Program Directory

These programs and notes have been borrowed from other sources and need to be rebalanced to fit the GURPS rule system.

Bugs are programming “options” which reduce the difficulty of a program by incorporating features which are… shall we say, less than advantageous. You can attribute bugs to poor programming, beta test versions, cracked or corrupt copies, and so forth and so on. The source of the bug doesn't usually matter, but the effects should at least be inconvenient, and at most deadly.

You'll notice that many of the values given for these bugs are just the opposite of a positive option. Obviously, costs can be modified to suit. A bug which is the exact opposite of an option will cancel the option – you can't have Slow and Speed in the same program and expect either one to work, or to give you any change in the program's total difficulty.

THE BUGS

Crashes Often (-3): Every time the program is run, roll 1D6. On a roll of 1, it crashes and de-rezzes.

Slow (-1 to -3): When this program is run, it reduces deck speed by -1 to -3, depending on the severity of the bug.

Limited Range (-3): This bug only comes into play when a program already incorporates the Movement option. A program with this bug dies after it gets a certain distance away from the netrunner. 5 grid squares is usually a good rule of thumb.

Sloppy Coding (-10): One of the few bugs that can be directly attributed to poor programming, Sloppy Coding doubles the program's final MU.

Locks Up (-3): When run, roll 1D6. On a roll of 1, it freezes the netrunner in place, just like Glue.

Backfires (-5): This bug can only be used in conjunction with anti-personnel or anti-system functions. When the program is run, roll 1D6; on a roll of 1, it affects the user instead of the target.

Delayed Firing (-5): When the program is run, roll 1D6. On a roll of 1-3, the program will not function this round (another program can be run in its stead), but it will automatically execute the following round, using an action to do so. If it is running from a deck which only has one action, it will use that action.

Limited Use (-3): When the program is loaded into memory, roll 1D6. The result is the number of uses the program can survive before it de-rezzes and erases itself from memory. It cannot be recovered with Re-Rez; it must be written again from notes, reloaded from another system or a chip, or bought again. This bug cancels out the Auto Re-Rez option.

Corrupt (-5): Roll 1D6 whenever this program is run. On a roll of 1, it has corrupted 1 MU of memory. The MU is randomly determined, and any program using this block of memory is corrupted and cannot run. Affected programs must be removed and reloaded from an outside source, and the deck must be rebooted to free up the corrupted MU.

Conflicts (varies): This bug causes its program to conflict with another class of programs. No programs of the specified type can be run while this program is resident in memory. Cost is -3 per type of program this program conflicts with.

WRITING THE PROGRAM

Programs with negative difficulties cannot be written, because they just don't work. In addition, difficulties can never be reduced past the difficulty of the program's function. For example, a program which was composed of Evasion (10) + Auto Re-rez (3) + Conflicts with Anti-Personnel Programs (-3) + Locks Up (-3) would have a minimum difficulty of 10 (the difficulty of the program's Evasion function) even though the math comes out to a difficulty of 7. With this restriction, bugs are useful when you want to load a program up with tons of options, but you need to squeeze the difficulty down to a level more appropriate to your skill.

These bugs are also quite fun to spring on players who aren't choosy about their program sources.

From Cyberpunk 2020:

  "Anti-IC and Anti-Personnel programs cannot be Backup-copied; they have special copy-protection routines that erase the chip in the copy process. This makes sure you come back to your friendly local fixer for a new copy of Hellhound when yours crashes. You can make a copy using your Programming Skill against a Task Difficulty of 28."

In our games, we assume that the copy-protection routine referred to in the CP2020 rulebook prevents copies from being made. When you roll versus a difficulty 28 to make a copy, you are effectively cracking this section of the program. From then on, the program is cracked, and you may make a copy of it. Copying Made Easy Ditto (Anti-IC, STR 6, MU 4, GM's decision as to cost and availability)

Ditto deactivates the copy protection routine of a target Anti-IC or Anti-Personnel program. It is run against the target program and an opposed roll is made: Ditto's STR + 1d10 versus the target program's STR + 1d10. If Ditto wins, the string which prevents copying in the target program is stripped, and it may be copied freely with the COPY function on the Menu. This may affect its stability; on a 1 or 2 on a d6 roll, the target fries itself, and no copy can be made. The copies which result are cracked copies and are somewhat corrupted. Whenever run, they will crash and de-rez on a roll of 1 or 2 on a d6. ICON - If run in the net, Ditto breaks up the IC into a million glowing bits, then reforms it. If the program crashes, the bits simply spin away into the net without reforming. Other Avenues

Programs bought from legitimate sources (i.e., not your local fixer) may come with codes, allowing the corporate buyer to make backup copies, or even fully-enabled copies which can be run anywhere. This option would naturally be very expensive and might explain why Anti-Personnel programs cost so much.

Other options are a licensing/registration process, in which a purchaser (probably a corporation) pays a fee upon purchasing the program which guarantees a set number of copies of a given program from the manufacturer. This fee could be renewed annually, or simply paid whenever one of the corp's copies gets zapped by an intruding netrunner.

This opens up another avenue for netrunning. Runners could raid programming houses for anti-personnel codes for sale or distribution, or could steal the corporate's license, then get free copies from the house while the corporation foots the bill.

We're also working on black IC companies… after all, somebody's got to have a license to program and sell this stuff, right?

Presented here for your (dis)approval are more of our house rules on the convoluted computer world that is netrunning. These rules will expand upon, disregard, and sometimes contradict the published rules system. But you expected that, didn't you? Read on. CPUs and MUs CP2020 has never really provided a clear, concise explanation of netrunner decks, laptop computers, and mainframes (other than to note that you can netrun with some but not with others). A stock, generic cyberdeck comes off the shelf with 1 CPU and 10 MU. This is the standard deck as listed in CP2020, p. 133. In our house rules, decks are expandable up to a limit of 40 MU by spending 5,000eb per 10 MU (or 500eb per 1 MU, for more limited budgets).

The 40 MU limit is not a cap on deck capacity, but rather on access times by the CPU. A cyberdeck can contain more than 40 MU, but its Speed is penalized -1 for every 10 MU over the 40 MU limit. For example, a deck with 60 MU and only 1 CPU is at -2 to its effective Speed.

We're a bit fuzzy still on how many CPUs one deck can contain. So far, we have concluded that cyberdeck CPUs are expensive, and though miniaturized, it's hard to justify cramming more than two or three CPUs into a teeny little cyberdeck. As a playtest limit, I'd suggest pricing cyberdeck CPUs at about 5000eb a pop (half the cost of a standard CPU as listed in CP2020, p.155). Besides allowing you to have more MU with no speed reduction, multiple cyberdeck CPUs allow you to Multitask (Rache Bartmoss, p. 144) and Multinet (CB3, p. 58), just as you can with a computer. Since the Multitasking rules state that the maximum number of extra actions a netrunner can gain is 1 per CPU, up to a maximum of 3, I'd say that the maximum number of CPUs a deck can have is also 3 (thus limiting cyberdeck memory to an absolute internal maximum of 120 MU). Also note that adding multiple CPUs to a cybermodem effectively turns it into a desktop computer with a cybermodem attached (see below), because it's no longer quite as portable or amenable to the jarring and bumps associated with traveling. Why Bother Buying A Computer? If you hook a cybermodem up to a computer, you can netrun with it. To attach a cybermodem to a computer requires a free option slot and a Difficult (25) Electronics roll, unless the computer entry specifically states that the computer is engineered to support cybermodems (as the Zetatech PS-4040 Portastation does, CB3, p. 61).

It's considerably cheaper to plug your deck into a laptop than to add an extra CPU. For example, the Portastation costs 1000eb and comes with a whole host of options – 30 MU, a 10-slot chipreader, a 12 SP case, a keyboard, a scanner, etc., whereas a single extra CPU for the your deck would cost five times that. You can buy a cheap 500eb PCT Danzig (CB3 65), attach it to a Portastation, and voila: 2 CPUs, 40 total MU, +3 Data Walls, and you can now buy all the cheap plug-in Data Walls, Code Gates, and Processor Upgrades designed for use with PCs (CB3 70 and 72).

If all this sounds too easy, I'd suggest a few drawbacks:

First of all, as anyone with a supposedly “portable” laptop can attest to, a cybermodem stuck to a laptop is not anywhere near as portable, compact or durable as a high-end, expensive cybermodem. Think a whole mess of cables, peripherals, battery strips, a separate scanner and videoboard versus the quick and clean lines of a Raven Microcyb Kestrel.

Also, access times between the cybermodem and the attached laptop are significantly slow. Speed penalties for this set-up are in addition to 40 MU/1 CPU penalties and should begin around -5. Processor upgrades will be required to get the speed up to cybermodem level, and the access time can never be upgraded above -1.

We never quite figured out exactly what a “Demon” was supposed to be. After some debate, we decided that it was intended as a way to combine multiple functions inside the same program and halve the total Difficulty.

