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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 representaton 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 fcton are prod-
uct Identty of Gun Metal Games.
Writng: [Curts and Sarah Lyon, david Jarvis, david Viars]
Editng: [Aric Wieder, Lee langston, david Jarvis]
Artwork: [Sam Manly(Midnight Illustratons)]
Layout: [david Jarvis]
Play testng and feedback: [Lee Langston, Curts and
Sarah Lyon, Joshua Meadows, Jeferson dunlap, Aric Wie-
der, Norman hensley, Ron Blessing]
noticE: This is a layered pdF. You can turn any of the
layers on or of in any combinaton to meet your print-
ing needs. To do so, just click the layers tab on your pdf
viewer.
This pdF is best viewed with the most recent version of
the Adobe Reader, which can be downloaded here:
htp://get.adobe.com/reader/
Persmission is granted to print out a copy of this PDF for
personal use only.
credits
the deep
In 2088, the Tendril Access processor connects people to
the hyper-real world around them like never before. peeps
dont 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 connectvity the Tendril Access proces-
sor provides, there are drawbacks, like getng your brain
hacked and turned into a pulsing blob of grey jelly.
Thats 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 youll 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 1
BASIC RULe ChANGeS 2
SKILLS 2
ChANGeS TO eXISTING edGeS 2
NeW edGeS 2
NeW hINdRANCeS 3
hACKING FOR N00BS 4
hYpeR ReALITY 4
The hYpeR GLOVe 4
deSIGN TheORY 4
hYpeR GLOVe TRAITS 5
hACKING BONUS 5
VR ARMOR 5
dAMAGe 5
RANGe 5
hYpeR GLOVe MOdeS 6
CONTROL MOde 6
edIT MOde 6
deSTRUCTION MOde 6
MOde MOdULeS 8
hACKING The SYSTeM 9
hACKING IN hYpeR ReALITY 9
SUCCeedING ON The hACKING ROLL 9
FAILING The hACKING ROLL 10
SYSTeM deSIGNATION COdeS 10
hYpeR GLOVeS ANd phYSICAL COMBAT 12
MULTIpLe ACTIONS 12
table of contents
introduction
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introduction
It's been nearly two and a half years since Interface Zero
was frst released for the Savage Worlds game system. dur-
ing that tme, I've had the opportunity to talk with many
fans of the game setng and get their opinions of the game
and the setng rules. While the feedback I've received
about the setng has been overwhelmingly positve, one
source of frustraton that comes up tme and tme again
is the complex nature of the deepthe 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 interestng 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 stll is)
conceptually unique, we crossed a line and made it overly
complicated, which in turn necessitated the creaton of
game rules which added more levels of granularity than
were necessary or for the most parteven wanted. I
say for the most part because interestngly, 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 functonal way became even more
puzzling as I came to realize that, in atemptng to address
the needs of one group of people, I would be simultane-
ously alienatng another.
So, what to do?
For starters, I have decided that it's tme 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 additonal 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 modifed
and upgraded to suit the users preferences, adding a level
of depth which keeps things interestng without becoming
overly complex. If you've ever played the Mass efect video
games, or watched Iron Man (specifcally 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 acton.
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 tme provides a level of fexibility
and detail fans of hacking can appreciate. Keep in mind,
however, that any game system is always going to have
some degree of abstracton, 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 "cinematc hacking"
rather than a realistc 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 difcult systems have higher penaltes,
and easy systems lower penaltes. This approach provides
a level of versatlity which should please GMs who don't
want to learn a ton of new rules or constantly fip through
a book during a game session just to fnd a specifc number
for a certain computer system. The fexible penaltes act
like a dial, allowing you to determine the difculty for any
given computer network on the fy.
Failure on a hacking roll means not only does she not suc-
ceed in her task, but something potentally 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 introducton is an oversim-
plifcaton of the basic rules and setng tweaks you'll fnd
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. Additonally,
we'll introduce a comprehensive system for playing entre
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 suggestons for this
new incarnaton 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 chAnGes
Below youll fnd 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 automatc d4 in hacking. Additonally, characters who
wish to use the deep for everyday purposes such as re-
search or fnding news pertaining to the deep do so with
their existng Investgaton and Streetwise skills.
Knowledge (Programming) (Smarts): This skill is no longer used.
chAnGes to eXistinG edGes
The 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+
Youre a veteran of the deep and know its darkest secrets.
You gain +1 to all hacking rolls. Your VR armor and Firewall
ratngs 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, youre
LeeT, omaea 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. Additonally, you gain a +1 to
your VR armor ratng.
