interface_zero_hacking_20.pdf

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This game references the Savage Worlds Deluxe game system, avail-able from pinnacle entertainment Group at www.peginc.com. Sav-age Worlds and all associated logos and trademarks are copyrights of pinnacle entertainment Group. Used with permission.

pinnacle entertainment makes no representation or warranty as to the quality, viability, or suitability for purposes of this product.

©2012 Gun Metal Games. Interface Zero and all related marks and logos are trademarks of Gun Metal Games. Unless otherwise stated, all interior artwork, graphics, character names, and fiction are prod-uct Identity of Gun Metal Games.

Writing: [Curtis and Sarah Lyon, david Jarvis, david Viars]Editing: [Aric Wieder, Lee langston, david Jarvis]Artwork: [Sam Manly(Midnight Illustrations)]Layout: [david Jarvis]Play testing and feedback: [Lee Langston, Curtis and Sarah Lyon, Joshua Meadows, Jefferson dunlap, Aric Wie-der, Norman hensley, Ron Blessing]

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credits

the deepIn 2088, the Tendril Access processor connects people to

the hyper-real world around them like never before. peeps don’t just scan at the MedIAweb on an archaic ‘puter— they download it into their brain and see it hover in front of them as a digital overlay of the world. But for all the convenience and connectivity the Tendril Access proces-sor provides, there are drawbacks, like getting your brain hacked and turned into a pulsing blob of grey jelly.

That’s right, omae. One wrong turn, one misstep in a hack and you could end up a quivering lump of brain dead flesh and bone. If you want to avoid that, you need this Mediafile. You Need Hacking 2.0.

Hacking 2.0 brings a much needed update to the In-terface Zero game setting, streamlining the old system, taking it in directions never seen before in the cyberpunk milieu! Herein you’ll find quick-easy rules for hacking any system you can imagine. We also introduce a new compo-nent to the game; the hyper glove.

So what are ya waiting for? Grab your hyper glove, dive into the Deep, and go raid that corp!

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INTROdUCTION 1BASIC RULe ChANGeS 2

SKILLS 2ChANGeS TO eXISTING edGeS 2

NeW edGeS 2NeW hINdRANCeS 3

hACKING FOR N00BS 4hYpeR ReALITY 4The hYpeR GLOVe 4deSIGN TheORY 4

hYpeR GLOVe TRAITS 5hACKING BONUS 5VR ARMOR 5dAMAGe 5RANGe 5

hYpeR GLOVe MOdeS 6CONTROL MOde 6edIT MOde 6deSTRUCTION MOde 6MOde MOdULeS 8

hACKING The SYSTeM 9hACKING IN hYpeR ReALITY 9SUCCeedING ON The hACKING ROLL 9FAILING The hACKING ROLL 10SYSTeM deSIGNATION COdeS 10

hYpeR GLOVeS ANd phYSICAL COMBAT 12MULTIpLe ACTIONS 12

table of contents

introduction

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introductionIt's been nearly two and a half years since Interface Zero

was first released for the Savage Worlds game system. dur-ing that time, I've had the opportunity to talk with many fans of the game setting and get their opinions of the game and the setting rules. While the feedback I've received about the setting has been overwhelmingly positive, one source of frustration that comes up time and time again is the complex nature of the deep—the world-wide com-puter network as it exists in 2088.

I've been told over and over again certain aspects of the game world, while interesting and cool, become very mud-dled in actual play, not so much because the core game mechanics are necessarily hard to grasp, but because of a blur between hyper reality and virtual reality. In an at-tempt to deliver something that was (and I believe still is) conceptually unique, we crossed a line and made it overly complicated, which in turn necessitated the creation of game rules which added more levels of granularity than were necessary or— for the most part—even wanted. I say for the most part because interestingly, while numer-ous people were saying that the hacking system needed to be streamlined, a number of fans have told me that it was too simple. In light of these comments, my growing conun-drum on how to get the concepts of hyper and virtual real-ity across in a simple yet functional way became even more puzzling as I came to realize that, in attempting to address the needs of one group of people, I would be simultane-ously alienating another.

So, what to do?

For starters, I have decided that it's time to look at the core concept of the deep and streamline it, tossing out confusing and somewhat alien concepts in favor of a mod-el inspired by various entertainment media as well as cur-rent (and emerging) technologies, while also retaining the old-school cyberpunk feel we all know and love. The main change is the additional of three modes of the Tendril Ac-cess processor, and a new device used by hackers to pen-etrate systems and control objects; the hyper glove.

hyper gloves link a user's TAp with computer networks in 2088, allowing them to manipulate things like hyper ob-jects or hack directly into computer networks. put simply, tendril access processors are the eyes that allow a person to see hyper reality, and hyper gloves are the hands with which she manipulates it.

Like any piece of technology, hyper gloves can be modified and upgraded to suit the users’ preferences, adding a level of depth which keeps things interesting without becoming

overly complex. If you've ever played the Mass effect video games, or watched Iron Man (specifically the scenes when Tony Stark is using special gloves to manipulate holograms in his work shop), or if you've watched Minority Report, you've seen hyper gloves in action.

In terms of the actual game mechanics, we created two systems, a basic system, and an advanced system, The ba-sic system plays very fast, which is sure to appeal to the average Savage Worlds fan who doesn't want a ton of new rules, yet at the same time provides a level of flexibility and detail fans of hacking can appreciate. Keep in mind, however, that any game system is always going to have some degree of abstraction, regardless of how accurate a designer intends it to be. In truth, it's best to think of the basic system as "hacking lite," or "cinematic hacking" rather than a realistic model of the subject.

The core of the basic system is a very simple use of the hacking skill roll compared to a target number. The tar-get number varies depending on the type of system be-ing hacked; more difficult systems have higher penalties, and easy systems lower penalties. This approach provides a level of versatility which should please GMs who don't want to learn a ton of new rules or constantly flip through a book during a game session just to find a specific number for a certain computer system. The flexible penalties act like a dial, allowing you to determine the difficulty for any given computer network on the fly.

Failure on a hacking roll means not only does she not suc-ceed in her task, but something potentially nasty happens as well. She might simply get locked out of the system or, in the case of really deadly computer networks ( Like Mili-tary Access Networks), she might get brain fried and end up a vegetable for the rest of her life. The consequences are determined by making a simple roll on a failure chart for each system. Obviously this introduction is an oversim-plification of the basic rules and setting tweaks you'll find in this document, but in general, things aren't much more complex.

The larger book on hacking will introduce advanced hack-ing concepts which augment the Basic rule set; brain hack-ing, weapon hacking, and vehicle hacking. Additionally, we'll introduce a comprehensive system for playing entire games in The deep.

In closing, I want to thank everyone who has been in-volved with this project up to this point. You all have been very helpful with your feedback and suggestions for this new incarnation of the rules, and I can't fully express how grateful I am that you were a part of the process.

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BAsic ruLe chAnGesBelow you’ll find the rule changes to the core I.Z. book for

the Basic hacking rules.

sKiLLs

Hacking (Smarts): As the name implies, the hacking skill is used whenever a character wants to hack a computer network. Characters in Interface Zero no longer start with an automatic d4 in hacking. Additionally, characters who wish to use the deep for everyday purposes such as re-search or finding news pertaining to the deep do so with their existing Investigation and Streetwise skills.

