http://dealbook.nytimes.com/2012/03/14/public-rebuke-of-culture-at-goldman-opens-debate/?hp

Behold:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4RcZw68FqLs&feature=fvwrel

The past week has been unusual to say the least. I awoke naked in the jungle, clutching two fist-fulls of red feathers. There I met a very polite man in a black suit, but I never got his name. He transported me to New Mexico first by limo (which drove exceptionally well through the jungle, though it didn't seem odd to me at the time), then helicopter, then plane, and finally by car. He showered me, gave me clothes, and even provided food. Very polite.

Eventually I found my way into a hotel meeting room. I was somewhat swept up in the moment, but there was food, so I stayed. This is also where I met Letho Gullet, a horribly scarred and troubled man who appeared relaxed but was always on edge. Though he was curt, he wasn't cruel, and in fact he would prove to be very generous in the coming days. The only other soul in the area was a large, athletic man by the name of Nathaniel McGuire. He was far more polite than Letho and equally generous.

There were three name-plates on the table: one for each of us, and mine read Amy Nelson. I've assumed that as my name for now. Compared to my other wakings, this one went exceptionally smoothly. I didn't need to sell my body for money, learn a new language, kill anyone, or steal anything, but all the same it was not without its own share of complications. Although my new identity and re-introduction to society was handed to me on a silver platter, things quickly got more complicated. It appears that the men who found me were a part of some sort of conspiracy or organization. They seemed to not know why we were inside a meeting room, or even who was expected to arrive, but they picked up a trail and started an adventure all the same. Sticking along seemed like the best idea at the time.

We were offered a ten thousand dollar reward to solve a mystery, but my companions didn't seem interested in the money. Nathaniel even went out of his way to buy me equipment, including a new set of clothes, a cell-phone and headset, a bag, a pen, paper, and several other small items. Letho stuck around but didn't say much. They hadn't met before, but seemed to form an immediate bond similar perhaps to the one that two soldiers in the same army might share. Even stranger, they seemed to consider me to be a part of their group. They told me that we would probably be facing danger soon, but I didn't leave them; a little adventure could be exciting now and again.

We interviewed citizens, talked to doctors, searched houses, and generally investigated the humming sound. Things didn't get strange until we found some crows sporting many eyes watching us. From there, things got even stranger, culminating in a battle with several giant bugs underground. Letho and Nathaniel proved to be invaluable during the fight, and without the rugged clothes they bought me earlier, I'm not sure I would have survived.

I felt somewhat useless during the fight itself, although I did disarm one of the bugs by throwing a nearby turtle at its weapon. The doctor was behaving somewhat irregularly. At first we thought she was turning into one of the bugs, but I'm not sure…

The place self-destructed as we left, and we didn't even bother trying to get the reward. I managed to save the turtle, and my companions survived as well. Both offered to let me live with them while I established myself, but I chose to go with Letho because Nathaniel traveled too much. Letho was kind enough to puchase me a good fake ID and a plane ticket to New York, and I must say I was simply taken aback by his generosity. I wonder if it's because of my gender.

Letho named the turtle Myrtle, no doubt after the Christian hybrid-god of Venus and Murcia which represents sloth and slowness. He may be more clever than he looks.

That's really all I have to say: my own efforts must be committed to a greater legacy. May the Hidden Masters reward you well.

That being said, I'm offering a 10xp bonus to all Seasoned & Veteran characters who can provide a 10 song "Soundtrack" that represents the character in question. Songs may be symbolic, what your character might like, or similar. To qualify for the bonus, you will need to post a link to the song & provide a brief description relating its signifigance as applied to the character. Novices can be done as well, but will only receive a 3xp bonus, as they are still new & shiny.

But I am Aurelio, and I can suffer through this miasma of normality if it means one day I get to die and see what happens then.

Sometimes death isn't the only way to get what you want here.

I was leaving a client's house north of LA when a crow stole the keys to my car and flew into the woods. I followed it, naturally. When I was deep in the trees a black mass appeared on a tree branch and started to speak to me. This was distinctly exciting. "He" (he referred to himself as Sam, and had a deep voice) wasn't quite … human. He was … Well, it is very hard to describe him. He isn't human but you can tell that at one point he might have been. He reminded me of the pulp supernatural dramas I watched in college which was refreshingly amusing. I simply had to hear what he had to tell me. Not that I was going to tell something with claws and magic to take a hike, but I actually wanted to hear what he could reveal about the true nature of things.

He gave me a rectangular envelope with dust on one corner and a damp spot on the other. Inside were three pieces of paper: a plane ticket, an introduction, and a time and place. I accepted them immediately, but he couldn't stop talking about everything that could happen. The stakes of the game, the ability to back out, an allusion to the red pill and the blue pill from The Matrix, etc. and so forth.

You learn very early on as a lawyer that people simply want someone to tell their story to and that's all there is to it. You just have to sit quietly. (This is easier when you have the distinct impression that they could kill you instantly)

I took the plane ticket and went on the "mission." (I'm still getting used to the jargon used by this fascinating … group.)

When I got to the airport, there was a woman wearing scrubs (attractive but distant) and a small ten-year old girl with an eyepatch and a homemade shirt depicting a praying mantis removing someone's head. Suddenly, the concept that this was a conspiracy that could unlock the secrets of the cosmos seemed somewhat more …. stupid.

I always think it's funny how you can spend your life trying to erase character flaws. Things like judging people at first glance. This is an easy one to erase when you're a defense attorney. The second or third time you defend (successfully, mind you)a teenager for chopping their siblings' heads off with pruning shears, you learn that you can't judge a book by its … you know. When you're shoved into the deep end of the pool like I was, old habits die hard.

But I digress.

We were in Wichita, Nebraska by 5:00 pm. By 10:06 pm, the time indicated on the letter, two children were dead and an angry mob was trying to burn alive a wannabe witch and a couple of hippies.

By 10:10 pm, most of my body was covered in burns, I had been nearly killed by a creature probably from another dimension, and I saved the hapless scapegoats from being barbecue. The wicca was exceptionally exquisite, by the way, if she would put some shampoo in hair once in a blue moon (ha) they could publish swimsuit calendars of her face in profile. For all 12 months.

But I digress.

I am excited, I am alive, and I am slowly curling my finger tips over the edge of the book of Normality, poised to rip off the cover and find everything that has been kept from my mind.

I am either going to die a horrible death (happens all the time, you know) or I am going to know everything there is to know and more. If you pardon the hyperbole, of course. And, by the time I am where I want to be, it will be in your best interest to agree blindly with whatever I say.

