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Technomancer feedback for a new book!

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Frogsplosion

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« Reply #450 on: <04-02-17/1827:01> »
I'm very new to the system, so I might not be the best to comment on what technomancers need, but I tried maybe five different ways of building a techno as my first character and wasn't satisfied with any of them. Even with maximum mental stats and maxed out matrix skills, my highest dice pool for matrix actions was 14, I was rolling 12 dice vs matrix perception, I had to ask for GM rulings on half of my abilities because the rules are either vague or poorly explained, and I was basically useless outside of the matrix unless I started skimping on matrix skills because of how insanely resource dependent technos feel.

By contrast, I made my first ever decker, splashed in Mystic Adept and my first draft ended up with a character that rolls 28+ dice vs matrix perception, 20+ dice on most attack actions, 17 on most sleaze actions and only suffered in the data bomb and matrix perception department because I couldn't find any ways to increase it beyond doing enough jobs to bump intuition beyond 4, and still rolls 13 dice at all 5 of my really useful force 3 manipulation spells and fires 13 dice with an smg before take aim. And the thing is, I don't feel like I needed to work that hard to put it together. All it took was reading all the core books and understanding how the mechanics worked.

The techno was a lot of reading online threads about limits on sprites, resonance veil, wireless interaction, puppeteer, hell almost every technomancer power had threads asking about how they worked. My experience with the Decker Mystic Adept on the other hand is that I built a character and instantly understood how all of the mechanics worked once I read them a single time, because the rules were explicit, detailed and made sense. Not that I couldn't complain about the organization of the books, good god it can be really problematic finding things in the core rule book.

On top of having a bunch of badly written abilities, the techno's submersion bonuses are basically programs and wares you need to pay exorbitant amounts of karma for (one of them literally gives you a program) whereas a decker can literally just buy wares and programs dirt cheap at chargen and be good to go. I was also constantly fighting with the priority system as a techno trying to find the best mix because I needed pretty much everything as high priority as possible. The decker again was super easy to put together in a way that made sense and there was plenty of room to play with priority to build it many different ways that all felt adequate (and one that turned out to be super dumb).

Of course, from my new player perspective it's hard for me to tell if technos are super weak, or deckers are simply really really op.

I would love to see more real technomancy. Magicians in Street Grimoire got Increase/Decrease Noise, Increase/Decrease Gear Limit, Interference, Analyze Device, Fix, why exactly don't technos have options like this? Diagnostics on guns and other things honestly should be a technomancer staple if they're going to be so MAD, they have to get extra support somewhere. Where are all the cool abilities that let me take direct control of technology, animate it and turn it against it's owner literally. A meatspace equivalent to Animate Object/Puppeteer for tech would be hot, Gremlins should've just been a complex form. Technos should be the undisputed masters of matrix trickery, right now they feel like a three legged horse in a NASCAR race.

&#24525;

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« Reply #451 on: <04-03-17/2156:06> »
Of course, from my new player perspective it's hard for me to tell if technos are super weak, or deckers are simply really really op
Yes and yes.

Finstersang

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« Reply #452 on: <04-06-17/0828:00> »
I would love to see more real technomancy. Magicians in Street Grimoire got Increase/Decrease Noise, Increase/Decrease Gear Limit, Interference, Analyze Device, Fix, why exactly don't technos have options like this?
This.

&amp;#24525;

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« Reply #453 on: <04-11-17/2248:43> »
One more Homebrew CF:

Prestidigitization
Target: Device
Duration: I
Fade Value: L - 2

Target device resists with Willpower + Firewall. If you win the Opposed Test the device and any slaved devices do not benefit from any wireless on effects. A device must reboot in order to gain any benefit from wireless on effects.
//edited for clarity
« Last Edit: <07-11-17/2118:58> by 忍 »

dragrubis

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« Reply #454 on: <04-12-17/0305:20> »
this one is really amazing (and fun) the cherry on the cake : enjoy ejection chock :D

belaran

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« Reply #455 on: <04-15-17/0840:01> »
Is there any update on this upcoming book ? Is it still being written ? (I heard somewhere the ebooks was in fact cancelled).

&#24525;

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« Reply #456 on: <04-15-17/1821:40> »
I don't imagine Catalyst would say anything given their history. In the mean time there's some in-community work being done on adapting the 4th TM stuff to 5th.

To add to the brew:
Data Buffer
Target: Device
Duration: S
Fade Value: L - 3
Target device gains additional dice equal to your hits to resist Matrix Damage and, if applicable, Biofeedback Damage.

Zukkel

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« Reply #457 on: <04-20-17/1839:10> »
Holy fuckin Christ.

2 years ago I started a Thread in the german Shadowrun Forums, for feedback for this Project, it ramped up to 13 pages of in depth brainstorming which was translated and put here and there is still nothing.

I can't even describe how frustrated I am with this whole situation.

Sorry for venting. Gonna dissapear in my hole again. See you in another 2 years  :'(

&#24525;

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« Reply #458 on: <04-20-17/1851:58> »
And here's a submersion!

Mutable Persona:
You gain a number of attribute points equal to your submersion grade to add to your ASDF array. These points can be reconfigured like a cyberdeck.

