Alternate Hacking Rules, To fall more in line with sorcery, of all things. Options Track this topic Email this topic Print this topic Download this topic Subscribe to this forum Display Modes Switch to: Outline Switch to: Standard Linear+

[Tashiro]

Something I just came up with to make the rules more streamlined (and which could work for 5E, too), involving Hacking.

Have a Program Rating represent the maximum Hits you can get with that program. Use Attribute + Skill to roll. This is akin to a spell caster using Attribute + Skill to cast a spell, with the Force of the spell being the cap. This also works for Technomancers, of course.

But the other thing that came to mind was... drain. If you're running a lot of programs to get the job done, you can run the risk of having your system get bogged down, RAM used up, and various other minor problems that require you to reboot to clean them out. This would be 'drain', for your cyberdeck / commlink. Essentially, the more you pull out of a program to get things done, the more you risk your computer getting slowed down and buggy, and the more of a chance you'll get picked up in the network you're in.

IE, you run a Rating 6 program full tilt, pulling out all the stops (selecting all the options it has, for example), then the computer in question may have to make a test against, say, 3 'wounds' against its system integrity. (Your Computer + computer's System, perhaps). It also determines how easy it might be to pick you up in the Matrix, because your Rating 6 program is going to suck the hell out of the bandwidth to run.

But the idea, essentially, is to have something familiar, across-platforms. Hacking / Technomancy being similar enough to Sorcery, that someone can look at one, and pick up aspects of the other quickly.

[thorya]

Both those rules sort of already exist.

The Skill+Attributes limited by program rating is an optional rule from unwired.

And the drain thing is very similar to the rule about how many programs a device can run. If you run more programs than your commlink's system rating, the effective response rating drops by 1. Also, system limits the rating of the programs it can run and the System is in turn limited by the response of the hardware running it. So it's possible to crash your system or bog it down. Your suggested rule might work better for some sort of overclocking of the system.

As for higher rating programs being easier to detect, you run into the issue where a better stealth program is actually easier to find.

[NeoJudas]

Actually, in a basic level, the idea has merit. I be open to hear more.

[Tymeaus Jalynsfe...]

Actually, in a basic level, the idea has merit. I be open to hear more.

Then look in Unwired. As was stated. The Optional Rules are there. (IMG:style_emoticons/default/smile.gif)