[ROM_rat]

I really need some input on a idea I have for my Technomancer.  I want to be able to command and use sprites for everything while I myself do not do the Hacking/Rigging . I like the idea of being able to send out an army of drones to help protect my partners and watch there backs or sending out some sprites to crash a system or gather information. I know Elf is the way to go with a High cha and maxed Resonance and that I will need a high Compiling and Registering skills.
  I'm really having trouble with what Skills to pick up since I don't want to Hack or take over a drone myself. I am thinking of a puppet master type character. A techno version of a Mage that does nothing but summons is what I'm looking for. If anyone has any ideas please help me out because I'm going a bit crazy here trying to make this character work with only 400 BP. Thanks for the help!

[RHat]

This is certainly possible, but intrinsically less effective because you'll lack for things to do with your own actions that fit your specialty.  You'll want to take a Charisma stream that offers Machine Sprites (so, technoshaman), make your top skills Compiling and Registering (either 5 and 5 or 4 and 6).  You'll also want the Hardware, Armorer, and various Mechanic skills for working on your drones and such.  For a Paragon, take Daedalus.  You should still grab your general Matrix skills, and perhaps Gunnery and Pilot because you'll still want to be able to do some stuff yourself at least as a fallback.

[ROM_rat]

Can I just use a Tutor Sprite to help me with working on my drones instead of spending a ton of BP on mechanic skills? If I don't plan on hacking myself or controlling a drone myself wont that free up BP for other skills that I could use in my actions like fire a gun or act as a Face for the group since my CHA is so high? I don't want to be the guy with no stats and spending all my time in a van. I want to get out there and do things myself. After I pay for elf and my CHA along with resonance,techomancer,paragon,compiling and registering then add all the skills for hacking and drones I'm either bad at everything with no attributes or ok at everything with no attributes and no gear LOL.

[RHat]

You'd get more benefit by far having the sprite help you via teamwork test.  Simple fact is, if you're trying to have sprites replace your skills, it will cost you in terms of efficacy.

[UmaroVI]

This is actually a perfectly workable concept.

I think you have most of it figured out. Elf is an option, but the other good option is a Logic stream and lose a little essence to get Cerebral Boosters and a little ware so you don't suck at fighting. IMO this is a better move.

You do want to be very careful about your Stream choice; the key ones are going to be Tutor, Machine, and Crack. You can't start with all 3 without being an Intuition stream, I would recommend either Sourceror (for Logic) or Technoshaman (for Charisma), and Sprite Link ASAP. 

I think you can probably pull off either being an OK face or an OK combat character as a secondary skillset, but probably not both.

This is certainly possible, but intrinsically less effective because you'll lack for things to do with your own actions that fit your specialty.  You'll want to take a Charisma stream that offers Machine Sprites (so, technoshaman), make your top skills Compiling and Registering (either 5 and 5 or 4 and 6).  You'll also want the Hardware, Armorer, and various Mechanic skills for working on your drones and such.  For a Paragon, take Daedalus.  You should still grab your general Matrix skills, and perhaps Gunnery and Pilot because you'll still want to be able to do some stuff yourself at least as a fallback.

That's going to be more points than a character actually has. And if he's Charisma stream, he's going to suck at all those Logic skills anyways. It makes no sense to pay for the ability to do something well and then again for the ability to do it poorly - it's more sensible to pay for the ability to do something different acceptably well as a second option.

You'd get more benefit by far having the sprite help you via teamwork test.  Simple fact is, if you're trying to have sprites replace your skills, it will cost you in terms of efficacy.

This is totally wrong; it's very, very hard to be better at any one skill than a decent-rating Tutor or Machine sprite. If you have a high stat, it might be better to have a Tutor sprite Instruction you. The drawback is not having less dice, it's needing to compile a sprite to do stuff.

[ROM_rat]

Thank you so much!  I think you get what i am trying to do. I'm confused about spending BP on my Complex Forms or if I actually need to at all?

[UmaroVI]

CFs are only useful if you have the skills to back them up. If your GM will let it fly, Empathy Software is worth getting, but otherwise I'd skip them.

