NEWS

Skillwires

  • 52 Replies
  • 14007 Views

Slamm-O!

  • *
  • Chummer
  • **
  • Posts: 151
« on: <03-25-16/1523:41> »
I'm attempting to create a viable 'Jack of All' character and want to include skillswires to the equation.  What is a viable way to do such ?  I am using the core 5E rules for skillswires ~ Mr. Hardy has stated that the Chrome Flesh version is a misprint to the fine chaps at Herolab. 

I can take the Renraku Tradejack system for rating 4 at Chargen.  Get the ever useful Biocompatibility (Cyberware) ... and what else ?  Go autoinjector with a jazz / dsmo mix for initiative ? Then grab Drug Tolerant and Nephritic Screen to keep the itch away ? 
Mess with the best.  Die like the rest !

Pap Renvela

  • *
  • Omae
  • ***
  • Posts: 399
« Reply #1 on: <03-25-16/1648:50> »
You can kill 2 birds with one stone and go Move by Wire 2 w/Skilljack 4 (chipjacks optional).

Takes care of Initiative and skillwires.

adzling

  • *
  • Guest
« Reply #2 on: <03-25-16/2149:47> »
I'd consider mbw 3.
Instant expert in any field, fast as greased lightning.
You'll need restricted gear quality but worth it IMHO.

Heck you might consider front line mind, used. It's an excellent essence reduction  ;-)

Slamm-O!

  • *
  • Chummer
  • **
  • Posts: 151
« Reply #3 on: <03-25-16/2217:45> »
Front lined whosit ? What book is that from ?
Mess with the best.  Die like the rest !

Blue Rose

  • *
  • Omae
  • ***
  • Posts: 389
« Reply #4 on: <03-25-16/2236:41> »
Restricted gear for Move-By-Wire 3 is a double-edged sword, but might be worth it.  With a rating 6 skilljack to go with it, you're already almost out of essence and you've blown a lot of cash, but you've got about the best skillsoft system you can ask for, and you've got some really good initiative.  Though between the essence loss and the -3 social limit for MBW3, you're pretty much giving up on the social side of your flexibility.  You can upgrade your subscription later, and start with a few key rating 6 activesofts.  Datajack for noise reduction, to keep your wireless from being blocked.  Maybe multiple datajacks, if your GM rules they stack and you can spare the essence.  May even want to wait until in-game, since betaware datajacks aren't a particularly difficult thing to get, even if you're getting several.  Probably best to get as many as you can with what essence you have left.  Otherwise, enough jamming renders your core concept useless.

You'll want some awesome Intuition and Willpower, with the best commlink you can get and any means possible to boost your firewall, or a good decker/technomancer watching your back, because you're going to be shouting on the matrix, and if an enemy decker bricks your move-by-wire?  At best interpretation, you are now barely competent.  Fortunately, I don't see the issue I see with bricked wired reflexes, where the GM has legitimate grounds to say, "Your spine just got bricked.  You can no longer move."  (Which is half the reason I will never, EVER wirelessly enable wired reflexes.  Or more than one cybereye, for that matter.)  MBW seems to be purely external stimulus, so that if it's bricked, your nervous system is still intact.

Pap Renvela

  • *
  • Omae
  • ***
  • Posts: 399
« Reply #5 on: <03-26-16/0057:26> »
Move by Wire doesn't need wireless to function and neither does skilljacks so I',m not sure what your talking about.

If you a worried about subscription- yeah you need wireless to swap out activesofts since you can't have more than one downloaded at a time. However, once downloaded- it doesn't need wireless either.

As far as ess... take meta E Human(1) and magic D Adept....go with Restricted gear to get M-B-W and Burnout's Way to get all ware at .8*normal ess cost. You can fit 6.2 ess worth of ware and still have Max MR 1.
With M-B-W you don't need much karma for skills so might as well use it for magic. Additionally, biocompatability[cyber] can let you fit in at least .6 more ess worth of cyberware.

Duellist_D

  • *
  • Chummer
  • **
  • Posts: 224
« Reply #6 on: <03-26-16/0918:22> »
I would stick with Alphagrade M-B-W 2 + Biocomp, this leaves plenty of room for future upgrades with other ware and isn't terribly expensive.
If you want to go Jack of all trades, you still need to distinguish between core disciplines (bought with Karma) and others, since you can't get specialisations for Skillwireskills. So, chances are high you won't be needing the Skill at 6 anyways.
Using the Essence and Nuyen saved from investing into the third grade of MBW and getting a used muscle toner r3 with it, is probably more sensible.