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 frewalls when a sys-
tem goes on Actve alert.
hArdeninG (cyBer comBAt edGe)
Requirements: Novice, Vigor d6+
Youve grown used to the biofeedback generated by IC
(Intrusion Countermeasures) and hostle hackers. Raise
your VR armor ratng 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 frewalls when a sys-
tem goes on Actve alert.
interference (BAcKGround edGe)
Requirements: Novice
Something about your electromagnetc signature makes
you harder to hack. All atempts 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 setngs
(Control, destructon, edit; see the hyper glove for more
informaton). 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 additonal mode you must take this
edge again and apply the bonus accordingly.
BAsic ruLe chAnGes
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neW hindrAnces
The following hindrances are meant to apply to hacker
characters. GMs are in their full right to restrict players
from taking these hindrances if they feel theyre being
abused.
BAd fiLters (minor/mAjor)
Your spam flters are glitched. Youre constantly being
bombarded by spam, viruses and other malware. This
steady barrage makes it more likely that eventually SOMe-
ThING nasty will penetrate your frewall. 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 tme grasping the fundamentals of hack-
ing in one of the 3 basic mode types (control, edit, destruc-
ton). You sufer 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 synaptc system doesnt handle biofeedback very
well. Your toughness is considered 1 lower for when taking
VR damage.
BAsic ruLe chAnGes
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hAcKinG for n00Bs
So ya think ya got what it takes to play with the big boys,
pngyou? We'll see about that.
First things frst.
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, mngbile ma? Yeah, I know I could
have just said " understand?," but hey, this is 2088. Ya bet-
ter get a few diferent languages under your belt if you
want to communicate efectvely in this brave new world.
Just sayin'.
Anyways, back to this hacking dealio.
Now, the way I scan it, you need to know the basicsgota
learn to walk before you run and all that crap I know, it's
a clich' 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 beter than even that at some point in your career
you might be responsible for someone I know, and I don't
want to fnd out that a pal died just because you couldn't
loop a security feed or suppress an alarm system. So do me
a favorpay atenton to this goup, omae; it might save
your life (and a friend of mine's) some day.
hyper reALity
Like 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; its no sweat of my wrinklies. If you're knowl-
edge is a bit fuzzy, then here are the Clif's Notes.
hyper reality is a digital overlay of the world around
us. It's informaton 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 tme you see, oh, a
holographic advertsement, 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; informaton 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 GLove
Back in the day, engineers, scientsts and programmers
of all stripes spent hours and hours slaving over computer
terminals, using complicated fabricaton machines or peer-
ing into various scientfc doo-dads to analyze compounds,
microorganisms and such. Nowadays, we can do all of that
stuf using hyper gloves. hyper gloves make it possible to
manipulate and even create digital representatons of ob-
jects (like vehicle schematcs, security cameras, foor plans,
dNA, cellular organisms, locks on doors, etc.). While hyper
gloves were originally designed for legitmate 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 theory
So you're probably wondering how this litle gadget works,
neh? Well, without getng 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 cofee cup), you're manipulatng 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
cofee cup example, when you hack the code block that
creates the digital cofee 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 infnitely more intuitve.
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 stll based on the old programming
the hyper GLove
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languages, but in practcal, 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 functon 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 multtudes 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 efectve. You're not spending
hours writng a language, you're arranging
icons based on the intended functon. When
they are arranged in the correct paterns, 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 trAits
Now, lets 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 manipulatng. This translates into
a bonus to their hacking rolls. This hacking bonus will vary
depending on the quality of a hyper glove.
vr Armor
One of the security features of a hyper glove is its ability
to generate a dampening feld that protects against harm-
ful bio-feedback signals generated by IC (Intrusion Coun-
termeasures) and atacks by other hackers. This dampen-
ing feld is the characters base Virtual Armor ratng. The
VR armor ratng is added to the characters base Tough-
ness score to determine the modifed Toughness atribute.
dAmAGe
When a hacker gets into combat, she can do damage to
other hackers, intrusion countermeasures and even devic-
es if her glove is set to destructon mode (see below).
rAnGe
With a hyper glove, characters can hack hyper objects
that arent close to them. This trait determines the maxi-
mum distance in game inches an object can be and stll be
hacked. each range increment imposes a penalty to the
hacker as if they were making a ranged atack as per the
Savage Worlds deluxe editon rules.
