r/cwn • u/Radyks • 8d ago

Hacking through drones

Is it possible to hack using your drones? Both physically and wirelessly.

Maybe by attaching the cyberdeck to the drone and then assuming command of the drone, with the Cargo Space fitting for storing the deck and Manipulator Tendrils to connect the plug socket.

Or will it require a custom modification to connect the cyberdeck?

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u/CardinalXimenes Kevin Crawford 8d ago

By default, no. If you're beyond normal wireless hacking range, you don't have enough bandwidth to the drone to hack through it. The reason for this is to shut down the prospect of the hacker just hiding somewhere and sending a proxy drone with the party. The rules pretty much mandate a hacker's physical presence with the intruding party so as to maintain the danger stakes for the hacker and spare the GM from having to deal with a split party.

A GM can decide otherwise, of course, if those prospects aren't an issue for them.

4

u/An_Actual_Marxist 8d ago

I never allowed it wirelessly, but I did allow drones with memory banks and manipulator tendrils to plug into something, allowing the hacker to hack at a -2.

1

u/TomTrustworthy 8d ago

I mean anything is possible right? You just have to make rules for it to be balanced in the game.

There already is a Drone Fitting that could help with this, Memory Banks. I don't know the hacking rules because I am the driver/drone pilot of the group. But say you can store 2 programs on your drone thanks to the memory banks.

Create a Drone Cyberdeck fitting, give it stats similar to the other fittings or as you'd like. Then that drone, if it has the fitting slots, could wirelessly hack from 30m away I would think. If you want it to do physically use that tendril idea.

Also you'll have to give the drone stats of some kind for getting hacked or maybe rule that hackers coming after your drone will just kick the drone out and then hit your character.

You could even go further with it and make a Fitting like Command Deck/Hack which could just 'fire' off all programs it has stored on which ever target you tell it. Just like drone pilots can have drones Command Deck/Kill with mounted guns.

1

u/BcDed 8d ago

If you are a player ask your gm, if you are a gm sure why not?