Fore word: The following is a guide on the mechanics of Dynamic Mode's inner workings and logic in determining the rounds flow and difficulty.

Threat or Threat Level is often used to collectively refer to a few different attributes of a round that contribute to the number and type of antagonists sent to the station, but generally its overall danger level. These involve player preferences, the jobs being played, threat level, and threat calculations itself. Before going any further, the last two are important to understand.

Roundstart Threat Level: The threat level is determined at the start of the shift based on the roll of two d100 dice. The first die is worth 60% and the second is worth 40%. An example starting roll might be 35 and 70. 35 * .6 = 21 … 70 * .4 = 28 … 21 + 28 = 49. This acts as the upper cap of threat and can only be raised by Rogue Agents or Time Agents. Due to this formula, most rounds will land somewhere between 25 and 75 threat.

Midround Threat Level: A second threat level that's also determined at the start of the shift with the same method, but midround events will consume threat from its own special budget (the midround threat) instead of the roundstart threat.

After 10-18 minutes, all communications consoles will receive a paper listing the roundstart threat level (not the midround threat level). Here's what each command report means:

• Peaceful Waypoint: Roundstart threat is below 20 and there are no roundstart antagonists.
• Core Territory: Roundstart threat is below 20, ruling out wizard (30), ops (30), and cult (30).
• Anomalous Exogeology: Roundstart threat is 20 to 39, ruling out malf (40), revs (40), blob (45), and civil war of casters (45).
• Contested System: Roundstart threat is 40 to 65.
• Uncharted Space: Roundstart threat is 66 to 79.
• Black Orbit: Roundstart threat is 80 to 95. Ha, you're in danger.
• Impending Doom: Roundstart threat is 96 to 100. The name is not a joke, but statistically this will (probably) never happen to you without admin intervention.

Note that while the available amount of threat can go up and down fairly fluidly as antagonists and crew appear or are destroyed, the threat level normally stays the same. An example shift might be:

Threat level = 55

Roundstart Wizard spent 30 (total 25)

Roundstart Vampires spent 25 (total 0)

ROUND STARTS

Dura Comdom joined as Captain, refunding 12 (total 12)

A Vampire was destroyed, refunding 10 (total 22)

Midround Sleeper Agent spent 10 (total 12)

Latejoin Infiltrator spent 5 (total 7)

A Vampire was destroyed, refunding 10 (total 17)

Midround Space Ninja spent 10 (total 7)

A Rogue Agent was created. Does not cost threat.

A Rogue Agent was destroyed, creating 24 threat (total 31)

Antaghunter Securityman joined as Security Officer, refunding 4 (35)

Midround Nuclear Assault spent 35

ROUND ENDS

Different antagonists in different situations cost different amounts. Antagonists have an equal chance to be selected until the threat level has been expended, so just because it's Black Orbit doesn't mean you're any more likely to have a nuke ops team than to have half a dozen challengers. Just because there is enough threat to afford that rule doesn't mean it will be chosen. Rules are chosen based on other factors including the jobs (e.g.: amount of security) and if enough people preference that antagonist. E.g. Revolution requires at least 3 heads of staff or else it will not be available, Malf AI won't be available if there isn't an AI.

Roundstart - Chosen as the game begins when the lobby timer runs out. These rules always cost the same no matter how many antagonists are sent (e.g.: if Traitors creates 4 traitors, it still only costs 10). More than one of these can be picked. Consumes Roundstart Threat.

Syndicate Traitor (10): Scales with population level. This rule also forces Midround - Sleeper Agent, every 15 minutes if all the roundstart traitors are destroyed. Vampires (25): Scales with population level. Wizard (30): Only roundstart wizards can use summon guns/swords/magic. Blood Cult (30): May create 2-4 cultists based on population level. Nuclear Emergency (40): May create 2-5 operatives based on population level. Only roundstart Nuke Ops can directly purchase the tank transfer bomb. AI Malfunction (40): Requires an AI. Blob (45): One or a few random crewmembers will pop into a blob core after sixty seconds. Revolution (35): Creates four head revolutionaries. Civil War of Casters (45): Creates 4 wizards split into opposing teams.

Latejoin - A hidden injection timer runs down, then the next person to join may be given this role.

Syndicate Infiltrator (5) Ragin' Mages (20) Prioritized if there was a roundstart Wizard. Space Ninja Attack (10) Provocateur (20) A type of single revhead revolution.

Midround - A hidden injection timer runs down, at which point one of these rules may be selected. Whether or not a rule is picked, the timer resets. Most of these turn ghosts and observers into antagonists, but not all. Consumes Mid-Round Threat, not Roundstart Threat.

Syndicate Sleeper Agent (10) Turns one living crewmember into a traitor without warning. Ragin' Mages (20) Prioritized if there was a roundstart Wizard. Nuclear Assault (35) Blob Storm (15) Spawns in space as a meteor and flies toward the station. Revolutionary Squad (45) Space Ninja Attack (10) AI Malfunction (35) Rogue Agent (0) Generates threat

When these jobs join, they refund threat (cannot cause the threat to go above threat level).

Captain: 12 Head of Security: 10 Head of Personnel: 8 Warden: 8 Security Officer: 4 Detective: 3

When these roles are fully and utterly destroyed (brain destroyed/melted/cremated) with no chance of returning even with borgification or surgery, they will refund some threat. Simply killing them will not refund threat.

Traitor: 10 Space Ninja: 10 Vampire: 10 Wizard: 10 (or 5 if Wizard was a roundstart rule)

Finally, the Rogue Agent and Time Agent can raise threat. The Rogue Agent causes threat to slowly creep up and if it reaches the threat level, will begin to raise that as well, while the Time Agent will decrease or increase threat by 25 points when they extract themselves from the station depending on if the original agent or the evil twin extracted respectively.

Staying Alive: Generates 1 threat every 20 seconds for the first 5 minutes (15 threat). After that, it gets no credit. Note the rogue agent must be on the station and not hiding inside something.

Defiling Rooms: When a rogue agent enters a room it has never entered before, it generates 0.75 threat. It must enter the room on its own two feet; not hiding inside a dragged locker or riding under it through disposals.