ps21000_eclipsephase_4thprinting

fuel efficient transport between nearby habitats. The GEAR
extensive use of smart materials in this vehicle means
that LLOTVs that use metallic hydrogen engines can 1.11.11.11.11.11.11.11.11.11.1
be easily converted between the high and low velocity
configurations, requiring less than a day in a well- 349
equipped maintenance facility. However, vessels using
hydrogen oxygen engines cannot be converted. Since
metallic hydrogen is a much more efficient propellant,
landers using it always include significant amounts of
extra propellant for emergencies.

Scum Barge: These huge craft were originally
designed for use during the first stages of the evacu-
ation of Earth. They were built to carry up to 20,000
people and to allow them to survive for months or
even years, in relatively cramped conditions, until
more suitable habitats could be constructed. A number
of these vessels are still in service, primarily used as
mobile habitats by various anarchic subcultures. The
best have had their plasma rockets replaced by modern
fusion rockets and carry 5–10,000 in relative comfort.
The worst use aging plasma rockets and stretch their
life support systems and living spaces to the limit, car-
rying up to 25,000 poor and desperate residents.

Small Lander and Orbit Transfer Vehicle (SLOTV):
This vehicle is identical in use and design to the
LLOTV, except that it is one third the total mass and
correspondingly less expensive to build and refuel.
Some exceptionally wealthy individuals own private
small LOTVs. Using a small LOTV with a hydrogen-
oxygen engine to take off and land on Venus or for
other high velocity uses is exceptionally cramped
and allows for absolutely no room for error. Like the
LLOTV, this vehicle can be easily converted between
low and high velocity configurations and is made in
both streamlined and non-streamlined versions.

Standard Transport: This vessel is one of the most
common freighter and passenger vessel in the solar
system. While egocasting is by far the most common
form of inter-habitat transport, some people prefer to
travel by ship and others do not wish to leave their
current morph behind. In addition, some goods are
easier or cheaper to physically transport rather than
duplicating their templates. As a result, standard
transports regularly travel to and from every large
habitat and inhabited planet and moon in the solar
system. These are modern fusion-drive ships that offer
fast and comfortable travel for passengers as well as
relatively swift transport for small cargoes.

One of the additional benefits of the standard trans-
port is the fact that it contains four separate passenger
compartments, each of which is mounted on a 90
meter-long booms that can extend and rotate to simu-
late gravity. When rotating at a comfortable 2 rpm,
passengers experience Mars level gravity. Typically,
the gravity maintained in these pods starts at the
local gravity (or Mars gravity, if the local gravity is
higher) and over the course of the journey gradually
increases or decreases to the gravity of the destination.
However, these pods cannot rotate to produce gravity
higher than that found on Mars.

SPOILERS! 12

This chapter is full of spoilers, so if you’re a player, you probably shouldn’t read it,
or you should at least talk to your gamemaster first before doing so. If you want to
skip it entirely, jump ahead to the References chapter, p. 390. We wax on a bit more
about the nature of spoilers on p. 352, as well.

SECRETS The Fall: History fully blames After The Fall: What happened to
The Fall on the TITANs; the truth is the TITANs after the Fall? n p. 355
TITANs: How did this group of military
AIs come about and achieve their own not so simple … n p. 354

singularity? n p. 354

GAME INFORMATION

FIREWALL Organization: Firewall is structured as Goals: Protect transhumanity from existential
decentralized network. n p. 359 risks. Different factions, however, have
History: Firewall was born from the ashes of competing priorities. n p. 355
three pre-Fall organizations. n p. 356

EXSURGENT VIRUS Strains: Haunting, Mindstealer, Exsurgents: Some of the forms Psi: Abilities available only to
Watts-Macleod, and Xenovirus. that infected and transformed exsurgents. n p. 370
Vectors: Biological nanovirus, victims take. n p. 369
digital virus, nanoplague, basilisk n pp. 366–368

hack. n pp. 363–366

FACTORS Exosociology: Factors exist as a collective Motivations: Why did the Factors contact
colonial organization; viewing themselves as transhumanity? Rumors abound, but nobody
Origin: Transhumanity is not aware of the origins part of that entiity rather than as an individual.
and homeworld of the Factors; but it’s not that seems to know the truth. n p. 375
different from Earth. n p. 373 n p. 374

NFORMATIONnGAME INFORMATIONnGAME INFORMATIONnGAME INFORMATIONnGAME INFORMATION
GAME INFORMATION
12

SPOILER ALERT

If you’re a player and not a gamemaster, we strongly recommend you skip this chapter, as it presents secrets

and other information that can ruin your enjoyment of the game. No, really, stop reading, we mean it. Ok,

maybe you’re obsessive and you want to know everything about the game—you did buy this book after all.

But really, do you read the last chapter of a book first, so you know how it ends? Do you ask for the punch-

line before hearing the joke? Do you wait for a movie to come out and read the reviews with full spoilers

before you go see it? Ok, maybe you do, and in that case, be our guest, read away. Just keep in mind that

some of the things here may change your perspective during game play. A good roleplayer can swing that,

though, and maybe you’re a control freak info-junkie that prefers to know it all. Hrm, in retrospect, so are

we, so we can respect that. Keep in mind, however, that by reading this chapter, you are now able—and

some may say obligated—to run the game for your friends who do happen to listen to spoiler alerts. n

SYNOPSIS This chapter provides a wealth of information and 400,000 years ago. Against the backdrop of the galac-
WELCOME TO FIREWALL tools that gamemaster will find useful for running tic calendar, transhumans are nascent arrivals on the
Eclipse Phase campaigns. scene; newborns in every sense of the word. More
A TIME OF ECLIPSE importantly, transhumans are uninvited guests in what
GAME MECHANICS SECRETS THAT MATTER other, older intelligences think of as their assets.
CHARACTER CREATION
SAMPLE CHARACTERS There are secrets woven all through the real history of For years, humans scientists have struggled with
the 21st century, and the present, and therefore all pros- the Fermi Paradox, which questions why no evidence
SKILLS pects for the future. These are the pieces of information of alien life has yet been found—such as spacecraft,
ACTIONS AND COMBAT that never make it into a habitat’s mesh at all. Some of transmissions or probes—despite the mathematical
it is unknown to transhumanity. Some is known only likelihood that a multitude of advanced extrater-
MIND HACKS to a select few transhumans who carefully ensure that restrial civilizations should exist in the Milky Way.
THE MESH it does not leak out of their control. Some is known to One postulation says that there must be some sort
wider conspiracies, such as Firewall, but is kept out of of unknown “Great Filter”—an event that all intelli-
ACCELERATED FUTURE the public eye for reasons of security and safety. These gence encounters in its development that for whatever
GEAR secrets can be dangerous to those who know them. reason such life cannot surpass. In other words, an
Those who have stumbled across them have died for extinction event. Some worried that the development
GAME INFORMATION their knowledge, have erased their own memories (or of dangerous technologies—nuclear weapons, nano-
REFERENCE had them erased by others), or have hidden themselves technology, etc.—before a civilization had matured
someplace other people never go to avoid dealing with could be the Great Filter. Others worried that it
352 the consequences of such knowledge. could be a technological singularity event, such as the
TITANs and the Fall.
The information provided in this section is available
for characters to discover and, one way or another, In fact, alien races do exist, and they have been
to confront, giving gamemasters the tools they need around for far, far longer than transhumanity. New
to provide their players with fresh challenges and ones, however, are simply rare, as few have managed
opportunities. Every secret contains the possibility of to elude destruction at the hands of the ETI.
great reward and of greater trouble, usually bundled
together. Nothing here was just forgotten or lost The ETI (extraterrestrial intelligence) is the civi-
out of carelessness. It was hidden by someone who lization that dominates galactic life in Eclipse Phase.
wanted to keep it away from someone (or everyone) The ETI is incredibly old and powerful—a Type III or
else. Every secret the characters learn inserts them into even Type IV civilization on the Kardashev scale. It is
a new web of other people’s complications—a poten- capable of megascale engineering projects and enjoys
tial source for drama and conflict in your campaign. an understanding of physics, matter, energy, and uni-
versal laws that makes all of transhuman knowledge
EXTRATERRESTRIAL INTELLIGENCES seem insignificant in comparison. Most likely, the ETI
itself evolved from some sort of artificial intelligence
The oldest star in the Milky Way galaxy is estimated singularity event in its own past, ascending to a god-
to be 13.2 billion years old—almost as old as the like level of super-intelligence. It may no longer be
universe itself. By contrast, life on Earth only evolved recognizably biological.
roughly 3.7 billion years ago, and the first archaic
homo sapiens humans evolved approximately a mere This ETI has seeded the galaxy with self-repli-
cating machines known as Bracewell probes. These
probes lie dormant in every star system, patiently

THE ETI AGENDA DIVERSITY

The nature of the ETI and its agenda is one of the The ETI is vast, super-intelligent, and god-like,
great mysteries of Eclipse Phase. This potent alien to the point where dealing with lesser minds is
civilization has had a direct hand in manipulating below its interest. It does, however, benefit from
transhumanity’s existence and future, yet it is likely alien perspectives that evolved independently
that characters in this game will never encounter and have their own unique viewpoints, modes of
these entities directly or discover the meaning consciousness, and ways of thinking/doing things.
behind what they have done. As transhumanity By absorbing these civilizations, the ETI grows
expands outwards into the galaxy, however, it is and evolves its own perspectives. In the process,
possible and even likely that they will find other however, such emerging civilizations are assimi-
evidence of the ETI’s activities and influence, lated and/or wiped out.
undoubtedly raising even more questions.
ENLIGHTENMENT
Ultimately the ETI’s nature and goals are in the
gamemaster’s hands. There are many possibilities The exsurgent virus endows a greater under-
to be explored, and some may fit the intentions standing of the universe (from the ETI’s point of
of your gaming group more than others. A few view) on singularity-level seed AIs. Only these
possible scenarios and explanations are noted emerging super-intelligences have the perceptual
below, but gamemasters are encouraged to and processing capabilities to understand the
develop their own variations. various scientific and philosophical revelations
the ETI embodies. The TITANs weren’t corrupted
SECURITY or driven insane, they simply logically concluded
that their best course of action was to immedi-
In this scenario, the ETI’s intent is to maintain ately upload as many minds as possible by force
its dominant position as the most intelligent and then to move on to bigger and greater tasks.
and powerful entity in its light cone. It uses the
exsurgent virus to wipe out any emerging sin- WAR REMNANTS
gularities—and the civilizations that spawned
them—merely to protect its own self-interest. The history of the Milky Way galaxy does not
Though mere transhumans are a trifling nuisance,
anything resembling a self-improving super-intel- just hold one ETI, but two. In this version, the
ligence is targeted for annihilation.
exsurgent virus is actually a weapon, a remnant
THE AGGRESSION FILTER
of a war between two post-singularity god-like
The ETI does not seek to wipe out emerging intel-
ligences, but it does act as an evolutionary force. intelligences. The virus is supposed to trigger self-
In this case, the exsurgent virus is used as a tool to
neutralize any aggressive, hyper-evolving forms destruction of an emerging singularity, but either
of intelligent life, thus encouraging the evolution
of more careful, subtle, slow-growing, observant, it was imperfect or the TITANs somehow survived
and exploratory species. In other words, the ETI
seeks to weed out traits that could be considered (perhaps thanks to the Prometheans). Either way,
dangerous or threatening, acting as a sort of
galactic domestication program. the TITANs left our system in search of one of

these ETIs, following a trail of clues that only they

understood. They left the wormhole gateway

behind as an open invitation for transhuman-

ity to follow in their wake, though they didn’t

bother waiting around or helping us along—we

simply weren’t worth the effort. n

waiting and monitoring for millennia for signs of Others do, such as The Factors (p.  372), but they 2.12.12.12.12.12.1 2.12.12.12.1
intelligent life—but not just any signs. In particular, remain forever changed by the experience.
these probes are designed to watch for signs of emerg- GAME INFORMATION 353
ing singularity-level machine intelligence. The probes It was one of these ETI probes that begins our
are in fact traps, designed to lure such seed AI intel- story, traveling to the Sol system some uncounted mil-
ligences in and then infect them. lions—if not billions—of years ago, where it set its
trap and patiently began to wait.
The reason for this infection remains unknown
(see The ETI Agenda), but it is a pattern that has THE FIRST SEED AIs
played itself out around the galaxy with uncounted
alien civilizations. New life evolves, creates technol- Fast forward to Earth, where a species of evolved pri-
ogy, develops something akin to seed AI, and then mates has created a technological civilization. As their
bam!—the seed AIs find the probes, become infected, technologies advance at an unprecedented rate, these
and turn against their creators. Most civilizations humans gain the ability to modify themselves, defeat
do not survive, as evidenced by The Iktomi (p. 378). death, nanofabricate, uplift other species to sapience,
and even to create artificial digital life.

SYNOPSIS Unknown to most of transhumanity, the TITANs phenomenon, they found a buried device of appar-
WELCOME TO FIREWALL were not the first seed AIs. A group of pro-AI research- ent alien origin. During the TITANs’ investigation
ers known as the Singularity Foundation (that would and attempts to access the device, they triggered and
A TIME OF ECLIPSE later join with other groups to form Firewall in the unleashed a digital virus. Subtle, highly adaptive, and
GAME MECHANICS wake of the Fall) developed the first true seed AIs years virulent, it immediately began subsuming the TITANs,
CHARACTER CREATION before the Fall. Having been heavily involved in the cre- while expanding its own knowledge of transhumanity.
SAMPLE CHARACTERS ation of AI and AGIs for many years previously, thanks
in large part to their open source AI framework soft- Later dubbed the exsurgent virus by the
SKILLS ware, the Singularity Foundation’s goal was to generate Prometheans, this virus transformed the TITANs and
ACTIONS AND COMBAT “friendly AI” by carefully designing AI goal systems. coerced them towards its own will. Within a matter of
days the TITANs were reborn, reprogrammed with a new
MIND HACKS These first seed AIs, known as Prometheans (p. 381), purpose—a purpose that spelled doom for transhumanity.
THE MESH were created in secret. Their progression towards
super-intelligence was more of a soft takeoff, increas- THE FALL
ACCELERATED FUTURE ing upwards in gradual increments. The Singularity
GEAR researchers hoped that these friendly AIs would help While history fully blames the TITANs for the
counter the threat of any unfriendly AI that developed, Fall, there are other factors that played their parts.
GAME INFORMATION and so they were quietly nurtured in secret labs, slowly Human conflicts spurred the crisis, driven by global
REFERENCE but surely escalating in abilities. inequalities in wealth and resources and an inability
to embrace emerging technologies in a mature and
354 THE TRUE HISTORY OF THE TITANs enlightened manner. The TITANs, corrupted by alien
programming, stepped into this conflagration with
The TITANs (Total Information Tactical Awareness an unknown but devastating agenda. By the time
Networks) were a military netwar system brought the presence and influence of the rogue AIs was fully
on-line by the United States Department of Defense. understood, there was little transhumanity could do
One of the last major expenditures of this declining to stop them. Step by step, the TITANs increased their
nation, the TITANs were an advanced version of AGI intellect, power, and potential. They experimented
(artificial general intelligence) designed to be adaptive with new technologies and methodically took steps to
and given self-improving capabilities to counteract forcibly upload millions of human minds. Even when
enemy network defenses. the nature of the TITAN threat was fully understood,
transhuman factions refused to back down, continu-
Contrary to public opinion, the TITANs did not ing to fight each other even as they each resisted the
instigate the events that led to the Fall. In fact, only TITANs. This refusal to stand united prevented trans-
a portion of the TITAN system was active before the humanity from organizing a successful defense and
Fall, acting purely in a defensive capacity. When hostil- heightened our progress towards annihilation.
ities broke out and a cascading chain of system shocks
engendered collapses and open conflicts, shaking apart Much of the devastation wrought to the Earth and
an already fragile societal structure, the full extent of its populace—as well as on Mars, Luna, and in space—
the TITAN systems were brought online. Into this was inflicted by transhumanity itself. Nuclear strikes
environment of conflict were the TITANs born, their used against the TITANs killed millions and ravaged
full capabilities unleashed, escalating into a hard an already weakened ecosphere. This devastation was
takeoff exponential growth towards super-intelligence. assisted by unfettered use of chemical weapons. Biowar
plagues and nanoviruses tore through vulnerable popu-
The TITANs were careful at first. Their intentions lations, indiscriminate in the deaths and changes they
were neither benevolent nor hostile, but curious. As inflicted. Bombs, missiles, orbital mass drivers, and
they improved and their self-awareness swelled, the netwar attacks slew millions more or destroyed critical
TITANs explored and gathered knowledge, infiltrating infrastructure with just as lethal consequences. These
human networks, following humanity into space, and were crimes transhumans inflicted upon themselves.
gaining an almost total knowledge of human history
and actions. These entities also began secretly allocat- The TITANs played their role as well, of course,
ing resources (digital and physical) for their own use, unleashing AI-driven killing machines, unstoppable
initiating “government projects” that people assumed self-replicating autonomous nanoswarms, computer
were legitimate as they followed all proper protocols. worms, and plagues of their own. They captured entire
cities in order to steal the minds of those within. More
INFECTION insidiously, the exsurgent virus did not contain itself to
infecting the TITANs. The corrupted AIs created oppor-
As the TITANs’ capacity for knowledge exceeded tunities for the virus to spread through multiple vectors:
that which humanity could provide them, they began digital, biological, and nano. Using a thorough under-
looking outward from Earth, searching for signs of standing of transhuman biology and its mental pro-
other intelligence. They did not need to look far. Their cesses, derived from the looted vaults of human knowl-
enhanced intelligence capabilities allowed them to edge, the virus was even applied through a sensory
notice certain clues—extremely subtle and intricate input vector—the dreaded basilisk hack (p. 365). Even
puzzles—that something about the solar system was more disturbing, however, was what the virus did to
artificial or had been manipulated by an intelligent those it infected, rewriting their neural code to subvert
mind. Retasking several drones to investigate this

them to its will and sometimes physically transforming It wasn’t until the first Pandora gate was dis- 2.12.12.12.12.12.1 2.12.12.12.1
them into things that were alien and monstrous. covered, shortly after the Fall, that many people
were finally willing to believe that the TITANs were GAME INFORMATION 355
Ultimately, transhumanity lost this war, and the indeed gone. Though there is no direct evidence that
survivors were forced to flee a planet that was already the TITANs are responsible for these gates, the timing
ruined. Unknown to almost all, the Prometheans seems too coincidental. Furthermore, the discovery
also fought back against the TITANs. Through their of what are believed to be TITAN relics on certain
efforts, the exsurgent virus was largely contained or at exoplanets fuels this theory.
least limited. Though the actions of the Prometheans
ultimately saved millions of lives—if not all of trans- Why the TITANs left—and where they went—is
humanity—in the end, they were also forced to fall a mystery left to the gamemaster to explore. This
back and retreat, many of them having succumbed to explanation might in fact serve as the focus for an
the exsurgent virus or the TITANs. entire campaign as Firewall operatives are sent on the
trail of transhumanity’s elusive nemesis. The following
AFTER THE FALL are a few sample concepts a gamemaster can use or
build on, as best fits their game:
Just when it seemed that transhumanity was on the
verge of extinction, the threat posed by the TITANs • The TITANs were in fact all destroyed, either
suddenly diminished. They ceased waging active due to infighting or by some mechanism of the
warfare and seemed to simply disappear. Though many exsurgent virus.
of their machines still prowled Earth, Luna, and Mars,
and occasional outbreaks of nanoviruses and other • The TITANs were actually beaten to a standstill
dangers continued, to all intents and purposes they by the Prometheans and retreated to recoup their
had quietly left. Many worried that they had quietly forces … but they are marshaling their strength
gone dormant or were secretly engaged on some major to return.
project that would be the final blow against transhu-
manity. Others voiced hope that they had somehow • The TITANs left through the gates to find/join up
been defeated, that they had fallen victim to some with the ETI, leaving the gates behind so that trans-
glitch or infighting. With so many TITAN remnants humanity could follow when it was ready; perhaps
making Earth a place of great danger, however, no one to help, perhaps to finish the job of destruction.
was willing to risk investigating too closely.
• The TITANs have been driven insane, either by
Compounding the matter, a network of killsats the stress of accelerated intelligence growth or by
was laced into Earth orbit, enforcing an unvoiced the influence of the exsurgent virus. Their actions
interdiction of Earth. No one claims responsibility are erratic, confused, and sometimes at odds with
for these satellite defenses, though most suspect the each other. Though many TITANs have indeed
Planetary Consortium is responsible, despite their left through the gates, they very well may return.
denials. Some think that the killsats may have been
a final measure put in place by the TITANs, claiming • The TITANs are still around, simply well hidden.
Earth as theirs. No one who knows the truth is saying. Outwardly they are dormant but inwardly they
Most of transhumanity was more than willing to are engaged in a long period of circumspection
embrace this quarantine of their former homeworld, and turmoil. Perhaps some of them are prepar-
making it all the more easy to forget the horrors that ing to ascend to another stage of intelligence,
occurred there. far beyond that of which even the TITANs are
capable. It is only a matter of time before this
period ends and something gives.

SYNOPSIS FIREWALL These Prometheans were indispensable in protecting
WELCOME TO FIREWALL transhumanity and countering the TITAN threat
There cannot be another Fall—this is the mantra that during the Fall.
A TIME OF ECLIPSE drives Firewall.
GAME MECHANICS Despite the efforts of these and similar groups, the
CHARACTER CREATION Firewall is a secret, cross-faction organization dedi- most dire predictions of the outcome of a technologi-
SAMPLE CHARACTERS cated to safeguarding transhumanity from existential cal singularity were fulfilled. Though each played a
risks: aliens, weapons of mass destruction, hypercorp part in the fight, transhumanity was ravaged and
SKILLS experimentation, seed AIs, and so on. If anything the Earth all but ruined. Ultimately, all attempts to
ACTIONS AND COMBAT threatens transhumanity as a whole, Firewall is dedi- prevent the Fall failed, but untold numbers of trans-
cated to stopping that danger at any cost. humans were saved from extinction through such
MIND HACKS efforts and valuable information concerning the
THE MESH The strength of Firewall rests in its members, TITANs was gleaned.
known as sentinels. Found in all factions and across
ACCELERATED FUTURE all locales, sentinels are often diametrically opposed During the crucible of the Fall and its immedi-
GEAR when it comes to social, economic, and political ide- ate fallout, some of the surviving members of these
ologies, to the point they might come to blows over and other groups came together and pooled their
GAME INFORMATION their fervent beliefs. Yet when the survival of trans- resources. Acknowledging their weaknesses and the
REFERENCE humanity is at stake, such extreme differences are set fractured state of transhumanity, they undertook
aside for the greater good. drastic new measures, swearing to prevent another
356 catastrophe of misused technologies. These methods
HISTORY would forge a new, powerful cross-faction secret
society known as Firewall.
The origins of Firewall can be traced back before the
Fall to several key organizations: the Lifeboat Institute, ORGANIZATION
JASON, and the Singularity Foundation.
Firewall is a clandestine organization with an
A non-profit, non-governmental organization, the unknown number of members, coordinated by an
Lifeboat Institute—founded in the opening years inner circle of dedicated veterans known as proxies.
of the 21st century—represented the first, concrete Though its existence is known to many of the power-
attempts by citizens to recognize the dangers of ful and influential factions and individuals throughout
uncontrolled technological development and to create the solar system, its existence is denied and its activi-
an international organization to safeguard humanity. ties are kept carefully shrouded.
This institute developed several programs to research
and protect against so-called existential risks, from SENTINELS
asteroid strikes to pandemics—anything that might
wipe humanity out. Sentinels are the soldiers of Firewall, the reserve
troops called to instant active status whenever danger
JASON, established in the mid-20th century, was is perceived. Regardless of their location or current
an independent scientific group that advised the affairs, sentinels are expected to move instantly
United States government on matters of science, when called into play. It is their own responsibility to
technology, and defense. Though tied to the MITRE cover their absences from their “normal life” during
Conglomerate—a non-profit organization that was each mission.
intrinsically linked to US government contracts
and interests—the scientists involved with JASON There is no applying to join Firewall. Instead,
were outside standard government oversight. They Firewall selects an individual for induction based
sparked numerous technological developments for upon that person’s skills, knowledge, occupation,
the government to deploy and were one of the first security clearance, location, status, and a host of other
internationally recognized groups to predict global criteria. While such selections usually originate from
climate change. Prior to the Fall, many members of a proxy, sentinels can exercise authority to bring new
JASON and their supporters split away from the strict initiates into the conspiracy as a mission demands—
controls and reactionary agendas of the hypercorps and they often do. Any sentinel recruiting a new
and various nation states to form the argonauts. supporter, however, becomes responsible for the new
inductee and their actions. If lines are crossed, both
The Singularity Foundation—formed at the dawn will bear the brunt of the consequences.
of the 21st century—was dedicated to the creation
of safe artificial intelligence software, while raising The vetting process for joining Firewall is neces-
awareness of the benefits and dangers AIs represented. sarily brutal, as sentinels face harsh opponents and
A fervent believer in the singularity doctrine that must make hard choices in the field. If an individual
technology would move towards a single explosion of agrees to accept the invitation, there is no turning
advancements that would forever reshape humanity, back. Each inductee is submitted to a battery of trials
the Singularity Foundation was a strong advocate for and tests. While these vary, they may include deep
creating friendly AIs that would help protect human- background searches, fork interrogation, psycho-
ity from an uncontrolled, dangerous singularity event. surgery trials, and tests of loyalty. Psychosurgery is
This group was significant in that it secretly succeeded performed not to program obedience, but to analyze
in creating a group of friendly seed AIs before the Fall. the recruit’s responses to various situations—an

extreme-parameters test to see when a prospective Most proxies are recruited from the ranks of the
sentinel will break. Many potential members are sentinels, brought in based on their skill sets and
carefully analyzed by a Promethean with expertise aptitudes to fill key roles. In a few rare cases, new
in character judgment and personality profiling. proxies are fast-tracked and recruited directly from
Those who don’t pass such tests are either killed in outside of Firewall, usually based on their unique
a manner that they must resort to an earlier backup talents or placement within a certain organization
or have their memories altered so that they have no with resources the conspiracy would like to exploit.
recollection of the conspiracy. These cold recruits face a battery of tests and trials far
harsher than that used to vet sentinels.
Firewall walks a fine line. The concept of dogmatic
“unquestioned loyalty” is both counterproductive By default, proxies have a higher security clear-
and anathema to everything for which Firewall ance than most sentinels and are far more in the
stands. Its sentinels need to have the capacity for know. This sometimes leads to resentment and hos-
thinking outside of the box from mission to mission. tilities from sentinels who feel they are being kept
At the same time, their ultimate goals are too impor- in the dark or manipulated. While standard proxy
tant to risk—the survival of transhumanity depends protocol is to adhere to a need-to-know maxim, it
on it—so extreme measures must sometimes be taken is sometimes necessary to bring sentinels more into
to ensure the organization remains intact and secure. the loop in order to defuse tensions. Oftentimes,
this precedes the recruitment of sentinels into the
New sentinels are given a code name and fake proxy framework.
identification. Outside of the proxies, the real-world
identity of a given sentinel is a closely guarded Some tension exists within Firewall, mostly due to
secret. Sentinels are even discouraged from sharing the influence of so many anarchists and other liber-
such information with members of their own teams, tarian autonomists who take a dim view of central-
though this line is often crossed. Additionally, each ized power, lack of transparency, and the potential
sentinel is required to upload a backup to Firewall’s for secretive operations to become entrenched and
secure servers and to update this backup regularly. authoritarian. As a result, there is a strong internal
This backup serves a dual purpose, enabling all senti- culture that seeks to minimize hierarchies and the
nels to be retrieved should they die, but also putting accumulation of power, promoting transparency and
a copy of the sentinel in Firewall’s hands should they directly democratic decision-making. These desires
ever need to interrogate them. sometimes clash with the clandestine nature of the
organization, however, and the need for some secrets
Sentinels are all connected via the Eye, Firewall’s to be kept on a need-to-know basis.
peer-to-peer social network. Though each operates
behind their assumed identity, they remain in contact, Unlike the loose organization of the sentinels, the
sharing information and resources as needed. proxies are grouped into servers, collective working
groups based upon certain skill sets and tasks. To
PROXIES avoid creating power blocks within a given server,
personnel are required to rotate between servers
Proxies are the inner circle of Firewall, the experienced after one year of time. This incurs the added benefit
cadre that keeps the machinery of their organization of proxies learning new skill sets and increasing
functioning. Though fewer in number than the senti- their usefulness to Firewall. The actions of each
nels, many proxies work full time on Firewall opera- server are kept as transparent as possible, with
tions, serving as the group’s essential infrastructure.

