Can't a technomancer with a Transys Avalon or any other high device rating commlink protect more team gear than most deckers (as most starting decks are device rating 2 or 3, and only DR x 3 devices can be slaved)? And still defends with the devices or the master's stats/ratings? A Transys Avalon has a Firewall of 6 and Technomancers are usually pretty solid in the Willpower and Intuition department (master stats used for almost all dice pools in defending against matrix incursions on devices). Am I missing something?
Forming a PAN only requires the ownership of a commlink or deck. I guess a living persona can't be a master of a PAN, but I don't think that's so terrible. High device rating commlinks with high Firewall are in everyone's grasp, an nearly everyone's budget if they want one. An Intuition Mage can do a solid job taking care of a PAN too.
Yes, they could grab a commlink and form a PAN that way. But if they're going through the commlink or deck, they're working as a regular matrix user, and are unable to use any of their resonance abilities. In other words, to be an effective hacker, they have to stop being a technomancer and be a decker.
I know but the Core Book put it in way that it seems the only logical choice, maybe it's juste me ...
many of you are talking about the drop in usefulness of the Technomancer, I'm at my first game and one of my player is playing a Technomancer. I don'y see where is the problem with them ... maybe because I haven't a Decker player
The Core Book also goes into a lot of detail about other things that are horrible choices. Sure, if you make a build based on bricking devices, that's a viable option. But otherwise, there's more efficient, elegant, and profitable ways to go about business.
And here's the problems with the TM:
1. They need a high Resonance priority, for obvious reasons, but also require a high Attributes priority, because all their hacking is based off their mental attributes. This gets even worse when you want to be something, anything else than Human or Elf.
2. Because of 1, they usually start with either lower skill levels than hackers, or more hyperspecialized builds to remain somewhat effective.
3. Even so, because of 1, they typically have lower matrix attributes and less flexibility than deckers, because if they want to be good at sleazing their way through systems, they have to base their mental attributes on that, rather than reconfiguring their deck.
4. In the past, TMs could be pretty awesome riggers. There was even a whole Stream (the TM version of magical traditions) based on it. The new edition took that concept and locked it in a cell with Bubba the Love Troll and sandpaper for lube.
5. Complex Forms used to be the Resonance version of programs, because TMs didn't use regular matrix gear, and in fact had to learn separate copies of the same skill if they wanted to hack using commlinks. Now, the CFs are patterned off mage spells, and are of situational use, at best, in the matrix. They can't emulate or spoof programs at all unless they submerge and waste an echo for each program!
6. Because of the resource focus and hyperspecialization forced on them, TMs tend to be rather useless in the physical world, whereas hackers can at least get some ware to help. This is even more damning now that you can't stay in the van and take over the building like you used to.
Basically, combining the changes to the Matrix, returning to the
abomination sacred cow quaint priority system instead of the Point Buy system, and core level alterations to how TMs work all make playing a TM an experience akin to waking up in a hardcore BDSM parlor gagged and without knowing any safewords.