But we always interpreted the rules a bit differently, and in our games, a Demon works like this:

A Demon is a sort of program repository, a mobile MU storage area, if you will. You can plug any other program into a Demon, and the Demon will compress and carry it. Stun, Codecracker, Killers of all varieties, you name it. The Demon can carry a number of programs equal to its STR, and every carried program drops the Demon's STR by 1 point. Thus, an Afreet can effectively carry 2 programs. While there's space for another program, that third program “fills” it and drops its STR to 0, so it's best to stop with 2 programs.

If the carried program's STR is lower than that of the Demon, the Demon will boost the carried program's STR to match the Demon's own. If the carried program's STR is higher than that of the Demon, it's capped off at the Demon's own STR level. A Balrog (STR 5) carrying a Stun (STR 3) would execute the Stun as if it were STR 5. Of course, the Demon takes up 2 more MU than the Stun alone would, and it's a bit slower (see below).

This changes the published Demons slightly, as follows:

Name STR Programs Carried Effectively MU Imp 2 1 3 Afreet 3 3 4 Succubus 4 3 4 Balrog 5 4 5

The Demon's MU does not change, regardless of the MU of the programs inside it. Since a Demon is effectively compressing the programs (like Packer does), the Demon can only carry up to twice its own MU. That is, a Balrog (MU 5) can only carry up to 10 MU of programs.

Lastly, there is a speed penalty associated with all Demons, equal to -1 for each program the Demon has inside of it. The Balrog listed above would be at -1 when attempting to execute its Stun program.

It may seem as though we've severely limited new Demons with this rule: after all, once you have one Demon for each STR point (Imp at 2, Aftreet at 3, Succubus at 4, Balrog at 5, and 5 unnamed programs at each point up to 10), what's the point of writing more Demons?

Well, Demons can have various subroutines written into them. This makes them just like any other multi-function program, like Omnivore (CB3 78). A Demon with an Intrusion function could be used both as a run-of-the-mill Compiler, and it could also be used as an Intrusion program in its own right.

With the coming of a vast virtual computer network which spans an entire globe (not to mention low earth orbit, the moon, and (perhaps in the near future) Mars), an entirely new subculture was created. Technophiles, hackers, and computer geeks of all ages came scrabbling into the future hand over fist, evolving from the primitive Internet culture of the 90's into the sleek Cyberpunk culture of the 2000's. Something as vast and poignant as Cyberspace must have a profound effect on everyone who touches it (or, as has been said, is touched BY it), and this effect will obviously be felt in the music, movies, art, and television of the day.

While Braindance/SimSense might be the entertainment of the elite, flatscreen movies are still likely to be a big production well into the middle and latter half of the 21st century. Likewise, books are still going to be written and read, though most likely on a palmtop computer screen as opposed to an actual paperback book (it should be noted that paperbacks still have the added benefit that they can burned for warmth when the Local Power Authority shuts down your electricity). Seeing as Cyberspace has had such a profound effect on society as a whole, it is unlikely that modern Cyberpunk fiction and entertainment will not include Cyberspace in its broad list of topics.

That being said, assume for a moment that horror movies in 2020 are still as popular (as well as bloodier, more shocking, and (perhaps) a tad bit scarier than the MPAA-butchered ones we're spoon fed in cinemas today). Some of these will involve Cyberspace. Some of these will be set in Cyberspace. But they will all be uniquely Cyberpunk, whether they are original movie creations, or new modern adaptations of old favorites (ie, “Dracula” comes to Night City, where he seduces and drains a corporate president's daughter who hires a group of occult-minded edgerunners to kill the dastardly vampire; or, perhaps, a more modern Prometheus in “Frankenstein 2020”: Dr. Frankenstein, a brilliant cyberneticist, builds an artificially-intelligent cyborg which causes all sorts of gruesome havoc on the good doctor's family and friends until they are both consumed in the end by a massive explosion).

If we consider that horror fiction is still as popular in 2020 as it is today, we can also assume that there will be programmers and techies out there with a close connection to the darker side of their souls. Their penchant for the horrific and the macabre will be felt in the work they do, much as with any other artist. An entire wave of horrific programs and products might be released. Some of them will be legally released, while a good deal will be written by underground programmers and unleashed to wreak damage in the name of revolution or sociopathic fun.

Hence, what follows is a list of horror and Halloween-themed programs and products; things that go bump in the 'net (if you will). Some are unique, some are standard, but all are tuned to set the mood and keep your netrunners screaming.

New Programs

Apparition Cost: 540 eb Class: Stealth Strength: 4 MU: 4 Options: Invisibility, Superrealistic ICON Difficulty/Programming Time: 27/162 hours Description: Apparition is designed to make a netrunner undetectable by normal means, giving him the look of a ghost. ICON: When Apparition is activated, the affected ICON shimmers and fades from view. The only visible trace left behind is a faint, ghostly outline and a cold breeze.

Bats Cost: 440 eb Class: Alarm/Detection Strength: 6 MU: 3 Options: One Use, Simple ICON Difficulty/Programming Time: 22/132 hours Description: Bats is a one-use alarm program, designed to detect intruders and warn its parent system of the security breach. ICON: A swarm of small black bats that hang from a ceiling or door frame. When alarmed, they flap around the intruder, squeaking and making a very loud racket, before flying off into separate directions.

Black Cat Cost: 11,500 eb Class: Anti-Personnel/Alarm Strength: 3 MU: 8 Options: Simple ICON, Movement Ability, Trace Difficulty/Programming Time: 46/276 hours Description: Black Cat is similar to Hellhound, only feline and less tenacious. Black Cat will warn the system AI or SysOp of any intruders, then pursue targets through the 'net and dish out 1D6 damage per attack. ICON: Black Cat appears as a cartoon feline, sleek and black, curled up asleep. When intruders are detected, it springs to life, its fur standing on end and its tail puffed out. With an alarming “Hiss!” it begins to attack and trace the target.

Black Cauldron Cost: 200 eb Class: Utility Strength: 8 MU: 2 Options: Contextural ICON Difficulty/Programming Time: 20/120 hours Description: Black Cauldron is simply a more powerful version of File Packer. ICON: A large, black, cast-iron cauldron filled with a murky, boiling liquid. Programs to be packed are “dumped” into the cauldron, screaming (if applicable), and then stirred about. They can be ladled out later, much smaller for being cooked.

BOO! Cost: 6,000 eb Class: Anti-Personnel Strength: 5 MU: 3 Options: Noisy, Invisibility, Simple ICON Difficulty/Programming Time: 24/144 hours Description: BOO! is a frightfully effective program that stays hidden so that it may ambush victims. If the program's attack is successful, it does no damage but has managed to send a neural signal to the target's brain, specifically to the portions that control fear and the “fight or flight” reflex. The target must roll under his own COOL rating, minus the strength of the BOO! program. Failure indicates that he must flee in terror in a random direction for 1D6 turns, and may not use any programs or menu options in that time. ICON: None, per se. When activated, the program lets out a very loud and startling “BOO!”

Cape Cost: 300 eb Class: Protection Strength: 3 MU: 1 Options: Contextural ICON Difficulty/Programming Time: 15/90 hours Description: A generic, all-purpose protection program, like Armor. ICON: Cape appears as a long, flowing, black cape with a red satin lining and a high collar. It's easy to imagine a vampire wearing such a cape, which is funny because icons with Cape running on them appear somewhat paler than normal.

Cobwebs Cost: 6,250 eb Class: Anti-Personnel Strength: 4 MU: 3 Options: Simple ICON Difficulty/Programming Time: 25/150 hours Description: Cobwebs is similar to the Glue program, but slightly weaker. If successful, it holds the target netrunner tangled in place for 1D10 turns. ICON: A thick mass of dusty cobwebs that hang from walls and ceilings like macabre party streamers.

Fog Cost: 600 eb Class: Stealth/Evasion Strength: 4 MU: 4 Options: Simple ICON Difficulty/Programming Time: 30/180 hours Description: A good stealth/evasion program designed for those with a certain gothic panache. ICON: When Fog is activated, a thick cloud of quickly-expanding mist envelops the one running the program. The mist clouds vision and dulls noise, allowing most 'runners to make a clean getaway. The strength of the program is halved, however, versus Dog-series programs.

Gaseous Form Cost: 200 eb Class: Intrusion Strength: 4 MU: 2 Options: Simple ICON Difficulty/Programming Time: 20/120 hours Description: A quiet way to breach Data Walls from the same people who brought you the Worm series of programs. It does 1D6 damage to a Data Wall per round of successful use. ICON: The netrunner using Gaseous Form becomes misty and intangible, flowing through “cracks” that appear in the Data Wall.