It's been a charm talking with you.

Everyday I witness the cruelties mankind inflicts upon each other. Everyday I fight against pain, suffering, and despair. Every day, I stare death in the face.

I'd be lying if I said I didn't falter beneath that gaze.

I need to be stronger than this—I need to be more than I am.

True Power lies not in control of people, but in control of the Universe. If you control the forces of nature, everything else will fall into place.

And then you'll have it all.

"Johnny Perfigliani is a son-of-a-bitch. What a fucking air-head. Best boxer in the world my ass, I'd take that fucker any day of the week. Here he is trying to tell me what to do in this God-damn fantasy land. Helped some pansy-ass elves, found an immortal idiot pleasure God, blah blah.

"Why are people so opposed to getting their hands dirty? Soon as you learn you gotta swim to the bottom of a 40 foot pit of raw sewage, the dandelion in the group decides to leave. I told him to make a riot in the city, not fucking play the lute for change. I'm trying to wage a war here, lead an army. The elves proved to be capable warriors, but the real punch to the stomach for that city were the two thousand prisoners I armed from the royal garrison. I gave them a chance to die honorably and they took it gladly. Win-win.

"I hope I never meet another man I can't simply stab to death. Annoying. It ended up being a piece of cake to obtain the door that the elves wanted. Guess it was supposed to bring magic back into their world, but who the fuck cares if none of this is real anyway? Just some stupid brain-doctor's imagination.

"I swear, these missions are just crazy. Shows of excess. Wastes. If people can afford to set up their own little world, why the hell do they need me to go in there and fix it up for them? Princess Penelope at least wears her intentions on her dress, the psycho kid. The boxer, well, maybe he's just as stupid as he looks.

"You, though, you're not a bad guy. Quiet. Good listener. I like that. Willing to climb up to the top of that tower too, just to help us out. Maybe more people need to try their hand out on surviving in the jungle their whole lives. At least it'd teach them to shut up about their face books or whatever."

So here we go. Some of these are quick little fixes, thoughts, etc. Some of these are obviously too radical or perhaps controversial to adopt. I leave these to you guys to mull over.

Ranged vs. Melee
First, guns are better than melee weapons. That makes sense, of course, and is the reason why people use guns to fight wars these days instead of swords. A small buff to melee weapons may be in order to close that gap a tiny bit. In balancing a normal game, I'd say that melee weapons would do more than ranged simply because they require the player to be closer to their enemies and thus have an additional requirement to use. That method may not work in house games, but I suggest at least making the melee maneuvers only require the skill melee instead of a secondary weapon skill. That might help balance things out as well as promote a healthy variety to the melee weapons used.

Psions and Boosts
The psion template is kind of crazy you guys. Being able to boost a power by THREE levels is EXTREME, especially since you can boost past five. Note that this opens up 3x(number of paths) extra abilities to anyone with the template, including absurd level 8 abilities. The equivalent Xp cost of that many abilities being available for use is astronomical. I feel that boots in general are somewhat overpowered (being able to boost all physical stats to 5 for anyone at will as a level 3 ability may be a bit much), but this is ridiculous. Especially since the drawbacks are somewhat minor. I dare say the physical psychic's is almost balanced since there are no psychic powers that can instantly heal you, but the sensitive psychic psion boost's drawback is very, very marginal. We're talking a good chance at getting a single, non-permenant derangement, which can be cured simply by having psychebender at level 2 and then boosting to five.

And don't tell me the perquisites of the template are the balancing factor. Maxing the psi pool = getting 10 free willpower to spend on any abilities you want as well as ensuring that your minimum dice pool for any of your abilities is 10. That's well worth it in and of itself.

Finally, if abilities are going to be boosted to 8, you've got to actually WRITE DOWN the last three dots. Has anyone anywhere ever written down anything past dot five of a psychic power? I've never seen it. Plus, it seems to me that most people assume that grants one new ability, when it should grant 3. I suggest capping the “beyond 5” boost to dot 6. Then I suggest those dot sixes are written.

Another possibility would be to add more of a random element to the boost to increase risk factor. Using the level 3 boost (which can grant an effective xp boost to a path of up to 54!) should be really, really, really risky. Limiting the number of paths that can be boosted at once would be helpful too if the drawback is too light.

Persuade Maneuver
There's gotta be a persuade maneuver that can actually change opinions. The power of persuasion in the hands of a truly talented character should be able to inspire action and gain support. I understand that role-playing is great and fun and good and all that, but sometimes players just can't come up with the same kind of wit that their master manipulator characters might on hand. I like player skill being a factor, but if social attributes and skills are going to be dots on the page, people need to be able to roll them for their intended effect.

Virtues
I suggest that, for standardization's sake, that virtues be used to determine the difficulty of rolls in powers and never as direct resistance (as they can only be raised to five and don't constitute a standard dice pool). For example, let's say there's an appearance-based fright power. The caster rolls appearance + intimidation difficulty 4 + target's courage. Target resists with a willpower roll.

Social Attributes
Now this is one of those ones that's sort of a big one. Doubt this one will get much attention since people want solutions and not just others to point out problems, but any solution is going to be big and difficult to implement so I'm not taking the time to come up with any right now.

I think some verification of what the social attributes are used for currently.

Charisma:
Getting people to like you, inspiring action to groups, inspiring positive relations to last for long periods of time.

Manipulation:
Teaching, social maneuvering, lying, acting, and mental dexterity (?).

Appearance:
First impressions, standing out in a crowd, the ability to convey messages with your face and body, the ability to project an image.

I like charisma. Manipulation being used for things like meditation seems like a huge stretch to me. I know there's a case to be made for it, but it sounds more like a justification than a real reason. Between wits, intelligence, willpower, and self-control, there should be a better thing to pair with spells and meditation than a social attribute. Consider this when looking at the abilities of mythic manipulation. They're all about manipulating PEOPLE because that's what people really think when they think of the social attirbute manipulation.

I know there's a balance argument to be made since otherwise manipulation is underpowered. I suggest it be merged with charisma or other incentives be offered to buy it up. Stamina has stuns, wits + dex has initiative, and the rest are good enough to stand on their own merits except for maybe apperance.