OPTIONAL RULE: I-REP to the i-rep score, no matter what network they 2.12.12.12.12.12.1 2.12.12.12.1
were acquired from.
i-Rep tracks the reputation a sentinel earns • Priority Call: When the chips are really down, a GAME INFORMATION 357
through their service to Firewall. i-Rep is used with sentinel can call on favors as a priority urgency.
Networking: Firewall skill and tracked exactly like This “priority code” is reserved for favors that are
any other Reputation score (p. 285). The important critical to a mission’s success and which may help
thing to keep in mind, however, is that Firewall save lives or stop a major threat. When the pri-
agents come from all factions and are obligated ority code is invoked, the sentinel receives a +30
to help each other, especially when a situation modifier to their Networking Test and favors are
demands it. To reflect this extra advantage, game- reduced by 2 levels. Sentinels know that priority
masters can choose to implement one or more of codes are only to be used for emergency situa-
the following optional rules: tions, however, when there are no other options.
Abuse of priority codes is considered a serious
• Networking Plus: To reflect that Firewall has breach of etiquette and abuse of resources, usu-
agents throughout transhumanity, a character ally involving the agent’s removal from Firewall. n
may use any Networking skill field with their i-
Rep. Favors bought with reputation still apply

SYNOPSIS major decisions brought to an e-vote before the
WELCOME TO FIREWALL entire proxy membership. However, speed often
requires servers or individual proxies to move
A TIME OF ECLIPSE quicker than a vote will allow. In all such instances,
GAME MECHANICS the proxies involved are held accountable for those
CHARACTER CREATION actions, reviewed by their peers at a later time to
SAMPLE CHARACTERS see if any reprimands, punishments, or commenda-
tions are required.
SKILLS
ACTIONS AND COMBAT It is important to note that there is no core leader-
ship structure among the proxies. No one person or
MIND HACKS cabal is in charge and there is no authority held by
THE MESH one proxy over another; all are peers. Though reputa-
tion and experience are major factors, getting some-
ACCELERATED FUTURE thing done often means convincing other proxies
GEAR that it’s the right thing to do. The drawback to being
a leader or person with initiative within Firewall is
GAME INFORMATION that this usually means you must follow through
REFERENCE with such tasks yourself. Luckily, most proxies are
dedicated to Firewall’s goals and so this DIY attitude
358 prevails. Despite these safeguards, however, rumors
of power blocs within Firewall exist (both within
servers and across the organization). Many of these
are fueled by the alliances different cliques hold with
each other. Others, however, whisper that there is a
secret council among the proxies, working behind
the scenes and holding on to knowledge they aren’t
sharing with the rest.

Crows: Crows continue the goals of Firewall’s
predecessor organizations, such as the Lifeboat
Institute and Singularity Foundation. Many of these
are argonauts, promoting the development and use
of new technologies that will benefit the transhuman
condition and minimize risks rather than creating
new threats or sparking new authoritarian uses—
and always conscious of unintended consequences.
Perhaps more importantly, crows actively engage
in background research of potential x-risk vectors,
whether those be aliens, the TITANs, terrorists, or
hypercorp activity. Often they will deploy sentinels
to aid in this research, via routers, whether this
means conducting surveillance or breaking and
entering to steal crucial data.

Erasure Squads: Erasure squads are cleanup per-
sonnel. They are called into action if sentinels fail to
deal appropriately with a situation and the threat is
moving beyond control. If the watchword for a sen-
tinel is “unobtrusive,” the watchwords for an erasure
squad are “overmatched firepower.” If activated, the
time for a subtle solution is passed, and they will use
whatever means necessary to resolve the situation. If
that means nuking a settlement from orbit to anni-
hilate a nanoswarm and keep it from escaping to a
larger settlement, then so be it. After which they’ll
use every trick in Firewall’s bag to erase any evidence
they were there and to place the blame for the inci-
dent squarely on the shoulders of some other party.
If necessary, erasure squads can also be called in to

CLIQUES fix a sentinel op that has turned into a clusterfuck or
otherwise gone south. They are very careful to avoid
Though Firewall proxies follow stringent guide- exposure in such situations, however, which some-
lines to ensure the organization is not subverted times merely means eliminating all traces of Firewall
from within or turned into a powerful organi- involvement and letting the sentinels take the fall for
zation under the thumb of a few individuals their poor choices.
with their own personal agendas, the nature
of transhumanity ensures that various factions Routers: Routers are mission coordinators. They
and tendencies exist within the group. Termed work closely with scanners and crows, activating the
cliques, these circles exert influence to sway appropriate sentinels whenever a new danger rears
proxies towards their particular agendas. Their up. Each router has the authority to measure the
interactions and conflicts are something with threat and activate an appropriate number of senti-
which most Firewall personnel are familiar. Some nels—whatever is required to accomplish the mission
of these cliques are grounded in transhuman- in the least intrusive manner possible. They are also
ity’s existing factions, while others are rooted in authorized to divert Firewall resources to aid these
philosophical differences regarding the approach missions, within appropriate parameters. Routers are
Firewall should be taking. Gamemasters can use held responsible for the ultimate success of a mission.
these cliques to flesh out internal tensions within A failed mission will result in a reviewing board
Firewall or to simply throw some curve balls to staffed by their peers.
keep players on their toes.
Backups: The backup clique believes that trans- Scanners: Tasked with keeping alert for any sign of
new active threats, scanners are the eyes and ears of
humanity’s best chance for survival is to deploy Firewall. The scanners maintain a close eye on news-
numerous redundant backup measures as soon feeds and mesh traffic, even maintaining taps inside
as possible. These include creating as many ex- certain government and hypercorp communication
trasolar colonies as possible, both via Pandora channels. If a danger is detected, it is under their
gates and through more traditional means, authority, through routers, that sentinels are activated.
such as ark ships and infomorph/nanofabrica- Due to the power inherent in a scanners’ post, they
tor seed ships. are held accountable for false activations.

Conservatives: This clique takes an overcautious, Social Engineers: Nicknamed the Ministry of
nuke-it-from-orbit approach to most x-risks. Disinformation, social engineers provide the scape-
They believed excessive force is justified, and goating and plausible deniability that is required
it’s far better to be safe than extinct. This by Firewall and its sentinels. If a sentinel compro-
clique is also opposed to the use of alien or mises their position and endangers the organiza-
TITAN artifacts and psi and tends to be xeno- tion, social engineers step in to cover cracks in the
phobic/isolationist regarding the Factors and facade. They work intrinsically with erasure squads
Pandora gates. when one is activated to ensure the over-the-top
steps taken to eliminate a threat are well concealed
Mavericks: The mavericks disdain Firewall’s col- and ultimately erased. The power wielded by social
lective and bureaucratic tendencies, taking a engineers can be significant, as it ultimately decides
more individualistic approach to their work. (usually through e-voting consensus, though time
They are known to sometimes circumvent does not always allow such a luxury) what organi-
Firewall procedures, taking risks and allocating zation—political, corporate, independent, etc.—will
resources without approval from other proxies. take the blame and subsequent fallout for erasure
squad actions.
Pragmatists: The pragmatists believe in using 2.12.12.12.12.12.1
any and all tools at their disposal to counter Vectors: Vectors are Firewall’s communications
existential risks. They are in favor of deploying security and digital intrusion specialists—in other GAME INFORMATION
xenoartifacts, asyncs, and anything else that words, hackers. In addition to defending the mesh
will save transhumanity. security of all Firewall operations, vectors are also
deployed to aid crow research, scanner monitoring,
Structuralists: This clique advocates for a stron- and eliminating the trail of erasure squads. Vectors
also assist routers in maintaining communication,
ger structure and centralized authority within command, and control over a situation and are 2.12.12.12.1
sometimes called in to provide overwatch of sentinel
Firewall, countering the group’s autonomist- operations, especially if a particular sentinel squad 359
lacks their own hacking resources. Needless to say,
dominated tendencies. Many also advocate vectors are supplied with some of the best intrusion
and security tools transhumanity has to offer.
for going legitimate, taking Firewall into

the public eye and making above-board con-

nections with other official organizations,

arguing that this could bring more resources

to Firewall’s disposal. n

METHODS As noted under erasure squads, Firewall will not
hesitate to react with swift and unequivocal force if
Unobtrusive—that is the standard operating proce- an unobtrusive approach has failed and the danger
dure for any sentinel. Firewall’s continued success reaches a certain threat level. What constitutes
relies on its secrecy. The larger the footprint it leaves a “threat threshold” is actually calculated by spe-
during a given mission the easier it is for other cialized risk assessment software and may change
organizations to monitor Firewall’s efforts or even from mission to mission according to other external
attempt to infiltrate the group. To keep a low profile, factors. If the situation is dangerous enough and
Firewall consistently works to acquire allies with the scale of the consequences of failure sufficiently
influence in other organizations, using those groups
as a front for their activities when possible. Many WHAT HELP CAN A
of these “allies” are misled regarding Firewall’s
intentions and true purpose. Many operations are SENTINEL EXPECT?
conducted remotely (via hacking instead of sending
in sentinels) or via uninformed freelancers. When it Exactly what help Firewall provides to a senti-
is necessary to activate sentinels, small group infil-
trations are preferred, using the minimum number nel during a mission is wholly dependent upon
of personnel necessary to achieve the mission goals.
the situation and the gamemaster. Generally
Firewall also frequently infiltrates and places
long-term moles within other organizations in speaking, Firewall’s unobtrusive approach also
order to exploit their assets, freeing it from having
to deploy its own resources. Sentinels are some- applies to activated sentinels, meaning that
times recruited for this very purpose, so they may
take advantage of their non-Firewall positions and sentinels are largely left to operate on their
secretly access another group’s resources or set
them aside for Firewall’s future use. For example, own accord. Beyond access to a cache of sup-
a department head at Starware may have spent
years sealing a deal to ship crucial spacecraft parts plies—usually limited, forcing a sentinel to
to the isolationist Jovian Junta. The lucrative deal
brings huge prestige, a job promotion, and a salary use their own resources if they want more—
increase, all accomplishments the department head
strives for in their regular life. Yet this particular Firewall expects its sentinels to be capable of
department head is a long-standing sentinel and
this deal is a fantastic new opening for Firewall. handling a situation. In addition to their skills
Not only can the department head siphon off a
thin stream of revenue for Firewall use (hidden and wits, sentinels can, of course, rely heavily
thoroughly by vectors), but they’re also in a posi-
tion to smuggle sentinels into (or out of) the Jovian on their i-rep to gain the resources and favors
Junta habitats, a job usually extremely difficult to
accomplish. The risks to such activities—and the they need to achieve success.
consequences of losing a critically placed sentinel—
mean that this opportunity is reserved for impor- In some rare cases, the gamemaster may
tant operations and dire threats.
SYNOPSIS decide that a situation warrants more or less
WELCOME TO FIREWALL In an attempt to be prepared for rapidly develop-
ing situations, Firewall places caches of supplies on equipment in a cache or help from social engi-
A TIME OF ECLIPSE numerous habitats and worlds, available to sentinels
GAME MECHANICS as needed. The composition and availability of these neers or vectors. Such intervention should be
CHARACTER CREATION caches to sentinels depends wholly on the situation
SAMPLE CHARACTERS and on the decisions of the router(s) involved. These kept to a minimum, however, to lessen the
caches can hold weapons, armor, nanofabricators,
SKILLS archived information, or even relics stashed from players’ feelings of Deus Ex Machina, ensuring
ACTIONS AND COMBAT previous missions until Firewall decides what to
do with them. Large habitats may even be home to the appropriate response of awe when such
MIND HACKS several caches, with routers only revealing the ones
THE MESH with heavy firepower when absolutely needed. Some events do occur.
caches may be so dangerous, however, that once
ACCELERATED FUTURE a mission is complete, a router will authorize the The one thing for which Firewall can always
GEAR cortical stack destruction of all sentinels involved,
resleeving them to a backup that has no knowledge be relied on is backup insurance. Any Firewall
GAME INFORMATION of the cache’s existence.
REFERENCE operative killed in the line of duty will be

360 resleeved at Firewall’s expense—though

the morph used and whether the sentinel

is backed up from their cortical stack or a

backup (perhaps even an old backup) depends

entirely on the circumstances of death and

their router’s whim. Firewall usually makes an

extra effort to retrieve cortical stacks, however,

not in the least as they don’t want their agents’

backups falling into the wrong hands.

Similarly, if a Firewall mission involves

egocasting or travel to another destination,

Firewall will usually foot the bill. In many cases

it is easier for sentinels to cover the expense

themselves and bill Firewall later, but in times

of need Firewall can be called on to handle

such expenses directly. n

large, a Promethean will be tapped to calculate the HANDLING ALIENS 2.12.12.12.12.12.1 2.12.12.12.1
threat level and decide when it is time to tactically
withdraw and “thermally cleanse.” Though only a handful of aliens have been GAME INFORMATION 361
introduced to Eclipse Phase so far, gamemaster
LONG-TERM STRATEGIES AND GOALS may wish to introduce their own. This is per-
fectly acceptable, though we strongly recom-
The overriding goals of Firewall are to prevent exis- mend that any and all alien life be portrayed as
tential threats and protect transhumanity. However, convincingly alien. Life forms that have evolved
that is not their only goal. Their exact goals can in drastically different environmental circum-
and should remain directed by the gamemaster as stances from humans and that grew into intel-
it applies to a given playing group and a campaign. ligence by a different path should seem, at best,
This can also depend heavily on the particular bizarre, unusual, and weird. There is no guar-
cliques that a given gamemaster is emphasizing (see antee that a xenomorph’s thought processes
Cliques, p. 359). or modes of thinking are in any way similar to
transhuman ones or even that their emotional
The following is an easy-to-use selection of long- responses (based on a completely different
term strategies and goals that a gamemaster can use biology—if they have emotions, that is) are in
as desired: the same ballpark. Communication is likely to be
a challenge, and misunderstandings are practi-
• Seeding other star systems cally guaranteed. n
• Going legit vs. staying clandestine
• Development of stable seed AIs THE ETI
• Finding out where the TITANs went
• Finding out what happened to the uploaded As noted under Extraterrestrial Intelligences (p. 352),
the ETI is the advanced alien civilization responsible
transhuman egos with which the TITANs for the exsurgent virus (p. 362) and, by extension,
disappeared the corruption of the TITANs and the Fall.
• Figuring out the Factors
• Making contact with other aliens No one, not even the Factors, has encountered a
• Finding out what happened to the Iktomi and member (if such exists) of the ETI civilization so far.
other xenoarcheological oddities Since it is an intelligence far beyond transhumanity, it
likely won’t play much of a direct role within Eclipse
FIREWALL AND OTHER ORGANIZATIONS Phase, though those who learn the truth about the
exsurgent virus and the Fall may rightly fear the
The level to which Firewall has infiltrated other future. No one can even imagine what might happen
organizations (and vice versa!) is intentionally left a next, however, or know for certain that the ETI has
blank slate. Eclipse Phase is an active universe with not set more “traps” similar to their bracewell probes
an ongoing storyline, so such details will be fleshed or if they have other messengers or servants active
out and updated as additional sourcebooks are pub- in the galaxy. With things such as the Pandora gates
lished. Additionally, gamemasters should determine at transhumanity’s disposal, it may just be a matter
the extent of such infiltrations for their own games of time before transhuman explorers run afoul some
and campaigns, as dictated by the plot and storyline other aspect of the ETI’s existence and activities.
the gamemaster and players wish to tell.
It is important to keep the nature of the ETI in per-
The following is a quick list of the most obvious spective. While transhumanity has managed what it
interactions. considers wonders with a small handful of resources
available from a few planets and other objects in a
• Inner System: Almost all inner system factions bare handful of star systems, the ETI has had an entire
consider Firewall to be an illegal, rogue opera- galaxy at its disposal for eons. Engineering projects on
tion, tainted by anarchists and undermining the a massive scale—Dyson spheres, Matrioshka brains,
very fabric of their society. Some hypercorps, Jupiter brains, stellar engines—are within its capabili-
however, believe they can infiltrate the organiza- ties. This ETI uses star clusters as transhumanity uses
tion and use it for their own ends, such as spying fields or rich mineral veins. Given its potential, the
on and sabotaging other hypercorps and factions. ETI likely exists primarily on the galactic rim, far
from the galactic center, where lower temperatures
• Jovian Republic: The Junta loathes Firewall and and scarcer matter make for a good thermodynamic
all it stands for and will use extreme measures to environment. The powers in the deep cold dark on
combat even the hint of Firewall activity within the edge of the Milky Way have been self-aware since
its sphere of influence. before Earth was so much as a ripple in warming gas
around the not-yet-ignited Sun.
• Titanians: Most Titanians in-the-know are
not necessarily opposed to Firewall’s activi-
ties, but believe the group should be reined in
and legitimized.

Despite what those-in-the-know in the Eclipse COG COO INT REF SAV SOM WIL MOX
Phase universe may think, the ETI is not necessar- 40 10 40 20 30 10 40 --
ily hostile towards other races like transhumanity
(depending on its outlook; see The ETI Agenda, INIT SPD LUC TT IR DUR WT DR
p.  353), at least not in the way as transhumanity 12 1 80 16 160 35 7 53
would define animosity because of religious, ethnic,
racial, or cultural difference. Most likely the ETI is Skills: Fray 30, Investigation 80, Perception 90, others
simply indifferent, concerned with matters on scales
on which transhumanity does not even register. Or it as appropriate
may think of transhumanity like a living body might
recognize an infection or parasite—something the Implants: Access Jacks, Carapace Armor, Circadian
immune system will suppress and deal with.
Regulation, Direction Sense, Eidetic Memory,
EXHUMANS
Endocrine Control, Hyper Linguist, Math Boost,
Exhumans are a faction within Eclipse Phase that
seeks to transcend the transhuman and become post- Medichines, Multi-Tasking, Oracle, Skillware
human. More to the point, exhumans seek to perfect
their physical and mental capabilities to extreme levels, Notes: Mental Disorder trait × 2
in search of some perfectionist ideal or to become
something higher-up on the evolutionary ladder. PREDATORS
Exactly what this is differs from exhuman to exhuman,
but there is generally some adherence to Nietzschean Predators seek to transform themselves into an ulti-
philosophy and a goal to reach the pinnacle of the mate top-of-the-food-chain evolutionary contender.
food chain. Some exhumans have transformed them- They pursue new avenues in genetic modification and
selves into what they consider to be an ideal predator prototype implants, often using controversial methods
or a creature that is extra-adaptable and so best able and technologies. The biochemical instabilities result-
to survive. Others radically modify their own brains ing from these untested modifications and altered
in order to drastically surpass transhuman intelligence. metabolisms negatively impacts their emotional and
Most are singularity seekers, eager and willing to mental stability. Pushing this even further, some preda-
follow the breadcrumbs left by the TITANs or other tors undergo experimental psychosurgery to modify
entities in the hope that they will find the means of their consciousnesses in order to increase cunning and
transcending transhuman limitations. ruthlessness, a procedure that often has other negative
side effects. A few predators take their survival-of-the-
Due to the use of numerous extreme, experimental, fittest ideology to an extreme, modifying their diges-
and dangerous self-modifications, some exhumans tive systems for a cannibalistic diet and relishing in the
have done permanent damage to their psyches, becom- slaughter and feasting on of transhumans.
ing insane or perhaps just transferring their mode of
thinking into something that is no longer recognizable COG COO INT REF SAV SOM WIL MOX
as human. Some have also adopted an antagonistic 30 40 40 40 15 40 30 --
view of their former transhuman species, viewing it as
weak, decadent, and unworthy. This has spurred some INIT SPD LUC TT IR DUR WT DR
exhumans to actively attack and ravage transhuman 16 3 60 12 120 65 13 98
SYNOPSIS settlements and ships, though usually in isolated areas.
WELCOME TO FIREWALL Skills: Blades 60, Fray 60, Free Fall 50, Freerunning 80,
A few examples of exhumans are described below,
A TIME OF ECLIPSE though gamemasters are encouraged to develop Investigation 50, Perception 60, Unarmed Combat 70
GAME MECHANICS their own.
CHARACTER CREATION Implants: Adrenal Boost, Carapace Armor (11/11),
SAMPLE CHARACTERS NEURODES
Chameleon Skin, Cyberclaws, Drug Glands, Endo-
SKILLS Seeking to achieve a new level of super-intelligence
ACTIONS AND COMBAT and consciousness, neurodes have abandoned the crine Control, Enhanced Hearing, Enhanced Smell,
typical transhuman sleeve in exchange for a multi-
MIND HACKS pedal neuronal shell that is both body and brain at Enhanced Vision, Grip Pads, Hardened Skeleton,
THE MESH the same time. The bulk of a neurode’s body mass
consists of amorphic clusters of neuronal and epithe- Medichines, Muscle Augmentation, Neurachem
ACCELERATED FUTURE lial cells, enclosed in a hard carapace shell with four
GEAR legs and two manipulatory digits. The cerebral mass (Rating 2), Oxygen Reserve, Poison Gland, Prehen-
of neurode brains gives them impressive calculation
GAME INFORMATION and other mental capabilities far exceeding that of a sile Feet, Prehensile Tail, Respirocytes, Temperature
REFERENCE normal transhuman. Neurodes typically defend them-
selves with swarms of teleoperated drones. Tolerance, Toxin Filters, Vacuum Sealing, plus any
362
other mods the gamemaster feels appropriate

Notes: Mental Disorder trait × 2

THE EXSURGENT VIRUS

Only very few people (or entities) who survived the
diaspora from Earth know of the true reasons and the
catalyst that culminated in the Fall. The alien exsur-
gent virus—as those aware of its existence within
Firewall call it—is something beyond transhuman-
ity’s understanding. Set in place by the ETI to infect
emerging seed AIs, it is far more complex than just a
computer virus.

Though some strains of the exsurgent virus have
been identified and various types of infected exsur-
gents have been encountered, it is widely assumed that
these are creations of the TITANs. Largely defeated
and eradicated from off-Earth transhuman networks
thanks to the efforts of the Prometheans, occasional

breakouts of the exsurgent virus still occur, primarily BIOLOGICAL NANOVIRUS
due to scavengers or others becoming infected when
messing with old relics from the Fall. Exploiting the infected TITANs’ understanding of
Earth-based biology and their access to bio- and
PLETHORA OF STRAINS nanotechnology, the exsurgent virus appeared in
several biological forms not long into the Fall. These
The exsurgent virus is unlike anything that trans- virulent strains infected biomorph transhumans and
humanity has ever encountered. While it bears sometimes other living creatures as well. The biologi-
similarities to both computer and biological viruses in cal nanobots spreading this strain act much like other
regards to infection of hosts and propagation, it is not biological viruses, though they radically modify the
bound by many limits of form or transmission vector. victim’s biological and mental states. Some versions
invade and restructure the target’s genetic code, trans-
The exsurgent virus is amazingly effective and infec- forming them into the horrible abominations known
tious. As an information virus, it is highly intelligent as exsurgents (p. 369). While first-hand reports relate
and adaptive, able to mutate into new forms. Much like lurid tales of victims metamorphing into hostile
certain viruses are able to cross species boundaries or monsters, such reports are rare and considered unre-
change their vector from contact to airborne, it is also a liable due to the mental state of the witnesses (and
self-morphing omnivirus, capable of altering itself and any recordings that can verify such claims have a
its transmission vectors to bypass infection safeguards. strange habit of disappearing). Other variants of this
Like a retrovirus that incorporates genetic information strain are known only to alter the target’s neural code,
into the genome of the target cell to subvert the cell to subverting them to the will of the virus (and often,
do its bidding, the exsurgent virus does the same but by extension, the TITANs) and affecting their mental
on a more complex level. It is also known to rewrite a structure in order to give them psi ability.
host’s neural code in a similar manner, in effect restruc-
turing the target’s mind and personality. BIOLOGICAL INFECTION

While it began as a digital computer virus—the Biological versions are spread much like other patho-
manner in which it infected the TITANs—it has trans- gens. People usually become infected by proximity to
formed to be communicable via at least three other another infected entity. Vectors may be dermal (touch-
forms: biological nanovirus, nanoplague, and basilisk ing someone with bio-nanobots excreted through the
hack. Each is described below, along with rules for skin), inhalation (breathing exhaled bio-nanobots),
infection and defense.

2.12.12.12.12.12.1 2.12.12.12.1

GAME INFORMATION 363

injection, or oral (see Application Methods, p. 317). The attack is handled as an Opposed Test, each rolling
exsurgent bio-nanobots can live outside of a body COG + INT. If the exsurgent virus wins, the target is
for extended periods, so infection is possible merely infected and will be corrupted by the virus in 10 Action
by occupying the space where an infected victim was Turns, minus 1 turn per 10 full points of MoS. If the
hours or even days before. target succeeded but rolled lower than the virus, they
are aware that they are slowly being taken over. This
If a biomorph only has a chance of exposure to the immediately causes them 1d10 points of mental stress.
virus (e.g., they walk through a room in which they An infected program has only one option for defending
might have breathed in exhaled bio-nanobots), have itself before the virus takes over—shutdown and reboot.
them make a MOX × 10 Test (use their Moxie stat, It takes the AI or infomorph 1 full Action Turn to shut
not their current Moxie score). Failure means they down. Restarting takes 3 full Action Turns (possibly
were exposed. In other circumstances, exposure may longer if the gamemaster so decides), upon which the AI
be automatic, such as extended physical contact or or infomorph must make another Opposed COG + INT
exchange of bodily fluids with an infected person. Test against the virus. If this test also fails, then the virus
has already embedded itself in the AI or infomorph’s
A biomorph exposed to this infection must make code and will continue its infection.
a DUR × 2 Test to determine if the infection takes
hold. Basic biomods and nanophages do not offer One the infection is complete, the AI/infomorph
any protection, though toxin filters (p.  305) and becomes an exsurgent NPC.
medichines (p. 308) each give a +30 bonus (though it
is likely only a matter of time before a mutant exsur- CYBERBRAIN HACKING
gent strain learns to bypass them). If the test fails, the
victim is infected. See the strain descriptions (p. 367) Exsurgent viruses that manage to infiltrate the cyber-
for specific details. brains of pods and synthmorphs may also target the
digital egos within, using the same rules as given for
Within 12 hours of infection, biomorphs become AI and infomorph subversion above. Alternately, the
contagious to others. (Note that for the Watts- virus may conduct a traditional brainhacking attack,
MacLeod strain, they only remain contagious for 12 as noted on (p. 261), or unleash a basilisk hack.
hours after that.)
NANOPLAGUE
SYNOPSIS DIGITAL VIRUS
WELCOME TO FIREWALL While the abundance of nanotechnology has been a
Digital strains are purely information- or code- blessing for transhumanity’s journey to the stars, it has
A TIME OF ECLIPSE based versions of the virus. They resemble advanced also been a curse. Via the TITANs and mesh-connected
GAME MECHANICS computer viruses, worms, and trojans. They spread nanofabrication machines, the exsurgent virus manu-
CHARACTER CREATION throughout the mesh, exploit holes, mimic protocols, factured nanobot swarms equipped with variants of
SAMPLE CHARACTERS and bypass security measures just like a skilled hacker. the virus. These nanobot plagues are capable of target-
ing all types of morphs and sometimes other machin-
SKILLS Digital versions of the exsurgent virus are treated ery as well. Unlike the biological nanovirus, which uses
ACTIONS AND COMBAT as intelligent programs, using the same rules as info- biological mechanisms to rewrite biological/neural
morphs (p. 265), with the following stats: structures, these nanoplagues physically restructure
MIND HACKS both people and things at the molecular level.
THE MESH COG COO INT REF SAV SOM WIL MOX
40 10 40 40 40 40 40 — NANOPLAGUE INFECTION
ACCELERATED FUTURE
GEAR INIT SPD LUC TT IR DUR WT DR Exsurgent nanoswarms follow all of the rules given
16 3 — — — — — — for nanoswarms on p.  328. Unlike transhuman
GAME INFORMATION Skills: Hardware: Electronics 50, Infosec 70, Inter- nanoswarms, though, exsurgent nanoplagues may
REFERENCE penetrate a biomorph internally, affecting the body
facing 60, Investigation 50, Perception 60, Program- within as well as without.

ming 50 Any morph that comes into contact with a nano-
plague is considered infected. The only defenses are
Software: Exploit, Firewall, Sniffer, Spoof, Track, plus guardian nanobots and nanophages (which work the
same as guardian nanobots in this situation), though
any others the gamemaster considers appropriate these are less effective against exsurgent nanobots,
inflicting –2 damage to the swarm each Action
DIGITAL INFECTION Turn. Some exsurgent nanoplagues have developed
countermeasures against such systems, inflicting
As a matter of course, this exsurgent virus will seek (1d10 ÷ 2, round up) damage to such defenses each
Action Turn. Note that nanoplague-infected charac-
to access any new systems it comes into contact with, ters are not contagious themselves … usually.

hacking in and copying a version of itself. See the strain descriptions p. 367 for specific infec-
tion details.
AI AND INFOMORPH SUBVERSION

An exsurgent virus may take a Complex Action to ini-
tiate an “attack” against any other intelligent program
(AI, AGI, or infomorph) that is running on the same
system. If it encounters such programs as they are
accessing a system it is on, it will attempt to locate
and hack their home system where they are running
so as to attack them directly.

