[astaroth999]

Smoke-and-Mirrors program

"This program increases the cyberdeck’s Sleaze attribute between 1 and 5 (user’s choice) with an equivalent amount of noise added to any tests performed with the deck. The noise also affects Trace Icon tests performed against the deck using the program"

I reckon the increase is for all sleaze test unlike Exploit program which specifies a  single type of sleaze test. Question is does sleaze test includes resisting matrix perception which is a logic+sleaze test?

If it does, this will make this a must have program! If the enemy deckerscant find you, they cant do anything to you.

5 sleaze (Little Hornet Cyberdeck) + 1 (Overclock quality) + 1 (Increase Matrix Attribute mod) + 5 (Smoke-and-Mirrors program) + 1 (Stealth program) = 13 Sleaze + logic to resist matrix perception.

5 noise can be easily mitigated by 2 (Signal Scrub program) + 2 (Vectored Signal Filter mod) + 1 (Datajack)

[Top Dog]

(Why did you post this twice?It's not just an increase for Sleaze tests - it's a straight up Sleaze attribute increase. So yes, it works against avoiding Matrix perception too.

And yes, that makes it... shall we say fairly good. Like you say, the noise can be compensated for (though I should note, that does cost quite a bit to do, and that means you're not compensating other noise).

[Jack_Spade]

This wording brings a lot of problems: Direct connections don't suffer noise. That would allow even a radioshack deck to penetrate a moderate leveled host with ease.

Even better: Just bolt a program carrier with virtual machine to your commlink, load this program and enjoy a sleaze attribute increase from 0 to 5.

Somehow, I don't think that was the intention behind this program...

[ScytheKnight]

I wonder if perhaps the infamous 'last sentance' got lopped off at some point...

"This Noise Penalty can not be counteracted by cyberware, modifications or other software."

[astaroth999]

This wording brings a lot of problems: Direct connections don't suffer noise. That would allow even a radioshack deck to penetrate a moderate leveled host with ease.

Even better: Just bolt a program carrier with virtual machine to your commlink, load this program and enjoy a sleaze attribute increase from 0 to 5.

Somehow, I don't think that was the intention behind this program...

I agree. That is why i feel for a cheap program, it is OP. Especially when the drawbacks can be so easily mitigated.

it does bring to the table very cheap way for street sam to afford decent protection via evotech himitsu. Or better yet hermes ikon slaved to an evotech himitsu to get a very decent sleaze machine for sub 20k. 0555 is probably enough for b&e to get into most places via direct connection, especially if u can ignore noise modifier.

but the problem i feel is for a typical decker out of char gen, it is not difficult to get 22 dp to resist spotting. Plus in event of tie, defender wins. This means that the opposing hacker have to get 25 dp to reliably win a spotting test. This mean gm will have to put out host 12 or create legendary class decker just to spot an average decker.

[Rooks]

"This program increases the cyberdeck’s Sleaze attribute" reading it as has to have a sleaze attribute to begin with

[JackVII]

Rather than going down the wormhole of whether a commlink has Sleaze 0 or Sleaze - (I prefer the latter interpretation, particularly now that we have mods that expressly allow actually giving it an attribute), let's just go with the fact that a commlink can definitely have a Sleaze dongle to gain a Sleaze rating, as well as getting a program carrier module with S&M in it.

It is pretty powerful, although I haven't tested it out in game yet. I'd love to see where an AI could get with that given the optimzation bonuses and a solid deck, something like a 19 Sleaze...

[Kincaid]

Just to clarify: It doesn't do a thing for a device that doesn't already have a Sleaze attribute.  You'll have to manage that step separately.

[Herr Brackhaus]

3k nuyen and a Rating 1 stealth dongle takes care of that prerequisite.

[Rooks]

Or EvoTech Himitsu 2 1 2 8R 11,000¥ + Receiver 3 400¥ + Program Carrier 2 900¥  Virtual Machine 80 Signal scrub 250 9 sleaze

[Novocrane]

Is the Stealth Dongle cumulative with the EvoTech Himitsu?

[Herr Brackhaus]

Is the Stealth Dongle cumulative with the EvoTech Himitsu?

Doubtful. If it was, it would replace the rating of the base commlink. So you could put a Rating 4 Stealth dongle on it, but considering the Evotech Himitsu already has Sleaze 5 I don't see why you'd want to do that.

And Rooks, the program carrier comes with a hardcoded program, so it'd be 900 for the carrier and Virtual Machine, and then 250 for Signal Scrub and another 250 for Smoke-and-Mirrors, for a total of 12,400¥ for a commlink with DR2, 2 Noise Reduction, and Sleaze 5 with the possibility of Sleaze 10 (you'd lose your wireless bonuses, but you'd be much more difficult to spot in the Matrix).

[JackVII]

And Rooks, the program carrier comes with a hardcoded program, so it'd be 900 for the carrier and Virtual Machine, and then 250 for Signal Scrub and another 250 for Smoke-and-Mirrors, for a total of 12,400¥ for a commlink with DR2, 2 Noise Reduction, and Sleaze 5 with the possibility of Sleaze 10 (you'd lose your wireless bonuses, but you'd be much more difficult to spot in the Matrix).

That does get into the question of whether PANs are entirely wireless Matrix constructs. If they are, then a device that loses its wireless connection presumably can't serve as a Master in a PAN. The rules are pretty hazy and I'm not sure if Aaron's call about what losing Wireless means helps matters. I'm referring to the old "a jammed out commlink can still communicate" issue. Personally, although a commlink doesn't have a listed wireless bonus, it seems to me like it probably needs to be wireless on to communicate.

Actually irrelevant for S&M I guess, considering what Top Dog pointed out below.

[Top Dog]

And Rooks, the program carrier comes with a hardcoded program, so it'd be 900 for the carrier and Virtual Machine, and then 250 for Signal Scrub and another 250 for Smoke-and-Mirrors, for a total of 12,400¥ for a commlink with DR2, 2 Noise Reduction, and Sleaze 5 with the possibility of Sleaze 10 (you'd lose your wireless bonuses, but you'd be much more difficult to spot in the Matrix).

Smoke and Mirrors only gives Noise for actions done with the commlink; it doesn't add "generic" noise. That means that you don't lose wireless bonuses from it at all (especially since you now have 2 Noise Reduction for when you hit actual noise).

[Herr Brackhaus]

Good call. That makes it even more interesting for any non-decker to use in a hardwired program carrier on a device with an existing sleaze attribute, because it actually allows you to run silently with a more than lousy chance of success.

Street Samurai/Magician/Face with 4 Willpower + Device Rating 5 Commlink (3K) + Sleaze 1 Dongle (3K) + Program Carrier (0.9K) = DP5, FW5, Sleaze 1-6, for a total Run Silently dice pool of 10 instead of 4, all for the low price of less than 7K.

With the EvoTech Himitsu (11K) this becomes Willpower 4 + Sleaze 5 + Program Carrier: Smoke-and-Mirrors 1-5 (0.9K) = DP1, FW2, Sleaze 6-10, for a total Run Silently dice pool of 10-14 instead of 9, at a meager 900 nuyen investment over the base 11k for the EvoTech.

Can you specialize in running silently?