Decking

Cutting edge technology has always pushed the edges of the social contract, subverting world powers and making space for new. Though the powerful work hard to exploit and lock down technology in their favor, enterprising individuals will still find a way to make space for their own ambitions.

The latest wild frontier of technology was opened by the emergence of Resonance. With quantum computing, escalating complexity, and bioware, technology took on a life of its own. These ghosts in the machine fundamentally changed the way technology functions, making it more powerful, but erratic and temperamental. Resonant devices could only be controlled or affected by other resonant devices, so the old technology was rapidly left behind.

Hacking was replaced with Decking, a more intuitive and chaotic means of manipulating technology with resonant devices. Old cyberware was replaced with resonant bioware that was more intuitive, and that didn’t lead to essence loss, but essence conversion. Simple drones were replaced with semi-autonomous rigging devices, with something like a will and personality of their own.

Resonant devices and programs are strictly regulated, and their ownership and use is severely restricted. Owning or using a resonant tool without the proper licenses will result in large fines or jail time.

In the wake of the chaos after the discovery of resonance, as newly born AI and superpowered deckers ravaged existing systems, the great powers locked down digital spaces. Rather than the freeroam open space that had budded with wifi, closed physical systems became the standard.

These restricted systems, called Rigs, strictly limit access points to prevent digital intrusions, requiring complex security protocols and permissions. Each rig includes a control point that manages permissions and activity across the system, along with integrated processes and devices.

Rigs range from simple communication devices to independent drones and massive servers. The capabilities of a rig are represented in its resonance and rating. Resonance represents the raw power of the rig, while Rating indicates the complexity and finesse of the device.

Though the overall number of devices and physical structure of the rig matters, the resonance level and power of a rig is determined by the size of it’s control point. For very large rigs, a central control point may manage several sub-control points distributing the processing power of the rig across the system.

Control points may be passively running previous coded automation, or they can be actively manned by human or digital security called Sprites. When actively manned, a rig is able to perform active programs on top of their usual passive programming.

Unlike metahuman security forces, digital devices are able to maintain passive security. Depending on the size of the rig and aggressiveness of its security settings, a device may have several passive programs running at a time, which will trigger investigative actions, defensive capabilities, or real-world alarm.

A decker attempting to access a network they do not have access to, or to perform flagged actions on that network, will draw attention. They can spend some of their active successes on negating this attention, or attempt to move fast enough that they are out before negative consequences are triggered. A decker must choose between delaying or reducing system threat, or accomplishing goals.

If a player has access to a sprite, the sprite can run programs to accomplish specific tasks or upkeep passive abilities.

Systems have different aggression levels for threat handling, depending on the location heat and system settings: boot from system, locate threat, spike threat.

Digital attention is different than Physical alarm. Instead, the 1s from decking rolls is redirected into the target’s passive awareness. However, alarm states from physical and digital environments may affect the other as triggers are met.

Each rig starts a connection with thresholds based on the amount of available resonance. The other rig will degrade each passive program over time based on it’s own programs. As 1s are rolled, these passive programs degrade faster. You can spend successes to trigger active programs, to cancel 1s, or to boost these passive programs.

In a rig, in addition to the control point, there are also many other types of devices. Devices may perform specific functions, such as an interface that allows a metahuman to interface with the rig. Devices require a command module to define it’s programs, but does not have to remain connected to a rig to function.

Each device is capable of running programs = Resonance x Rating. Excluding the enormous systems necessary for large corporation rigs, devices generally range from 1-6 on both levels.

Most consumer devices are hardcoded with specific programs, such as the movement suite for a prosthetic limb.

Consumer-level devices are generally clustered in 3 types:

The majority of technical devices, exoware is owned by nearly everyone. From basic commlinks and AR glasses, to TVs and home music systems, exoware is the cheapest, easiest to upgrade and change, and appeals to many people because of the noninvasive nature of their interface. Modular improvements and add-ons are widely available for most exoware.

Exoware generally has some sort of build-in interactive interface that enables users to execute programs and use the devices, but often does not have a built in command module. Instead, to adjust the available programs on the device, the device must be connected to an external command module such as a rigging deck.

Connecting an unlicensed command module to a consumer-grade device is illegal and will void the warranty of the device.

Designed to integrate with metahuman bodies, bioware leverages resonant nanomaterial to replace and augment living tissue. From simple cybereye implants and classic prosthesis, to integrated processors and combat mods, bioware is a larger commitment, with larger payoff. Bioware is subtle, portable, and enables nuance and functionality that cannot be replicated with external gear.

Most bioware will have a concealed port to connect to command modules, but higher quality bioware may be installed with an integrated command module.

Bioware can only support and run programs compatible to the mod type. Adjusting the programs on a piece of bioware is possible, but adding hacked or noncompatible programs is illegal and will void the warranty of the bioware.

Modifying or implanting the physical portion of bioware requires the support of a body shop.

Implanting bioware converts essence to innate resonance, with 1 essence converted for every 1 resonance implanted, rounded up to the nearest whole number. Implanting bioware is physically straining for a body, and requires recovery time of 2 weeks for every 1 resonance implanted.

