Shadowrun

Shadowrun General => Gear => Topic started by: PiXeL01 on <03-09-18/0153:45>

Title: DocWagon bracelets, Ratings and Thresholds
Post by: PiXeL01 on <03-09-18/0153:45>
Are there rules anywhere for what device rating a DocWagon bracelet is? Does it depend on level of service? Are they hard to jam?
Also, how wounded does a contract holder need to be before the alarm is triggered?
Title: Re: DocWagon bracelets, Ratings and Thresholds
Post by: Tecumseh on <03-09-18/1737:37>
Back in 3rd Edition, DocWagon wrist phones (!) were rating 2 for the purposes of jamming. My 3E jamming rules are long gone at this point, but I believe rating 2 was fairly trivial to jam. (The jammer would be rolling against target number 2, and the defender would only have 2 dice to defend with. Ties would go to the defender though.) In 5E I would probably go with rating 3, but that's just my personal guess.

As for when they trigger, they can either be manually triggered ("help I've fallen and can't get up") or automatically triggered by the biomonitor RFID tag/wristband. The entry for biomonitors says that their wireless functionality allows them to "auto-alert DocWagon or another ambulance service if your life signs reach certain thresholds."

"Certain thresholds" are open to interpretation and your DocWagon user agreement. Does only Physical damage count or does Stun damage count too? What if you have some of each? Perhaps at five boxes of damage - either Stun or Physical - a kindly DocWagon representative proactively reaches out to inquire about your situation, but armed ambulances and fast-response choppers aren't dispatched unless there's no response, or until the condition of contract-holder worsens. I would certainly dispatch assistance by eight or nine boxes of damage.
Title: Re: DocWagon bracelets, Ratings and Thresholds
Post by: Stainless Steel Devil Rat on <03-09-18/1739:02>
Chrome Flesh is probably the most up to date source on Doc Wagon methods.  Something along these lines may be explicitly said or maybe could be inferred.
Title: Re: DocWagon bracelets, Ratings and Thresholds
Post by: Sphinx on <03-24-18/1021:22>
I'd call a basic DocWagon wristband equivalent to "standard personal electronics" (rating 2), a gold wristband "security device" (rating 3), and a platinum wristband "high-end electronics" (rating 4) on the Device Ratings Table (SR5, p.421)

DocWagon contracts come with a wristband or RFID implant that must be triggered by the user before it signals for help (SR5, p.450). A jammer generates Noise equal to its device rating (SR5, p.441). You need at least a rating 2 jammer to counter a basic DocWagon transmitter, more if the target has any Noise reduction in their PAN (SR5, p.240, p.421).

There's a chapter on DocWagon and similar providers in Chrome Flesh ("Fixing What's Broke," p.26-53). At gold level, a biomonitor in the wristband or RFID chip costs extra (CF, p.31). SR5 puts the cost for a biomonitor at 300 nuyen (p.450). At platinum level, the biomonitor is included (CF, p.31-32). At gold and platinum levels, if a biomonitor detects a problem, the user is prompted to trigger the alert, but it doesn't happen automatically (CF, p.32). At super platinum, the user gets the same prompt, but if the user doesn't respond in 60 seconds, an emergency recovery team gets dispatched automatically (CF, p.32)
Title: Re: DocWagon bracelets, Ratings and Thresholds
Post by: Stainless Steel Devil Rat on <03-24-18/1047:16>
I'd call a basic DocWagon wristband equivalent to "standard personal electronics" (rating 2), a gold wristband "security device" (rating 3), and a platinum wristband "high-end electronics" (rating 4) on the Device Ratings Table (SR5, p.421)

DocWagon contracts come with a wristband or RFID implant that must be triggered by the user before it signals for help (SR5, p.450). A jammer generates Noise equal to its device rating (SR5, p.441). You need at least a rating 2 jammer to counter a basic DocWagon transmitter, more if the target has any Noise reduction in their PAN (SR5, p.240, p.421).

There's a chapter on DocWagon and similar providers in Chrome Flesh ("Fixing What's Broke," p.26-53). At gold level, a biomonitor in the wristband or RFID chip costs extra (CF, p.31). SR5 puts the cost for a biomonitor at 300 nuyen (p.450). At platinum level, the biomonitor is included (CF, p.31-32). At gold and platinum levels, if a biomonitor detects a problem, the user is prompted to trigger the alert, but it doesn't happen automatically (CF, p.32). At super platinum, the user gets the same prompt, but if the user doesn't respond in 60 seconds, an emergency recovery team gets dispatched automatically (CF, p.32)

Quibble:  You need Jamming noise to be higher than the rating of the device you're intending to jam.  Equal rating means the device still works.  That's what's nice about the DR6 Transys Avalon Commlink... very hard to jam as Jammers cap out at 6.  I wouldn't put it out of the question to say the top of the line Doc Wagon bracelets are also DR6.
Title: Re: DocWagon bracelets, Ratings and Thresholds
Post by: Marcus on <03-24-18/1056:41>
I'd increase those ratings a lot, those things need to seriously hard to jam.
Title: Re: DocWagon bracelets, Ratings and Thresholds
Post by: Stainless Steel Devil Rat on <03-24-18/1112:16>
I'd increase those ratings a lot, those things need to seriously hard to jam.

