[Tags]

In our game we are hitting some confusion... Personally I have never been big on the matrix so I find the whole mess confusing, the GM is equally confused on Matrix stuff... Working to educate ourselves, found a great Youtuber that helps but I am finding contradicting info on Firewalls and Direct connections. Our Deck read an example in the core rule book and ran with it. Looking it up later I can find nothing in the book to back it up and all my webfu finds is some people saying you can and others saying no.

The situation: In the example a deck plugs into a mag lock slaved to a host and in the example it says he ignores the Firewall... Looking through the book I cannot find this in the rules, and other sources I have check agree, if you plug into a device you still face the firewall if it is slaved then you can mark the host and the device.

Is there anything official on this?

[Stormrider]

If you plug directly into a device, you establish a direct connection.
This means, that the device isn't protected by the host, it is slaved to and thus uses only its own ratings to defend.

References:
Pg.232 "When you use a direct connection, you ignore all noise modifiers and modifiers due to being on different grids or the public grid. It’s just you and the device."
Pg.233 "If a slaved device is under attack via a direct connection (as through a universal data connector), however, it cannot use its master’s ratings to defend itself."

[Michael Chandra]

In SR5, like Stormrider says, the Host can't help the device with a direct connection to the device. So you use the device ratings, and iirc that means Firewall equal to its DR, so it just rolls DRx2.

[Xenon]

...in the example it says he ignores the Firewall

If you slave a device to a master device (like a commlink) or a host then the device get to use the higher firewall rating while defending against hackers.

The drawback is that if a hacker manage to place a mark on the device then he also get to put a mark on the master device or the host that the device is slaved to (for free).


If a hacker establish a direct connection to the device then the device no longer get to use the higher firewall rating while defending against the hacker.

...but if the hacker gain a mark on the device he will still get to put a mark on the master device or the host that the device is slaved to (for free).


This is a good method to gain that first mark on the host so you can enter it without actually fighting host ratings. Once you are inside the host you will be considered directly connected to all other devices slaved to the host (while the hacker is inside the host, slaved devices don't get to use the host's higher firewall rating while defending against the hacker).

Since corporations are aware of this exploit they tend to not slave devices that are exposed to the public. Maglocks and cameras in public areas are probably not slaved to the host, while maglocks, elevators and cameras behind the "emplyees only" door are.

In many cases you can make getting physical access to that first slaved device into a mini run of its own. Maybe the team found out that the control hatch to the service entry tunnel at sub level 3 in the garage under the facility is slaved to the host but in order to reach it the magician might need to disguise the rigger van into a delivery van and the face might need to convince the security guard at the check point that you have a legit delivery.

If your hacker is dedicated and have huge dice pools he can probably just hack the host in hot-sim and get a direct connection to all devices slaved to the host without ever getting close to the actual facility.


A hacker have three different ways to be considered having a direct connection to a device:

• Wire between cyberdeck and the device, this require physical proximity
• Physically touching the device while using living persona with a skinlink echo, this require physical proximity
• Being inside the host that the device is slaved to, this require that you already have a mark on the host so may enter it - this is an exception to the rule where you are not allowed to interact with icons out on the grid while you are inside a host

[Tags]

  🤔

Well was enough to find the proper direction anyway... Refs pointed me in the right direction, and a zoom in PDF helped allot.

Probably be good if the GM AND the Decker player knew the Matrix rules better. Not to throw anyone under the bus but the player did make several assumptions, and implied there was "NO" firewall when he plugged in.... or very poor communication... 🤔 From 1st edition on, never did touch the Matrix.