The Ends v4.01

[Lokathor]

Then explain how Technomancers can emulate the Smartlink using an Echo.

In EotM they can't since that Echo wasn't brought forward.

If I had do, I'd say "resonance magic".

[Stahlseele]

Oh okay, i could have sworn that the smartlink is software only was one of the things Frank had changed exactly because of how it works with the technomancers. Must have gotten that mixed up somewhere.

[Trill]

So I use EotM in my 4e campaign for some while now (though mostly subtly inserted) and I got some questions about it that I'd like to see answered. I have read the thread multiple times so I don't think these have been answered:

Are Burner Commlinks still possible? I know that commlinks are used in hacking due to being able to use brainpower, but what can a commlink do that isn't connected to a metahuman brain? Nothing? Simple text messages/pictures? What current smartphones are capable of?

Can you possibly hack through the matrix, at all?

Can you connect to a Retransmitter through the matrix? If yes, what limitations (need to have an account, need to know the location/LTG, etc.) apply?

If you are in a car, do you have LOS on it?

Hack on the Fly: I was a bit confused due to Response being the limit for it but System being the limit for Programs in general. Am I correct in thinking that System is a limit on the final Program while Response is a limit on the Improvement? So if you have a SYS 6 RESP 3 commlink you could HotF a R4 program up to R6, a R2 up to R5 and a R0 up to R3

Cloak hides a person by letting you substitute your LOG+EWAR for their INT+Hacking. It is however a sustained program. Can you see it? If yes, whose Stealth does it depend on, yours, the person you are cloaking or both?

Did I read it correctly that the only people that need an Image Link are the ones with just an Datajack? That everyone else can get it but doesn't have to?

If a program is (P) but has a requirement like LOS, do you need the LOS until it turns permanent or just when initially running it? I'm tending towards the first but am unsure

EDIT: Also, Frank, what about Emerged Critters? Still there?

[Lokathor]

Some of these are expanding upon the setting that's implied by the rest of EotM, and I've never read the official hacking rules ever, but here goes.

Are Burner Commlinks still possible? I know that commlinks are used in hacking due to being able to use brainpower, but what can a commlink do that isn't connected to a metahuman brain? Nothing? Simple text messages/pictures? What current smartphones are capable of?

A commlink has some sort of unique transmitter ID that can be identified with a high enough Matrix Perception net hits (the exact amount is unspecified). This is what the Who Is program targets (and it can target across the entire Matrix). So, you might want to run all your network traffic through a high signal transmitter rather than your "main", "actual" commlink, and then set that transmitter on fire when you go into hiding. That's thematically very similar to a burner. People might also hand you burner commlinks to contact you with instead of them giving you their real phone number.

A commlink that's an empty network can't run programs on its own, unless it has an IC program on it. Most commlinks do not have an IC program on them unless they're commlinks owned (or formerly owned) by high value people. A commlink with an IC can run any program on its own Network or via a open Connection. The IC can also make Matrix Perception tests and submit data to another network (which might make the other Network decide to do something, such as sending a request for help). The rules don't specifically say if an IC can run a Listen range program on another network, and I can see the argument for it being possible, and it might not make the world explode to let them do that, but I'd say probably don't let them do that anyway.

Even a commlink without IC might send out a message after a timer runs out (dead man's switch style).

I'd say that, without a brain hooked up to it, a commlink is probably only as good as a modern smartphone computationally. It's really designed to have that brain in there doing a lot of the heavy lifting. It's like the difference between a laptop with integrated graphics and a desktop with a dedicated graphics card.

Can you possibly hack through the matrix, at all?

Yeah, so Backdoor has a Handshake range, but with enough retransmitters placed properly in a row you can make your Handshake go from your basement across the city into whatever building if you try. Unless they have a shielded basement or whatever that they keep the good stuff in. Note: They're gonna keep the good stuff in that basement. There's plenty to find from far away though, during the "legwork" part of a mission.

Can you connect to a Retransmitter through the matrix? If yes, what limitations (need to have an account, need to know the location/LTG, etc.) apply?