Appearance must be the attribute used for all appearance-based rolls, otherwise it becomes useless. Having a high rating in appearance doesn't nessicarily mean you're beautiful, and in fact I've known some great looking people I wouldn't give high appearance scores to since they don't stand out. People who are invested into this attribute know how to use what they have: how to make a scar look menacing or sexy, how to scare someone into giving information, how to blend into crowds, and how to use body language to command a room's mood. Those muscles don't mean shit if you can't project that aura of confidence with them. If you want appearance to have a purpose, you can't let people roll strength + intimidation or other stuff like that.

Masteries
The masteries are not in order of power, which leads to low incentives to buy them up all the way. Do you have any character with a mastery at 5? How about a skill at 6? Assuming the character has 4 in the commonly related attribute, it's pretty easy to re-order the effectiveness by rank using math.
1) ability is x1 to buy
2) Ability may be raised to 6
3) All specializations unlocked
4) extra dice based on mastery rating
5) -2 difficulty

I know Mark loves to make having 6 dots in a trait a big deal, but really dice bonus is negligible, the number of powers that mention rank in a trait are few, and any inherent benefits to having those levels are not established. I suppose they could be used to buy super-maneuvers, but that's not applicable for all abilities of course.

Additionally, and this is more radical than just the ordering thing, masteries induce a sort of rock-paper-scissors effect into the game. Most powers are balanced without masteries in mind, and when masteries are applied they become extremely powerful to the point where if you don't have special resistances for the particular type of power, you are guaranteed dead. This isn't necessarily a bad thing, although it could lead to player frustration pretty quickly.

Arcane
Arcane is really good. I don't know if I can, in good conscience, say that it's way unbalancing, but it seems like bursting into a level 3 arcane with a gift and a game's experience is a tad too beneficial for the cost. It ensures that characters without a dice pool of at least 5 in perception plus alertness can not even attempt to spot you. I know in-game math is a bad thing, but I really think the dice penalty shouldn't see direct geometric growth. Instead, perhaps consider something like this as a progression for a dice penalty.
1) -1 dice
2) -1 dice
3) -2 dice
4) -3 dice
5) -4 dice
6) -6 dice
7) -7 dice
8) -9 dice

Counter Magic
I love counter magic. I really love the way it's sort of like a magic general-ed in background form, and I think there should be a similar nega-psi ability too.

Probe
Is not a dot three; you guys are crazy.

Dominate
From Vampire: the masquerade is maybe balanced in a world without masteries where it's difficult to max out things like willpower and abilties. Not otherwise. What happened to the subtlety of social interaction? I also frown upon balancing things based on external source material (and this ties into probe above). We've created our own game system here, with its own progression rates and methods. You can't simply adapt things into this system and expect to be balanced.

Also, as a note: even if it was published by game designers in a book, it can still be unbalanced. If table top RPG game companies could patch their balances as easily as video game RPG devs could (and if there was perhaps more interest in the genre), you can be sure they'd do it just as often. It's a trial and error thing, a work in progress. Nothing is sacred to the point where it should not be questioned.

Natures:
are the only thing on the top of the page with a true gameplay system ramification. It should be moved into the character sheet's main body, if not removed entirely. I suggest grandfathering the willpower regain function into morality.

Armor
Needs a slight buff. I know you guys like to keep combat fast and edgy, but it really requires a suspention of disbelief that a simple bullet proof vest gives a dex penalty and only 3 armor. If the vest was a literal adaptation from real life, the armor provided would at least match a large handgun (6). Those extra damage dice from aim successes should be what overcomes the armor. Besides, saying "I aim for anywhere but the body" is enough to surpass a vest. I suggest that armor be limited by attainability, and I suggest dex penalties be reduced a bit.

Or if we're doing the whole suspension of disbelief thing, can we make melee weapons balanced instead?

And now I'm tired and stuff and I can't think of any more off the top of my head. Maybe I'll bring up a few more points later.

Her companion doesn't draw nearly as many eyes upon his entrance. Even with a tailored pinstriped suit and the brief flash of a charming smile, he is entirely forgettable. An astute observer might notice the faint outlines of what might be either a pistol or a hip flask, but probably wouldn't ponder on it long, as the gentleman seem likeable enough, but mostly boring.

The couple playfully wander for a time, before stumbling across a staircase leading into a seedy, but thriving gambling den. The gentleman joins a craps game and the attractive brunette shamelessly plays the part of a highrolling gambler's girlfriend, blowing on dice and cheering when the bones are favorable.

And they do show favor tonight. The dice come up winners again and again. They are switched out with fresh ones, just to be sure, but the streak continues. A sizable pile of winnings grow in front of the pair much to the stickman's dismay.

A subtle tension begins to emanate from the pit-boss. Only the most hardcore gamblers notice it, but those that do know that, at best, the young man and his date are about to be politely asked to leave. At worst? Well…

The atmosphere thickens. The tension builds. The pit-boss grinds his teeth behind a collapsing mask of calm, and just as he seems to finally lose patience with he incredible luck, the young couple walk away.

No one can see the mischievous look they exchange as they make their way back up to the main floor. Nobody can see it because every eye in the room is on the pile of winnings left completely untouched on the table. Desperate, greedy eyes flick around, sizing each other up.

Then the tension breaks…

…

Less than a dozen patrons are seated in sight of the band when the woman in the red dress and her escort step onto the dance floor. The music remains slow and soulful and the pair sway to it slowly. No one joins them. Few even notice they're there. For a long, perfect moment the two of them seem to inhabit their very own universe, untouched by the the troubles or worries outside.

The song seems to go on forever, but eventually winds down and the couple reluctantly part, each seeming a little flustered at the depth of shared intimacy. In the quiet absence of music, it is easy to here the two of them hastily comment on a need for drinks before swiftly exiting the room.

The problem is that almost any scrapper worth their salt knows at least one dirty trick and probably more. That said, few go beyond one or two tricks without serious training and dedication.

-

Here's what I'm proposing:

Let every character have a number of Maneuver Limitations equal to their rank in the combat field it falls under.

So a character with a two in Brawl could have Flying Kick (2 Limitations) or Break Grapple and Block Blade (1 Limitation each).

-

It'd allow characters to learn either a handful of lesser Maneuvers or save up for one large one. In the case of Firearms and Melee, it'd allow a character to pick up one or two useful Maneuvers with weapons that aren't their primary focus, allowing them to be more flexible without having to specialize in a completely new weapon. It would also allow character's that aren't primarily combatants to pick up a trick or two.

There are drawbacks of course. NPCs would become a bit more formidable as they could now have the same early access to dirty tricks, not to mention having to revise a great many of the prerequisites for the listed Maneuvers, but on the whole I think it's a good idea.

