[JmOz01]

Quintessential: of the pure and essential essence of something

Decker:  A person who illegally uses a cyberdeck
Subtypes: Technomancers


This is one of 4 topics I am intending to start exploring the core of the four main archetypes in Shadowrun.  What is the Quintessential elements that make someone a decker?  I am looking primarily at what dice pools they need to accomplish the job.  I also will be posting what I consider the sub types, if anyone has comments about how the subtypes have different needs please include a note about what subtype

So deckers, the matrix Cowboys, warriors of the information highway.  etc... what is important for a decker

Obvious as their attention is on the matrix they need matrix skills.

Primary
*Computers
*Hacking
*a Good Cyberdeck

Secondary
*Software
*Hardware
*Electronic Warfare
*Cybercombat

Technomancers will want Software and compile as primary while decompile and Registering as secondary, While the cyberdeck goes under nice but not needed
Anything else, or disagreements?

[Csjarrat]

Quintessential: of the pure and essential essence of something

Decker:  A person who illegally uses a cyberdeck
Subtypes: Technomancers


This is one of 4 topics I am intending to start exploring the core of the four main archetypes in Shadowrun.  What is the Quintessential elements that make someone a decker?  I am looking primarily at what dice pools they need to accomplish the job.  I also will be posting what I consider the sub types, if anyone has comments about how the subtypes have different needs please include a note about what subtype

So deckers, the matrix Cowboys, warriors of the information highway.  etc... what is important for a decker

Obvious as their attention is on the matrix they need matrix skills.

Primary
*Computers -Yes, computer 6 and a spec in either data search or matrix perception
*Hacking -Yes, at 6 with spec in devices or hosts to taste (devices prob better)
*a Good Cyberdeck -Yes, at those prices, might as well buy best one at chargen as you aint gonna earn enough to cash unless you play every night for a year or pull off a damn good heist

Secondary
*Software -Don't go mad, just enough to deal with databombs
*Hardware -Don't go mad, just enough to repair a few boxes of damage or get a cheap drone and autosoft to do the repairs for you
*Electronic Warfare -Yep, not worth going the whole hog on unless you're also doing some rigging though
*Cybercombat -Just enough to defend yourself for a round or two, any serious opponents you wanna be jacking the hell out. Use an agent to buy you some time if needs be

Technomancers will want Software and compile as primary while decompile and Registering as secondary, While the cyberdeck goes under nice but not needed
Anything else, or disagreements?

-Dicepools: Logic of 6 or higher is needed alongside an INT at 5ish to give best dicepools. WIL is also nifty for resisting biofeedback and addiction to hotsim. Odd numbers work out best for efficiency, so if you can do 5, do 5.
-Augments: x3antenna in cyber ears or bought with essence. Datajack. Gives you 4 Noise reduction straight out the gate. The logic boosting bioware is obviously great, but not cheap.
-Qualities: perfect time, overclocker, profiler, ninja vanish all great picks depending on your angle
-Deck: best you can get but remember the mods. depending on deck, usually best to get a program carrier and either codimensional processor or receiver mod in the other slot.
-Software: all of it.
-Tertiary skills; some social skills. don't be the archetypal CHA 1 decker who auto-fails social tests due to the -1 defaulting penalty!!
-Self defence: at least 10 dice in some form of combat skill (ideally something non-offensive like pistols/tasers/unarmed/knives, something you're easily going to be able to carry without drawing all of the local law enforcement in. You're not going to have a decent enough palming skill/social skills really. Pink mohawk is different though!)

Generic decker template (its one or two books old but you get the jist. this one isn't min-maxed and misses out on the newer toys
Decker- SR5

Priorities:

A- Gear (450,000)
B- Attribs (20)
C- Skills (28/2)
D- Meta (human, 3)
E- Magic (0)
----------------------------------
Attribs:

BOD 2 (+10 karma)
STR{4}(+2)
AGI{4}(+2)
REA{5}(+3)
CHA 3 (+2)
LOG((+5)
INT 4 (+3)
WIL 4 (+3)   20/20

EDG 5 (+3)
ESS 6
MAG 0
-----------------------------------
Qualities:
{+ve}
-Codeslinger (hack on the fly +2) 10karma

{-ve}
-National SiN (UCAS) 5karma
-Biased (technomancers) 3karma
-Mild, uncommon allergy; Antiobiotics 5karma

28 Karma to spend
-----------------------------------
Skills:

Groups: 2
Athletics 2

Individual skills: 28
Hacking 6 (hosts +2)
E.War 3
Cybercombat 4
Computer 5
Software 2 (Data Bomb +2)         
Hardware 2 (devices + 2)
Pistols 2 (Revolvers +2)          28/28

