[Automaton]

Hi everyone,

I have this crazy idea. I'd love to create a villain and storyline with a "Technomancer" that is capable of bringing programs and sprites into the real world. So he woudl be able to bring killer ICE into the real world turning it into an AR definitly CGI critter but for real. So it would be there without wearing AR goggles or anything and able to effect the real world. Same way he'd use programs to create constructs. From vehicles, to firewalls (ouch) and so on.

It probably breaks a bunch of rules, but to this technomancer the Matrix is like the Astral and he can summon "spirits" from it and such. He might even throw the pc's into the matrix fighting in there for their lives at some point. This would be a major villain and story arc.

I GM in Neo-Tokyo and I have given things a serious anime coating.

What do you think? Can't be done? cool idea? to wierd?

Any response/advice will be appreciated.

[Sichr]

Cool idea, Ive done it also before. Just be sure you know what are the meanings to fight the monster. Players may be inovative. but you still need some ways if the didnt figure anything...
I usualy go with HERF, EMP, SnS, "Power" spells, faraday cage etc. Even ECM would be disturbing for that. And also matrix weapons, if you make it "dual"

[Mirikon]

By the rules, I would treat the man as a mage who thinks he's a technomancer.

[Automaton]

Hmm yeah but I want him to actually pull things from the matrix into the real world. Not just think he does and cast spells.

Thanks for the ideas Sichr, I like it. That way I can make the matrix critters into puzzles to solve in order to beat them instead of simply using enough firepower.

[Wildcard]

It's only breaking the rules until it's done officially. I wouldn't worry about it too much.

[RHat]

If you're going to do this, you'll want to set up some special requirements for it to work.  Maybe something going on with nanites, a Resonance equivalent to an astral shallow, SOMETHING.  Because I promise you, introducing this will make at least one player want to do it themselves.

[Sichr]

You remember that little girls from that horror movie, The Ring? As she passes the TV screen and then in frenzied movement it closes to its victim? Ive used something like that...more natural phenomenon the something player would be able to use. Mostly it was a part of the environment...like capability to reshape the reality into UV node. I dont think that it would be difficult to find a way to deny such thing to players (like PC magicians are usualy not able to summon Shadows etc...)

[RHat]

You remember that little girls from that horror movie, The Ring? As she passes the TV screen and then in frenzied movement it closes to its victim? Ive used something like that...more natural phenomenon the something player would be able to use. Mostly it was a part of the environment...like capability to reshape the reality into UV node. I dont think that it would be difficult to find a way to deny such thing to players (like PC magicians are usualy not able to summon Shadows etc...)

Without a reason that this is an inherently Dissonant thing (and there isn't one), special circumstances would be the way to go.  Because a GM doing it and then saying you can't just because would have players calling bullshit.

[Automaton]

I really dont see why everything a Gm does should be available to players, and its definitely not something I will do nor have ever done.
Players that cant take that answer dont belong in my group.

As for a reasonable way of explaning it all. I'll go for Resonance Realms. A Technomancer went to one and hit the jackpot. He learned that things can come out of the matrix just like things can go into it and how. The process drove him slighty insane but he can do it. To him The Matrix is much like the astral (and you can argue that it is if you read all the info on it) and like the astral you can "summon spirits" from it.

Players asking why they cant learn that? Well for one you need to be playing a technomancer, and second you need to find the resonance realm that this man went to (good luck on finding that) and oh yeah, you'll go insane.

I don't feel that as a GM you need to stick to the rules. You have the ability to break them, so use them. You can create new things out of thin air and desroy them just as easily. A spooky girl crawling out of a tv to kill people? hell yeah, A man that can manipulate reality like a program? go for it, Everyone has been living inside the matrix all along? I wouldn't recomment it but if its your thing, why not.
Even if you decide that there are deep holes in the ground that lead to Wonderland, if you and your players enjoy that why not? Because its not in the rules, or not explainable? Its Wonderland its supposed to crazy and unexplainable!

[RHat]

The thing is, the world of Shadowrun doesn't have a lot of baked in way for something to not be available to the players if its available to an NPC.  For Technomancers, it's pretty much just Dissonant stuff or something prohibitively expensive.

But, if you're going with a "slightly insane" angle:  he's Dissonant (Dissonant Technomancers are insane because they're Dissonant, rather than the other way around).  He didn't find a Resonance Realm, per se, but some sort of Dissonance whatever.  Which also handily gets around doing a Resonance Realms Search into the Archive to find the thing.

And while a GM gets to break the rules, he should always be able to justify it, not just do it because he thinks its cool - that's a good justification for an idea, but the world needs to be consistent, and the rules are part of that.

[Sichr]

In one of my campaighns Ive changed whole Altona City to the space where three worlds meet: Matrix, Astral and Reality. Veils were destroyed by ritual that sucessfully created Technomancer Cyberzombie and team accidentaly destroying containment field. Lots of fun. I love to break rules

[Sichr]

And nobody ever wanted to play technomancer cyberzombie in that group of players

[RHat]

Cyberzombies aren't exactly an appealing proposition.

[Sichr]

Sure. I also never met player who would want to play Insect shaman

[Automaton]

And while a GM gets to break the rules, he should always be able to justify it, not just do it because he thinks its cool - that's a good justification for an idea, but the world needs to be consistent, and the rules are part of that.

Well that's whats called an opinion and I happen to disagree. I've got 20 years of GM experience behind me and I've never had any problems when breaking the rules. If you do it right and it makes for a cool story/campaign/event and the players like it, its just fine. Justifying it can totally take the fun away. Not everything has to be logical and explainable and not everything has to stick to the rules. The world of Shadowrun has plenty of rules for plenty of things, but not for everything and if you need to go beyond them in order to create something, then be all means do.