The three big ones that come to mind are Sorcery, Psychics, and Super-Technology. I'm well aware that there are a lot of other differences, but I want to flesh out how these three affect every day life first. I think the impact of their existence is a lot greater than many have anticipated.

Out of these three, the one that is likely to have the most effect on day to day life is probably Sorcery, especially Divination.

I really want to figure out how common Diviners are, how effective and reliable they are, and how public they are.

The next time I get a report any of the above occurring, I am calling in an Admin void. More than one verified complaint, & I will ban you from the site.

No appeals, no saving throws.

Don't waste my time asking "why" this is. We rely on an honour system to keep an inherently chaotic system balanced. Anyone caught "cheating" will simply be made example of.
I have very little spare time these days. I will *not* spend it mediating disputes or settling obvious fuck ups.

The artist's goal is to draw every single creature appearing in Lovecraft's fiction. Mutant Penguin is my favorite.

High Rollers soon learn that their personal calendars often are not in sync with each other, or with the world in which they live. When two High Rollers meet, one may note that six months have passed since their last meeting, while the other has seen the passage of only two months. There are almost as many theories to explain this as there are High Rollers. Some believe that many Games take place on alternate Earths, where time does not flow at the same rate. Others believe they are in fact on different Earths all the time, and in fact may slip between Earths on a regular basis. A misremembered bit of history? Perhaps it wasn't misremembered; perhaps it really was as you recall, in the dimension in which you ate breakfast. Certain you put the juice back in the refrigerator? Perhaps you did; just not on this Earth … Still others believe the cause has nothing to do with dimensionality, but is a side effect of being Imbued. Perhaps a High Roller's perception of the flow of time, or the rate at which their personal time flows, varies depending on how often they are sent on Games. Perhaps being Imbued allows you to perceive discrepancies that affect everyone. Or, since time and space are linked, perhaps being transported to and from Games throws you off, until your time signature can reestablish synchronicity with the greater temporal reality. Or perhaps the explanation is something else altogether. As with the reasons for the Games and the motives of The Powers That Be, it provokes endless speculation and debate among the Chosen. Whatever the cause, the phenomenon remains.

Each time a character receives XP from playing in a Game, or ringer XP or GM XP, one month passes for that character. If the character does not go on a Game or receive ringer XP or GM XP in a month of real time, one game month passes.

If characters are physically together during a downtime, they experience the same timestream. If a character is engaged in frequent side activities and seldom receives XP, more than one month is likely to pass during downtime. This should never provide an in-game advantage to the character, such as additional time for study or research.

Thoughts?

Probably needs another theory or two, at least.

Note: Updated to incorporate comments.

A small cloud emanates from the brick wall, like dust blown from an exceptionally neglected shelf. The brick wall tilts, then falls back away from the bar.

A figure steps through the haze. He is somewhere around six feet tall, dark skinned and likely well built, but it is difficult to discern through the long coat and course clothing. He walks to the bar and casually drops a handful of small gems in front of the bartender.

Without breaking stride, he finds a corner table, sets his pack down, and waits.

Is there anything in place for protection against the psychic system?

It will be: 1 level of damage per 5 ft. This is bashing, unless you fall over a 100 ft, or if you fall on something especially splatty.

Max damage will be raised to the damage cap for most catastrophic events, i.e. 20 lethal damage.Still survivable, but much more daunting.

GM's may allow Athletics rolls, Powers, or less-splatty surfaces to mitigate the severity of the damage somewhat.

It seemed that he had been inside this brain before. He was trying to explain to me that it was like going into another world kinda like our own. I figured I'd go along as the same one on the “trip”. No obvious drugs were used, but we still seemed to end up in another dimension? Dream? Hallucination? I'm not sure but it was weird. It was something out of a movie. I saw elves, werewolves, a dragon, and the bad guy. The plot: make the underdogs win. Since we were in CA, I'm not really surprised. I was surprised to me Dr. Egas Freeman. He's a doctor working on advances in the brain. He has some interesting ideas in that subject area, and I found it fascinating to work with him even under such strange conditions. I hope now that this strange encounter is over, I can work with him some more. Perhaps I can figure out how to become his assistant.

It sits on the porch in the back garden of X-Marks the Spot, and is available to guests for the viewing of the night sky.

It's angle is clearly pre-set to observe a specific astrological body.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fr%C3%B6g%C3%A4rd_i_%C3%96sby

He is wearing a casual suit, hat, long scarf, & mirror shades. He is pale, almost sickly, & a tracery of razor thin scars can be seen on his face.

Leaning heavily on a cane as he exits the mirror, he surveys the room without expression.

If you wish to become involved or to try to find out more, or if you're running NPC's or organizations in or near Britain, please contact me. Otherwise, I'll assume that no one is in the region or taking a hand in coming events.

I don't think Gramps stopped either.

Obviously I'm fine, had a hell of a close call, but my life and property are intact, just out of power and with a terrible phone connection. (Currently posting this from a friend's house)

Ed's phone seems to be dead, I can't get in contact with him, but he was able to leave me a message on the phone last night. Seems that he and Sleep are both fine, but also without power. I don't know about any of the others, but I'm hoping for the best there.

I'll keep everyone posted as best I can.

Now if I use that maneuver to dodge someone shooting at me, for example, do I get to add 2 dice to the pool, giving me 12 total dice and the ability to dodge 6 total attacks, or do I add the dice to each split and get to dodge 5 things, but do it better? (ie. 6 dodges vs 5 much improved ones)

I have now lived among the humans for six months. They are more disgusting then expected. Strangely cold as well. They have all these rules that they follow that made at least some sense while I was within the nest, but now… I can't believe how blind they are, wandering around in their sky scrapers aimlessly constantly building, expanding, growing, but never stopping to learn. Perhaps human life is simply too short. Maybe it is hard to be able to take time to slow your life down when you know you may only have one hundred years maximum. Knowing that my life will last as long as I keep my wits about me makes me want to actually sit down and learn something instead of rushing in to every situation head first.

Humans have such a simple view of the world. They think they are the best. Period. End of line. T'here is no arguing with most of them. What they seem to not realize is that many creatures have been here long before and will continue to be here long after. They act so entitled to the land they have, and true. They have fought very hard to keep it, but their inability to share, even amongst each other, is disgusting. They seem to have no compunction for the way they treat some creatures, but are greatly disturbed by the treatment of others. Compare for a moment dogs and chickens. They both react to pain, they both react to frightening situations, they both get excited by food and the promise of shelter. Even with these similarities the majority of chickens are tortured for all their lives and dogs are usually given a royal treatment. I suppose I need to choose for myself whether people are chickens or dogs.