You can hack any retransmitter that's not hooked into a network pretty easily. But most of them are hooked up to someone 100% of the time, and that someone will probably notice if you steal their device entirely (Still call it a Matrix Perception (1) test, because they might be busy and not notice right away). If you just piggyback onto the network it's easy to go un-noticed as long as you don't transmit any Attack programs, and your full Matrix Stealth score applies against their Matrix Perception.

If you are in a car, do you have LOS on it?

You generally have LOS to the vehicle that you're inside of, yes?

Hack on the Fly: I was a bit confused due to Response being the limit for it but System being the limit for Programs in general. Am I correct in thinking that System is a limit on the final Program while Response is a limit on the Improvement? So if you have a SYS 6 RESP 3 commlink you could HotF a R4 program up to R6, a R2 up to R5 and a R0 up to R3

Yeah, Response is a limit on the boost, but System is still the limit on the total rating.

Cloak hides a person by letting you substitute your LOG+EWAR for their INT+Hacking. It is however a sustained program. Can you see it? If yes, whose Stealth does it depend on, yours, the person you are cloaking or both?

You can see your own program, and anyone that gets a good Matrix Perception on you or on them can see that there's a Cloak in effect. If they can't see the cloaked network though they don't see the program just "hovering in the air on its own" though.

In general, the threshold to spot what programs are active on a network and their types and such are based on your net hits on matrix perception vs matrix stealth (so in this case, the hits of the Cloak effect). Use the Assensing table as a guide, so probably 3 net hits or more to scan the programs running inside a network.

Note that once you begin to throw down Attack programs you become "visible" and targetable, but I would argue that your Matrix Stealth rating still applies at full value in terms of people being able to get extra info from your Network Icon or not. It's extremely tropey for a hacker to be hacking a system, and the defenders can see that it's happening but still not know what's specifically going on or who's actually doing it.

Did I read it correctly that the only people that need an Image Link are the ones with just an Datajack? That everyone else can get it but doesn't have to?

Having Cybereyes means you have Imagelink for free. You can also have Imagelink cyberware on its own. Either of these options counts as a Cybernetic Sense, giving you +1 on Matrix Perception tests in addition to the other effects (max of +3 from Cybernetic Senses bonuses on your Matrix Perception). You can also have an External Display Link, which is something you wear over your eyes (as Goggles, Sunglasses, Monocle, etc) that does the Imagelink thing on the inside of the object. This option doesn't give the Matrix Perception bonus, but it also doesn't use any Essence.

If a program is (P) but has a requirement like LOS, do you need the LOS until it turns permanent or just when initially running it? I'm tending towards the first but am unsure

I would say that that once you establish the program you must maintain at least Handshake range for the data to flow back and forth, but you don't need to maintain LOS. This intuition is based simply on the fact that with magic you can sustain a spell on a target even once they walk away from you.

what about Emerged Critters?

Not familiar with the term, but the spoiler block at the start of EotM says "It is not a full replacement of Shadowrun world story, so books like Emergence and System Failure stand on their own."

so I guess "yes"?

[Trill]

Yeah, so Backdoor has a Handshake range, but with enough retransmitters placed properly in a row you can make your Handshake go from your basement across the city into whatever building if you try. Unless they have a shielded basement or whatever that they keep the good stuff in. Note: They're gonna keep the good stuff in that basement. There's plenty to find from far away though, during the "legwork" part of a mission.

I meant more by going from Server to Server to end up in one location but in hindsight it seems pretty illogical that you can make the connection from one server to the other.
Unless you are a TM of course, those guys can just Matrix Project and fly to the specified device

You can hack any retransmitter that's not hooked into a network pretty easily. But most of them are hooked up to someone 100% of the time, and that someone will probably notice if you steal their device entirely (Still call it a Matrix Perception (1) test, because they might be busy and not notice right away). If you just piggyback onto the network it's easy to go un-noticed as long as you don't transmit any Attack programs, and your full Matrix Stealth score applies against their Matrix Perception.

