[SoulGambit]

Actually FAQ'd this. I was right and wrong. Diagnostics works largely how I said. Living Persona can't make use of a satellite or trodes, apparently, so it can't get the diagnostics bonus that way. Electronic Device is far more broad than my previous musings. Check the FAQ thread for details.

On a side note, this makes Skillwires a very lucrative investment for the Technomancer--Skillwires + Pain Editor. Stuff a Machine Sprite in your Skilljack and actually have ranks in Software. When you don't need to break limits, run the skilljack with Software. When you want to break limits, use your native Software ranks. Skillwires are also the only way I see a proper Technomancer Hacker working. And Edge becomes even more important for them.

This makes Crunch and I tied 1 vs 1 so far.

[Crunch]

Be very careful taking Aaron's answers as official.

[firebug]

I'm confused on what exactly you're spelling out to happen with Skillwires and a Pain Editor.  I think I know what you mean though...  I buy a Rating 6 Skilljack and a Rating 6 Software Skillsoft--  Then I run Diagnostics to try and aim for a +6 to all Software tests while using the Skilljack, unless I need to break limits, in which case like you said, I'd need to use my real Software skill in order to use Edge.  Sounds great if not that I can't stand the Fading on any of my TM's complex forms, especially not enough to jack up the Level so I could benefit from the extra dice from Diagnostics anyways.  Would the +1 to Limits caused by Diagnostics apply to the Complex Forms, though?  And I assume Pain Editor is just so you can take more Stun damage without caring.

Wait, Skilljack is different from Skillwires.  I think you technically need the wires for Software even though it entirely mental, simply because it's "Active" and not "Knowledge" or "Language".  And great-googly-moogly, Skillwires are expensive.  At least assuming you'd never bother getting them at less than Rating 4.

[SoulGambit]

Put it in Skillwires or the Skilljack, whichever makes your GM happy. Its the same end result. You do need Skillwire + Skilljack in order to pull it off. Worse, you need to keep your Essence loss at 1 point or less, meaning you will eventually want it in Deltaware. This is not an "at creation" thing. Among other things, Technomancers really need to get away with Nuyen E if they can help it. Pain Editor is to eat tons of fading damage and keep going. Over-all, you're on the right track.

Oh, one important bit Crunch was right about--Jammers are your worst enemy with this strategy. If something loses the wireless bonus then it also loses the Machine Sprite. That means it isn't quite as infinite as originally planned.

[DigitalZombie]

ooh nice, yeah I read it on page 25 I think.
...But does that mean according to Aaron that I can diagnose my katana and gain several bonus dices to attack?? ... that doesnt seem right. And those muscle replacements are still wireless cabable devices, so they should also work.... I think I will houserule, that one cant do that.

But the Faq thread did raise a whole new question.
I cant run diagnostics on my commlink or deck when Im using it (as the device gets merged with my persona) but I can still run diagnostics on them if I were to repair them, seems fair enough. BUT what happens if I slave the deck to my commlink? (for the good old classical firewall master stat, leaving the cyberdeck with its 3 highest ratings on attack, sleaze and response)
Is it A) I can only use one persona at a time, and therefore NOT use the cyberdeck at all, I would have to switch persona (and loosing the commlinks superior firewall ,if I wanted to hack) and not be able to gain diagnostic power on my comm\deck
or B) The commlink is my persona, and therefore cant be diagnosed. The deck is a slaved device to my commlink (gaining its firewall) and therefore shows up as a device, making it elligible for the diagnostic anyway, And I can still use it to hack with, as its a slaved device.?

B) seems like it just totally ignored the limitation put on by diagnostics, making a technomancer backed decker nasty (and using shenanigans like the commlinks superior and cheaper firewall)

I suppose I will hourerule it as A

edit: hmm I just post my last question in the Faq thread

[firebug]

You couldn't use your cyberdeck to hack by using the commlink's persona and just having it as a slaved device.  You're using the commlink, not the cyberdeck, so you use the commlink's stats (along with its lack of Attack and Sleaze).

[DigitalZombie]

Ok, thanks firebug
I just saw several threads with people slaving their 200k+ deck with 6553 stats to a rating 6 commlink, giving them 6556 stats for a mere 5k. I wanted to call shenanigans, but didnt know how to back it up with RAW.

[Unahim]

Not only are Aaron's answers always a bit dodgy since they're not technically official, but it seems you deliberately kept your question so vague that it's doubtful he even oversaw the implications of your questions, or his answers. It would have been far better if you straight-up asked him if putting Diagnostics on your cyber-muscles would improve all your physical tests. You even muddied the "does it work on anything modifying the dice roll?" by making it a smartgun, which has a far higher chance of fooling Aaron since he -knows- that smartguns are able to be affected by it, but nobody ever said the sprite would be on the attachment. It's more likely making it into a smartgun makes it electronic, and thus it can work on the entire gun, not just on one attachment connected to it.

Also "This makes Crunch and I tied 1 vs 1 so far."? It's not a competition.

Mind, I'm not saying that you're -not- right, I'm saying that your way of phrasing the question has caused doubts about the answers.

Edit: Aaron's now confirmed it works on pretty much everything. Time to go nuts! Also time to brick Muscle Replacements, that's got to be kinda gruesome :p I wonder if enough muscles have been replaced that you'd literally choke if that happened? Interesting thought.