A Basic hyper glove has the following statstcs:
moduLAr desiGn
hyper 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-mentoned 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
total
aDDitional cost
+2 3,000 Credits
+3 6,000 Credits
+4 9,000 Credits
+5 12,000 Credits
+6 15,000 Credits
the hyper GLove
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Damage increase: +5,000 Credits per die Step to a Maxi-
mum of 2d12.
table 1:D: DamaGe increase
DamaGe
Dice
total aDDitional
cost
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 destructon mode. Switching from
one mode to another is a free acton.
controL mode
Control 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 pilotng for a plane or Shootng
for a gun turret) she must have that skill to use the device.
edit mode
The most versatle of the three default modes of a hyper
glove, edit mode allows the character to change the ex-
istng functons of a specifc item or system. While in edit
mode, hackers can do countless things. They can rewrite,
upload, or copy fles on a database, loop camera feeds to
mask the passage of her team, change the tming of street
lights, alter the fight path of a satellite, modify the "friend/
Foe" designatons for gun turrets etc.
destruction mode
Sometmes, a hacker doesn't want to take control of an
object or manipulate data. Sometmes, the goal of a hack
hyper GLove modes
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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 destructon mode comes into play. When in de-
structon mode, a character can destroy an object by in-
sertng 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 fxed with a successful Repair roll. If the hacker gets a
raise on the inital hacking roll the item is completely de-
stroyed and must be replaced.
Objects such as drones, Auto-Turrets, and other devices
capable of infictng harm on the hacker and their allies are
rendered shaken with a successful hacking roll. A raise in-
ficts the damage ratng of the hacker's hyper glove on the
object, ignoring physical armor only. If the vehicle has any
VR armor, it stll adds to its Toughness. the This mode is
also useful when atemptng to afect an environment. In
destructon mode, hackers can alter the physical world by
destroying controls for things like piping systems, contain-
ment felds, lights, etc.
eXAMpLe OF The ThRee hYpeR GLOVe MOdeS IN ACTION
[For the purposes of this example, were not worried about
things like initatve, actons, target numbers and modifers.
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. Theyve just entered the hallway leading to
the containment facility and testng labs when they
trip a pressure actvated 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
(Notce roll) and locates the hyper panel (visible be-
cause her Tendril Access Processor recognizes the digi-
tal signature and displays it in her feld of vision) hover-
ing just to the lef of the weapon a green rectangular
digital display with a list of functons on the screen.
Luckily, the turret is within range of Neon_Brights
hyper glove, or shed have to move closer to hack it;
which means putng herself directly in the sights of the
menacing weapon spraying the hallway with armor
piercing roundsnot 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
shifs her glove to edit mode, wiggling her fngers as
she types fake passcodes into the hyper panel (Neon_
Bright makes a Hacking roll and succeeds). The yellow
screen shifs to green and the other digital panel with
the list of commands fashes back to the foreground.
Since shes in edit mode, Neon_Bright has access to a
variety of functons. She doesnt have tme to play with
the gun, however, so Neon_Bright simply turns it of
(Since shes already hacked her way into the controls,
she doesnt 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 atenton to the blaring alarms.
The alarm was actvated by a pressure sensor in the
foor, so she quickly scans the foor (another Notce roll)
and fnds a digital line leading from the pressure sen-
sor to a hyper panel on the wall. With another fick of
the wrist, Neon_Bright pulls up the panel and hacks the
digital login screen (a successful Hacking roll). Stll 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 fring their SMGs at the
team. The third security guard takes cover in an alcove
behind a receptonists desk. As her pals return fre,
Neon_Bright decides she can help the team and maybe
wreak a litle havoc at the same tme by over- pressur-
izing the steam lines running through the hallway.
She shifs her hyper glove to destructon mode, targets
a steam pipe running along the wall(a Notce roll) and
hacks the hyper object controlling the pressure regu-
lator valve (Another Hacking roll). Neon_Bright over-
writes the valves programming with a virus, crashing
the regulator controls and sending the pressure sky-
rocketng. The pipe bursts in a number of places, foods
a secton of the hallway with super-heated steam, and
sends the guards running for cover. Unfortunately, the
steam makes it difcult 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 shifs back to edit mode,
pulls up the hyper panel for the turret, and turns it
back on (Neon_Bright doesnt need to make anoth-
er Hacking roll since shes already hacked it once.).
hyper GLove modes
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Neon_Bright quickly shifs 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 Shootng roll to actually fre the gun. This
is handled like any regular Shootng roll).
mode moduLes
Mode modules or MOdS are add-ons that expand on
the utlity of the hyper glove. Conceptually, mode modules
are very similar to applicatons (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 hackers repertoire, others
allow characters who dont hack to do some prety 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 Investgaton (or Streetwise) rolls when
atemptng to fnd a specifc locaton in the sprawl.
note: If you use a MOd for skill rolls, you cant beneft
from co-op rolls from other players.
table 1:f: cost for eacH aDDitional moD
Cost 8,000 Credits
ApprAisAL mod
Used by authentcators and art thieves the world over,
the appraisal mod provides a database of valuables, antq-
uites, precious commodites, and other valuables, listng
various scientfc data such as the weight of a diamond,
the material compositon 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 authentcity and monetary value of the item.