I can also support this thought too.  It's not necessarily expensive to crank up an electronic device's security rating.. credsticks are among the cheapest things around and yet they have sky high DRs.  It's just that the security has to warrant it, and on most electronic devices it doesn't.  DocWagon bracelets could be in that category, too.  At least the high end stuff.. wouldn't do for a gadget that only costs a couple of hundred nuyen to shut off your service you're paying thousands of nuyen per month afterall, now would it?  Customer demand could easily force DocWagon to ensure their bracelets are harder to jam than your average gaming console or coffee maker.  Customers' lives are literally depending on the signal going through.
Title: Re: DocWagon bracelets, Ratings and Thresholds
Post by: Iron Serpent Prince on <03-24-18/1157:42>
Just further evidence of why we so desperately need a complete errata.  Just about all technology - and especially things revolving around the matrix need a good once over to bring them into line.

We have a 5¥ Standard Credstick with a Device Rating 5 (granted, that is almost entirely due to the fact that credsticks don't have wireless capability - it is easy to drop a high device rating on a thing that will almost never interact with the rules), and on the other hand we have a 205750¥ device that is designed to interact securely with the matrix and it is only a Device Rating of 3 (the Novatech Navigator cyberdeck).
Then there is the 5000¥ Transys Avalon commlink with a Device Rating of 6.

To answer the question though, according to page 421 of the Core Rule Book, corporate security devices are Device Rating 3.  Once you get into military grade you get Device Rating 4.
By that scale, DocWagon Bracelets should only be a Device Rating 3.
With the crappy Noise rules (not to mention intentional jamming), the bracelets should be a higher rating - but then you get into the realm of space craft and billion nuyen experiments (according to the chart on page 421).

It doesn't really mater, though, in the long run.  Since Jammers add to the ambient Noise Rating, and not supplant it, it is still terribly easy to crank up the Noise to a level high enough to jam them.

That is without even taking into account someone using the Jam Signals action (page 240, Core Rulebook) to add hits (with a limit of Attack) to all Noise in the area.  A Jammer and a decker using Jam Signals in the same area can really crank up the Noise.

I'm looking forward to 6e, and hoping for some real consistency.  I know, I'm setting myself up for serious disappointment.
Title: Re: DocWagon bracelets, Ratings and Thresholds
Post by: Sphinx on <03-24-18/1259:44>
If the DocWagon transmitter integrates into the owner's PAN (and why wouldn't it?), then it can use the owner's commlink to transmit, and the commlink probably has the higher rating. So really, a signal jammer needs to beat the commlink rating.
Title: Re: DocWagon bracelets, Ratings and Thresholds
Post by: Iron Serpent Prince on <03-24-18/1305:58>
If the DocWagon transmitter integrates into the owner's PAN (and why wouldn't it?), then it can use the owner's commlink to transmit, and the commlink probably has the higher rating. So really, a signal jammer needs to beat the commlink rating.

Unfortunately, not true.

If the Noise is high enough to prevent the bracelet from transmitting, it can't communicate with the commlink in the first place.
Title: Re: DocWagon bracelets, Ratings and Thresholds
Post by: Sphinx on <03-24-18/1320:51>
Unfortunately, not true.

If the Noise is high enough to prevent the bracelet from transmitting, it can't communicate with the commlink in the first place.

No, I'm pretty sure the slaved device benefits from the master's higher rating. See "PANs and WANs," SR5, p.233.

In the real world, a weak transmitter that's right next to the receiver can overpower a much stronger signal that's farther away.
Title: Re: DocWagon bracelets, Ratings and Thresholds
Post by: Iron Serpent Prince on <03-24-18/1327:50>
Unfortunately, not true.

If the Noise is high enough to prevent the bracelet from transmitting, it can't communicate with the commlink in the first place.

No, I'm pretty sure the slaved device benefits from the master's higher rating. See "PANs and WANs," SR5, p.233.

In the real world, a weak transmitter that's right next to the receiver can overpower a much stronger signal that's farther away.

Don't try bringing the real world into Shadowrun.  :P  That never goes well.

I have read, and re-read PANs and WANS on page 233.

There is nothing there about a slave device using the Device Rating of the master.

In fact, in the description it even says the slaved smartgun uses "your Willpower or its Device Rating."  It doesn't say "your Willpower, its Device Rating, or your Commlink's Device Rating."
Even if I give you that, it is only for Defense Tests.  Not actually bypassing Noise.
Title: Re: DocWagon bracelets, Ratings and Thresholds
Post by: Jack_Spade on <03-24-18/1343:06>
The real relevant part is at p.421:
"If there is a Noise Rating from a situation that is greater than the item’s Device Rating, not including distance, the item temporarily loses its wireless functionality."

So, no matter where you are slaved too, unless you are above noise level with your rating, you are SOL.
Title: Re: DocWagon bracelets, Ratings and Thresholds
Post by: Stainless Steel Devil Rat on <03-24-18/1356:55>
The real relevant part is at p.421:
"If there is a Noise Rating from a situation that is greater than the item’s Device Rating, not including distance, the item temporarily loses its wireless functionality."

So, no matter where you are slaved too, unless you are above noise level with your rating, you are SOL.

Well, again if Noise equals DR you're fine.  Noise has to exceed DR for there to be a loss of functionality.

And also it's not explicit that Noise reduction fails to cover your entire PAN.  In fact some things like datajacks are pretty weird if Noise reduction doesn't cover your whole PAN.
Title: Re: DocWagon bracelets, Ratings and Thresholds
Post by: Marcus on <03-24-18/1622:56>
For Gold and Platinum those bracelets better have ether killer Device ratings or have some kind separate signaling system, maybe something like a distributed Low orbit SAT system, something that's as unblock-able as humanly possible. Any example or even stronger rumor that it's possible to jam bracelets would cause havoc to doc wagons bottom line. Like all medical related tech, failure is just not allowable. 

It has to be good enough that even reasonably strong noise would never stomp it out.

Title: Re: DocWagon bracelets, Ratings and Thresholds
Post by: Jack_Spade on <03-24-18/1645:16>
The solution lies not in the signaling device but in the receiver: Doc Waggon just needs a shit load of noise reduction equipment at their end to be able to cut through any jamming.
Title: Re: DocWagon bracelets, Ratings and Thresholds
Post by: farothel on <03-25-18/0459:26>
If I recall correctly (I don't have my books at the moment), the device rating is an abstraction of 4 different attributes, to make it easy for simple devices.  But a DR of 3 doesn't necessarily mean that all it's attributes are at 3.  It can well be that it's signal rating is a lot higher, and some other attribute you don't need is only at 1.  That way those bracelets can still cut through a lot of noise, while technically DR3.
Title: Re: DocWagon bracelets, Ratings and Thresholds
Post by: Jack_Spade on <03-25-18/0508:52>
You are thinking of SR4 - where this was a bit more complex but much more sanely handled.

In SR5 there is no separate signal rating, only device rating and the ASDF attributes.
Title: Re: DocWagon bracelets, Ratings and Thresholds
Post by: Stainless Steel Devil Rat on <03-25-18/1119:26>
The solution lies not in the signaling device but in the receiver: Doc Waggon just needs a shit load of noise reduction equipment at their end to be able to cut through any jamming.

Sure, it's true that you flat out ignore noise on the "far end" of a communication and only have to cancel noise based on distance and static local to the communicator.  So if you say the bracelet's data passes over a communication originating from Doc Wagon you absolutely could ignore local noise around the bracelet.  There's problematic implications for the viability of jamming as a tactic if you do so, however.

And regardless the fact remains that localized jamming of a sufficiently intense level on the bracelet will shut down the bracelet's wireless capability.  All the noise reduction in the world doesn't let you talk to a device with no (working) wireless capability.
Title: Re: DocWagon bracelets, Ratings and Thresholds
Post by: farothel on <03-25-18/1245:41>
You are thinking of SR4 - where this was a bit more complex but much more sanely handled.

In SR5 there is no separate signal rating, only device rating and the ASDF attributes.

Probably, I've played a lot more 4th then 5th edition.

As to losing the wireles, again I'm not sure if it can be done, but depending on where you have your commlink and how you have to wear the bracelet (and if it even is a bracelet and not some implanted chip or something), maybe you can run a cable from the device to your commlink and then use your commlink to connect to Docwagon.  It can lose all the wireless it has if you can wire it up somewhere.

I guess it all comes down to how your GM sees these issues, but I'm sure there are ways to make sure the Docwagon thing stays on, otherwise what's the point in getting it.  Of course, if you're out in the boonies, it might be different (and more difficult), but that's probably also in the fine print of the Docwagon contract anyway.