Example:
Jade recently finished her second submersion. Now having both Skinlink and Mutable Persona, she feels confident in her Matrix prowess. Her Living Persona is A 5, S 7, D 8, F 6. With her two points from Mutable Persona she boosts her Attack and Firewall by one each, making her ASDF now 6, 7, 8, 7.

dragrubis

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« Reply #459 on: <04-21-17/0328:19> »
oh My ... God! This one is a really good answer!

&#24525;

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« Reply #460 on: <04-21-17/1014:09> »
Thanks :)

&amp;amp;amp;#24525;

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« Reply #461 on: <04-23-17/0243:40> »
I guess I'm on a roll.

Enhance Firmware
Target: Device
Duration: S
Fade Value: L + 1
Improving the preexisting software on a device, this complex form adds a number of dice equal to your hits when using it. A device can only benefit from this if it is also benefiting from a wireless on effect of it. This only adds to rolls in which the wireless on effect is being used.

Example:[spoiler]Jade Threads Enhance Firmware on her Ares Predator V at Level 3. She rolls her Software 5 and her Resonance 6 and get 4 hits. Only three of the hits are kept because of the limit from the Complex Form's Level. She then rolls to resist Fade with her Willpower 5 and Resonance 6 only getting 3 hits. Ow, 1 Stun damage is lame, but she can make it. Once in a scuffle, she rolls her Pistols 3 + Agility 3 + 1 from smartgun + 3 from Enhanced Firmware and a -2 for sustaining it, totaling a dice pool of 8. She may want to take a moment to aim up her shot.[/spoiler]

Thoughts:
[spoiler]I kind of want to name the above CF "AMP" (Augment Matrix Performance). Also I could see the argument for making it last [Level] minutes. I also kinda like the idea of a downside to this. If it is sustained for a number of hours equal to the Device's Rating, it suffers damage or gains gremlins... something.

I'm open to suggestions.[/spoiler]

Data Surge
Target: Self
Duration: I
Fade Value: L + 2
All (wireless on, natch) devices within [Level] meters of you must win an Opposed Test with Willpower + Firewall or reboot. Only devices with a Device Rating less than or equal to the Level are affected. Devices that are slaved can use the Master's defense pool, however the device's rating still determines if it is affected. This has no effect in a host.

Cryptext
Target: File
Duration: P
Fade Value: L - 1
By saturating a file with Resonance you can create a sort of subfile within the file. The data you place within the file is unviewable to those unaware of its existence. To access the subfile you must first find it with a Matrix Perception text with a threshold equal to its hits; it is considered to be running silent. If/once you spot it, you'll need to decrypt it with an Opposed Test using Crack File against Level * 2. Alternatively you can simply access it if your persona has permissions to use/read/write it (set up at the time of Threading). Still you must first find it before you can use it.
The Level of the Complex Form determines the size and complexity of the data that which is being hidden.
Example:
  • About a paragraph of text
  • A file such as song or document
  • A folder containing some files
  • An entire discography, entire building blueprints
  • 3d blueprints, short clip of simsense, detailed autobiography,  complicated formula
  • A flatscreen movie, approx 10 minutes of trideo or simsense recording, a folder containing several files, etc
  • Entire contents of a datachip
Resonance Realm
Cyberia
In the far reaches of Resonance is the realm of Cyberia. An arctic landscape envelops the vast and perilous area. Vicious incarnations of the Matrix's IC prey upon those who venture out this far, taking form of nightmarish amalgamations of nature's predators. Know sightings include Moosewolves, Tigorillas, Spiderfoxes, Minnowtaurs, and Leopardowls. Aside from the deadly "fauna", the climate's conditions are just as ruthless with biting gales that shiver your bones and snowstorms which freeze the blood in your veins. "Why come here", you're probably thinking. Rumors speak of someone (or thing) that has existed since the beginning of the Matrix and resides here in seclusion. It's survived of both crashes and knows the most protected or forgotten secrets of the Matrix. Just be careful if you looking for it. Those that say they've seen it speak of it changing into any form at will.
« Last Edit: <04-25-17/2136:40> by 忍 »

dragrubis

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« Reply #462 on: <04-23-17/0347:56> »
You have great ideas omae.


&#24525;

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« Reply #463 on: <04-25-17/2152:01> »
Bump for edits and one more:

AVOID (Alternate Verification Of IDentity)
Target: Device
Duration: I
Fade Value: L + 2
In the wave of a hand, you pull together Resonance like quantum-code to forge a temporary Fake SIN. Your hits determine the rating of the Fake SIN. This Complex Form only works in one instance of a SIN check. Each use of this generates a "new" SIN, although you are capable of making it applicable in regards to your metatype, sex, height, etc. If the SIN check fails, the device alerts the owner of foul play (such as "this is fake", "I've been hacked", etc). If the device beats the threshold with a number of hits equal to your hits, the device alerts its owner that Resonance is being used.

dragrubis

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« Reply #464 on: <04-26-17/0339:22> »
I think that the fade value is to much
if you have the ability to maintain the same SIN i didn't say but there is a break in the usability here...