The appraisal mod provides a +2 to all rolls to authentcate,
price and forge an item.
fieLd survivAL mod
With 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 fnd
and construct shelter, build fres with litle more than a
rock and stcks, how to purify water, and all sorts of addi-
tonal informaton you need to survive in the wild. The feld
survival mod gives +2 to all survival rolls.
forensic mod
This mod installs a series of micro-analyzers within the
fngertps of the glove. These analyzers sensitve 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 fngerprints. The
Forensic mode gives a +2 to all rolls involving the analysis
of potental forensic clues. This bonus also applies to ap-
propriate Notce rolls, and Knowledge: Biology rolls.
LethAL mod
This MOd is rather limited in scope, but its efects can-
not be understated. A lethal mode module allows the user
to generate enough bio-feedback to infict lethal damage
against other hackers in Virtual combat. VR armor stll
shields against this bio-feedback, but all damage taken is
lethal.
medicAL eXpert mod
Used by Doctors Without Borders and combat medics the
world over, the medical expert mod comes with built-in
SMARTknowledge medical fles, portable X-ray devices,
fuid analyzers, and various sensors that identfy a patent's
wounds and provide instructons 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 essental tool for navigatng
megasprawls all over the globe. The NAVbuddy MOd pro-
vides a +2 bonus to Investgaton (or Streetwise) rolls when
atemptng to fnd a specifc locaton in the sprawl.
tooL eXpert mod
This mod installs thousands of blueprint read outs, 3d
mapping tools, adjustable microlights, and other minor
modifcatons 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 mod
A wildly popular mode module, the VR overlay mod syncs
up with your TAp and generates a reality flter which ren-
ders the world around you into a theme of your choosing.
Typical VR overlays include Fantasy simulatons, or space-
opera-themed overlays. When running this mod, it is eas-
ier to identfy hyper objects. Users gain a +2 to Notce rolls
when looking for hyper objects.
mode moduLes
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hAcKinG the system
Okay 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
feedhacking.
hAcKinG hyper reALity
The 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 frewall.
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 duraton
of the scene and can be used again and again untl the GM
decides the scene has ended.
succeedinG on the hAcKinG roLL
The Base target number of every Firewall is 4 modifed by
the difculty of the system type (See the System designa-
ton Codes at the end of this secton for appropriate modi-
fers). 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 acton.
Generally, characters may only atempt to hack one ob-
ject per round. That said, if a character is wearing two hy-
per gloves and wishes to atempt to hack multple objects
simultaneously, she sufers a -2 penalty to hacking rolls for
each object she is atemptng to hack. She may not hack
the same object twice in a single round (See Using Multple
hyper gloves on page 12).
Example 1: Hacking a single object
Neon_Bright is atemptng 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
installaton, but not as much as others, and imposes
a -3 penalty to the roll.
Neon_Brights 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-
tes imposed on Neon_Brights 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 modifed TN of 3.
Neon_Bright rolls her Hacking skill dice (D8) and a
wild die (D6) and gets a 5 and a 3, respectvelySuc-
cess! The Blast doors open with a loud hiss and the
team moves into the room beyond.
Example 2: Hacking multple objects simultaneously
As the team moves into the room, Neon_Bright
makes a Notce 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 robotc arm, and a few other hyper
panels controlling various functons such as lights,
air conditoning, fre extnguishers and decontami-
naton systems.
Knowing that tme is of the essence and wantng
to avoid a repeat of the situaton in the hallway
(See the hyper glove modes example), Neon_Bright
decides to hack both gun turrets at the same tme,
which imposes a -2 penalty to her Hacking rolls. The
turrets are milspec hardware and have a MAN (Mili-
tary Access Network) ratng with variable penaltes
hAcKinG hyper reALity
rAnGe And hAcKinG
A character can atempt to penetrate any system
within the range of her hyper glove (see the range
trait for the hyper glove for more informaton). 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_
Brights Hacking rolls. As before, Neon_Brights 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 penaltes to make
the fnal modifer to her Hacking Roll a -4. Since the
base TN to hack anything is 4, Neon_Bright will need
to score 8s or beter to hack the gun turrets.
Neon_Bright rolls her Hacking dice(D8) and a Wild
Die(D6) twice. For the frst gun, she scores a 4, but
her Wild Die aces twice and she ends up with a 15,
easily hacking the frst 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 informaton).
fAiLinG the hAcKinG roLL
If the character fails her hacking roll, she trips the sys-
tems security measures and sufers some sort of efect.