[ROM_rat]

Right now I'm looking at

Elf        (30 BP)
== Attributes == (160 BP)
BOD: 4
AGI:    3
REA:  2
STR:  2
CHA:  6
INT:    2
LOG:  3
WIL:   3
EDG:  3

Resonance 6   (65 BP)

== Pros/Cons== (+20 BP)
Technomancer
Paragon
Sensitive System
Allergy Moderate to Gold
Media Junkie


== Skills==  (146 BP)

Compiling            4   
Registering          6 
Dodge                   3 
Pistols                   3
Influence Group   4 
Mechanic Group   3   
Perception             3   

After all that I have 19 BP to spend on Gear. This is just a rough draft of what I have worked out so far please rip it to shreds LOL.

[UmaroVI]

That Mechanics group is really, really not worth it. You have all of 6 dice with those skills. You can easily summon sprites that are better at it than you.

Try to have odd Body for the physical boxes.

7 Charisma is totally worth it and it's very silly to be a 6 Charisma elf.

Skills at 3 are severely karma-inefficient.

You didn't specify your Paragon, but the one you want is 01, no question.

With that in mind, I would suggest:

Lose Mechanics

+1 Dodge, Pistols, Perception
+1 Charisma
-1 Body
That leaves more money for gear; you should make sure to wear good armor and have a decent weapon, and I would invest in some vehicles.

I would give some real thought to taking a small essence/resonance hit. It's normally a terrible move for a technomancer because of how CFs are priced, but in your case this doesn't matter. My suggestion would be to not hardcap Resonance, then lose 1 more point of Resonance to get Tailored Pheremones 3, Genetic Optimization (Charisma), and something else (maybe Attention Coprocessor, Trauma Damper, 2 Reflex Recorders, or Muscle Toner or Muscle Augmentation 1). If you get the Genetic Optimization Charisma buy +1 charisma now. Not hardcapping resonance will also free up a good chunk of points to have better physical attributes.

Later on you definitely want to Submerge ASAP - Sprite Link, Biowires and Acceleration are the big ones you want to move towards.

[ROM_rat]

Thank you very much.

[RHat]

This is totally wrong; it's very, very hard to be better at any one skill than a decent-rating Tutor or Machine sprite. If you have a high stat, it might be better to have a Tutor sprite Instruction you. The drawback is not having less dice, it's needing to compile a sprite to do stuff.

You need to re-read proficiency.  The sprite doesn't use Automotive Mechanic for you, it adds half its rating to your roll.  Meanwhile, expected number of hits on a Teamwork test is greater than that.

I'm not - and never was - saying the concepts not viable.  I am saying it carries certain costs.

[UmaroVI]

That is not quite how Proficiency works. It allows you to replace a skill you do not know with half the sprite's skill. The distinction is important because

• No default penalty
• You can then be teamworked up to that much by others

However, that's not the only way for Sprites to assist your skills. The other - often, but not always, better - ways are

• A tutor sprite can use Command, a Skillsoft, and a drone to perform skills. For example, a Tutor sprite and a drone with arms and a medkit like an Evo Orderly could do First Aid.
• Machine sprites have Hardware outright, and can have Autosofts. Of particular note are Profession Autosofts, see Unwired 114.

Either method will get a sprite that rolls Rating x2 and can be teamworked by others up to Rating. Unless you can't have the sprite help (for example, because you can't get an appropriate drone to where something needs doing), typically you want to Teamwork the sprite, not the other way around.

That's why you want some drones with arms, BTW, ideally several different types.

[Reiper]

That is not quite how Proficiency works. It allows you to replace a skill you do not know with half the sprite's skill. The distinction is important because

• No default penalty
• You can then be teamworked up to that much by others

However, that's not the only way for Sprites to assist your skills. The other - often, but not always, better - ways are

• A tutor sprite can use Command, a Skillsoft, and a drone to perform skills. For example, a Tutor sprite and a drone with arms and a medkit like an Evo Orderly could do First Aid.
• Machine sprites have Hardware outright, and can have Autosofts. Of particular note are Profession Autosofts, see Unwired 114.

Either method will get a sprite that rolls Rating x2 and can be teamworked by others up to Rating. Unless you can't have the sprite help (for example, because you can't get an appropriate drone to where something needs doing), typically you want to Teamwork the sprite, not the other way around.

That's why you want some drones with arms, BTW, ideally several different types.

Just gave me an image of bust-a-moves with gecko tips crawling all over drones and vehicles repairing and upgrading them.