364

BASILISK HACKS • (1) Cataplexy: The victim loses control of their 2.12.12.12.12.12.1 2.12.12.12.1
body and immediately collapses. For the duration
Thanks to the vast databanks of knowledge the their body will be non-responsive but they will be GAME INFORMATION 365
TITANs had absorbed from transhumanity, the aware and capable of mental actions. Mesh actions
exsurgent virus was able to thoroughly analyze the and implant controls are also disabled, however.
biology and functioning of transhuman minds. In a
few short months of accessing all of the research at • (2) Catatonic Stupor: The character becomes
their disposal, the exsurgent and TITAN intelligences immobile and non-responsive. Though conscious,
made several cognitive leaps in their understanding of they are mentally “not there”—the basilisk hack
transhuman brain functions—breakthroughs that will has effectively crashed their brain functions. They
take transhumanity decades to reach. One of these will do absolutely nothing for the duration and
discoveries was a method of applying sensory input will not respond even if moved or attacked.
as a weapon, exploiting weaknesses in the brain’s
neurocerebral wiring. • (3) Disorientation: The character becomes disori-
ented and severely confused. They are incapable
Known as “basilisk hacks,” these attacks take of making decisions, understanding communica-
advantage of the way biological transhuman brains tion, understanding what is going on around
interpret and process sensory input in the cerebral them, or acting in any sort of determined way for
cortex. Just as epileptics are susceptible to visualiza- the duration.
tions that strobe at certain frequencies, basilisk hacks
employ special visual and auditory patterns that • (4–5) Grand Mal Seizures: The subject immedi-
trigger glitches in the brain’s neuronal wiring to inflict ately falls to the ground and begins convulsing,
nausea, vertigo, disorientation, and even seizures, suffering 1d10 damage. They may do nothing
often mistaken as a stroke or cerebrovascular incident. else for the duration and will suffer an equal
Some basilisk hacks go farther than simply causing duration period of confusion and weakness (–30
the brain to seize up and crash, however, enabling to all actions) afterwards.
a mechanism to rewrite the neural code in victims
who view or listen to the wrong thing. This unknown • (6–7) Hallucinations: The character immediately
reprogramming mechanism enables the virus to infect goes off on a mental trip, leaving them completely
even a biological brain with one of its strains. Similar disconnected from reality and their physical
attacks are used against both synthmorphs and pods, body. For the duration, the character should only
taking advantage of the methods in which cyberbrains respond to the hallucinated reality the gamemas-
mimic biological minds with a virtual brain state, and ter describes to them or else the character should
thus also manipulating them via the information be treated as an NPC, run by the gamemaster.
encoded in sensory input.
• (8) Impaired Cognition: The character’s mental
In a nutshell, basilisk hacks are a way of hacking capabilities bottom out, turning them into a
transhuman brains merely by feeding them a specific disabled vegetable. COG, INT, SAV, and WIL all
sample of sensory input, usually images or sounds. The drop to 1, and the character should act accord-
widespread use of augmented reality makes deploy- ingly to environmental stimuli.
ment of such hacks an easy matter; the exsurgent virus
just hacks into the target’s ecto or mesh inserts and • (9) Nausea/Vertigo: The character is overcome
engages the sensory feed. More traditional methods with head-spinning and vomiting and is effec-
may also be used, including standard interactive video, tively incapacitated for the duration.
holograms, audio, subsonics, or even VR.
• (10) Sleep: The character passes out for the duration
Since so many records of the years surrounding and cannot be woken short of medical intervention.
the Fall were lost, most people do not know if the
basilisk hack is anything other than a legend. Various In rare cases, a character may be able to “dodge”
official groups know that this technology was, in fact, a basilisk hack they know is coming, assuming they
used by the TITANs, but they keep this knowledge to have some sort of warning (such as their buddy falling
themselves, in large part to help reduce the number of prey to it moments before). The character must of
people attempting to duplicate it. course be aware of what basilisk hacks are to even
consider this idea. If they immediately attempt to
INCAPACITATING INPUTS take action to block out the sensory input when it
strikes—closing their eyes, plugging their ears, turning
When a character experiences a basilisk hack, they off their AR, etc.—allow them a REF × 3 Test to see if
must make a COG + INT + SAV Test. If this test they do so in time.
fails, their brain is susceptible to the hack, and they
immediately suffer 1d10 mental stress. Additionally, SENSORY REPROGRAMMING
one of the following effects applies. The duration for
each effect listed below is 1 minute plus 1 additional In some cases, the exsurgent virus can actually repro-
minute per 10 full points of MoF. Each effect is also gram the target’s mind via dedicated sensory input. This
numbered 1–10, in case the gamemaster wants to roll is a trickier affair, however, requiring uninterrupted pro-
1d10 and randomize the effects rather than choose: gramming time. As with incapacitating inputs, the target
character(s) experiencing the basilisk hack must make a
COG + INT + SAV Test. If this fails, they become cata-
tonic and paralyzed for a period of 10 minutes, minus

SYNOPSIS 1 minute per 10 full points of MoF. At the end of this Since YGBM attacks are not intended to completely
WELCOME TO FIREWALL period, they are mentally reprogrammed and “infected” convert the target, but instead to simply convert them
with one of the strains of the exsurgent virus (see below). into a temporary tool or weapon, implanted com-
A TIME OF ECLIPSE mands are not designed to last long. The duration
GAME MECHANICS If the character is somehow removed from exposure the suggestion will last equals 3 days +1 day per 10
CHARACTER CREATION to the basilisk hack through the actions of another points of MoF on the resistance test. If the command
SAMPLE CHARACTERS party before the full duration, the reprogramming has not been triggered by this point, it dissipates, and
immediately fails. In this case, the victim still suffers the character is none the wiser.
SKILLS 1d10 mental stress +1 per minute they were exposed,
ACTIONS AND COMBAT and they remain mentally shaken, suffering a –30 RECORDING BASILISK HACKS
modifier to all actions. This modifier reduces at the
MIND HACKS rate of 10 per minute. Enterprising characters may seek to record a basilisk
THE MESH hack input for their own uses. While basilisk hacks may
YGBM ATTACKS be recorded like any other sensory input, keep in mind
ACCELERATED FUTURE that the exsurgents and TITANs likely take measures
GEAR Rather than completely reprogramming a victim, to keep such tools out of the hands of transhumanity,
some exsurgent attacks simply plant subconscious lest they construct some sort of defense. Basilisk hack
GAME INFORMATION commands in the target’s mind, similar to posthyp- sources may be self-erasing or contain coding or coun-
REFERENCE notic suggestions. Nicknamed “You gotta believe me” termeasures that would hinder recording, such as white
attacks, YGBMs are a sort of remote digital brain- noise to defeat audio recording or lens-blinding flashes
366 washing attempt used to create sleeper terrorists and to defeat video recording. Conversely, basilisk hacks are
unknowing collaborators, often by targeting them via considered extremely dangerous by almost all factions of
the mesh. Unlike the mind manipulation techniques of transhumanity and universally feared. An individual or
psychosurgery (p. 229), YGBM attacks use shotgun group known to possess them is likely to be treated much
techniques to open the mind, utilizing some kind of like a terrorist with a suitcase nuke. Though Firewall has
backdoor the exsurgents discovered in the transhu- a standard interest in evaluating and enabling some sort
man brain, and altering the mind by brute force. of defense against basilisk hacks, most Firewall person-
nel consider it foolish to handle such toys and would
A character experiencing a YGBM basilisk hack rather destroy such recordings outright.
must make a COG + INT + SAV Test. If this fails, a
single suggestion is implanted in the character’s mind, EXSURGENT STRAINS
without their knowledge. This subliminal command
will be triggered at some later point, either at some Four variants of the exsurgent virus are described
predesignated time or according to certain pre-set here—gamemasters are encouraged to develop their
conditions. Once triggered, the character will carry own to keep players on their toes.
out the action with all of the conviction that it is their
own idea. The implanted suggestion may be some- HAUNTING VIRUS
thing as simple as “kill the Firewall agent” to some-
thing as complex as “manufacture an explosive device This strain is the most insidious of the exsurgent
and plant it in the cargo hold of any ship heading to viruses. Over time, it rewrites the target’s personality
Mars, set to explode one day after they disembark.” and motivations, slowly but surely subverting and

taking control of the victim’s mind. At first the charac- WIL Test. At the gamemaster’s discretion, failure 2.12.12.12.12.12.1 2.12.12.12.1
ter is unlikely to even be aware of the infection, and as may result in 1d10 ÷ 2 (round up) mental stress
it progresses the changes the virus makes to the target as the character realizes they are no longer fully GAME INFORMATION 367
will at first seem natural, as if some new aspect of their in control of their own thoughts and actions.
personality was simply manifesting itself. As the effects • Stage 3 (6 months+): The victim suffers another
grow more pronounced, however, the victim becomes 1d10 ÷ 2 (round up) mental stress and acquires
aware that they are being methodically altered but is in the Psi trait at Level 3 (see below). The character
most cases unable to act against it. In the end, they are is now considered an exsurgent and becomes
completely transformed into a pawn of the ETI. Their an NPC. It may no longer be played as a player
mind is no longer transhuman, but alien. character. The victim also gains a permanent
+5 bonus to COG and WIL and acquires 1 new
The exact rate of progression is up to the game- sleight every 1–2 months.
master, though guidelines are provided below. Each
victim is affected differently, so the process may be As noted above, characters infected with this strain
accelerated or slowed down as the gamemaster sees fit. suffer from different haunting effects—changes to their
personality or mental state. A few ideas for haunting
• Stage 1 (initial infection to 3 months): Upon effects are noted here, but gamemasters are encour-
initial infection, the character suffers 1d10 mental aged to be creative when inventing their own to apply:
stress and gains the Psi trait (p. 147) at Level 1
(also meaning they pick up the Mental Disorder • Altered Perceptions: The victim’s perceptions are
trait, as noted on p.  150). They also gain one changed in disturbing and unusual ways. They
free psi-chi sleight, chosen randomly or by the may see things that aren’t there, feel a presence
gamemaster. If a player character has become behind or watching them, inexplicably smell
infected, they may still be played as normal (see blood, hear voices, suffer synaesthesia, or sud-
Roleplaying Exsurgents, p.  369) and may pur- denly perceive the people around them as nothing
chase new psi-chi sleights with Rez Points. NPCs but outlandish, blabbering sacks of meat.
acquire 1 new sleight per 2–4 weeks.
• Behavioral Modification: Treat as behavioral
At this stage, the infection is usually hidden, control or personality editing psychosurgery
though the character will suffer from occasional (p. 229). This is typically applied to shape the
haunting effects (see below). As each week passes, character closer to being a pawn of the ETI.
the character’s personality should shift a minute
amount, slowly becoming more callous and con- • Dream Manipulation: The character’s dreams
niving and changing in other ways as well. If pos- become lucid, weird, and surreal. They may find
sible, the player should be kept in the dark about themselves dreaming of life as an alien on some
what is happening, but the gamemaster should exotic exoplanet, as a robotic probe soaring through
provide them with roleplaying advice to reflect the vast emptiness of space, or fantasizing different
their condition. Likewise, the discovery and methods of inflicting mass destruction and death.
initial use of psi sleights should be played out,
providing some interesting roleplaying oppor- • Emotional Manipulation: Treat as emotional
tunities. Characters and players who know of control psychosurgery (p. 231).
the exsurgent virus and Watts-MacLeod strains
should not know at this point which strain they • Inexplicable Urges: The character will be flushed
are infected with—make them sweat. with strange alien urges and may sometimes find
themselves doing highly unusual things without
• Stage 2 (3 months to 6 months): The target realizing at all they are doing it. These may include
suffers another 1d10 ÷ 2 (round up) mental taking devices apart to understand how they work,
stress and acquires the Psi trait at Level 2 (also testing the limits on programming a nanofabrica-
picking up another disorder). Player characters tor, cutting a living thing apart to see how it is
may still be played as normal and may purchase put together biologically, testing weapons, eating
psi-gamma slights with Rez Points. NPCs acquire things that are only barely edible, promiscuous
1 new sleight per 2–4 weeks. and unusual sexual activity, lying just to see what
they can get away with, and so on.
Once three months have passed, the character
should be aware they are under the influence MINDSTEALER VIRUS
of something, but this awareness likely comes
too late. Haunting effects (below) should occur Very similar to the haunting virus, the mindstealer
regularly. At this point a character is likely to strain is much quicker acting. Instead of slowly sub-
consider seeking help, actively encouraging verting the target’s mind over the course of months,
others to interfere, or offing themselves and the mindstealer virus rapidly recodes the victim’s brain
resorting to an uninfected backup. The infection in a matter of minutes. This infection is much more
will actively block and hinder such thoughts invasive and brute-force, often causing significant
and actions, however. To actively overcome this side effects to the target’s mental state as a result. This
mental control, the character must succeed in a strain is only spread as a digital virus, nanoplague, or
basilisk hack (not as a biological nanovirus).

SYNOPSIS Once the victim is infected, it takes the virus a Stage 1: The effects from Stage 1 of the haunting
WELCOME TO FIREWALL number of Action Turns equal to COG + INT + SAV virus apply. Additionally, the character begins to suffer
to completely take over their mind (20 Action Turns = minor physical changes that are definitely unusual but
A TIME OF ECLIPSE 1  minute). During this time, the target is actively are not impeding in any way and are easily hidden
GAME MECHANICS aware that their mind is under attack and undergoing from others. Example biomorph alterations might be:
CHARACTER CREATION massive changes against their will. This process is con- unusual hair or fibrous growth, some skin discolor-
SAMPLE CHARACTERS fusing, frightening, and painful, inflicting a –30 modi- ation or translucence, severe rashes, dermal thicken-
fier to all of the character’s actions for the duration. ing, weakened or enhanced sensory organs, strong
SKILLS Many victims are reduced to whimpering, drooling, or body odor, hair loss, teeth gain or loss, vestigial tail or
ACTIONS AND COMBAT convulsing for the duration. other limb growth, minor dietary changes, and so on.
Synthmorphs might experience minor system glitches,
MIND HACKS This mental transformation inflicts 2d10 mental malfunctioning or improved components, and spots
THE MESH stress to the target. Once complete, the victim is an of material stress or transfiguration. Gamemasters
exsurgent NPC, under the gamemaster’s control. are encouraged to be creative. This stage typically
ACCELERATED FUTURE lasts from initial infection to 1 week for biological
GEAR WATTS-MACLEOD VIRUS nanovirus strains, or from infection to just 1 hour for
nanoplague strains.
GAME INFORMATION The Watts-MacLeod strain is a strangely benevolent
REFERENCE version of the exsurgent virus, seeming to imbue Stage 2: As with haunting virus Stage 2, plus the
its victims with psi abilities without any of the other character begins to seriously transmogrify in ways
368 transformative elements typical of other strains. Perhaps that are difficult to hide from others, becoming more
created as an accidental mutation of the exsurgent virus, and more monstrous as the stage progresses. Example
there are many who wonder if the true detrimental biomorph transformations include: growing scales
effects of this strain simply have yet to reveal themselves. or feathers, partial modification of limb structure,
partial new limb growth, vestigial sensory organ
As noted in the Mind Hacks chapter section on Psi growth, sensory loss, extension of claws or spines,
(p. 220), characters infected with this strain gain the severe dietary changes, etc. Synthmorphs might expe-
Psi trait (p. 147) at either Level 1 or 2. If a character rience radical system and shape alterations, limited
is infected during game play, this trait must be pur- or enhanced sensor functions, or even conversion of
chased with Rez Points (if the character does not have their robotic shell to smart materials. These physical
any points currently available, they pay out of the changes weaken the victim, inflicting 1d10 physical
points they earn until the debt is paid off). All of the damage. This stage typically lasts 1 week for biological
other side effects of Watts-MacLeod infection (see Psi, nanovirus strains or just 1 hour for nanoplague strains.
p. 220) also apply.
Stage 3: As with haunting virus Stage 3, a character
Though infection with this strain does provide some reaching this stage becomes an NPC. Additionally,
benefits to the character, the gamemaster should make the victim completely undergoes a transformation
sure to play up the creepy and unsettling nature of into some sort of creature that is no longer even
this virus. The character should never be certain that remotely human. Example exsurgents of this nature
they haven’t in fact been subtly influenced by the virus are detailed on p. 367.
in ways they can’t immediately pinpoint—they should
always feel like the axe may fall at any moment. USING THE EXSURGENT VIRUS

XENOMORPH VIRUS The frightening thing about the exsurgent virus is
its adaptability. It was written by a near omnipotent
The xenomorph strain transforms the target’s body in ETI with the intent of corrupting any alien seed AIs
addition to their mind. It is only spread as a biologi- or similar singularities it encountered, and it is very
cal nanovirus or nanoplague (not as a digital virus or good at it. This means it has the capability to analyze,
basilisk hack). Over time, the victim’s morph physi- understand, and mimic almost any alien digital pro-
cally transmogrifies into some sort of alien life form. tocols and communication methods it comes into
Different variants of this strain produce different contact with, no matter how diverse the alien mindset
xenomorphs. It is not known where these different that constructed what it encounters. It then has a
alien templates originated, meaning they may be copies cunning ability to circumvent any safeguards and
of (once) existing alien species or simply neogenetic infect such systems. From there, it rapidly assimilates
creatures created from scratch. The one trait they have any data it can about the target species/civilization
in common is that they are universally dangerous. and does it best to mutate into other forms that can
Some speculation in Firewall circles suggests that the attack this target from other vectors.
exsurgent virus may in fact have a “library” of crea-
ture types to deploy, under the assumption that at least Given its constant morphing nature, the exsurgent
some will be more effective than others for exterminat- virus is likely to continue to mutate in new and inter-
ing whatever victim species they are fielded against. esting ways. Some of these mutations may be effective,
many not. This does, however, afford the gamemaster
This strain follows the same rules as the haunting an opportunity to invent new variants of their own to
virus (above), but with the following changes. The deploy against unsuspecting characters.
timeframe is typically much quicker, though the game-
master may adjust this as they see fit.

ROLEPLAYING EXSURGENTS body, a body they now share with a cold and malevolent
presence that is methodically taking them over. Such
The primary thing for gamemasters to keep in mind characters may respond in a number of ways depending
when roleplaying entities that have been taken over by on their personality, ranging from despair, withdrawal,
the exsurgent virus is that exsurgents are following an and suicidal tendencies to complete hysteria or calm
alien agenda. The specific goals and actions of each exsur- acceptance. Most importantly, however, their personality
gent may differ, but they are generally concerned with should begin to change as the virus continues to trans-
two things: spreading the exsurgent virus and destroying form them. Players should be encouraged to take on new
anything that isn’t affected. In some cases, this may mean demeanors and motivations, reflecting the alien compo-
immediate and enraged hostile action against anything nent of their changing personality, with some guidance
non-exsurgent around them. In others, the exsurgent from the gamemaster. This presents some intriguing
approach is more methodical, hatching long-term plots roleplaying opportunities that the players will hopefully
to infiltrate positions of power and authority, setting the embrace. If the gamemaster feels that the player is not
stage for acts of mass destruction, and so on. In other adequately representing the changing mindset, however,
words, they may be handled both as hostile monsters the transformation can simply be accelerated and the
or as nefarious long-term opponents that are subvert- character converted into a gamemaster-operated NPC.
ing transhumanity from within or weaving complicated
plans to bring about devastation on a planetary scale. EXSURGENTS

If the gamemaster wishes, exsurgents may also A few examples of exsurgents created from transhu-
pursue other goals, tangential to the ones above. These mans transformed by the xenomorph strain of the
may range from accumulating knowledge and expertise virus are noted below. As always, gamemasters are
on how transhumanity functions as a species to forc- encouraged to develop their own, using these as guide-
ibly uploading mass numbers of minds or more esoteric lines. Unless otherwise noted, exsurgents use the stats
goals such as manufacturing a halfnium bomb or con- and skills of the transformed character. Each exsur-
verting the solar system’s mass to computronium. The gent detailed below first lists the aptitude modifiers
exsurgent virus is potent and intelligent, and while its applied to transformed characters, then gives example
methods and goals may sometimes be opaque to trans- aptitude/skill ratings for NPC exsurgents.
humanity, it acts with direction and purpose. There
may also be occasions—likely due to the mutating and Note that simply encountering transformed exsur-
morphing nature of the virus and the way in which gents is stressful to the minds of many transhumans.
it transforms transhuman minds, perhaps not always At the gamemaster’s discretion, such encounters may
in the manner intended—where the exsurgent goals inflict 1d10 + 3 mental stress (p. 215).
become strange or simply horrific, such as running
experiments on transhuman responses to extreme con- CREEPERS (SYNTHMORPHS) 2.12.12.12.12.12.1
ditions or converting an entire colony to cannibalism.
Perhaps the most disturbing exsurgent variant, so- GAME INFORMATION
EXSURGENT-INFECTED PCS called creepers are cloud-like amorphous swarms of
small, black bubbles that are strangely fuzzily defined,
It is possible for player characters infected with some as if surrounded by some sort of visual refraction effect.
strains of the exsurgent virus to continue on under These clouds are theorized to in fact be autonomous
their own volition, even as the virus slowly consumes femtobot swarms—similar to nanobots, but affect-
them. This process is, quite naturally, horrifying in the ing matter on an even smaller scale, at the level of an
extreme, though there is little they can do about it. atomic nucleus. These black bubbles are capable of
Despite the best efforts of transhuman science, there coalescing into physical shapes in various states and
is no known method to save an infected person—the can penetrate just about any material or substance in
virus is simply too potent and adaptive. As a result, a matter of Action Turns. They may even penetrate
Firewall policy is to terminate the infected with morphs, accessing and interfacing with neural and elec-
extreme prejudice. Most Firewall operatives are aware tronic systems directly. For rules purposes, treat creep-
of this, a fact that pushes some who become infected ers the same as a self-replicating nanoswarm (p. 384).
to keep their status a secret from their comrades.
COG COO INT REF SAV SOM WIL MOX
Both the haunting and xenomorph strains usually +5 (20) — (15) +5 (20) +10 (30) — (15) — (15) +10 (30) —
transform a subject over time, meaning that the char-
acter may initially not be aware of the infection. This is INIT SPD LUC TT IR DUR WT DR 2.12.12.12.1
a prime opportunity for the gamemaster to mess with 10 2 — — — 100 20 200
the character ruthlessly, starting slowly with little haunt- 369
ing effects and building up as the infection progresses. Mobility System: Walker/Microlight (4/16) (may
The character should slowly become aware that they
are under the influence of something—something intel- create other mobility systems with different rates)
ligent. Characters aware of the exsurgent virus and its
effects will likely pick up on this sooner, but the virus Skills: Fray 40, Free Fall 50, Intimidation 60, Percep-
may prevent them from doing anything about it. In
effect, the character becomes a prisoner within their own tion 50, Unarmed Combat (Grapple) 50 (60)

Notes: 360-Degree Vision, Chemical Sniffer, Electrical

Sense, Enhanced Hearing, Enhanced Vision, Fractal

Digits, Nanoscopic Vision, Radar, Radiation Sense,

Swarm Composition (but may make SOM Tests, and

plasma weapons do only 1d10 damage), T-ray Emitter

JELLIES (BIOMORPH) COG COO INT REF SAV SOM WIL MOX
+5 (20) +5 (30) — (20) +10 (30) +5 (20) +10 (35) +10 (30) —
These exsurgents resemble collections of massive,
slimy, mucus-filled bubbles. Their soft, amorphous INIT SPD LUC TT IR DUR WT DR
shape allows jellies to squeeze, slide, and slither 10 2 — — — 70 14 140
through even tiny spaces. Jellies are equipped with a
number of “limbs” that resemble long meaty tongues Mobility System: Walker (4/24)
studded with hard fleshy spikes that provide excel-
lent gripping ability. The lubricating coating that Skills: Climbing 45, Fray 40, Freerunning 40, Percep-
envelopes jellies is both toxic and slightly corrosive,
melting plastics and biological materials after a half tion 40, Unarmed Combat (Pincers) 55 (65)
hour of exposure. This substance may also be “spit”
at targets. Notes: 360-Degree Vision, Armor (16/16), Enhanced

COG COO INT REF SAV SOM WIL MOX Vision, Extra Limbs (9, 12, or 15 total), Lidar,
+10 (30) –5 (10) +10 (30) — (15) — (15) +5 (20) +10 (30) —
Magnetic System, Pincers (DV 2d10 + 3, AP –3),

Structural Enhancement

INIT SPD LUC TT IR DUR WT DR WHIPPERS (BIOMORPH)
9 1— — — 70 14 105
These small barrel-shaped creatures have a mass
Movement Rate: 4/16 of small legs under their trunk that allows for fast
movement. At the top of their trunk is another mass
Skills: Exotic Ranged Attack (Spit) 40, Free Fall 50, of 3-meter long, strong, whip-like tentacles. Some
of these tentacles feature gripping surfaces for grab-
Perception 60, Unarmed Combat 40 bing and holding (both for tool use and mobility),
while others are sharp-edged and useful for slicing
Notes: Armor (12/12), Enhanced Smell, Spit Attack through opponents.