Knowledge (Programming) (Smarts): This skill is no longer used.

chAnGes to eXistinG edGesThe following edges have been changed or removed.

AdvAnced proGrAmminG (hAcKinG edGe)This edge is removed.

eXpert hAcKer (hAcKinG edGe)Requirements: Veteran, hacker professional edge, hacking d10+You’re a veteran of the deep and know its darkest secrets.

You gain +1 to all hacking rolls. Your VR armor and Firewall ratings are increased by 1.

hAcKer (professionAL edGe)Requirements: Novice, Smarts d8+, hacking d8+Some people just play around in the deep. You re-write it

on a whim. Unlike other script kiddies who just wanna look cool, your hyper glove is more than a fashion statement— it's the tool of your trade: hacking. And let's face it, you’re LeeT, omae—a master of hyper Reality, a glacial ice-pick, a neural gunslinger— the top of the digital food chain. You gain a +2 to hacking rolls. Additionally, you gain a +1 to your VR armor rating.

proGrAmminG 101 (hAcKinG edGe)This edge is removed.

virtuAL reAch (hAcKinG edGe)Virtual Reach and all of its related subsequent edges no

longer exist.

neW edGes

cooL under pressure (hAcKinG edGe)Requirements: heroic, hacker professional edge, expert

hacker, hacking d10+When things are at their worst, you are at your best. You

ignore up to a -2 penalty applied to firewalls when a sys-tem goes on Active alert.

hArdeninG (cyBer comBAt edGe)Requirements: Novice, Vigor d6+You’ve grown used to the biofeedback generated by IC

(Intrusion Countermeasures) and hostile hackers. Raise your VR armor rating by +2.

improved cooL under pressure (hAcKinG edGe)Requirements: Legendary, Cool Under pressure, hacker

professional edge, expert hacker, hacking d12+When things are at their worst, you are at your best. You

ignore up to a -4 penalty applied to firewalls when a sys-tem goes on Active alert.

interference (BAcKGround edGe)Requirements: NoviceSomething about your electromagnetic signature makes

you harder to hack. All attempts by opponents to hack you are made at a -1 penalty.

mode speciAList (hAcKinG edGe)Requirements: Novice, hacking d6+Choose one of the following hyper glove mode settings

(Control, destruction, edit; see the hyper glove for more information). Your character gains a +1 to all hacking rolls when hacking in this mode. This edge may be taken once for each mode type.

mode eXpert (hAcKinG edGe)Requirements: Veteran, Mode Specialist, hacking d8+Raise the bonus you received with the Mode Specialist

edge from +1 to +2. This only applies to a single mode. To gain this bonus for an additional mode you must take this edge again and apply the bonus accordingly.

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neW hindrAnces The following hindrances are meant to apply to hacker

characters. GM’s are in their full right to restrict players from taking these hindrances if they feel they’re being abused.

BAd fiLters (minor/mAjor)Your spam filters are glitched. You’re constantly being

bombarded by spam, viruses and other malware. This steady barrage makes it more likely that eventually SOMe-ThING nasty will penetrate your firewall. Consequently, all rolls by others to hack your TAp are made at a +1 bonus for the minor version of this hindrance, and a +2 bonus for the major version.

mode deficiency (minor/mAjor)You have a hard time grasping the fundamentals of hack-

ing in one of the 3 basic mode types (control, edit, destruc-tion). You suffer a -1 penalty to all hacking rolls when hack-ing in this mode. With the major version of this edge, the penalty is increased to -2.

sensitive neurons (mAjor)Your synaptic system doesn’t handle biofeedback very

well. Your toughness is considered 1 lower for when taking VR damage.

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hAcKinG for n00Bs So ya think ya got what it takes to play with the big boys,

péngyou? We'll see about that.

First things first.

I don't know you for squat. I don't speak your street slang, I don't hang with your pals, we don't dress the same, and we certainly don't swap spit, so we're going to go over a few common terms just so you and I know we're scannin' the same data feed, míngbáile ma? Yeah, I know I could have just said " understand?," but hey, this is 2088. Ya bet-ter get a few different languages under your belt if you want to communicate effectively in this brave new world.

Just sayin'.

Anyways, back to this hacking dealio.

Now, the way I scan it, you need to know the basics—gotta learn to walk before you run and all that crap… I know, it's a cliché' but it's no less true. See, I'm not only doing YOU a favor, priyatel', I'm also watching the backs of my friends out there. While you and I may never work together, the odds are better than even that at some point in your career you might be responsible for someone I know, and I don't want to find out that a pal died just because you couldn't loop a security feed or suppress an alarm system. So do me a favor—pay attention to this goupì, omae; it might save your life (and a friend of mine's) some day.

hyper reALityLike I said before, we're going over the basics, and that

means all of them. If you know what hyper reality is, just skip ahead; it’s no sweat off my wrinklies. If you're knowl-edge is a bit fuzzy, then here are the Cliff's Notes.

hyper reality is a digital overlay of the world around us. It's information presented in countless ways, most of which are so commonplace that you don't even think about them. If you have a TAp (Tendril Access processor), then you see it every day, because the TAp is the piece of cyberware which allows you— and nearly 9 billion other people— to view the hyper world of 2088.

hyper reality is there when you drive your car or walk down the streets. It's there when you're working, and even when you're relaxing at home. every time you see, oh, a holographic advertisement, a digital street sign, or a com-puterized kiosk in a mall (just to name a few examples); you're looking at the hyper-real world. For most people, that's all hyper reality is; information viewed across a wide

range of mediums depending on its purpose. But for peo-ple like you and I, hyper reality is the means by which we hack system networks. In order to hack hyper reality how-ever, we have to use an interface called the hyper glove.

the hyper GLoveBack in the day, engineers, scientists and programmers

of all stripes spent hours and hours slaving over computer terminals, using complicated fabrication machines or peer-ing into various scientific doo-dads to analyze compounds, microorganisms and such. Nowadays, we can do all of that stuff using hyper gloves. hyper gloves make it possible to manipulate and even create digital representations of ob-jects (like vehicle schematics, security cameras, floor plans, dNA, cellular organisms, locks on doors, etc.). While hyper gloves were originally designed for legitimate uses, they can also be used to hack, because hacking makes use of the same fundamental principles. Simply put; What they can do legally, we can do illegally.

It's sorta like a 'dark side/light side of the force kinda thing— ¿sabes?

desiGn theorySo you're probably wondering how this little gadget works,

neh? Well, without getting TOO detailed, the hyper glove acts as an interface between your TAp and a hyper object (you can use the glove to do other things besides hacking, but I'll get to them later on in this data feed). The glove translates the neural signals in your brain into commands which are keyed by hand gestures, like typing, or holding something— only instead of grabbing something solid (like a coffee cup), you're manipulating wireless signals which the transmit blocks of code that are the framework of the hyper object. In other words, the hyper glove allows you to take hold of a digital object and manipulate it in some way.

When you hack those signals, you are replacing the exist-ing code blocks with ones you create. So, using the above coffee cup example, when you hack the code block that creates the digital coffee cup, you can do things like change the color of the cup, make it taller, shorter, etc. Back in the old days, people would spend hours, even days hacking into secure computer systems. But now, thanks to hyper reality and Incredibly dense Self Modifying Code— IdSMC for short¬— the process is faster by several orders of mag-nitude and infinitely more intuitive.

