[Xenon]

Q Do you get -2 to all matrix action if you are inside a host located on the public grid (even if you jacked into the matrix from the local grid before you entered the host)?

Q Do IC in a host located on the public grid suffer -2 dice to all it's actions?


p.234
As a result, all Matrix actions are performed at a –2 dice pool penalty when you’re using the public grid, even in a host.

[Ryo]

Does being the Master of a Slaved device grant any degree of control over the Slaved Device?

For example, if the Street Sam slaves his smartgun to the Decker, how much control does the Decker have over the Smartgun? Does he count as having an Owner mark?

This came up because of the Wrapper program. A Decker wants to use Wrapper to make an ally's smartgun look like a credstick, as per the example. However, Wrapper uses the Change Icon matrix action, which can only be used by the Owner of the device.

[Aaron]

According to page 233, if you are in a Host that is part of a WAN, you are directly connected to every device slaved in the WAN. Does this mean that if you enter a host, you could immediately hack any of the slaves directly, while ignoring the host's Firewall?

Yep. Well, you probably needed to get by the host's Firewall to get in there in the first place, but the slaved targets don't get to use the host's ratings for defense against you once you're in there.

If this is the case, this seems like a terrible idea, as it actually makes setting up a WAN less secure, since a mark on a slave also gives you a mark on the master. So a decker could walk into any public host, which automatically invites marks to allow patrons to enter, and immediately be directly connected to any devices on their WAN. You then hack marks on those Rating 2 or 3 devices, and automatically get marks on the Host itself.

This is why hosts that are open to the public aren't part of WANs, and those hosts that are part of WANs are guarded by patrolling spiders and IC.

Has there been any word on how many programs an RCC can run?

Noise Reduction and Sharing, p. 267, SR5. The Sharing rating refers to the combination of autosofts and cyberprograms (neither of which my spell checker likes).

That is how many you can share, not how many you can run. Unless you are saying you cannot have more programs active than you can share.

That is the number you can run. Thanks in advance for taking further discussion to another thread.

Rules Clarification: Resting and Natural Recovery

What constitutes "resting" for the purpose of Natural Recovery?

Whatever your GM says is resting.

Can you slave a device across grids? For example, have your deck on a Global Grid, but your Smartgun on the Local Grid. If so, would a decker on the Global Grid take the -2 for hacking across grids if he hacks the gun, or would the penalty not apply, since it uses the Master's ratings on the same grid?

The cross-grid penalty is based on the target's grid, not the master's grid. In your example, the decker would take a -2 penalty for hacking across grids if he was not on the same grid as the gun.

[Aaron]

Q Do you get -2 to all matrix action if you are inside a host located on the public grid (even if you jacked into the matrix from the local grid before you entered the host)?

b]Q [/b] Do IC in a host located on the public grid suffer -2 dice to all it's actions?

"Hosts are part of the Matrix, so once you’re inside a host, the grid you’re on doesn’t really matter." (p. 246, SR5)

Hosts don't perform actions outside of themselves, so the question is academic.

Does being the Master of a Slaved device grant any degree of control over the Slaved Device?

Given that by definition you're either the owner of the slave or it's not in your PAN, I'd say that it doesn't grant any additional control; you were its owner before you slaved it.

[Ryo]

Does being the Master of a Slaved device grant any degree of control over the Slaved Device?

Given that by definition you're either the owner of the slave or it's not in your PAN, I'd say that it doesn't grant any additional control; you were its owner before you slaved it.

So the Street Sam who slaves his smartgun to the Decker's deck to get the firewall bonus is in fact handing over ownership?

[Michael Chandra]

Q: Does Virtual Machine help with Sharing?

For example, if my Sharing ratio is 2, can I run Virtual Machine, Signal Scrub, Toolbox and Maneuvering[MCT-Nissan Roto-Drone]?

[Ryo]

Initiating as a magician requires an Arcana + Logic Extended test, however no such test is mentioned for Submerging as a technomancer, nor is any timeframe provided. Does this mean that Submerging takes no time and requires no test, or is this up for Errata?

[Agonar]

2: How does the Indirect Touch spell, Punch, work?

In the specific case of a touch-range combat spell, the Spellcasting test takes the place of the Unarmed attack. So you only need to make the Spellcasting Test, which is defended against by the target's Reaction + Intuition.

I find this answer odd, or a mistake, since on page 282, under Range, the book says "Some spells require you to Touch (T) the target—if the target is unwilling, you’ll need to make an unarmed attack against the target"

And on Page 187, under Touch-Only Attack  "If the intention of an attack is to simply make contact, whether to discharge a spell, plant a RFID tag, or just playing tag, than the attacker gains a +2 dice pool bonus. Additionally, if all that is needed is contact, the attacker and not the defender succeeds on a tie."