Ghoul Cost: 1,720 eb Class: Anti-Program/Detection Strength: 4 MU: 7 Options: Auto Re-Rezz, Invisibility, Fractal ICON Difficulty/Programming Time: 43/258 hours Description: Ghoul is a variant of Killer, written to lie in wait for intruding netrunners and/or programs. ICON: A stooped, humanoid creature with a muzzled face, wickedly-clawed hands, and a simian gait. It springs from ambush, using its “claws” to destroy its target.

Gremlins Cost: 210 eb Class: Controller Strength: 6 MU: 3 Options: Endurance, Contextural ICON Difficulty/Programming Time: 21/126 hours Description: Gremlins is virus-like in its application. When run on a data fortress or mainframe, the “gremlins” control random machines and items in realspace, always to a destructive and/or mischievous end. Forklifts run workers down, doors close and lock at random, monitors display random images or static, and speakers crackle with the evil, maddening laughter of the gremlins. ICON: Dozens of small, green, sickeningly cute demons with scales, forked tongues, and short tails. They scatter, mob-like, and wreak havoc on randomly-determined automated systems until either recalled or destroyed.

Jack o'Lantern Cost: 720 eb Class: Alarm/Detection Strength: 5 MU: 6 Options: Hang Up, Simple ICON Difficulty/Programming Time: 36/216 hours Description: Jack o'Lanterns are similar to dog series programs, except that they remain stationary, scanning for potential intruders. When an intruder is detected, the Jack o'Lantern will attempt to cut his connection, simultaneously contacting the system AI and/or SysOp and informing them of the security breach. ICON: Though Jack o'Lanterns all share the form of a well-carved cartoon pumpkin, its interior flickering with orange candlelight, each has a unique face and body shape.

Mad Slasher Cost: 13,750 eb Class: Anti-Personnel Strength: 8 MU: 9 Options: Auto Re-Rezz, Endurance, Superrealistic ICON, Movement Ability, Pseudo Intellect, Damage Upgrade (*) Difficulty/Programming Time: 55/330 hours Description: The Mad Slasher is the spitting image of a Hollywood horror villain that lurks the 'net in search of victims. Written by an unknown sociopathic programmer, the Mad Slasher is nearly indestructible and never gives up looking for its intended victim. It seems to take great joy in killing those that happen to cross its path, dealing 1D10 damage per successful attack. ICON: The Mad Slasher has been seen with many icons, each with its own unique personality. Versions have been known to wear the faces of Nightmare on Elm Street's Freddy Krueger, Friday the 13th's Jason, and Halloween's Shape (ie, Michael Meyers). Some have even been programmed to resemble real-life serial killers. The program doesn't talk (though some have been modified to taunt their victims), maintaining an eerie silence as it slashes out with whatever weapons it has.

Necromancer Cost: 340 eb Class: Utility Strength: 6 MU: 5 Options: Conversational Ability, Pseudo-Intellect, Memory, Photorealistic ICON Difficulty/Programming Time: 34/204 hours Description: Necromancer is a high-cost, high-performance version of the Re-Rezz utility. Necromancer can re-rezz destroyed programs nearly 60% of the time. Necromancer leaves obvious signs of its use: the icon of the re-rezzed program is somehow thinner, marked by fractal scars and stitches. ICON: Necromancer appears as a gaunt man in a heavy black robe, similar to that used by a priest. When he speaks, his voice is a disconcerting whisper. When he reanimates programs, he waves his hands and utters strange incantations under his breath. If successful, the program in question “rises from the dead.”

Nevermore (Raven MkII) Cost: 690 eb Class: Anti-System Strength: 5 MU: 3 Options: Fractal ICON Difficulty/Programming Time: 23/138 hours Description: Similar in theory to the “Raven” anti-personnel program, Nevermore is a bit more selective. It strikes at the 'runner's cyberdeck, targeting the circuitry that transmits visual information to the user. A successful attack indicates that these video circuits are destroyed and must be replaced, and the netrunner should be considered “blind” as long as he's in cyberspace. New circuits cost anywhere from 200 euro (for low-cost decks) to several thousand (for top-of-the-line consoles). ICON: A shiny black bird that lands on the target icon and plucks out its eyes. With a successful attack the bird barks out, “Nevermore!”

Screaming Skull Cost: 7,250 eb Class: Anti-Personnel Strength: 4 MU: 4 Options: Noisy, Speed (+2 Deck Speed), Fractal ICON Difficulty/Programming Time: 29/174 hours Description: A Hellbolt variant with a personality all its own. Screaming Skull launches with blinding speed and deafening noise. If successful, it does 2D6 damage to the target netrunner. ICON: A normal-sized skull with coals for eyes and a flaming contrail. It shoots forth, howling and screaming like a banshee, and chews into the target's icon with savage ferocity like a piranha.

Skeleton Cost: 5,500 eb Class: Anti-Personnel Strength: 2 MU: 3 Options: Auto Re-Rezz, Contextural ICON, Noisy Difficulty/Programming Time: 22/132 hours Description: A small, cheap, and persistent anti-personnel program that deals out 1D6 damage per successful attack. ICON: A stylized skeleton that walks with a very loud clattering of bones. If destroyed and subsequently re-rezzed, the Skeleton's bones re-form into a cohesive whole and it continues to attack its target.

Trick or Treat Cost: 250 eb Class: Decryption Strength: 4 MU: 3 Options: Conversational Ability, Fractal ICON Difficulty/Programming Time: 25/150 hours Description: A relatively effective code-breaker that only works against Code Gates. ICON: A tightly-packed group of nearly a dozen costumed children, each holding a sack or pillow case. When activated, the children swarm around the Code Gate, chanting “trick or treat” while holding their sacks up patiently. The children can hold conversations, which usually consist of informing the controlling netrunner of the Code Gate's password or code.

Vampire Bats Cost: 1,110 eb Class: Alarm/Detection/Anti-System Strength: 6 MU: 6 Options: One Use, Simple ICON Difficulty/Programming Time: 37/222 hours Description: Similar to Bats, but much more sinister. The program detects intruders and alerts the system much as Bats does, but it also deletes 1D6 random programs from the intruder's cyberdeck. ICON: A swarm of small black bats with small, sharp teeth that hang from a ceiling or door frame. When alarmed, they flap around the intruder, squeaking and making a very loud racket, before flying off into separate directions.

Wicked Old Witch Cost: 16,500 eb Class: Interactive Anti-Personnel Strength: 6 MU: 12 Options: Conversational Ability, Memory, Pseudo-Intellect, Recognition, Photorealistic ICON Difficulty/Programming Time: 66/396 hours Description: Originally written by an elusive netrunner calling himself “Scarecrow,” the Wicked Old Witch attempts to seek out and destroy intruders in its data fort, dealing 3D6 damage per successful attack. Through its complex AI subroutines, it can easily be mistaken for another netrunner or, in the case of a virtual reality, a genuine wicked witch. ICON: A tall, thin woman with green skin who wears a black outfit complete with a pointy hat, and wields a broom upon which she can zip about as if flying. She often cackles, calling people she meets “my pretty” and threatening to “get your little dog, too!” The witch throws balls of fire when attacking her victims, screaming, “How about a little fire, Scarecrow!”

(*) - Indicates a new programming option. See below.

New Programming Options

Damage Upgrade (Difficulty +5) Only applies to Anti-Personnel, Anti-Program, or Intrusion functions. Increases the damage values caused by the program in question by one die. For example, D6's become D10's. This option can only be purchased once.

Damage Downgrade (Difficulty -5) Only applies to Anti-Personnel, Anti-Program, or Intrusion functions. Decreases the damage values caused by the program in question by one die. For example, D6's become D3's. This option can only be purchased once.

Netrunning Gear

Tombwerx Casket Creche Cost: 50,000 eb Speed: +3 MU: 30 Data Walls: +5 Options: 'Trodes, Chipreader, Dead Man's Handle, Hardened Circuitry, Neural Recognition Security Description: This funky little number will give you the ultimate in Cyberspace comfort as well as the style of a born-again child of the night. The Tombwerx Casket Creche is a genuine luxury coffin, made from the finest imported teak, lacquered and polished to a mirror-shine, and lined inside with luxurious quilted satin (in any color you can imagine). Created to order by the fine artisans of the Old Country. Hardened to resist all but the most intense electromagnetic pulses, equipped with an inner-sealing magnetic lock, environmental controls, and armored to an SP of 25, you can be certain that a century or more may pass before your rest is disturbed by outside influences. This quality tomb piece is not for everyone, but it does make quite an impression on those not familiar with genuine techno-gothic flair. Notes: Stylish? Sure. Functional? Yes. Pretentious? Of course. This is a specialty deck, obviously, with wealthy wanna-be gothic netrunners in mind. The thing weighs nearly a ton, so it's doubtful it'll be stolen. Just in case, there is some serious security if the would-be thief drives a fork lift.

As designed by an ex-corporate runner named Marionette.