Indeed, programming has evolved to the point where people who design code modules (see below) no longer use alpha numeric -based language for the user-interface. The underlying code is still based on the old programming

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languages, but in practical, every-day use, it's all about symbols omae. Today blocks of code resemble icons that represent universally accepted concepts.

For example, if you're driving down the road and you see a red octagon (or a red light), you know that means you need to stop. Similarly, if you see a red cross on an object, you know that object has a medical function of some sort. Signs with golden arches or a red-haired girl in pig tails tell you you're approaching popular fast food restaurants. These symbols and multitudes of others are so deeply ingrained in your psyche that you don't even need to think about what they mean. This is what makes their use as code blocks so effective. You're not spending hours writing a language, you're arranging icons based on the intended function. When they are arranged in the correct patterns, the symbols form blocks of code that tell an object what it needs to do. If you know how to alter those icons, you can hack that object; it's that simple.

hyper GLove trAitsNow, let’s get into the nuts and bolts of the hyper glove.

Just like any piece of tech, the hyper glove has a number of components that allow it to do the things it does. We call them traits. There are four important traits which make up every hyper glove; hacking Bonus, VR Armor, damage, and Range.

hAcKinG Bonus All hyper gloves give hackers a certain degree of control

over the objects they are manipulating. This translates into a bonus to their hacking rolls. This hacking bonus will vary depending on the quality of a hyper glove.

vr ArmorOne of the security features of a hyper glove is its ability

to generate a dampening field that protects against harm-ful bio-feedback signals generated by IC (Intrusion Coun-termeasures) and attacks by other hackers. This dampen-ing field is the character’s base Virtual Armor rating. The VR armor rating is added to the character’s base Tough-ness score to determine the modified Toughness attribute.

dAmAGeWhen a hacker gets into combat, she can do damage to

other hackers, intrusion countermeasures and even devic-es if her glove is set to destruction mode (see below).

rAnGeWith a hyper glove, characters can hack hyper objects

that aren’t close to them. This trait determines the maxi-mum distance in game inches an object can be and still be hacked. each range increment imposes a penalty to the hacker as if they were making a ranged attack as per the Savage Worlds deluxe edition rules.

A Basic hyper glove has the following statistics:

moduLAr desiGnhyper gloves are designed to be modular and easily up-

gradeable. hackers tend to upgrade their own hyper gloves to make them more powerful tools for hacking. each above the afore-mentioned traits may be individually upgraded to a maximum value, as indicated in the charts below. The price per trait raise is also noted.

Hacking Bonus: +10,000 Credits per Level to a Maximum of +4.

table 1:a: Hyper Glove stats

HackinG bonus

vr armor

DamaGe ranGe cost

+0 +1 2D6 6/12/18 10,000

table 1:b: HackinG bonus

HackinG bonus

total aDDitional cost

+1 10,000 Credits

+2 20,000 Credits

+3 30,000 Credits

+4 40,000 Credits

VR Armor increase: +3,000 Credits per Level to a Maximum of +6.

table 1:c: vr armor bonus

vr armor


+2 3,000 Credits

+3 6,000 Credits

+4 9,000 Credits

+5 12,000 Credits

+6 15,000 Credits

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Damage increase: +5,000 Credits per die Step to a Maxi-mum of 2d12.

table 1:D: DamaGe increase

DamaGeDice


2d8 5,000 Credits

2d10 10,000 Credits

2d12 15,000 Credits

Range increase: +3,000 Credits per 6'' Base increase to a Maximum of 30/60/90.

table 1:e: ranGe increase

ranGe total aDDitional cost

12/24/36 3,000 Credits

18/36/54 6,000 Credits

24/48/72 9,000 Credits

30/60/90 12,000 Credits

hyper GLove modes every hyper glove comes with three modes— control

mode, edit mode and destruction mode. Switching from one mode to another is a free action.

controL modeControl mode allows a hacker to directly control an item

she has hacked. In this mode, hackers can take control of things like video cameras, gun turrets, vehicles, elevators, etc. If a hacker takes control of a device that is normally op-erated by use of a skill (like piloting for a plane or Shooting for a gun turret) she must have that skill to use the device.

edit mode The most versatile of the three default modes of a hyper

glove, edit mode allows the character to change the ex-isting functions of a specific item or system. While in edit mode, hackers can do countless things. They can rewrite, upload, or copy files on a database, loop camera feeds to mask the passage of her team, change the timing of street lights, alter the flight path of a satellite, modify the "friend/Foe" designations for gun turrets etc.

destruction modeSometimes, a hacker doesn't want to take control of an

object or manipulate data. Sometimes, the goal of a hack

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is to wreak as much havoc as possible or prevent objects from being used against other members of the party. This is where destruction mode comes into play. When in de-struction mode, a character can destroy an object by in-serting malicious programming into its circuitry that cor-rupts the original programming of the device, rendering it unusable.

Success on a hacking roll incapacitates simple items (cam-eras, vending machines, street lights, etc).These items can be fixed with a successful Repair roll. If the hacker gets a raise on the initial hacking roll the item is completely de-stroyed and must be replaced.

Objects such as drones, Auto-Turrets, and other devices capable of inflicting harm on the hacker and their allies are rendered shaken with a successful hacking roll. A raise in-flicts the damage rating of the hacker's hyper glove on the object, ignoring physical armor only. If the vehicle has any VR armor, it still adds to its Toughness. the This mode is also useful when attempting to affect an environment. In destruction mode, hackers can alter the physical world by destroying controls for things like piping systems, contain-ment fields, lights, etc.

eXAMpLe OF The ThRee hYpeR GLOVe MOdeS IN ACTION[For the purposes of this example, we’re not worried about

things like initiative, actions, target numbers and modifiers. The goal is to illustrate the possible uses of a hyper glove.]

Neon_Bright and her team have penetrated deep into the research and development wing in the basement of AGI Tech in search of samples of a weaponized strain of ebola7. They’ve just entered the hallway leading to the containment facility and testing labs when they trip a pressure activated alarm system. Loud, blaring screeches pierce their ears and a gun turret drops from the ceiling at the end of the hallway.

“Shut that turret down and kill the alarm before it wakes up everyone in the city!” The team leader yells.

Neon_Bright makes a quick scan of the gun turret (Notice roll) and locates the hyper panel (visible be-cause her Tendril Access Processor recognizes the digi-tal signature and displays it in her field of vision) hover-ing just to the left of the weapon— a green rectangular digital display with a list of functions on the screen. Luckily, the turret is within range of Neon_Bright’s hyper glove, or she’d have to move closer to hack it; which means putting herself directly in the sights of the menacing weapon spraying the hallway with armor piercing rounds—not fun omae.

Neon_Bright makes a grabbing gesture and a glow-ing yellow logon screen appears in front of her with a prompt for a username and passcode. Neon_Bright shifts her glove to edit mode, wiggling her fingers as she types fake passcodes into the hyper panel (Neon_Bright makes a Hacking roll and succeeds). The yellow screen shifts to green and the other digital panel with the list of commands flashes back to the foreground. Since she’s in edit mode, Neon_Bright has access to a variety of functions. She doesn’t have time to play with the gun, however, so Neon_Bright simply turns it off (Since she’s already hacked her way into the controls, she doesn’t need to make another Hacking roll). The sentry gun shuts down with a whirring noise and rises up into the ceiling.