Okay, given that part I assume that just knowing their LTG isn't enough? That you have to be at a Retransmitter to connect to it?

You generally have LOS to the vehicle that you're inside of, yes?

I was unsure whether LOS meant just the vehicle or some specific parts/areas. So if I'm in a car and I look at the back seats I still have LOS?

Yeah, Response is a limit on the boost, but System is still the limit on the total rating.

Good to know

Having Cybereyes means you have Imagelink for free. You can also have Imagelink cyberware on its own. Either of these options counts as a Cybernetic Sense, giving you +1 on Matrix Perception tests in addition to the other effects (max of +3 from Cybernetic Senses bonuses on your Matrix Perception). You can also have an External Display Link, which is something you wear over your eyes (as Goggles, Sunglasses, Monocle, etc) that does the Imagelink thing on the inside of the object. This option doesn't give the Matrix Perception bonus, but it also doesn't use any Essence.

I meant it more in the sense that it's only really mandatory for you if you only have a Datajack
Because if you have Trodes or Nanopaste Trodes you don't need it (Because all the data is already sent in Brain Text)
And if you have an Internal SIM Module, Internal Commlink or a Simrig you don't need it (Because it has a direct connection to your brain and thus can simply be sent in Brain Text)
But if you just have a Datajack you need it because otherwise you only get Computer Text gibberish

I would say that that once you establish the program you must maintain at least Handshake range for the data to flow back and forth, but you don't need to maintain LOS. This intuition is based simply on the fact that with magic you can sustain a spell on a target even once they walk away from you.

Eh, that seems more like the comparison between (S) Programs and (S) Spells
Heal is a P spell with Touch range and you need to keep touching them to heal until the spell turns permanent

Not familiar with the term, but the spoiler block at the start of EotM says "It is not a full replacement of Shadowrun world story, so books like Emergence and System Failure stand on their own."

so I guess "yes"?

Emerged Critters are the Matrix version of Awakened Critters. Basically Critters with RES
And I wasn't sure whether to keep them in (and change all the powers and skills and such) or just cut them out and I wanted to know Frank's opinion on them

Also: Just got into an argument with one of my players that I thought was OK with the rules but turns out she just hadn't read them yet. Her complaint was that Hackers should not be able to defend themselves and the job of the rest of the party was to escort them to where they need to, which I think is bullshit because it just makes them into a non-role

[Lokathor]

I meant more by going from Server to Server to end up in one location but in hindsight it seems pretty illogical that you can make the connection from one server to the other.
Unless you are a TM of course, those guys can just Matrix Project and fly to the specified device

If ServerA has a Connection to ServerB, and you've got a Connection to either of them, you could use the normal "close distance" action to open a Connection to the other one.

Okay, given that part I assume that just knowing their LTG isn't enough? That you have to be at a Retransmitter to connect to it?

You have to have Handshake range with it, as normal for Backdoor, and then you can open a Connection, then you can use Master Control to elevate the Connection into an admin level Connection and issue orders for the device to do what you want.

I was unsure whether LOS meant just the vehicle or some specific parts/areas. So if I'm in a car and I look at the back seats I still have LOS?

You can get super specific if it matters, but I don't think that it generally does. Maybe the signal conducts along the frame of the car, maybe you have to look at specifically the engine block zone where the computer is stored. I guess there's not really a wrong answer here.

I meant it more in the sense that it's only really mandatory for you if you only have a Datajack
Because if you have Trodes or Nanopaste Trodes you don't need it (Because all the data is already sent in Brain Text)
And if you have an Internal SIM Module, Internal Commlink or a Simrig you don't need it (Because it has a direct connection to your brain and thus can simply be sent in Brain Text)
But if you just have a Datajack you need it because otherwise you only get Computer Text gibberish

No, this is what the External Display Link is all about. Trodes and Nanopaste are absolutely not secure because braintext is not a secure format. The External Display Link is exactly for the kind of people who don't want to drill holes in their head and also want to be secure in their data.

