[PiXeL01]

I was reading this thread ( https://forums.shadowruntabletop.com/index.php?topic=21487.0 ) and would be ecstatic if someone could update or bring more tactics and advice now that Technomancers have received a lot of help in the form of improved priorities, lower fade values, and both more complex forms and echos.

Thank you in advance

[Jack_Spade]

Hm, I'd say be a Technoshaman with Groveler and win by spending a month secluded registering high rating sprites, helped by teamwork through your high rating pet sprite.
Use host emulator to hide your persona from the matrix while still being able to command your sprites. 

[Hobbes]

You can hide in the Public Library Host too.

And genuine question, how does the Sprite Pet assist on Registering? 

Stupid tricks?  Burn Edge to create your Resonance x 2 Fault Sprite pet, get an (essentially) permanent Resonance x 2 Dice Pool Bonus to all Threading and have a Sprite Pet that has 27 Dice with a Limit of 12 for most Hacking tests.  Win at Matrixing.  Spend the rest of your Karma and Nuyen at things other than Matrixing, which is the best Technomagic trick. 

[Jack_Spade]

Either by having your sprite make an untrained Leadeship test, or by diagnosting a Kitbashed Sleeper deck

[Hobbes]

If you can use Leadership on Registering and Summoning tests than every Mage and Technomancer should be getting a small circle of friends together for every test for an easy +6 to the dice pool, and +6 Limit.  Probably not RAI, and pretty easily exploited.  Having a limit of 10 on a Level/Force 4 Sprite/Spirit summoning test?

Hell, use your Riggers Drone swarm for your Leadership Assists.  Or Agents and Watchers.  Or make the sane GM call and say "Uh... No."  and carry on.   : )   

[Jack_Spade]

Nope.

You have to accept the person who is granting you the teamwork bonus as your leader with leadership. That works for exactly one person giving you orders. Depending on if you set the attributes of a sprite equal to their corresponding matrix attributes or if you just say they have their rating in all their attributes, this can still grant you a nice dp bonus to all actions that are withing the area of expertise of a sprite.

And yes, having your Face motivating you during a difficult binding ritual is exactly what the skill is meant for.

If you want real teamwork, you can only use fellow technomancers, since compiling and registering are Default: No skills.

[Hobbes]

Fine, I accept the Drone swarm and it's 18 Dice default Leadership test as my leader (Vulcan Liege-lord RCC and any 15 cheap Drones).  Only +4 dice and +1 Limit if it buys hits, I've actually got to roll the dice to average +6 Dice.  Rats.

Oh, wait, I'm a technomancer, I'll run Diagnostics on the Riggers RCC to boost the Leadership test to boost my Registering test....

Seriously... say no.  This way madness lies.   

Extra dice on Registering tests are hard to come by.  At this point that has to be a deliberate choice.  And Summoning is already stupid good, an extra couple free hits on every binding test makes the best expendable in the game even more efficient.  I mean, it's a better investment than a Summoning Focus. 24K Nuyen and 18 Karma for the Focus vs. 66k Nuyen and Drones..... Man that's close.  But the Summoning Focus is only buffs Summoning.  The Drone Swarm Leadership test would impact Alchemy, Ritual, and Spell-casting tests.  Not quite a Power Focus, but it's not far off.  That's okay, they stack!   

Apologies to the OP for the de-rail.  Jack, resist the pull of the dark side.  Don't do it.         Many Smiles to indicate I really do like you as a poster but holy crap that's a bad idea to allow at most tables.  Or at least the tables I play at 

[PiXeL01]

It’s all related somehow. Keep going!

[Jack_Spade]

@Hobbes
I'm not sure how the swarm got added to this discussion, but practically every trick connected with those rules can be shot down with a "no, just no".

Gaining a 1 point limit increase and - with a typical R12 Sprite - about 3 to 5 dice added is hardly game breaking

[Hobbes]

@Hobbes
I'm not sure how the swarm got added to this discussion, but practically every trick connected with those rules can be shot down with a "no, just no".

Gaining a 1 point limit increase and - with a typical R12 Sprite - about 3 to 5 dice added is hardly game breaking

Letting a Player's Pets use Leadership on the Player is where Swarms come from.  If one pet can others should be able to.  And there isn't any reason that the Leadership test would be restricted to Registering tests.  If you've got a Pet, Agent, Drone Swarm, whatever that can just be tasked with buffing you with Leadership potentially you're doubling your Skill Points. 

I mean sure, it won't break the game if every PC is walking around with some kind of permanent Leadership buff to everything they do.  But it's awfully silly in game, and is easily one of the best dice pool boosts I could think of.  Hell the Nixdorf's Agent would only be +1 dice typically, but it's to everything you do, cheap at twice the price. 

I wouldn't let any pet (Sprite, Spirit, Drone, Agent, or otherwise) use Leadership to buff a PC. 

[Jack_Spade]

I'd argue that sapience is required to enact leadership. That leaves only spirits and sprites in the game.

[Hobbes]

Sprites aren't sapient in the core book, did it get added somewhere along the way?

[Jack_Spade]

Kill Code muddied the water:
"Sprites are the digital creatures technomancers are able to summon (or perhaps form) from the Resonance, and are an extremely important ally (some might say tool) of technomancers. Sprites have personas not linked to any device. They are in some ways like agents; they are obedient, but they are more autonomous. Each sprite has its own personality, leading many technomancers to see them as pets or pals, not just tools. Unlike most pets, companions, or magic spirits though, sprites won’t take offense at any perceived mistreatment" p.28

Also it's mentioned that sprites can teach you stuff and that there are free sprites as well.

There is neither a definite statement that they are or that they are not sentient. Although if they are not they at least make a very convincing facimile since they are able to act independently and are able speak and listen on a human level.
Personally, I think they are on a level with spirits and AIs

[Marcus]

Sprites aren't sapient in the core book, did it get added somewhere along the way?

I really thought they were? Is that spelled out somewhere?

[Hobbes]

Sapience is a critter power in 5th Edition.  RAW It's on the stat block or it isn't.

In game fluff Sprites have a personality, and certainly exhibit free Will in the case of Free Sprites and are clearly Sentient.  At least in the fluff. 

Mind you, letting your pets buff you via leadership is still a terrible idea   : )    I honestly get a little queasy about teamwork tests and pets, as pet characters are already very powerful.  YMMV.

I'm out.  Seriously, best trick I got is get a big Sprite Pet, win at Hacking, spend rest of Karma on non-Matrix things.  It's pretty damn solid.