Neon_Bright turns her attention to the blaring alarms. The alarm was activated by a pressure sensor in the floor, so she quickly scans the floor (another Notice roll) and finds a digital line leading from the pressure sen-sor to a hyper panel on the wall. With another flick of the wrist, Neon_Bright pulls up the panel and hacks the digital login screen (a successful Hacking roll). Still in edit mode, Neon_Bright shuts the alarm system down, but the damage has already been done. Midway down the hall, a door opens and three heavily armed security guards rush out, guns blazing.

Two guards bravely (or perhaps stupidly) stand in the center of the hallway, wildly firing their SMGs at the team. The third security guard takes cover in an alcove behind a receptionist’s desk. As her pals return fire, Neon_Bright decides she can help the team and maybe wreak a little havoc at the same time by over- pressur-izing the steam lines running through the hallway.

She shifts her hyper glove to destruction mode, targets a steam pipe running along the wall(a Notice roll) and hacks the hyper object controlling the pressure regu-lator valve (Another Hacking roll). Neon_Bright over-writes the valve’s programming with a virus, crashing the regulator controls and sending the pressure sky-rocketing. The pipe bursts in a number of places, floods a section of the hallway with super-heated steam, and sends the guards running for cover. Unfortunately, the steam makes it difficult for her team members to see the security guards.

Next, Neon_Bright decides to take control of the gun turret at the end of the hallway and bring it to bear on the security guards. She shifts back to edit mode, pulls up the hyper panel for the turret, and turns it back on (Neon_Bright doesn’t need to make anoth-er Hacking roll since she’s already hacked it once.).

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Neon_Bright quickly shifts to control mode and tar-gets the security guards, sending a burst of armor piercing rounds into their backs (Neon_Bright needs to make a Shooting roll to actually fire the gun. This is handled like any regular Shooting roll).

mode moduLesMode modules— or MOdS— are add-ons that expand on

the utility of the hyper glove. Conceptually, mode modules are very similar to applications (commonly known as Apps) for the smart phones which were so popular at the turn of the century. While some mode modules (such as the le-thal MOd) add new tools to the hacker’s repertoire, others allow characters who don’t hack to do some pretty neat things.

For instance, the Medical expert MOd diagnoses wounds and lists proper procedures for treatment, which translates to a +2 bonus to healing rolls. The NAVbuddy MOd pro-vides a +2 bonus to Investigation (or Streetwise) rolls when attempting to find a specific location in the sprawl.

note: If you use a MOd for skill rolls, you can’t benefit from co-op rolls from other players.

table 1:f: cost for eacH aDDitional moD

Cost 8,000 Credits

ApprAisAL modUsed by authenticators and art thieves the world over,

the appraisal mod provides a database of valuables, antiq-uities, precious commodities, and other valuables, listing various scientific data such as the weight of a diamond, the material composition of a rare Ming dynasty vase, the amount of carbon molecules that have escaped from the paint on a renaissance piece, etc. Micro material analyz-ers within the glove compare the item to the database and calculate the authenticity and monetary value of the item. The appraisal mod provides a +2 to all rolls to authenticate, price and forge an item.

fieLd survivAL modWith a built in database of plant life and animal life, this

mode module allows you to analyze food items to see if they're safe to eat. It also teaches you basic ways to find and construct shelter, build fires with little more than a rock and sticks, how to purify water, and all sorts of addi-tional information you need to survive in the wild. The field survival mod gives +2 to all survival rolls.

forensic modThis mod installs a series of micro-analyzers within the

fingertips of the glove. These analyzers— sensitive enough to read dNA samples— scan evidence and compare it to an onboard database of various samples ranging from bul-let casings and fabrics to hair follicles and fingerprints. The Forensic mode gives a +2 to all rolls involving the analysis of potential forensic clues. This bonus also applies to ap-propriate Notice rolls, and Knowledge: Biology rolls.

LethAL mod This MOd is rather limited in scope, but its effects can-

not be understated. A lethal mode module allows the user to generate enough bio-feedback to inflict lethal damage against other hackers in Virtual combat. VR armor still shields against this bio-feedback, but all damage taken is lethal.

medicAL eXpert modUsed by Doctors Without Borders and combat medics the

world over, the medical expert mod comes with built-in SMARTknowledge™ medical files, portable X-ray devices, fluid analyzers, and various sensors that identify a patient's wounds and provide instructions for proper treatments. The Medical expert mod gives a +2 to all healing rolls.

nAvBuddy mod Used by professional wheelmen and drivers everywhere,

the NAVbuddy mod is an essential tool for navigating megasprawls all over the globe. The NAVbuddy MOd pro-vides a +2 bonus to Investigation (or Streetwise) rolls when attempting to find a specific location in the sprawl.

tooL eXpert modThis mod installs thousands of blueprint read outs, 3d

mapping tools, adjustable microlights, and other minor modifications useful to those who work with machines. The Tool expert will analyze a machine and display a 3d hyper-reality image of the items needing to be repaired while guiding the user through a step-by-step tutorial. The user gains +2 to all repair rolls.

vr overLAy modA wildly popular mode module, the VR overlay mod syncs

up with your TAp and generates a reality filter which ren-ders the world around you into a theme of your choosing. Typical VR overlays include Fantasy simulations, or space-opera-themed overlays. When running this mod, it is eas-ier to identify hyper objects. Users gain a +2 to Notice rolls when looking for hyper objects.

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hAcKinG the systemOkay priyatel', now that we're up to speed on hyper real-

ity and the hyper glove, let's get into the meat of this data feed—hacking.

hAcKinG hyper reALityThe majority of all hacking takes place in the "meat" world

when a character hacks a hyper object— that is, she gets within range of the thing she wishes to hack, pulls up the hyper object's virtual command screen and interfaces with it via the hyper glove. Remember, if the character does not have a TAp (Tendril Access processor) installed, she won't be able to see hyper Reality and cannot interact with it.

When you hack anything (a gun turret, a computer net-work, a vending machine, etc.) in hyper reality, you need to break through its primary line of defense; the firewall. Once you've done that, the hyper object is yours to com-mand omae.

Some hyper objects have stronger defenses than others. Vicious intrusion countermeasures capable of frying your brain or nova-hot security hackers watching for any unau-thorized intrusion into the network are all possible defens-es a hacker must contend with. These defenses translate to a penalty to the hacking roll your character must make before she can access the object's controls. Once an object has been hacked, however, it stays hacked for the duration of the scene and can be used again and again until the GM decides the scene has ended.

succeedinG on the hAcKinG roLLThe Base target number of every Firewall is 4 modified by

the difficulty of the system type (See the System designa-tion Codes at the end of this section for appropriate modi-fiers). Should the hacker succeed on the roll, the hack is a success and the character accomplishes what she set out to do. Making a hacking roll is a regular action.

Generally, characters may only attempt to hack one ob-ject per round. That said, if a character is wearing two hy-per gloves and wishes to attempt to hack multiple objects simultaneously, she suffers a -2 penalty to hacking rolls for each object she is attempting to hack. She may not hack the same object twice in a single round (See Using Multiple hyper gloves on page 12).