A DataJack only puts garbage into your brain if the feed hasn't been formatted for Brain Text. However, a commlink's feed is formatted for Brain Text, so when you plug a commlink straight into your datajack you get all the great benefits of a wired DNI.

Eh, that seems more like the comparison between (S) Programs and (S) Spells
Heal is a P spell with Touch range and you need to keep touching them to heal until the spell turns permanent

I'm not aware of a rule that you have to touch a target the whole time the spell is becoming perm, but okay if you wanna play that way.

Also: Just got into an argument with one of my players that I thought was OK with the rules but turns out she just hadn't read them yet. Her complaint was that Hackers should not be able to defend themselves and the job of the rest of the party was to escort them to where they need to, which I think is bullshit because it just makes them into a non-role

Pretty much.

[Trill]

If ServerA has a Connection to ServerB, and you've got a Connection to either of them, you could use the normal "close distance" action to open a Connection to the other one.

Sure, but what if I'm in server A and want to server C, which isn't connected to it, can I create a connection? Is there always a Path through the servers to any other public server?

You have to have Handshake range with it, as normal for Backdoor, and then you can open a Connection, then you can use Master Control to elevate the Connection into an admin level Connection and issue orders for the device to do what you want.

I think you misunderstood. I'm not talking about hacking into a retransmitter I saw. I'm talking about placing a retransmitter somewhere and connecting to it through the matrix. Basically a matrix ambush: If I see some guys coming there (through a camera or a spotter or whatever) I can connect to the Retransmitter and hack through it. Or can't you connect to one through the matrix?

You can get super specific if it matters, but I don't think that it generally does. Maybe the signal conducts along the frame of the car, maybe you have to look at specifically the engine block zone where the computer is stored. I guess there's not really a wrong answer here.

Yeah just wanted it clarified

No, this is what the External Display Link is all about. Trodes and Nanopaste are absolutely not secure because braintext is not a secure format. The External Display Link is exactly for the kind of people who don't want to drill holes in their head and also want to be secure in their data.

A DataJack only puts garbage into your brain if the feed hasn't been formatted for Brain Text. However, a commlink's feed is formatted for Brain Text, so when you plug a commlink straight into your datajack you get all the great benefits of a wired DNI.

See this is strange, because in the book it says:

So you can send out any text or computer commands you want, but by itself the
datajack does not allow you to receive any meaningful feedback on how your actions went
over.
[...]
People who want to really use anything other than a Know-Soft with their Datajacks are
advised to get a Display Link.

Which seems to imply that without an imagelink your Datajack is pretty useless, since you can only get Computer Gibberish to your brain

I'm not aware of a rule that you have to touch a target the whole time the spell is becoming perm, but okay if you wanna play that way.

Now that you say it I can't find anything saying you need to continue touching them. Best Counterexample being Hibernate which is S and Touch, which would be pretty dumb to force them to keep it up. But I'd house rule it that P spells need to be in range until they become permanent.

[Lokathor]

Sure, but what if I'm in server A and want to server C, which isn't connected to it, can I create a connection? Is there always a Path through the servers to any other public server?

There are no automatic paths. In fact, given how easy it is to close distance between servers, any paths would be extremely jealously guarded.

I think you misunderstood. I'm not talking about hacking into a retransmitter I saw. I'm talking about placing a retransmitter somewhere and connecting to it through the matrix. Basically a matrix ambush: If I see some guys coming there (through a camera or a spotter or whatever) I can connect to the Retransmitter and hack through it. Or can't you connect to one through the matrix?

A re-transmitter boosts the range of your Network by letting you count both your Commlink's location as well as all your re-transmitter location as "where you are" for measuring if you're in range of whoever or whatever. And you can do this more than once if you've got a chain of re-transmitters of course. However, you do need to be able to draw an unbroken chain from your actual location through all your re-transmission points to your target. If you're only within Matrix range of a re-transmitter you can't link in and use it that way. You've gotta have the whole chain.

