So, you have a model with a defensive hacking device. An enemy hacker moves into your ZoC. You can't declare Breakwater, Counterstrike, or Zero Pain, because you aren't the target of a Hacking Attack. You declare Reset. They hit you with Redrum without you having any chance of harming them back. I didn't put this in the Rules subform because the rules of how it works are pretty clear; the question is, do they care? During the reactive turn especially, they're pretty much nonfunctional.
I think they are, which is why White Hacking Devices exist, but they can't be arsed or don't have the time to fix or eliminate the normal Defensive Hacking Device.
They'd need to produce new books, or something like "booklet of reviewed rules", and CB is quite reluctant to do any of those. Maestro's wording is quite the example (since just sending and enemy HI hacker to Unconscious would, RAW, let the medic to give that HI an additional wound when removing the Unconscious state).
Defensive Hacking Devices have really huge problems mechanically, but that doesn't mean White Hacking Devices are a solution. Both cost immense amounts of points, and from memory a Defensive Hacking Device costs roughly the same as a Hacking Device, which just doesn't make sense. (IMO, similar to KHD and AHD respectively would make a lot more sense)
DHD costs 2 points less, as per the Wardriver. How many DHD are there anyway? Wardriver and Isobel are the only ones that come to mind.
That's still 6/0,5 for a device that only works at the mercy of your opponent's order expenditure with significantly worse supportware. Only army I can think of that'd actually want this over a regular HD is IA to save 2 points on the Fairy Dust monkey. And I'd still rather have KHDs on the same unit profile given an option, 'cause they're much less expensive and dead hackers don't bother nobody.
Well, a reasonable number of DHDs either have Sixth Sense, or can get it via a Fireteam. This does help fix the problem.
I do wish that they had simply changed the rules for DHD (or for the defensive programs in particular) instead of adding the WHD and leaving the DHD up the creek. But to answer the question, clearly they do know the problems, because the WHD pretty neatly addresses them.
Well perhaps they're not aware they didn't update the previous profiles :p Even White hacking devices are pretty bad. Killer Hackers are cheaper by every metric iirc.
Honestly the most glaring weakness, not being able to react with a hacking aro can be easily fixed by changing the programs requirments and effects to: Requirments: > A enemy hacker must be inside the users hacking area or the user must be chosen as a target of a hacking attack. Effects: > This program does not effect the target unless the user is the target of a hacking program. Or if you want to make defensive hacking devices more potent you can change the requirments to: > A enemy hacker must be inside the users hacking area or the user or a model inside the users hacking area must be chosen as a target of a hacking attack.
If I interpret it correctly DHDs mainly exist to give every Faction access to Gadget-1 Programs (U-Turn, Hack Transport Aircraft, Exorcism) and someone to do Hacking Classifieds. This must have been a lot more important when Guided spam was at it's peak. The WHD is a free Upgrade and, as it's peer the HD+, a vast improvement for free. The part where you can't use Shield-3 Programs half the time or more is the main thing that needs addressing - probably by rewriting the Program instead of the Device rules. Pretty sure they also shouldn't cost 6 points with KHDs around. From Maestro: Failing one BTS Roll causes the target to lose all points of his Wounds/STR Attribute and enter the Unconscious state, or equivalent, signified by an Unconscious Marker in base to base contact. Maestro puts you at 0 Wounds, there isn't a difference I can tell from taking damage as usual. Could you elaborate?
If it were to only make the target los all points of Wounds/STR => NWI kicks in and the target won't go Unconscius if it has it (f.e.: Asura H+) If it were to only send the target to Unconscious => Medic can remove Unconscious state, AND give +1 Wound, with no limit stated on the ceiling of that (f.e.: Asura suffers Maestro, gains "status: unconscious". Doctor does her magic: Asura is now active, and with 3 wounds + NWI. And if the doctor fails the roll and you cannot spend Command Tokens for whatever reason: Asura gets removed from the table). This is because there is no requirement to have 0 wounds left, or a caveat of "you cannot recover a target over his original wounds value" . Note that Akbar Doctor says "the target recovers all points of the wounds attribute". Spoiler: From the Wiki: Doctor DOCTOR SHORT SKILL Optional. REQUIREMENTS The user must be in base to base contact with his target. The target must have a Wounds Attribute. The target must be in Unconscious state. EFFECTS Doctor allows the user, by passing a Normal WIP Roll, to heal 1 point of the target's Wounds Attribute and cancel his Unconscious state back to Normal. If the user fails his WIP Roll, the target Dies automatically and is removed from play. Troopers can be restored to health from Unconscious state as many times as necessary, declaring each time a use of this Special Skill and passing the corresponding WIP Roll. Troopers healed by Doctor can be healed by MediKit, AutoMediKit or Regeneration afterwards, and vice versa. In certain missions and scenarios, Doctors are considered Specialist Troopers, that is, they meet the requirements to fulfill certain mission objectives. They need to be able to protect others somehow... then they would have some use aside from "Imma hacka u cannot hack n00b!" XD
@xagroth Oh I see where you missed something. NWI still counts as Unconscious, it's only a modification. NWI allows you to ignore the Null Label and Effects of Unconscious, treating it as Normal State. But you are still technically Unconscious. If you weren't Unconscious a Doctor couldn't heal you at all, as it is a requirement for the Skill to work. For the interaction with Doctor, NWI and Unsconscious are exactly the same thing. You can however not get Coup de Grace'd in NWI because that requires the Unconscious Marker, which NWI also replaces through it's effects.
The unconscious state and having 0 wounds are considered equivalent. When Maestro sends you directly to the unconscious state your wounds total is also set to 0.