Example 1: Hacking a single objectNeon_Bright is attempting to hack into a security

panel and open blast doors so her team can enter the containment room where the ebola7 virus is

held. The controls for the blast door are protected by a Corporate Access Network (CAN) which has a variable penalty to Hacking rolls ranging from -3 to -5. The Game Master decides that the blast doors are more heavily protected than other areas in the installation, but not as much as others, and imposes a -3 penalty to the roll.

Neon_Bright’s Kensei Cyberstorm Hyper glove is set to control mode. The glove provides a +2 bonus to Hacking rolls. Neon_Bright also has the Hacker Professional edge, which gives her +2 to Hacking rolls. The combined bonuses cancel out the penal-ties imposed on Neon_Bright’s Hacking rolls by the Corporate Access Network and gives her a net +1 bonus to her Hacking rolls, so all she needs to do is succeed on a Hacking roll at a modified TN of 3. Neon_Bright rolls her Hacking skill dice (D8) and a wild die (D6) and gets a 5 and a 3, respectively—Suc-cess! The Blast doors open with a loud hiss and the team moves into the room beyond.

Example 2: Hacking multiple objects simultaneouslyAs the team moves into the room, Neon_Bright

makes a Notice roll to see if there are any Hyper Ob-jects in the room she might need to hack. She gets a success with one raise, and the Game Master in-forms her that she sees two hyper panels in the ceil-ing that look to control sentry guns, a hyper panel controlling a robotic arm, and a few other hyper panels controlling various functions such as lights, air conditioning, fire extinguishers and decontami-nation systems.

Knowing that time is of the essence and wanting to avoid a repeat of the situation in the hallway (See the hyper glove modes example), Neon_Bright decides to hack both gun turrets at the same time, which imposes a -2 penalty to her Hacking rolls. The turrets are milspec hardware and have a MAN (Mili-tary Access Network) rating with variable penalties

hAcKinG hyper reALity

rAnGe And hAcKinGA character can attempt to penetrate any system

within the range of her hyper glove (see the range trait for the hyper glove for more information). Keep in mind; she must also be able to see the object.

For example, while the security camera on the other side of that locked door is technically within the hacker's range, she can't hack it because it isn't visible to her.

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ranging from -6 to-8. The GM decides to apply a -6 penalty in this case for a total penalty of -8 to Neon_Bright’s Hacking rolls. As before, Neon_Bright’s hy-per glove gives her a +2 bonus to Hacking rolls and her Hacking Professional Edge gives a +2 bonus, cancelling out 4 points worth of penalties to make the final modifier to her Hacking Roll a -4. Since the base TN to hack anything is 4, Neon_Bright will need to score 8’s or better to hack the gun turrets.

Neon_Bright rolls her Hacking dice(D8) and a Wild Die(D6) twice. For the first gun, she scores a 4, but her Wild Die aces twice and she ends up with a 15, easily hacking the first gun. One the second roll how-ever, she scores a 2 and a 3, failing miserably. Neon_Bright decides not to spend a Bennie, as she might need those later, and the Game Master rolls on the Failure Chart for a Military Access Network(See Fail-ing the Hacking Roll for more information).

fAiLinG the hAcKinG roLLIf the character fails her hacking roll, she trips the sys-

tem’s security measures and suffers some sort of effect. The Game Master makes a 1d12 roll on the appropriate chart (See System designation Codes) and applies the ef-fect, if any. If the result of the d12 roll does not dump the hacker from the system, she can keep trying to hack it. Sub-sequent failures add a cumulative +1 modifier to the d12 roll, ensuring an eventual system shut down, however.

Example of consequences of a Failed HackNeon_Bright has failed to hack into one of the gun

turrets in the above example, and the Game Mas-ter rolls 1D12 on the MAN failure chart (See System Designation Codes below) to see how the Military Access Network responds to the threat. The GM scores an 11 on the roll and informs Neon_Bright that the system responds to her failed attempt to hack the gun turret with a nasty surge of lethal bio-feedback energy. He rolls 3d10 to determine dam-age. Since this is a Military Access Network, any damage Neon_Bright might take is lethal. The GM scores a 2, 4, and 8 for a total of 14. Neon_Bright has a Toughness of 6 (Vigor D6[3] +2 +1[VR armor bonus]), so she is Shaken and takes one Wound as the bio-feedback signal shoots through her hyper glove and fries her brain.

Interface Zero uses Gritty Damage rules (see the Interface Zero setting book, page 32 for more infor-mation), so it’s quite possible that Neon_Bright will take further injuries as a result of her failure to hack the gun turret, but for the purposes of this example

we won’t get that detailed. Suffice it to say that the gun turret’s Intrusion Countermeasures just gave Neon_Bright a really bad day.

system desiGnAtion codesBelow you will find the firewall rating ranges for every

type of access network, as well as a system response chart. Should the hacker fail a hack, a roll on the response chart will determine what happens. GM’s should feel free to choose what happens from the charts below, or even cre-ate their own charts based on the examples provided.

PUBLic AccESS nEtWoRKS: -0 to -2 FiREWALL MoDiFiER.public Access Networks, also known as pANs, are the

most common types of computer networks. Found in most public places, pANs provide a basic level of security against unwanted intrusion.Roll: 1d12. For each additional event that happens beyond

the first failure add +1. If you roll an event which has already happened, replace it with the next highest “shock” effect.

1: Nothing happens2: Nothing happens3: Shock! hacker takes 1d6 non-lethal VR damage.4-5: VR Alert, Firewall Modifier increases by 1.6: Shock! hacker takes 1d8 non-lethal VR damage.7: Shock! hacker takes 1d8+2 non-lethal VR damage.8: Authorities informed of suspicious activity, Security contractors if any, may also be tasked to investigate.9: Shock! hacker takes 1d10+2 non-lethal VR damage.10: Active Alert, alarms go off within the building. Firewall modifiers increase by 1 and physical security teams respond. 11: Shock! hacker Takes 1d12+2 non-lethal VR damage.12: System shut down, hacker must succeed in an ex-tended test against the Firewall rating of the network. Failure results in an active Alert, Authorities and security personal being alerted, all security functions in the area being triggered, the hacker taking 1d12+2 non-lethal VR damage, and everything In the building turning off and locking until authorities arrive.

system desiGnAtion codes

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HoME AccESS nEtWoRKS: -2 to -4 FiREWALL MoDiFiER.home Access Networks are generally found in any place

where people live. Some coffin motels also have them. More expensive hotel chains tend to use Corporate Access Networks for security.Roll: 1d12. For each additional event that happens beyond

the first failure add +1. If you roll an event which has already happened, replace it with the next highest “shock” effect.

