[Dwagonzhan]

Nothing that special, I'm attaching the Technomancer Archetype that I would recommend for Starting Player that wants to play Technomancer, but doesn't want to design his own.

Looks very similar to what I rolled under Priority, albeit with better skills. This first game series is going to be fairly low powered anyway, mostly smuggling runs and shenanigans in New Orleans.

In any case, I don't have to worry too much about min/max taking over, at least in Shadowrun (Pathfinder, on the other hand...)
My players know what good RP is worth in my games. Besides, Priority Creation makes for quicker character selection, since there's no scaling costs for Attributes or Skills.

Thanks for the heads up, Kuriem too.

[Whiskeyjack]

Nobody bothered linking the petnomancer threads?

Shame.

I mean quite frankly I cannot recommend anyone play a TM in 5e as it stands, but especially not a total newbie.

[Tym Jalynsfein]

Nobody bothered linking the petnomancer threads?

Shame.

I mean quite frankly I cannot recommend anyone play a TM in 5e as it stands, but especially not a total newbie.

I do not think that the Technomancer is a bad choice... though they are challenging.

The one I have been playing has done really well (Built with the Main book when 5th Edition first came out), and she is far from a Petnomancer...  Built more as an Industrial Espionage/Intelligence Specialist, but she has worked pretty well.

There are some definite tradeoffs, though.

[Whiskeyjack]

There's a reason people suggest sams for new players. They're straightforward. Magic can be weird but it's very direct (even the debuffs and sneaky stuff). Deckers are still rather confusing even though they're less so than 4e. TMs blend the decker and magic stuff, and don't really put the pitfalls on easy display.

It's a travesty that Sidhe got a book before TMs. Really shows that there is no priority in fixing a borked archetype that is now considered "core to the game." The wait for the Rigger book was bad enough.

[Tym Jalynsfein]

I agree about the wait for the Technomancer book...  It has extended into a Ludicrous timeframe. 

[FST_Gemstar]

The biggest question I have is it seams like a lot of people are saying that deckers rule and technomancers drool.  I get that deckers have agents, programs and don't take bio-feedback unless htey are in hot sim, but why else are deckers superior?  I also seams that to be a good technomancer you need to be creative and you might not be as straight forward as a decker. 

I think that there is a problem with the CONCEPT of Technomancers (both as described and as shown in fiction), and the RULES of Technomancers. Specifically, the strongest type of Technomancer would:
1: use a Deck, and put enough Sprites into it so that every test that they make on it gets the skill dice (or the ability dice for a defensive test) doubled due to the Sprite's assists. You lose ratings in the deck's Matrix Attributes, but on defense that doesn't matter as much as the extra dice, and on offense the assisting Sprites will increase the test's limit anyhow so you act as if you are using a more expensive Deck, other than not being able to run as many Programs.
2: use a Cyberarm, which both makes up for allowing them to dump AGI / STR, and using Sprites, doubles the skill of any one-handed attacks that you may make.
3: use a Monofilament Whip, with a Sprite preventing Glitches so it's a safe weapon.
4: run a strong combat Drone, with a Sprite or two doubling its effective skill
5: get First Aid and use a Medkit, with a Sprite boosting the First Aid skill
etc.

Basically, the strongest rule-based ability of Technos over Deckers is the Diagnose ability of a Machine Sprite. But, that means that in order to take the best advantage of it, you need to use as many electronic devices as possible. Both in the Matrix, and out of it. But the concept of Technos is of people who can do amazing things without using ANY devices. Except that their best ability is only useful FOR using devices. So we have a conundrum, a conflict between the fluff description of Technos and the rule benefits of min-maxing a Cyberarm, Rotodrone, and cheap Deck.

You can start a Techno character who is tossing 20 dice into Hacking checks, AND 16+ dice into shooting with a SMG, AND 13+ dice into swinging a Monowhip. Maybe even afford a drone that shoots with 14 dice on its own, or up to a ridiculous 20 if you're controlling it (normal remote control, not Jumping In, until you get the control rig echo). I'm kind of uncertain whether you can afford an arm, deck, AND drone plus whip all at the start, but you can definitely do the deck and one kind of heavy offense: either the arm or the drone. To me, that compares nicely to Cyberarm Deckers, who have other advantages but are no longer clearly better overall.

But you have to go BADLY against the usual Technomancer concept. Even more than back when Adepts first were added, and people scoffed at the idea of gun-based Adepts, because clearly Adepts were Mystic Martial Artists, and shooting a gun was "Not Martial Arts". So now, Technos are clearly "Mind over Machine", which means that if you're using machines, you're a sell-out Technomancer and not worthy of the name.

The problem is the DIagnostics Sprite Power. I can't imagine a lot of GMs would allow you to do all the above you mentioned,  Technomancers abusing Diagnostics is like the face that used Emo Toys in 4th edition.

All of this. Technolore seems to make them anti-tech ('ware, devices, etc.) but their rules make them technophiles. The lore makes them seem like crazy amazing hackers, but the rules make hacking with their living persona inferior to starting deck hackers and make a case for using a deck as a technomancer. I hope the technobook helps realign this lore/crunch divide. At this point I don't really care how it resolves, just that it does.

[Hobbes]

Nobody bothered linking the petnomancer threads?

Search function doesn't find my post anymore.  It may have been eaten by a Grue, or possibly the Search function is fucking with me?  I've got between some and most of it on my old laptop, I'll see if I can re-post it.


Edit: Man that is buried.

http://forums.shadowruntabletop.com/index.php?topic=20066.0

A touch dated, but the basics are still there.  It's mostly playstyle, the builds are pretty straight forward.

Second Edit:  Just noticed I put it in my .sig a while ago... sheesh.  This whole getting up at 4:30 AM is getting to me, never get old kids, it's embarrassing sometimes.