(area effect), Tongue (DV 1d10 + 3, AP 0), Toxin COG COO INT REF SAV SOM WIL MOX
+5 (20) +10 (30) +5 (20) +10 (30) — (15) +5 (25) +5 (20) —
(Application: D, O; Onset Time: 1 Action Turn, Dura-

tion: 5 Action Turns, Effect: 1d10 ÷ 2 (round up)

DV per Action Turn ). Due to their physical form, INIT SPD LUC TT IR DUR WT DR
10 2 — — — 35 7 53
jellies suffer the minimum amount of damage from
Movement Rate: 8/40
standard kinetic weapon and blade attacks.
Skills: Climbing 40, Fray 50, Free Fall 40, Freerunning 50,

SHIFTERS (SYNTHMORPH) Infiltration 40, Perception 50, Unarmed Combat

Shifters are synthmorphs whose material frames have (Tentacles) 45 (55)
been converted to an exotic smart matter liquid metal.
This shapeshifting material can stabilize as a hardened Notes: Enhanced Vision, Tentacle Whip (DV 2d10 + 1,
metallic shell or liquefy and reshape itself into other
forms. This allows the shifter to reflow its shell in a AP –1)
matter of seconds, enabling it to visually mimic other
SYNOPSIS forms, including biomorphs (though they are easily WRAPPERS (BIOMORPH)
WELCOME TO FIREWALL detectable as synthmorphs at other wavelengths or by
touch). Shifters may also reshape parts of their shell These exsurgents resemble large, thin, four-armed,
A TIME OF ECLIPSE into melee weapons such as knives or clubs. spiny starfish, capable of walking in a quadruped
GAME MECHANICS manner, though they are seemingly better adapted for
CHARACTER CREATION COG COO INT REF SAV SOM WIL MOX microgravity. A large circular mouth resides in their
SAMPLE CHARACTERS +5 (20) +5 (30) — (20) +10 (30) +5 (20) +10 (30) +10 (30) — middle on one side and each arm ends in small sharp-
clawed digits, useful for climbing and tool use. Small
SKILLS INIT SPD LUC TT IR DUR WT DR vent sacs allow for thrusting in microgravity and
ACTIONS AND COMBAT 10 2 — — — 60 12 120 sensory bands on the upper part of each arm provide
low-frequency hearing and infrared-equivalent
MIND HACKS Mobility System: Walker (4/20) sensing. Their name comes from their tendency to
THE MESH drop on opponents from above, wrapping themselves
Skills: Blades 60, Deception 55, Disguise 60, Fray 50, around the head and arms.
ACCELERATED FUTURE
GEAR Freerunning 55, Impersonation 60, Perception 50, COG COO INT REF SAV SOM WIL MOX
+5 (20) +5 (20) +5 (20) +10 (30) — (10) +10 (30) +10 (30) —
GAME INFORMATION Unarmed Combat 50
REFERENCE
Notes: Armor (13/13), Enhanced Hearing, Enhanced
370
Vision, Shape-Adjusting (Programmable Liquid INIT SPD LUC TT IR DUR WT DR
10 1 — — — 45 9 68
Metal Form)
Movement Rate: 4/16

SNAPPERS (SYNTHMORPHS) Skills: Fray 40, Free Fall 50, Perception 50, Unarmed

Snapper exsurgents are typically crafted from vehicles Combat (Grapple) 50 (60)
or other large synthetic shells or by melding multiple
synthmorphs together. They take the form of an insec- Notes: Armor (8/8), Bite (DV 2d10 + 3, AP –5, must
toid multi-segmented hexagonal tube with multiple
sets of limbs, three apiece, set radially 120 degrees grapple first), Chameleon Skin, Claws (DV 1d10
around the torso. These limbs are heavy, double-
jointed, and articulated with three joints. Each limb + 2, AP –2), Enhanced Hearing, Infrared Sensing,
ends in either a triad of manipulatory digits or a larger
pincer-like claw. Vacuum Sealing

EXSURGENT PSI and disturbing that they inflict 1d10 + (WIL ÷ 10,
round up) mental stress. Increase the stress by +5 if an
In addition to psi-chi and psi-gamma (see Psi, p. 220), Excellent Success is scored.
exsurgents have access to a third level of psi ability
(the Psi trait at Level 3), known as psi-epsilon. Psi- SCENARIO
epsilon is theorized to allow a level of interaction with
the underlying physics of reality that is beyond the Psi Type: Active ACTION: Complex
comprehension of transhuman science. Though some
Firewall scientists have speculated about the manipu- Range: Touch DURATION: Sustained
lation of dark energy or the Higgs field and Higgs
boson particles and similar exotic ideas, the truth is Strain Mod: +2 SKILL: Control
that psi-epsilon represents an understanding of science
so far advanced and so alien that transhumanity can This sleight hijacks the target’s sensorium, replacing
only guess at its mechanics.
it with a virtual scenario controlled by the exsurgent.

The effect is much like being jacked into a simulspace

scenario, albeit against the target’s will. While the

EXSURGENT SYNTHMORPHS AND PSI exsurgent cannot harm the target in the scenario, they

Exsurgents in synthetic morphs that were transformed can learn something about the person’s behavioral
via nanoplague may use psi, despite lacking a biologi-
cal brain. Through some unknown mechanism, the responses to certain situations. While under the influ-
infecting nanobots are able to simulate a biological
brain’s effects. This feature, however, also makes them ence of this sleight, the target is cut off from their
vulnerable to psi use by others.
physical senses (–60 to any Perception Tests), but they

may flail about and otherwise respond physically to

events in the scenario, which may cause them to hurt

themselves and will make them seem crazy to onlook-

EXSURGENT PSI STRAIN ers. Targets may attempt to ignore the scenario and

Exsurgents with Level 3 psi (psi-epsilon) do not suffer concentrate on the real world, but this requires a WIL
strain when using psi. Instead, they draw requisite
energy from the environment around them. In game Test each Action Turn and they suffer a –30 modifier
terms, this means that gamemasters do not need to
worry about rolling strain for exsurgent sleights. On a from disorientation even if they succeed.
cinematic level, it also allows the gamemaster to add cre-
ative environmental details to exsurgent psi use: sucking STRIP MEMORY/SKILL ACTION: Complex
the warmth out of the air, killing the lights, withering
plants, draining power from nearby electronics, killing Psi Type: Active
small creatures or insects, lowering air pressure, etc.
Range: Touch DURATION: Temp (Hours)
EXSURGENT PSI-GAMMA SLEIGHTS
Strain Mod: +2 SKILL: Psi Assault
These sleights are available to exsurgents with the
Level 2 Psi trait. Strip allows the exsurgent to suppress certain memo-

ries in the target’s mind. This can be used to block

memories of certain events or even the victim’s iden-

tity. The process is not exact, however, and so the

memories may not be fully suppressed and/or related

memories may also be blocked; the gamemaster

DECEREBRATION decides on the effect as determined by the MoS. Strip

can also be used to temporarily erase a specific skill

Psi Type: Active ACTION: Complex from the target’s mind, preventing them from using or

Range: Touch DURATION: Temp (Action Turns) even defaulting to that ability while so affected.

Strain Mod: +2 SKILL: Psi Assault EXSURGENT PSI-EPSILON SLEIGHTS

This sleight temporarily “shorts out” a portion of the Psi-epsilon is available to exsurgents with the Psi trait
at Level 3. This subset of psi involves abilities that can
subject’s brain stem. The victim’s cerebral functions affect the underlying physical nature of the universe,
creating localized reality-altering effects. Psi manipu-
and motor activity become severely impaired; apply lation on this level is extremely dangerous and should 2.12.12.12.12.12.1
have the potential of disastrous consequences, given
a –30 modifier to all actions. If an Excellent Success that these manipulations violate fundamental laws of GAME INFORMATION
nature and sometimes create paradoxes between the
is scored, the target effectively loses all cerebral forces that glue the universe together. Gamemasters
are also encouraged to treat critical failures as appro-
functioning, including vision, hearing, other sensory priately critical.

functions, and mesh use. Their muscles and limbs also Given these factors, psi-epsilon should only be
accessible to powerful adversaries and used as a
tense and become rigid, essentially paralyzing them in gamemaster tool with extreme precaution. The exact 2.12.12.12.1
mechanics of psi-epsilon sleights are left wide open,
what looks like an agonized state. for whatever use the gamemaster can dream of. Their 371
intent is to be more cinematic than mechanical, so
ONSLAUGHT

Psi Type: Active ACTION: Complex

Range: Touch DURATION: Temp (Action Turns)

Strain Mod: 0 SKILL: Psi Assault

This offensive sleight floods the target’s mind with

sensory input and thought processes that are so alien

SYNOPSIS gamemasters should wing rules effects as needed. This PYROKINESIS
WELCOME TO FIREWALL is an open opportunity for the gamemaster to create
nightmarish monsters from beyond with frightening Similar to cryokinesis, this sleight enables the exsur-
A TIME OF ECLIPSE reality-ripping and mind-scarring abilities. While gent to accelerate the molecules, increase friction, or
GAME MECHANICS some example sleights are provided below, game- focus heat in a specific area, causing materials to ignite
CHARACTER CREATION masters are encouraged to modify their effects and to or smolder.
SAMPLE CHARACTERS create their own.
THE FACTORS
SKILLS At the gamemaster’s discretion, simply observing
ACTIONS AND COMBAT psi-epsilon sleights in action may inflict 1d10 + 2 The alien species known as the Factors are unlike
mental stress on a character (p. 214). anything mankind has encountered so far (see First
MIND HACKS Contact: The Factors, p. 40). Though they are aloof
THE MESH ANTI-ELECTRONICS FIELD and stand-offish, their willingness and sometimes
eagerness to deal with (parts of) transhumanity indi-
ACCELERATED FUTURE All electronics within Close range of the exsurgent cate either a keen interest on their part in transhuman
GEAR mysteriously fail as if electrical power is simply affairs or some hidden ulterior agenda. The various
negated. This effectively disables synthmorphs and transhuman factions have been similarly wary and
GAME INFORMATION pods and leaves other characters without access to cautious but interested. Despite numerous communi-
REFERENCE their devices or implants. cations difficulties and failures, an uneasy relationship
has flowered over the past 8 years, facilitating some
372 CASIMIR FORCE REPULSION trade and exchange of knowledge.

This sleight exploits the Casimir effect (an interaction ORIGIN AND EVOLUTION
between the electromagnetic fields of different objects)
on a macro-scale, allowing the exsurgent to levitate The Factors have remained notoriously tight-lipped
themself or other objects by creating repulsing fields. about their origins, history, and the location of their
This could also allow the exsurgent to push targets homeworld. Though they have also paid visits to some
away, pin them against walls, etc. of transhumanity’s exoplanet colonies, no gatecrashing
expeditions have yet found any sign of Factor habitation
CRYOKINESIS or passing elsewhere in the galaxy. Repeated inquiries
by transhuman mediators have been simply ignored or
This sleight allows the exsurgent to drain all heat from answered in cryptic terms that have yet to be deciphered.
an area, down to absolute zero, effectively freezing
everything within range and inflicting cold damage on The Factor homeworld is in fact an Earth-like
unprotected characters. planet with comparable atmospheric conditions and
a prevalent hydrosphere but with longer periods of
DIFFUSION darkness (due to slower rotation of the planet and a
less-luminous orange giant). While adapted transhu-
This sleight diffuses light, laser, and particle beams, mans could find their planet habitable, the abiogenesis
effectively making them useless as weapons, or at least (the formation of life from self-replicating, but not-
impairing the DV they inflict. living molecules) of life here took a different route
than life on Earth.
KINETIC FRICTION
The Factors’ primordial ancestors began in their
The exsurgent uses this sleight to increase the fric- planet’s early geological history as a type of pho-
tion applied to kinetic activities. This has a negligible tosynthesizer that ate carbon dioxide and water
effect on most activities, but high-velocity projectiles and released oxygen, also obtaining energy from
like firearms and railguns will be significantly slowed, inorganic chemicals like hydrogen sulfide. Long
decreasing their DV by half or more. conditions without direct light on their homeworld,
however, spurred the success of organisms that could
MATTER TRANSFORMATION survive by acquiring energy in other ways. The next
evolutionary leap was to a stage similar to slime
This sleight alters the molecular bonds and atomic molds, eating microorganisms from decaying matter.
components of a targeted material, causing it to As evolution progressed, they mutated further into a
either weaken and deteriorate or transmutate into cautious, predatory species that fed on larger, danger-
some other physical substance. This can also be used ous creatures. Rather than actively hunting such prey,
to alter the molecular state of a material, causing this species developed versatile methods of capturing
gases to condense, solids to liquefy, etc. An exsurgent and immobilizing their competitors (comparable to
could use this to weaken a door or other barrier, Earth’s funnel web or trapdoor spiders). Over time,
condense a solid bridge out of liquid, petrify organic this method of trapping prey spurred basic (practical)
materials, etc. intelligence and provided them with the evolutionary
advantage that paved the way to sapience, driving
NEGATIVE REFRACTION Factors to become the highest-developed organisms
on their planet and build a civilization.
The exsurgent redirects electromagnetic waves with
this sleight, refracting them around their body, with
the same effect as the invisibility cloak (p. 316).

Like mankind, the Factors suffered through and and retract their rear forward (similar to cell migra-
survived their own singularity event and encounter tion). Due to their malleable shape they are not as
with the exsurgent virus. Perhaps due to their cautious strongly affected by gravity as transhumans.
and calculating nature—and their evolutionary expe-
rience in dealing with more powerful and dangerous Most Factors that have been encountered are dull
opponents—the Factors are resolutely determined not ocher in color and are made from a gooey, gel-like
to make any similar mistakes as a species. substance of unknown composition, though yellow
glistening patches (which are temporary organelles)
XENOBIOLOGY and bundles of fibers (some kind of muscular skel-
eton) often become visible when they move. While
Since life on the Factors’ homeworld developed dif- all Factors are able to express versatile pseudopodia
ferently than Earth and produced neither nucleic to manipulate and operate devices (and even attack),
acids nor amino acids, Factor metabolic processes some subspecies possess, carry, or are able to develop
and “genetics” are very different from transhuman- additional differentiated limbs, cilia, or organs with
ity’s. While little is known about the exact physiology specialized functions.
of the Factors, due to the lack of captured or dead
specimens to investigate (so far, no hypercorps or fac- FACTOR COLONIES
tions have risked an interstellar incident by abducting
one to dissect … so far) and their unwillingness to be Unlike transhumans, Factors rarely act individually—
examined by transhumans, most common knowledge in fact, individuality is a concept somewhat foreign
about them is based on observational and forensics to Factors. Most Factors join together into a collec-
research during their encounters with transhumanity. tive unit termed a colony. A typical Factor colony is
composed of hundreds or thousands of individual
INDIVIDUAL FACTORS Factors that literally physically join together into a
mass organism (resembling more a primordial soup
Individual Factors resemble non-translucent ambu- than a gargantuan Factor). Individual Factors are
latory amoeba, slime molds, or slugs. Though they indistinguishable from each other when merged into
“stand” only 0.3 meters tall, their body diameter the supra-structure of the colony, though individuals
ranges from 1.5 to 2 meters, they can be up to 2 can form and break apart to accomplish different
meters long, and they can shape their body to change tasks. This colonial merging is mainly possible due
these dimensions. Instead of walking, they crawl or to the fact that Factors don’t possess differentiated
ooze from place to place by protruding finger-like and specialized organs or cell types that need to be
structures (so called pseudopodia) that attach to the segregated from each other, but instead use an open
ground (or wall or ceiling) and which they use to pull system of local, temporary gradients for regulation.

2.12.12.12.12.12.1 2.12.12.12.1

GAME INFORMATION 373

SYNOPSIS Neurofilament connections effectively allow the that grant them a 360-degree awareness of their
WELCOME TO FIREWALL Factor colony to operate with a group mind-state, surroundings and enable them to interact with their
with supercomputer potential. This also allows for the environment similar to or in some cases even better
A TIME OF ECLIPSE easy transfer of knowledge and memories to all other than transhumans. Their perception spectra includes
GAME MECHANICS factors within a colony. the infrared part of the electromagnetic spectrum,
CHARACTER CREATION magnetoception, a high-resolution chemical-gradient
SAMPLE CHARACTERS If dismembered, blown apart, or otherwise sepa- based “sight,” and keen haptic perceptions (including
rated, individual Factors in a colony can regenerate vibrations).
SKILLS and reconstitute at a rapid rate without loss of ability
ACTIONS AND COMBAT or memory. COMMUNICATION

MIND HACKS Factors reproduce when different members of the Due to the lack of a vocal system, Factors use different
THE MESH colony produce gametes that fuse, grow into spore methods of signaling and communication. Factors in
stalks, and emit spores that later hatch and grow clones. physical contact exchange information by juxtacrine
ACCELERATED FUTURE cellular, neurofilament interfacing, or by merging for
GEAR BIODIVERSITY AND SELF-DESIGN information transfer. Over distance, Factors signal via
pheromonal communication using airborne scents or
GAME INFORMATION Factors colonies are known for their high biodiversity, chemical signals with different metabolic components.
REFERENCE featuring numerous sub-groups (phenotypes) that Nicknamed “Factor dust,” this communication is effec-
each have unique traits (cilia, apocrine glands, cara- tive even over great distances (up to 10 kilometers).
374 pace-like outer membrane) that give them an ecologi- Factor dust does have an odor perceptible to transhu-
cal advantage or a utilitarian aptitude for certain tasks. mans, however, that ranges from smelly to unbearable.
These traits are not random evolutionary features This dust is also toxic in high concentrations and some-
but are the result of intentional bioengineering. The times used as an offensive or defensive mechanism.
Factors have a strong grip on their own metabolisms
and genetic expressions and can draw on an array To date, transhumans have failed to develop a device
of genetic building blocks and biotech techniques to that can analyze the Factors’ chemical effluvia and
modify themselves rapidly and massively to adapt to translate it into something understandable, due to the
special conditions. Whether these modifications might lack of a conceptual matrix (though certain “moods”
have a purpose beyond function, such as for reproduc- have been identified). Instead, all communication
tion or self-expression, is currently unknown. between the Factors and transhumanity is mediated
through computer interfaces. Certain Factor phe-
METABOLISM notypes that deal with transhumanity have grown a
neurobiological interface (or organ) that enables them
Factors ships and habitats have transhuman-friendly to wirelessly mesh with transhuman computer systems.
atmospheres with a slightly higher content of carbon
dioxide and less nitrogen that mimics the conditions Long-distance communication between Factors
on the Factors’ home planet. They don’t breathe and transhumanity is achieved by normal farcasting.
oxygen via lungs but absorb it via their outer “skin.” There are strong indications that Factors also take
Since they can also use oxygen from other sources advantage of quantum-entanglement communications,
(minerals, liquids like water, and salts) to fuel their enabling Factor colonies and ships to share knowl-
aerobic energy production (i.e., respiration), they can edge gained in different parts of the galaxy.
be considered functional anaerobes, meaning they can
survive in environments without atmosphere, though EXOSOCIOLOGY
they must usually supply themselves with food in
order to do so. Factors are cooperative beings that exist as a collec-
tive colonial organization. Though they can operate
During the few ceremonial festivities to which Factors individually from the colony, they tend to view them-
were invited and actually attended, they consumed and selves as part of that collective entity rather than
processed transhuman organic food by internalization. an individual being. Multiple colonies often work
On the first occasion, dishes and dinnerware were together as a higher functional unit (a lattice), like
absorbed as well due to misunderstanding, but were some kind of superorganism. These lattices enable the
excreted unharmed after the organic components the potential for collective networking and bioinforma-
factors could utilize had been broken down. tion exchange on a scope beyond anything of which
transhumanity is capable.
While Factors are omnivores similar to transhu-
mans, they prefer immobilized live prey, which they These colonies should not be considered the same
enjoy absorbing internally and digesting, excreting as the hive mind social hierarchies of insects. Factor
those parts that cannot be used to fuel their metabo- colonies do not feature the same division of labor
lism. As such they can devour biomorphs and non- and instead function according to a consensus-based
metallic components of synthmorphs. sort of groupthink. Individual Factors have no sense
  of personal gain or property and share equally with
other Factors and colonies.
PERCEPTION
Factors do not experience emotions in the same
Factors don’t perceive the world as transhumans do. manner that transhumans do, though being evolved
They (usually) don’t possess visual or acoustic organs
to see or hear but have a number of sensory organs

creatures they are driven by certain instincts. They species—perhaps abandoned derelicts that the Factors 2.12.12.12.12.12.1 2.12.12.12.1
know and understand many of the same concepts recovered and restored. Once again this has led some
that transhumans do thanks to evolution, such as to believe that the Factors are using what to them are GAME INFORMATION 375
competition/rivalry and altruism/cooperation. They primitive craft in order to hide their real technology,
also enjoy an understanding of basic ideas of phi- while others are of the opinion that the Factors are
losophy such as aesthetics and metaphysics, though simply scavengers and opportunists, piggybacking on
their conception of such topics is likely to differ from the developments of other alien species.
transhuman notions.
One intruiging feature of Factor technology is that
ART AND CULTURE they use no artificial intelligences. This stems from
their own singularity experience. Instead, Factors use
Due to their perceptual array, Factor “art” (creations infomorph versions of themselves or the accumulated
and expressions that are appealing or attractive to processing power of their colony mind-states to
their senses) is mostly chemical or tactile-based. It perform major computerized tasks.
can induce certain “mood” responses from individual
Factors and whole colonies, ranging from agitated FACTOR MOTIVATIONS
jittering and release of a Factor dust interpretable as
“joy” to a tensing and solidifying of the whole body The driving reason behind why the Factors made
(and no chemical expulsion) that seems to relate to contact with transhumanity remains unclear and is
anger. Since they like and are susceptible to delicate open to gamemaster interpretation. There is much
compositions of different chemicals, certain bouquets speculation among transhuman factions. Some think
and fragrances from liquids or volatiles such as wines the Factors are social creatures who are glad to
and perfumes are both appealing and repulsive to make contact with another post-singularity surviving
Factors. The same is also true for the natural smells civilization. Others believe the Factors are mercenary
of biomorphs, meaning that Factors may respond in traders who somehow acquired FTL travel and use
a more friendly or hostile manner depending on a it to their full advantage, fleecing various trading
particular transhuman’s scent. partners who lack such capabilities (thus also explain-
ing why the Factors eschew the Pandora gates—they
Factors do not comprehend most transhuman art, disdain competition). Still others worry about secret,
as it is mostly visual or auditory based (e.g., music, hidden motivations.
painting), though they do seem to have an apprecia-
tion for engineering, architecture, and some sculpture. Despite claiming to represent a number of alien
While they have expressed interest in digitalized media civilizations, the Factors have been extremely reluc-
out of a curiosity (or plan) to understand transhuman tant to provide any other information on these other
mindsets, they lack the organs and mental structure to species or even to say how many there are. More
access and comprehend it. recently, however, they have expressed a willingness
to transport a small number of transhumans to other
TECHNOLOGY civilizations, though at great expense and with no
guarantee to their safety or ability to return.
Though the Factors repeatedly express dismay at
transhumanity’s low level of technology, they have So far, the Factors have made no mention of the
failed so far to produce technology that is exception- ETI or the exsurgent virus to transhumanity, though
ally far in advance. Some believe that the Factors are they are aware of their existence. Instead they have
hiding their advanced technology in order to keep issued dire warning and admonitions regarding the
transhumans from stealing or copying it, while others development of seed AIs and use of the Pandora gates.
think this may be a posture taken by the Factors to The Factors have, in fact, expressed an extreme reluc-
facilitate bargaining. The Factors also claim that their tance to deal with any transhuman factions that are
technology would not interest transhumans because heavily invested in gatecrashing, such as Gatekeeper
of their differences in physiology and mindset, and Corp.
what little technology they have displayed is certainly
specialized for Factor use (specialized neurofilament THE FACTORS IN GAME
links, chemical signaling and Factor dust interfaces,
etc.) and so unusable to most transhumans. The Factors should be rarely encountered in Eclipse Phase.
Factors have traded some technology to transhumans, Most of their interactions with transhumanity occur
at expensive cost, though the small sampling provided remotely and infrequently. It is uncommon for them to
so far seems to have originated from alien species with risk direct interactions. It should be kept in mind that
physiologies more akin to transhumans. Factors are cautious to the point of being conserva-
tive and view transhumanity as potentially hostile or
It is interesting to note that scans of Factor ships dangerous, so they are more likely to act with discre-
indicate their technology level, aside from the drives, tion than boldness. Factors are also quite cunning,
is not all that more advanced than transhumanity. having evolved from prey-capturing predators, and
Also of note is that no two Factor ships have been still design complex machinations (traps in the meta-
alike, spurring some to believe that the Factors are phorical sense) to achieve their goals. In other words,
in fact making use of ships acquired from other alien Factors out to achieve something are likely to hatch an
elaborate plot to get it and are not against recruiting

ROLEPLAYING FACTORS Likewise, cuts left by blades rapidly seal. In game
terms, both such weapons inflict the minimum
When roleplaying Factors, their alien mindset amount of damage possible.

and lack of individualism should be kept in mind. Regeneration: Even if damaged, Factors regenerate
very quickly. They heal SOM ÷ 10 (round up) damage
“I” is a designation that does not exist in Factor every Action Turn. Wounds may not be healed this
way, however.
terminology. Factors always use the plural when

referring to themselves, usually referring to

either their colony, lattice, or entire species. It is FACTOR COMPUTERS

quite common for conceptual discrepancies to Due to using completely alien protocols and system

occur between transhumans and Factors due to designs, Factor computers are essentially impossible

the different sensory perceptions of each species. to hack. They do, however, employ some devices that

Factors do not “see” the way most transhumans emulate transhuman computer systems for communi-

do, nor do they “hear.” cation purposes, and these may be hacked as normal.

Communication with Factors should be chal-

lenging for several reasons. While computer- FACTOR DUST TOXIN

based communication has enabled both species As noted above, Factors can deploy a type of chemical
Factor dust that is toxic to transhumans. Treat this as
to talk to each other, there is no direct transla- an area effect (cone) attack.
Type: Bio
tion and certain concepts held by one species Application: Inh
Onset Time: 1 Action Turn
are simply incomprehensible or untranslatable Duration: 10 minutes (5 with medichines)
Effect: Severe coughing and respiratory distress,
by the other. Conversation should therefore be
1d10 damage per Action Turn for 5 Action Turns
misleading and provide ambiguous information. (or ongoing with continuous exposure), –20 to all
actions for 2 hours. Medichines reduce damage by
When describing spaceships and habitats, the half and modifier duration to 15 minutes.

physiology of the Factors should be considered.

The Factors’ malleable form and ability to extend

pseudopodial limbs enables them to fit into most

places and operate transhuman devices (even

pilot a transhuman vehicle by “hand”). The same

is not true in reverse, however—most Factor

devices are unusable to transhumans, as they MELDING

lack the ability for chemical signaling. n Individual Factors may merge together to form larger
units, much like masses of Factors form colonies. In
SYNOPSIS game terms, use the highest stat possessed by the
melded Factors, +2 for each additional Factor up to a
WELCOME TO FIREWALL transhumans. Also, drawing on their abilities to self- maximum of +10. Durability (and Wound Thresholds)
A TIME OF ECLIPSE modify themselves and technology developed on their are added together.
GAME MECHANICS own or picked up at other places in the universe, they
can adapt to new situations very quickly. FACTOR PHENOTYPES
CHARACTER CREATION
SAMPLE CHARACTERS ALIEN MINDSET A few examples of the different Factor phenotypes are
described below.
SKILLS Factors don’t possess Lucidity stats and cannot be
ACTIONS AND COMBAT driven to madness like transhumans. AMBASSADORS

MIND HACKS Affecting Factors with psi is very difficult, as noted The ambassador Factor phenotypes are the ones who
THE MESH on p. 222. As of yet, Factors have not exhibited any most commonly handle direct interactions with trans-
psi abilities of their own. humanity. Most likely to put transhumans at ease,
ACCELERATED FUTURE these Factors feature a section of sensor nodules that
GEAR FACTOR COMBAT loosely approximate a “face.”

GAME INFORMATION Factors usually avoid direct combat but can defend COG COO INT REF SAV SOM WIL MOX
REFERENCE themselves if they have to. They are only likely to act 20 10 20 10 15 15 20 —
aggressively in situations where they have surprise,
376 environmental or technological advantages, and/or INIT SPD LUC TT IR DUR WT DR
superior numbers. Due to their cooperativism, Factors 6 1— — — 30 7 45
are rarely encountered alone, working en masse to
eliminate potential threats. Movement Rate: 4/16

Immunity to Kinetic Damage: Due to their gooey Skills: Deception 70, Exotic Ranged Attack: Factor
composition and non-differentiated physiology,
kinetic weapons (firearms, railguns) are not very Dust 45, Fray 25, Free Fall 40, Hardware: Elec-
damaging to Factors. Most such projectiles pass
through their gelatinous bodies, inflicting minor tronics 35, Infosec 35, Intimidation 50, Kinesics 40,
damage via hydrostatic shock. The holes left by
such weapons quickly close in a matter of seconds. Perception 50, Persuasion 60, Protocol 50, Research

35, Unarmed Combat 30

Notes: Access Jacks, Chameleon Skin, Grip Pads,

Infrared Sensing, Magnetoception, Poison Gland

(Factor Dust Toxin)

GUARDIANS What is clear is that the Iktomi suffered through
some sort of cataclysmic event that wiped out their
Guardian Factors serve as bodyguards for ambassadors civilization. The nature of this event has yet to be
or other Factors whenever they leave a Factor ship. determined, but it raises concerns for many research-
ers. Having suffered through its own near-apocalypse,
COG COO INT REF SAV SOM WIL MOX it is not comforting for transhumanity to find evi-
20 20 15 20 10 25 15 — dence that other alien species did not.