After all, Matrix Range itself is basically made up of the fact that there's thousands of public re-transmitters all over every metroplex, facilitating everyday commerce.

See this is strange, because in the book it says:

So you can send out any text or computer commands you want, but by itself the
datajack does not allow you to receive any meaningful feedback on how your actions went
over.
[...]
People who want to really use anything other than a Know-Soft with their Datajacks are
advised to get a Display Link.

Which seems to imply that without an imagelink your Datajack is pretty useless, since you can only get Computer Gibberish to your brain

Damn. You're right.

Honestly, no player of mine has ever purchased a DataJack. They've always gone with the Internal Commlink and/or Internal SIM Rig.

[Stahlseele]

A Datalink is in vanilla SR4 the one thing you want if you do not want to be hackable at all. Nothing needs to be at all matrix active, just PAN active and the Datajack does not need to be matrix active either, just PAN. And then you connect an external Comlink for one time use for updates etc. that is just specced for maximum firewall and stealth or evasion or however the other stuff is called.

Also, Datajacks with knowsoft link still can not make head nor tails out of simple text, audio or video files. For that you still need simlink or internal speakers/transducer or image link.
Knowsoft is you knowing stuff about a given field of interest, as if you had read up and memorized a comprehensive guide to it.
You will for example know all types of revolvers that were ever built, know how to operate, dismantle, rebuild and maintain them all. But you won't be able to do it all. It is purely technical book knowledge. No motorskills or anything.
That's what Talentsoft is there for.

[Trill]

Just want to make sure:
Initiative enhancers that give additional Passes also give you more passes for AR, right? So a hacker with Wired Reflexes 3 has more initiative passes than a hacker in VR, though they may have less Matrix Initiative (if the VR hacker has a response greater than 3)?

Also: Do you have LOS while in VR? I'm guessing no, since all real world data is ignored.

[Stahlseele]

Correct @ Initiative so far.
But hackers automagically gain inipasses in VR if i remember correctly.
And increasing those is both cheapish and easyish to do as well, so there is almost no reason whatsoever to not have many more passes. That's the whole point of operating at the speed of thought instead of at the speed of typing.

VR usually means you lie down somewhere and start drooling while you are out conducting business elsewhere. Technically, you can still have LOS though. Have Cyber-Eyes with camera? Have a livefeed from your eyes put in your virtual field of vision. Hey presto, you now have LOS.
Still take a massive -8 or whatever to every physical action, because you have to fight the RAS Override system for control of what your body does.

[Trill]

Correct @ Initiative so far.
But hackers automagically gain inipasses in VR if i remember correctly.
And increasing those is both cheapish and easyish to do as well, so there is almost no reason whatsoever to not have many more passes. That's the whole point of operating at the speed of thought instead of at the speed of typing.

A hacker in AR has INI equal to INT+REA and 1IP by default. In VR you have INT+REA+RESP and 3 IP. Frank has said earlier in the thread that SimSense Booster should not be allowed, so in VR you are limited to 3 IP. In AR however you can get WR3 or MBW3 and have in total 4IP, but at a lower INI with the same INT and base REA if the RESP is bigger than 3

VR usually means you lie down somewhere and start drooling while you are out conducting business elsewhere. Technically, you can still have LOS though. Have Cyber-Eyes with camera? Have a livefeed from your eyes put in your virtual field of vision. Hey presto, you now have LOS.
Still take a massive -8 or whatever to every physical action, because you have to fight the RAS Override system for control of what your body does.

Yeah, with an external sensor or cybereyes you could possibly be seeing it as a feed, but I was asking more about without those. Also: If you are in VR you are still standing, just can't move, so drooling shouldn't happen. Also the penalty for the RAS Override is -6 not -8.

[Lokathor]

In VR your body goes limp enough to fall over if you're standing. It's like you're knocked out.

You still have LOS for the purposes of activating programs. Even though you can't see via visual light, it's the clear path from you to the target device that's letting your commlink perform the high density signal scans required to pinpoint the proper internal chips and neurons to reconfigure what you want into the target.