Acme Portable Hole (Intrusion, STR 8, MU 4, 240eb)

Acme Portable Hole is quite similar to Rache Bartmoss' Portal (RB pg.148) in that it is a silent intrusion program which emulates a part of the data wall and integrates itself into it (no alert). The “hole” is established immediately, however, the passage time through it will take a full combat turn. ICON: Come on, you gotta know what it looks like, you watched cartoons when you were little. If you were some tortured child banned from television, the runner pulls out a small black blob which he unfolds into a circular shape. He places the circle in the desired spot, sticking it there, and enters the dark passage.

Acme Rocket-Skates (Anti-System, STR 6, MU 4, 900eb)

Acme-Rocket Skates take over the movement protocol of an opponent's deck. This causes the netrunner to be propelled in a straight path at a rate of 5 spaces per turn. The direction the netrunner is sent is random and uncontrollable, 1D4 should be rolled to indicate direction. Acme Rocket-Skates will continue in this path until a collision with an obstacle (excluding other runners and programs, you basically run them over) occurs. Upon impact, reroll a direction and continue with the fiasco. ICON: A pair of old roller-skates with rockets and sparkling fuses appear on the target.

Garrote (Anti-Personnel, STR 5, MU 3, 6250eb)

Causes the netrunner to stop breathing. Choking damage (as in CP2020, pg. 111) will be inflicted for 1D6+STR number of rounds (no save, and BTM does not apply). During this period, the netrunner is still conscious and aware, allowing him to continue in his travels if he chooses. However, the damage will cease if the runner jacks out and runs another day. No ICON.

Party Foul (Anti-System, STR 5, MU 4, 810eb)

On a successful hit, Party Foul disables 1D6 of your programs for 2D6 rounds. For each program hit, roll a 1D10 in addition. On a roll of 1 or 2, that disabled program has been wiped from your system, never to return. +2 on attack rolls. ICON: A large serving tray containing several full, glass champagne glasses appears in the 'runner's hand (or best substitute). The 'runner then stumbles, dropping the tray and shattering all the glass.

Silly String (Anti-System, STR 4, MU 4, 780eb)

Silly String works through rerouting the signals between a runner and their CPU through an infinite subroutine, thereby freezing a runner in his tracks. There he will stay until he jacks out and his deck is physically rebooted and the subroutine cleared. ICON: A thin, unending stream of silly string fired from a canister held by the attacker, which entangles the opponent. The silly string's color comes in various flavors and can easily be changed or randomized to suit personal preferences.

A netrunner named Virtue worked up these programs during our infamous Coke Madness Panama City game.

Clone (Evasion, STR 5, MU 3, 460eb)

A modified Doppleganger. It creates only 1D4 copies of the runner's ICON and trace, but the program will re-rez when the last copy has been destroyed. ICON: As the runner's ICON.

Corruption (Anti-System, STR 3, MU 2, 540eb)

This program attacks the resident memory of a cyberdeck, damaging the code of the programs within. With a successful hit, roll randomly to see which programs are affected. Programs of a STR lower than the Corruption become completely useless. Programs of a STR higher than Corruption are partially damaged and crash part of the time. Divide the Corruption STR by Program STR and multiply the result by 100 to determine the percentage of Corruption; this number is the base chance an affected program will crash each round. ICON: A rotten tomato, which splatters the runner.

Doppleganger (Evasion, STR 5, MU 2, 400eb)

Creates 1D6 copies of the runner's trace and ICON. Similar to Lightning Bug (Rache Bartmoss, p. 148) and Replicator (CP2020, p. 138), Doppleganger's copies remain in a shifting group around the real runner until they are attacked and destroyed. Attackers must make a V. Difficult INT roll to determine which image is the real runner; programs usually randomly attack (1 in 1D6 chance the real runner is hit). Damage is subtracted from the total Doppleganger's STR until de-rezzed (so, if 3 copies are hit for 2 points each, a total of 6 points is done to the core program, and it de-rezzes). ICON: Whatever the runner's ICON is.

Eye Spy (Detection/Alarm, STR 5, MU 7, 1020eb)

A more sophisticated version of Eyewitness, this program is difficult to trace back to its owner, can remember and track specific runners without instructions, and returns to its master regardless of his location. If detected, it activates its Evasion subroutine and runs for home. It can also be set to trace the first netrunner who passes by a given locale, or who jacks in from a predetermined location. ICON: A pair of Groucho Marx glasses (with nose and mustache) (when discovered).

Eyewitness (Detection/Alarm, STR 4, MU 6, 800eb)

Traces another runner, recording everything he does, and returns to its owner when the tagged subject jacks out. The owner must locate the target and sic this program on him, and remain in a predetermined location within the Net when the program returns, or it will de-rezz when it gets back and finds its master missing (or when its master jacks out). A CPU will automatically fulfill this requirement as long as it is on-line. If the program is detected, it can be traced back to its owner. ICON: A flaming eyeball (when discovered).

Fastpacker (Utility, STR 3, MU 2, 200eb)

Like File Packer, but it takes only 1 turn to unpack your programs.

Flypaper (Anti-IC, STR 4, MU 3, 1000eb)

A less-powerful version of Straitjacket, freezing IC for 1D6 turns. Otherwise as above. ICON: A tube of flypaper, unrolled with a flourish.

Forty Winks (Anti-Personnel, STR 4, MU 3, 6250eb)

A more powerful version of Knockout. Forty Winks knocks the runner unconscious for 1D6 hours and automatically drops him out of the Net. It also stops the runner's breathing while he is unconscious. Depending on BOD, the runner will start taking damage (as per Choking, CP2020, p.11); assume that he must make a BOD save each minute after 5 minutes have passed, with BOD dropping -1 each minute. After a save is failed, the runner takes 1D6 damage per round, and INT drops by 1 point for every minute that his brain goes without oxygen. He can be revived with CPR or other means. Any INT loss is permanent. ICON: A field of poppies blooms around the netrunner.

Hot Potato (Anti-IC/Anti-Personnel, STR 6, MU 4, 1120eb)

Passes an anti-personnel program with a tracing function onto another netrunner. Hot Potato is used on the pursuing program. If Hot Potato is used successfully and the pursuer passes within five spaces of another runner, it mistakes the bystander's trace for the original, and attacks the bystander instead of you. ICON: Mr. Potatohead grabs the pursuing IC, and is absorbed into it after a short tussle.

ID (Detection/Alarm, STR 3, MU 3, 300eb)

Detects the type and strength of a foreign program. ICON: The Romper Room Magic Mirror.

Presto (Demon, STR 5, MU 3 (empty),1840eb)

Carries up to 5 programs. ICON: A magician's top hat, out of which the programs are pulled.

Straitjacket (Anti-IC, STR 8, MU 4, 1200eb)

Freezes IC in place for 1D10 turns. The IC resumes normal operation when the effects wear off. Since the program is not de-rezzed, most sysops and systems will not notice that the IC has been frozen without running a program like Monitor (Rache Bartmoss, p. 150). ICON: A straitjacket (what else) which encloses the target IC.

DATA PACKETS

An encrypted data packet, or a data squirt, is a transmission between two points within the Net. It travels on the same public lines that normal Net traffic uses, and goes through public LDLs if it needs to. It is considered to move at the same 5 spaces per turn rate as all the other traffic in the Net.

It is always in a format that the I-G Algorithms can translate into information, but whether that information is visible or not is up to the parties involved. Visible indications of data transmission can range from glowing points of neon to fractally rendered bubbles to laser lines to a fanciful convoy composed of virtual trucks. Transmissions can also be made hidden or invisible with the same Stealth programs used to conceal netrunners and ice, and as such can be discovered with programs like SeeYa or Speedtrap.

For purposes of error correction, transmissions are all considered to be two-way, but they are not usually visualized as a single line connecting both systems together (unless a trace is run, see below). Rather, as packets of information and confirmation notices are sent back and forth, they are translated into a visible image by the I-G Algorithms – something like cars moving on an invisible highway.

PRIVATE LDLS

Heavy-duty corporations, along with government and financial institutions, will have paid Internet massive world-breaking amounts of euro to have their own private LDLs for data and money transfers. Massive exchanges of information are therefore possible with no chance of outside interference (unless you hack into the fort and fiddle with the LDL itself), and it's extremely fast. Most data transfers can be performed entirely in-house, provided there are enough private LDLs available – placed in switching stations, branch offices, or whatever.

LDL JUMPING

What this amounts to is a separate LDL system for the daring (or foolhardy) netrunner – if you can hack into Arasaka Night City and use their private LDL to get to the Arasaka datafort in Rio de Janeiro, and then leave the fort to do all your running, you avoid using the public LDL system entirely, thus avoiding all possibility of incurring a long-distance charge. You also ensure that anyone tracing will follow your trace straight back to the Arasaka datafort. At the very least, they'll be prevented from tracing you further, and they might even assume you're working for Arasaka.

Of course, private LDLs have a security value too, which should be assigned by the GM when the datafort is created. And, if you fail to scam the internal Arasaka LDL, you have a lot more to worry about than a big long-distance bill …

NET ARCHITECTURE, OR HOW THE LITTLE GUY TRANSFERS DATA

Smaller companies, on the other hand, have to rely on sending data packets through the Net. Here's where the Demon/Daemon series of programs comes in really handy. Demons already incorporate the capacity to carry extra MU inside them, and though this was originally intended as a way to carry extra netrunning programs without taking up valuable deck space, there's no reason that capacity can't be used to carry raw data. Daemons (Chromebook 3, p. 58) are even better, because they're intelligent enough to defend themselves and carry out a specific set of preplanned instructions, should they be interfered with. Obviously, in order to use these programs for data transfer, you have to re-engineer them to possess the Movement, Endurance, Recognition, and Memory functions to allow them to move freely back and forth between systems.

It may seem like sending data this way places it in a great deal of jeopardy – after all, anybody could come along and divert or delete the data being sent. However, you have to remember that the Net is literally filled to capacity with this traffic. Everything from private email to encrypted purchase orders to advertising circulars to singing telegrams is zooming everywhere at the speed of light, and it's practically impossible to catch a specific piece of data unless you A) know what it looks like, B) know where it came from, C) know its route, D) know its destination, and E) are willing to wait for a long time in a given spot to catch and misdirect it.

There is no way to know what a particular data squirt contains without catching it, and catching one is like trying to pick one neon tetra out of an entire tankful (or one grain of sand out of an entire beach, or one drop of water out of an entire waterfall, etc). Companies will also convoy their data, camoflauging it among useless junk, or even send company netrunners to ride herd. If a route is constantly compromised, savvy corporates will begin hiding nasty anti-personnel programs inside the squirts … imagine catching what you think is a file on upcoming Eji swimsuit designs, only to discover a Liche hiding inside …

Keep in mind that data packets are not the only items which might be traveling along the line; transmissions may be in an ice-guarded convoy, since pretty much any program with Movement functions could be sent along for protection (Pit Bulls, Hellhounds, and other assorted nasties come to mind). Also, data could be under the shield of a licensed data transport company and watched by real, live netrunners for protection, whose job is to make sure the encrypted transmissions get where they're supposed to go, on time and unadulterated. (NetEx and United Data Services, for instance – I promise we'll put something up about them Real Soon Now ™.)

Once netrunners have hacked into the ubiquitous datafort, rather than just raping the system and running away, they may be able to learn the decryption code the company uses for its data squirts, or the schedule for their most important transfers, or even the key used to identify what each squirt looks like while in transit (the blue sphere is Accounts Recievable, the black one is Advertising).

This opens up a whole new arena of netrunning. No longer are netrunners and AIs the only tenants of a mostly deserted grid, and no longer is the Net just an empty arena for netrunners to attack dataforts in. Now, Netspace is teeming with billions of data packets, flying at breakneck spead from system to system, some clamoring for attention, some sinister and silent as a stealth plane.

BE VEWY VEWY QUIET - WE'RE HUNTING WABBITS

If you're jacked in, you may see a packet leave a Data Fort, or you may see it whiz by you in transit, or you may see its destination, but you probably won't see all three unless the two transmitting systems are very close together in Netspace (within the 20 space vision limit specified in CP2020, p. 152).

If a netrunner sees a packet, he can run a trace on it by activating the Long Distance Link from the Menu, and rolling 1d10 + INT + Interface higher than the Trace Value of whatever LDLs the signal has passed through. If successful, the netrunner sees a glowing, green-blue line running from whatever he is looking at to the source of the trace. If it came through an LDL, he can follow the line back to the LDL and must scam it as normal in order to follow it through. Obviously, if the source is local, Trace Values do not come into account (unless the target is running an anti-trace program like George (CB3 74). Trace programs can give you a bonus to this roll; if your target's gone through a bunch of LDLs, even your 1d10 + INT + Interface may not high enough to follow. Again, this is a variation on the Trace function found in Rache Bartmoss, p. 145. It may not be suitable for all campaigns.

HE STUCK IN HIS THUMB…

Once the transmission route has been determined, the netrunner can position himself along the line and intercept or garble the packets passing by. This is called tapping the transmission and can be active or passive in nature.

A passive tap uses a copy utility program to quietly copy the information passing by. Unless the netrunner knows the code key or has a high-strength Intrusion program, he's going to be stuck with a bunch of encrypted files which may or may not be breakable and may or may not be booby-trapped (see below). This method of tapping is practically undetectable; GM's call as to what the transmitting parties must roll to find out what's going on.

An active tap is one in which the netrunner places himself in the path of the transmission and deliberately interfers with the packets as they travel by. A special Tap Utility program (STR varies, but a good level is 4 with MU 1) must be run in order for the netrunner to access the transmission. A roll may or may not be required depending on the GM's judgement. Creating false information to be inserted into a transmission must be made outside the Net, and requires a template to work on and a Programming roll of Difficulty 20+ (depending on what is to be substituted).

For example, if Weefleboy wants to interfere with a routine profits report between a branch office and its parent corporation, changing the 10,000eb reported to a mere 1,000eb, he has a whole host of things to do: He must find out when the report is to be transmitted, obtain a copy of a similar report so he knows what his forgery must resemble, create a false report, position himself on the transmission line, and at the proper point insert his duplicate into the transmission without either end being the wiser. Detecting this would depend on what the netrunner rolled, and would be GM's call, but the inherent toughness of active tapping means that both ends get a roll, and probably an easy one at that.

Corrupting information is a lot easier (and easier to detect) – I'd figure you could run an Anti-IC program on a packet and blow it all to hell, or just roll Interface against a Diff of 15.

CHRISTMAS MORNING

Packets are almost always encrypted. Now that you've caught one, how do you get into it?

Encrypted packets are considered to be File Locked, with the STR of the lock depending on the sensitivity of the information inside. They can be broken with Raffles, Wizard's Book, or other Intrusion programs designed to break File Locks. They may self-destruct if a cracking attempt fails (i.e., Wizard's Book can't break it on the first try), or they may contain booby traps like Cry Baby (Chromebook 3, p. 76).

ADVERTISING

The Net has more traffic than the biggest Mallplex on the planet, and it's open 24 hours a day. What better place to advertise your products and services than in the Net? Why stick with boring old animated billboards when you can have free-roaming, intelligent, full-sensory ads programmed to find a likely mark – er, customer – and bombard him with jingles until he pays up or jacks out? Companies could use datafort walls for a free advertising medium, or create anti-system programs that attack a runner and overlay his ICON with a popular slogan or commercial character. The possibilities are endless.

POP-UP SYSTEMS

Rumors abound of systems connected to the Net that are powered, but empty. This doesn't happen, folks; any system which was abandoned would also be physically deactivated, and not left linked into the Net for any period of time. What does happen frequently is more like what Janice Grubb describes in Rache Bartmoss, p. 140:

  Entire heavily secured dataforts and, sometimes, city-grid scale systems patch in only briefly to upload and download compressed files. They are Very Difficult to spot and, like Alpha and the orbital workshacks, only connect to the Net at a set hour and for a very short period of time.

This type of pop-up operation, along with private LDL links (see above) is what some corporations and most military installations use to keep secret files safe. After all, if they're not intending to put their data out on the Net, why bother maintaining a constant connection, risking continual intrusion by enemy netrunners? It makes much more sense, security-wise, to minimize contact with the Net as a whole. Such systems would use carefully concealed land lines or, more likely, radio modems, so they'd be almost impossible to trace without careful observation.

TRACING

This is a variation on the Trace function found in Rache Bartmoss, p. 145. While programs require a special Trace option to perform a trace, netrunners can run one simply by using the Menu. Activate the Long Distance Link from the Menu, and roll 1d10 + INT + Interface higher than the Trace Value of whatever LDLs the signal has passed through. If successful, the netrunner sees a glowing, green-blue line running from whatever he is looking at to the source of the trace. If it came through an LDL, he can follow the line back to the LDL and must scam it as normal in order to follow it through. Obviously, if the source is local, Trace Values do not come into account (unless the target is running an anti-trace program like George (Chromebook 3, p. 74).

Trace programs can give you a bonus to this roll; if your target's gone through a bunch of LDLs, even your 1d10 + INT + Interface may not high enough to follow.

AIS AND MULTIPLE CPUS

House Rule:

  AIs CAN have more than 7 CPUs. As in the Interfaces, there is no "fragmentation" involved when you hit the magic number of 7, despite what is stated in the main Cyberpunk book and in Rache Bartmoss, p. 145. There is no practical limit to the number of CPUs an AI may have; however, common-sense and Turing restrictions (see below) mandate that you don't make your AIs too huge, because they begin to pose a threat to the system and its operators.

