Faster technomancer play — what dice formulas should I have on hand?

Question

Motivation

I am new to Shadowrun 4th and am playing a technomancer.

Both the other players and the GM are getting annoyed with me having to look up my rolls for things, so what I was wondering is if you folks could help me get together a list of the important numbers and their calculations.

Also, the other players are harassing me about how "You take like an hour of the game where only you get to do stuff," so I am trying get faster at playing my char even though they do not seem to realize that, while I may take an hour of the game where they can't do anything, most of it I can't really do anything because its all in meat space!

Anyhow….

So my question(s)

What numbers should a technomancer have accessible at the drop of a hat? Bonus points for the formulas to get them. Super bonus points for the page numbers of those formulas.

Answer 1

Matrix Actions:

This is relevant to both Technomancer and other Matrix users. You will want to print the Matrix Actions section (pp228-232). This gives you ALL the actions you can do in the Matrix, how long they take, and the relevant dice pool. You then just have to do the additions.

If you plan on using drones, the Common Rigger/Drone Tests table (p247) is a must.

Technomancer:

You will need on hand:

Your living persona stats (p239): You can probably note them on your character sheet.

Your threading and compiling/registering/decompiling. I will try to make short summary of the process for each:

Threading (p240): Roll Software+Resonance. Keep as much successes as you want, add them to your Form. Roll Fading (Willpower + Resonance) against a difficulty of twice the successes you kept. If you get as much successes on the Fading roll as the difficulty, you're fine, else you take as much Stunning Damage than the difference (Lethal Damage if your final Form is bigger than your Resonance)

Compiling (p241): Choose the Rating of the Sprite you want. Roll Compiling+Resonance vs Ratingx2. Each success above that gives you a task. Roll Fading against twice its hits, it's Lethal Damage if its Rating is higher than your Resonance.

Decompiling (p241): Roll Decompiling+Resonance vs the Sprite rating. Remove 1 task per success. Fading works as for Compiling.

Registering (p240): Meditate (Rating of the Sprite) hours. Roll Registering + Resonance vs its Rating x2. Each success above the first one adds a task. Fading as for Compiling.

On a side note:

The Matrix vs meatspace is a problem you will always encounter. And since you need so many Karma to boost your forms, and more importantly to get Echoes, you can't afford to become a super gunslinger.

There are lots of topics in other places focusing on how to deal with this problem as a group, but as a player:

Hacking on the fly is a good idea if you see you face hugely mechanical opposition. However, you don't need money to become a great Technomancer (unlike hackers, samurais, and even mages), even though you will get as much as the others. And nothing prevents you from buying some drones, and boosting your Command to the max. Or just buy a really huge shotgun, and put it in Full Auto.

note: all pages are for Shadowrun 20th anniversary edition Core rulebook.

Answer 2

This would probably serve better as a comment, but it might serve you to print out the quick reference table in the technomancy section, and write (in pencil of course) your current pool with those numbers beside it.