So either both of these entries referencing Touch Spells are wrong, and needs serious errata, or As part of casting a touch spell, you first make an unarmed attack +2 dice vs Target, and if you succeed, then you make the spellcasting vs their reaction + Intuition since it's Indirect, then they get to resist damage (which granted is a lot of dice rolls for Punch, as one of the only indirect touch spell).

Which one is actually the correct procedure?

[Ryo]

2: How does the Indirect Touch spell, Punch, work?

In the specific case of a touch-range combat spell, the Spellcasting test takes the place of the Unarmed attack. So you only need to make the Spellcasting Test, which is defended against by the target's Reaction + Intuition.

I find this answer odd, or a mistake, since on page 282, under Range, the book says "Some spells require you to Touch (T) the target—if the target is unwilling, you’ll need to make an unarmed attack against the target"

And on Page 187, under Touch-Only Attack  "If the intention of an attack is to simply make contact, whether to discharge a spell, plant a RFID tag, or just playing tag, than the attacker gains a +2 dice pool bonus. Additionally, if all that is needed is contact, the attacker and not the defender succeeds on a tie."

So either both of these entries referencing Touch Spells are wrong, and needs serious errata, or As part of casting a touch spell, you first make an unarmed attack +2 dice vs Target, and if you succeed, then you make the spellcasting vs their reaction + Intuition since it's Indirect, then they get to resist damage (which granted is a lot of dice rolls for Punch, as one of the only indirect touch spell).

Which one is actually the correct procedure?

He said Touch range combat spell. Presumably, with a spell like Reduce Attribute, you make the unarmed touch attack as per those rules.

[Cyber-Dave]

Is the listing for bows of 0-STR short range distance intentional? It seems very odd. First of all, it seems like a bows range should be based on its rank, not a character's STR. Second of all, based on all other existing patterns of progression, it seems like a bows short range should be Rank*2 or Rank*3, not 0-Rank (or STR). I mean, why does a bow have such a worse short range than a crossbow? For that matter, why does a bow and a thrown weapon have the same short range? That can't be right, can it? Is this a case of something needing errata, or is this intentional? And, if it is intentional, what is the logic?

[Xenon]

Q A physical device slaved to a Host (belong in a WAN) always only have it's icon inside the host?




(p.234 , SR5)
As a result, all Matrix actions are performed at a –2 dice pool penalty when you’re using the public grid, even in a host.

(p. 246, SR5)
Hosts are part of the Matrix, so once you’re inside a host, the grid you’re on doesn’t really matter.

The two statements seem to contradict each other.
One say that you (always) get -2 dice pool penalty if you jack in from the public grid (always bad connection) even if you are in a host and the other say that once you are inside a host it [really] does not matter which grid you came from (always good connection).

Q Is it a correct interpretation that the second statement mean that being inside a Host you no longer suffer cross-grid penalty and distance noise penalty (but you still suffer public grid penalty if you used the public grid while jacking into the matrix)?

Initiating as a magician requires an Arcana + Logic Extended test...

(p.325 SR5)
The time it takes to complete initiation is determined by an Arcana + Intuition [Astral] (initiate grade, 1 month) Extended Test.

So either both of these entries referencing Touch Spells are wrong, and needs serious errata, or As part of casting a touch spell, you first make an unarmed attack +2 dice vs Target, and if you succeed, then you make the spellcasting vs their reaction + Intuition since it's Indirect, then they get to resist damage (which granted is a lot of dice rolls for Punch, as one of the only indirect touch spell).

...or a third option would be that the target does not get to dodge indirect T combat spells after you made the connection with unarmed combat to touch the subject. The connection is already made - you can't dodge the spell. Spell defense would be rolled as a pool on it's own against the actual spellcast; possible reducing the damage or even cause the spell to fail/miss if you have enough spell defense hits.

(similar to targets does not get to dodge indirect LOS (A) combat spells. you are already inside the blast area - you can't dodge the spell. but spell defense is rolled as a defense pool of it's own).

[martinchaen]

Q: Do items that take up capacity count as separate items when slaved to a master?

Examples:
Does an Ares Alpha containing a smartgun system (1), airburst link (2), and a bipod (3) count as 1 or 3 devices for the purposes of slaving?
How about a cyberarm with a Large Smuggling Compartment (1) and an SMG containing a smartgun system (2) and a silencer (3)?

[Aaron]

Does being the Master of a Slaved device grant any degree of control over the Slaved Device?

Given that by definition you're either the owner of the slave or it's not in your PAN, I'd say that it doesn't grant any additional control; you were its owner before you slaved it.