Frank has said earlier in the thread that SimSense Booster should not be allowed

I only found one place that the phrase "simense booster" was used in the thread, and it wasn't by Frank. Either way, it's not unreasonable to allow into the universe. Since the hacker will usually need to be moving around with the team, getting +1IP in VR is usually to the defender's advantage if there's high grade defenders. Since they're the ones staying in place with VR in the secure core of the facility, or remotely since they can use the retransmitters to bypass the faraday cages.

[Surgo]

It was in a different thread, I think discussing alt.war. The gist was they were added to make hackers better which is redundant with EotM.

On a separate note, has anyone developed any additional or advanced echoes?

[Trill]

In VR your body goes limp enough to fall over if you're standing. It's like you're knocked out.

Hmm, would it make a big difference to say that instead of going fully limp your body automatically stabilizes and that you can simply not consciously move?
So e.g. if you were standing still while engaging VR you would still stand, unable to move. If you were holding something you are still holding it in VR, just can't let it go or move your arms. If however you need active movement to stay upright (such as when you are walking/running) then you will fall over since no large corrective commands can be made.

It was in a different thread, I think discussing alt.war

You're probably right. I was only sure that the thread was SR4 related and was about houserules
EDIT: I found the Post here which has the part at the very bottom where it says:

So, would +1 IP be that much more broken with these rules? I guess it was baked into me that 2 IP is great, and 3 is good, but after that it doesn't matter all that much. But I guess there are more ways to hose opponents as a hacker/TM now?

Extra IPs are really, really good. The SimSense Booster exists in no small part because the official rules take really a lot of actions to resolve. This system is much more streamlined, so giving people extra actions is at the very least unwarranted.

EDIT2: And this post where he explicitly says it:

The second concern is that there are expansion items that were put in to Augmentation and Unwired that are explicitly there to boost the effectiveness of Hackers. Some of them can get pretty silly if used with these rules. At the very least, I would ban the SimSense Booster from Augmentation. Encephalons are kind of pushing it.

[Lokathor]

Huh. Well, no simsense boosters I guess.

Anyway I think it's not good on your body for your muscles to be held exactly tense like that all the time.

Maybe you could get a cyberware that's a dedicated system to make you not fall over when the RAS Override kicks in, but otherwise you just fall over and that's that.

[Trill]

Anyway I think it's not good on your body for your muscles to be held exactly tense like that all the time.

Maybe you could get a cyberware that's a dedicated system to make you not fall over when the RAS Override kicks in, but otherwise you just fall over and that's that.

I was thinking more about letting the body make small corrective commands to stay still, while blocking large ones. Of course muscles get sour and at some point you are going to fall down/let go.
So you stop walking, go into VR for a bit, go back into AR and just continue as normal. If you want to stay in VR for a long time you better sit down or your body will sit you down on its own.
Which isn't much safer than "Limp"-VR since you still are immobile and any big shove will make you keel over.

Mostly asking since I had though you just stood still, so I had the TM of our group do some Matrix searches in VR, while standing still in the kitchen holding a large cup of coffee (because it would be funny) and don't know if it would make a difference.

Edit: And another question, can you transmit stuff "securely" through cyberware?
Since Cyberarms have DNI, can you send computer data to them, which is then sent in brain text to the brain? If not, why can't you send data through tactile nerves using a direct connection if you can through induction?
Also: Can you only transmit visual data through an Imagelink?

[Stahlseele]

RAW it would make no real difference.
Fluffwise though, you are changing the one mostly defining aspect of matrix users. Same for mages actually. They fall over and drool when leaving their home boy as well.

[Lokathor]

And another question, can you transmit stuff "securely" through cyberware?
Since Cyberarms have DNI, can you send computer data to them, which is then sent in brain text to the brain? If not, why can't you send data through tactile nerves using a direct connection if you can through induction?

I would say that most cyberware is wired directly to the body and it is not wireless capable except for with diagnostics equipment that's assumed to be placed in contact or have an enhanced pickup (read: cyberware has Signal -1). You can still potentially write data directly into it via high density signal of course, but reading data out of it would require that you get very close.