1. Nothing happens2. Shock! hacker takes 2d6 non-lethal VR damage.3. Shock! hacker takes 2d6+2 non-lethal VR damage.4. VR alert, Firewall Modifier increases by 1.5. Security Contractors alerted to suspicious activity, will come to area to investigate.6. psychotropic ICe attack, hacker must make a success-ful spirit roll or gain a phobia of the system for one day.7. Shock! hacker takes 3d6 non-lethal VR damage.8. Security hacker investigates and initiates VR combat. If the hacker loses or “Jacks out” before defeating the hacker, a System Shutdown goes into effect, and security is alerted to the hackers position.9. Shock! hacker takes 2d6 Lethal VR damage.10. Active Alert, alarms go off in the building, physical security features activate.11. Shock! hacker takes 2d6+2 Lethal VR damage.12. System shut down, hacker must succeed in an ex-tended test against the Firewall rating of the network. Failure results in an active Alert, Authorities and security personal being alerted, all security functions in the area being triggered, the hacker taking 2d6+2 lethal VR dam-age, and everything In the building turning off and lock-ing until authorities arrive.

coRPoRAtE AccESS nEtWoRKS: -3 to -5 FiREWALL MoDiFiER.As the designation implies, Corporate Access Networks

are found in corporate buildings all over the world. Charac-ters who attempt to hack a Corporate Access Network can expect to encounter stiff resistance to their efforts. Many brainers have died trying to penetrate Corporate Access networks.Roll: 1d12. For each additional event that happens be-

yond the first failure add +1. If you roll an event which has already happened, replace it with the next highest “shock” effect.

1. Shock! hacker takes 2d6+2 non-lethal VR damage.2. Shock! hacker takes 3d6 non-lethal VR damage.3. VR alert, Firewall Modifier increases by 1.4. Security Contractors alerted to suspicious activity, will come to area to investigate.5. psychotropic ICe attack, hacker must make a success-ful spirit roll at -2 or gain a phobia of the system for one week, and the “loyalty” hindrance toward products cre-ated by the Corporation in question.

6. Shock! hacker takes 2d6 lethal VR damage.7. Security hacker investigates and initiates VR combat. If the hacker loses or “Jacks out” before defeating the hacker, a System Shutdown goes into effect, and security is alerted to the hackers position.8. Wildcard Security hacker investigates and initiates VR combat. If the hacker loses or “Jacks out” before defeat-ing the hacker, a System Shutdown goes into effect, and security is alerted to the hackers position.9. Shock! hacker takes 3d6 Lethal VR damage.10. Active Alert, alarms go off in the building, physical security features activate.11. Shock! hacker takes 3d6+2 Lethal VR damage.12. System shut down, hacker must succeed in an ex-tended test against the Firewall rating of the network. Failure results in an active Alert, Authorities and security personal being alerted, all security functions in the area being triggered, the hacker taking 2d6+2 lethal VR dam-age, and everything In the building turning off and lock-ing until authorities arrive.

GoVERnMEnt AccESS nEtWoRKS: -5 to -7 FiREWALL MoDiFiERGovernment Access Networks protect the secrets of the

Nations of the world. Security is hard core and the penalty for failure is such that only the most skilled hacker even attempts to penetrate these systems.Roll: 1d12. For each additional event that happens be-


1. Shock! hacker takes 3d6 non-lethal VR damage.2. Shock! hacker takes 3d6+2 non-lethal VR damage.3. psychotropic ICe attack, hacker must make a success-ful spirit roll at -2 or gain a phobia of the system for one week, and the “loyalty” hindrance toward the country in question.4. VR alert, Firewall Modifier increases by 1, and hacker takes Shock! damage of 3d6 Lethal.5. Security Contractors alerted to suspicious activity, will come to area to investigate.6. psychotropic ICe attack, hacker must make a success-ful spirit roll at -4 or gain a phobia of the system for one week, and the “loyalty” hindrance toward the country in question.7. Shock! hacker takes 3d6 lethal VR damage.8. Security hacker investigates and initiates VR combat. If the hacker loses or “Jacks out” before defeating the hacker, a System Shutdown goes into effect, and security is alerted to the hackers position.9. Wildcard Security hacker with Lethal mode mod, in-vestigates and initiates VR combat. If the hacker loses or “Jacks out” before defeating the hacker, a System Shutdown goes into effect, and security is alerted to the


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hackers position.10. Active Alert, alarms go off in the building, physical security features activate.11. Shock! hacker takes 3d8 Lethal VR damage.12. System shut down, hacker must succeed in an ex-tended test against the Firewall rating of the network. Failure results in an active Alert, Authorities and security personal being alerted, all security functions in the area being triggered, the hacker taking 3d8+2 lethal VR dam-age, and everything In the building turning off and lock-ing until authorities arrive.

MiLitARY AccESS nEtWoRKS: -6 to -8 FiREWALL MoDiFiEROften referred to as “Ghost Networks,” or “Black Zones”

Military Access Networks are ultra secure systems designed to fry the brains of any brainer suicidal enough to attempt hacking them. MANs protect anything even remotely re-lated to the military including advanced weapons systems, satellite networks, military bases, etc. It’s even speculated that Government officials have their TApS protected by military-grade networks.Roll: 1d12. For each additional event that happens be-


1. Shock! hacker takes 3d6 lethal VR damage.2. Shock! hacker takes 3d6+2 lethal VR damage.3. psychotropic ICe attack, hacker must make a success-ful spirit roll at -3 or gain a phobia of the system for one week, a phobia of hacking in general for one week, and the “loyalty” hindrance toward the country in question.4. VR alert, Firewall Modifier increases by 1, and hacker takes Shock! damage of 3d6+2 Lethal.5. Security Contractors alerted to activity, will come to area to investigate.6. psychotropic ICe attack, hacker must make a success-ful spirit roll at -4 or gain a phobia of the system for one week, phobia of hacking for one week, and the “loyalty” hindrance toward the country in question.7. Shock! hacker takes 3d8 lethal VR damage.8. Security hacker with Lethal mode mod, investigates and initiates VR combat. If the hacker loses or “Jacks out” before defeating the hacker, a System Shutdown goes into effect, and security is alerted to the hackers position.9. A Wildcard Security hacker with maxed out hyper glove values, Lethal mode mod, and a hacking skill of at least d10, investigates and initiates VR combat. If the hacker loses or “Jacks out” before defeating the hacker, a System Shutdown goes into effect, and security is alert-ed to the hackers position.10. Active Alert, alarms go off in the building, physical security features activate.

11. Shock! hacker takes 3d10 Lethal VR damage.12. System shut down, hacker must succeed in an ex-tended test against the Firewall rating of the network. Failure results in an active Alert, Authorities and secu-rity personal being alerted, all security functions in the area being triggered, the hacker taking 3d10+2 lethal VR damage, and everything In the building turning off and locking until authorities arrive.

hyper GLoves And physicAL comBAthyper gloves aren’t meant to be used in physical combat

like boxing gloves or medieval gauntlets. That said, you never know when you have to punch someone in the face, neh? With that in mind, here is a general guideline to fig-ure out what happens if you punch someone or something while wearing a hyper glove.

hyper gloves have a base Toughness of 4. Whenever a character punches someone while wearing one, the glove automatically takes 1d4+1 damage. If the damage roll ex-ceeds the glove’s toughness, the glove is broken and must be repaired before it can be used again.

muLtipLe ActionsCharacters who own two hyper gloves may use both to

take two separate hacking actions or may use a single glove and a weapon in the other hand. Normal offhand and multi-action penalties apply.


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virtuAL hAcKsUp until now, we've discussed the process for hacking a

computer network when your characters are physically at the thing they wish to hack. What follows are two quick methods for hacking via Virtual Reality. The advanced rules at the end of the book will go into more detail, providing a solid framework for creating virtual characters (also known as avatars) so you can play entire games in virtual reality.