The Game Master makes a 1d12 roll on the appropriate
chart (See System designaton 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 cumulatve +1 modifer to the d12
roll, ensuring an eventual system shut down, however.
Example of consequences of a Failed Hack
Neon_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
Designaton 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 atempt 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 Grity Damage rules (see the
Interface Zero setng book, page 32 for more infor-
maton), so its 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 wont get that detailed. Sufce it to say that the
gun turrets Intrusion Countermeasures just gave
Neon_Bright a really bad day.
system desiGnAtion codes
Below you will fnd the frewall ratng 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. GMs 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 additonal event that happens beyond
the frst failure add +1. If you roll an event which has already
happened, replace it with the next highest shock efect.
1: Nothing happens
2: Nothing happens
3: Shock! hacker takes 1d6 non-lethal VR damage.
4-5: VR Alert, Firewall Modifer increases by 1.
6: Shock! hacker takes 1d8 non-lethal VR damage.
7: Shock! hacker takes 1d8+2 non-lethal VR damage.
8: Authorites informed of suspicious actvity, Security
contractors if any, may also be tasked to investgate.
9: Shock! hacker takes 1d10+2 non-lethal VR damage.
10: Actve Alert, alarms go of within the building. Firewall
modifers 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 ratng of the network.
Failure results in an actve Alert, Authorites and security
personal being alerted, all security functons in the area
being triggered, the hacker taking 1d12+2 non-lethal VR
damage, and everything In the building turning of and
locking untl authorites 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 cofn motels also have them.
More expensive hotel chains tend to use Corporate Access
Networks for security.
Roll: 1d12. For each additonal event that happens beyond
the frst failure add +1. If you roll an event which has already
happened, replace it with the next highest shock efect.
1. Nothing happens
2. Shock! hacker takes 2d6 non-lethal VR damage.
3. Shock! hacker takes 2d6+2 non-lethal VR damage.
4. VR alert, Firewall Modifer increases by 1.
5. Security Contractors alerted to suspicious actvity, will
come to area to investgate.
6. psychotropic ICe atack, 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 investgates and initates VR combat.
If the hacker loses or Jacks out before defeatng the
hacker, a System Shutdown goes into efect, and security
is alerted to the hackers positon.
9. Shock! hacker takes 2d6 Lethal VR damage.
10. Actve Alert, alarms go of in the building, physical
security features actvate.
11. Shock! hacker takes 2d6+2 Lethal VR damage.
12. System shut down, hacker must succeed in an ex-
tended test against the Firewall ratng of the network.
Failure results in an actve Alert, Authorites and security
personal being alerted, all security functons in the area
being triggered, the hacker taking 2d6+2 lethal VR dam-
age, and everything In the building turning of and lock-
ing untl authorites arrive.
coRPoRAtE AccESS nEtWoRKS: -3 to -5 FiREWALL MoDiFiER.
As the designaton implies, Corporate Access Networks
are found in corporate buildings all over the world. Charac-
ters who atempt to hack a Corporate Access Network can
expect to encounter stf resistance to their eforts. Many
brainers have died trying to penetrate Corporate Access
networks.
Roll: 1d12. For each additonal event that happens be-
yond the frst failure add +1. If you roll an event which has
already happened, replace it with the next highest shock
efect.
1. Shock! hacker takes 2d6+2 non-lethal VR damage.
2. Shock! hacker takes 3d6 non-lethal VR damage.
3. VR alert, Firewall Modifer increases by 1.
4. Security Contractors alerted to suspicious actvity, will
come to area to investgate.
5. psychotropic ICe atack, 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 Corporaton in queston.
6. Shock! hacker takes 2d6 lethal VR damage.
7. Security hacker investgates and initates VR combat.
If the hacker loses or Jacks out before defeatng the
hacker, a System Shutdown goes into efect, and security
is alerted to the hackers positon.
8. Wildcard Security hacker investgates and initates VR
combat. If the hacker loses or Jacks out before defeat-
ing the hacker, a System Shutdown goes into efect, and
security is alerted to the hackers positon.
9. Shock! hacker takes 3d6 Lethal VR damage.
10. Actve Alert, alarms go of in the building, physical
security features actvate.
11. Shock! hacker takes 3d6+2 Lethal VR damage.
12. System shut down, hacker must succeed in an ex-
tended test against the Firewall ratng of the network.
Failure results in an actve Alert, Authorites and security
personal being alerted, all security functons in the area
being triggered, the hacker taking 2d6+2 lethal VR dam-
age, and everything In the building turning of and lock-
ing untl authorites arrive.