Cyberware doesn't automatically have the ability to put general braintext in your brain, but most cyberware that's got an associated sensory system (eyes, ears, limbs, etc) would at least be able to send in the sense it's normally used for if you did it right. Getting cybereyes to make you hear a sound wouldn't really be a thing though.

Also: Can you only transmit visual data through an Imagelink?

Now this is an interesting question. What is "visual data"? I can tell you that literally any series of bytes can be read in as a series of RGB pixel values and then those pixels can be shown into a display. That is factually true, but not entirely useful. The bytes have to have been formatted ahead of time so that they'll make sense when shown directly as pixels. Otherwise you just get shit like this:



Rendering is the process of taking some arbitrary data and doing something to turn that into a picture that a human can make sense of. An imagelink can probably render text as well as display pictures, but it can't do too much that's useful with just arbitrary encrypted paydata or whatever. Not on its own. That's what all the rest of the software in your commlink is for.

[Stahlseele]

Yeah, you can even, by RAW, have the wireless capabilities burnt out of your cyberware to make it not hackable anymore.

And then you wire it all into a wireless disabled datajack and simply connect a one time use only as safe and secure as possible wifi enabled comlink into it for your regular upgrades.

[Trill]

Two questions
Where do you actually have to put trodes/nanopaste? Directly on the forehead? On any large nerve bundle? On any nerves?
Because in the document it says

You can put
nanopaste on your head or even your fingertips and get the same Direct Neural Interface
(DNI), you can even get the same benefits from just pointing some trodes at your brain.

Which seems to imply that for nanopaste at least the few nerve endings on your fingertips are enough, and that trodes don't actually have to be on the head itself.

And secondly: if you have trodes, can you put them on cyberarms at all? I'm guessing not, since no actual nerves are in there, but the trodes and the wiring could still communicate and transmit through there. Which was what my question was aimed at: If you have four cyberlimbs, can you then only put trodes directly on your head? Or can you use the cyberlimbs to communicate with your CNS directly?

[Stahlseele]

Trodes usually go on your head like a kind of hair-net or built into a cap or something. Nanopaste, appearantly, can be applied basically anywhere according to that wording. This stuff is actually why Brainhacking is a possibility according to EotM. Because if this is all it takes, then you just need to build a bigger, focussed emitter and point it at people to force them online.

Good question about the cyberlimbs. I actually never really thought about that part O.o

[Trill]

I'm mostly asking whether a trode net has to be on the head, or can just be a wrist band. Because nanopaste trodes can transmit braintext through your motor and sensory nerves to your brain and back. And Trodes are just the nanopaste trodes but outside the skin.

The Problems of trodes wouldn't be fixed by this: It's still external, the distance between head and arm isn't that big anyway so people can still seize your network and listen to you. And it's still just taped there, so heavy physical activity will shake its position on the arm and scramble the signal. But it makes it easier to move on the body. People can put datajacks all over their bodies, why not trodes?

[Stahlseele]

Well, if nanopaste does not have to go on the head and nanopaste just creates a dissolving trodenet basically, then i see no reason for trodes having to go on the head either. Put some trodes into a set of gloves, if nanopaste is allowed on hands and fingertips, then why should that be any different for trodes?

[Lokathor]

Yeah, you can even, by RAW, have the wireless capabilities burnt out of your cyberware to make it not hackable anymore.

And then you wire it all into a wireless disabled datajack and simply connect a one time use only as safe and secure as possible wifi enabled comlink into it for your regular upgrades.

This is not possible within EotM rules. Rather, taking the ability to send wifi out of a device doesn't make it unhackable. High Density Signal can reconfigure your data from across the room without you needing to "talk back" to your attacker. All that having a low Signal does is prevent Handshake range from being established, so people can't open a Connection on you. Which is good and all, but there's plenty of Signal or Signal (LOS) programs that you'll still not want to have hit you.