A pre-hAcK A character may decide they wish to enter Virtual Reality

and hack a system ahead of time before their team moves in. If this is the case, the hacker initiates a dramatic task against the Firewall rating of the system in question. Suc-cess allows the hacker to effect a number of items within the system ahead of time equal to half their hacking die type. examples include turning off or changing cameras, changing database files, giving clearances at checkpoints ect.

Failure typically results in the hacker taking progressive “Shock!” damage as described on the charts above, a num-ber of times equal to the amount of success they fell short of. Additionally. the System goes on high alert for the next 24 hours.

A pre-hack must be done within 24 hours of the mission, otherwise the system will reboot and all of the hacker's work will be erased.

vr overWAtch hAcKinGOverwatch hacking is another tool in the hacker’s arsenal.

The hacker "ghosts" into the system and remains inside while their physical body remains elsewhere. The hacker typically remains in contact with their team through VR messaging, and hacks individual items as their team comes across them.

While more risky for the hacker in the sense of being de-tected, they end up physically safer by not having to enter the building in the first place.

Overwatch hacking is handled abstractly and is very simi-lar to a pre-hack. The character begins by engaging in a dramatic task with the system in question, following all of the rules of a pre-hack, including the results if a character fails. Should the character succeed however, the results are different.

Rather than setting up a number of pre-conditioned item responses like a VR hack, the character has instead suc-cessfully infiltrated the system undetected. From here the character has access to every item controlled by the net-work’s server box. The character may make a hacking test against every item linked to the host network, whenever they wish, following all of the standard hacking rules, ex-cept physically the character is not present.

This allows the character to turn off Cameras as their team approaches them, access the elevators as their team approaches them, open locked doors, turn off the coffee machines, rewrite files, and do anything else needed all from the comfort of being safely elsewhere. Should the character ever fail in a hack, they suffer the results from the hacking tables just like they would normally, but with an added danger…Given the pure raw feed of running in VR, all “Shock!” damage effects gain an extra die.

GM’s and players alike should also keep in mind, not ev-ery System is hackable from the outside, and many high end systems are closed networks, preventing anything but a physical penetration and physical hacking.

hAcKer vs. hAcKer comBAtOccasionally hackers may decide to engage in combat

with one another in Virtual Reality, or the result from a hacking failure may cause a security hacker to engage in combat with a pC. If this happens, the hackers roll opposed hacking rolls against one another each round. The loser takes the winner’s hyper glove damage rating. damage can be Lethal if the user’s hyper glove has the lethal mode module installed.

The advanced rules at the end of the book provide more detailed information on combat in virtual reality, and in-troduce a new device: the hackpack. Game Masters might consider using the rules for the hackpack instead of the hy-per glove when running hacker VS hacker combat in virtual reality (See page XXX for more information on hackpacks).

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BrAin hAcKinG

hAcKinG the BrAinhacking someone's brain box—or TAp for those of you

who aren't up on the jargon¬— is a little different from the standard process we use to hack other things. Why, you ask? Well, because you're messing with someone's brain, that's why.

You might be wondering what I mean by that. Think about it for a nano-second.

The Tendril Access processor is over fifty percent organic. It was designed this way to reduce the risk of rejection af-ter surgery, but at its core the TAp is STILL a wireless mo-dem that transmits digital signals, downloads them, and then renders them into digital images we can see and even(with a hyper glove)interact with. That also means it can be hacked by folks like you and I. And, because we can hack the TAp, we can do things like download, upload, and even rewrite information. Now, here's where it gets inter-esting.

All of that information isn't stored in some silicon mem-ory module tucked neatly under your hippocampus (that's the part of your brain that deals with short term memory, long term memory and spatial navigation); it's stored IN your hippocampus. Well, hippocampi to be exact—we have two.

But I digress.

When you hack someone's TAp and manipulate the data, you are literally altering the brain. And that's just scratch-ing the surface ami. Because you have access to someone's brain, you can implant suggestions into the conscious and subconscious mind of the person whom you have hacked. In fact, you can do more than just implant suggestions; you can control people whom you have hacked. I know. It sounds crazy, kinda like something out of a Sci-Fi MedIA-file, but is it really all that hard to believe?

All the sensory information we receive every second of every minute of our lives is basically just data processed by our brains. When a junkie shoots up drugs, he's altering the way his brain interprets all of that sensory information. When we view hyper reality, we're augmenting what our brain perceives as well. It's not so farfetched to suggest that our brains can't be hacked.

case in Point: The puppeteer Murders.

Remember that gruesome string of murders back in 2071? The people the authorities arrested (some say framed) all complained of having night terrors and entering fugue

states where they weren't able to remember where they were during the murders. Although there was no physical evidence to prove it, a number of people directly involved with the investigation claimed the perpetrators of the crimes were somehow controlled through their TAps by a third party— hence the "puppeteer" moniker. No further arrests were made, however, and the case was closed.

Still not convinced? What about project Whispering Wind?

Last year, the folks who put out the declassified Medi-astream released the infamous "project Whispering Wind" documents; a series of MedIA and dATfiles chronicling a series of experiments in an alleged super-secret North American Coalition military installation. experiments were performed on chimpanzees fitted with TAps. In the tests, the chimps were forced to perform various tasks. At first, the tasks were menial in nature; using vacuums, cooking eggs, playing games, etc. But as the project went on, the primates were recorded using high tech weaponry in com-bat situations. The grisly MedIAfile portrayed zombie-like chimpanzees shooting each other with assault rifles, lob-bing hand grenades and even piloting remote controlled drones.

Of course, the North American Coalition categorically de-nied the existence of project Whispering Wind. So-called "experts" in the fields of cybernetics and theoretical com-puting went on media shows like 24/7 LIVe!, CSpAN and TotalAccessNOW claiming this sort of technology was im-possible. Zoologists and animal behavior experts argued that any chimp could fire a gun or throw a grenade, but conspiracy theorists (many of them ex-military) were quick to point out that the chimps were using squad-based tac-tics taken straight out of the NAC Marine Combat Manual. Furthermore, their often slow, exaggerated movements suggested the primates weren't fully in control of their mo-tor functions.

predictably, animal rights groups like peTA (people for ethical Treatment of Animals) various political watchdog organizations such as the North American New democ-racy Movement (NANdM), the Society For Free Americans (SFFA), and others had a field day with the footage. The or-ganizations lobbied for a congressional inquiry into project Whispering Wind, the result of which of course, was the enaction of the TAppA¬ (Tendril Access processor protec-tion Act) — a law requiring the three mandatory settings (Offline, hidden and Active) we now have installed in our Tendril Access processors.

Granted, the addition of the three settings is a dramatic improvement over the old TAp— which had none— but

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some tinfoil hatters claim this is little more than another way for the government to expand the police state. Oth-ers insist this is a case of megacorporations (Kenta Cyber dynamics being the primary beneficiary) profiting off the masses. After all, the installation of the new software isn't free, is it? Absolutely not. We're all having to pay for the latest patches to the old operating system…Most of us at least. I know there are many of you out there who have pirated versions of the software, but I won't comment on ThAT. ;)

If you want to learn more about the political and eco-nomic fallout of project Whispering Wind, or the puppe-teer Murders for that matter, you can do the research. But, regardless of what you might believe about the viability of hacking the brain, the following information will help you in your hacking career. Let's move on to the TAp's three settings.

the three tAp settinGsYour Tendril Access processor sends and receives digital

signals from other TAps and computer networks around it. In this fashion, computer networks — often referred to as clouds— form between you and everything around you. These cloud networks store very basic information (your name, sex, personal interests, contact information, etc), creating a digital profile which is accessible by other com-puter networks and people currently apart of the cloud.