The only way to move data throughout the Net is to copy it. AIs must work out of physical systems; they cannot move freely through the Net like ghosts or spirits, and they cannot “exist in the Net architecture.” They must have an anchoring system to netrun out of, just like a human netrunner. In order to flee the system they are housed in, they must copy themselves to another system, or have their set of associated CPUs physically disconnected and moved somewhere. Some AIs may be reluctant to copy themselves to another system, because the “original” isn't getting free at all, merely a copy.

HUMAN AIS

Human AIs are specialized AIs which originate from a detailed study of a living person. They are created by exhaustively studying the human model (hundreds of questionnaires, personality tests, IQ tests, reaction tests, and so forth and so on) and programming an artificially intelligent “copy.” They are just like normal AIs in every respect except for their origin, and they can learn and expand into extra CPUs if they are permitted to. Most human AIs requrie CPUs equivalent to their original human INT.

Human AIs are not really human anymore. As Rache Bartmoss said, “He thought he was human, but in my opinion, he was a program which expertly emulated human thought. What a pitiful existence.”

Some popular myths about human AIs:

  "You can become a human AI by dying in the Net."

Sorry, nothing doing. AIs can't free-float (see above), and technology has not yet advanced to the point where you can move your whole mind out of your brain and dump it in the Net. If you die in the Net, you're just plain dead. Adios.

  "Soulkiller can suck your mind out and turn you into a human AI."

Nope. No program architecture is sophisticated enough to copy the entirety of a human brain and translate it into data. In any case, you can't “move” or “suck” someone's mind out; you can only copy it and erase the original, so the “original” you would be dead anyway, and not free to roam the Net.

  "There is a 'Ghost Town' where human AIs congregate."

Again, because AI's can't freefloat and live in Net architecture without an anchoring system, the most likely truth to this rumor is a “Ghost Town” BBS, where human AIs can netrun and exchange information with each other. If there's an actual, physical, “Ghost Town” system collecting and harboring rogue AIs, Turing (see below) is going to be very interested in tracking it down … Even the “Ghost Town” as a BBS would be extremely dangerous for the human AIs involved, because such a large congregation of rogues could be traced and killed more easily than each AI could individually.

ROM CONSTRUCTS

Like Dixie Flatline in William Gibson's Neuromancer, ROM constructs are human AIs which have been hardwired into a particular computer. Since they are ROM, they revert to their original state whenever their power supply is cut off, forgetting everything they have “learned” in the meantime. They are more limited and more popular than standard human AIs, since they are easily controlled – just shut the power down, and they immediately forget everything that made them dangerous. In rare cases, and with a lot of difficulty, they can be copied into a free system, in which case they become just like a regular human AI. Most ROM constructs are heavily encrypted and booby-trapped to prevent this from occuring (Impossible + roll to break copy protection without killing the AI).

TURING

Turing is the international regulatory agency charged with maintaining control of artificial intelligences. They are a subdivision of Interpol, and as such have nearly international jurisdiction. Their power is formally limited in the US; while they do have the expertise and limited authority to deal with AI problems, LEDiv NetSec makes sure that its own AI Division, and not Turing, takes care of major AI incidents within US borders. The best place to get information about Turing is to read the source: Neuromancer.

THE “ROGUE HUNTER” DIVISION OF NETWATCH (Rache Bartmoss, p. 14)

This informal division exists, but is seen by both Turing and LEDiv NetSec as a dangerously uninformed collection of amateurs interfering with things they don't fully understand. Amateur Rogue Hunting is illegal. All the real, professional “Rogue Hunters” already work for Turing or LEDiv NetSec, and they're not going to hand out permits and licenses to anybody they don't directly contract out.

Netwatch and freelance Rogue Hunters are occasionally hired by corporations intent on salvaging or covering up illegal AI experiments without alerting Turing and getting their entire datafort EMPed (and paying several million euro in fines besides). Of course, if such a Rogue Hunter gets caught by Turing, they're likely to be charged with aiding and abetting a rogue AI …

Lastly, “Rogue Hunting” is much less prevalent than Rache Bartmoss claims, because AI's can't get “loose” and just roam through the Net at will (as explained above).

Artful Dodger (Demon, STR 8, MU 5, 2320eb)

The Artful Dodger is a Demon designed to steal programs out of a target system, usually a netrunner's deck. Run the Dodger against the Data Walls of the target. If the Dodger penetrates the Data Wall, it executes its Utility function and copies programs from the target's memory into its own, deleting the originals. It takes 1 turn per MU copied, and the Dodger cannot steal Anti-Personnel or Anti-IC programs (due to their copy-protection subroutines). Copied programs must be removed from the Dodger's memory before they can be run, as its Compiler function serves only as storage space. ICON: A lean and hungry man dressed in 19th-century clothing, whose monochrome image flickers and pops as though taken from an old newsreel.

Drink Me! (Anti-Personnel, STR 4, MU 3, 6250eb)

Nicer than Spazz (CP2020, p. 140), but meaner than Cry Baby (Chromebook 3, p. 76), Drink Me! is hidden in memory, where it pretends to be a moderately sized datafile. SeeYa or Smarteye will reveal it, but reading or otherwise accessing the file without a code (copying, renaming, attempting to delete or move it, etc.) will set it off. Once triggered, it lodges itself in the deck, erasing as much MU as it requires, and if a netrunner is accessing the deck at the time, it has an additional effect; runners affected by Drink Me! are free to operate normally, but whenever they try to jack out, force a Stun save at -STR of the program. Failure indicates that the 'runner is seizuring and unable to take any action for 1D6 + STR turns. Note that Stunned runners are still jacked in, and being defenseless, can be attacked or traced normally. Drink Me! cannot be removed from memory until the deck is turned off or disconnected from the Net or the 'runner successfully jacks out, whereupon he can remove Drink Me! from memory with an INT + Programming + 1d10 vs. Drink Me! STR + 1d10 roll. It is designed to be spread around, so unlike most Anti-Personnel programs, it can be copied. ICON: None until activated, whereupon the netrunner's ICON is wreathed by electricity each time he is zapped, lasting for the duration of the seizures. Note: Some may want to incorporate the Anti-System function, since it technically attacks the deck when it lodges in memory. If so, increase MU to 6, Diff to 40, and Cost to 10,000eb.

Hokey Pokey (Anti-System/Anti-Program or Anti-System/Anti-Personnel, STR 7, MU 8, price varies)

Hokey Pokey attacks the motion algorithms of a cyberdeck or the movement functions of an independent program. Whenever a netrunner attempts to move, his deck will incorrectly interpret the command, and he will go in a random direction instead. No other functions are affected by this program, and as long as the runner doesn't try to move, he is free to execute any action he chooses (jack out, run another program, etc). Targets will stop just before moving into an occupied space, and in the case of a netrunner, will move for however many spaces they had intended to move … but in the wrong direction. It takes an INT roll (Awareness/Notice or System Knowledge, at GM's discretion) to figure out what has happened in time to take immediate action; if this roll is failed, the netrunner automatically loses initiative that turn.

  Example: Edger is hit with Hokey Pokey. When he tries to move 3 spaces, towards a waiting datafort, he instead goes 3 spaces in a random direction ... in this case, straight into the jaws of a waiting Hellhound.

Hokey Pokey has a similar effect on programs, but forces them to move randomly rather than attack. Any program hit with Hokey Pokey is forced to move one space in a random direction each turn until Hokey Pokey wears off. In either case, Hokey Pokey lasts for 1D6+3 turns. Movement is determined according to a d4.

Hokey Pokey can be removed with any standard anti-IC program (i.e., the Killer series). A particularly evil variant cannot be used against programs, but incorporates a JackAttack subroutine. ICON: None, but an affected netrunner will hear a chorus of children's voices singing, “You put your right foot in, you take your right foot out …” for as long as the random movement lasts.

The standard version is STR 7, MU 8, and costs 2000eb. The JakAttack Variant is STR 7, MU 8, and costs 12,500eb.

For the bargain shopper, stripped variants are available. These versions can only be used against one kind of target (program or netrunner, choose which upon purchase) and do not have the auto re-rez capability. An anti-IC version is STR 7, MU 4, and costs 840eb. An anti-system version has the same STR and MU, but costs 1180eb.

Hush Puppy (Evasion, STR 5, MU 1, 300eb)

Hush Puppy is a cheap anti-trace program with a catch. When the program is run, the deck's signal is immediately polluted by something akin to line noise. This reduces all trace attempts made against the deck by the STR of the program (as the signal is weak, spotty, switches frequently, and is altogether tough to follow). Unfortunately, whenever the netrunner passes through an LDL, the STR is added to its Security Value. If this roll is failed, the netrunner's signal is dropped. He is not traced, charged for the call, or fed to NETWATCH goons; the signal is considered to have terminated before the LDL is run. Example: Weefleboy is moving through the Night City LDL on his way to Havana. Since the Security Value of Night City's LDL is 2, he must roll a 2 or higher on a d10 to successfully scam the link. However, since he's running Hush Puppy, Hush Puppy's STR of 5 is added to the Security Value, and he must now roll a 7 or better or drop carrier. Ouch. Of course, that local Hellhound on his trail now has to fight a STR 5 anti-trace program … ICON: None.

