[Kontact]

My advice would be not to play a technomancer as your first character.

Play a different character for a while as you get used to the Matrix rules and build your future TM.

It's the most complex role you could possibly pick, so, as a first-timer, you should set your sights a little closer to the ordinary while you learn the system.

[zion]

My advice would be not to play a technomancer as your first character.

Play a different character for a while as you get used to the Matrix rules and build your future TM.

It's the most complex role you could possibly pick, so, as a first-timer, you should set your sights a little closer to the ordinary while you learn the system.

While I appreciate the advice, our whole group is new and i'm sure no matter what we play, we all will be learning what we should have done.  I am also going to be the one most versed in the matrix as i own unwired and I am trying to get through the book.   Plus, technomancers are just cool. :p 

[lurkeroutthere]

Right, chummer figures the pools based on the traits but not the programs. It's not a big deal because honestly folks need to learn where their pool is coming from anyway. By the letter of the law you can't have a sprite decrypt for you. As a former crypto tech I find this six kinds of weird but if you were going for a strictly legal character (say for missions) that's something to remember even if personally i'd not want to enforce it at my tables.

Logic also affects your living persona's system rating so it's not entirely worthless.

Looking at the build it looks pretty good for a pure technomancer. I do kind of disagree with Umaro on resonance 6 even though i can see his point about overall costs, just 25 points is a huge drain at character gen.

The biggest actual problem I see with your character conceptually is with his huge charisma he's a decent face or backup face and with his high intuition he's good at all the all important skill of ambush spotting. On the other hand his pathetic reaction, agility, and lack of a weapon skill means he's a pretty big liability if the crap hits the oscillator while he's in the meatworld. I hope someone else on the team has a vehicle to get you around. I recommend either finding the points for a Bulldog or buying/stealing one soon after character creation. Turn it into the decker bunker on wheels and stay in there as much as possible. Raise your stuff to make you more meat world survivable with Karma when you can.

[UmaroVI]

Right, chummer figures the pools based on the traits but not the programs. It's not a big deal because honestly folks need to learn where their pool is coming from anyway. By the letter of the law you can't have a sprite decrypt for you. As a former crypto tech I find this six kinds of weird but if you were going for a strictly legal character (say for missions) that's something to remember even if personally i'd not want to enforce it at my tables.

That is true for nodes only, but yes, you have to decrypt nodes on your own. IMO, this isn't a big deal; even if you suck at it, since it's a not-too-hard extended test. This is why I always insist on at least EW 1 no matter what, since it's not defaultable.

Logic also affects your living persona's system rating so it's not entirely worthless.

System affects so very few things, though, that IMO it isn't worth it at all beyond what you need for your CFs. The only other thing worth caring about is subscription slots, but even then I'd rather have 2-3 logic and use Connectivity to fix that, and it really only matters if you're trying to run a centralized tacnet from your bionode (which is, in fairness, pro).

Looking at the build it looks pretty good for a pure technomancer. I do kind of disagree with Umaro on resonance 6 even though i can see his point about overall costs, just 25 points is a huge drain at character gen.

It is, but with 5 CFs it's 30 bp now or 70 karma later, and I'd rather pay upfront.

[Dog Boy]

For reference, what's the RAW that says a sprite can't decrypt a node for you as a task?

[Scarecrow71]

I just re-read the rules on sprites, and there is nothing that says a Sprite cannot decrypt a node as a task.  In fact, the Crack sprite can have the CF Decrypt (optional), so why couldn't it use that as a task?

[lurkeroutthere]

If you have the key to a particular encryption, you decrypt it with this
action. If you use this on a file, the file becomes decrypted. If you use
this on a node or Matrix traffic, you may access the node or read the
traffic, but it remains encrypted to others.

Pg. 229 SR4A. I'm not arguing the technical sense of the rule, just that the rule exists. On the other hand since SR decryption has nothing to do with real world decryption I suppose it makes as much technical sense as anything in that context.

Personally I presume that anything actually encrypted worth getting will have encryption 6 or better. A 12 threshhold is nothing to sneeze at even on an extended test even with a dicepool of 9 (CF/Program of 6, EW 1, 2 for hotsim) it's part of why i'm a big believer in math coprocessors, analytical mind, and a higher EW skill rating for anyone serious about the matrix. Also if their using stronger 1 day or 1 hour encrption from unwired time might very much matter. In short in many cases when you actually need to decrypt something you needed it decrypted about 2 passes ago. Your millieage may vary on how much you feel it's worth it. About the only thing I would swap encryption out for is either blackout or attack, you won't need either much if things are going well, but on the days you need them you'll be glad you have them. Blackout is also supremely useful for when there's an enemy hacker nosing about your system, knock them unconcious then trace them back to their meatbod and pick em up or hack their comlink and get everything you could ever want to know about them.

[Dog Boy]

If you have the key to a particular encryption, you decrypt it with this
action. If you use this on a file, the file becomes decrypted. If you use
this on a node or Matrix traffic, you may access the node or read the
traffic, but it remains encrypted to others.

Pg. 229 SR4A. I'm not arguing the technical sense of the rule, just that the rule exists. On the other hand since SR decryption has nothing to do with real world decryption I suppose it makes as much technical sense as anything in that context.

I think this is being taken out of context. The passage seems to be implying that if you decrypt a node or a file, it is still unencrypted to a random person -- it's not like the file shows up in a 'cracked' state, decryption means you have the key, even nodes.  Unwired backs this up, too:

'A hacker may Decrypt the node, after which she can access it, as can anyone else with whom she shares the Decrypted key.' (UW, pg 66)

Coupled with:

'Since technomancers maintain a link with their sprites, as long as they remain online, they are able to communicate and exchange information in terms of text, files, and even impressions.' (UW, pg 154)

It seems clear a sprite could decrypt a node, get the key, then share it with you.