Karma: 18 pts
Etiquette 2 (6 karma)
Pilot ground 1 (2 karma)


-----------------------------------

Gear: 450,000 + 10 karma = 470,000
Electronics:
Sony CiY-720 (Dr4, 7/6/5/4, programs 4) Cyberdeck 345,000
-Satellite link 500
-Biometric 200
-Trid projector 200               346,900

Transys Avalon Commlink (dr 6) 5,000
-Sim module + hot sim 350
-Fake SiN 4 10,000
-Fake Decker License 4 800
-Fake Weapon License 4 800         16,950

362,850
___________________________________
Augmentations:
Muscle replacement 1 (used) 18,750 (1.25 ESS)
Cerberal Booster 2 63,000 (.4 ESS)
Reaction Enhancer 1 (used) 9,750 (.375 ESS) 
DataJack (used) 750 (.125 Ess)             2.15 ESS total loss

92,250                                     
___________________________________                   455,100 so far
Software:
{Legal}
Browse
Configurator
Edit
Encryption
Signal Scrub
Toolbox
Vitual Machine        560

{Hacking}
Armour
Baby Monitor
BioFeedback
BioFeedback Filter
Blackout
Decryption
Defuse
Demolition
Exploit
Fork
Guard
Hammer
Lockdown
Mugger
Shell
Sneak
Stealth
Track
Wrapper            4,750
          5310 total
___________________________________
Weapons + Armour:

Armour Jacket 1,000

Helmet 100
-Radio Signal Scanner 4 400
-Motion Detector 100
-Image Link 25

Ruger Super Warhawk 400
-Concealable holster 150
-Laser 125
-Flashlight 25
-x2 speed loader 50


           2350 total (462,760 so far)
___________________________________
Misc:
Low lifestyle (1 month) 1300
-Cramped -200
-Dangerous area -500

Dodge scoot 3000
Tag eraser 450
Datatap 300
Directional Jammer R6 1200 (469,010 so far)

[FancyDerek]

The Little Hornet is all you really need if you take Overclocker, Quick Config and Perfect time... Use 4 parts to shift 1 attribute over to the highest. When doing a matrix action your 7 limit is on the array stat you need and then you use your second free action to put it in Firewall for defense.

[Csjarrat]

The Little Hornet is all you really need if you take Overclocker, Quick Config and Perfect time... Use 4 parts to shift 1 attribute over to the highest. When doing a matrix action your 7 limit is on the array stat you need and then you use your second free action to put it in Firewall for defense.

It's nifty, but could get you some frowns from GM depending on playstyles

[FST_Gemstar]

The Little Hornet kind of breaks the decking system, but it's hard not to take, especially with overclocker and perfect time. It allows for more hybrid decker characters (decker/riggers, magical deckers, etc.)

[SoulGambit]

You really want decent Edge in the matrix. It only takes one unlucky roll for things to go very south.

[Kincaid]

You really want decent Edge in the matrix. It only takes one unlucky roll for things to go very south.

This is very true.  I've talked about this elsewhere, but the consequences for failing a roll in the Matrix are generally higher than they are elsewhere.  Knowing which rolls those are and making sure you maximize your chances for success beforehand are key concepts to master.

[Hobbes]

Edge is the main reason Metahuman Deckers are mechanically worse off than humans.  Deckers can throw E into Magic, and are stuck looking at what to do with "D".  You can play a Decker (human or Metahuman) with a D in stats easier than other Archetypes because Logic and Intuition are the main Decker stats.  If the rest of the stats are 1 to 3 you're still in fine shape.  It's the Edge stat that really gives Human Deckers, forgive the pun, an Edge. 

You can absolutely make a good metahuman decker.  You're just much more vulnerable to the fickle whims of the dice than a human starting out with 5 or 7 Edge. 

[FancyDerek]

The Little Hornet is all you really need if you take Overclocker, Quick Config and Perfect time... Use 4 parts to shift 1 attribute over to the highest. When doing a matrix action your 7 limit is on the array stat you need and then you use your second free action to put it in Firewall for defense.

It's nifty, but could get you some frowns from GM depending on playstyles

For my taste, it let's you take a lower resource category thus allowing for a metahuman decker that normally doesn't get made when people pick resource and skills as A/B or B/A... seriously a dwarf with 1 edge doesn't match up against a human with 5 for a decker. if I were to go resource A I'd go with the micro-aztca300 rather than the little hornet and rework qualities  fit in Restricted Gear for the Celebral Booster[3].