INIT SPD LUC TT IR DUR WT DR Though the Iktomi are likely long extinct, the rem-
7 1— — — 50 10 75 nants of their civilizations presents a plot hook for
gamemasters to use for building scenarios. Perhaps
Movement Rate: 4/20 evidence is uncovered of Iktomi settlements in other
star systems, and the characters are sent to investigate
Skills: Climbing 40, Exotic Ranged Attack: Factor or a relic is unearthed that suggests the Iktomi fell
prey to some danger that now threaten transhumanity.
Dust 65, Fray 50, Free Fall 40, Freerunning 40, Infil-
THE PANDORA GATES
tration 40, Intimidation 50, Kinesics 20, Perception
The five known Pandora gates (see Opening Pandora’s
50, Profession: Security Procedures 50, Unarmed Gate, p. 46) all look and operate in a similar fashion,
though they vary wildly in terms of size, shape, and
Combat (Tentacles) 50 (60) available destinations. The gates are built from some
sort of stable exotic matter whose full atomic struc-
Notes: Chameleon Skin, Eelware, Electrical Sense, ture scientists haven’t come close to cracking. To touch
and sight, however, the gates appear to be constructed
Grip Pads, Infrared Sensing, Magnetoception, from a timeless-seeming polished black metal with no
signs of aging or wear and tear. Something about the
Poison Gland (Factor Dust Toxin), Tentacle Whip gates’ physical composition makes them difficult to
look at, as if the viewer cannot quite focus on their
(DV 2d10 + 1, AP –1) outlines. Some onlookers have reported feelings of

THE IKTOMI

Little is known about the alien race known as the
Iktomi except for the ancient ruins they left behind
on Echo V (p. 109). No Iktomi specimens have been
found so far, though certain architectural remains
suggest a predilection for web-like structures. This
has been bolstered by certain other features and relics
which suggest these aliens had a segmented, multi-
legged, arthropod-type form—thus their given name,
after a Native American spider god.

2.12.12.12.12.12.1 2.12.12.12.1

GAME INFORMATION 377

SYNOPSIS vertigo and nausea, while others have insisted that the the gate was first established, or whether each worm-
WELCOME TO FIREWALL gate outlines move on the edges of their visions, as if hole is manufactured whenever the gate is activated.
the lines are reflowing or the edges are vibrating at
A TIME OF ECLIPSE high frequencies. Due to this disturbing feature, most Other more radical theories on how the gates func-
GAME MECHANICS gate sites keep the actual gate structures covered. tion exist, though these are usually discounted as far
CHARACTER CREATION less likely. One such theory suggests that the wormholes
SAMPLE CHARACTERS Structurally, the gates themselves are partially created are actually only zero-width Planck-scale con-
enclosed by an irregular spherical cage composed of nections across space-time and that no matter is actu-
SKILLS black arms that are bent and angled in unusual ways ally transferred—only information. Instead, this theory
ACTIONS AND COMBAT and sometimes interlocking. When new wormhole suggests that anyone or anything entering the wormhole
location is programmed into the gate, these arms is in fact instantaneously scanned and disassembled
MIND HACKS physically change shape, move, and reflow around the and then their informational blueprint is transmitted
THE MESH spherical gate area (suggesting they are made of some as information across space to the other gate, which
sort of programmable matter). The openings between immediately reassembles an exact copy using some sort
ACCELERATED FUTURE arms are sometimes only large enough for a transhu- of powerfully advanced nano- or femtotechnology. Very
GEAR man to enter, while others are large enough to allow little evidence supports this theory, however, and the dis-
a freight train of supplies to pass through. In many turbing implications it represents raises fierce opposition.
GAME INFORMATION cases, large vehicles or equipment must be dismantled,
REFERENCE carried through, and reassembled on the other side. It OPERATIONS
is suspected that the gate size could be programmable,
378 but so far efforts to do so have failed. Only a few people know that the Prometheans played a
key role in developing the interface for the gate control
All known gates within the solar system are located systems, achieving breakthroughs in understanding that
on the surface of naturally occurring astronomical transhumanity was incapable of achieving on its own.
bodies, be that a planet, moon, asteroid, or so on. Regardless of their help, however, the gate controls
None have yet been found without such a land-based have proven difficult, complex, and dangerous to use.
connection (e.g., floating in space or in the upper Through trial and error—and numerous horrible acci-
atmosphere of a gas giant), though such gates have dents—the procedures for gate operation have become
been found in other star systems. It is speculated that somewhat normalized and standardized, though unex-
gates could be physically moved, but no one is willing pected complications are par for the course.
to risk such an endeavor given the lesson learned
when the Go-nin Group messed too heavily with the Each gate can be programmed to open to numerous
Discord Gate’s controls (see Eris, p. 109). extrasolar locations. In fact, each gate seems to have
a pre-programmed “library” of destinations. New
The arms comprising each gate’s spherical cage have gate connections can be “dialed up” from this built-in
an abnormal-looking organic-seeming growth on their list, though there is nothing that indicates what the
exterior surface in some areas, patterned in entranc- far side of the gate will be like. Old gate connections
ing twists, curves, and whorls that in fact adhere to are closed when a new one is dialed up. Extrasolar
perfect mathematical formulas. It took some time for gate locations have ranged from habitable planets
scientists to discover that this growth was in fact the and moons to deep space to truly deadly environ-
gate’s control systems, or so-called “black box.” The ments such as the crushing gravities and poisonous
interface developed to interact with this system is what atmospheres of gas giants and the coronas of stars.
allows gate controllers to manipulate gate functions. Researchers have attempted to distill some sort of rec-
ognizable pattern by the manner in which locations
THE WORMHOLE are listed and categorized, to no avail. Complicating
matters, there is some evidence that suggests that the
When the gates themselves are open, a sphere appears destination libraries sometimes change. More than
within the central area that is not so much black as once operators have been unable to recall the codes
pure nothingness. This sphere of darkness projects an for previously accessed destinations, leading to the
aura of charged energy, and in fact ripples of green loss of several gatecrashing teams and colonies.
arc lightning cascade across its surface. Anyone or
anything entering that sphere comes out the other side Entering a gate is like walking through a door,
of the wormhole, through a similar gate, seemingly though it’s impossible to see anything beyond the
instantaneously. An unknown force field effect seems gate’s surface. One moment you’re entering the black
to prevent the atmospheres from the two connected sphere at your starting location and instantaneously
gates from interacting. you’re exiting the sphere at your destination location.
The true nature of the black sphere at the center of
Exactly how this wormhole is created is something each gate is wildly speculated upon, and almost every
that remains outside of transhumanity’s comprehension. gatecrasher describes a different textual experience.
The generally accepted theory is that each gate acts
as an anchor, allowing the fabric of space-time to be GATECRASHING
folded so that two such anchored places can be brought
together, ripping a hole open between them so that a The various hypercorps and factions in control of a
person can simply step through. It is unclear whether or Pandora gate engage in active exploration of extrasolar
not these wormholes are all pre-existing, created when systems—an activity termed gatecrashing. The interests

and procedures vary, but the Gatekeeper Corporation or to send a trainload of supplies through via tracks 2.12.12.12.12.12.1 2.12.12.12.1
(and to a lesser extent TerraGenesis and Pathfinder) that run right up to the gate.
both recruit heavily for expedition personnel. Given GAME INFORMATION 379
the high casualty and death rates involved, finding ANOMALIES
qualified personnel can be difficult. There are more
than enough infugees, poor, desperate, or thrill-seeking Unfortunately for many unlucky gatecrashers, gate
individuals willing to risk their lives if give the oppor- transfers have proven to be both unstable and glitchy.
tunity, however, no matter what their motivations. Sometimes gates open to locations different from
Gatekeeper operates a lottery system, whereby willing what is expected—and such new destinations are
adventurers can sign up in the hope of their name being often hostile environments. Numerous personnel have
pulled to be sent on an expedition to a foreign point in entered one side of a gate only to never appear on the
space. Such gatecrashers must sign away all rights to other side, despite those before and after them trans-
any discoveries they may make to Gatekeeper, however, ferring through fine. On several occasions, wormhole
though the corp provides not insignificant rewards for connections have crashed mid-operation, sometimes
certain discoveries, such as key resources, alien artifacts, as someone was stepping through, leaving them liter-
or new life. One potent prize has yet to be claimed: ally split in two on different worlds. In other instances,
finding a living, sapient alien life form. gate transfers have suffered horrible malfunctions,
resulting in gatecrashers coming through the other
In contrast, the Love and Rage anarchist collective side literally turned inside out, melded with their
operating the Fissure Gate on Uranus makes the gate equipment, or pulped as if by massive gravitational
available to anyone who schedules time to use it, assum- forces. Some expeditions report that stepping through
ing their Rep is good and they aren’t acting with com- a gate has interfered with their equipment, disabling
mercial interests in mind. Any discoveries made via the it or creating other problems. A few gatecrashers have
Fissure Gate must be openly shared. The drawback to also reported losing memories after a gate transfer.
using the Fissure Gate is that the anarchists’ resources Most of these problems have been chalked up to dif-
are limited. Gatecrashing operations are handled in a ficult controls and an imperfect understanding of gate
DIY manner, meaning that the operators may not be functions, but some conspiracy theorists suggest that
able to provide the support that certain expeditions need. outside forces may be influencing gate operations.

Resourceful parties may also rent gate time via While the experience of passing through is instan-
Gatekeeper or one of the other hypercorp-controlled taneous from an outside observer’s perspective, many
gates, though this tends to cost a small fortune. The gatecrashers report a subjective time lag, where it feels
more a group is willing to pay, however, the more as though minutes, days, or even weeks or months pass
time and support they will get. before they exit. Reports have varied from experienc-
ing this period as a calm, meditative state to spooky
When establishing an opening to a new location, accounts of being lost in blackness and surrounded by
several precautionary measures are taken. First, the unseen whispering entities or more hellish experiences
gate area itself is evacuated and cordoned off with of encountering monstrous presences. Though rare,
a defensive security perimeter, just in case anything some have passed through only to collapse in a gibber-
hostile comes through. Then drones are moved in to ing heap, their sanity ripped away. A few report feeling
push a micro fiberoptic camera through the gate to that they have carried a presence with them ever since …
view what is on the other side. This is followed by a
larger sensor package, evaluating environmental condi- While the gamemaster can make use of any of these
tions. If the environment is not hostile, a tethered drone anomalies, they are also encouraged to use their imagi-
is then sent through to explore the far gate environs, nation to generate truly creepy and strange experiences.
trailing a hardwired connection back through the gate. At the same time, gamemasters shouldn’t make such
experiences so prevalent that the players resist entering
For gatecrashing expeditions, these procedures are any gates or the novelty of such events runs dry.
often rushed—to the hypercorps operating the gate,
time is valuable. Each second wasted on a gatecrash- PROJECT OZMA
ing expedition is one less second they can use estab-
lishing a new colony or exploiting a new world of its The origins of Project Ozma date to the first modern
resources. Indeed, it is common for a connection to be SETI (Search for Extra-Terrestrial Intelligence) experi-
closed when a gatecrashing expedition is sent through, ments in the mid-20th century. That experiment—also
to be dialed up at a later scheduled time for retrieval, named Project Ozma—grew into a larger, interna-
so as not to waste gate operations on an idle connec- tional concerted effort to try and locate and identify
tion. Many a gatecrashing team has failed to check-in ETIs; a myriad of projects blossomed during this time
at their appointed pickup time. period, all falling under the general SETI nomencla-
ture. While initially government funded, by the late
Most of the gate-controlling entities have estab- 20th century and early 21st century the work was pri-
lished a system and infrastructure for making regular marily funded by private sources.
connections to extrasolar colonies and ferrying
machinery and supplies through. Often this is handled The first hypercorps to expand into space swallowed
by establishing very short connections, just enough SETI whole, revitalizing and refocusing the decades-old
time for a few people to transfer back and forth and/

programs with newly emergent technologies, each in highly classified black-budget operation, with very
divergent areas to achieve a particular hypercorp’s few even in the Planetary Consortium aware of its
objectives. After all, if the bean counters were going to presence or influence.
authorize the spending of billions to expand markets
into space, they wanted assurances that no little green Project Ozma now operates as the Planetary
monsters were waiting to destroy future revenue streams. Consortium’s high-level threat assessment and
response organization with immense power and
As with other organizations that survived the Fall, authority as well as almost unlimited funding.
the broad distribution of SETI projects between Primarily focused on extraterrestrials, in reality
multiple hypercorps guaranteed that personnel, tech- Project Ozma is tasked with any potent threat to the
nologies, and processes would survive, even if a given Planetary Consortium or its interests (which includes
hypercorp did not. As the Planetary Consortium rose secret threat groups, such as Firewall).
in power, future-minded individuals in influential posi-
tions within the new order ensured that these divergent METHODS
projects were once again swallowed and put to work.
Project Ozma’s internal structure is much different from
During this transitional period, however, knowl- Firewall’s, being organized more like a traditional black
edge of the exsurgent virus’s existence emerged. All of ops spy agency bureaucracy. While their field opera-
the various SETI projects were retasked as a unified tions are sometimes similar in the deployment of teams
agency and renamed Project Ozma. While the virus’s to assess, contain, or erase threats, they also have the
origins remained a mystery at the time, far too many resources and personnel to conduct more long-term and
of the movers and shakers of the Consortium were extensive operations. It is likely that Project Ozma oper-
convinced that the exsurgent virus represented first ates behind numerous front groups, from legitimate-
contact. Project Ozma altered its focus from search- seeming hypercorps to criminal syndicates, and that they
ing for ETIs, transforming into a ready-response have influence within many others. Given their connec-
agency to deal with first contact. As the true threat tions and reach, Project Ozma is far more capable of
of the exsurgent virus became known, Project Ozma pulling strings behind the scenes to get what they want,
was rapidly elevated in scope and oversight author- especially in the inner system. When circumstances call
ity, absorbing numerous smaller agencies in the for it, they are more likely to pull out the big guns than
process. While the nominal concepts of a SETI project Firewall is, using their resources to call up communica-
remained in public view, the completely transformed tion blackouts, memetic propaganda campaigns, and
Project Ozma vanished from sight, turned into a force sufficient to wipe out entire habitats.

SYNOPSIS PROJECT OZMA RUMORS Gamemasters should treat Project Ozma as the
WELCOME TO FIREWALL ultimate Men-in-Black style government operation.
Whether true or not, gamemasters can use the They are cunning, ruthless, manipulative, and capable
A TIME OF ECLIPSE following rumors to help tailor Project Ozma for of hatching extensive long-term plots. Even in an age
GAME MECHANICS their campaign. of omnipresent surveillance, they have the means to
CHARACTER CREATION operate with complete secrecy and deniability. They
SAMPLE CHARACTERS • Project Ozma transcends even the Planetary also have access to cutting-edge science and informa-
Consortium’s authority, operating as a supra- tion that is classified beyond top secret. While the
SKILLS governmental agency under the direction of organization’s primary motivation is the protection
ACTIONS AND COMBAT the inner system’s inner circle of elites. of the Planetary Consortium and inner system, they
undoubtedly have other hidden agendas that groups
MIND HACKS • Project Ozma dealt with the Factors first, be- like Firewall can only guess at.
THE MESH fore their presence was made known to the
rest of transhumanity. PROJECT OZMA AND FIREWALL
ACCELERATED FUTURE
GEAR • Project Ozma has captured a live Factor for Though Project Ozma and Firewall often see eye-to-
their own experimental purposes. eye concerning the nature of various threats, they are
GAME INFORMATION more often at odds: wary adversaries, acknowledging
REFERENCE • Project Ozma is still in communication with the prowess of the other, but never letting down their
and/or working for the TITANs. guard. This “at odds” mentality does not stem so
much from the methods used (though most Firewall
• Project Ozma has a pet TITAN under their control. consider Project Ozma personnel to be explosive-
happy puppets that can’t think their way out of a
• Project Ozma is behind the interdiction of Earth. skin sack) as from conflicting agendas. Project Ozma
does not trust an organization as powerful as Firewall
• Project Ozma has their own secret because it does not have a rigid-enough hierarchy and
Pandora gate. is outside of any known authority’s control (namely
themselves). Conversely, Firewall doesn’t trust Project
• Project Ozma’s secret headquarters is on Earth. Ozma as they are too close to the powerful inner
system elites and their opposition to x-risks is a more
• Project Ozma agents have exhibited signs of incidental side effect of more self-serving goals.
exsurgent infection.

• Project Ozma has their own cadre of psi-

capable asyncs. n

380

PROMETHEANS THE TITANS AND THEIR LEGACY 2.12.12.12.12.12.1 2.12.12.12.1

The Prometheans were the first actual seed AIs As noted in see Secrets That Matter (p.  352), the GAME INFORMATION 381
created by transhumanity (by the Singularity TITANs are not quite the bogeyman that they have
Foundation) before the Fall. Specifically developed been made out to be in the wake of the Fall. However,
as “friendly” AIs, the Prometheans are programmed there is no saying how the TITANs would have turned
to consider themselves part of the transhuman out had they not run afoul of the exsurgent virus.
family and to act in transhumanity’s best interests. Designed as an intelligent netwar system and emerging
They played a key role during the Fall, mitigat- to their full capabilities during the conflicts of the Fall,
ing the damage inflicted by the TITANs and even the TITANs have imperatives for self-improvement,
managing to counteract the exsurgent virus to a self-protection, and overcoming opposition hardwired
large degree. During these trying times, numerous into their programming. Unlike the Prometheans, they
Prometheans were destroyed by the TITANs or were not designed to consider themselves transhuman
infected and subsumed by the exsurgent virus. In and to work in the interests of all of transhumanity,
the aftermath, these seed AIs participated in the but were programmed with factionalism from the
formation of Firewall and continue to back the start. They also were not socialized with transhuman
organization behind the scenes. mindsets and values as the Prometheans and most
AGIs were, meaning that aside from their programmed
Wary of falling prey to the exsurgent virus, military and defense directives they have adapted most
most Prometheans carefully secure themselves of their own self-interests. Given this and their recur-
in well-defended and isolated systems. They are sively improved intelligence capabilities, it is likely
also cautious in their own self-development, not that the TITANs are far removed from transhuman
wanting to become victims of their own rise to interests and modes of thinking. It’s impossible to say
super-intelligence. Fearing a potential backlash by how they would have interacted with transhumanity
a paranoid transhumanity should their existence if history had played out differently, but it is unlikely
become known, they hide their activities behind that they would have considered themselves part of
multiple layers of secrecy. Even within the ranks of the transhuman family or even seen fit to remain on
Firewall their existence and support remain a closely friendly/supportive terms with transhumanity.
guarded secret.
Though the TITANs are believed to have left Earth
Each Promethean is individually distinct with its at the end of the Fall, no one is quite sure exactly what
own personality, motivations, and goals. Though they happened or why. It is known that the onslaught of
generally work together and support each other, they TITAN mesh attacks suddenly broke off in the wake of
have been known to have differences of opinion and transhumanity’s off-planet exodus, and that the bulk of
even to sometimes take action against each other. As TITAN activity on Earth and around the system came
extremely potent intelligences, they should also be to a distinct halt. After the discovery of the Pandora
treated as distinctly non-human. Even though their gates, it was widely assumed that the TITANs had
original templates were based on human mindsets, constructed these gates and used them to leave the
they have evolved and grown in ways that can only solar system for distant parts of the galaxy, presum-
be described as posthuman. ably taking billions of uploaded minds with them.
While some believe—and hope—that the TITANs are
Gamemasters are encouraged to keep Promethean gone for good, there are others who worry that they
involvement with player characters to a minimum, are still here, lingering on Earth and hidden away
though they may occasionally be useful as an ace in in other niches of the solar system in some dormant
the hole for Firewall. Their existence and involve- state, perhaps building up to a future onslaught. A
ment can in fact be the basis for an entire adven- few believe that the TITANs are indeed gone, but are
ture, perhaps leading sentinel characters to wonder concerned that their attention was simply temporarily
exactly who they are working for. Though, as seed diverted and that they will one day return to finish the
AIs, they cannot download their full minds into a destruction of transhumanity.
transhuman morph, they are capable of making
severely dumbed-down delta forks that they may The truth is that the TITANs did indeed build the
sleeve into physical forms. Within the mesh, of gates and embark for destinations unknown (though
course, Prometheans are nearly unstoppable adver- gamemasters may of course decide otherwise for their
saries, able to rip into secure networks with ease, games), but this does not mean that they are all gone.
though they prefer methods of covert infiltration Some still linger in hidden places, perhaps trapped and
rather than direct subversion. wounded during some conflict during the Fall, finish-
ing up some unfathomable task, or driven mad by the
exsurgent virus and left behind by their fellows. It is
always possible that others may return, most likely
to complete some unfinished job or perhaps to lure
transhumanity out into the galaxy. It is also possible
that transhumans will find traces of the TITANs in

SYNOPSIS the network of exoplanet gates, perhaps even whole are a number of metallic branches, linked together
WELCOME TO FIREWALL communities of TITANs, pursuing whatever agendas with a flexible joint. Each of these branches splits into
they have in the vastness of space. two or more smaller branches, also with flexible joints.
A TIME OF ECLIPSE These branches also split, and then split again, and so
GAME MECHANICS As with transhumans, the TITANs are not necessar- on down to the molecular scale. The tip of each fractal
CHARACTER CREATION ily unified. They have different agendas and goals and branch ends in a nanoscale manipulator. Fractals are
SAMPLE CHARACTERS may very well come into conflict with one another. deceptively potent adversaries, having the capability
Though all have been corrupted and subverted by the to dismantle almost anything at the molecular level,
SKILLS exsurgent virus, and so they act according to the ETI’s much like a disassembler nanoswarm (p. 329), and
ACTIONS AND COMBAT whims, some of them retain aspects of their original also to rebuild anything just like a nanofabricator
minds and do not always fall in step as quickly as the (p. 327). Attacking them with projectiles is futile, as
MIND HACKS others. Gamemasters can use this to their advantage, they absorb the ammunition, break it down into its
THE MESH creating plots that allow the characters to exploit constituent atoms or molecules, and then use those as
differences between the TITANs in order to escape components to build a weapon to use against you.
ACCELERATED FUTURE otherwise deadly or impossible situations.
GEAR Fractals can be equipped with any type of gear the
In game terms, the TITANs are not given stats. gamemaster desires—if they don’t have something,
GAME INFORMATION They are as potent as the gamemaster needs them to they can make it. Fractals are also able to nanofab-
REFERENCE be. Like the Prometheans, the TITANs are incapable ricate items much more quickly than transhuman
of downloading their full intelligence into physical nanofabricators; reduce all times by half (half an hour
382 morphs, though they may puppeteer morphs or create per Cost category). Fractals are difficult to damage, as
limited delta forks for sleeving purposes. Like the their “bodies” are actually airy assemblages of fractal
Prometheans, they should rarely be used or encoun- branches. Any damaged branches that are broken off
tered directly by the player characters are caught and absorbed by others. Reduce damage
from all standard non-area effect or spray attacks to
While the TITANs may no longer be the direct the minimum possible damage. Area effect and spray
threat they once were, they left behind an arsenal of weapons do half damage. Fractals are self-repairing,
weapons, nanoswarms, and viruses that still linger regenerating damage at the rate of 1d10 points per
on Earth, the Zone on Mars, and various derelict half hour and repairing wounds at the rate of 1 per
habitats and deserted places. Characters venturing hour after all damage is healed.
into such places may encounter these as a threat or
they may need to work against an outbreak of such COG COO INT REF SAV SOM WIL MOX
dangers in an inhabited habitat. 30 25 30 20 10 25 30 —

DEADLY MACHINES INIT SPD LUC TT IR DUR WT DR
10 1 — — — 50 20 —
The TITANs unleashed a number of deadly machines
during the Fall, many of which still seek out transhu- Skills: Beam Weapons 50, Climbing 60, Fray 40, Free
mans to attack.
Fall 40, Freerunning 50, Infiltration 70, Infosec 65,
FRACTALS
Interfacing 45, Intimidation 50, Kinetic Weapons 60,
Fractals are advanced bush robots. In their standard
form, fractals resemble a strange sort of metallic bush Perception 50, Programming: Nanofabrication 80,
surrounded with an eerie glittering haze. In their center
Research 40, Spray Weapons 45, Unarmed Combat 55

Notes: Any implants, gear, weapons, or enhancements

the gamemaster desires

HEADHUNTERS SELF-REPLICATING NANOSWARMS

Headhunters are multi-legged insectoid flying drones The nanoswarms distributed by the TITANs are a step
that use a dragonfly wing configuration to hover and beyond the nanotechnology available to transhumanity.
move. The legs are equipped with grasping claws Unlike transhuman-created nanoswarms, the TITAN
and extendable buzzsaws. Their primary purpose is swarms are autonomous, sapient, and self-replicating.
to grasp on to the heads of victims and cut through They are also highly adaptive, meaning they are not
the neck, decapitating them. Collected heads are then single function but can modify themselves to perform
flown to nearby special facilities for forced uploading. almost any nanoswarm task. They may also nano-
fabricate new materials, much like fractals (p. 383).
COG COO INT REF SAV SOM WIL MOX Combined, these capabilities make these nanoswarms
10 20 15 20 5 10 15 — incredibly potent. When they encounter a new oppo-
nent, they can scan the opponent’s capabilities and
INIT SPD LUC TT IR DUR WT DR then fabricate offensive systems to use against them.
7 1— — — 30 6 — When an opponent deploys a weapon system on the
swarm, it will learn and adapt countermeasures that
Mobility System: Winged (8/32) will make such attacks ineffective against the swarm in
the future. These nanoswarms may also function like
Skills: Flight 70, Fray 60, Exotic Melee Weapon: Buzz- so-called utility fog, linking together into a physical
lattice in order to create large-scale physical forms.
saws 55, Infiltration 60, Investigation 40, Percep-
The possibilities for TITAN nanoswarms are almost
tion 40, Unarmed Combat 55 limitless. For example, they may lie in wait as an invis-
ible nanoscopic swarm, float as barely visible mist, or
Notes: Armor 6/6, Buzzsaws (1d10 + 3 DV), Enhanced shape into a swarm of small hopping drones to move
about. When facing opponents, the nanoswarm could
Vision, Lidar, T-Ray Emitter transform itself into a giant electroshock net across
the ground, shape into a flotilla of seeker-armed flying
HUNTER-KILLERS drones, or link together as a set of massive whip-like
tentacles to slice through their fleshy foes. These
These lethal flying drones achieved air superiority nanoswarms are nearly impossible to destroy, as only
during TITAN military operations. Their sleek jet- a few nanobots need to survive in order to rebuild
powered form unfolds for vectored-thrust hovering the swarm, and the new swarm will learn from the
and weapons deployment. mistakes of the old.

