I've been long wrestling with making a Rigger-Decker Hybrid work, and I haven't liked any iteration. While the skills involved have a lot of crossover, the hardware is maddeningly difficult to reconcile inside a starting character's budget.
Problems:
You can't give Attack or Sleaze Dongles to a RCC.
You can't duplicate the RCC's functionality with Autosofts on a Cyberdeck.
You can't share cyberprograms between Cyberdecks and RCCs.
Even at Resources A, you can't have a good Cyberdeck, a good RCC, AND the vehicles/drones to make Rigging relevant.
You CAN get away with a RCC and a Commlink w Dongle, but getting one up to credible value ends up costing what a Cyberdeck would have anyway.
While Smoke and Mirrors exists to loophole your way past 0 Sleaze on a RCC, there's no comparable way to get around 0 Attack.
If you don't have viable Attack/Sleaze values, you have to pre-Edge every hacking test.
With all that, I was still bound and determined to find the magic combination that makes it all click. I love the idea of a Nerdraging E-sports "athlete" who's both a Decker and Rigger... the concept seems so right it naturally SHOULD work, right?
Today in the course of researching a
tangentially related issue I realized there's another snag I hadn't previously noticed: When using Control Device, a low Data Processing value sets the low ceiling on your actions... good Acc/Sensors/Handling/Speed be damned. Frag! You simply MUST have a good Data Processing stat... that's the straw that broke the cyberdeck's back. I can't get by with Scratch Built Junk just to field Autosofts; I NEED a good DP stat and that means a good RCC. And I can't use a custom cyberdeck since they don't reconfigure limits.
With that, I decided I had to kill the "oh yeah, and I'm a Cybercombat specialized Decker, too!" angle to being a Rigger. Killed it, buried it.
Since I wasn't able to quite make this concept work, but hadn't been willing to kill the concept, I've also been working on an
alternate character as my backup Neo-Tokyo character. That ork cyberboi is as focused on one thing as this one was spread out in focus, and they're both competing for GM credits I've accrued over the past few months. Like the brute, this character is looking at being a juicer to help stretch capabilities. I had also been messing around with cyberlimbs on both; on this character I was toying with building an anthropomorphic tank for the rigger to virtually pilot into harm's way. I changed it up a bit though, using the drones as an alternative to skillwires. Fun discovery: Rating 6 Skillsofts cost 30,000. Rating 6 Autosofts cost 3,000!
Although I dropped the Decking aspect, the Computer skill remains as a sort of sentimental relic. Plus I had to redo the qualities, and I ended up giving homage to almost being a Decker in Down the Rabbit Hole and Well Actually... It sounds fun to play out "correcting" the proper Decker's obviously incorrect matrix legwork discoveries...
As with my other character I'm refining, there are deliberately holes left open since there'll be GM credits to apply. In this character's case, I'll be buying the basic social skills with karma, and spending money on more Autosofts. Now Duellists are Demolition experts! Now they're Medics! Now they're Mechanics! I'm expecting to work out SO much better than trying to do Skillwires...
== Personal Data ==
Street Name: Jäger
Name: SINless
Movement:10/20 (2m/hit)
Swim:3.5 (1m/hit)
Karma: 0
Street Cred: 0
Notoriety: 0
Public Awareness: 0
Human Male Age 25
Height 168 cm Weight 68 kilo
Composure: 5
Judge Intentions: 7
Lift/Carry: 5 (30 kg/20 kg)
Memory: 9
Nuyen:119.9¥
== Priorities ==
Metatype: D,1
Attributes: B,3
Special: E,0
Skills: C,2