Replacing or upgrading bioware only converts essence if the new bioware has higher resonance than the original.

A metahuman soul can only sustain 6 resonance of bioware. Once fully resonant, other body parts may be replaced with cybernetics, but only 6 resonance of bioware can function at any time.

Autonomous drones were initially designed for military and law enforcement conflicts, but it took only months for self-managing devices to spread to mundane realms. They expanded from mobile robots to include any digital system large enough to benefit from self-management, in particular building management. From cleaner suites and robot pets, to spycraft and security forts, integrated rigs are the next level of technological assistance. Rigs open the possibility for true remote actions and specialized functionality inaccessible by other means.

All rigs include an integrated command module. This module may be regularly inhabited by a sprite, or may simply be available for a rigger or sprite to use as they need to adjust the automated functions of the rig. For ease of access the command module can be accessed by any secure port in the rig by a user with the correct permissions.

Smaller rigs may include a permission lock on the command module to prevents unauthorized access. Larger rigs, such as building suites, may be interconnected with other rigs in the same building. This allows a specialized rig such as a security fort to manage access across the entire building for the various rigs.

Even small rigs are restricted items and must be purchased with a license that defines the scope and permitted programs of the rig. Modifying the attachments, programs, or upgrading rig resonance beyond the licensed scope is illegal and will void the warranty.

Very rarely, a metahuman is born with a unique surge trait: their very cells are digitally resonant. This mutation changes the structure of some of the human’s cells to be able to interface directly with resonant devices.

Emerged metahumans gain access to a pool of innate resonance similar to a mage’s mana pool. This resonance must be harnessed, and is treated at 1 rating level per decking or rigging skill. When the emerged metahuman has enough skill for their own resonance to be rating 6, they have tapped the full potential. Additional skills add skill levels, but not additional program capabilities.

Emerged metahumans generally use the same program list as other technicians, with a few exceptions. They may purchase a subset of bioresonant programs that are not open to other characters:

If am Emerged character interfaces directly with a rig or device using their innate resonance, any device damage affects their health pool, not their stun. If the Emerged character is interfacing using an external device, the damage received is stun as normal.

Bio-resonant Emersion is generally feared and distrusted. Emerged characters may need to be careful to hide their abilities.

Programs are the method to manipulate technological devices and creatures. Each program is designed to effect specific types of devices in predictable ways. Programs are shared within the decking community, though usually at a price.

Devices with their own resonance can carry a subset of programs based on their Rating x Resonance. The programs loaded on the device can be switched out for other programs by connecting to other devices or by the character.

See the full list of available Programs here, or you can build your own.

Active programs take at least an action to trigger. Once triggered, these programs may take additional actions or turns to process, and will then run as long as preprogrammed, or are actively sustained.

A decker can know a number of programs = Logic x Decking skill

A decker can sustain a number of active programs = Wit x Resonance

Passive programs will run actively in the background during hacking attempts. Target systems will degrade passive programs over time.

Passive programs base threshold is = Resonance x Device Rating.

Programs cast on digitally armored targets will be resisted, which allows the target to ignore or negate the effect.

When rolling a resisted program, the decker rolls their Skill + Wit, with any modifications from gear or circumstances.

When rolling resistance for a program with an area of effect, all targets within the area with resistance below the program threshold are affected.

When a system has large enough resonance, sprites, or literal ghosts in the machine will begin to spawn. Sprites are sentient digital creatures with their own desires and needs. Sprites are powerful digital beings, able to create digital effects as easily as physical creatures breathe. However, they are limited in the physical world, only able to interact through resonant devices.

Sprites generally do not leave the systems where they spawned, though they can be coaxed onto subsystems or similar systems with the right environment.

Sprite abilities stem from the attributes of the systems they inhabit, picking up on the emotionality and events in their area.

Sprites range in strength and complexity, depending on the system and devices they spawned in, ranging in power from 1-6. Power affects the strength of sprite effects, as well as how many effects they know.

Significant resonance is required for a sprite to spawn or inhabit a system. Sprites can only inhabit devices where the resonance is 3x the sprite’s power. When sprites inhabit systems, they use up the resonance equal to their power, deleting or removing programs to make space for themselves. If there is space on a system for a sprite to grow, they will seek out data and processing space to allow them to grow. When multiple sprites exist in a system they might cooperate, or they may cannibalize each other to grow.

Sprites may inhabit digital spaces, or take control of resonant devices in order to interact with metahumans. Characters can make a perception check using Wit to identify sprite traces or behavior.

The cravings and desires of sprites are often foreign and difficult to fathom for metahumans. They generally want to grow more powerful, and to increase affinity with their surroundings, but the logic of their system will affect the states that they value. Sprites are naturally friendly and intrigued by metahumans and will go out of their way to greet neutral or friendly people. However, depending on the security settings in their system, they may be paranoid and defensive, seeing all intruders as a threat.

Sprites can be bargained with, trading services or digital effects in exchange for interesting data or system improvements. Sprites may interpret bargains rigidly, or with inhuman logic, but they will perform actions to their best interpretation.

If a sprite cannot be appeased, or is growing out of control, they can be destroyed by damaging their systems or using damaging digital effects.