GoVERnMEnt AccESS nEtWoRKS: -5 to -7 FiREWALL MoDiFiER
Government Access Networks protect the secrets of the
Natons of the world. Security is hard core and the penalty
for failure is such that only the most skilled hacker even
atempts to penetrate these systems.
Roll: 1d12. For each additonal event that happens be-
yond the frst failure add +1. If you roll an event which has
already happened, replace it with the next highest shock
efect.
1. Shock! hacker takes 3d6 non-lethal VR damage.
2. Shock! hacker takes 3d6+2 non-lethal VR damage.
3. psychotropic ICe atack, 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 queston.
4. VR alert, Firewall Modifer increases by 1, and hacker
takes Shock! damage of 3d6 Lethal.
5. Security Contractors alerted to suspicious actvity, will
come to area to investgate.
6. psychotropic ICe atack, 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 queston.
7. Shock! hacker takes 3d6 lethal VR damage.
8. Security hacker investgates and initates VR combat.
If the hacker loses or Jacks out before defeatng the
hacker, a System Shutdown goes into efect, and security
is alerted to the hackers positon.
9. Wildcard Security hacker with Lethal mode mod, in-
vestgates and initates VR combat. If the hacker loses
or Jacks out before defeatng the hacker, a System
Shutdown goes into efect, and security is alerted to the
system desiGnAtion codes
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hackers positon.
10. Actve Alert, alarms go of in the building, physical
security features actvate.
11. Shock! hacker takes 3d8 Lethal VR damage.
12. System shut down, hacker must succeed in an ex-
tended test against the Firewall ratng of the network.
Failure results in an actve Alert, Authorites and security
personal being alerted, all security functons in the area
being triggered, the hacker taking 3d8+2 lethal VR dam-
age, and everything In the building turning of and lock-
ing untl authorites arrive.
MiLitARY AccESS nEtWoRKS: -6 to -8 FiREWALL MoDiFiER
Ofen 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 atempt
hacking them. MANs protect anything even remotely re-
lated to the military including advanced weapons systems,
satellite networks, military bases, etc. Its even speculated
that Government ofcials have their TApS protected by
military-grade networks.
Roll: 1d12. For each additonal event that happens be-
yond the frst failure add +1. If you roll an event which has
already happened, replace it with the next highest shock
efect.
1. Shock! hacker takes 3d6 lethal VR damage.
2. Shock! hacker takes 3d6+2 lethal VR damage.
3. psychotropic ICe atack, 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 queston.
4. VR alert, Firewall Modifer increases by 1, and hacker
takes Shock! damage of 3d6+2 Lethal.
5. Security Contractors alerted to actvity, will come to
area to investgate.
6. psychotropic ICe atack, 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 queston.
7. Shock! hacker takes 3d8 lethal VR damage.
8. Security hacker with Lethal mode mod, investgates
and initates VR combat. If the hacker loses or Jacks
out before defeatng the hacker, a System Shutdown
goes into efect, and security is alerted to the hackers
positon.
9. A Wildcard Security hacker with maxed out hyper
glove values, Lethal mode mod, and a hacking skill of
at least d10, investgates and initates VR combat. If the
hacker loses or Jacks out before defeatng the hacker,
a System Shutdown goes into efect, and security is alert-
ed to the hackers positon.
10. Actve Alert, alarms go of in the building, physical
security features actvate.
11. Shock! hacker takes 3d10 Lethal VR damage.
12. System shut down, hacker must succeed in an ex-
tended test against the Firewall ratng of the network.
Failure results in an actve Alert, Authorites and secu-
rity personal being alerted, all security functons in the
area being triggered, the hacker taking 3d10+2 lethal VR
damage, and everything In the building turning of and
locking untl authorites arrive.
hyper GLoves And physicAL comBAt
hyper gloves arent 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 fg-
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
automatcally takes 1d4+1 damage. If the damage roll ex-
ceeds the gloves toughness, the glove is broken and must
be repaired before it can be used again.
muLtipLe Actions
Characters who own two hyper gloves may use both to
take two separate hacking actons or may use a single
glove and a weapon in the other hand. Normal ofand and
mult-acton penaltes apply.
system desiGnAtion codes
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virtuAL hAcKinG
virtuAL hAcKs
Up untl 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 creatng virtual characters (also known
as avatars) so you can play entre games in virtual reality.
