "lets hackers use their main skills in combat". (Though not all skill-sets are suitable for combat, and going that way lies the path of D&D 4e)

Strenuously disagree.

1: Everything needs a counter.  Cyberware's is Matrix related interference.

2: Every archetype needs at least one of its skillsets to be comabt applicable.  An InfilFace has that, but a Hacker Face doesn't without serious effort.  And with a technomancer?  Unless you're using Drones and Machine Sprites, good luck.

3: Just because 4e did something doesn't mean it was one of the mistakes of 4e.

[All4BigGuns]

Unless you can do it to groups it is still kind of lame to hack their eyes or whatever.  So mages, sams etc kill people every pass and the decker temporarily inconveniences them?

If you can totally freeze thier weapons/eyes to the point where they can't fix them in the context of the fight that is kind of cool.  You could shut down a lot of guards to the point they surrender.

Hopefully all this 'hacking cyber-ware' crap gets made--and explicitly stated--to be completely impossible to do. It is merely a can of worms best left unopened and something else can be incorporate that "lets hackers use their main skills in combat". (Though not all skill-sets are suitable for combat, and going that way lies the path of D&D 4e)

Strenuously disagree.

1: everything needs

A hacker can contribute to combat by hacking the opposition's comm-units and scrambling their communications, preventing calls for backup and such like that, and a non-Technomancer hacker--assuming characters early on in the game--can have additional skills that give them some combat ability (not as good as the combat focused team members, but they shouldn't be). Hacking and gaining control over implants simply isn't a necessary thing for them to contribute.

[RHat]

How's a Hacker Face make a substantive contribution to combat?

[All4BigGuns]

How's a Hacker Face make a substantive contribution to combat?

He can do that same 'scrambling of communications' and things of that ilk, but really, not all characters are going to be able to 'contribute' in all situations. It just happens, and it is neither a good nor a bad thing.

[RHat]

That's not suubstantive, and you're forgetting that combat is a special case.

[Bull]

...and creating an electrical strike by hacking a light pole I don't think is within the realm of physical reality.

Unless you've ported in Highlander, in which case the decapitated guy is something you have to worry more about for electrical damage.

Not to mention the unkillable fellow with the big ass sword.

Been there, done that

http://chaosrpg.files.wordpress.com/2009/09/tss-13.pdf

[Sichr]

Hacking cyberware is nasty but is part of the setting and IMO at least ever since GITS firm part of the cyberpunk trope. I have no objection to that, and the more would this be "doable" in direct interaction, the better.

[All4BigGuns]

Hacking cyberware is nasty but is part of the setting and IMO at least ever since GITS firm part of the cyberpunk trope. I have no objection to that, and the more would this be "doable" in direct interaction, the better.

Like I said, I think it's an unnecessary 'can of worms' when there are other things that can be done, whether it be taking a couple ranks in a weapon skill to do some suppression fire or scrambling opposing communications (or anything else that someone may think of).

[Basic]

I really hope they don't take out hacking cyberware. I mean it fun. I don't really see what you mean by can of worms. Some one can have a hacker on there team make sure there cyberware is not hacked. and Cyberware makes you more powerful but it leaves you open to be hacked and have things shutdown or a hacker making your arm jerk to shoot your team mates or hacking your eye's to make you think that you are seeing something your not. It just fun stuff to do. Please just leave it in the game. If you don't want to get your cyberware to hacked learn how to protect it get an agent in it make friends with a hacker so on.

[All4BigGuns]

I really hope they don't take out hacking cyberware. I mean it fun. I don't really see what you mean by can of worms. Some one can have a hacker on there team make sure there cyberware is not hacked. and Cyberware makes you more powerful but it leaves you open to be hacked and have things shutdown or a hacker making your arm jerk to shoot your team mates or hacking your eye's to make you think that you are seeing something your not. It just fun stuff to do. Please just leave it in the game. If you don't want to get your cyberware to hacked learn how to protect it get an agent in it make friends with a hacker so on.

At present, it's too nebulous as to just what can be done with such an action, and really, it would be better to just remove to option, as to give it the amount of definition it needs would just add too much complication to an already complex hacking system.

[Ghoulfodder]

Unless you can do it to groups it is still kind of lame to hack their eyes or whatever.  So mages, sams etc kill people every pass and the decker temporarily inconveniences them?

If you can totally freeze thier weapons/eyes to the point where they can't fix them in the context of the fight that is kind of cool.  You could shut down a lot of guards to the point they surrender.

hack something to the point in overloads and explodes or lets off an electrical surge causing damage... like a commlink or a cybereyes etc.... maybe ?

[raggedhalo]

How's a Hacker Face make a substantive contribution to combat?

The expanded Leadership rules from War! (I know, I know) give the Face plenty of cool stuff to do, while the hacker side gets to play with their TacNet.