Blue Rose

  • *
  • Omae
  • ***
  • Posts: 389
« Reply #7 on: <03-26-16/1039:31> »
Move by Wire doesn't need wireless to function and neither does skilljacks so I',m not sure what your talking about.

If you a worried about subscription- yeah you need wireless to swap out activesofts since you can't have more than one downloaded at a time. However, once downloaded- it doesn't need wireless either.
I'm specifically talking about the subscription, yes.

And you don't just need wireless to swap out skills; you need it to use them.  They talk about how the subscriptions work on Chrome Flesh, page 78.

You do not download a local copy of the skillsoft.  At all.  That's an anti-piracy measure; rather, the skillsoft loads remotely on a node, and any action you take that would reference that skillsoft sends a request to that node, which sends data back.

Thus, any time you're using that subscription, which is the core conceit of this build, you must be wirelessly active, which makes means of matrix defense a high priority.  At least, depending on the group, but from where I sit, it's entirely sensible for a decker/technomancer to look at an enemy team and say, "Okay, time to brick everything, starting with the big stuff."

Slamm-O!

  • *
  • Chummer
  • **
  • Posts: 151
« Reply #8 on: <03-26-16/1051:24> »
The issue with the MBW is the constant twitching wreak it makes you ~ and the massive eating of the essence for other augmented toys.  How about a mix of a decker / technomancer with Skillwires to project it from being taken out by a rival decker ?

Mess with the best.  Die like the rest !

adzling

  • *
  • Guest
« Reply #9 on: <03-26-16/1101:42> »
So Front Line Mind is is in Boston Lockdown and looks like this:

Essence 4.5 / Avail 14/ cost $575,000
• Cerebral booster 2
• Commlink (Transys Avalon)
• Cyberears (Rating 1)
• Cybereyes (Rating 1)
• Datajack
• Mnemonic enhancer 2
• Muscle toner 2
• Reaction enhancers 2
• Simrig
• Skilljack 6
• Skillwires 6
• Wired reflexes 1

Get it "used" and you can fit into your toon at chargen for the low cost of 5.62 essence and $431,250.
You don't even need restricted gear this way.
You can't take any other augment, ever, but crap who needs it with that package?

Alternately MBW 3 with a skilljack rating 6 and chipjack rating 6 will cost you $331,000 and 4.72 essence (if you take biocomp and way of the burnout).

So lots of options ;-)

Blue Rose

  • *
  • Omae
  • ***
  • Posts: 389
« Reply #10 on: <03-26-16/1104:11> »
Hm...

Could a sprite help when using skillwires via diagnostics?  If so, that could be extremely useful to the build.  If not, then I'd definitely pick decker between the two, since I don't like having Resonance and augmentation playing tug of war with my essence, and there will always be new chrome a build like this wants.

adzling

  • *
  • Guest
« Reply #11 on: <03-26-16/1105:21> »
I'd not worry about the twitching too much, a tremor damper will help you there.
The cha penalties are easily overcome with suits and whatnot.

If you decide to go technomancer you can jam a machine sprite in those skillwires/ mbw and add another 3-4 dice to your slotted skills so that can be a good option.

The issue with the MBW is the constant twitching wreak it makes you ~ and the massive eating of the essence for other augmented toys.  How about a mix of a decker / technomancer with Skillwires to project it from being taken out by a rival decker ?

Blue Rose

  • *
  • Omae
  • ***
  • Posts: 389
« Reply #12 on: <03-26-16/1112:13> »
Whether or not a machine sprite can do that will vary by GM to GM, which makes it a good question.

Another question is whether you could shove a machine sprite in your skillwire, while using it to operate another machine that you also shove a machine sprite into, and get the advantage of both?

And don't the cyberware packages like front line mind have some major drawbacks?  Namely constantly squawking ads about what they are and being continuously wireless, without the option to turn it off?

adzling

  • *
  • Guest
« Reply #13 on: <03-26-16/1114:48> »
Diagnostics works like a teamwork test so you can only add as much dice as your skill (in this instance the rating of your wires).
So there's usually little benefit from putting a sprite in your wires and target machine/ device.

Blue Rose

  • *
  • Omae
  • ***
  • Posts: 389
« Reply #14 on: <03-26-16/1121:10> »
Once that subscription goes up to rating six skillsofts it will. 3-4 plus 3-4 makes 6 most of the time.