Resources: A,4
== Attributes ==
BOD: 3
AGI: 5
REA: 6(7)
STR: 2
CHA: 2
INT: 5
LOG: 4(6)
WIL: 3
EDG: 5
== Derived Attributes ==
Essence: 2.07
Initiative: 12 +1d6
Matrix AR: 12 +1d6
Matrix Cold: 10 +3d6
Matrix Hot: 10 +4d6
Physical Damage Track: 10
Stun Damage Track: 10
== Limits ==
Physical: 5
Mental: 7
Audio Enhancement (Earbuds): +1, Only for audio Perception
Vision Enhancement [+3] (Only for Perception (Visual))
Social: 4
== Active Skills ==
Aeronautics Mechanic Base:2 Pool:8
Automotive Mechanic Base:2 Pool:8
Computer (Matrix Search) Base:4 Pool:10(12)
Electronic Warfare (Sensor Operations) Base:1 Pool:7(9)
Gunnery (Ballistic) Base:6 Pool:11(13)
Industrial Mechanic Base:2 Pool:8
Nautical Mechanic Base:2 Pool:8
Perception (Visual) Base:1 Pool:6(8 )
Pilot Aircraft (Remote Operation) Base:1 Pool:8(10)
Pilot Ground Craft (Wheeled) Base:5 Pool:12(14)
Pilot Walker (Remote Operation) Base:1 Pool:8(10)
Sneaking (Urban) Base:1 Pool:6(8 )
== Knowledge Skills ==
German Base:0 Pool:6
Japanese Native
Bosozoku (Neo-Tokyo) Base:4 Pool:9(11)
Matrix Games (Awakening: 1949) Base:4 Pool:10(12)
Police Procedures (Street) (Traffic Enforcement) Base:2 Pool:7(9)
Street Drugs (Betameth) Base:2 Pool:7(9)
Trivia Base:2 Pool:7
== Contacts ==
Armorer(5, 1)
Street Racer(2, 2)
== Lifestyle ==
Gaming Cave(Medium)1 Month
== Cyberware/Bioware ==
Cerebral Booster Rating 2
Control Rig Rating 2
Datajack Plus Rating 3
Narco
Nephritic screen Rating 6
Perfect Eyes
Reaction Enhancers Rating 1
== Armor ==
Bike Racing Armor 8
+ Auto-Injector
+ Biomonitor
Bike Racing Helmet +2
+ CameraRating 1
+ Flare Compensation
+ Select Sound FilterRating 2
Securetech PPP: Arms Kit +1
Securetech PPP: Legs Kit +1
Securetech PPP: Vitals Kit +1
Vashon Island: Steampunk 10
+ Custom Fit
+ Electrochromic Clothing
== Commlink ==
Shiawase Cyber-6(ATT: 0,SLZ: 0,DP: 5,FWL: 5)
+ Commlink Functionality[Camera, Micro, Chip Player, Credstick Reader, Earbuds 1, GPS Guidance System, Micro Trid-Projector, Music Player, RFID Tag Scanner, Shock- and Water-Resistant Case, Touchscreen Display]
== Gear: Equipped ==
Autosofts
+ Clearsight Autosoft Rating 6
+ Smartsoft Rating 3
+ Group Autosoft Rating 2
+ Swarm
+ [Model] Maneuvering Autosoft (Ares Duellist) Rating 6
+ Skill Autosoft (Restricted) (Locksmith) Rating 6
+ Skill Autosoft (Hardware) Rating 6
+ [Weapon] Melee Autosoft (Swords) Rating 6
+ [Weapon] Targeting Autosoft (Remgington 950) Rating 6
+ Electronic Warfare Autosoft Rating 6
Cyberprograms
Earbuds Rating 3
+ Sound Link
+ Audio Enhancement Rating 1
+ Select Sound Filter Rating 1
Fake SIN (JIS: Biro Aidoru) Rating 4
+ Fake License (Driver's License) Rating 4
+ Fake License (Drone License) Rating 4
+ Fake License (Restricted Bodyware License) Rating 4
Goggles Rating 6
+ Flare Compensation
+ Vision Enhancement Rating 3
+ Low Light
Jammer, Directional Rating 6
Sandwich Bag
+ Betameth ×10
+ Long Haul ×10
+ Novacoke ×10
Tool Kit (Aeronautics Mechanic)
Tool Kit (Automotive Mechanic)
Tool Kit (Hardware)
== Vehicles ==
Ares Duelist (Medium) ("Inky")
+ Gecko Grips (Drone)
Ares Duelist (Medium) ("Blinky")
+ Gecko Grips (Drone)
Ares Duelist (Medium) ("Pinky")
+ Gecko Grips (Drone)
Ares Duelist (Medium) ("Clyde")
+ Gecko Grips (Drone)
GMC Bulldog Step-Van (Van)
+ Anti-Theft System Rating 2
+ GridLink Override
+ Increased Seating
+ Passenger Protection System Rating 6
+ Rigger Interface
+ Spoof Chips
Hyundai Shin-Hyung (Sport Sedan)
+ Anti-Theft System Rating 2
+ Chameleon Coating
+ GridLink Override
+ Rigger Interface
+ Spoof Chips
MCT-Nissan Roto-drone (Medium)
+ Large Popout Weapon Mount(Drone)
+ Remington 950 w Laser Sight, Silencer
+ Sensor (Drone) Rating 6
+ Sensor Array Rating 6
Shiawase Kanmushi (Microdrone)