Shadowrun
Shadowrun Play => Character creation and critique => Topic started by: grumble on <08-30-12/1629:01>
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Has anyone ever played a Mage or Adept as a Hacker?
I have an idea for a character that uses the spell creation process and software skill to effect the resources on a node.
basicly a Software hacker.
maybe a running program will have some very interesting results........
i thought of limiting the results to altered node condition levels for starters. then write spells to have more outward effects.
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Ive been reading up on it quite a bit, looks like an artisans way adept would make a good base to start from. Have a look in street magic for more info
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That was my first choice. An adept.
I went with a logic based mage with high Arcana. and some computer skills. To concentrate skill in the one or two he needs.
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AR-hacking Adepts are quite good, due to increased reflexes and Improved Ability (Hacking)
Mages would be great if your table used the optional rule that computer skills are rolles with Skill+Logic instead of Skill+Program. You could then use Improved Attribute (Logic).
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True about the adepts I believe.
Its not so much a hacker as a Arcanist with computer skills im making. The mage class is so cool because you have a good ruleset for creating spells and items. I can really be specific about his abilities.
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Mages and Adepts are very karma demanding and hackers are nuyen demanding so it should be possible to combine the two.
There are lots of ware that enhances a hackers performance and that is counter/productive to being a mage.
An Artisian Way Adept with some hacking ware could be awesome though but probably also something of a one-trick pony.
Rasmus
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Actually, an augmented AR hacking adept can have a decent amount of room for versatility, depending upon how you want to build them and what your GM allows. Adepts can potentially be very good combat hackers.
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I played an elf mystic adept with 4 adept ini passes (using way and geas it is affordable) and 4 points in magic for illusion spells
as a face/hacker (AR only hacking with 4 ini passes)
in the end it the character would be better of with a logic tradition mind over matter and a improved initiative spell
but I played him like this for some reason
it was my most favorite character ever... but that ofcourse had to do with the group and the character story and everything
he started with no weapon but a revolver but picked up a sniper rifle relatively quickly
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I'm playing with the idea of running a Mystic Adept Hacker where most of the Hacking is done by Agents. This is a very neat way to play on both the physical and matrix planes on the same time. Also most agents tend to be better then the mundane hacker. The only downside is that it takes forever to make anything as a hacker (talk to your GM about lowering the intervals for hackers maybe they will be nice).
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There are lots of ware that enhances a hackers performance and that is counter/productive to being a mage.
This isn't actually true, the only pieces of ware that directly affect hacking off the top of my head are: pushed, encephelon, and Simsense Booster. Since presumably as an adept or mage you won't be doing the full VR thing the booster is right out. Of the three encephlon really is a trap option as it gives miniscule benefits for the investments you make.
Conceptually though there's huge issuse with custom designing hacking spells: For starters, line of sight is going to bite you in the butt.
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writing spells to hack systems can be taken alot of ways.
How about writing spells that influence programs? sort of an arcane software hacker? not so much a system hacker or intrusion specialist. The whole system of magery (creating spells, foci,...etc) can be used to effect how a system does what it does.
A mage can still be somewhat competent in system security since the whole civilization is represented on the Matrix and is well aware of it's uses.
I read somewhere that the Matrix effects mana also, making it an interesting study for a mage......
Now directly effecting a node with a wave of ones hands is tedious?
yes.
Difficult for a 'non-hacker'?
yes.
but.... necessary I beleive.
it will be fun to RP too. :)
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How about writing spells that influence programs? sort of an arcane software hacker? not so much a system hacker or intrusion specialist. The whole system of magery (creating spells, foci,...etc) can be used to effect how a system does what it does.
If you can sell your GM on it sure whatever but the simple fact is it is beyond the scale of shadowrun magic. SR magic doesn't allow a mage to affect something they cannot perceive with their natural senses, digital items such a programs are effectively a blind spot to magic. Entitites that are a lot bigger then you are working to solve this problem and have presumably by now thrown millions of nuyen at it.