A pre-hAcK
A character may decide they wish to enter Virtual Reality
and hack a system ahead of tme before their team moves
in. If this is the case, the hacker initates a dramatc task
against the Firewall ratng of the system in queston. Suc-
cess allows the hacker to efect a number of items within
the system ahead of tme equal to half their hacking die
type. examples include turning of or changing cameras,
changing database fles, 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 tmes equal to the amount of success they fell short
of. Additonally. 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 hAcKinG
Overwatch hacking is another tool in the hackers 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 frst place.
Overwatch hacking is handled abstractly and is very simi-
lar to a pre-hack. The character begins by engaging in a
dramatc task with the system in queston, following all of
the rules of a pre-hack, including the results if a character
fails. Should the character succeed however, the results
are diferent.
Rather than setng up a number of pre-conditoned item
responses like a VR hack, the character has instead suc-
cessfully infltrated the system undetected. From here the
character has access to every item controlled by the net-
works 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 of Cameras as their
team approaches them, access the elevators as their team
approaches them, open locked doors, turn of the cofee
machines, rewrite fles, and do anything else needed all
from the comfort of being safely elsewhere. Should the
character ever fail in a hack, they sufer the results from
the hacking tables just like they would normally, but with
an added dangerGiven the pure raw feed of running in
VR, all Shock! damage efects gain an extra die.
GMs 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, preventng anything but
a physical penetraton and physical hacking.
hAcKer vs. hAcKer comBAt
Occasionally 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 winners hyper glove damage ratng. damage
can be Lethal if the users hyper glove has the lethal mode
module installed.
The advanced rules at the end of the book provide more
detailed informaton 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 informaton on hackpacks).
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BrAin hAcKinG
hAcKinG the BrAin
hacking someone's brain boxor TAp for those of you
who aren't up on the jargon is a litle diferent 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 ffy percent organic.
It was designed this way to reduce the risk of rejecton 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 informaton. Now, here's where it gets inter-
estng.
All of that informaton 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 spatal navigaton); it's stored IN
your hippocampus. Well, hippocampi to be exactwe
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 suggestons into the conscious and
subconscious mind of the person whom you have hacked.
In fact, you can do more than just implant suggestons;
you can control people whom you have hacked. I know. It
sounds crazy, kinda like something out of a Sci-Fi MedIA-
fle, but is it really all that hard to believe?
All the sensory informaton 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 informaton.
When we view hyper reality, we're augmentng 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 authorites 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 investgaton 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.
Stll not convinced? What about project Whispering
Wind?
Last year, the folks who put out the declassifed Medi-
astream released the infamous "project Whispering Wind"
documents; a series of MedIA and dATfles chronicling
a series of experiments in an alleged super-secret North
American Coaliton military installaton. experiments were
performed on chimpanzees fted with TAps. In the tests,
the chimps were forced to perform various tasks. At frst,
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 situatons. The grisly MedIAfle portrayed zombie-like
chimpanzees shootng each other with assault rifes, lob-
bing hand grenades and even pilotng remote controlled
drones.
Of course, the North American Coaliton categorically de-
nied the existence of project Whispering Wind. So-called
"experts" in the felds of cybernetcs and theoretcal com-
putng 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 fre 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-
tcs taken straight out of the NAC Marine Combat Manual.
Furthermore, their ofen slow, exaggerated movements
suggested the primates weren't fully in control of their mo-
tor functons.
predictably, animal rights groups like peTA (people for
ethical Treatment of Animals) various politcal watchdog
organizatons such as the North American New democ-
racy Movement (NANdM), the Society For Free Americans
(SFFA), and others had a feld day with the footage. The or-
ganizatons lobbied for a congressional inquiry into project
Whispering Wind, the result of which of course, was the
enacton of the TAppA (Tendril Access processor protec-
ton Act) a law requiring the three mandatory setngs
(Ofine, hidden and Actve) we now have installed in our
Tendril Access processors.
Granted, the additon of the three setngs is a dramatc
improvement over the old TAp which had none but
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some tnfoil haters claim this is litle more than another
way for the government to expand the police state. Oth-
ers insist this is a case of megacorporatons (Kenta Cyber
dynamics being the primary benefciary) proftng of the
masses. Afer all, the installaton of the new sofware isn't
free, is it? Absolutely not. We're all having to pay for the
latest patches to the old operatng systemMost of us at
least. I know there are many of you out there who have
pirated versions of the sofware, but I won't comment on
ThAT. ;)
If you want to learn more about the politcal and eco-
nomic fallout of project Whispering Wind, or the puppe-
teer Murders for that mater, you can do the research. But,
regardless of what you might believe about the viability of
hacking the brain, the following informaton will help you
in your hacking career. Let's move on to the TAp's three
setngs.
the three tAp settinGs
Your Tendril Access processor sends and receives digital
signals from other TAps and computer networks around it.
