[Chalkarts]

In the Rigger chapter of the CRB it talks about getting your drone hacked and controlled.
Can a technomancer hack drones, if so can they control drones or vehicles with their sprites somehow?
Is a Technomancer grease monkey who loves machines and becoming one with them a possible thing?

[HP15BS]

Of course technos can hack drones. They can hack  anything they can get their hands / wireless signals on.

Sprites also can hack  drones. But controlling them is another matter. Unless Kill Code changed this dynamic somehow, no sprite has any of the skills necessary for controlling drones. Pilot Groundcraft, Pilot Watercraft, Gunnery, and Sneaking are the only skills that are even defaultable, so sprites flat-out can't pilot aircraft or walkers, and shouldn't bother trying to control the others. And there's a very good chance the GM would say sprites can't default on any meatspace skills, period.

(A sprite can use its E-War skill for meatspace perception with a drone, though. But that's about it. Unless Kill Code says otherwise.)

But of course, a Machine Sprite is still a rigger's best friend. Or worst enemy, depending   

[Chalkarts]

But of course, a Machine Sprite is still a rigger's best friend. Or worst enemy, depending   

I haven’t taken the deep dive into decker or technomancy yet, the matrix rules seem daunting to me.

What do machine sprites do for/to riggers?

[Michael Chandra]

They have the Diagnostics power, which says it helps you use/repair a device. Some consider 'piloting/firing' a drone/weapon as 'using'. I wouldn't bet on your GM allowing that overpowered trick though.

[Chalkarts]

They have the Diagnostics power, which says it helps you use/repair a device. Some consider 'piloting/firing' a drone/weapon as 'using'. I wouldn't bet on your GM allowing that overpowered trick though.

You seem to know a lot about the TMancer,
Mind if I pester you via this thread until I get these guys figured out?

Also,

When I try to picture a technomancer I also go to the autistic kid in alphas that can see and manipulate the internet.  Close?

[Michael Chandra]

Unfortunately there's not much I know of them, but feel free to ask questions and I'll see what I can do.

Never saw that though, but yeah, that's probably a lot like how you can imagine how a TM does things.

[Iron Serpent Prince]

Is a Technomancer grease monkey who loves machines and becoming one with them a possible thing?

Absolutely possible.

Whether or not they are effective depends on several factors, including what House Rules are used.

Technomancers have an Echo (kind of like Metamagic for Mages, if that helps you grasp it) called Mind over Machine in the core book, or MMRI in Data Trails.  They are essentially the same thing, so I'm not sure it matters which one you pick.
This Echo replicates the Control Rig cyberware.

With Kill Code, it introduced Resonance Streams.  One of which is the Machinist.  It's special ability is to make the Technomancer's Living Persona function like a RCC.
Until Errata, it isn't clear if that is a neutered RCC, or not.  The Techno probably needs the 8 point One with the Matrix quality introduced in the same book to make real use of the ability.

It is relatively easy to replicate a Rigger with a Technomancer.

How effective it is, will depend on your table.

[Chalkarts]

Another drone question.
Is it possible to customize drones with things like gas canisters and strobe lights and laser sights? I want to make a drone rigger that blankets the enemy in distraction and negative modifiers.

[Michael Chandra]

Laser sights can be modded onto weapons. As for the other stuff: Try taping a flashpak to it and command that wirelessly.

[HP15BS]

Like they said, this is an area where there's a decent chance house rules will significantly impact things. For example, my GM decided to nerf Diagnostics by making it only last a very short while (I don't recall if it was all the way down to just 1 combat turn, or a little bit more than that).

You should be able to count on using Gremlins against other riggers to force glitches, though.

Overall, TMs have the potential to become monsters at whatever technologically-focused stuff they do, once they rack up enough karma.  They just can't pass off drone command to their sprites.  (And essence loss amounts to a soft ban on rigger staples like cerebral boosters, since it costs you your resonance.)

