Episode 024 – Improving Your Decker or Technomancer: Advanced Shadowrunner Dossier #3

In which Vox and Mr. Johnson discuss ways to improve your decker or technomancer. Also included: a new critter corner and a new listener story.

Show notes:

Please help support Steven A. Tinner’s widow through the gofundme fundraising page you can find here: http://www.gofundme.com/7xi0to

We would really love to see that dollar total raised go through the roof. Thank you to everyone who donates.

10 thoughts on “Episode 024 – Improving Your Decker or Technomancer: Advanced Shadowrunner Dossier #3”

  1. Mind over Machine, allows for Technomancers to jump into drones/vehicles. They don’t *need* a RCC to jump into drones. What the RCC would allow is slaving multiple drones to the RCC so that they can all be sent simultaneous remote actions, or to allow for more Autosofts to be loaded. There is a Technomancer in my game, and the first thing he Submerged for was Mind over Machine, so that he could start working on being a TechnoRigger. He is still limited, because he can only really manage one drone at a time. And if he is not jumped in, then he has to use Matrix Actions to give it commands, and it is limited in the amount of Autosofts it can run on-board.

    1. There were lots of options in Unwired for ‘dronomancers’ so I’m sure the Matrix supplement (if we ever get there before the next edition) will reintroduce all the options we used to have for technomancers controlling multiple drones like a rigger can. Of course, riggers were a subset of hackers in SR4A so there will probably be some drop-off in abilities. But I agree, an RCC isn’t required for a technomancer, but they are a little limited (which they should be considering their power) :o)

  2. Technomancers were entirely different in SR4. Their Complex Forms basically just mimicked Programs, which is how they did anything in the Matrix.

    As for the comparisons between Technomancers and Mages. Resonance is very important to Technomancers. Every one of their Complex Forms is Threaded with a Resonance roll. There are Several Resonance Actions, and one Matrix Action that requires Resonance.

    Also, where the Mage does not get to use his Magic score to resist Drain, a Technomancer uses Resonance to resist Fading. So, it sort of compares with Centering, but where a Mage is stuck with Racial Maximums on both Drain-resisting attributes (Plus Initiation grade if you take Centering and use a free action to Center), Technomancers can potentially increase their Resonance very high, and use Resonance to resist Fading, and don’t have to use the free action that Magicians do. So, in a way, Resonance is more important to a TM than Magic is to a Mage.

  3. In your discussion of improving Technomancers, you missed off Resonance skills which can be used for threading. These are pretty useful as they let a techno do really weird and wonderful things in the matrix. With regards to ‘technomaner foci’ in Unwired there was a thing called ‘widgets’. I wasn’t running for a techno at the time so I didn’t look too closely at them, but they looked pretty darn cool.

    1. I never knew about widgets till I just looked them up. They are pretty nifty. Temporary constructs that basically add to skill tests, so I can see how they could be foci equivalents for technomancers. And since they add to skills, and not to specific complex forms (which changed between editions) they should be fairly easy to convert over when the time comes.

  4. With Echos, SR4A had a lot of cool echo options beyond the basics in the SR5 rulebook – again we will probably see these in the matrix supplement in the future. However, a Technomancer in SR4A could submerge and learn an echo which gives the same benefits as wires reflexes and skillwires. You could also boost Signal, which I suppose will be Noise Reduction in SR5, and mimic a lot of the cool toys the deckers had for their ‘links. You think Technomancers are powerful now…. wait until the matrix book comes out. Especially when Technomancers get their Paragons again (techno version of mentor spirits, I was very surprised they weren’t in the SR5 rulebook) and other boosts to cybercombat.

  5. Enjoyed the episode. I would suggest to Deckers, always have a back up deck. To Technomancers I would suggest owning a deck. It doesn’t need to be top of the line but it helps your cover if you are hiding your Technomancer abilities.

  6. I really like the synchronicity between Magic and Technomancy rules. I think even if the ‘in game physics’ of the abilities are vastly different it is nice that we don’t have a completely different rule set. I also want technomancers to have an equivalent to an Ally Spirit. Hopefully we get that in Data Trails.

    1. I do too – it makes all the difference in my understanding the system. 🙂

  7. One option for using nuyen on a Technomancer is actually a decent cyberdeck. Put a Rating 6 Agent on it to spam Matrix Perception checks and make Matrix Search actions using the Browse program.

    Another option that you glossed over is drones. Firing a weapon equipped on a drone via remote control through the Matrix uses Gunnery + Logic, which means if you pick Gunnery as your weapon skill you can dump Agility. This is also significantly safer than trying to participate in a fire-fight.

    You can also trade Nuyen for Karma. There is a downtime activity detailed in the Shadowrun Missions FAQ called “Workin for the People” that allows you to trade up to 10,000 Nuyen for up to 5 Karma at a rate of 2,000 Nuyen per point of Karma once between any two shadowruns.

    Every character needs high-quality fake SINs and licenses.

    Lastly, there are some cyber/bio ‘ware that is worth taking a single point of essence loss for a Technomancer. The Cerebral Boosters for example raise Logic, so if you save up for the Deltaware R3 version you can raise Logic by 3 cor the cost of losing 1 point of Resonance. Mnemonic Enhancers, a Pain Editor, and a Sleep Regulator can all be useful as well. Additionally, Nanotech Augmentations from the new Chrome Flesh book don’t cause essence loss.

Leave a Reply to Dyndrilliac Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *