[blackshade10]

So, I've fallen in love with Technomancers and endured the tragedy of learning just how badly their position is in playability. 


So, I had this idea.  Feel free to throw your thoughts on it, just... try not to use too much acid.


ResoWWare(Rez-oh-wayr), short for Resonance WetWare. 


The idea was a system designed to "buy" certain types of Bioware and Cyberware as natural evolution's of the Technomancers biology spontaneously developing, kind of like critter powers, purchased with Karma.   I bounced around whether it should be essence free, or if the Technomancer should have some kind of "phantom Essence Pool" to pull from. 



Developing things like biological cybereyes, or electrocharge bioware weapon, or perhaps a Math SPU or Earware Antennae.  All of these biological, and probably not very noticeable, if at all. 

But you couldn't get, like, Cyberlimbs or a Tooth Compartment or Dermal Plating. 


I was reading Emergence, and some other stuff, and it seems like electrokinesis is kind of a thing, and that Technomancers brains adapt to the Matrix, and that a lot of it is possibly rooted in their nervous system, and it affects how they perceive things.  I thought it'd be an interesting idea, it's not super refined yet.

Thoughts?

[Marcus]

I'm not against any ideas that go towards fixing TM. If you interesting a ware solution, I'd recommend looking at the blood crystals implants in FA. Cost Essence but Resonance.  I think we all want to see TM rise up from there current predicament.

But the only real words of hope or comfort i can offer is pray for Kill Code.

[Streetsam_Crunch]

So what I'm reading sounds kind of like a Techno-Adept? Having both a Resonance score, and a Resonance number in which they can 'upgrade' themselves like a Mystic Adept can, except with Techno-oriented things?

I can see it. Things that duplicate Skinlink, or naturally resonating to your gun's smartlink without needing 'ware to do it... I could see it. Wouldn't even really need to change anything since a similar system is in place, just tack on on that they can buy Resonance points (I wouldn't even make it a sub-type like Mystic-Adept since the point is to just make the current TM's better.)

Technomancers learning to do that could well be a natural progression of their abilities. Not a bad idea!

Crunch~

[Xenon]

Will be interesting to see what Kill Code will bring to the table (I would probably hold off spending too much time and effort into TM house rules until then).


TMs have a couple of things going for them that separate them from deckers:

* Resonance Actions such as Threading are not Sleaze Actions (target doesn't automatically get a mark on you if you fail) nor Attack Actions (target doesn't automatically notice if you successfully use hostile thread actions against him) - they also doesn't cause overwatch.

* By sustaining Static Veil or repeat threading Cleaner they can basically stay on-line until they have to sleep while a decker are forced to reboot (and lose all hard earned marks) after maybe 40 minutes.


And the reduced fade on complex forms errata and the introduction of skin link echo (which I still think should be free out of chargen for all TMs) was also two steps in the right direction.


The main concerns I have with TMs is that they:

* Unlike deckers, have four primary attributes (and all of them are mental!), also can't shift matrix attributes so you can't really afford to skip out of any of them.

* Compared to deckers, they need four extra skills (Software, Compiling, Decompiling and Registering in addition to the four regular skills that Deckers need; Computer, Cybercombat, Electronic Warfare and Hacking)

* Share the same condition monitor for Stun damage, Fade damage and Matrix damage (also that Biofeedback often hit TMs twice as hard).

* Can't use resources to grow at all and are thus highly depending on Karma.

* Losing resonance is a huge deal (so cyberware is almost off limits which mean that you, unlike a decker, can't get an agility cyberarm of pure death or a cerebral booster) -- Your suggestion actually solve this, at least partially.

[Bamce]

Here is a bit of techno love I was reworking a while ago.

https://drive.google.com/open?id=0B2jTV4sGyFDBNDJ1V3RBak5MQjQ

[Sterling]

The main concerns I have with TMs is that they:

* Unlike deckers, have four primary attributes (and all of them are mental!), also can't shift matrix attributes so you can't really afford to skip out of any of them.

* Compared to deckers, they need four extra skills (Software, Compiling, Decompiling and Registering in addition to the four regular skills that Deckers need; Computer, Cybercombat, Electronic Warfare and Hacking)

* Share the same condition monitor for Stun damage, Fade damage and Matrix damage (also that Biofeedback often hit TMs twice as hard).

* Can't use resources to grow at all and are thus highly depending on Karma.

* Losing resonance is a huge deal (so cyberware is almost off limits which mean that you, unlike a decker, can't get an agility cyberarm of pure death or a cerebral booster) -- Your suggestion actually solve this, at least partially.

Of all of these, it's the fact TMs can't use resources to grow and are therefore reliant upon Karma that I would want to see addressed.

The fact that they have 4 primary attributes isn't a problem if you accept that characters don't need attribute scores at the racial maximum to be "viable".  Ditto the skills; people seem too focused on the dice pools being maxed out.

Losing resonance as a TM is no worse than losing Magic as a mage, as long as they can increase their Submergence score. The issue is that TMs have little use for nuyen beyond meeting monthly living costs so are less incentivised to go shadowrunning.

[blackshade10]

Hmmmm, well, here's some ideas to expand on what has been discussed.  I hadn't even thought about thinking of it like an Adept's system, but that works perfectly, I think.


So, essentially, Technomancers can develop bio-based Cyber and Bioware, plus Nanoware and Genetic stuff, that is appropriate.  Power Point cost is equal to Essence cost.  Cyberware is considered to have Standard Quality, but see below for some more ideas. 


Submersion:

ResoWWare Grade Increase.  Every purchase ups the effective Grade of your ResoWWare.  From Standard to Alpha to Beta to Delta to Gamma.  Gamma may not exist yet, but Technomancers play by their own rules.  Every purchase represents the Technomancer's body getting more and more efficient with its spontaneous developments.

ResoWWare Power Point: +1 Power Point


A lot of this seems like it's best adjudicated by the GM and what would be appropriate.   I mean, I love the idea, but I also don't want to make TM's suddenly eclipse everyone.  I figured cutting down on most offensive Cyberware would help with that.