In this fashion, computer networks ofen referred to as
clouds form between you and everything around you.
These cloud networks store very basic informaton (your
name, sex, personal interests, contact informaton, etc),
creatng a digital profle 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 updatng itself to refect your current
locaton 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 informaton to tailor advertse-
ments to your personal tastes.
Thanks to TAppA, there are now three setngs for the
Tendril Access processor actve, hidden, and ofine.
These setngs 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 of when
they go to sleep at night. What follows is a brief look at the
three TAp setngs.
Actve: When a character's TAp is set to actve
mode, other computer networks "see" the TAp,
and can access basic informaton like the char-
acter's name, sex, and limited personal informa-
ton, 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 tme.
Hidden: hidden mode hides all of the character's
TAp from computer networks, only broadcastng
the signal and sharing data it if the character al-
lows it to be shared. Atempts to detect a Tendril
Access processor's signal in hidden mode are
made at a penalty equal to the ratng of the TAp. If
the Notce roll fails, the character cannot acquire
the target's signal and no atempt to hack the TAp
can be made. See the brain hacking rules below
for stats and prices for Tendril Access processors.
ofine: Your TAp is shut down. In this setng,
you cannot be hacked, but neither can you expe-
rience hyper reality or virtual reality.
BrAin hAcKinG ruLes
hacking someones TAp is a dramatc Task, as explained in
the Savage Worlds rules but it aint 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 dont take too kindly to their neural
pathways being rewired and tend to intuitvely resist that
sort of tampering.
A Brain hack pits your hacking skill against the higher of
your targets Smarts or hacking skill. Worse yet, youre do-
ing it at a penalty of -3 plus an additonal minus equal to
the Level of the targets 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 targets TAp with something like
Neural Interface Cables will reduce the penalty by 2, but
table 1:G tHe tenDril access processor
tap level
penalty to Hack
tHe tap
notice
penalty
cost
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 getng an unwilling victm to allow you to plug
those bad boys in.
If you cant complete the hack in fve passes, youre SOL
the target TAp is going to spit you out, and youll take a
level of Fatgue for your troubles.
And remember: This is a dramatc Task. That means
youre drawing a card for every pass, and a Club means
trouble. Aside from the usual penaltes, if you come up
with a Failure on any round that youve drawn a Club, the
fecal mater is going to hit the rotatng 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 fnd yourself on the receiving end of the
hack if your victm has the skills and the desire. Really, its
up to the GM what happens, but you can bet your ass it
wont be good.
So why mess around with hacking someones brain?
Because if youre ace enough with this stuf and can suc-
ceed, youve got access to someone elses thinking ma-
chinery.
For the next few moments, as a Free Acton, you can use
the edit Mode on the TAp to access your victms memories
either plucking out something useful (like a pass code),
or editng things so they remember something diferently
or not at all.
Or, if youre really feeling ballsy, you can take your next
acton to atempt 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 targets Spirit. Whoever
wins the roll deals a level of Fatgue to the other plus one
additonal Fatgue for each Raise.
If the you become exhausted frst, youve been kicked
out of the TAp game over. But if your target becomes ex-
hausted frst Well, youve got a new minion now, dont
you.
For all practcal intents and purposes, this works just like
the puppet power from Savage Worlds, only the duraton
largely depends on the Spirit of your victm:
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
fguring 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 sufer nasty migraines for
a few weeks, but at least he'll stll be alive. The
bad news is direct neural interfacing via cables is
like getng 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 tnkering with someone's synapses in the
frst place. But hey At least he's stll 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 Fatgue, 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 untl he can get a techie to get in there to fx
things with a successful Repair roll. Oh my That
requires surgery, doesn't it. he'd beter make
sure there's a medic there as well, then.
If his victm 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 modifers for his TAp
and any cables), pitng her hacking skill against
the hacker's Spirit. If her roll results in a Success,
the hacker has been hacked; otherwise, he stll
gets ejected from his victm's TAp with the same
efects as above, plus his victm knows exactly
who was poking around in her head.
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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
d8 3 rounds/ minutes if not in combat
d10 2 rounds/ minutes if not in combat
d12 Round/ minute if not in combat
neurAL interfAce cABLe
Once upon a tme, 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 robotc main-
tenance and so Kenta Cyber dynamics is proud to be
able to carry on the traditon of providing high-quality
interface cables to their customers. Kenta Cyber dy-
namics: Solid. dependable. Traditon.
Reduces penaltes for hacking a TAp by 2.
Confers a +2 bonus to editng functons when work-
ing with robots, androids or computers.
Cost: 500 credits.