Furthermore, as you move through the world, the cloud network is constantly updating itself to reflect your current location and that of people and things around you and vice versa. This means, when you walk into a store, like, say, the local Malmart, your TAp will sync up with the store's computer network and let it know you are present. The Malmart network will then cross-reference your name against a database which contains data related to your previous visits and use that information to tailor advertise-ments to your personal tastes.

Thanks to TAppA¬, there are now three settings for the Tendril Access processor— active, hidden, and offline. These settings were added to the TAp to provide people

with a measure of privacy, allowing them to hide their on-line status from other users, or even turn the TAp off when they go to sleep at night. What follows is a brief look at the three TAp settings.

• Active: When a character's TAp is set to active mode, other computer networks "see" the TAp, and can access basic information like the char-acter's name, sex, and limited personal informa-tion, such as the character's shopping history at a local malmart, or her email address and My-Face page. This data is publically available and any corporate network(Or person) can access it at any time.

• Hidden: hidden mode hides all of the character's TAp from computer networks, only broadcasting the signal and sharing data it if the character al-lows it to be shared. Attempts to detect a Tendril Access processor's signal in hidden mode are made at a penalty equal to the rating of the TAp. If the Notice roll fails, the character cannot acquire the target's signal and no attempt to hack the TAp can be made. See the brain hacking rules below for stats and prices for Tendril Access processors.

• offline: Your TAp is shut down. In this setting, you cannot be hacked, but neither can you expe-rience hyper reality or virtual reality.

BrAin hAcKinG ruLeshacking someone’s TAp is a dramatic Task, as explained in

the Savage Worlds rules… but it ain’t an easy task, tomo. First of all, a TAp has safeguards built into the thing to dis-suade this kind of hacking from even taking place, and sec-ond of all, most peeps don’t take too kindly to their neural pathways being rewired and tend to intuitively resist that sort of tampering.

A Brain hack pits your hacking skill against the higher of your target’s Smarts or hacking skill. Worse yet, you’re do-ing it at a penalty of -3 plus an additional minus equal to the Level of the target’s TAp (so a Level 1 TAp starts at a -4 penalty; a Level 4 TAp starts with -7(!)). A direct link be-tween your TAp and your target’s TAp with something like Neural Interface Cables will reduce the penalty by 2, but

table 1:G tHe tenDril access processor

tap levelpenalty to Hack

tHe tapnotice

penaltycost

Level 1 -4 -1 Free

Level 2 -5 -2 15,000

Level 3 -6 -3 40,000

Level 4 -7 -4 70,000

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good luck getting an unwilling victim to allow you to plug those bad boys in.

If you can’t complete the hack in five passes, you’re SOL – the target TAp is going to spit you out, and you’ll take a level of Fatigue for your troubles.

And remember: This is a dramatic Task. That means you’re drawing a card for every pass, and a Club means trouble. Aside from the usual penalties, if you come up with a Failure on any round that you’ve drawn a Club, the fecal matter is going to hit the rotating blades – in the best case, you might just take a Wound from some nasty neural feedback as you get puked back into reality; in the worst case, you might find yourself on the receiving end of the hack if your victim has the skills and the desire. Really, it’s up to the GM what happens, but you can bet your ass it won’t be good.

So why mess around with hacking someone’s brain?

Because if you’re ace enough with this stuff and can suc-ceed, you’ve got access to someone else’s thinking ma-chinery.

For the next few moments, as a Free Action, you can use the edit Mode on the TAp to access your victim’s memories – either plucking out something useful (like a pass code), or editing things so they remember something differently… or not at all.

Or, if you’re really feeling ballsy, you can take your next action to attempt to dominate the TAp and take control of the person on a more ‘permanent’ basis. At that point, it turns into something of a contest of wills, with your hack-ing skill being opposed by your target’s Spirit. Whoever wins the roll deals a level of Fatigue to the other – plus one additional Fatigue for each Raise.

If the you become exhausted first, you’ve been kicked out of the TAp – game over. But if your target becomes ex-hausted first… Well, you’ve got a new minion now, don’t you.

For all practical intents and purposes, this works just like the puppet power from Savage Worlds, only the duration largely depends on the Spirit of your victim:

And, of course, if you order the poor bastard to commit suicide or kill his best friend (or anything else that might go against his innate desires), he gets an immediate chance to break free.

A LittLe heLp…

Okay, so maybe you're feeling like your own brain has been hacked and you're short on ideas for the results of a major failure. don't worry, tomo, we've got your back. here's a quick and dirty method for figuring it out based on the Rank of the Club that was drawn:

number – The hacker gets a head-full of neural feedback. The number on the card is added to the roll of a d10 (which can Ace, by the way) and the hacker takes the result as damage. The good news is, it's non-lethal damage, so he may get knocked out cold and suffer nasty migraines for a few weeks, but at least he'll still be alive. The bad news is direct neural interfacing via cables is like getting hit with a Raise, and another d6 gets added to the total.

Face – The hacker takes some seriously nasty damage (of the lethal sort). A Jack is 1 Wound, a Queen is 2 Wounds, and a King is 3 Wounds. pe-riod. No save. The n00b probably shouldn't have been tinkering with someone's synapses in the first place. But hey… At least he's still alive. Un-less he was foolish enough to be doing this hack when he was already wounded. Oh yeah… and if he was using cables, he takes the same amount in Fatigue, as well. Good night, sweet script kid-die.

Ace – The hacker's got some serious problems. Not only does the neural feedback drop him out of his target's TAp, but it fries his own TAp as well. he's unable to access The deep or hyper Real-ity until he can get a techie to get in there to fix things with a successful Repair roll. Oh my… That requires surgery, doesn't it. he'd better make sure there's a medic there as well, then.

If his victim was a hacker as well, he's really hosed, since she's able to ride that neural feed-back right into his own TAp and gets a free hack at his brain (with the usual modifiers for his TAp and any cables), pitting her hacking skill against the hacker's Spirit. If her roll results in a Success, the hacker has been hacked; otherwise, he still gets ejected from his victim's TAp with the same effects as above, plus his victim knows exactly who was poking around in her head.

BrAin hAcKinG

The d

eep

18BrAin hAcKinG

table 1:H spirit rolls

spirit tarGet can attempt an opposeD roll versus your HackinG skill to break free every

d4 5 rounds/minutes if not in combat

d6 4 rounds/ minutes if not in combat



d12 Round/ minute if not in combat

neurAL interfAce cABLeOnce upon a time, direct neural interfacing was the

only way to access The deep. Now anyone with a TAp can do it, but Neural Interface Cables aren't necessar-ily a thing of the past. NICs make internal reprogram-ming much easier – a near necessity for robotic main-tenance – and so Kenta Cyber dynamics is proud to be able to carry on the tradition of providing high-quality interface cables to their customers. Kenta Cyber dy-namics: Solid. dependable. Tradition.

• Reduces penalties for hacking a TAp by 2.• Confers a +2 bonus to editing functions when work-

ing with robots, androids or computers.• Cost: 500 credits.

interface_zero_hacking_20.pdf

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