[Slayer222]

Hi, I'm trying to build a character and he is a sniper/drone person(gun bunnyish)
I am just planning on giving simple orders and doing my own thing(maybe small unit tactics with the drones...)
Since I'm not planning on jumping in and read that I can slave to my comm-link to save Y I was wondering what are the pro's opinions on this idea.
(also I boosted logic up to 8 with bioware and wondered if that can be useful at all)

Thanks for reading this and I look forward to a response.

[cyclopean]

Having high logic is good for hacking and computer-related skills, if you plan to become a hacker down the line. For riggers, it's useful for electronic warfare (to counter jamming of your PAN/WAN) and the repair/armorer skills which will come in quite handy. The RCC is going to give you some cool bonuses if you are trying to run a fleet of identical drones, but is fairly pricey if you want a decent one.

The RCC also can run some programs- they don't have access to the hacking programs, but a lot of the defensive stuff and whatnot, which a commlink can't run at all. The RCC also reduces noise, so you can operate drones at a larger distance, or overcome jamming more efficiently. However, for a starting character, a commlink will probably be a cheaper way to get a high device rating, to better defend your overall PAN/WAN.

Also, if you are trying to use a bunch of different types of drones, the RCC won't be as good, as the "program sharing" function won't work as well. Hope that helps!

[Namikaze]

Hey there Slayer222.  First off, welcome.  Second, a little tip that helps save a lot of headache: if you want to use the ¥ symbol, just hold ALT and press 0165 on your number pad.

To answer your question, if you're only going to have one drone and you're okay with it being hacked, then go for the commlink.  Basically, a drone that is jumped into is immune to hacking attempts.  Therefore, it might be better to make a drone into a sniper platform and use your drone in place of, or supplementing, your flesh body.  It's more expensive, but it's definitely a better solution from a purely numeric standpoint.

[Artighur]

If you plan to have only one drone out (like a Fly Spy or a recon drone), I'd say stick to you commlink and save yourself some cash. Also LOG8 is way overkill unless you plan to do some heavy rigging (Jumping in and shooting with Gunnery+LOG).

If your plan is to be a sniper with some drone recon, focus on AGI and stealth skills, make sure you have the right pilot skills. If you'd rather be the other way around, you'll need a Control Rig, bit LOG and Gunnery/Pilot skills (and of course a RCC)

[Slayer222]

Yes, I was planning on having a sniper team with a few roto drones(no skills in hover piloting though)
(what is the best sniper rifle cheap for them?)
also how many auto softs can I run on the link?(if not can I copy software onto drives and use that to duplicate it among the drones)
And how can I make them "invisible"

Thanks for the help so far and the welcoming.

[Spooky]

Invisible to the eye, invisible to the matrix, or both? Arming Roto drones works well, especially for sniper attacks. Going that way, you want the character to be more rigger than sniper. As for auto softs, that depends on the RCC rating. And welcome to the shadows.

[Slayer222]

both would work for invisibility(I was however more so refering to visual perception)
-Also I would like to stay more of give orders than actually control it, I just dislike the idea of being dependent on something that the gm can take away vary easily while having no back up skill, or if my drones get wiped having nothing else that i'm able to do and being useless till i get some money.

[SichoPhiend]

(what is the best sniper rifle cheap for them?)

I wouldn't exactly call it cheap, but the rigger at my table has been giving me headaches with his rotodrone armed with a Crockett EBR.

[Csjarrat]

Technically you'd need a heavy weapon mount to stick a sniper rifle on.
You'd need the fb-bumblebee drone or steel lynx for that as you can't really get one on a rotodrone at chargen.
The rcc can run cyberprograms so it's worth getting the +1 sleaze program on there if you go for it and your GM agrees with the ruling. Your drones can then run silent and have a slight chance of avoiding detection.
As the others said though, unless you're running multiple drones just get a really good commlink. The Avalon can defend your drones with firewall 6 when they're slaved to it.

[jim1701]

Technically you'd need a heavy weapon mount to stick a sniper rifle on.
You'd need the fb-bumblebee drone or steel lynx for that as you can't really get one on a rotodrone at chargen.
The rcc can run cyberprograms so it's worth getting the +1 sleaze program on there if you go for it and your GM agrees with the ruling. Your drones can then run silent and have a slight chance of avoiding detection.
As the others said though, unless you're running multiple drones just get a really good commlink. The Avalon can defend your drones with firewall 6 when they're slaved to it.

Note, this is only the opinion of some so check with your GM.  There has been no official clarification on this subject that I am aware of.

[Slayer222]

Well how is the fb-bumblee bee  that good, it has a really high price tag. And still goes down pretty easily.
(could I take that heavy cannon add it to a land drone or something else for later?)
(while i exchange the fb for a sniper?)

[Namikaze]

Note, this is only the opinion of some so check with your GM.  There has been no official clarification on this subject that I am aware of.

Note that you're the only one that is still making this a discussion.  More accurately, there are some people in the community that feel that a sniper rifle should be treated the same as an assault rifle.  However the majority of the community feels that anything that requires a Longarm or Heavy Weapons skill should require a heavy mount.  No, the issue hasn't been officially cleared up, but that doesn't mean the community hasn't spoken as to their opinions.  With that said, Jim is right about one thing - talk to your GM.

[Slayer222]

So heavy mount for long arms(which also means shotguns?)
SO I can have a standard mount with an assault rifle and either an under barreled grenade launcher or shotgun but not just a plain shotgun or grenade launcher?

[Shaidar]

also how many auto softs can I run on the link?(if not can I copy software onto drives and use that to duplicate it among the drones)

The answer is zero(0) autosofts can be run on a commlink. When using a commlink for controlling Drones you'll need to purchase separate copies of each autosoft for each drone controlled.

Only RCCs can share autosofts with slaved drones.

[cyclopean]

Technically you'd need a heavy weapon mount to stick a sniper rifle on.
You'd need the fb-bumblebee drone or steel lynx for that as you can't really get one on a rotodrone at chargen.
The rcc can run cyberprograms so it's worth getting the +1 sleaze program on there if you go for it and your GM agrees with the ruling. Your drones can then run silent and have a slight chance of avoiding detection.
As the others said though, unless you're running multiple drones just get a really good commlink. The Avalon can defend your drones with firewall 6 when they're slaved to it.

My understanding was that, lacking a sleaze attribute, the RCC can't use that program. It's not in the list of available RCC programs on 269 of the Core book, but maybe I'm missing something?

To make drones "invisible" check out Stolen Souls, the chameleon coating rules are in there. You should also give them the "[Model] Stealth" autosoft (individually or shared from your RCC) so that they can try to sneak about without you having to pilot them directly. And you can't get heavy weapon mounts at character creation due to high availability. So maybe go with cheap assault rifles on roto-drones to start out, then upgrade to heavy mounts and sniper rifles with in-game cash, if you're set on using roto-drones.