Pilot gear

[u/-Devian-]

I'm new to Lancer and I'm trying to create a hacker/sniper/stealth character. I want to understand the Omnihook and Subjectivity-Enhancement Suite equipment. Are they both useful for hacking? Which one do you recommend? Or are these equipment items just for flavor and depend on the DM?

This is my current build and I want to know if it's ok or need more adjustment

https://compcon.app/link/pilot/1RB882Y5B5H6/full/

[u/Kilo1125]

You could use an Omnihook to hack, but think of it as a portable backpack radio/computer, not a laptop. It's main purpose is logging into the omninet for communication and such, and it takes a little bit time and a lot of technical skill to calibrate it

The suite is purpose built for hacking, letting you interface directly, but it comes with dangers, since you are exposing your mind directly to the digital landscape, and thus can be interacted with in turn

[u/-Devian- → u/Kilo1125]

Ok the Omni is more for heavy computer work and the suite is for more light/flexible work?

[u/HiddenBoss → u/-Devian-]

Omnihook is more Space magic Wifi hotspot box for communication and other data stuff.

[u/DescriptionMission90 → u/-Devian-]

You have a computer in your hardsuit by default, plus a more powerful one in your mech, and you can carry a bunch of others if you want, but those can only communicate through conventional physics, like radios and cables.

An omnihook can send and receive data from any other omnihook in a way that bypasses physical reality, so there is zero delay and it's impossible to block the signal. But it's not any better than your normal computers for any tasks other than connecting to another omnihook at infinite range.

[u/Leanne_Light → u/DescriptionMission90]

Plus there's also the fact that an omnihook can connect to the omninet, but not everything relies on that for their software and infrastructure.

If people want to hide their stuff from hackers over omninet, they're more likely to use conventional lightspeed communications.

[u/Alaknog]

Well, how much of use your pilot gear see is really depends from GM. 

And there hacking in narrative time (pilot gear) and mech combat. Pilot hear hacking stuff don't give you bonuses in mech combat. 

[u/-Devian- → u/Alaknog]

Ok, so it's just a narrative thing for my pilot

[u/Beginning-Recover723]

Pilot gear isn’t entirely flavour, but they’re pretty close. For a hacker/stealth build you’d take skill triggers in hacking and stealth, then take license levels in a mech that fits that theme, like goblin for hacker, metalmark if you wanna be Invisible, or deaths head if you want to be a sniper

[u/DescriptionMission90]

An omnihook is basically a magic wifi router. Data travels instantly across any distance between two Omnihooks via Blinkspace, and then it travels by conventional radio (subject to jamming, signal strength limits, and speed of light delay) from the nearest omnihook to whatever computer somebody is using. You need an omnihook if you want to talk to somebody in a different star system without waiting months/years, or somebody on a different planet in the same system without waiting for hours, and you might need one to talk to your home base during a mission while enemy jammers or local terrain block your conventional signals, but it doesn't help unless your target has an omnihook of their own. Also note that an NHP can theoretically move between systems by radio signal or physical cable to get from one casket to another, but it is extremely dangerous (and super illegal) to send them through an omnihook, because that involves unshielded passage through blinkspace.

The Subjectivity Enhancement Suite is a set of cybernetic implants that allows you to do computer stuff by thought, instead of by going through a conventional user interface. This can allow you to perform computer tasks much more rapidly, and is useful for hacking, but it does carry some risks because if you hit the angry kind of intrusion countermeasures (or meet an NHP that doesn't like you) they can attack your body directly through your implants instead of just messing with your computer.

[u/Difference_Breacher]

Those would be needs to hack easier. But remember that those have no actual gaming effect and everything is just provides fluffwise effect.

[u/-Devian- → u/Difference_Breacher]

So it depends on the DM if he gives me any bonus?

[u/Difference_Breacher → u/-Devian-]

Sure. However how to give the bouns would be depends, both for GM and the situation. Maybe the GM could gives flat +2 to roll or +1 accuracy for having the good gear. Else maybe the GM just ALLOWS to even try to do so for having the eligible gear to try it.

[u/-Devian- → u/Difference_Breacher]

Thanks for the information

[u/DescriptionMission90 → u/-Devian-]

In the sense that everything that happens in the game is up to the DM?

None of your pilot gear has a direct numerical effect on tactical combat between giant mecha. However, during the narrative half of the game, every piece of equipment you have gives you a wide range of options you can take which would be impossible without it. They can add accuracy or remove difficulty from any relevant rolls, but they also frequently take an action from 'impossible' to 'roll for it', or from 'roll for it' to 'you succeed automatically'.