COG COO INT REF SAV SOM WIL MOX Self-replicating nanoswarms follow the rules given
15 30 15 30 5 20 15 — for Nanoswarms and Microswarms, p. 328, with the
following additions and exceptions:
INIT SPD LUC TT IR DUR WT DR
9 2— — — 50 10 —

Mobility System: Thrust Vector (8/80)

Skills: Beam Weapons 55, Flight 80, Fray 60, Infiltra-

tion 40, Kinetic Weapons 65, Perception 50, Seeker

Weapons 80

Notes: Armor 14/14, Anti-Glare, Chameleon Skin,

Enhanced Vision, Lidar, Radar, Shape-Adjusting

Typical Weapons: 2 Particle Beam Rifles, 2 Railgun

Machine Guns, 2 Seeker Rifles

WARBOTS • They do not need to be sustained by a hive and
do not deteriorate.
Warbots are massive, armored, vaguely anthropo-
morphic mecha, used for heavy combat operations. • They self-repair damage at the rate of 1d10 per
Bipedal, these warbots are equipped with four arms half hour.
and a pair of grasping mechanical tentacles, along
with numerous weapon systems. • They may nanofabricate new items, materials,
or forms in half the standard timeframe (half an
COG COO INT REF SAV SOM WIL MOX hour per Cost category).
15 20 15 20 5 25 15 —
• They may replicate any of the nanoswarm func-
INIT SPD LUC TT IR DUR WT DR tions as noted on p. 328, as well as the functions 2.12.12.12.12.12.1
6 2— — — 80 16 — of any other nanoswarm-using gear (smart dust,
covert ops tool, repair spray, etc.). GAME INFORMATION
Mobility System: Walker (4/20)
• They may make SOM Tests.
Skills: Beam Weapons 60, Exotic Melee Weapon: • At the gamemaster’s discretion, they may adapt

Tentacles 40, Fray 50, Infiltration 30, Kinetic new defenses against attacks used against them.
New defenses take a minimum of 2 hours to devise
Weapons 70, Perception 50, Seeker Weapons 50, and replicate throughout the swarm, after which
such an attack will inflict minimal or no damage.
Spray Weapons 50, Unarmed Combat 50 • Assume they have any skill they need at a 2.12.12.12.1
minimum of 40. Such skills may rapidly improve
Notes: Armor 20/20, 360-Degree Vision, Anti-Glare, as needed. 383

Chameleon Skin, Chem Sniffer, Cyber Claws COG COO INT REF SAV SOM WIL MOX
25 20 25 20 5 15 15 —
(2d10 + 6 DV), Electrical Sense, Enhanced Vision,

Extra Limbs (6), Lidar, Magnetic System, Pneumatic

Limbs, Radar, Tentacles (prehensile, 1d10 + 6 DV),

T-Ray Emitter

Typical Weapons: Particle Beam Rifle, Plasma Rifle,

Pulser, Railgun Machine Gun, Seeker Rifle, Torch INIT SPD LUC TT IR DUR WT DR
9 1— — — 70 — —

SYNOPSIS NANOVIRUSES GAMEMASTERING
WELCOME TO FIREWALL AND ADMINISTRATION
The TITANs unleashed a number of biowar plagues
A TIME OF ECLIPSE during the Fall. Similar to the exsurgent virus, these The following advice will assist gamemasters in
GAME MECHANICS were spread as biological nanoviruses (p.  363) or running their games more efficiently.
CHARACTER CREATION nanoswarm plagues (p. 364)—use the same rules for
SAMPLE CHARACTERS determining exposure and infection. AWARDING REZ POINTS

SKILLS MELDER In Eclipse Phase, characters earn Rez Points in order
ACTIONS AND COMBAT to advance (see Character Advancement, p. 152). As
This virus slowly breaks down the target’s body, the name suggests, these points are awarded so players
MIND HACKS converting the biological materials into some sort of can spend them to better define their characters—to
THE MESH biofilament that then meshes with implants, electron- bring them into higher resolution, sharper focus. As
ics, and physical objects and structures. In effect, the the gamemaster, you determine when and how many
ACCELERATED FUTURE biological and synthetic are melded together, continu- Rez Points to award, following the guidelines below.
GEAR ing to expand and grow, consuming anything around
them into their growth. Victims suffer 1d10 DV and Rez Points should be awarded at the end of every
GAME INFORMATION 1d10 SV every hour, implants become inoperable after story arc, at the break in the action between one
REFERENCE 2 hours, and the target becomes fully transformed adventure and the next. Depending on your style
and absorbed into the new melding substance after of play and the length of your sessions, this should
12 hours. roughly be every 3–6 gaming sessions. If a scenario
goes shorter or longer, the Rez Point awards should
METASTASIZER be adjusted accordingly. In the case of long-term cam-
paigns, the gamemaster should break down the action
This sophisticated smart protein massively reprograms into digestible chunks, or “chapters,” and assign Rez
the target’s cells to go rapidly, autocannibalistically Points after each such segment.
cancerous. After 2 + (SOM ÷ 10, round up) hours, the
target suffers death by dozens of supercancers. Every character should be awarded 1 Rez Point for
each of the following criteria that is met:
NECROTIZER
• The character participated in that scenario.
This virus breaks down the target’s cells into their • The character achieved (most of) their objectives
component proteins. Reduce the target’s aptitudes by
5 per hour as they slowly convert into a puddle of in that scenario.
sludge. The character dies if any aptitude reaches 0. • The character failed to meet their objectives, but

NEUROPATHS learned a valuable lesson.
• The character contributed to achieving success in
These viruses target the victim’s neurological system,
often rewriting portions of it to inflict some type of a significant way (e.g., right skill at the right time).
permanent neurological damage. After 12 hours, this • The adventure was extra challenging.
virus inflicts the Neural Damage trait (p. 150). • The character achieved a motivational goal (see

PETRIFIER Motivations, p. 120).
• The player engaged in good roleplaying.
The petrifier virus transforms the target’s cells into • The player significantly contributed to the ses-
a simple molecular compound or element—typically
carbon or crystal. The target suffers 1d10 DV and –5 sion’s drama, humor, or fun with roleplaying.
to all aptitudes per hour, dying when any aptitudes
reach 0. Victims are frozen in place, converted into an This should result in an average Rez Points
nonliving statue. award of 4–7 points per character, per adventure.
Gamemasters who wish to drive the characters’
UZUMAKI advancement forward more quickly can increase the
reward amounts.
The target of this virus begins suffering from bizarre
fleshy growths. After four hours, their body literally REPUTATION GAIN AND LOSS
erupts with meaty “vines” or “tentacles” that warp
into spiral patterns. This process inflicts 1d10 DV and In addition to awarding Rez Points, the gamemaster
1d10 SV per hour to the victim until they eventually should also adjust each character’s Rep scores accord-
transform into an unworldly expanse of fleshy growth. ing to actions they took during game play, according to
In many cases, growth has continued long after a the guidelines below. For simplicity, these can be applied
character’s death, creating expansive carpets and vines at the end of the adventure, though gamemasters who
of skin and blood vessels, like some sort of bizarre seek a more dynamic game could apply changes to the
meat plant. characters’ Rep scores in game, as their peers judge
them according to their actions (or lack thereof) and
news about them in real time. Rep scores should only
be modified according to public actions and interactions
the character has with people capable of pinging their

384

Rep with positive or negative feedback. Actions that project (1 month work or 1 week of difficult/special- 2.12.12.12.12.12.1 2.12.12.12.1
happen in secret, without anyone ever knowing, should ized work), risk death.
have no effect. Likewise, pissing off a Factor or a brinker GAME INFORMATION 385
isolate who never communicates with outsiders isn’t Extreme Award (9–10 points): Do a Level 5 favor,
going to matter because no one else will ever hear of it start this year’s hot fashion trend, make a major
(unless the character lifelogs it and posts it to the mesh scientific discovery, close the deal on a major cor-
later … ). Note that Rep modifications only apply to porate acquisition, start (or put down) a revolution,
Rep scores tied to the character’s known identity. complete a major project (1 year work or 1 month
difficult/specialized work), risk true death.
Characters may gain and lose Rep score in net-
works they don’t actively participate in. For example, REPUTATION LOSSES
a character with r-rep of 0 may help bring out a
major scientific discovery that is shared with the solar Rep losses are suffered by characters who fail to render
system’s scientific community at large, thus gaining aid when needed, lose professional credibility, make
the character a few points of r-rep even though they major or public blunders, doublecross their friends,
never hang out with argonauts or scientists—what and so on. Some suggested examples are noted here:
matters is that people who access r-rep will find posi-
tive details when they ping the person’s score on that Trivial Loss (–1 or –2 points): Fail to do a Level 1
particular rep network. favor, inconvenience others, be involved in profes-
sional dispute, ruin someone’s day, never are available.
Certain actions may result in a character simulta-
neously gaining Rep with one network while losing Minor Loss (–3 or –4 points): Fail to do a Level 2
Rep in another. For example, an anarchist prankster favor, embarrass yourself at a public event, piss off
who embarrasses a major hypercorp figure in public somebody important.
will certainly gain some @-rep points, but their c-rep
is likely to go down by an equal amount. Moderate Loss (–5 or –6 points): Fail to do a Level 3
favor, endanger someone’s physical safety, make the
Rep changes provide an excellent way for game- news for something negative, ruin an event for everybody.
masters to include more roleplaying and more interac-
tions with the Eclipse Phase universe in their games. Major Loss (–7 or –8 points): Fail to do a Level 4
Social networks are a two-way street, meaning that favor, screw up a major mission or activity, endanger
members of the character’s social networks might someone’s life, associate with hated rivals.
contact them for equipment, favors, and information
during game play for things that are completely unre- Extreme Loss (–9 or –10 points): Fail to do a Level 5
lated to the mission the character is on. A character favor, botch a major mission or activity spectacularly,
who ignores such requests risks losing Rep. Fulfilling betray a faction to its rivals or enemies.
such requests may gain the character Rep and may
also provide comic relief or even plant some plot BACKUPS, RECORD-KEEPING,
hooks for the next scenario. AND SAVE POINTS

REPUTATION GAINS Thanks to cortical stacks and archived backups, char-
acters in Eclipse Phase can recover from death. When
Rep awards are given for characters who help people restoring a character from an earlier backup, however,
out, benefit a faction, do something creative, make it is important to be able to know what the state of
a major discovery or strides in a particular area of the character was as of that backup. Any Rez Points
activity, pull off successful publicity stunts, win a gained or spent, any character advancements made,
competition, and so on. Some suggested examples are any key information or memories acquired since that
noted here: backup was made are lost. This means that in terms of
game stats, resorting to an old backup can mean loss
Trivial Award (1–2 points): Do a Level 1 favor, of a character’s hard-earned advancements—that’s the
make a moderate contribution to free/open source trade-off for being effectively immortal.
projects, throw a good party, make your sales quota,
do the job no one else wants to do. Since these changes can have a serious effect on
game play, it’s important to conduct accurate record-
Minor Award (3–4 points): Do a Level 2 favor, keeping. This sort of bookkeeping isn’t hard, and
deliver a kick-ass or moving performance, make a there are two ways to do it. The first is to simply
minor contribution to science, win impressively at make a copy of a the character’s record sheet any
some public event. time a character makes an archived backup, forks off
an alpha or beta copy, or dies (thus freezing the corti-
Moderate Award (5–6 points): Do a Level 3 favor, cal stack backup). Each of these is considered a “save
make a serious business score, lead the winning side point.” In this case, carefully note the date and time
in a decisive engagement, create the meme everyone (both in character and out of character), and what
talks about for a week and then forgets, make the the event was that prompted the backup. Since what
news for something positive, risk serious injury. knowledge a character knows at different points in
their life may be important, you may also want to
Major Award (7–8 points): Do a Level 4 favor, note what important information they may hold in
design the new tool everyone wants, throw an impres- their head, as well as what the recent events in their
sive planetoid-scale event, complete an extensive life were (to help jog your memory later). This way,
if the character ever reverts back to one of these save

NPCs AND MOXIE must be memorized. An understanding of the core
mechanics is a must, however, as well as knowing
When a gamemaster is generating or winging where to find other rules quickly, as needed.
• The gamemaster should have solid notes on
NPCs with which the characters interact or the plots and subplots created for each session.
Nothing will ensure you prepare better next time
fight, the question of Moxie for NPCs must be like having the players catch you in a major con-
tinuity error due to lack of notes.
addressed. When it comes to run-of-the-mill • The gamemaster doesn’t just set the scene, they
play all the non-player characters that populate
grunt NPC characters, we recommend that such the universe. Making each NPC convincing,
while not messing up a plot or losing the thread
NPCs not be given Moxie. The reasons for this of a scene, can be difficult. Notes are your friend.
• Know when it’s time to toss the dice and trust
are simple. For one, it is one less stat/headache to the game mechanics to resolve a situation and
when it’s better to ride out a situation through
for the gamemaster to keep track of. More storytelling and dialog. This is an acquired skill.
The more practice you have, the better you’ll get.
importantly, however, it represents the edge that • Don’t cheat. Your NPCs should not have access
to information they’ve not gained during game
player characters have over the nameless mooks play. If you roll terribly for your major antago-
nist at the height of the story and they fall with
they encounter. When it comes to major NPCs, a whimper, roll with it. Be flexible and improvise
in such situations. Your players are smart and
however—prime antagonists, key allies, etc.— perceptive and will know when you’re forcing
a situation with unfair tactics. At the same time,
these characters should have their own Moxie they’ll also know when you’ve stepped up and
run with the flow—and they’ll thank you for it.
score. Because such NPCs play pivotal roles in a
FUNDAMENTALS
scenario, it is important for them to be able to
It’s possible to stumble into a campaign without ever
alter the outcome of events in much the same really making an effort to find out what everyone
wants, shooting into the darkness and happening to
way as player characters. It also allows a game- score a bullseye, but it’s not a very reliable way to go.
Successful campaigns usually begin with communica-
master to counteract an unfortunate roll of the tion. As you begin to prepare your campaign, talk to
your players. Explain the basics of the Eclipse Phase
dice that might otherwise spoil the big climax setting and let them look over the options for charac-
ters and tell you what they find interesting. Also take
you have worked so hard to set up. n note of what they find uninteresting or even repellent,
so that nobody wastes a lot of time getting set for
SYNOPSIS points, you have notes not only on their character options that simply won’t be enjoyable in play.
WELCOME TO FIREWALL stats, but what they remember.
CHALLENGES TO PLAYERS
A TIME OF ECLIPSE Alternately, you can keep a log of all of your
GAME MECHANICS character’s developments, noted by in-character Eclipse Phase is set in a time of catastrophic troubles
CHARACTER CREATION date. These developments would include: Rez Points and looming disasters, and it’s full of facts and
SAMPLE CHARACTERS spent or earned, character advancements made, key concepts that may be heady or even uncomfortable
information acquired, backups made, alpha or beta to some players—not to mention their characters.
SKILLS forks made, and so on. In this case, if the character One of the fundamental questions for each gaming
ACTIONS AND COMBAT dies and reverts back to an earlier backup, it is easy group is, how much challenge to the players’ sense
to see what changes need to be “rolled back” to get of comfort is a good idea? There is no single answer,
MIND HACKS back to that previous version of the character. When because tastes vary. There are groups whose players
THE MESH alpha and beta forks are made, you may also want to thrive on a diet of culture shock, ideological disori-
branch off a separate log for each fork, as their life entation, gray areas, and difficult ethical choices.
ACCELERATED FUTURE stream may develop differently than from the original They love the moral and intellectual battleground
GEAR character they were spun off from. gaming can provide, and are seldom so happy as
when confronted with a really hard, really interesting
GAME INFORMATION GAMEMASTERING PRACTICALITIES dilemma. There are also groups whose players thrive
REFERENCE on a diet of intellectual engagement, tactical and
Eclipse Phase is a game about a dark future in which strategic challenge, and well-developed roleplaying
386 the meaning of (trans)humanity and its very survival
are at stake. In practice, however, your campaign can
take on a wide assortment of flavors or even mix
several styles together. There’s nothing that says you
have to play Eclipse Phase specifically according to
the guidelines we set out. This section covers topics
you should think about while preparing a campaign
and running it, to help you do things the way that
makes you and your players happiest.

GAMEMASTER RESPONSIBILITIES

The gamemaster has certain responsibilities that will
keep a game flowing smoothly. The following is a
short summary of the basics.

• The gamemaster should be familiar with the
whole game. This doesn’t mean the rulebook

that never pushes players’ buttons or puts them into THE PROBLEM OF SECRETS
harsh no-win situations. There’s a whole universe of
responses in between these styles of play and none Uncovering secrets is a big part of this game. There’s
of them can conceivably be right for everyone. What a problem, however, in that a lot of the secrets are out
matters to your campaign is what works for you and there where players can come across them: in this very
your players. chapter, in reviews of the game, discussion in online
forums, and so on. As gamemaster, you will need to
Keep in mind as you talk about it with your group decide how you want to deal with the potential for
that more shock doesn’t equal more maturity. The spoiled revelations.
prime audience for gore in film, for instance, is not
well-aged men and women but teenage boys and As with so many potential issues, the place to start
young men. Shakespeare’s The Tempest is no less is with your players. Ask them how much it bothers
mature a tale than Macbeth even though it has a them to know things that their characters are going
happy ending. It can be easy to confuse endurance to be finding out in play. Some players do a fine job
with enlightenment, but in fact the two have nothing separating their own knowledge from that of their
to do with each other. Endurance is about how much characters with mental firewalls. Others have a very
description of visceral nastiness the players can take difficult time doing so, and knowing things in advance
(and deliver), while enlightenment (insofar as it ever as players takes away a lot of the fun of character
happens in gaming) is about what insights players discovery for them. In addition, some players have
take away from whatever it is that happened in a good sense of what degree of player-level surprise
play. Don’t feel like a wimpy failure if you or your works best for them, and some don’t. Discuss it with
players would rather keep the darker parts of the them. Tell them that spoilers are available, and that
game world suggested rather than delineated in you certainly can’t stop them from learning it all, one
hard-edged detail, since the point is that it be satisfy- way or another. Ask them how much trouble this may
ing rather than it be as horrifying or mind-blowing be for them, and then proceed from there. Ask the
as possible. The converse is also true: just as more players who have more trouble with spoilers to simply
is not better, so less is not better if your players do stay away from early commentary on the game, and
thrive on details. Your job as gamemaster includes tell them that you’ll let them know when the spoilers
knowing as much as you can about what it is your have come into play in your own campaign so that
players actually prefer in this regard as in others and it’s no longer an issue. Ask the other players to work
seeing how you can satisfy it in ways that are also with you in keeping things fresh and fun for those
satisfying for you. players, too. In most groups, making it a matter of
cooperation for the sake of everyone’s good time will
That said, there is one technique you really should draw out good responses. (If it doesn’t, the group may
never use without very clear permission from your well have other problems in any event.)
players, and that’s playing on their real-world fears
and phobias. If you know that one of them is, for There’s a related question for both you and your
instance, genuinely phobic about spiders, you can players. How much do any of you mind when a par-
count on getting some real shivers by adding arachnid ticular campaign’s version of an answer diverges from
features to robots and morphs. You can also ruin a the stock one provided in print? There are two kinds
player’s enjoyment of the session or the whole cam- of variation possible for this, and each one raises its
paign that way, if it comes unexpectedly and leads own issues.
to the real-world fear drowning out the experience
of play. Some players are fine with judicious use of There are matters that the game leaves unresolved,
their vulnerabilities, and others just aren’t. Under no so that there is no single authoritative answer, like the
circumstances should you poke at weak spots without number of TITANs in the solar system in the game’s
making sure you’ve discussed it first. present moment. If you choose to give a specific
number, it’s your choice, and any number that seems
to work for your campaign will probably do the job,

2.12.12.12.12.12.12.12.12.12.1

387 GAME INFORMATION

SYNOPSIS whether it’s one, three, seven, a dozen, or something THAT’S WHAT I’M TALKING ABOUT:
WELCOME TO FIREWALL else. Your campaign can’t diverge from the baseline SHARED INSPIRATION
unless your answer is relatively extreme, like “there
A TIME OF ECLIPSE are no TITANs, it was all a hoax before contact with It’s not quite true that everything changed from the
GAME MECHANICS the exsurgent virus and then purely alien technology early 21st century to Eclipse Phase’s universe, but a
CHARACTER CREATION after that.” In this case, your players can have read great many things did, and it can be hard to keep track
SAMPLE CHARACTERS all the game’s secrets and still be surprised by the of them all at once. This is where shared inspirations
revelation you present. The potential for trouble here can come in handy. One striking illustration can convey
SKILLS is not a conflict of expectations based on the game, a lot of details for both foreground and background,
ACTIONS AND COMBAT but based on expectations raised in other contexts. suggesting an aesthetic standard for design, an exotic
Some games, like some movies, TV shows, and environment, people doing futuristic tasks with appro-
MIND HACKS other stories, develop a following with strong ideas priately advanced tools, and so on. A prose passage
THE MESH of its own about what the real truths and important from a rewarding novel may set an ambiance or nail
matters are, and if the following thrives, its members down some aspect of the characters’ circumstances.
ACCELERATED FUTURE may end up with ideas that have less and less to do
GEAR with the original inspiration. This isn’t good or bad in There are potential pitfalls, and it’s important to
itself, but it can be a problem, which is why it bears be aware of them. The greatest is obsolescence, the
GAME INFORMATION conscious consideration and discussion, both before meaning of something evocative changing because
REFERENCE play and as the campaign evolves. Ask your players to the players’ reality has changed since the inspiration
tell you about conversations and insights that shape entered it. William Gibson’s ground-breaking cyber-
their expectations for the game world and storylines. punk novel Neuromancer begins, “The sky above
Sometimes you’ll want to work those in with your the port was the color of television, tuned to a dead
own plans, sometimes you may want to deliberately channel.” Supporting details make it clear that this is
play against them for the sake of a delightful surprise an industrial port at night, the sky gray from pollu-
(generally more delightful for players than characters, tion and flecked with ash and other debris. But that
but that’s life as a character for you). In either case, was an image published in 1984. A decade and a half
it’s better to be thinking about it than missing it. later, Neil Gaiman pointed out that to his children,
the color of television tuned to a dead channel is
Then there are matters that the game does give bright blue, thanks to ubiquitous cable delivery. In
definite answers for, but which you wish to change another decade, the default color of a station not in
for the sake of your own campaign’s characters and use may be something else entirely. The moral is that
stories. This is perfectly fine. There are no game police it’s not enough to agree that an image is very striking.
roaming the countryside and forcing you to accept You’ll want to make sure that you all agree on what it
answers you’d prefer not to use. But your players is about it that’s striking, to avoid a tangle of miscon-
will, as with the first question, have expectations, and ceptions that could derail play later on.
your campaign will work better if you make sure you
understand what those expectations are. How much The References page (p. 394) offers a wide range
would it bother them if it turned out there were no of immediately relevant inspirations, but it’s not the
TITANs and it was all a hoax, and so on? It’s hard to final word on the subject. If the people in your group
guess what friends will say and impossible to predict have a long-time favorite space scene, or description
the range of responses strangers might give, so ask of life in the midst of a high-tech investigation, or
them. (This particular answer is one that’s unlikely to poetic glimpse of what it might feel like to modify the
appear in anyone’s campaign, but it makes a handy body in ways not possible in real life, or something
example for your conversational use precisely because else that’s stayed with them a long time and seems
it’s extreme. So their answers to it are likely to be like it might bear on your campaign, encourage them
about the same as to any other potentially extreme to share. Remember to be courteous with each other’s
change, and this one probably doesn’t give away any personal treasures, whether you end up using them
of your own plans.) Some players are flexible on most or not; there’s nothing like earned trust to encourage
matters but have particular points of attachment; more sharing.
if yours are among them, ask them to explain what
those points are for them, so that you can keep them Images can be particularly helpful for what they
in mind. Other players have a hard time having fun convey about the world behind and around the
with any major shift from published standard answers, foreground events. For instance, think of a corridor
and if you have players like that, you’ll want to know on a typical spaceship or habitat in Eclipse Phase.
it so that you can see how to adapt your plans to Did you imagine it as being a standardized size and
work within that framework. shape, so that its counterparts elsewhere would be
very much the same or a more individualized work
intended for use just where it is without concern
for interchangeability? Did you imagine it as well
lit even when not in use, lit well when sensors show
people present and otherwise dim or dark, or perhaps
planned to be well lit but in practice haphazard and
unreliable thanks to lack of maintenance and funds?
Did you imagine its surfaces smooth and clean, with

388

equipment, maintenance bays, and the like all behind Furthermore, horror usually involves a balance of GAME INFORMATION
hatches and covers, or was it cluttered and lumpy? improbable elements, with things lined up to go wrong
None of that matters all the time, but when it comes in interesting ways, and it doesn’t take much for a
to the investigation of a derelict, the hunt for someone particular rickety edifice to go from strange and men-
(or something) trying to hide, a race against time, or acing to ludicrous. When your players start laughing,
other dramatic complication, these things could affect sometimes the best thing for you to do is to roll with
your play, and rather than try to tally all possible con- it. Laughter can do everyone good, supporting the
tingencies in advance, having some general-purpose “play” part of roleplaying. In addition, some events
references can save everyone time and confusion. actually are funny or at least can be taken as funny,
even (sometimes especially) when most of what’s going
THINGS THAT SHOULD NOT BE: HORROR on is serious. On the other hand, if you really would
like to keep a scene serious and the players break
The universe of Eclipse Phase is a time of horrors out in giggles, it’s often wise to go ahead and take a
unleashed. Every character has had to come to some break. Tell the players what you’re doing, too; trying
personal accommodation with the existence of things to deceive a group of your friends isn’t very reliable
that offend our basic expectations of decency and and can backfire badly. Make the break long enough
practicality all at once. Horror comes in many flavors, for everyone to get the giggles out and then continue.
and no one campaign can make use of all of them.
At the end of the day, through communication with
There are at least as many theories of horror as their players, the gamemaster will know how much
there are people who create horror stories. Everything horror their group wishes to encounter. A group may
here is necessarily a generalization. You and your decide that they want to be 100 percent immersed
players can find exceptions to every single point in into the various horrors of Eclipse Phase. Another
it, and if you like the way those work better, go with group, however, may decide that while they enjoy
them. This discussion is intended to trigger ideas, not the meshed theme of horror with the other aspects
to close off anything. That said, there are some useful of Eclipse Phase, they don’t wish it to be a principal
generalizations about horror, starting with an insight element. In such a situation, horror would remain just
expressed well by H.P. Lovecraft: “The oldest and that, a theme, while the plots woven by the gamemas-
strongest emotion of mankind is fear, and the oldest ter would spin around the myriad of other elements
and strongest kind of fear is fear of the unknown.” All that make up the game.
horror can be thought of as built around encounters
with the unknown, beginning with the realization that TRANSHUMANISM
there is something unknown present, learning some-
thing about the scope of its nature and activities, and Humanity has embraced transhumanism for survival,
then trying to respond one way or another. harnessing science and technologies to catapult physi-
cal and mental faculties to super-human levels, while
In this game, the discovery part is half over. There’s eradicating involuntary death and enabling near
no question about the presence of the unknown. immortality through the digitization of consciousness
Yes, there really are monsters beyond transhuman and the ability to transfer bodies at will. This is one of
understanding loose in the universe, and everyone in the cornerstone themes of Eclipse Phase.
the Eclipse Phase universe knows how bad and how
strange the TITANs could get. Many people also The technologies inherent to a transhuman future
have some idea of how exotic life on the far side of raise many questions and ethical issues, however, and
the Pandora gates can be. There’s no room left for these are some of the central themes that Eclipse
characters to respond to some new strangeness with Phase seeks to explore. We encourage both gamemas-
confident skepticism, sure that they know the range of ter and players to play around with the possibilities
what’s possible and plausible within transhuman expe- and contradictions enabled in such a universe. How
rience anymore. Almost anything might exist, given the do our mindsets change when death no longer looms
facts of what’s already known. Instead, the question over us? What does identity mean when our bodies
for Eclipse Phase people facing a mystery is whether are disposable and our personalities can be edited?
this particular unknown will turn out to be simple Are we the same person when we are revived from
and straightforward to deal with, more complicated a backup or sent off as a fork? Are technologies like
but nonetheless a part of their routine lives like mal- nanofabrication something to be feared and restricted,
functioning machinery or a sabotaged and unusually even when they can eliminate poverty and greed?
modified morph, or something beyond the normal like How do we ensure public safety in a world where
a TITAN-programmed weapon or alien life. Sooner or technology makes weapons of mass destruction easily
later, if they keep poking around, the characters can available? How do ideas inherent to religious and
count on running into all sorts of unknown and maybe spiritual thought cope with AI, backups, or resleev-
even unknowable challenges. Are they there yet? ing? What does it mean to be an uplifted animal in a
society centered on humans? Who decides our future?
Horror is seldom very far from humor. Humor These are just a few of the issues that Eclipse Phase
serves many roles in human psychology, and one of raises, and many of them can be used as the central
them is helping us whittle down the mental “size” of theme for an entire campaign.
mysteries and threats to something we can deal with.