Though they have already put themselves in pens. Perhaps they are choosing their own fate.

There are of course exceptions. Dorian, Zak, Ellis, and my nest.

The nest, I suppose his name should be remembered. Devin. Devin was excellent. I wish that his death was not required for my birth. I would like to ask him what he thinks of me. It was interesting to see the world from behind his eyes. To see his friends and his life so deeply. His friends always seemed to write him off as some stupid thief. I would not say this is so. Scared? Yes. Impulsive? Of course. He also seemed to have a great deal of potential kindness that was pushed to the back of his soul as his survival instincts took over. As he neared the end of his life he became so frantic… though his final days were days of pleasure. He became very close to Dorian; I suppose that is why I lived with him for so long.

I believe humanity needs guidance. It has so much potential. Wasted. If they could be guided, bred, factory farmed for their sheer force of will they could be used to warp the cosmos however I see fit.

It appears that I will have quite a bit on my plate for the next few millennia.

I have now lived among the humans for six months. They are more disgusting then expected. Strangely cold as well. They have all these rules that they follow that made at least some sense while I was within the nest, but now… I can't believe how blind they are, wandering around in their sky scrapers aimlessly constantly building, expanding, growing, but never stopping to learn. Perhaps human life is simply too short. Maybe it is hard to be able to take time to slow your life down when you know you may only have one hundred years maximum. Knowing that my life will last as long as I keep my wits about me makes me want to actually sit down and learn something instead of rushing in to every situation head first.

Humans have such a simple view of the world. They think they are the best. Period. End of line. T'here is no arguing with most of them. What they seem to not realize is that many creatures have been here long before and will continue to be here long after. They act so entitled to the land they have, and true. They have fought very hard to keep it, but their inability to share, even amongst each other, is disgusting. They seem to have no compunction for the way they treat some creatures, but are greatly disturbed by the treatment of others. Compare for a moment dogs and chickens. They both react to pain, they both react to frightening situations, they both get excited by food and the promise of shelter. Even with these similarities the majority of chickens are tortured for all their lives and dogs are usually given a royal treatment. I suppose I need to choose for myself whether people are chickens or dogs.

Though they have already put themselves in pens. Perhaps they are choosing their own fate.

There are of course exceptions. Dorian, Zak, Ellis, and my nest.

The nest, I suppose his name should be remembered. Devin. Devin was excellent. I wish that his death was not required for my birth. I would like to ask him what he thinks of me. It was interesting to see the world from behind his eyes. To see his friends and his life so deeply. His friends always seemed to write him off as some stupid thief. I would not say this is so. Scared? Yes. Impulsive? Of course. He also seemed to have a great deal of potential kindness that was pushed to the back of his soul as his survival instincts took over. As he neared the end of his life he became so frantic… though his final days were days of pleasure. He became very close to Dorian; I suppose that is why I lived with him for so long.

I believe humanity needs guidance. It has so much potential. Wasted. If they could be guided, bred, factory farmed for their sheer force of will they could be used to warp the cosmos however I see fit.

It appears that I will have quite a bit on my plate for the next few millennia.

I was talking to a guy who was interested in gaming and I explained the idea of having a ridiculous/impossible goal. He responded saying that he "wanted to be the greatest fighter ever". On the inside I sighed and rolled my eyes, but on the outside I said "well, that is more of a means then an end, what would you do when you became the best fighter".

Without pausing to think he said that he would travel across the world starting multinational wars and violent conflicts so that he would have more people to fight.

I'm fairly certain that that is the coolest goal that has ever been thought of.

This record is being kept by Yani Cohen of The Israeli Musshad.

lilith is our subjects only known name.

her current whereabouts and appearance are unknown to us as we believe her to have a form of shape shifting.

we also believe her to have a large arsenal consisting of many illegal, hard to get weapons that she often keeps in a "Punctured Spleen" messenger bag.

this is troubling in that we have ascertained her driving goal in life to be the destruction of the human race, so that the earth may survive.

so far the subject has killed many, many times, including the president and vice president of the united states,marking each killing with the harvesting of a portion of the victims face, this includes the late Vice president Joe Bidden.

we received reports of lilith being seen with Frederico De Medici, though those reports are highly unlikely as Frederico De Medici has never been accurately re-described by a non-phycic member of the human race.

at this time we believe her to be a working agent of unknown forces, a "player" if you will

as information comes in on the subject I will continue to report it

But not from Pentex.

It seemed like the perfect job. Just out of medical school and beginning practice as a neurosurgeon, I was offered a position with Project Odyssey, a cutting-edge research effort to push the limits of medical science. And push them it did; but, as I eventually discovered, not in any direction that could be publicly acknowledged. When I left, it was not on the best of terms.

Later, I was to learn that Project Odyssey was a subsidiary of Pentex. It existed to change humans into things that were … more useful. More useful in killing. More useful in bringing about the end of the world.

Where I was fascinated with life, Pentex was fascinated with death.

The man on the left, if that's what he is, seems to be following the lead of the other. His massive boots clunk heavily against the floor, and not an inch of skin is visible between the layers of clothing and armor that cover him. It is fairly clear that the armor he is wearing enhanced with some sort of technology. A form-fitting helmet covers his head that incorporates a gas mask into its design. It has a distinctly skull-like look to it. It is easy to tell that this man has taken many lives in the past, and even glancing at him gives those at the bar a sinking feeling in their stomachs.

The newcomer on the right seems to be leading the other, at least for now. A leather duster covers most that one’s body, and it is difficult to make out exactly what gender the person is. It is wearing a cowboy hat on its head, and a bandanna covers its nose and mouth in a fairly clear attempt to obscure its appearance. The eyes that are showing between the two accessories are human, and perhaps a tad feminine. Her body does not seem to be as feminine, and could be said to have hyena-like proportions; she has a thick neck and large shoulders and arms. Strapped to this one’s back is what looks like a futuristic rifle of some sort, and its barrel ends in an electric coil of some sort.

The hyena-like one makes a b-line for the back room, and the patrons of the bar feel relieved as the one following her leaves as well. Without a word, the two come to the characteristic brick wall. The leader holds up a hand and the bricks of the wall reform into a neat archway, granting the two visitors entry.

The columns are labeled: "I", "A", "D", "M", and "C". I assume that D is damage and C is conceal. But the others I'm really not sure about.

