[JmOz01]

Can you build a decent hacking device for 20,000

[Csjarrat]

Can you build a decent hacking device for 20,000

no.
Best you can do is get a decent commlink, give it a stealth dongle, a program carrier (virtual machine) and load it with smoke n mirrors + 1 other program.
No attack rating so you can't deal with encryped files (pretty common) and can't dataspike drones/deckers etc

[Sendaz]

Yes but that 20k goes into buying a decent weapon and hiring a fixer to find the location of a local decker with a sweet deck that you then knock off and take their much more valuable than 20k deck off his corpse.
Cutting the digital Gordian knot so to speak.

What?

You asked.....

What about Rep or Notoriety you say?

Oh all right, try and pick a scum bag decker working for criminal pursuits like guys burning and pushing snuffsims or such if it makes you feel better...

[JmOz01]

Can you build a decent hacking device for 20,000

What if the other program gives attack +1 then edge when you need to crack file?
no.
Best you can do is get a decent commlink, give it a stealth dongle, a program carrier (virtual machine) and load it with smoke n mirrors + 1 other program.
No attack rating so you can't deal with encryped files (pretty common) and can't dataspike drones/deckers etc

[Jack_Spade]

Dataspiking is nothing you should do with a low rating system. To big the chance to fry your own deck.

Your best bet is the EvoTech Himitsu Commlink with ASDF 0/5/1/2 for 11.000
Add an Attack Dongle for 3000 to make it 1/5/1/2
Add a hardwired Program Carrier with Virtual Machine for 900 + 500 for two part packs

You probably want to have full defense at all times and have a high edge to compensate for your lousy attack attribute if you need to crack files.

Not good, but good enough for a street scum campaign.

[Marcus Gideon]

Can you build a decent hacking device for 20,000

no.
Best you can do is get a decent commlink, give it a stealth dongle, a program carrier (virtual machine) and load it with smoke n mirrors + 1 other program.
No attack rating so you can't deal with encryped files (pretty common) and can't dataspike drones/deckers etc

What if the other program gives attack +1 then edge when you need to crack file?

I think that question got buried inside the quotes...

Core pg 226-227, Matrix Attributes

Electronic devices run a lot of different applications, utilities, and code libraries to keep things working smoothly. Rather than list every single program running on a computer individually, the total effectiveness of these programs are described as Matrix attributes...

Your Attack rating reflects the programs and utilities you have running on your deck that inject harmful code into other operating systems, or use brute-force algorithms to break encryptions and protections to lay the virtual smackdown.

The "Decryption" program gives you +1 Attack. But you need to have a measurable Attack rating to begin with first. Otherwise, it's pretty tough for that single program to replace all the tools that would normally be represented by the Attack rating.

Which is also why you can't (rather shouldn't b/c some GMs allow it) be able to Edge through hacking with some random device. "I'm spending an Edge to ignore the Attack limit, so I can hack into the mainframe using this stick of chewing gum!" Unless the same GM will let you pretend to shoot people with a wooden spoon... you must have a device with an Attack rating before you can attempt Attack actions.

[Beta]

Dataspiking is nothing you should do with a low rating system. To big the chance to fry your own deck.

Your best bet is the EvoTech Himitsu Commlink with ASDF 0/5/1/2 for 11.000
Add an Attack Dongle for 3000 to make it 1/5/1/2
Add a hardwired Program Carrier with Virtual Machine for 900 + 500 for two part packs

Can you put a program carrier on  a commlink?  DT lists it under cyberdeck modules, and the description says "This module holds a program that your deck can run permanently."  Sadly, I think commlink <> cyberdeck.  (I'm literally right now finalizing a character who will be using the Himitsu commlink, and I would love to be able to add programs -- but I'm not reading it that way).

[JmOz01]

Yes you can, however I would not allow Virtual Machine. 

[Marcus Gideon]

Yes you can, however I would not allow Virtual Machine.

I wouldn't allow a Technomancer to take the Resonance Program echo and call it Virtual Machine... b/c they aren't actually learning programs, they're learning how to use Resonance to mimic the effect of a program. And mimicking a program that just lets you run more actual programs, doesn't work. No.

But, having a physical device, running an actual program, which creates virtual memory for loading and running more actual programs, is completely legit. It makes the device unstable, which causes more Matrix damage. But it's koshur.

[JmOz01]

Best I have been able to come up with is a "set" of 2/2/5/5 hotsim total cost was about 18k

[Beta]

Yes you can, however I would not allow Virtual Machine.

Good news   Where is this supported in the books?  (so I can point others, including possibly a GM, towards it)

[JmOz01]

Data trails.  Section on modding devises

[Beta]

Thank you!  I'd read that section three times, and apparently my eyes glazed over by the second paragraph each time .

[Rooks]

EvoTech Himitsu 11000
Program Carrier 900
Virtual Machine
Smoke and mirrors
+ 1 other program (signal scrubber)
Receiver 400
1 DP 2 FW 10 Stealth

[Marcus Gideon]

Yes you can, however I would not allow Virtual Machine.

Good news   Where is this supported in the books?  (so I can point others, including possibly a GM, towards it)

Except as I said, it's legit.

The Program Carrier is a module which is designed to run a single program. You decide what that program is when you buy it, and it cannot be changed.

Virtual Machine is a program, which creates 2x virtual program slots for you to run whatever programs you wish. However, since you're running those programs virtually instead of with actual hardware program slots, it makes the whole device unstable and more prone to taking Matrix damage if you suffer any.

So you get the Program Carrier hardware module, and you make it run Virtual Memory. It's running a single program, by design. But the program gives you 2 slots which you can change out at will, assuming you're willing to risk the extra Matrix damage for the privilege.

It's 100% within the rules. Given that we're talking about hotwiring a Commlink to be a cheap Cyberdeck, you have to realize that you're already doing things differently. But if you deny your players being able to run Virtual Machine on the Program Carrier, you may as well deny true Deckers from using Virtual Machine on their Cyberdecks as well.