So basically the biggest problem is: You cannot affect the matrix through magic, because you cannot "see" the matrix. No amount of custom spell design is going to get you around that limitation without the GM allowing you to rewrite how the universe works.
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But, by RAW, magic could affect your commlink or a system you're in proximity to, because you can have LOS. Boost (Signal) spell, anyone?
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How about writing spells that influence programs? sort of an arcane software hacker? not so much a system hacker or intrusion specialist. The whole system of magery (creating spells, foci,...etc) can be used to effect how a system does what it does.
If you can sell your GM on it sure whatever but the simple fact is it is beyond the scale of shadowrun magic. SR magic doesn't allow a mage to affect something they cannot perceive with their natural senses, digital items such a programs are effectively a blind spot to magic. Entitites that are a lot bigger then you are working to solve this problem and have presumably by now thrown millions of nuyen at it.
So basically the biggest problem is: You cannot affect the matrix through magic, because you cannot "see" the matrix. No amount of custom spell design is going to get you around that limitation without the GM allowing you to rewrite how the universe works.
But you cannot 'see' magic either. the formulated spell is just that. A formula just as a program is a formula.
the fact that a huge corps threw themselves at the VR concept (roughly at the same time of awaking powers began to become inherent) doess not make it impossible to have one effect the other.
Also, i know of nothing within the rulset that say such an effect is beyond the scope of the game.
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And are there not a set of rules to govern this exact situation, within the game?
I dont know which rulebook they are in though. But its not one of the accepted 4 or 5 core rulebooks......
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But you cannot 'see' magic either. the formulated spell is just that. A formula just as a program is a formula.
the fact that a huge corps threw themselves at the VR concept (roughly at the same time of awaking powers began to become inherent) doess not make it impossible to have one effect the other.
Also, i know of nothing within the rulset that say such an effect is beyond the scope of the game.
But you cannot 'see' magic either. the formulated spell is just that. A formula just as a program is a formula.
Your last quote doesn't make any sense to me, it's like you just strung words together. If your using a spell formula as a program, it's not a spell formula it's a program. Just because i put a Haiku in the comment code of my program doesn't make it stop being a program and instead be a Haiku. Likewise putting a spell formula onto digital media doesn't somehow make it act like a program instead. You might as well say "Well i use the spell formula as my wall because there's nothing the rules that says i can't."
Well just reading what you post i don't think you've actually looked at the rules, or the fluff or any of it so i'm not going to argue that point with you.
The corps didn't "focus on VR" their mega corps, they actually explore multiple disciplines concurantly, and they've actively been working on trying to merge magic and the matrix on several occasions and sinking a lot of money into the prospect. If you can sell your GM on you being the special little snowflake, sure rock on, but as magic works in the setting it cannot be done without a major shift in peoples understanding of magic.
Best reading for you from a setting standpoint might be to find yourself a copy of the "The Lucifer Deck" the whole plot revolves around how magic and electronic and the matrix play together or sometimes don't.
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But you cannot 'see' magic either. the formulated spell is just that. A formula just as a program is a formula.
the fact that a huge corps threw themselves at the VR concept (roughly at the same time of awaking powers began to become inherent) doess not make it impossible to have one effect the other.
Also, i know of nothing within the rulset that say such an effect is beyond the scope of the game.
Actually you can see magic.
Noticing if someone is using a magical skill requires a Perception Test (p. 135) with a threshold equal to 6 minus the magic’s Force. More powerful magic is easier to spot with the gathered mana normally appearing as a disturbance or glowing aura in the air around the caster. The gamemaster should apply additional modifiers as appropriate, or if the perceiver is Awakened themselves (+2 dice), astrally perceiving (+2 dice), or if a shamanic mask is evident (+2 dice). (SR4A 179, Noticing Magic)
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ahh too true :)
yet still the check of noticing the effect, some are more trained at it than others, still implies that some will never 'see' or at least comprehend it.
Just like some will never at least comprehend the nature of the matrix past what people allow them to see and experience? If they choose to experience it at all.