Shadowrun General > General Discussion

Running Silent

(1/5) > >>

RickDeckard:
If you're a Street Sam and would like to not immediately get all your 'ware fried by a Spider, can you just set it to running silent the same way a Decker can run silent? Then at least they'd have to spot it before they can fry it. If yes, then I don't see any reason you wouldn't do that as standard since you're not messing around in the Matrix and thus doesn't suffer any penalties from running silent. Maybe silent running is actually standard setting for cyberware....

Alrician:
Yes, you can. I even do it that way, or I have agreed with my players that they will always be considered silent until they determine something else.

RickDeckard:
And of course still receive all wireless bonuses.

Sir Ludwig:
RAW: p178 Running Silent....A user can run silent by simply switching modes on their commlink or deck.  Most ware isn't a commlink or deck....

So, I don't think you can directly run your ware silent.

I believe if you connect your ware/gear to your PAN, then you could. 

However, If you do run silent you can be spotted with an opposed Matrix Perception test.  If your not a Matrix type, someone that is (Spider, Hacker, whomever) will be able to see you fairly easy.  They will wonder why someone is running silent and probably start poking around.  That is why if your going to run wireless you should have your own Matrix type person protecting you and your gear behind their PAN.

I'm not the local Matrix subject expert, so if Banshee or SSDR post something different, I would listen to them.

Most of my players run with their gear off. 
Edit:  If being stealthy and somewhere they shouldn't be.  If walking around to get a burger and have proper (fake/real) paperwork.  Then they are broadcasting like everyone else. 

Regards,
SL

Stainless Steel Devil Rat:
From my perspective, I'd consider two potential rules hangups with running gear silent in 5e, as well as a potential in-universe factor that is equally applicible in 5e/6e.

1) Does the device need a Sleaze attribute to run silent?
2) Do you suffer the -2 dice for employing that device while it's running silent?

In the case of 1... the short answer I unavoidably come to is "No".  However much it might seem reasonable from a fluff/lore point of view, that's ALL there is to that argument. Against it lies a) the rules never say that restriction b) commlinks don't have any more Sleaze than cyberware, and commlinks explicitly can run silent and c) that's not the writer's intent anyway. 

In the case of 2... I feel the short answer is also "No", but it's slightly less clear cut. Per pg. 235 SR5 you suffer -2 dice for any "matrix actions" you perform with the device, but that in turn becomes a question of whether an action benefitting from a wireless bonus is also a matrix action.  That's a whole lot of rabbit hole to go down into, and to be honest you don't even need to wrangle that answer definitively because there's another reason why #2 should be "No" besides however that comes out: it's simply not very fun.  MAYBE there's a decently, non-hostile-to-the-player rationale in saying if you run your smartgun wireless on but running silent, you get +2 dice AND -2 dice, and it's still a net gain because of the other niche benefits a smartgun gets.  But apply that same logic to virtually any other device with a wireless bonus, especially cyberware, and you're basically punishing players for using their gear.  It's not fun.  That's a pretty strong point all on its own.

So, in summation: rules-wise, yes I feel you should both be able to run your gear and 'ware silent, and do so without incurring the -2 dice penalty.


However, I mentioned a third, in-universe downside.  I think that remains quite valid: you LOOK SUSPICIOUS when you run your drek silent or wireless-off.  It's the equivalent of running around in all-black tactical gear. I mean, sure it's advantageous... but when you're trying to blend in, running silent/off is doing the opposite. "Hey, look at the one loser here who doesn't have any AROs!  I bet that's because they can't even get their Persona into P2.0!"  Furthermore, having weapons running silent (or off) reasonably counts as attempting to conceal them.  Some places may very well allow open carry but not concealed.  Being caught attempting to conceal weapons in those place will of course have consequences.  Whether the concealment was physical or matrix in nature!

Navigation

[0] Message Index

[#] Next page