[Icy]

I was going to create my first Technomancer PC and a question popped up while writing his background.
The point is that my character emerged before Technomancers became known to the public. So while wandering the matrix in search for other people who were like him, he met a faded Otaku who became his mentor.
The question is what happened to the Otaku after the Crash?
I know Puck and Pax became Technomancers, so I assume that the others did too. Thinking about it, it makes alot of sense. The Resonance keeps a Otaku/Technomancer always at SOTA and they never need patches. In this case, Technomancers could very well be the Resonance's adjustment to the wireless Matrix.
But what happened to those Otaku whose power already faded before the Crash? Did they reemerge?

[Valashar]

To my knowledge, nothing has been said about those otaku who were fully Faded before crash 2.0. Pax was well into her Fading, but still clinging to her abilities tooth-and-nail. Puck transitioned from a strong submerged otaku to being a technomancer with no submersion grades at all (my personal view is that this could be a side effect of his feeling guilty for his actions, since it seems he hasn't pursued submersion... possibly he doesn't feel worthy enough for it?).

It has been mentioned (mainly in Emergence) that most otaku did not make it through Crash 2.0 with their abilities intact. Most did not make it through alive, either dying in the massive attacks against otaku by Winternight and Ex Pacis or dying in the crash itself. Others who were shadowland posters have been mentioned as alive and active technomancers since then.

[JustADude]

So sounds like the Otako all either died or Emerged. Cheerful thought, that. 

[Wakshaani]

As far as I know, yeah... they either died, lost their abilities (faded away), or turned Technomancer. I don't think we'll see them again, but, I could be wrong.

[TonyK]

Incidentally, the stats for Puck in Street Legends had me wondering.  His Essence and Resonance are both listed at 6.  However, I thought otakus had to have a datajack to access the Matrix, even if the deck wasn't necessary.  Wouldn't Puck have, at the very least, an Essence hole due to a datajack/other possible augmentations?

[Valashar]

It's probable that he had his wares removed and had the genetic treatment to fill in the essence hole. It's what I had in the backstory of a techno I play who was an otaku previously.

[Twitchy D]

Incidentally, the stats for Puck in Street Legends had me wondering.  His Essence and Resonance are both listed at 6.  However, I thought otakus had to have a datajack to access the Matrix, even if the deck wasn't necessary.  Wouldn't Puck have, at the very least, an Essence hole due to a datajack/other possible augmentations?

Techno's can access the matrix using only their minds, no wires or links required. You don't even need a commlink to do so, even, although a character without a commlink on them is kind of a small hint to their nature. So, nope. I don't know much about previous edition(s) stuff, though.

[Valashar]

Incidentally, the stats for Puck in Street Legends had me wondering.  His Essence and Resonance are both listed at 6.  However, I thought otakus had to have a datajack to access the Matrix, even if the deck wasn't necessary.  Wouldn't Puck have, at the very least, an Essence hole due to a datajack/other possible augmentations?

Techno's can access the matrix using only their minds, no wires or links required. You don't even need a commlink to do so, even, although a character without a commlink on them is kind of a small hint to their nature. So, nope. I don't know much about previous edition(s) stuff, though.

Otaku (the predecessor of technomancers) had to have a datajack to access the matrix because it was all hardwired before crash 2.0 (when technomancers started popping up). Puck was an Otaku before he was a technomancer so yes, he would've had a datajack before at the very least (some older Otaku had other wares as well since such things didn't affect their abilities). But since his essence is back to a full 6 these days, as I said above it's likely he underwent the procedure listed in Augmentation in the geneware chapter for regaining essence after wares have been removed.

[Mirikon]

As a note, the geneware treatment that 'fills' essence holes does not allow you to recover magic/resonance or raise your maximum magic/resonance.

[Malathis]

I think Pucks procedure to restore his essecne involved alot of a rare element called handwavium.

[Patrick Goodman]

That's not that rare. Trust me. I use it all the damn time....

[The Wyrm Ouroboros]

Actually, I think it would have been more a matter of 'Ooops, I forgot about that.'