[deathwishjoe]

So recently I've been looking into the usefulness of having agents use team work test to help a hacker in the matrix. Going for a cheaper Mid to low end deck yourself and getting a bunch of the radio shack super low end decks running agents can be quite powerful.  The agents follow you around the matrix and help you out with team work tests all the time.  For each agent helping you you increase the limit for the check by one mitigating your less then high end deck and each hit adding to your dice pool up to your skill level.  Not to hard to get 18+ dice for most matrix actions this way.  Also if you go in for a rating 6 agent it can run on your slightly better deck getting help from the other agents and take out the enemies wireless enabled stuff while you take pot shots from cover instead of having you go comatose in a firefight to handle the matrix side of things.  This is useful for both technomancers and hackers although agents can't help with resonance skills of course. 

Negatives to this strategy is that you are not so great inside a host as it becomes very difficult to get each of your helpers a mark on a host.  Please note they still help you get into the host quite well.  but things like edit file and cyber combat in the host are kinda rough.  You also don't want to gimp your primary deck too much as there are a few actions that use your decks stats for things other then limits like the data spike action.  It doesn't need to be terribly high but its nice to keep in mind.  Also agents don't have software so they can't disarm data bombs. Most of the time this doesn't come into play as they don't come into the host with you which is where most data bombs are. 

[Hobbes]

Negatives to this strategy...

Are that low cost Agent clusters unbalance the matrix rules pretty baddly.  And quickly becomes borderline nuts if you presume that a Security Spider would be doing the same thing since the corps have far more resources.

Presuming whoever is making the test has a skill of 6, you can then have up to +6 dice and multiple assistants boosting the limit.  You're literally better off  buying the cheapest deck you can and a Six pack of Nixdorf Secretariats (my spelling is so wrong on that one, sorry...) from Data Trails and running around with 6 or 7 Agents and the good Radio Shack Brain Burner deck. 

Starting dice pools for Deckers Hacking tests are now 20 to 22 Dice.  8 Logic, 6 Skill, 6 from Agents.  Toss in a specialization, Codeslinger, and my favorite Narco+Psyche combo a starting character could have a dice pool of 26 for some tests.  And with the agent assistants boosting the limit you can actually use the 26 Dice.

Tread carefully.

(Not a particularly original thought on my part, there was a post around here somewhere detailing this stunt already...)

And before someone says Technomancers and Sprites, I'll remind you that Technomancers start out with a lower dice pool and have multiple limits on Sprites.  How many they can have, number of services, what those Sprites can assist with... ect.  A Decker can walk out of Chargen with 20 Agents and a cheap deck for about the same cost as most of the low to middle range decks.

[deathwishjoe]

And before someone says Technomancers and Sprites, I'll remind you that Technomancers start out with a lower dice pool and have multiple limits on Sprites.  How many they can have, number of services, what those Sprites can assist with... ect.  A Decker can walk out of Chargen with 20 Agents and a cheap deck for about the same cost as most of the low to middle range decks.

not that it matters but the only person who would possibly need 20 agents is someone with 20 ranks in the skill being used.  There may also be an argument that the low end decks used for the agents will have issues from a defensive stand point.  Siding with the argument that you cant slave a persona to a device means defensively the agents decks are using there own stats. 

I've wondered how corps justify the expense of cyber decks for spiders to protect their cyber assets.  The costs in equipment and training of personnel must be outrageous with the new rules. 

[Hobbes]

not that it matters but the only person who would possibly need 20 agents is someone with 20 ranks in the skill being used. 

Pre-commanded clusters for important tasks to save on action economy.  You'd have a cluster set aside for Matrix Perception, another for Hack on the fly and another for Matrix Search.  That way you're not re-tasking each Agent individually and consuming multiple actions.  Depends on how a GM decides ordering Agents to Assist actually works since ordering multiple Agents isn't covered RAW.  Could be like Drones where you order many to do the same thing or could be each one needs to be ordered, or whatever.  It's all undefined and house ruley so...

Also, makes Legwork kinda funny if you have a couple of half way decent Agents to act as the primary dice roller.  You just set each cluster to chase a thing and then grab a beer.

[deathwishjoe]

Pre-commanded clusters for important tasks to save on action economy.  You'd have a cluster set aside for Matrix Perception, another for Hack on the fly and another for Matrix Search.  That way you're not re-tasking each Agent individually and consuming multiple actions.  Depends on how a GM decides ordering Agents to Assist actually works since ordering multiple Agents isn't covered RAW.  Could be like Drones where you order many to do the same thing or could be each one needs to be ordered, or whatever.  It's all undefined and house ruley so...

I've always thought that someone clever could get around this even with drones, aside from maybe designating targets for the drones, which seems important .  You don't want the mage critical glitching with his pistol skill and hitting an innocent bystander and then have your drones finish them off or even your drones getting shot accidentally by the same critical glitch and they end up killing your mage.  I haven't really found a clever way around that but yeah.  Either way I figured you could free action telegraph your next move to the agents and have them under direction to team work your next action.