Also, TMs are pretty MAD, so it's hard to make one that starts out being good at rigging and other Matrix stuff.  They need high Res for their sprites and CFs, at least 3 high mental attributes for their living personas, and lots of skills already.  Adding in hardware (TMs need it, but tend to skimp on it at CharGen), gunnery, piloting, and whatever amount of sneaking on top of that?  Something's gotta give - at least in the beginning.

[Chalkarts]

Also, TMs are pretty MAD, so it's hard to make one that starts out being good at rigging and other Matrix stuff.  They need high Res for their sprites and CFs, at least 3 high mental attributes for their living personas, and lots of skills already.  Adding in hardware (TMs need it, but tend to skimp on it at CharGen), gunnery, piloting, and whatever amount of sneaking on top of that?  Something's gotta give - at least in the beginning.

Given that info I think I just might try to make a normal unaugmented  Technomancer. 

I just have to figure out how they work.

And how he’d keep himself alive.

[HP15BS]

Basically like a decker, but trading in their programs for matrix spells and spirits.

The most common TM survival strategy is to focus everything on being a Matrix specialist, and avoiding as much meatspace trouble as (meta)humanly possible.

You can also have a drone or two on autopilot to help protect your meat body when things get loud.

Or, now that Kill Code is out, you can sacrifice some essence/resonance to get cyberware like skillwires, and eventually get it back by being a cyberadept.

Edit:  You could also be more of a "Petnomancer" - let your sprites do most of the heavy VR lifting instead of you.  The main problem with that is that none of your sprites have the software skill, so they can't disarm any databombs for you.  And since you can't share Marks, that means you'd still need your own high hacking skill.  (And you always need the computer skill to spam Matrix perception.  And E-War is good to have so you can hide once someone spots you while running silent, etc.)

- But that said, you could still maybe  get away with < 6 ranks in those skills and just teamwork with a sprite for the important stuff.  Assuming Kill Code hasn't disallowed it.

Edit 2:   It's important to note that errata gives TMs a 3rd free skill and 2 more CFs, so that helps a little.  (Chummer already accounts for this.)

[Chalkarts]

Basically like a decker, but trading in their programs for matrix spells and spirits.

The most common TM survival strategy is to focus everything on being a Matrix specialist, and avoiding as much meatspace trouble as (meta)humanly possible.

You can also have a drone or two on autopilot to help protect your meat body when things get loud.

Or, now that Kill Code is out, you can sacrifice some essence/resonance to get cyberware like skillwires, and eventually get it back by being a cyberadept.

Edit:  You could also be more of a "Petnomancer" - let your sprites do most of the heavy VR lifting instead of you.  The main problem with that is that none of your sprites have the software skill, so they can't disarm any databombs for you.  And since you can't share Marks, that means you'd still need your own high hacking skill.  (And you always need the computer skill to spam Matrix perception.  And E-War is good to have so you can hide once someone spots you while running silent, etc.)

- But that said, you could still maybe  get away with < 6 ranks in those skills and just teamwork with a sprite for the important stuff.  Assuming Kill Code hasn't disallowed it.

Edit 2:   It's important to note that errata gives TMs an extra skill and 2 CFs.  (Chummer already accounts for this.)

Is a decker just better than a tm?

[HP15BS]

As with street sam vs adept, it's all just trade-offs that largely amount to the same thing.

Do you like synergy with 'ware and switching high Sleaze out for high Firewall, and Fork for Wrapper, etc with impunity?
Or do you like creating your own team of hacking assistants and just Puppeteering devices into doing what you want?

Do you want matrix damage (which takes hours to repair) to mostly go to your 200,000¥ + deck, which becomes a useless expensive brick if you take too much abuse?
Or do you want all matrix damage to go directly to you, as well as fade damage from your matrix magic, but be able to slap a stim patch and maybe keep on trucking until the end of the encounter?

Just trade your preferred pros and cons.

[Chalkarts]

Just trade your preferred pros and cons.

I feel like Deckers can do better in meat space because of ware.  Every way that look at TMs, they always look squishy.
Maybe a Troll TM would be ok lol