Leash (Anti-IC, STR 4 [6 vs Dogs], MU 4, 1300eb)

Leash is an anti-IC program designed to remove the Movement function of the Dog series of programs, specifically Bloodhound, Pit Bull, Hellhound, Werewolf (RB 107), and Cerberus (RB 148). It neither freezes nor destroys the program, but simply tethers it to a specific grid square and restricts its movement to that square. It can affect other programs, but at -2 to its STR. ICON: A leash, what else?

Mockingbird (Intrusion, STR 4, MU 5, 360eb)

Mockingbird is a complicated Intrusion program which bears some resemblance to the Daemon series of programs (CB3 58). It insinuates itself into the structure of a Code Gate, copying itself into the MU of the target system, and remains there until discovered and removed (as per the standard means of removing Daemons, CB3 60). It does not alter the functioning of the Code Gate in any way, but creates a small log file of all accesses (including users, date/time of entry, and their respective access codes). Mockingbird will upload this log file to the first person who gives it a specific password, usually the netrunner who planted it inside the Gate. That netrunner can then use the codes and usernames to pose as a legitimate user and enter the Gate freely at any time. It has no ICON. Note that some GMs may rule that Mockingbird must be run on the internal Memory block that contains the code for the Code Gate.

Muzzle (Anti-IC, STR 4 [6 vs Dogs], MU 4, 1300eb)

Muzzle removes the Alarm function from the Dog series of programs, specifically Watchdog, Bloodhound, Pit Bull, Hellhound, Werewolf (RB 107), and Cerberus (RB 148). A silenced Dog cannot call for help or alert the system to intrusions. It does not cripple affected programs in any other way, so a silenced Pitbull could still trace you and cut your line, though it couldn't alert its home system to your presence. ICON: A steel and leather muzzle, with various chrome spikes and studs, is clapped over the Dog's head (or any other program's nearest equivalent).

Vertigo (Anti-Personnel, STR 3, MU , 6500eb)

Vertigo interferes with a netrunner's spatial sense, causing its target to feel as though he is falling uncontrollably through the Net even though his ICON remains stationary. Its effects last 1D6+3 turns, and the netrunner must make a COOL save minus the STR of this program (that is, at -3) in order to take any action each round. A netrunner may alternately make a Very Difficult COOL roll to ignore the sensation for the duration of the program. However, if this roll is failed, the netrunner forfeits any further COOL saves and cannot resist the program for the remainder of its duration. ICON: The user's ICON's eyes turn into the classic cartoon hypnotist's eye, a spinning wheel of clashing colors.

Programs to a Netrunner are like spells to a wizard. In the hands of a capable hacker, these programs become an arsenal of weapons and defenses, activated with the slightest thought. Below are several programs I have created in order to add color and flavor to punching deck.

Angel Of Death (Anti-Personnel/Anti-Program, STR 6, MU 11, 15750eb)

Angel Of Death was originally designed by Jake Katskill at the request of a religious organization calling itself “Trinity”. Since then, the program has found itself in the hands of high-ranking corporations and a few fixers here and there. Basically, Angel Of Death (or A.O.D., as it's called) is a hybrid version of Hellhound, crafted into one of the most deadly and destructive programs ever. It can deliver 2D10 of wound damage to a netrunner through a modulated heart pulse. It also tracks, waits for, and unmercifully hunts the victim down until the victim is destroyed, or it is. In addition to its inbred Hellhound qualities, the Angel Of Death can destroy other programs as well. This, along with its anti-personel abilities, makes it a force to be reckoned with. ICON: An angel, dressed entirely in white, with a large bastard sword in its hands. The angel's eyes are completely white and lifeless. It calls the netrunner's name and attacks with the sword.

Bushmaster (Anti-System, STR 5, MU 6, 840eb)

When run outside of a system, all a netrunner need do is point, and the Bushmaster will attack. This program works on both systems and decks (subtract 2 from its strength against decks). The program is very persistent, running independently until either it or the system is destroyed. If successful, the crashed system is offline for 1D6+2 turns and loses 1D6 ransom programs (they have been erased). ICON: A long, silver snake with gold blotches along its back in a regular pattern. The ICON injects the system with its fangs.

Clone (Utility/Anti-Program, STR 7, MU 6, 1600eb)

Clone is a rare and powerful copy utility designed to replicate programs that have been copy protected, such as Anti-Personnel and Anti-ICE software. Its anti-program subroutines disassemble the target program's code at the deepest level, while the copy utility subroutine copies every piece bit by bit. While this takes some time (about five minutes per point of target's MU), if successful (roll lower than Clone's STR on 1D10) it effectively replicates the target program, making a perfect copy. The “cloned” copy is still copy-protected, retains all original serial numbers, etc. In the case that the use of Clone fails, the target's copy protection takes effect. Note that there must be enough blank MU present to accommodate the cloned copy. ICON: If used in the 'Net, the target's icon begins to split into two identical icons, a process similar to cell division.

Facelift (Utility, STR 8, MU 1, 180eb)

Facelift is a program for use with the Real People series. In effect, this program makes it possible to “rewrite” the looks and personalities of the twelve Real People versions. This makes for an unlimited number of beings in a virtual, and is a must have for any fan of the Real People programs.

Hawkeye (Utility, STR 5, MU2, 360eb)

Hawkeye is a trace program designed to track down a specific netrunner's signal. The netrunner need only be active in the 'Net and less than five spaces away (using the World Net Map, page 136 of Cyberpunk 2020) to work. The program is able to move around freely in the 'Net, and has limited memory and recognition functions (it can only recognize one specific netrunner, and must be tuned to his signal). Once activated, the program will not stop searching until it has traced the 'runner in question, been destroyed, or called back by its user. ICON: A large, chrome hawk with golden eyes.

Mephistopheles (Demon, STR 5 [holds 5 programs], MU 6, 1500eb)

A sophisticated demon, Mephistopheles manifests as a tall, blue-black humanoid with handsome, if diabolical, features. It has huge muscles, and its scales are sooty black. The program's wings are deep blue, as are its horns and talons, and the eyes are pale blue with red irises and pupils. Its normal speech is like a whispering wind.

Real People v1.0 through v1.12 (Utility, STR 4, MU 5, 350eb)

Real People is a program for use with virtual realities. Instead of creating your own virtual inhabitants, Real People supplies them for you. The program comes in 12 variants, including six males and six females. The program(s) can recognize different people, and can remember past events that have occured in the virtual. They can speak, and each has an intelligence of 6. Each version must be bought seperately, with the exception of “The People Pack”, which contains all twelve personalities for only 4000eb. ICON: You pick. There are twelve total icons, all of which are different in one way or another.

Spew (Anti-Personnel, STR 3, MU 3, 6250 eb)

Spew is a specialized anti-personnel program that doesn't kill its victim. Well, not directly. Instead, it reaches into the victim's nervous system and initiates his gag reflex (the software equivalent of sticking your finger down someone's throat). This causes the victim's realspace body to vomit convulsively. If the victim is sitting up in front of his deck (or other important equipment), he will be sick all over said equipment (which may require cleaning or be ruined outright). If the victim's body is reclining or laying down, this will cause immediate choking, as he begins to drown in his own puke (refer to your own rules for asphyxiation, or those for choking in CP2020). If the victim jacks out (or uses a flip switch option), he can clear out his respiratory tract. Feelings of nausea will continue for 1D6x10 minutes. ICON: A green, iridescent mist that surrounds the netrunner's icon, with long tendril-like fingers that reach down his icon's throat (if one is present).

Re-Rezz II (Utility, STR 5, MU 1, 150eb)

A more powerful version of Re-Rezz.

Spraypaint (Utility, STR 5, MU 2, 160eb)

A popular program among netrunning vandals and cyberspace gang members. If successful, the program alters the colors of a surface in the net, allowing the user to write whatever he wants in any color. ICON: A large, cartoonish aerosol can that rattles if shaken. Big letters on the side spell out “KRYLON”.

Assorted programs based on those found in GURPS Cyberpunk.

Crumble (Intrusion, STR 1*, MU 4, 290eb)

Like standard intrusion programs, when successfully applied to a data wall, Crumble reduces its STR by Crumble's own STR. Unlike other intrusion programs, Crumble is almost totally silent, so a system will only detect its effects on a roll of 1 out of 1d10. It does a guaranteed amount of damage (Crumble's STR) to the wall each time it is used. It also increases in STR as it is used. Each failed attempt to Crumble a data wall increases its STR by 1 to a ceiling of 10. The increased STR is only good against immediate successive attempts against that particular fort. If the runner jacks out, the STR increase is lost, even if the runner comes back to the same fort. It is also lost if used against a different system. Crumble cannot reduce a data wall's STR below 1, so it must be paired with another intrusion program for best effect. ICON: The program itself has none, but it causes big black fractal cracks and chips to appear in the surface of the data wall as it eats into its structure.