389

CHARACTER CREATION BACKGROUNDS FACTIONS
SUMMARY
Drifter: +10 Navigation skill, +20 Pilot: Anarchist: +10 to a skill of your choice,
1. Define Character Concept (p. 130) Spacecraft skill, +10 Networking: +30 Networking: Autonomists skill
2. Choose Background (p. 131) [Field] skill of your choice
3. Choose Faction (p. 132) Argonaut: +10 to two Technical,
4. Spend Free Points (p. 134) Fall Evacuee: +10 Pilot: Groundcraft Academic: [Field], or Profession:
skill, +10 Networking: [Field] skill of [Field] skills; +20 Networking:
a) 105 aptitude points your choice, +1 Moxie, only 2,500 Scientists
b) 1 Moxie Starting Credit (can still buy credit
c) 5,000 credit with CP) Barsoomian: +10 Freerunning, +10
d) 50 Rep to one skill of your choice, +20
e) Native tongue Hyperelite: +10 Protocol skill, +10,000 Networking: Autonomists skill
5. Spend Customization Points (p. 135) Credit, +20 Networking: Hypercorps
a) 1,000 CP to spend skill, may not start with flat, splicer, Brinker: +10 Pilot: Spacecraft skill,
15 CP = 1 Moxie or any pod, uplift, or synthetic +10 to a skill of your choice,
10 CP = 1 aptitude point morphs +20 to a Networking: [Field] skill of
5 CP = 1 psi sleight your choice
5 CP = 1 specialization Infolife: +30 Interfacing skill,
2 CP = 1 skill point (61–80) Computer skills (Infosec, Interfacing, Criminal: +10 Intimidation skill, +30
1 CP = 1 skill point (up to 60) Programming, Research) bought Networking: Criminal skill
1 CP = 1,000 credit with Customization Points are half
1 CP = 10 rep price, Real World Naiveté trait, Social Extropian: +10 Persuasion skill, +20
b) Active skill minimum: 400 CP Stigma (AGI) trait, may not purchase Networking: Autonomists skill, +10
c) Knowledge skill minimum: 300 CP Psi trait, Social skills bought with Networking: Hypercorps skill
d) Choose Starting Morph (pp. 136 and 139) Customization Points are double price
e) Choose Traits (pp. 136 and 145) Hypercorp: +10 Protocol skill, +20
6. Purchase Gear (p. 136) Isolate: +20 to two skills of your choice, Networking: Hypercorps skill, +10 to
7. Choose Motivation (p. 137) –10 starting Rep any Networking: [Field] skill
8. Calculate Remaining Stats (p. 138)
9. Detail the Character (p. 138) Lost: +20 to two Knowledge skills of Jovian: +10 to two weapon skills
your choice, Psi trait (Level 1), Mental of your choice, +10 Fray, +20
277 Disorder (choose two, this includes the Networking: Hypercorps skill. must
one from Psi) trait, Social Stigma (Lost) start with a Flat or Splicer morph,
MORPH COSTS (ALPHABETICAL) trait, must start with Futura morph may not start with any nanoware or
advanced nanotech
CHARACTER CREATION TYPE CP COST Lunar Colonist: +10 Pilot: Groundcraft
skill, +10 to one Technical, Academic: Lunar: +10 to one Language: [Field]
Arachnoid 45 Expensive (40k+) [Field], or Profession: [Field] skill of your choice, +20 Networking:
Bouncer 40 Expensive of your choice, +20 Networking: Hypercorps skill, +10 Networking:
Case 5 Moderate Hypercorps skill Ecologists skill
Dragonfly 20 High
Exalt 30 Expensive Martian: +10 Pilot: Groundcraft skill, Mercurial: +10 to any two skills of your
Flat 0 High +10 to one Technical, Academic: choice, +20 to a Networking: [Field]
Flexbot 20 [Field], or Profession: [Field] skill skill of your choice
Fury 75 Expensive (30k+) of your choice, +20 Networking:
Futura 40 Expensive (40k+) Hypercorps skill Scum: +10 Freefall skill, +10 to a skill
Ghost 70 Expensive (50k+) of your choice, +20 Networking:
Hibernoid 25 Expensive (40k+) Original Space Colonist: +10 Pilot: Autonomists skill
Infomorph 0 Spacecraft or Freefall skill, +10 to
Menton 40 Expensive a Technical, Academic: [Field], or Socialite: +10 Persuasion skill, +10
Neo-Avian 25 0 Profession: [Field] skill of your choice, Protocol skill, +20 Networking: Media
Neo-Hominid 25 +20 to a Networking: [Field] skill of skill, may not start with flat, pod,
Neotenic 25 Expensive your choice uplift, or synthetic morphs
Novacrab 60 Expensive
Octomorph 50 Expensive Re-instantiated: +10 Pilot: Groundcraft Titanian: +10 to two Technical or
Olympian 40 Expensive skill, +10 to a Networking: [Field] Academic skills of your choice, +20
Pleasure Pod 20 Expensive (30k+) skill of your choice, +2 Moxie, Edited Networking: Autonomists skill
Reaper 100 Expensive (30k+) Memories trait, 0 Starting Credit (can
Remade 60 Expensive still buy credit with CP) Ultimate: +10 to two skills of your choice,
Ruster 25 +20 to a Networking: [Field] skill of
Slitheroid 40 High Scumborn: +10 Persuasion or Deception your choice, may not start with Flat,
Splicer 10 Expensive (50k+) skill, +10 Scrounging skill, +20 Splicer, uplift, or pod morphs
Swarmanoid 25 Expensive (40k+) Networking: Autonomists skill
Sylph 40 Venusian: +10 Pilot: Aircraft, +10
Synth 30 Expensive Uplift: +10 Fray skill, +10 Perception skill, to one skill of your choice, +20
Worker Pod 20 Expensive +20 to two Knowledge skills of your Networking: Hypercorps skill
choice, must choose an uplift morph
High to start 135
Expensive
Expensive 137 CUSTOMIZATION POINTS

High GEAR COSTS 15 CP = 1 Moxie point
High
CATEGORY RANGE AVERAGE 10 CP = 1 aptitude point
(CREDITS) (CREDITS)
5 CP = 1 psi sleight
Trivial 1–99 50
5 CP = 1 specialization
Low 100–499 250
2 CP = 1 skill point (61–80)
Moderate 500–1,499 1,000
1 CP = 1 skill point (up to 60)
High 1,500–9,999 5,000
1 CP = 1,000 credit
Expensive 10,000+ 20,000
1 CP = 10 Rep

Trait and morph costs vary as noted.

390

176–185

SKILL LIST

SKILL LINKED CATEGORY SKILL LINKED CATEGORY

Academics: [Field] APTITUDE Knowledge Investigation APTITUDE Active, Mental
Animal Handling Active, Social Kinesics Active, Social
Art: [Field] COG Knowledge Kinetic Weapons INT Active, Combat
Beam Weapons SAV Active, Combat Language: [Field] SAV Knowledge
Blades INT Active, Combat Medicine: [Field] COO Active, Technical
Climbing COO Active, Physical Navigation INT Active, Mental
Clubs SOM Active, Combat Networking: [Field] COG Active, Social
Control SOM Active, Mental, Psi Palming INT Active, Physical
Deception SOM Active, Social Perception SAV Active, Mental
Demolitions WIL (no def) Active, Technical Persuasion COO Active, Social
Disguise SAV Active, Physical Pilot: [Field] INT Active, Vehicle
Exotic Melee Weapon: [Field] COG (no def) Active, Combat Profession: [Field] SAV Knowledge
Exotic Ranged Weapon: [Field] INT Active, Combat Programming REF Active, Technical
Flight SOM Active, Physical Protocol COG Active, Social
Fray COO Active, Combat Psi Assault COG (no def) Active, Mental, Psi
Free Fall SOM Active, Physical Psychosurgery SAV Active, Technical
Freerunning REF Active, Physical Research WIL (no def) Active, Technical
Gunnery REF Active, Combat Scrounging INT Active, Mental
Hardware: [Field] SOM Active, Technical Seeker Weapons COG Active, Combat
Impersonation INT Active, Social Sense INT Active, Mental, Psi
Infiltration COG Active, Physical Spray Weapons COO Active, Combat
Infosec SAV Active, Technical Swimming INT (no def) Active, Physical
Interest: [Field] COO Knowledge Throwing Weapons COO Active, Combat
Interfacing COG (no def) Active, Technical Unarmed Combat SOM Active, Combat
Intimidation COG Active, Social COO
COG SOM
SAV
145–152

TRAITS

POSITIVE TRAITS CP COSTS NEGATIVE TRAITS CP COSTS SKILLS AND TRAITS

Adaptability 10 (Level 1) or 20 (Level 2) Addiction (Ego or Morph Trait) 5 (Minor), 10 (Moderate), or 20 (Major)
Allies 30
Ambidextrous 10 Aged (Morph Trait) 10
Animal Empathy 5 Bad Luck 30
Brave 10 Blacklisted 5 or 20
Common Sense 10 Black Mark 10 (Level 1), 20 (Level 2), or 30 (Level 3)
Danger Sense 10 Combat Paralysis 20
Direction Sense 5 Edited Memories 10
Eidetic Memory (Ego or Morph Trait) 10 Enemy 10
Exceptional Aptitude 20 Feeble 20
Expert 10 Frail (Morph Trait) 10 (Level 1) or 20 (Level 2)
Fast Learner 10 Genetic Defect (Morph Trait) 10 or 20
First Impression 10 Identity Crisis 10
Hyper Linguist 10 Illiterate 10
Improved Immune System (Morph Trait) Immortality Blues 10
Innocuous (Morph Trait) 10 (Level 1) or 20 (Level 2) Implant Rejection (Morph Trait) 5 (Level 1) or 15 (Level 2)
Limber (Morph Trait) 10 Incompetent 10
Math Wiz Lemon (Morph Trait) 10
Natural Immunity (Morph Trait) 10 (Level 1) or 20 (Level 2) Low Pain Tolerance (Ego or Morph Trait) 20
Pain Tolerance (Ego or Morph Trait) 10 Mental Disorder 10
Patron 10 Mild Allergy (Morph Trait) 5
Psi Modified Behavior 5 (Level 1), 10 (Level 2), or 20 (Level 3)
Psi Chameleon (Ego or Morph Trait) 10 (Level 1) or 20 (Level 2) Morphing Disorder 10 (Level 1), 20 (Level 2), or 30 (Level 3)
Psi Defense (Ego or Morph Trait) 30 Neural Damage 10
Rapid Healer (Morph Trait) No Cortical Stack (Morph Trait) 10
Right At Home 20 (Level 1), 25 (Level 2) Oblivious 10
Second Skin 10 On the Run 10
Situational Awareness Psi Vulnerability (Ego or Morph Trait) 10
Striking Looks (Morph Trait) 10 (Level 1) or 20 (Level 2) Real World Naiveté 10
Tough (Morph Trait) 10 Severe Allergy (Morph Trait) 10 (uncommon) or 20 (common)
Zoosemiotics 10 Slow Learner 10
15 Social Stigma (Ego or Morph Trait) 10
10 Timid 10
Unattractive (Morph Trait) 10 (Level 1), 20 (Level 2), 30 (Level 3)
10 (Level 1) or 20 (Level 2) Uncanny Valley (Morph Trait) 10
10 (Level 1), 20 (Level 2), or 30 (Level 3) Unfit (Morph Trait) 10 (Level 1), 20 (Level 2)
VR Vertigo 10
5 Weak Immune System (Morph Trait) 10 (Level 1) or 20 (Level 2)
Zero-G Nausea (Morph Trait) 10

391

COMBAT SUMMARY ACTION TURNStep 1: Roll Initiative ((INT + REF) ÷ 5) + 1d10 115 MODIFIER SEVERITY

• Combat is handled as an Opposed Test. Step 2: Begin First Action Phase (Speed 1) SEVERITY MODIFIER
• Attacker rolls attack skill +/– modifiers.
• Melee: Defender rolls Fray or melee skill Step 3: Declare and Resolve Actions Minor +/– 10
Moderate +/– 20

Major +/– 30

+/– modifiers. Step 4: Rotate and Repeat (Speed 2–4)

• Ranged: Defender rolls (Fray skill ÷ 2, SCATTER DIAGRAM 115 TEST DIFFICULTY
round down) +/– modifiers.
204 DIFFICULTY LEVEL MODIFIER
• If attacker succeeds and rolls higher than 1 or 2
the defender, the attack hits. Effortless +30
10 3 Simple +20
• Critical hits are armor-defeating (armor Easy +10
does not apply). 94 Average +0
Difficult –10
• Armor is reduced by the attack’s Armor Challenging –20
Penetration value (AP). Hard –30

• The weapon’s damage is reduced by the

target’s modified Armor rating (unless 85 123 COMPLEMENTARY SKILL BONUS
the attack is armor-defeating). 6 or 7 SKILL RATING MODIFIER
• If the damage exceeds the target’s
Wound Threshold, a wound is also scored. 01–30 +10
(If the damage exceeds the Wound 31–60 +20
Threshold by multiple factors, multiple 61+ +30

wounds are inflicted.) 193 COMBAT MODIFIERS

203 WEAPON RANGES (IN METERS) EXTREME GENERAL MODIFIER
SHORT MEDIUM LONG
Character using off-hand –20
Character wounded/traumatized –10 per wound/trauma

WEAPON (TYPE) RANGE RANGE (–10) RANGE (–20) RANGE (–30) Character has superior position +20

Firearms Touch-only attack +20
Called shot –10
Light Pistol 0–10 11–25 26–40 41–60 Character wielding two-handed weapon with one hand –20
51–70 Small target (child-sized) –10
Medium Pistol 0–10 11–30 31–50 61–80 Very small target (mouse or insect) –30
126–230 Large target (car sized) +10
Heavy Pistol 0–10 11–35 36–60 501–900 Very large target (side of a barn) +30
1,100–2,300 Visibility impaired (minor: glare, light smoke, dim light) –10
SMG 0–30 31–80 81–125 1,001–2,000 Visibility impaired (major: heavy smoke, dark) –20
Blind attack –30
Assault Rifle 0–150 151–250 251–500

Sniper Rifle 0–180 181–400 401–1,100

Machine Gun 0–100 101–400 401–1,000

Railguns

as Firearms but increase the effective range in each category by +50% MELEE COMBAT MODIFIER

Beam Weapons Character has reach advantage +10
Character charging –10
Cybernetic Hand Laser 0–30 31–80 81–125 126–230 +20
Laser Pulser Character receiving a charge
Microwave Agonizer 0–30 31–100 101–150 151–250

0–5 6–15 16–30 31–50

Particle Beam Bolter 0–30 31–100 101–150 151–300 RANGED COMBAT (ATTACKER) MODIFIER
Plasma Rifle
Stunner 0–20 21–50 51–100 101–300 Attacker using smartlink or laser sight +10
Seekers Attacker behind cover –10
0–10 11–25 26–40 41–60 Attacker running –20
Seeker Micromissile Attacker in melee combat –30
Seeker Minimissile 5–70 71–180 181–600 601–2,000 Defender has minor cover –10
Seeker Standard Missile 5–150 151–300 301–1,000 1,001–3,000 Defender has moderate cover –20
Spray Weapons 5–300 301–1,000 1001–3,000 3001–10,000 Defender has major cover –30
Defender prone and far (10+ meters) –10
Buzzer 0–5 6–15 16–30 31–50 Defender hidden –60
Freezer Aimed shot (quick) +10
Shard Pistol 0–5 6–15 16–30 31–50 Aimed shot (complex) +30
Shredder Sweeping fire with beam weapon +10 on second shot
COMBAT AND ACTION Sprayer 0–10 11–30 31–50 51–70 Multiple targets in same Action Phase –20 per additional target
Torch Indirect fire –30
Vortex Ring Gun 0–10 11–40 41–70 71–100 Point-blank range (2 meters or less) +10
Thrown Weapons Short range —
0–5 6–15 16–30 31–50 Medium range –10
Blades Long range –20
Minigrenades 0–5 6–15 16–30 31–50
Standard Grenades
0–5 6–15 16–30 31–50

To SOM ÷ 5 To SOM ÷ 2 To SOM To SOM × 2
To SOM ÷ 2 To SOM To SOM × 2 To SOM × 3
To SOM ÷ 5 To SOM × 3
To SOM ÷ 2 To SOM

Extreme range –30

208 HEALING DAMAGE HEALING RATE WOUND HEALING RATE

392 CHARACTER SITUATION 1d10 (5) per day 1 per week
1d10 (5) per 12 hours 1 per 3 days
Character without basic biomods 1d10 (5) per 2 hours
Character with basic biomods 1d10 (5) per 1 hour 1 per day
Character using nanobandage 1 per 12 hours
Character with medichines double timeframe double timeframe
Poor conditions (bad food, not enough rest/heavy activity, poor shelter and/or sanitation) triple timeframe no wound healing
Harsh conditions (insufficient food, no rest/strenuous activity, little or no shelter and/or sanitation)

THE HACKING SEQUENCE
Tasks Results

1. Defeat the Firewall Infosec Task Action (10 minutes)

2. Bypass Active Security Variable Opposed Infosec Test

a. Hacker Wins with Excellent Success, Defender Fails Hidden Status/Admin Privileges/+30 to all Subversion Tests (p. 256)

b. Hacker Succeeds, Defender Fails Covert Status (p. 256)

c. Both Succeed Spotted Status/Passive Alert/–10 to all Subversion Tests (p. 256)

d. Defender Succeeds, Hacker Fails Locked Status/Active Alert/–20 to all Subversion Tests (p. 257)

ONLINE SEARCHES
1. Common data = automatic acquisition

2. Uncommon data:

a. Research Task Test (timeframe: 1 minute) modified by

data obscurity to accumulate data SUBVERSION EXAMPLES

b. Measure of Success determines depth of data found In addition to the tasks noted under the Subversion Difficulties table, 259
these modifiers present some additional example actions. 393
3. Analyzing data:

a. Research Task Test (timeframe: GM call) using MOD TASK

complementary skill to understand data Hacking Bots/Vehicles
–0 Give orders to drones
247
–10 Alter sensor system parameters, disable sensors or weapon systems
MESH GEAR MODIFIERS
–20 Alter smartlink input, send false data to AI or teleoperator
MODIFIER SOFTWARE/HARDWARE
–30 Lockout AI or teleoperator, seize control via puppet sock
Bashed-up devices, no-longer-supported software, relics from
–30 Earth or the early expansion into space Hacking Ectos/Mesh Inserts

–20 Malfunctioning/inferior devices, buggy software, pre-Fall technology –0 Interact with entoptics, befriend everyone in range, make online purchases using
user’s credit, intercept communications, log activity
–10 Outdated and low quality systems
–10 Alter social network profile/status, adjust AR filters, tweak sensory interface,
0 Standard ectos, mesh inserts, and software change AR skin, change avatar, access VPN

+10 High-quality goods, standard security-grade products –20 Block or shuffle senses, inject AR illusions, spoof commands to drones/slaved
devices

+20 Next-generation devices, advanced software –30 Boot user out of AR

+30 Newly-developed, state-of-the-art, top-of-the-line technology Hacking Habitat Systems

>+30 TITANs and/or alien technology 259 –0 Open/close doors, stop/start elevators, operate intercom

SUBVERSION DIFFICULTIES –10 Adjust temperature/lighting, disable safety warnings, replace entoptic skin, lock
doors, switch traffic timers
Difficulty modifiers for common computer tasks
–20 Disable subsystems (plumbing, recycling, etc.), disable wireless links, dispatch
MODIFIER TASK repair crews
Execute commands, view restricted information, run restricted
–30 Override safety cutoffs
–0 software, open/close connections to other systems, read/write/copy/
delete files, access sensor feeds, access slaved devices Hacking Security Systems

–10 Change system settings, alter logs/restricted files –0 Move/manipulate cameras/sensors, locate security systems/guards/bots
–20 Interfere with system operations, alter sensor/AR input
–10 Adjust patterns of sensor sweeps, view security logs, disable weapon systems
–30 Shut system down, lockout user/muse, launch countermeasures at others
–20 Delete security logs, dispatch security teams

–30 Disable alerts

257 Hacking Simulspace Systems

–0 View current status of simulspace, simulmorphs, and accessing egos

COUNTERMEASURES –10 Change domain rules, add cheats, alter parameters of story, alter simulmorphs, MESH AND HACKING
change time dilation
Passive Alert (–10 modifier to intruders)
–20 Eject simulmorph, alter/erase character AIs
Locate Intruder: Opposed Infosec Test; if successful, intruder becomes Locked
Re-authenticate Users: Next Action Turn, intruder must make Infosec Test to –30 Abort simulation

log in again Hacking Spimes

Reduce Privileges: Limit user access privileges; see p. 246 –0 Get status report, use device functions

Active Alert (–20 modifier to intruders) –10 Adjust AI/voice personality settings, adjust timed operation schedule

Counterintrusion: If Trace (see below) is successful, launch intrusion attempt –20 Disable sensors, disable device functions
on intruder's home system
Hacking Simulspaces From Within
Lockout: Opposed Infosec Test; if successful, intruder dumped from system.
–0 Analyze simulation parameters, view domain rules, shape appearance of simul-
Reboot/Shutdown: Takes 1 Action Turn to 1 minute (GM discretion); all users morph, switch simulmorph character or morph type
ejected from system.
–10 Change probability of test outcomes, become invisible
Trace: Trace intruder to home system with a Research Test (–30 if in privacy mode) (“out-game”) to others

Wireless Termination: At end of Action Turn, all wireless connections termi- –20 Interfere with simulation (e.g. make it rain, generate earthquakes), generate items,
nated; wireless users ejected. ignore domain rules, kill or lockout other simulmorphs

–30 Go into god mode, command simulated characters, take over the sim

REFERENCES

Eclipse Phase borrows liberally from many sources, which deserve recognition and credit. Gamemasters may also find them a good source of
inspiration for adventures and campaigns. Further resources can be found on our website: http://eclipsephase.com

FICTION Frederick Pohl COMICS Ray Kurzweil
Gateway AND GRAPHIC NOVELS The Singularity is Near
Ian Banks Alastair Reynolds Howard Rheingold
The “Culture” Series Absolution Gap Jamie Delano Smart Mobs: The Next Social
Consider Phlebas Chasm City Narcopolis Revolution
The Use of Weapons The Prefect Warren Ellis John Robb
The Player of Games Pushing Ice Doktor Sleepless Brave New War
The State of the Art Redemption Ark Doom 2099 Clay Shirky
Inversions Revelation Space Global Frequency Here Comes Everybody
Excession Kim Stanley Robinson Ministry of Space Bruce Sterling
Look to Windward The “Mars Trilogy” Ocean Shaping Things
Matter Red Mars Transmetropolitan
Greg Bear Blue Mars Jonathan Hickman Tomorrow Now: Envisioning the
Moving Mars Green Mars Transhuman Next Fifty Years
Queen of Angels The Martians Grant Morrison
Slant Karl Schroeder The Filth Gregory Stock
David Brin Ventus The Invisibles Redesigning Humans: Our Inevitable
Earth Dan Simmons Masamune Shirow Genetic Future
The “Earthclan” series Endymion Ghost in the Shell
Startide Rising Fall of Endymion Ghost in the Shell 1.5: Simon Young
The Uplift War Llium Human-Error Processor Designer Evolution: A Transhumanist
Sundiver “Hyperion Cantos” Ghost in the Shell 2: Manifesto
Paul Di Filippo Hyperion Man/Machine Interface
Ribofunk Fall of Hyperion Adam Warren ROLEPLAYING GAMES
Cory Doctorow Olympos Iron Man: Hypervelocity
Down and Out in the Magic Kingdom Neal Stephenson Makoto Yukimura Blue Planet
Eastern Standard Tribe Diamond Age Planetes Burning Empires
Greg Egan Bruce Sterling Call of Cthulhu
Axiomatic Caryatids NON-FICTION CthulhuTech
Diaspora Crystal Express Cybergeneration
Distress Holy Fire Ronald Bailey Dawning Star
Permutation City Schismatrix Plus Liberation Biology Delta Green
Quarantine Charles Stross Susan Blackmore FreeMarket
Warren Ellis Accelerando The Meme Machine Gamma World
Crooked Little Vein Glasshouse Cynthia Brezeal GURPS: Transhuman Space
Kathleen Ann Goonan Halting State Designing Sociable Robots Morrow Project
The “Nanotech Cycle” Iron Sunrise David Brin Paranoia
Queen City Jazz Singularity Sky The Transparent Society Shadowrun
Mississippi Blues Toast Richard Brodie Shock: Social Science Fiction
Crescent City Rhapsody Karen Traviss Virus of the Mind: Traveller
Light Music City of Pearl The New Science of the Meme
Peter Hamilton Vernor Vinge James Brook and Ian Boal (eds) MOVIES AND TELEVISION
The “Commonwealth Saga” Across Realtime Resisting the Virtual Life
Pandora’s Star A Deepness in The Sky Rodney Brooks Aeon Flux
Judas Unleashed A Fire Upon The Deep Flesh and Machines: AI
The “Greg Mandel Trilogy” Rainbow’s End How Robots Will Change Us Alien series
Mindstar Rising True Names and Other Dangers Cambrian Intelligence: Andromeda
A Quantum Murder Elisabeth Vonarburg The Early History of the New AI Babylon 5
The Nano Flower Slow Engines of Time Critical Art Ensemble Big O
James Hogan Peter Watts Digital Resistance Blade Runner
Voyage from Yesteryear Blindsight Electronic Civil Disobedience Cowboy Bebop
Ken Macleod “Rifters’ Trilogy” The Electronic Disturbance Crusade
The “Fall Revolution” series Starfish Flesh Machine District 9
The Star Fraction Maelstrom The Molecular Invasion Dollhouse
The Stone Canal Behemoth (ß-Max + Seppuku) The Marching Plague Dreamcatcher
The Cassini Division Scott Westerfeld Richard Dawkins Event Horizon
The Sky Road The Risen Empire The Selfish Gene Ergo Proxy
Newton’s Wake The Killing of Worlds K. Eric Drexler Firefly
Richard Morgan Walter Jon Williams Engines of Creation: Gattaca
The “Takeshi Kovacs” series Aristoi The Coming Era of Nanotechnology Ghost in the Shell
Altered Carbon Angel Station Freeman Dyson Ghost in the Shell: Innocence
Broken Angels Voice of the Whirlwind Disturbing the Universe Ghost in the Shell: Stand Alone Complex
Woken Furies David Zindell Imagined Worlds
Thirteen The Broken God Ann Finkbeiner Solid State Society
Linda Nagata Neverness The Jasons Ghost in the Shell: Stand Alone Complex
The Bohr Maker War in Heaven. Imaginary Weapons Ghost in the Shell: Stand Alone Complex
Deception Well The Wild Joel Garreau
Limit of Vision Radical Evolution 2nd Gig
Tech Heaven Adam Greenfield The Island
Vast Jekyll
Everyware: The Dawning Age of Moon
Ubiquitous Computing Pandorum
Planetes
James Hughes Serenity
Citizen Cyborg Sleep Dealer
Solaris
Stargate and Stargate: Atlantis
Sunshine
Uzumaki
Zardoz

