[Coyote]

An ODD way to go would be to use magic instead of tech.  Noise reduction is an issue...

As long as you're not requiring top dice pools, using a MysAd is a good way to get around the "too many requirements to handle them all" of building a Face/Decker.

First, the MysAd will use spells in combat, thus you can use both AGI and STR as dump stats. This means that with a Priority of A in Magic and B in Attributes (20) you can have:
BOD/REA 3, AGI/STR 1, all mental 5.

Note that we use 5 as the top Mental stats because we will use a lot of Increase Attribute buffs, and since you can start with a total of 50 Karma (after getting 25 pts of Negative Qualities), and need to spend 30 Karma on your Adept Power Points, you have only 20 left for Positive Qualities... which gets you Focused Concentration 5. So you need your stats to be limited to 5 so you can buff them (although you COULD raise 1-2 of them to 6, and trust a Force 6 Spirit of Man to buff them, instead).

Second, you can Sustain one spell and have a Spirit of Man sustain another, giving you two buff spells at a time, plus additional from a Sustaining Focus. Examples are:
Decking: Psyche & All Jacked Up for INT, Increase LOG and Increase WIL, give you a 7/9/9 in INT/LOG/WIL.
Face: Increase CHA, and False Impression to hide it. Gives you a 9 CHA.
Combat: Increase Reflexes (only one buff unless you use Foci, since you want the spirit free to fight for you rather than busy Sustaining a buff spell).

Now, because you're depending on Increase Reflexes, you don't need the Improve Reflexes power from the Adept side, so you have a lot of points to spend on Cool Resolve. Let's say 3 levels of Cool Resolve.

So you're decking with 9 Logic, and your Charisma skills are at 12 dice. Putting a 5 in Hacking/Computer and a 1 in all Social skills gives you 13-14 dice for the main skills. If these pools are good enough, the only real weakness is the low (1-2) rating that you will have in the backup Decking skills (EW, Hardware, Software).

Money wise, since we used A and B, we have C available, which allows for a Rating 2 Cyberdeck. But you never expected to start with a Rating 3 if you're mixing a Face and a Decker, right?

[JmOz01]

We could go down to wealth E by taking in dept 35k then buying a hack comm (about 35k for a A:1, S:3, DP:5, FW:5)

[fseperent]

We could go down to wealth E by taking in dept 35k then buying a hack comm (about 35k for a A:1, S:3, DP:5, FW:5)

Um, I hope your team is getting a lot of money then.
5,250 a month minimum or a meeting with guys with bats (if you're lucky)
Better option is buying a NetNinja, adding the attack attribute, and a R3 Stealth toggle.
It comes to 30,000 and 2 electronic parts.
Yeah, you're still in debt, but not as bad.

[Coyote]

We could go down to wealth E by taking in dept 35k then buying a hack comm (about 35k for a A:1, S:3, DP:5, FW:5)

Um, I hope your team is getting a lot of money then.
5,250 a month minimum or a meeting with guys with bats (if you're lucky)
Better option is buying a NetNinja, adding the attack attribute, and a R3 Stealth toggle.
It comes to 30,000 and 2 electronic parts.
Yeah, you're still in debt, but not as bad.

Yeah, I agree, wealth E is too far. You could do it at wealth D, and still afford armor / weapons / fake ID, though a rating 1 cyberdeck or lower is a bit low for a Decker. I use it with Technomancers, but they have Machine Sprites to boost its limits.

[Tym Jalynsfein]

Why is a Technomancer getting a Cyberdeck, Coyote?
Just curious.

[Coyote]

Why is a Technomancer getting a Cyberdeck, Coyote?
Just curious.

A cyberdeck can use Machine Sprites to get Teamwork tests on all uses of that cyberdeck. And one service is indefinite, so you don't have to use the "petnomancer" style of Technomancers, where you use Sprites to help you with tests, but each help uses up one service. So the "petnomancer" style is really busy with dice rolling in between adventures to refresh the services, and has lots of bookkeeping to do during an adventure to keep track of services used. So, by using a cyberdeck, you get a lot of dice boosts without the hassle. You do have to deal with lower limits, but even a Rating 1 deck from the book has Sleaze of 4, which can be improved to 5 with a program, and then having 3 Sprites aiding improves it to 8 for most purposes. So you actually play with a limit equivalent to a Rating 3 deck, while getting easier use of services than you would if you ran as a pure Technomancer with a lot of Sprites. So you're easily hitting 20 dice with a 8 limit, as a starting character. That's really hard to do as a pure Technomancer (the dice moreso than the limit). Yes, it costs $50k or so, but IMO it's worth it.

Basically, I see sprite-assisted decking as the "loaded for bear" version of Technomancers, and the pure version as unarmed PhysAds... less effective, but also less obvious. If you have the choice, go with the deck, but the naked hacking is always a backup option.

Oh, and with Sprite-assisted cyberlimbs, you can also be shooting with 20 dice on a one-handed weapon. Or a Monowhip. Or a drone. It's why I don't think that Technomancers are at all bad... they just have to be played with a lot of electronic equipment (decks, drones, cyberarms, skillwires, medikits, etc) in order to be good.

[fseperent]

I have to try that one day, thanks for the idea Coyote.
Do you have any parts of your build done so we can see it Aazen?

[Hobbes]

You want to play a Technomancer with a deck and not do much with Sprites...?     There is an Archetype for that    

[Aazen]

Thanks for the feedback everyone. This looks like it might be a fun setup. I have a rough draft after going back and forth with the GM and the rest of the team. Time and karma will help me shore up any weakness.