Loop (Anti-System, STR 3, MU 2, 570eb)

Loop is used to occupy processing time on the target system so that it is less resistant to other attacks. Loop puts the CPU into an infinite loop of some sort – calculating the value of pi to the last decimal place, for instance. A successful use of Loop ties up one action of the target CPU. If the CPU only has one action, it is helpless. Subsequent Loops tie up extra actions. When used against a cyberdeck, Loop effectively paralyzes the deck; the runner can only move, and is unable to execute any Menu functions, including the command to jack out. ICON: A tickertape stream of neon zeroes and ones zips toward the target and wraps it up like a mummy.

Many 'runners complain that they despise the time it takes them to sit down and write a program. The truth is, though, that only one-third of the time spent writing a program is actual code entry. You can't just sit down and write a program and expect it to work perfectly the first time you run it. It takes time to work out all the bugs. I figure that at least 2/3rds of the time spent on “writing” a program is testing it to make sure it does what it's supposed to do. These “beta” versions do end up on the street, though they are usually defective in some way.

Now, someone who wants to write a program speedily can do so in DIFF x 2 hours. They will have a workable program to screw around with. However, without proper testing, the program is liable to be rife with bugs. The first time you install it, you must roll on the following chart to see what happens. Assume the same malfunction occurs with every other copy of the program until it is debugged.

BETA VERSION MALFUNCTION CHART

Roll 1d10 (plus any modifiers) -

1 Program runs without a hitch (you got lucky). 2 Program locks up 50% of the time. 3 Program will derez if it fails a success roll. 4 Program's STR is reduced by half, rounding down. 5 Program takes 1d6 turns to load. 6 Program takes up twice as much MU. 7 Program is slow, and reduces Deck Speed by -3. 8 Program runs perfectly, it seems, but doesn't do anything (ie, all rolls automatically fail). 9 Program won't run. 10 Roll twice more, re-rolling in the case of a 1 or 10 result.

Say you want to debug it, but you don't want to take as long or be as thorough. Fine, no sweat. Use the following modifiers on the Beta Version Malfunction Chart, depending on the extra time you took past the Difficulty x 2 you spent writing it:

DIFF x 1 Hours Debugging : -3 on the chart. DIFF x 2 Hours Debugging : -5 on the chart. DIFF x 3 Hours Debugging : -8 on the chart. DIFF x 4 Hours Debugging : -10 on the chart (ie, don't even bother rolling).

If a program is defective, it can be debugged by taking the extra time required to debug it and making a Programming roll equal to the program's difficulty.

EXAMPLE -

Matthias (Int 8, Programming +5) needs to churn out a quick wall buster akin to Termite, but doesn't want to take the time debugging a program that he'll probably only use once. The program has the Intrusion function (diff 15), a simple icon (diff 1), is one-use only (-10), and wields a program strength of +4 (diff 4), for a total difficulty of 10 (15+1+4-10=10).

Matthias can churn out the program in 20 hours (difficulty x 2 hours). He decides that 10 more hours slaving over this little program won't hurt, so he debugs for 10 hours. He must roll on the Beta Version Malfunction Chart with a modifier of -3 to see if the program has any bugs. He rolls a 9, modified for his 10 hours of debugging by -3, equaling a 6. Something in the code is clunky, and causes the program to take up twice as much space (base MU of 1, doubled to 2). Matthias feels this is a small price to pay, and takes the program out for a spin.

Programming difficulty for the average netrunner makes it incredibly hard, if not impossible, for a single individual to write any program of consequence. These rules are designed to solve this problem.

The programming rules assume that the programmer(s) in question are writing the program all at once. However, it is possible to write programs sectionally. In this manner, a programmer can write a program piece by piece. The advantage is that a single programmer can write a very large program. The downside is that it takes a little longer, a separate programming roll must be made per section, and he must make an additional roll when putting the different sections together. More required rolls mean that there's a larger chance that something can go wrong.

STARTING OUT

First, define the program you'd like to write as usual. Decide which components (Functions, Options, and Strength) you want the program to have, and total up the difficulty. Got that done? Good.

Example:

Matthias (a programmer from Queens, Int: 8, Programming +5) wants to write a Hellhound clone. Hellhound (according to CP2020, page 168) has a total difficulty of 40, and the following components: Antipersonnel (20), Movement (5), Trace (2), Recognition (2), Strength 6 (6), and a Superrealistic Icon (5).

The next thing you have to do is break the Components down into groups. Each group must contain at least one component, and the total difficulty of the components in a group must equal at least 10. These separate groups are the different sections of the total/whole program. With me so far?

Example:

Matthias decides to break his program into the following sections: Antipersonnel (Total: 20); Movement & Superrealistic Icon (Total: 10); Trace, Recognition, and Strength 6 (Total: 10).

Now, you've got to actually write the sections. These sections are not functional programs in themselves. More or less, they're like the pieces of Frankenstein's monster. Once you've got them all complete, you can sew them together to make the final product.

A failed programming roll on a section indicates that the code is incomplete, contains errors, or just doesn't work. Unless the roll is a fumble, the programmer will recognize his error, but will still have to take extra time to fix the problem. Time to program each section in hours is equal to that section's total difficulty times six.

Example:

Matt decides to start off with the Antipersonnel subroutine, since it's going the be the hardest one to write. His skill/attribute total is 13, so he needs to roll a 7 or better to succeed. He rolls an 8. This section will take him a total of 120 hours (20 x 6) to write, test, and debug. The other two sections come next. Both have difficulties of 10. Unless Matthias rolls a “1” on either roll, these sections should come out just fine. Each of these sections will take 60 hours (10 x 6) to complete.

It is also an option to have friends or co-workers assist in the programming process. In such a case, the group would merely divide the sections of the program between each other, thereby lessening the time it takes to write them. However, such a group would have to work very closely in order to make sure the sections fit properly, and this is reflected in a slightly higher difficulty number when it comes time to glue the sections together.

Example:

Matt's programming buddy, a 'runner by the name of Tricky Ricky, stops by to help Matt speed up his programming time. Ricky decides to do something easy, so he writes the section that contains the Movement and Icon components.

So, assuming you've made the proper rolls and finished the sections, it's time to glue them together. This requires one final roll. The more smaller sections you're gluing together, the harder it will be to make them all connect cohesively and the longer it will take to do so.

The difficulty to connect the sections together into a complete program is equal to the number of sections times five plus one for each programmer past the first who contributed to the project. The time (in hours) it takes to do such is the connecting difficulty times three.

Example:

Matthias hasn't slept much in the past few weeks, but he's finally finished his programs' sections. Now it's time to compile them into the finished product. The program has three sections, and Matt had help from his friend Ricky, so the final difficulty to connect them together is going to be 16 (3 x 5 + 1). Matthias need only roll a “3” or better to do this successfully. However, it will take him a great deal of time. The connection difficulty was 16, so the time to connect the pieces and completely test the finished product will be 48 hours (16 x 3). Total time to write the program is 288 hours.

Now that you have the program completed, you must determine how big it is. This is done normally, as if you had written the program with the standard rules.

Example:

Matt's finished program is (as near as he can tell) a Hellhound which he affectionately dubs “Spot.” The total difficulty of Spot's sections equals 40. If you compare this with the chart on page 169 of the CP2020 rulebook, you'll see that Spot will take up 6 MU of space in Matt's cyberdeck.

Commercially-written programs are not normally completed in this manner. Most software corporations have either large development teams, AIs, or a combination of the two writing their products. While programs written by individuals sometimes take longer to write than the usual corporate trash, they don't normally sell for much more than their corporate cousins do.

Example:

Later that month, Matt is really hurting for some cash. He offers to sell a copy of Spot to a well-funded hotdogger down at the Silver Circuit. Even though the buyer is a weefle, he's not completely ignorant of software prices. A typical, off-the-shelf Hellhound can be got from most connected software dealers (ie, fixers) for around 10,000 euro. Matt's going to have to settle for 10k even though he spent more time and effort on Fido than a typical corporate software team would have.

CONCLUSION

Writing a program sectionally can help individual players overcome obscene difficulty numbers. However, the process takes more time - lots more time - and there's more chance that the player will mess up on a roll, which can mean even more time. In addition, if a group of programmers decide to assist each other by writing different sections, it actually increases the difficulty involved when putting the pieces together, while reducing the total time needed to complete the program. It is possible for powerful characters to spend months writing really bad-ass programs, and the process should be closely monitored by the GM if he's at all worried that rules are being raped.