So the Street Sam who slaves his smartgun to the Decker's deck to get the firewall bonus is in fact handing over ownership?

Yep.

Q: Does Virtual Machine help with Sharing?

Yep.

Initiating as a magician requires an Arcana + Logic Extended test, however no such test is mentioned for Submerging as a technomancer, nor is any timeframe provided. Does this mean that Submerging takes no time and requires no test, or is this up for Errata?

Errata is in process.

2: How does the Indirect Touch spell, Punch, work?

In the specific case of a touch-range combat spell, the Spellcasting test takes the place of the Unarmed attack. So you only need to make the Spellcasting Test, which is defended against by the target's Reaction + Intuition.

I find this answer odd, or a mistake, since on page 282, under Range, the book says "Some spells require you to Touch (T) the target—if the target is unwilling, you’ll need to make an unarmed attack against the target"

And on Page 187, under Touch-Only Attack  "If the intention of an attack is to simply make contact, whether to discharge a spell, plant a RFID tag, or just playing tag, than the attacker gains a +2 dice pool bonus. Additionally, if all that is needed is contact, the attacker and not the defender succeeds on a tie."

So either both of these entries referencing Touch Spells are wrong, and needs serious errata, or As part of casting a touch spell, you first make an unarmed attack +2 dice vs Target, and if you succeed, then you make the spellcasting vs their reaction + Intuition since it's Indirect, then they get to resist damage (which granted is a lot of dice rolls for Punch, as one of the only indirect touch spell).

Which one is actually the correct procedure?

In the specific case of a touch-range combat spell, the Spellcasting test takes the place of the Unarmed attack. So you only need to make the Spellcasting Test, which is defended against by the target's Reaction + Intuition.

Is the listing for bows of 0-STR short range distance intentional? It seems very odd. First of all, it seems like a bows range should be based on its rank, not a character's STR. Second of all, based on all other existing patterns of progression, it seems like a bows short range should be Rank*2 or Rank*3, not 0-Rank (or STR). I mean, why does a bow have such a worse short range than a crossbow? For that matter, why does a bow and a thrown weapon have the same short range? That can't be right, can it? Is this a case of something needing errata, or is this intentional? And, if it is intentional, what is the logic?

Answers, in order:
Yes. That's not a question. That's not a question either. Neither is that. Crossbows typically have a stronger pull than bows. Bows are fired in an arc, and that arc starts sooner than you think. Yes it can. It's intentional. The drop on a fired arrow starts out pretty quick; it's been my experience that even a three-meter shot doesn't go directly where you aim it on a bow with a thirty-pound draw (Rating 3-ish).

Q A physical device slaved to a Host (belong in a WAN) always only have it's icon inside the host?

No. In fact, there's no way by the current rules for that to happen. The device is outside the host, the same way the ACHE is outside the Space Needle--you can just see it from there.

Q Is it a correct interpretation that the second statement mean that being inside a Host you no longer suffer cross-grid penalty and distance noise penalty (but you still suffer public grid penalty if you used the public grid while jacking into the matrix)?

If you are on the public grid, you take a -2 penalty. If you entered the host from the public grid, that penalty comes along for the ride.

Q: Do items that take up capacity count as separate items when slaved to a master?

Examples:
Does an Ares Alpha containing a smartgun system (1), airburst link (2), and a bipod (3) count as 1 or 3 devices for the purposes of slaving?
How about a cyberarm with a Large Smuggling Compartment (1) and an SMG containing a smartgun system (2) and a silencer (3)?

If it's integral to the device, it's part of that device. If it's an accessory, it's a separate device. If it takes up Capacity, we're talking integrated.

[Lobo]

Q A physical device slaved to a Host (belong in a WAN) always only have it's icon inside the host?

No. In fact, there's no way by the current rules for that to happen. The device is outside the host, the same way the ACHE is outside the Space Needle--you can just see it from there.

Aaron - if that is the case, then what does this mean:

Page 246:

"The virtual space inside a host is separate from the
outside grid. When you’re outside of a host, you can’t interact
directly with icons inside it, although you can still
send messages, make commcalls, and that sort of thing.
Once you’re inside, you can see and interact with icons
inside the host, but not outside (with the same caveat for
messages, calls, etc.)."

What devices are inside a Host then?
How does a spider who is inside a Host interact with the devices that are outside the Host  - does he have to leave the Host to do so?

[martinchaen]

Q: Can one implant more than one datajack, and if yes, does the Noise Reduction wireless bonus stack?
Example; Quantum Princess (SRM Season 5 contact) is shown as having two datajacks. What is the purpose of this if the bonuses do not stack?