[joe15552]

I've been reading up on hacking game mechanics and technomancers, and I'm just a little confused about Firewall and System for Technomancers. I apologize if these questions have already been asked, but I just could not find the answers...

1)The book says Firewall is equal to a Technomancer's Willpower, but for hackers firewall is a program. Is it possible for technomancers to learn a Firewall Complex form and thread it? Or perhaps thread a Firewall complex form from scratch?

2)The book says System is equal to a technomancer's Logic, but for hackers system is a program. Is it possible for technomancers to learn a System Complex Form and thread it? Or perhaps thread a System complex form from scratch?

The obvious exploit if the answers to these questions is "yes" would be to thread your firewall and system up to your resonance*2, and forget about puting points into logic and willpower. Of course, I am sure the authors did not intend technomancers to be used this way, I am just trying to find a rule somewhere that says you can't do that or a reason that it wouldn't work that way. Any help would be appreciated.

[Chaemera]

Joe, you're looking at the wrong section of the book. The table on page 232 lumps Firewall and System into "Matrix Programs"; however, the text starting with the title "Programs" gives you a comprehensive list of all programs (excluding additions from Unwired) and complex forms in the game. Note that System and Firewall are absent from this list.

Additionally, you may find the discussion on page 223, "Persona Programs", of interest, as this further clarifies that, though System and Firewall are technically programs, they are inherited from the device while inside the Matrix, rather than loaded and run on demand, a la "programs" and "complex forms".

Therefore, the answer to your questions is "no", you cannot learn either Firewall or System as a complex form, nor can you thread a complex form of them.

Furthermore, even if you could, System and Firewall are specifically capped at Resonance:

The Living Persona defines the ratings for a technomancer's living persona. None of the attributes of this persona may exceed a technomancer's Resonance rating (so a technomancer with Resonance 3 and Willpower 5 has a living persona Firewall of 3, not 5).

Firewall and System are better thought of, from a RAW perspective as "Matrix Attributes", rather than programs. In fact, pages 221 and 222 define them as Matrix Attributes.

[joe15552]

Thanks Chaemera. I know the system is pretty solid, so I knew there had to be a good reason not to use my exploit.

This helps me understand the balance of technomancers a lot better.