[RiggerBob]

1)

Decryption [...] Once a file is decrypted by any user, it remains decrypted, but when a subscription or node is decrypted by a user, it remains decrypted only for that user. [...]

2)

Node Encryption [...] A hacker may Decrypt the node, after which she can access it, as can anyone else with whom she shares the Decrypted key.

- A sprite decrypts a file: The file is now decrypted and can be read by anyone. That one is easy. 
- A sprite decrypts a node: It can share the Decryption key via link with the technomancer because the "Node Encryption"-rules say so...

- A sprite decrypts a signal/subscription: Common sense dictates a similiar ruling as with node decryption... but the rules do not gererally state decrypting yields you a decryption key, only that doing so breaks the encryption.

So, while nodes and files seem ok, RAW it unfortunately is debatable to have a sprite decrypt a signal for you. 

[Dog Boy]

1)

Decryption [...] Once a file is decrypted by any user, it remains decrypted, but when a subscription or node is decrypted by a user, it remains decrypted only for that user. [...]

2)

Node Encryption [...] A hacker may Decrypt the node, after which she can access it, as can anyone else with whom she shares the Decrypted key.

- A sprite decrypts a file: The file is now decrypted and can be read by anyone. That one is easy. 
- A sprite decrypts a node: It can share the Decryption key via link with the technomancer because the "Node Encryption"-rules say so...

- A sprite decrypts a signal/subscription: Common sense dictates a similiar ruling as with node decryption... but the rules do not gererally state decrypting yields you a decryption key, only that doing so breaks the encryption.

So, while nodes and files seem ok, RAW it unfortunately is debatable to have a sprite decrypt a signal for you. 

I really think this taks an almost willful misreading of the rules to get to that point though:

- Subscriptions and node are in the same list (e.g., things which are not publicly exposed when decrypted), not a list of 'things which do not possess a decryption key'.
- "Most of the time, encrypted subscriptions, files, and nodes are decrypted with a key. " - (UW, 66).

So, we know subscriptions have a key too.

But let's suppose you believe the sprite can't give you the key after decrypting a signals encrypted communication. Well, sprites *can* transfer data. So just tell it to transfer the decrypted data to you, and not worry about the key.

[lurkeroutthere]

Paradoxically decrypting a node or signal doesn't create a key to be passed, maybe it's the nature of the quantum computing in SR. I think there was a passage that was even more explicit on it, but i'd have to go looking for it which I can't do right now.

Like i said, i don't really care for the rule, but it is literally the rule, sprites have decrypt so they can decrypt things, not so technomancers never have to practice decryption.

[RiggerBob]

I really think this taks an almost willful misreading of the rules [...]

As do i... 

But i've encountered this "sprites can't decrypt for you"-statement more than once in different gaming groups and forums. And these rules are the only ones i know that can remotely explain where this comes from.
Personally i have no problem with sprite decryption. 

As for the key/no key thingy... of course signal encryption will likely use encryption keys. But use of the decrypt-programs to break an encryption doesn't state if you aquire the encryption key in the process.
Trying to get/guess/calculate/whatever the encryption would be today's real-life way of breaking encryptions. But science in SR 2070+ often contradicts real science and there is only a vague statement in UW of "cryptanalysis techniques being far advanced of encryption theory.". So it seems perfectly reasonable -at least for me- to assume a fictional mathematical method of breaking an encryption without trying to get the key.

[Dog Boy]

Paradoxically decrypting a node or signal doesn't create a key to be passed, maybe it's the nature of the quantum computing in SR. I think there was a passage that was even more explicit on it, but i'd have to go looking for it which I can't do right now.

Please see the passage from UW I cited above:

'A hacker may Decrypt the node, after which she can access it, as can anyone else with whom she shares the Decrypted key.'  (pg 66, UW).

So yes, it does explicitly say that when you decrypt a node, you get the key.

[Dog Boy]

I really think this taks an almost willful misreading of the rules [...]

As do i... 

But i've encountered this "sprites can't decrypt for you"-statement more than once in different gaming groups and forums. And these rules are the only ones i know that can remotely explain where this comes from.
Personally i have no problem with sprite decryption. 

As for the key/no key thingy... of course signal encryption will likely use encryption keys. But use of the decrypt-programs to break an encryption doesn't state if you aquire the encryption key in the process.

Trying to get/guess/calculate/whatever the encryption would be today's real-life way of breaking encryptions. But science in SR 2070+ often contradicts real science and there is only a vague statement in UW of "cryptanalysis techniques being far advanced of encryption theory.". So it seems perfectly reasonable -at least for me- to assume a fictional mathematical method of breaking an encryption without trying to get the key.

Well, there are even cryptoanalytic techniques today that can result in you breaking a given blob of encrypted text without acquiring the key.

But the point of my argument is that either (i) the RAW heavily imply you do, and don't contradict it anywhere, (ii) even if they did, the RAW explicitly state that a sprite can share data with the technomancer who compiled it. So, the sprite can decrypt a communication and then send you the contents of it -- which is effectively the same thing as getting the key.

[UmaroVI]

Yeah, this is frequently a problem. Node decryption is really the only thing where it particularly matters, and SR4A and Unwired disagree about whether you can decrypt for other people. I use Unwired's ruling myself on a "the rules published in the matrix supplement overrule the core rules" basis, but some people will use SR4A because it was published later.