comStar Firewall alert - PhaseThrough

Streams are still evolving and are not yet as stereotyped as the
paradigms of the Awakened community. Technomancers following
the same set of parameters—“riding the same stream,” as some
say—have started to codify and streamline their beliefs, paving the
way for currently Emerging technomancers.
rationalizating the digital Mind
Though many technomancers do not like being pigeonholed
or do not easily accept pre-defined doctrines, many of
the newly Emerged find it comforting to adopt practices and
techniques devised by others that fit with their own ideas and
perceptions of the virtual world. As the process of Emergence is a
life-changing event, challenging beliefs and turning one’s life upside
down, individuals who become technomancers often change
their outlook and even their personality, which can explain why
even the most rational mind might turn into a believer in the
mystic nature of code.
creating a Stream
To create a new stream, the player must choose the following:
1. The core concept of the Stream.
2. The type of sprites that can be compiled by technomancers riding
the stream.
3. The means by which technomancers on the stream resist
Fading.
The definition of a stream is vital for a technomancer, as it
defines his underlying philosophy, how he reacts to and interacts
with both the real and the virtual worlds. While the beliefs of a
technomancer stream are less tangible (especially from the roleplaying
point of view) than magical traditions that are based on
known religious or magical concepts, the gamemaster and the
player should work together to create a stream that makes sense
within the scope of their specific game and the Shadowrun universe
as a whole.
concept
The core of a stream is its philosophy of the Matrix and the
Resonance. It is a technomancer’s way of explaining how the
Matrix changed with Crash 2.0, what Resonance is, and how she
can manipulate the processes of the Matrix. While the fundamental
belief of a stream has no game effects, it affects the way
a technomancer views the Matrix, nodes, and virtual reality. It is
therefore important to sketch out a stream’s core concepts before
detailing how it works in game terms.
Does your technomancer have a natural affinity for the
cyberworld, perceiving it as her real home? How is the technomancer’s
interaction with Matrix processes defined in terms
of complex forms? Does she actively force the code to do her
bidding or persuasively ask the living Matrix to change as she
desires? Does she rationalize her existence as an evolutionary
branch that mankind has taken, or is everything the result of
higher forces?
Each of these ideas is a stepping stone toward fleshing out
how the character perceives herself in relation to both reality and
the digital realm.
Unwired
optionaL rULe:
The Resonance Difference
The way that technomancers, complex forms,
and sprites operate—using Resonance—is far different
from how standard personas, programs, and agents
work. For simplicity and flow, these are often treated
the same in terms of game mechanics, and, indeed,
this makes some practical sense. For example, complex
forms must interact with nodes and standard
Matrix programs, and so the complex forms would
need to “speak the same language” in terms of input/
output and be recognized as legitimate “software,”
otherwise there would be problems.
Nevertheless, complex forms and sprites are not
composed of code in the normal sense, and so it is
conceivable that certain actions made against them
might not get the same results as they would against
typical software. This optional rule provides for this,
but gamemasters should be aware that this gives
technomancers a certain edge over hackers, and so
should apply it careful. Alternately, these options
could be handled as echoes.
attack protection
Normal Attack programs are less effective against
technomancers and sprites, as the code faults such
software normally exploits are simply not there. Apply
a +2 dice pool modifier to the Defense Test against
such attacks.
difficult to analyze
Though megacorps and security companies have
made great inroads in identifying technomancers,
complex forms, sprites, and even echoes, the nature of
Resonance still makes each of these harder to identify—
they simply don’t match regular code patterns, and the
look of a complex form used by one technomancer looks
completely different when wielded by a technomancer
from a different stream. Increase the threshold for
Matrix Perception Tests against technomancers, complex
forms, sprites, echoes, and widgets by 1.
immunity to crashing
Under this rule, the normal routines and tricks
that make software vulnerable to crashing do not
exist in Resonance-fueled complex forms. This makes
technomancer complex forms immune to crashing,
unless the Crash action is initiated by a technomancer
or sprite. Technomancers and sprites may still crash
the programs of regular Matrix users.
immunity to defusing
For the same reasons, A Data Bomb created by
complex form cannot be disarmed by a normal Defuse
continued on page 138
Simon Wentworth (order #1132857) 9
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technoMancers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .