Shadowrun
Shadowrun General => Gear => Topic started by: TennyJaden on <09-07-11/1426:58>
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Hello forum :). I am new to this site and to Shadowrun in general (me and a friend picked up the core rules up a couple of days ago, and where discussing possible characters and missions)
This might be the wrong subforum to ask the question, so mods feel free to move it, I am not entirely sure, but it seems gear-related, but may also be rules?
Just for the record, we am not new to roleplaying games in general.
Now, a question came up, while my friend was making a hacking oriented character. If he hacks into someone elses commlink, could he theoretically alter that persons vision through AR-goggles that guy is wearing, or even alter his perception completely by sending data to the sim-module that the target might be carrying? If so, how much? Also, how would you protect yourself from having your gear hacked? Would you simply buy modified weapons and cyberware to have no wireless-access and instead say, for convenience a skinlink? Or am I overlooking something here entirely, that going around with wireless equipment is not as dangerous as I think it is.
All in all I think, having skinlink is a good idea always, I mean it is not too great to lose your smartlink and geiger sensor just because of a jammer.
Greetings,
TennyJaden
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The main book talks about the problems with having the wireless features turned off on all your gear. I have a friend who has no wireless gear on his character that isnt skinlinked and wirelessly deactivated to try and make himself hack proof. When I play I make sure to try and secure my commlink as much as possible and slave everything to it in addition to skinlinking and laser linking everything. Of course all that effort and expense and no GM has ever really put forward any effort to mess with any of my characters with a hacker.
I have wondered though how you best avoid being detected using a tacnet other than laser links myself
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That still leaves the question open: How much can I influence somebodies VR/AR when I control his Commlink?
Also this poses another question for me: How do I slave a device to my Commlink? Is there a limit? Does it count towards the Processor Limit?
Also, what I was wondering: For slaving and also normal use, do I really have to subscribe to every of my devices? Because, with a couple of smartlinked guns, sensors and goggles I can't see, how even the best CommLink wouldnt go far over its subscription limit. ???
Thanks for your answers!
Greets,
TennyJaden
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Subscriptions are System x 2 as I understand it, so with a good commlink that is 12 subscriptions. I have an Agent, a gun, three sensors and a drone and so I think I am still pretty much golden using slaved devices on my PAN.
I think the limits on what you can do depend on your target. I think if you could get into someone's PAN and start editing their feeds you could do some minor damage but it depends how much they depend on their sensors and image links. For example if somebody had a tacnet running and a smart link running you could probably mess them up pretty good on those systems editing their incoming data and signals but it would be a lot tougher for people who aren't running a lot of that gear. If I Was the GM I would turn some of their bonuses into negatives as you had them dodging into fire or set their smartlink to send bad targeting info but unless they were using contact lenses or something with active AR during combat I dont think you could do much to anyone who isn't reliant on those systems
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It's also important to note that even with a System rating of 4, you can have 8 devices actively subscribed. Your subscription limit is only how many can be active at any one time, but your total subscription list can be infinite in size. I've seen a rigger who carefully selects their drone compliment for each run, but actively maintains a fleet of over 30 drones in total. But you can also cluster a group of devices together to act as a single subnode, rather than separate subnodes. Finally, you can still exceed your subscription limit, but each extra subscription counts as another program running on your 'link, which can lead to Response degradation. Clustering can be found on pg. 55 of Unwired, but everything else is found on pg. 212 of the core rules.
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Keep in mind that most of the stuff you have on you is going to have a signal strength 1, requiring someone control a device within 3 meters of you and stay that close until they finish the hack on anything but your comlink.
If you don't want to risk someone getting access to your comlink, get the best Analyze and Firewall programs you can then run encryption on your 'link (A speed bump, as any competent hacker can break the encryption, but it takes some time). If you want to be paranoid, add a IC Agent with instructions to run Analyze hunting intruders, then load it up with Attack, Armor and Black Hammer.
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Retransmission units are your friends. ;D
And your enemies. Working tech support, I got one call that had the signal being seen a mile away due to the Wireless Boosters that were in the area.