Shadowrun
Shadowrun Play => Character creation and critique => Topic started by: FST_Gemstar on <12-21-15/1408:22>
-
I was about to post an anti-machine sprite technomancer as a concept of how to make an NPC of GMPC (or a PC if the campaign involves a lot of technomancer enemies) that can take down machine sprites. This was in the hopes of making machine sprites seem less like permaboosts, hopefully making their use seem less policed by GMs and keep technomancers and their running team on their toes (as by lore they should probably be).
However, as I was posting I felt like I was missing some options that could be more broadly applied. I would love to think of some other ideas about ways to defend against sprites.
Some things I have thought of:
Assumptions:
1. Machine sprites can run silent.
2. Machine sprites (and really all sprites) should run silent.
3. Spottable sprites are a pretty dead giveaway that there is a technomancer about.
4. Spottable sprites risk technomancers revealing themselves as such, potentially very dangerous and likely to be avoided.
Exposure:
This I think ends up being the most efficient way of dealing with sprites (even easier than decompiling or dataspiking). Assuming that sprites can run silent and probably should (meaning a registered machine sprite has to use a task to use the matrix action to run silent), Matrix Perception could be used to spot sprites. While to a non-emerged a sprite will look like a bunch of junk code, that is a giveaway that it is a sprite. For technomancers, you can detect a resonance signature. This process may take a lot of perception tests. However, if the machine sprite wants to continue using diagnostics, if it is perceived, it will be exposed to attack. If it tries to hide, it uses a task, stops using diagnostics, and has to use another task to reroll a diagnostics test (if it still has any tasks left). Same goes for it going standby in the resonance. Either way, diagnostics stops running and perhaps the sprite uses enough tasks to return to the resonance.
A L6 machine sprite running silent resists perception with 15 dice though. So a spotting strategy to detect those petnomancer sprites needs a character with high intuition, maxed/spec'd computers, and probably some drugs, 'ware, qualities, adept powers/magic, and even a teamwork test with an agent/sprite to be more successful quickly.
Technomancers can detect resonance signatures, so they have a unique ability to determine with three hits on a matrix perception test if there is something running diagnostics nearby.
Killing:
If a sprite is running out in the open with its technomancer/user not caring, it's open to attack. Kill it with the usual means (data spike, resonance spike, etc.).
Decompiling:
A uniquely technomancer trick that is tough to do against spotted machine sprites (as they are almost always registered), but as high level machine sprites probably don't have a lot of tasks to spare, reducing owed tasks by just a little could end the sprite.
Are there more? I somehow thought there could be more. Perhaps Electroperception/Technosense for changelings? Can technomancers technically use the technosense power, a standard (unopposed?) observe in detail perception test instead of a (probably opposed) matrix perception test? This would identify technomancer powers (I would include sprites and sprite powers as part of this) with 4 hits.
What kind of characters can be created that can serve a niche "anti-sprite" role and still function more broadly?