I think a legend on the page would be a good thing. ;-)

Funny how I thought that finding volunteers would be the most difficult aspect of this phase, but there are so many young men clamoring for a chance to leave their homes, even if it kills them. I've had to step up my plans for testing. I had anticipated a great many more pieces of equipment to be finished before entering this phase, but with such a great response I have decided to go ahead and test the devices as they come online. This will give me greater feed back on each creation, but will likely result in higher casualties among testers.

What can I say? These idiots were told the risks.

The new plating is ready. It has proven to be reliable, but I am still unsure if the polymer is correct. I'll need to continue researching this area. The downside is that it isn't yet as bullet-resistant as standard Kevlar and is a great deal more expensive to produce. The upside is that it has greater durability and grants better protection against the environment, chemical agents, and heat. I suspect these benefits will not comfort someone who has just been gut-shot.

Further experimentation needed.

The grapple confounds me. I can easily replicate the standard grapple guns on the market, but cannot seem to get them to be small enough to accomplish my objectives. It needs to be significantly smaller, lighter, and the detatchability of it is a must. I'll have to think on this.

The damn bullet stacking process is going slower than anticipated. It's just damned frustrating. I can always get the first bullet to fire, but it deforms the second and the third is as likely to explode as to sit docilely and do nothing.

I have had better luck with micronizing the transmitters. They're no longer short range and should be durable enough for my purposes.

I had a chance encounter with an interesting gentleman today. He has offered me the opportunity to test many of my projects. He seemed rather disappointed that I refused to field test them myself, but was intrigued to find out how many testers I had hired on. He offered me the chance to test my equipment under extreme circumstances.

How could I possibly decline.

Let's see… Batista has been getting on my nerves. I think that I'll send him first, before I fix the deficiencies of the armor.

I've arranged an alias for him, Kenneth Maverick.

I can't wait to see how this turns out.

Computer Rules For House Gaming

Most of this describes the computer systems in fairly general terms. However I have included my thoughts of possible die roll mechanics in parens occasionally. The mechanics section covers some discussion on how abilities are used for computer work and how combat rounds and initiative might be used. Text in italics is examples and contains techy speak. So if you don't understand it don't worry. If your character has the abilities to do it they do.

This system may need to be trimmed down because not everyone will want a representation of computer systems even at this rough level of detail. So some things maybe should be removed so that cracking does not take too much time while other players wait. Another possibly better way to deal with that would be to say that at the GMs discretion they can combine rolls. So you do not have to do 3 rolls to get through 3 layers but instead you just do one at a somewhat higher difficulty (or not higher, if you would have time to reattempt cracks that failed). However in cases where the cracking is going on as part of combat or other action (like a character trying to stop a group of tanks by modifying their engine computers, or a character trying to take control of a car so they can use it to run over enemies). This allows the cracking actions to be interlaced reasonably with the combat.

Computer Systems

A computer system is any computer or group of computers that can be thought of as a unit. For instance, your desktop computer, your cell phone, or one of Google's huge web server clusters are all computer systems. In any of these cases the system is made of a series of layers. These are as follows, from least secure to most:

No Access (Layer 3)

This is where everyone starts. You have no usernames or passwords and you cannot access any part of the system except those parts that are public.
You are browsing the web and you access a web page that you were supposed to be able to access and does not require any authentication.

User Access (Layer 2)

This is where you are if you have a username and password (or equivalent) to access the system but only to do things that the administrators what you to do. You will however often be able to tell who is currently logged in and what programs they are running, but you will probably not be able read their data. You can also of course run any programs you like so you could use the computing power or network access of the computer. There are probably limitations on how much disk space and network bandwidth you can use before your account is disabled automatically.
You are remotely logged into an on-line banking site. You are logged into your desktop computer at home. You are logged into a web server to upload changes to your website.

Root (Layer 1)

You are a super admin. You can access any data on the system at all (whether it is in RAM or on disk or flowing over the network). You may still be observed by admins. You can create new users and delete users and change what users are allowed to do. You can also change the configuration of the system. You cannot prevent other Root users from logging in. The limitations that apply to users to not apply to you. You can use as much of the resources of the system as you like.
You are the head of IT at a business and have root access to all the servers. You are a Linux hacker and have root on your own home machine. You are tracking the behavior of another cracker that happens to be an admin on this machine.
Take secret data and make it accessible on the web. Reconfigure a car control system to inverse the steering wheel.
DOSing (Denial Of Service Attacking) another computer using the high-bandwidth Internet connection of a computer you have admin access to.

Ring 0 (Layer 0)

You can do anything at all with the software and data on the system. And you can hide those actions from other people using the computer as long as they are on higher layer (You can hide from Root or higher).
You are the kernel of the operating system. You are a very sneaky cracker who is observing and manipulating the system without anyone else knowing.

Ring -1 (Layer -1)

You have actually modified the underlying hardware or firmware (including microcode). This means that even people at Ring 0 will not necessarily be able to see what you are doing. Also you can get the hardware to do things it was never designed to do. You can also cause physical damage to the hardware at this level (you cannot at any higher level because the hardware would automatically shutdown if you tried).
You are a really smart hardware designer. You are a cracker who is instead of watching people from inside the kernel you are watching them from the GPU on the graphics card. You could get a CRT monitor to act as a FM radio transmitter.

This structure parallel both the real design of systems and the difficulty of access. Many systems would not have all of these layers, but most network servers or similar systems that must be used by untrusted people (like banking systems or web server or military systems) will have them all. However here are some thoughts on how simpler systems would be built.

• A cars engine control computer would only have: No Access, Ring 0, and Ring -1.
• A Windows XP desktop computer would only have: No Access, Root, Ring 0, and Ring -1.
• A Windows 7, Linux or Mac OSX computer would have at least: No Access, User, Root, Ring 0, and Ring -1.

For systems that are even more secure than banks and military you can duplicate the User and Admin levels as needed. Having more than one of the other layers doesn't make much sense. Also a character may not know exactly what layer they are on all the time. The following can be confused with each other: User, Admin and Root. The lower Rings are easy to identify, so if you are there you will know. Also the farther 2 layers are apart in the stack the less likely they are to be confused. Also in many systems it would be easy to figure out the entire layer structure from the User Layer. Once the player has this they basically have a map and will not get confused unless the system is tricking them in some way.

System Cracking

When you want to get from one layer to the next you must make a roll. These rolls get harder as you go up in layers. Also the abilities needed change.

No Access → User Access

This can be done a number of ways, not all will be applicable in call cases: Stealing a username and password from someone, convincing someone to tell you one (Man+something), dumpster diving a password, getting access to a system that is already logged in, password guessing attempts (Int+Comp), using a bug in a public server (this is usually harder). These methods can also be combined. These are mostly around diff. 6.
You sneak into a bank pretending to be a copier repair man but instead of fixing the copier you plug your computer into their network and watch for password and usernames to float by on the wire. You go through the trash looking for a sticky-note with a username and password on it.
You sit in a coffee shop running a fake wireless access point and snooping password from all access.

User Access → Root

This requires real computer skill. You must find a bug in some piece of software on the system (so you can trick it into giving you root access) (Int+Comp). This is something that people will be watching for you may well set off alarms if you are not very careful. This will be around diff. 8.
You know about a bug in the print server that allows you to run an arbitrary program. This program sets another program in your home directory automatically run as root. Then you run that program to get root access.

Root → Ring 0

This is similar to the above but you must find a bug specifically in the Operating System Kernel so it is harder to find one. This will be around diff. 9 and cannot even be attempted without at least a Computer of 4.
You know that if a packet is received at the exact same time as a packet is sent, part of the packet that is sent will be executed by the kernel. So you use another computer to send packets in as you send special packets out and after a few million tries (maybe 2 minutes) the send and receive line up in time and the kernel runs your special code that allows you access.

Ring 0 → Ring -1

This is very different from the others. It actually requires low-level understanding of the hardware not just the software. It requires knowing the hardware better than most hardware designers. That being said it is not actually harder than the previous step. It will be around diff. 8 with Int+Comp limited by Eng (or a specialization of computers in hardware) and cannot even be attempted without at least a Computer of 5.
You use your kernel access to learn exactly what kind of CPU you are running on and you already know exactly how this CPU works. So you send a special command to the CPU and replace a special bit of code that tells it how to execute the kernel and then you load another operating system onto the CPU next to the current one. Your new operating system can see everything that happens on the machine but the old operating system continues to execute never knowing it exists.
You load a program onto the network card allowing you to watch all packets that go in and out without having to run anything on the real CPU. This means that no matter how hard they look no one will see you on the main CPU because you are not there and you covered your tracks.

Computer systems may have a global difficulty that would make all cracking harder on that system because it is better in some way. However in systems that are missing layer (for instance an engine computer) then getting to a given layer will be easier because there are fewer layers to go through (for instance you can go directly from No Access to Ring 0 on an engine computer because there are no layers in between). The difficulty of the moves that go through the missing layers would be GM discretion but two reasonable ways to do it would be to use the move from the table out of the current layer or to use the move from the table into the target layer (the former for easy systems, the latter for harder ones).

Protecting Systems

There are counter attacks for most of the attacks above. The following are a few things that someone could do to protect a system. Some may take time to setup others could be done in a moment. These are just ideas and you would have to in a layer that gives you enough access to do them.

Instant actions (a round or two):

• Cut someones connection to your system. (Wits+Comp or Int+Comp depending on how fast things are moving)
• Setup an out of band connection that cannot is hard to find and hard to cut off. (Int+Comp)
• Search for out of band connections. (Perc+Alert)
• Search for other people on the machine. (Perc+Alert)
• Watch exactly what someone else is doing on the machine. (Perc+Comp or maybe Alert)
• Remove all record of yourself from the computer (Int+Comp).
• Search for traps that might notify someone or something to evict you from the system. (Perc+Alert)

All the search and hide actions (hiding a connection to the computer and looking for connections for instance) are rolled against each other like Perc+Alert vs. Dex+Stealth.

Long term actions (may take from a couple minutes up to a few days):

• Setup a trap that will boot anyone that tries to crack in and will notify you. It will take them some time to reconnect and by then you will be ready to defend against them "in person". (Int+Comp, diff. ~8)
• Set a silent alarm that will alert you when someone cracks into the system. (Int+Comp, diff. 6)
• Set a trap that will counter attack the intruder. (Int+Comp, diff. ~8)
• Audit the system for bugs that could be exploited. (Increase the diff to crack into the system at every level)
• Run a timing attack to see if the system you are on is in a virtual machine and possible crack out of it (Perc+Comp diff. 8). This might even be usable to figure out you are in a virtual environment (like a holodeck or similar) if you also had some science and engineering.

Software

Pieces of software are the tools of cyberspace. They can give you bonuses to any action within a computer but they must be prepared or procured in advance because it takes some time to write them. Depending on how much time and skill is used writing them they may be only usable on specific computers or types of computers or they may be quite general. Examples of tools might be:

• A virus that searches a computer for credit card number and emails then to you.
• A "rootkit" that automatically or semi-automatically cracks into a layer of a system (-1 diff.).
• A general tool kit of tools that are useful and can be used on almost any computer system (+1 die to most computer actions).
• A specialized tool kit that can literally only run on one computer in the entire world (+5 dice).

Different tools will require different skill levels and amounts of time to make. For instance to make a simple tool that sends a crafted packet to a computer would take maybe 5 minutes for someone with computer 3, where as a tool to automatically break into an on-line backing server would take more like 2 months and a computer 5 (and it might still only work sometimes).

Once a tool is written or otherwise procured it can be used as often as you like. Unless someone deletes it off all your storage media and backups (which could be some other hacker).

Basic Connectivity to the Target System

Note that not all computers will be remotely accessible but most will. For instance the computer that controls a nuclear reactor will not be connected to the Internet. However the computers they used to order and track fuel rods almost certainly is (because it needs to integrate with transport services and the like). Also many computer that are not on the Internet are still accessible from some distance. For instance many new cars have wireless tire pressure sensors that the engine computer communicates with so another device could use that channel to get access to a engine computer (although it would need to do some cracking to do more than tell the computer the pressure of the tires).

Note that any wireless or wired connection could be used to crack into a machine, though some might increase the difficulty.

Cryptography

An encrypted message can be decrypted in a few ways:

• Brute force guessing of the recipients decryption key. This requires a huge amount of computer power (trillions of times the power required to encrypt it), but sometimes this might be available and this method is really simple.
• Find a flaw in the encryption system that allows you to guess the decrypted message. This requires a lot of computing power and a lot of computer skills (rolled against the encrypter of the message).
• Getting the real recipient to decrypt it for you or steeling their decryption key. This could involve getting the decrypted message off of the computer that is decrypting it or getting the key by physical or digital theft. Or just convincing them to tell you the decrypted message.

