comStar Firewall alert - PhaseThrough

technoMancers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
138
optionaL rULe:
The Resonance Difference (CONT.)
program, though it may be disarmed by a Defuse
complex form.
immunity to nuke
The system resources targeted by normal Nuke
programs do not exist for technomancers and sprites,
so they are immune to their effect.
invisible node
Being a construct of Resonance, the biological
node is completely immune to standard scanning
attempts to detect a wireless node, unless a technomancer
or sprite is doing the scanning. In this
model, technomancers may run their nodes in active,
passive, or hidden mode in relation to other
technomancers and sprites.
resonance encryption
The Encrypt complex form creates a Resonance
code that is simply unbreakable to normal Decrypt
programs. The only way to break this code is with a
Decrypt complex form.
Superior trace
The Track complex form is immune to the
confusing signals sent by a Spoof program when a
hacker attempts to redirect a trace (p. 224, SR4). Only
a Redirect Trace performed with a Spoof complex form
can throw the technomancer or sprite off the trail.
Sprites
Each stream can compile five sprites that represent
the focus of the stream to certain aspects of the Matrix.
Technomancers always perceive sprites as what they are (as
opposed to magicians’ views of spirits), even if a sprite looks
different based on the stream of its compiler. A fault sprite will
always be called a fault sprite, whether it looks like the mechanoid
disassembler of a dronomancer, the bio-mecha shredder
of a cyberadept, or the virtual cyclone of an e-scapist.
fading
Every stream relies on Resonance to resist Fading. In addition,
each stream uses one Mental attribute (Charisma, Intuition, Logic,
or Willpower) to assist in Fading resistance. The attribute used is the
same for all members of that Stream and may not be changed later.
SaMpLe StreaMS
Two streams, the cyberadepts and technoshamans, have a significant
presence in Shadowrun, as they were developed by the first
Children of the Matrix—the otaku—before the virtual landscape
quaked during Crash 2.0. Many technomancers, drawn to the
workings of the former otaku, have embraced the basic principles
of these paths and shaped them into full-fledged streams. These
and other examples of streams are shown below.
cyberadepts
Fading: Willpower + Resonance
Sprites: Courier, Crack, Data, Fault, and Machine
Note: The “standard” technomancer described on pp. 232–238,
SR4, is part of the cyberadept stream.
The majority of technomancers are cyberadepts, though they
may call themselves code-dealers, trix-jockeys, or virtuakinetics.
They view their abilities as a natural fusion between metahumanity
and technology, fueled by Resonance, which they view as a
unique force or energy (e-Qi). To them, Resonance is an energy
form that must be actively manipulated and controlled in order
to affect data and impact the Matrix by the sheer force of their
wills. Cyberadepts do not share the spiritual views of technoshamans
or info savants, and usually care less about the origin of their
abilities and the nature of sprites. They see sprites merely as intelligent
tools, animated by Resonance, rather than as beings, and
their sprites often take the shape of objects rather than creatures.
Because of their pragmatic view of the Matrix—and their frequent
egocentric behavior—cyberadepts often use their technomancer
abilities in the positions or jobs they had before their Emergence,
combining their real-world skills with their virtual ones.
dronomancers
Fading: Intuition + Resonance
Sprites: Crack, Data, Fault, Machine, and Tutor
Technomancers who originate from the Japanese tekeno-feto
culture, or who possess some other kind of techno-fetishism associated
with robots, drones, vehicles, or other electronic devices,
are known as dronomancers, puppeteks, or robomancers. For a
dronomancer, the Matrix is a world of connected machines that
he can talk with. Unlike other technomancers, who are drawn
to the code and information, dronomancers are drawn to slaved
machines and other electronic devices. Dronomancers see the
dog brains of drones and agents as pet-like entities, and sprites
as embodiments of the spirits of the machines from which they
manifest. Sprites compiled by dronomancers typically display
some feature of the object or node in which they are compiled,
often appearing machine-like. Because of their rapport with machines,
dronomancers enjoy experiencing the world through the
electronic eyes (i.e., sensors) of their slaved drones and devices.
e-scapists
Fading: Willpower + Resonance
Sprites: Courier, Crack, Data, Fault, and Tank
Not all technomancers are deeply rooted in the real world. With
the Sixth World being an inhospitable place for a lot of people in the
’70s, some technomancers, called e-scapists or sculptors, consider cyberspace
a better world that users can shape into their own utopias.
Although still bound by their mortal bodies, e-scapists try to escape
reality as often as possible, embracing virtual reality wholeheartedly
as the only world where they truly fit in. As the real world becomes
a second home (viewing their real lives as virtual avatars like those
used in the first decade of the 21st century) with a body that can
be easily discarded to venture the depths of virtual reality, e-scapists
excel in creating virtual environments and achieving wonders with
creativity and imagination. Sprites are envisioned as true companions
with their own personalities and tend to take unique forms that are
reported to be more “alive” than those of other technomancers.
Unwired
Simon Wentworth (order #1132857) 9