[joe15552]

Can sprites "jump in" to drones?
If the technomancer gains access to an account on a node, all his sprites do as well? Or vice versa?
If a technomancer subscribes to a node, does that mean his sprites are subscribed as well?
Can a sprite's access ID be altered like an agent's access ID?
If you alter a sprite's access ID, can the sprite choose to use the technomancer's access ID at anytime?

Are sprites gods?

But seriously, I am trying to find the limits of a sprite's abilities so I don't drive my poor GM's insane. (Rocks fall, everyone dies)

[Tagz]

Can sprites "jump in" to drones?

I honestly cannot find anything saying that they cannot.  However, Sprites have few useful Rigging skills normally, making them default on many actions.  Only the Machine Sprite can have Autosofts as optional CFs, but only 1 per 3 rating points.  They do not make the best riggers.

If the technomancer gains access to an account on a node, all his sprites do as well? Or vice versa?

A TM in a node can call his/her single Compiled Sprite or any/all of his/her Registered Sprites.

This does not work in reverse so easily, but a Sprite COULD make a backdoor for themselves and the TM could spoof their Access ID to match the Sprite's.  This would of course mean the two could not occupy the same node at the same time.  (But the Sprite could just spoof his own Access ID to something new and be called.)

If a technomancer subscribes to a node, does that mean his sprites are subscribed as well?

No.

Can a sprite's access ID be altered like an agent's access ID?

Yes.

If you alter a sprite's access ID, can the sprite choose to use the technomancer's access ID at anytime?

Yes, they can spoof theirs to match the TM's.  But this will prevent them from occupying the same node at the same time as the TM.  It will however allow them to use any backdoor the TM may have made for himself.

Are sprites gods?

No more so then Spirits are.  A pain for mundanes (non-TM hackers), but not invincible.

But seriously, I am trying to find the limits of a sprite's abilities so I don't drive my poor GM's insane. (Rocks fall, everyone dies)

Not hard.  Remind him that all it takes is a simple action on a Spider's/ICs/System to put the system into alert and call in as many hackers, agents, IC, enemy Technomancers, Sprites as your GM wants.  It's the Matrix, it's not like they have to get in a helicopter and fly over.

Also, another Technomancer as the Spider can easily throw off some plans.  In a game I played I had just one with the Echo Coenesthesia, his crazy Stealth Program didn't matter so much, the TM could FEEL the Resonence ripples and know there was something there.  My player bailed the second the TM started calling in Sprites to help him look.

[joe15552]

Tagz, first of all, I'd like to thank you for your thoroughness. You helped put together some pieces in my mind that were disconnected about sprites and the things they can and can't.

Second, I think you helped me realize that I don't quite have a grasp of the concepts of subscriptions and access ID's. I am going to have to re-read those rules, and poor over the agent rules again to try to make the connection a little bit better.

Meanwhile, do you, or anyone else, have a good example (rolls included) of a technomancer and his sprites gaining subscriptions so they can command devices via remote control or jumping in?

[Chaemera]

If the technomancer gains access to an account on a node, all his sprites do as well? Or vice versa?

A TM in a node can call his/her single Compiled Sprite or any/all of his/her Registered Sprites.

This does not work in reverse so easily, but a Sprite COULD make a backdoor for themselves and the TM could spoof their Access ID to match the Sprite's.  This would of course mean the two could not occupy the same node at the same time.  (But the Sprite could just spoof his own Access ID to something new and be called.)

Or, once it's hacked in, the Sprite could create an account for the Technomancer, using the rules on page 97 of Unwired. This gives the Techno a long-term method of accessing the node.

Also, worth noting, if the Sprite probed the node instead of hacking in on the fly, then it's got a "reusable exploit" backdoor into the system, even if it's hacked in on the fly, it can create a reusable exploit. In either case, it can then share the info with the Techno, who then gets a +6 DP modifier to their own attempts to hack into the node.

All of these methods require additional services, sure, but at least you're in.

[joe15552]

Thanks for the clarification, Chaemera. I am just trying to make sure that what I want to do with my technomancer's sprites has not already been written off as overpowered by most GM's.

I want to have my sprites do the rigging, while the technomancer does the hacking. I know, kinda' backwards, but after reading the abilities for the Tutor sprite in Unwired, I got inspired.

If my technomancer's team knew they were going to be facing a rigger, my technomancer would use his abilities, and his sprite's abilities, to prepare the enemy's drones for take-over (via the accounts created as per the rules Chaemera pointed out on pg. 97 of Unwired). Then, at the time of attack, his sprites would jump into the drones, thus taking care of the threat of threat of the rigger. The sprites I was thinking about using for the "jump-in" would be tutor sprites with the Skillsoft Gunnery (as per the "a tutor sprite may be given the skillsoft of a technical, vehicle, or knowledge skill as a complex form, chosen by the technomancer upon compiling" rule on pg 156 of Unwired.). Since gunnery is a vehicle active skill, I see that as a valid option. As an optional complex form, I would choose "Command" for the tutor sprite. In this manner, my tutor sprites would be able to use whatever weapon system enemy drones had equipped.

If my GM rules that the sprites cannot "jump-in", which is a perfectly valid thing to rule, since there doesn't seem to be any rules for, or against, sprites jumping into drones, I would want to have my tutor sprites operate the drones via remote control through the accounts created beforehand. The advantage to the sprites jumping in would be that once they jump in, the rigger can't do a damn thing to get them out his drones... I don't think... Which would be pretty nasty, so I would understand if the GM would want the sprites to only be able to operate the drones by remote control to give the rigger a chance to get his drones back.

Why go through all this trouble to steal drones with sprites? Well, if what I am thinking is acceptable by my GM, I wouldn't have to take command or gunnery with my technomancer, which saves some valuable build points.

[Kot]

Hmmm... Those Tutor sprites sure will give their targets a lesson.

[joe15552]

lol

[Tagz]

Thanks for the clarification, Chaemera. I am just trying to make sure that what I want to do with my technomancer's sprites has not already been written off as overpowered by most GM's.

I want to have my sprites do the rigging, while the technomancer does the hacking. I know, kinda' backwards, but after reading the abilities for the Tutor sprite in Unwired, I got inspired.

If my technomancer's team knew they were going to be facing a rigger, my technomancer would use his abilities, and his sprite's abilities, to prepare the enemy's drones for take-over (via the accounts created as per the rules Chaemera pointed out on pg. 97 of Unwired). Then, at the time of attack, his sprites would jump into the drones, thus taking care of the threat of threat of the rigger. The sprites I was thinking about using for the "jump-in" would be tutor sprites with the Skillsoft Gunnery (as per the "a tutor sprite may be given the skillsoft of a technical, vehicle, or knowledge skill as a complex form, chosen by the technomancer upon compiling" rule on pg 156 of Unwired.). Since gunnery is a vehicle active skill, I see that as a valid option. As an optional complex form, I would choose "Command" for the tutor sprite. In this manner, my tutor sprites would be able to use whatever weapon system enemy drones had equipped.

If my GM rules that the sprites cannot "jump-in", which is a perfectly valid thing to rule, since there doesn't seem to be any rules for, or against, sprites jumping into drones, I would want to have my tutor sprites operate the drones via remote control through the accounts created beforehand. The advantage to the sprites jumping in would be that once they jump in, the rigger can't do a damn thing to get them out his drones... I don't think... Which would be pretty nasty, so I would understand if the GM would want the sprites to only be able to operate the drones by remote control to give the rigger a chance to get his drones back.

Why go through all this trouble to steal drones with sprites? Well, if what I am thinking is acceptable by my GM, I wouldn't have to take command or gunnery with my technomancer, which saves some valuable build points.

I can see your idea working.  The thing I would do as a GM is allow the Sprite to jump in.  That's where the fun begins.  Sprites are Matrix beings, it would likely have a good dose of RL naivety.  Putting them into a real world setting is like taking a fish out of water.  You can instruct it to "shoot the car".  It may have to look up what a car is.  So for me, I would have the Sprite be doing some Data Searches to understand the world around it in any case it seems reasonable, and possibly some mistakes from misinterpreted instructions.  I wouldn't do it for a Sprite that is more used to the real world but those are more likely to be machine sprites then Tutor (they would do most training in VR, would they not?).

[joe15552]

Tagz: I think that is a pretty cool take on it. Glad to know at least one GM doesn't think it's overpowered, or at least came up with a creative way to make it not overpowered. Sounds like my character is almost done with his creation! Wootz!

[Wyldknight]

Sprites are essentially Agents with (on average) more intelligence. Agents don't jump into drones they merely control them so neither do Sprites. Only flesh and blood characters and AIs can jump in as far as the rules show. If you want to force the rigger out it's probably going to come down to a cyber combat match.

As for the rigger not being able to do anything, yes he would. Only the most green Riggers wouldn't subscribe all his drones back to the home node which should at least have a firewall of 4 and will always have an analyze of 6 because it's not that expensive not to mention a swarm of agents with attack/armor/analyze at least. Lets say you get past that, you stealth your way in and set up an account on his home node to allow access. Thats great but the moment you pull your tutor sprite in to control you're hosed because the Tutor sprite doesn't have stealth. No stealth means he can be automatically seen by the rigger/spider. He can barely fight so that means he will be cooked by a combat agent or spider.

Taking drones is a useful tactic but that's going on the assumption that their defenses aren't ready for it. I don't run a drone that doesn't have the emergency scripts that activate in case the Spider cuts all drone subscriptions after commanding them to deactivate their wireless because the network has been compromised. I would be surprised if such things weren't standard across the board.

[joe15552]

If it was a good idea to shut down wireless connectivity on all drones, then I imagine all riggers would shut down all wireless on all their drones all the time. In other words, I don't think it would be a good idea to shut down wireless connectivity on all drones your NPC is controlling.

Oh! You just gave me a good idea. What if your NPC rigger had a pulsing script that only enabled wireless connectivity for 3 seconds at a time every 3 seconds round or so. That would boggle a hacker for sure!

[Wyldknight]

It's not a good idea to shut it off all the time. What I am saying is activating a preloading script that tells the drone what to do if the wireless is shut off. By doing so if the Rigger cannot defeat his opponent he can just give him the finger by shutting off the drones wireless cutting them both out. The difference is the drone already has preloaded orders on what to do in that situation so it's essentially fine.

Something like that. What you could do is have it come online every other combat turn or so and if there aren't any orders waiting for it the wireless shuts off again.  Rinse and repeat. Another script could be if it's faced with a situation where there are no preloaded scripts that it activates it's wireless and asks the rigger for instructions. A rigger has to be the most paranoid of all runner archetypes if it wants to keep it's gear out of enemy hands.