Encrypting a message is much easier. All the you need to do is find a good encryption algorithm (Int+Comp) and run it on the message. If you want to make it extra hard to decrypt by others you could develop an encryption algorithm your self (or check another one to make sure it is good). This is mostly math so it would be Int+Comp limited by Academics and it's really hard so it would be in the diff. 9, threshold 2 range, but the result would be an algorithm that might only be attackable using brute force or non-technological means (but you can't be sure. The attacker might be smarter than you).

There is one unbreakable encryption: Quantum Encryption. But it requires a single continuous fiber optic cable from the sender to the receiver and also a bunch of big lasers and optics. Also it is still sensitive to anything that allows you to get the message either before it was encrypted or after it was decrypted.

Physical Access to a Computer System

If you have physical access to a computer you own it. There is nothing anything can do logically to stop you from getting access to it. However many of the things that you would need to do are very physical (like dropping the computer in liquid nitrogen or putting in a buss monitor) require a lot of hardware abilities. So engineering skill would be needed in addition to computer skill. Also there are still protections like sensors that set off a bomb if the computer is moved or the network is unplugged.

Physical Harm

The act of cracking into a computer is physically fairly safe (at least in the moment of doing it). This is because no computer actions can effect the "real world" directly, so you might be able to make your opponents computer fry itself but unless it already has a bomb wired into it you cannot make it explode and hurt them.

However this all changes when a headjack is used or when you are actually software running on a computer yourself (instead of being a physical being using a computer physically). In these cases you can be directly harmed by digital attacks. That is because your actual brain is now open to attack. This attack would require at least Ring 0 access and would amount to forcing the "hardware" (which could be a bag of gray matter in someones head) to hurt it's self. Obviously characters could build or buy defenses like firewalls that could provide some protection (perhaps increased difficult to "hit" you, or armor dice). Bashing damage could still be soaked with Sta.

Cracking into someones brain requires some deep knowledge of psychology or medicine because brains are quite different from most computers (checks would be limited by Psychology or Medicine). So you are better off using a headjack than uploading your whole mind as software.

Attack actions of this kind could include: (Wits+Comp to "hit")

• Hacking someones brain to increase their body temperature (successes bashing damage).
• Writing random bits across an AIs memory space (2+Int lethal damage)

You can "dodge" attacks using abilities such as:

• Fixing errors that the attacker introduces before they can do harm (Wits+Comp).
• Jumping your entire consciousness to another region memory before the attacker can scramble your state (Wits+Comp)

It may be possible to disconnect at will from the network the attacker is using (for instance by physically pulling your jack out) but this is a huge shock to your system (At least 1 round of stun and maybe some bashing). This applies to both humans with jacks and AIs or uploaded minds that run entirely as software.

Roleplay System Mechanics

Actions

Most computer actions are fairly specialized and very hard to do without tools. So you will have to get a maneuver or background to do them (or a power). Any action may be attempted without tools but it will be at increased difficulty and it will be slower (you cannot do it in a single round). An action that would only take 1 round with a maneuver might take a full minute by hand. This takes the place of weapons that a fighter might carry.

Abilities

The primary still for all computer use is "Computer". However there are several other abilities that are important. Obviously secondary skills could be very useful because of how many separate things have been lumped under Computer.

• Computer: Used for programming and breaking into a computer and covering your tracks once you are in.
• Alertness: Used (especially if specialized) for noticing odd things in computers like traps or triggers or other people in the system who are trying to hide.
• Endurance: If you want to do computer work for many hours on end it will wear your brain down quickly, so endurance checks might be needed. Also you will really have to pee.
• Investigation: For searching through data on a computer. Again specialization in computer forensics or similar will help.
• Culture or Persuasion: Could help getting access to other hackers resources like bot-nets or stolen passwords.
• Engineering: This is used for physical work on computers like connecting devices to the circuits of a running computer. Some things might well be Dex+Eng and not Int at all.

Any action that you have plenty of time to do will use Int, but for any action that is done in a single round of less you will use Wits (because this represents "mental" reflexes). The exceptions to this are actions that use Perc (like looking for an intruder in your system) or actions that have some other obvious attribute (like trying to stay up all night to protect a system, which would be Sta). Actions that are usually Int but are being done fast (like trying to crack from Root to Ring 0 in one round) would be changed to Wits and the character might be required to have a tool.

Combat

If there are multiple people working against each other in a system they will roll initiative and take actions in rounds just like physical combat. A computer cracker should also use an initiative when they are trying to crack during combat (concentration rolls may also be needed in this case).

Learning

A very natural (and universal) power or background for a hacker to get would be the ability to learn from hacking attempts and get a reduction to difficult to work with any system that they have work with before (this includes nearly identical systems, like all Prius from the same year will be considered the same). This power could be either just a good memory so they can always remember the tricks they used before, or it could be an implanted memory module. In the first case it might be reasonable to make the bonus go away if the previous use is more than say a year ago.

Software Maneuvers

Some of the software tools described above make sense as maneuvers. However it also makes sense to allow a character to build tools on the spot of they have a few minutes, so a common power or background might also be allowing the character to temporarily gain maneuvers on the spot (this makes some sense in reality because quickly written tools would probably be very specific to the situation at have and probably also shoddily written, so they would be of no use later).

Some tools might be very complex and hard to build (like a tool kit for cracking into someones brain and modifying their thoughts) so it might make sense to represent them as Backgrounds instead. These could be bought with XP (aka written by the character during downtime) or granted as gifts at some number of dots (software given to them by the powers that be)

Here are some ideas for maneuvers and backgrounds:

• Brain hacking (background): You may do damage to a headjacked opponent by hacking their brain. 2 bashing die per dot. Requires medicine 4.
• Code rewrite attack: You may damage a software based opponent. 5 die lethal.
• Firewall: You may put a firewall at a moments notice. +3 armor dice while you focus on it.
• Code mobility: A software character can move there code to a new machine or location in memory at will. Committed. (+3 dice to dodge)
• Aggressive code mobility: You may move your code into the middle of an opponents code. As code mobility but if you get at least 2 successes over the attacker you deal 3 die bashing damage to them.
• Decoys: You make fake decoys that look like you on the network but are actually dumb drones. +5 dice to dodge but a Perc+Alert may be able to see through it.
• Fork bomb: You sent a virus over to the opponents computer that will use up all or their system resources. Committed, 3+Int bashing damage.