[Snipethetiny42]

This may be a silly question, but what does and does not use a host's fire wall? is it everything that is in a building that has a host using the scary firewall or is it different? So if runners go into a building, and the Decker wants to control the cameras, does he have to go through the host or the camera? i get that files are saved to a host but would every thing use that firewall?

2nd question what does the GM roll when rolling for the Patrol IC. is it what ever stat X2, like the attack for the other IC, or...

3rd can a host be running silently? i want to have a hidden underground facility but how do you hide that many computers running together.

4th to get onto a host you need a mark. is this a different type of mark from the one that can help you control a device? does getting a mark on a host differ from getting a mark on anything else? it seem like it would make it very difficult to get on a host and at the same time very powerful once you have the mark

[Sphinx]

A host protects slaved devices. Everything connected to the host is part of its wide area network (WAN), so it's protected by the host's ratings. Blinding a camera, opening a maglock, controlling the elevators, turning out the lights, activating the fire sprinklers ... all of these are Control Device actions requiring marks on the host and opposed by the Host Rating + Firewall.

BUT ... slaved devices also make a host vulnerable. If you make a direct connection to a slaved device with a universal data connector, then you bypass the host ratings and target the device itself, with only its Device Rating + Firewall (which probably also equals the Device Rating) to oppose you. And because the device is slaved to the host, gaining a mark on a device also gives you a mark on the host.

Patrol IC, like every other kind of IC, uses the attributes of the device or host on which it's running.

[Snipethetiny42]

Thanks for that, i have tried to go over the host section but some of it is way too vage.

Still about hidden hosts?