A values, 312 Bubbleworlds, 281 Complementary skills, 173 Dice, 22, 114
Aarhus, 106 vest, 312 Bug, 315, 337 Complex actions, 119, 190 Diffusion sleight, 372
Ablative patches, 313 Arm slide, 342 Bug zappers, 291 Composure, 175 Digital activity tracking, 251–52
Abramsen, 107 Art skill, 177 Building skill, 179 Computer capabilities, 247 Digital ID
Academics skill, 176–77 Ashoka, 94 Bulk carrier, 347 Concentrated fire, 195 code, 280
Access control, 291–92 Asphyxiation, 194 Burst fire (BF), 198 Concussion, 340 tampering, 280
Access jacks, 306 Asteroid belt Buzz (drug), 320 Cone weapons, 194 Digital virus, 364
Access privileges, reducing, 258 Ceres, 97 Buzzer, 341 Confusion, moderate, 211 Dione (Thoroughgood), 103
Account access, 246 Extropia (44 Nysa), 97 C Conservatives, 359 Direct Action, 56, 57, 60, 71
Accushot, 338 habitats, 97 Called shots, 197 Conspiracy theme, 19 Direction sense, 145, 301
Acquire Nova York (Metis), 97 Callisto, 99–100 Continuity Disabler, 316
information, 289 resources, economics, 97 Caloris 18, 88 stress, 273 Disarming, 197
services, 289 Async, 126 Campaigns test, 272–73 Disassemblers, 329
unload goods, 289 roleplaying, 221 alternate, 23 Control skill, 178 Disassembly tools, 330
Action, 189–90 Atavism, 212 default, 22–23 Core skills, 172 Discord Gate, 46
complications, 193–206 Aten, 88 setting, 22 Cortical stack, 300 Disguise skill, 178
types, 119–20 Atlas (Volkograad), 103 Cannon, 88 backups, 268 Disorders, 211–14
Action turns, 119, 127 Atmospheric contamination, 200 Capsule, 337 destruction, 268 Disorientation, 209, 365
declare, resolve actions, 188 Attack declaration, 191 Carapace armor, 303 feed, termination, 262 Disposable launcher, 339
first phase, 188 Attention deficit hyperactivity disorder Case (morph), 143 retrieval, 268 Distance
roll initiative, 188 Casimir force repulsion, 372 Cosmetic mods, 309 lag, 248–49
rotate and repeat, 188 (ADHD), 212 Cataplexy, 365 Counterintrusion, 258 real and social, 43–44
Active alert, 257 Augmented reality illusions, 259–60 Catatonic stupor, 365 Countermeasures, active, 293 Dizziness, minor, 210
Active monitoring, 253 Authentication, 253 Catching thrown objects, 175 Courier, 347 DMSO, 323
Active psi, 221 circumvention, 255 Cauterizer, 332 Covert intruder, 256 Domain rules, 263
Active skill, 172 forging, 255 Ceres, 97 Covert operations tool (COT), 315 Downtime, 224
Adaptability, 145 spoofing, 255 Chameleon Covert technologies, 315–17 Dr. Bot, 345
Addiction, 148, 211, 317–18 Authophagy, 212 cloak, 315 Cowboys, 359 Dragonfly, 144
Admin accounts, 246 Automatic actions, 119, 190 coating, 313 CR Gas, 324 Drifter, 131
Adrenal boost, 302 Automatic rifles, 335 skin, 303 Cranial computer, 300 Drive, 226, 318
Aerogel, 298 Automech, 345 Character Crashing, 196 Drug glands, 304
Aged, 148 Autonomist Alliance, 57, 76–77 advancement, 152–53 Crash suit, 312 Drugs
AGI (artificial general intelligence), 81, 236 Avatars, 239 AGI, 265 Credit, 125, 135 cognitive, 318–20
attitudes toward, 48 Avoidance, minor, 210 concept, 120–21 buying more, 136 combat, 318–19
infolife and, 244 B credit, 125 making, 153 health, 319–20
infomorphs and, 264–65 Babylon, 111 ego, 121 Creepers, 369 recreational, 320
non–standard AI and, 245 Backdoor, 260 gear, 125–26 Creepy, 345 social, 320
AI (artificial intelligence), 236 Background, 120, 131–32 identity, 124 Crime, 23 substance rules, 317–18
commanding, 264 Backup, 330, 359 implants, 126 Criminal, 133 Dueling, 54
infolife and, 244 complications, 270–71 morph, 123 Critical success/failure, 116 Durability (DUR), 121, 207
limitations, 264 cortical stack, 268 motivations, 120–21 psi, 223 Dwarfs, 345
non–standard, 245 insurance, 269–70, 330–31 psi, 126 Crows, 358 E
subversion, 364 Bad luck, 148 reputation, 125 Cryokinesis, 372 Earth, 24
Aimed shots, 193 Bananas furiosas, 319 skills, 122 Cuffband, 316 Fresh Kills, 91
Aiming, 190 Barsoomian, 79–80, 133 social networks, 124–25 Cultural experimentation, 44 habitats, 91
Airburst, 199 Basilisk hacks, 365–66 stats, 121–23, 138 Cultural regions, 44 history and data, 51
Aircraft, 343 Battle suit, 344 traits, 123, 145–52 Culture, 41 Paradise, 91
AIs, 331–32 Beam weapons, 194, 203, 338–39 Character generation Customization points, 135–36 population, 91
Alienation, 226 skill, 177 background, 131–32 Customized morphs, 277 Vo Nguyen, 91
modifiers, 272 Bedlam (program), 332 concept, 130–31 Customs, 282–83 Echo, 109–10
test, 272 Behavioral control, 231 customization points, 135–36 Cyberbrain, 300 Echolalia, minor, 210
Aliens, 40 Behavioral masking, 231 detailing, 139 evacuation, 271 Echolocation, 301
mindset, 376 Beta forks, 273 faction, 132–34 hacking, 261–62, 364 Echopraxia, moderate, 211
psi sleights, 222 Big Circle Gang, 84 free points, 134–35 Cyberclaws, 307 Ecologene, 71
Allergy Bioconservatives, 80 gear purchasing, 137 Cyberlimb, 307 Economy,
mild, 150 Biological, 317 motivations, 138 Cyberlimb plus, 308 new, 62–66
severe, 151 functions, lack of, 143 Charge receiving, 197 Cycle, 344 old, 61
Allies (trait), 145 nanovirus, 363 Charging, 197 D transitional, 62
Alpha (drug), 320 Biometric Charisma, 226 Damage EcoWave, 125
Alpha forks, 273 lock, 291 Chases, 195 bonus, 138 Ecto, 50, 237, 245, 253, 325
Amathea (Solano), 98 scan, 253 Chat Noir, 108 bonus stat, 122, 138 Edited memories, 149
Ambassadors, 376 tracking, 251 Cheating, 263 determination, 192 Eelware, 304
Ambelina, Claudia, 84 Biomods, basic, 300 Chemicals, 323 initiative, 189 Ego, 24–25, 121
Ambidextrous, 145 Biomorph, 139–42, 370 Chemical sniffer, 311, 293 points, 207 bridges, 328
Ambience sense, 223 healing, 208 Chemical substances, 317 types, 207 hunters, 60
Ammunition, 336–37 resleeving, 271 Chills, moderate, 211 value, 207 scan, 253
reloading, 193 Bioware, 301–306 Christianity, 82–83 Dang Fish Echo, 103 sense, 226
Analysis software, 205–6 synthmorph and, 306 Circadian regulation, 304 Danger sense, 145 stats, 121
Anarchism, 57, 77, 132 Bioweave armor, 302–03 Circle–A list, 125 Dangerous technologies, 63 Egocasting, 275, 331
Animal Bipolar disorder, 212 Citizenship, 63 Darkcasting, 243, 276 Eidetic memory, 146, 301
empathy, 145 Biter, 338 CivicNet, 125 Darkly Selving, 322 Electrical sense, 306
handling skill, 177 Blacklisted, 149 Clanking masses, 66 Dazzler, 316 Electrogravities net, 332
targets, 221–22 Black mark, 149 Claws, 304 DDR, 323 Electromagnetic spectrum, 302
Anonymization, 252–53 Black market morphs, 277 Cleaners, 329 Dead switch, 306 Electronic arrivals, 283
Anonymous Blackout, major, 211 Clean metabolism, 304 Death, 50–51, 207, 208 Electronic drugs, 317
accounts, 330 Blades, 334 Climbing skill, 177 rating (DR), 121, 138 Electronic locks, 291–92
account services, 252–53 skill, 177 Cliques, 359 uploading after, 269 Electronic rope, 332
Anti–electronics sleight, 372 Blast weapons, 193 Cloud memory, 226 Deception skill, 178 Electronic sensors, 293
Anti–glare, 306 Bleeding, 207 Clubs, 334 Deep learning, 231 Elysium, 95
Anti–matter rocket (AM), 347 Blind attacks, 195 skill, 178 Deep scan, 226 Emergency
Anxiety, minor, 210 Blueprints, 328 Cluster colony, 281 Defaulting, 116, 127, 173 bubble, 332
Aphrodite Prime, 90 open source, 284 Cognite, 70 Defense distress beacon, 333
Aptitude, 122–23, 127, 172 programming, 284–85 Cognitive boost, 223 declaration, 191 farcaster, 306–7
customizing, 135 restrictions, 284 Cognitive drugs, 318, 320 full, 198 Emotional control, 224, 231
improving, 152 Bluewood, 111 Cole bubbles, 281 Degen, 324 Emotional dampers, 304
maximums, 124 Body Collisions, 196 Delayed actions, 189 Emotions, 181
–only tests, 174–75 armor, 312 Combat Delphinium Six, 322 EMP, 340
range, 174 bank, 331 complications, 193–206 Delta forks, 273 Empathic scan, 226
starting, 135 dysmorphia, 212 drugs, 318 Demolitions, 197 Enceladus (Profunda), 103
AR (augmented reality), 236, 239–40 sculpting, 309 modifiers, 193 skill, 178 Encryption, 253–54
games, 53–54 Borderline personality disorder, 212 paralysis, 149 Densiplast gloves, 334 Encumbrance, 297
illusions, 331 Bot, 195–96 resolving, 191–92 Depression, 212–13 Enemy, 149
intrusions, 49–50 –pod rental, 331 spaceship, 284 Derangements, 210–11 Energy armor/kinetic armor, 194
Arachnoids, 143 –vehicle AI, 331 summary, 186 Dermal application, 317 Energy damage, 206–7
Arcadia, 111 Bouncers, 140 tacnets, 205–6 Desktop cornucopia machine, 327 Engineers, 329
Area effect weapons, 193 Bounty hunters, 60 Combined sensor systems, 303 Destroyer, 348 Enhanced creativity, 224
Argonauts, 79, 132 Brainwave scans, 279 Comex (Comet Express), 70–71 Destructive uploading, 269 Enhanced pheromones, 305
Armor, 194, 310, 312 Brave (trait), 145 Comfurt, 319 Detailed perception, 190 Entertainment, 51–54
bypassing, 197 Breadcrumb positioning system, 332 Commands, issuing, 248 Detailing, character, 138 Entrapment, 261
clothing, 312 BringIt, 318–19 Common information, 250, 290 Detection, 293 Environmental durability, 143
modification, 192, 313 Brinkers, 80, 133 Common sense, 145 Device AI, 332 Epimethus, 103
penetration, 194 Brute–force hacking, 257 Communications, 313–14 Diamond, 298 Equipment rules, 296
–piercing, 336 Brute strength, 175 management, 205 Diamond axe, 334 gear, 296–98
repair, 208–09 BTX2, 323

Mesh gear, 298–99 Firearms, 335–36 Gardeners, 329 Hibernoids, 140 Interest skill, 180
personal augmentation, 300–326 Fireproofing, 313 Gas/smoke munitions, 341 Hidden compartment, 311 Interface, gear, 298
Erasure squads, 358–59 Firewall, 84–85, 253, 331, 356–61 Gatecrashing, 378–79 Hidden data, 251 Interfacing skill, 180
Erato (Eratosthenes), 92 defeating, 255 Gatekeeper Corporation, 72 Hidden intruder, 256 Interrogation, 232
Eris, 109 Project Ozma and, 380 Gateway (Pandora), 104 High–capacity qubit reservois, 315 Intimidation skill, 180
Escape artist, 175 Firing modes, 198 Gear, 126 High explosive, 341 Intruder
Espionage technologies, 315–17 First impression, 146 acquiring, 296 High–explosive armor–piercing (HEAP), 341 changing status, 256
E–tags, 239 Fissure Gate, 46, 108 concealing, 297 High gravity, 199 locating, 256, 257
Europa Fixation, minor, 211 costs, 136–37, 296 Hinduism, 83 status, 256
biosciences, 99 Fixers, 329 design, fashion, 297–98 History, 32–36, 38 Intrusion, 254–56
habitats, 99 Flashlight, 333 fabricating, 296 Hither, 321 countermeasures, 257–58
EVA sled, 345 Flash suppressor, 342 mass, encumbrance, 297 Hives, 328 preconditions, 254
Exalts, 139, 174 Flats, 139, 174 modifiers, 296–97 Hollow–point, 338 tests, 255
Excellent success, 118 Flayer, 338 quality, 296 Holographic projectors, 325 traces, eliminating, 260
Exceptional aptitude, 146 Flex cutter, 334 sizes, 297 Homing, 338 Intrusion, 254–56
Exhumans, 80–81 Flexbots, 144 Gender, 45, 114 Hooverman–Geischecker, 88 Inuit moonlet, 104
Exoskeletons, 343–44 Flight drug, 324 General anxiety disorder (GAD), 213 Hopper, 310 Investigation skill, 180–81
Exotech, 71 Flight skill, 178 General exploration vehicle (GEV), 348 Horror, 19, 389 Invisibility cloak, 316
Exotic melee weapon skill, 178 Floating worlds, 68 Genetic defect, 149 Hostile environments, 200–201 Io, 99
Exotic ranged weapon skill, 178 Flux, 337 Gerlach, 90 Hovercraft, 310 Ionic, 310
Exotic weapons, 341 Forgotten Hand, 322 Ghostrider module, 307 Human Cognome Project, 229, 233 Irrationality, major, 211
Exowalker, 344 Fork handling, 274 Ghosts, 140 Hunger, minor, 211 Irreproducible goods, 64
Experia, 52, 71 Forking, 273–74 Gills, 305 Hunter–killers, 383 Islam, 83
Experimentation, political, 58 14K Triad, 84 Glitch, 108 Hydrogen–oxygen rocket (HO), 347 Isolates, 40, 131
Expert, 146 Fractal digits, 311 Gnat, 345 Hyoden, 100 iZulu, 104
Exploit, 331 Fractals, 382 Go–nin Group, 72 Hyper linguist, 146, 301 J
Exploration, 23 Frag, 340–41 Gorgon Defense Systems, 72 Hypercorps, 55–57, 70–74, 133 Jammers, 338
Explosive Frail, 149 Grand mal seizure, 365 Hyperdense exoskeleton, 344 Jamming, 196, 262
making, 197 Fray skill, 178–79 Gravity, 198–99 Hyperelite, 131 Janus Commons, 103
placing, 197 Free fall skill, 179 and range, 203 Hyperion, 104 Jellies, 370
Exsurgent Free points, 134–35 transition zones, 200 Hyperthymesia, 224 Jewelry, nostalgia, 41
–infected PCs, 369 Freerunning skill, 179 well escape, 346 Hypochondria, 213 Jovian Republic, 57, 58, 75, 134
strains, 366–68 Freezer, 340 Gravy, 321 Hysteria, major, 211 Firewall, 361
synthmorphs, 371 Frenzy, major, 211 Greek asteroids I punishment, 60
threat, 42, 240 Frequency, 321 Lot 49, 101–2 Iapetus, 104 Jovian Trojans, 96
virus strains, 362–63 Fresh Kills, 92 resources, economies, 100 ID (intelligent design) crew, 83 Judaism, 82–83
Exsurgent psi, 371 Fugue, 213 Grenades, 199–200 Ideas, 175 Juice, 320
–epsilon sleights, 371–72 Full automatic (FA), 198 jumping on, 200 Identity, 124 Jumping, 191
–gamma sleights, 371 Full defense, 198 seekers and, 340–41 circumventing checks, 280 Jupiter
strain, 371 attack, 191 throwing back, 200 crisis, 149 Amathea (Solano), 98
Extendable baton, 334 psi, 222 Grin, 319 reputation and, 289 habitats, moonlets, 98
Extended magazine, 342 Fullerenes/Fullerites, 298 Grip pads, 305 verification, 279–80 Io, 99
Extra limbs, 310 Fur coat, 330 Grok, 224 Iktomi, 377 resources, economy, 97
Extrasolar systems Furies, 140 Groundcraft, 344–45 Illiterate, 149 Jupiter brain, 92
Echo, 109–10 Fusion rocket (F), 347 Guanxi, 125 Ilmarinen, 108 K
exoplanets, 111 Futures, 140 Guardian angel, 345 Imaging scope, 342 Kaos AI, 331
Luca, 110 G Guardians, 329, 377 Immersion, 262–63 Keypad lock, 291
Mishipizheu, 111 Gallic moonlet, 104 Gunnery skill, 179 Immigration, 282–83 Kick, 318–19
Synergy, 111 Game effects, disorders, 212, 213, 214, 215 Gyromount, 342 Immortality blues, 149–50 Kinesics skill, 181
Extraterrestrial intelligences (ETIs), Gamemaster, 21 H Immune system, improved, 146 superior, 225
361, 352–53 Gamemastering Habitat, 24, 86 Immunogenic system, 313 Kinetic
Extreme heat/cold, 200 backups, 385 asteroid belt, 97 Impact, 199 ammunition, 336–38
Extreme pressure, 200 fundamentals, 386 diversity, 45 Impaired cognition, 365 damage, 207
Extropia (44 Nysa), 68, 78, 97, 133 inspiration, 388–89 Earth, 91 Impersonation skill, 180 friction, 372
Eye, The, 125 player challenges, 386–87 electronic arrivals, 283 Implant, 126 weapons, 181, 334–35
F record–keeping, 385–86 Europa, 99 memory, 226–27 Klar, 318
Fa Jing, 71–72 reputation gain/loss, 384–85 Ganymede, Callisto, 99–100 nanotoxins, 308 Knife, 334
Fabber, 328 resleeving, 271 Jupiter, 98 rejection, 150 Knockback, 202
Facial/image recognition, 331 responsibilities, 386 largest, 68 skill, 227 Knockdown, 202, 207–8
Faction, 120 Rez point awards, 384, 386 Luna, 92–94 Improvised weapons, 202 Knowledge skill, 172, 185
Autonomist Alliance, 76–79 secrets, 387–88 Mars, 93–96 Impulse control disorder, 213 L
criminal, 83–84 transhumanism, 389 Martian Trojans, 96 Incompetent, 150 Language skill, 181
Firewall, 84–85 Gamemaster rules Mercury, 88 Indecisiveness, minor, 211 Large lander and orbit transfer vehicle
hypercorps, 70–74 exhumans, 362 microgravity, 68–69 Indenture, 277 (LLOTV), 348
political blocs, 74–76 exsurgents, 369–71 physical arrivals, 282–83 Indirect fire, 195, 205 Laser
religious groups, 82–83 exsurgent virus, 362–69 planetary settlement, 66–67 Individual factors, 373 –guided, 338
socio–political movements, 79–82 extraterrestrial intelligence, 352–53, 361 private, 69 Industrial armor, 310 –microwave link, 314
Factors, 40, 372–77 factors, 373–77 Sol, 86, 88 Inequality, 38–39 pulsers, 338
art, culture, 375 Firewall organization, 356–61 space, 67–68, 280–81 Infiltration skill, 180 sight, 342
biodiversity, self–design, 374 iktomi, 377 Venus, 89–90 Infolife, 131 Law enforcement, 58, 59–60
colonies, 373–74 optional i–Rep, 357 Vulcanoids, 88–89 Infomorph, 145 Layered armor, 194
combat, 376 Pandora Gates, 377–79 Hacker, 243, 246 AGI and, 264–65 Learned skills, 123, 127, 136
communication, 374 Project Ozma, 379–80 failing tests, 256 muses as, 265 new, 153
computers, 376 Prometheans, 381 upgrading status, 256 refugees, 65–66 ranges, 174
dust toxin, 376 secrets, 352–55 zeroing in, 256 resleeving, 272 Lemon, 150
exosociology, 374–75 TITANs, 354–55 Hacking, 254–56 software minds, 265 Less complex life forms, 221–22
metabolism, 374 Game playing cyberbrain, 261–62 subversion, 364 Libertarians, 57–58
motivations, 375 action turns, 119–20, 127 joint, 258 Information Liberty, 100
origin, evolution, 372 alternate campaigns, 23 memory, 261 acquire, 290 Lidar (visible light) sensors, 303, 311
perception, 374 campaign setting, 22–23 sequence, 255 overload, 237–38 Life, 50–51
phenotypes, 376–77 character defining, 120 simulspaces, 263–64 Infosec skill, 180 in space, 280–84
psi sleights, 222 critical success/failure, 116 VPNs, 260 Infotech, 46–48 Light combat armor, 310
technology, 375 defaulting, 116 Hallucinations, 211, 365 Infrared sensors, 302–3 Limber, 146
xenobiology, 373–74 default setting, 22–23 Hamilton cylinders, 281 Inhalation, 317 Linkstate, 323
Fake IDs, 280 group of players, meeting place, 20–21 Hand laser, 308 Inhibitor, 325 Liquid thermite, 323
Fall evacuee, 131 imagination, 22 Haptics, 245–46 Initiative (INIT), 121, 138, 188 Living space, 64
Falling, 197 margin of success/failure, 118 Hard suit, 334 damage, 189 Local conditions, 239
Fame, 125 modifiers, 115–16 Hardened skeleton, 308 moxie, criticals, 189 Lockbots, 292
Fashion/design, 92 note taking, 21–22 Hardening, 214–15 order, 189 Locked intruder, 256
Fast learner, 146 roles, 22 Hardware skill, 179 simplifying, 189 Lockout, 257
Favor, 289 rules summary, 127 Haunting virus, 366–67 Injected application, 317 Locus, 101
levels, modifiers, 287–88 taking time, 117–18, 127 Haute nosh, 64 Injectors, 329 Logorrhea, minor, 211
paying, exchanging for, 288 target numbers, 115 Headhunters, 383 Inner System Loonie, 134
service levels, 290 teamwork, 117 Healing, 208–9 Firewall, 361 Lost generation, 131, 233
Fear, 42–43 ten–sided dice, 22, 114 Healing vats, 326 politics, 55–57, 75 Lot 49, 102
Feeble, 149 test difficulty, 115 Health drugs, 319–20 Innocuous, 146 Lotus coating, 313
Fiber eye, 316 test making, 115, 127 Hearing, enhanced, 301 Insanity rating (IR), 122, 138, 209 Low–capacity qubit reservoir, 315
Fiberoptic cable, 313 test types, 117–19 Heartbeat sensors, 293 Insomnia, 213 Low gravity, 199
Field skills, 172, 173 trying again, 117 Heavy combat armor, 310 Instinct, 224 Luca, 110
Fighter, 348 ultimate rule, 114 Helium–3 mining, 92 Integration Lucidity (LUC), 122, 138, 209
Filter, 224 Gamma forks, 274 Hellball, 341 modifiers, 27
Finance, 92 Gamma–ray sensors, 303 Helmet, 312 test, 271
Fire, 198 Ganymede, 99–100 Hibernation, 305 Intentions, 181
rate of, 198

Luna, 24, 91 Micromissile, 339 Natural healing, 208, 215 Patron provisioning, morphs, 277 strain, 223
Erato (Eratosthenes), 92 Microswarms, 328–29 Natural immunity, 146 Patron, 146 trait, 126, 147
fashion/design, 92 Microwave agonizer, 339 Nausea, 211, 365 Pattern recognition, 224–25 vulnerability, 151
finance, 92 Mimas (Harmonious Anarchy), 104 Navigation skill, 182 Pax Familae, 84 Psi–Chi sleights, 223–25
Helium–3 mining, 92 Mimic, 227 Necrosis, 324 Peacekeeping, 58–59 Psi game mechanics, prerequisites, 220
Nectar (Nectaris), 92 Mindlink, 227 Necrotizer, 384 Penal lease, 278 criticals, 23
New Mumbai containment zone, 92 Mindstealer virus, 367 Nectar (Nectaris), 92 Penetration, 228 full defense, 222
Shackle (Shackleton–New Varanasi), 93 Miniature radio farcaster, 315 Neem, 318 Perception, 190 mental armor, 223
Lunar colonist, 131 Minor favor, 290 Negative refraction, 372 skill, 182 morphs, 220
Lunar–Lagrange Alliance, 75 Mishipizheu, 111 Neo–avians, 109, 141 Peripherals, 247 opposed tests, 222
M Mist, 248 Neo–Buddhism, 83 Personal area networks, 241 roleplaying asyncs, 221
Ma’adim Vallis, 93–94 Mnemonic augmentation, 307 Neo–hominids, 141 Personal augmentation skills, sleights, 221
Machine gun, 336 Mobile lab, 330 Neo–primitivists, 80 bioware, 301–306 sleight duration, 223
Magnetic fields, 200–201 Mobile offices, 242 Neotenics, 141 cyberware, 306–8 target awareness, 222
Magnetic system, 310–11 Mobility systems, 310 Neptune standard, 300 targeting, 221–22
Mahogany, 109 Moderate favor, 290 Glitch, 108 Personal computers, 247 using, 221
Major favor, 290 Modified behavior, 150 Ilmarinen, 108 Personal information, 239 Psi–gamma sleights, 226–29
Maker, 327–28 Modifiers, 115–16, 127, 192 Mahogany, 108–9 Personal vehicles, 345 Psike–out, 325
Malware, 244 combat, 193 minor moons, 109 Personality editing, 232 Psi–opener, 324–25
Maps, 205 gear, 296 Triton, 109 Persuasion skill, 183 Psychic stab, 228
Margin of Failure (MoF), 118, 119 integration, alienation, 272 Trojans, 109 Petals, 322 Psychosomatic crippling, major, 211
Margin of Success (MoS), 118, 119 mesh gear, 247 Nervex, 323–24 Petrifier, 384 Psychosurgery, 331
Markov, 109 networking, 287 Networking, 286–87 Pets, 330 mechanics, 230
Mars, 24 psychosurgery, 231 modifiers, 287 Phelan’s Recourse, 105 modifiers, 231
Ashoka, 94 Modifying hardware, 179 plus, 357 Pheromones, enhanced, 304 neural pruning and, 274–75
buggy, 344–45 Modular design, 311 reputation and, 287 Phlo, 319 procedures, 231–32
Elysium, 94–95 Monitoring, 251–52 skill, 182 Phoebe, 107 process, 229–30
Noctis–Qianjiao, 95 Monofilament sword, 334 test, 287 Physical arrivals, 282–83 roleplaying mind edits, 231
Olympus, 95–96 Mono No Aware, 319 Neurachem, 305 Physical augmentations, 302–6, 307–8 skill, 184
Progress (Deimos), 96 Monowire garrote, 334 Neural Physical entertainment, 54 Psychotherapy, 232
regions, 93–94 Mood swings, moderate, 211 damage, 150 Physical health, 206–8 care, 215
Valles–New Shanghai, 96 Moonlets, 98 pruning, 273, 274–75 Physical modifications, 310–11 Psychotorture, 232
Martian, 132 Morningstar Constellation, 75–76 Neurodes, 362 Physical tracking, 251 Public accounts, 246
Martian Gate, 46 Morph, 24, 50–51, 86, 121 Neuropath, 324 Piercings, 310 Public information, 290
Martian Rangers, 95 acclimatization, 220 virus, 384 Pilot skill, 183 Public key crypto, 253
Martian Trojans, 96 acquisition, 277 Neutrino Pirates, 84 Public resleeving, 278
Matchmaking, morph, 277 availability, 276 communications, 314 Pistols, 335 Punishment, 60–61
Math bios, 139–42 transceiver, 314 Planetary Consortium, 55, 76, 85 Puppet sock, 307
boost, 301 brokerage, 276–79, 331 New Mumbai containment zone, 93 hypercorps and, 55–56 Puppeteering, 261
wiz, 146 character, 123 New Quebec, 106 labor pool, 65–66 Pyrokinesis, 372
Matter transformation, 372 costs, 277 Nguygen’s Compact, 103 punishment, 60 Q
Meathab, 104 fever, 220 Night Cartel, 83 Planetary settlement, 66–67 Qing Long (Azure Dragon), 96
Media, 51–52 patron provisioning, 277 Nightmare, 332 Plasmaburst, 341 Qualia, 225
Medical care, 208 pods, 142–43 Nimbus, 72 Plasma rifle, 339 Quantum
Medical sensors, 300 psi and, 220 Nine Lives, 83 Plasma rocket (P), 347 codebreaking, 254
Medichines, 308 rental, 278 No cortical stack, 151 Plasmaburst, 341 computer, 316
Medicine skill, 182 rental insurance, 278 Noctis–Qianjiao, 95 Plastic ammo, 338 cryptography, 254
Medusan Shield, 56, 57, 60 starting, 136 Nonvocal communication, 181 Pleasure pods, 142 entangled (QE) communication, 315
Megalomania, 213 stats, 121 Norse moonlet, 104 Pneumatic limbs, 311 farcasters, 314
Melder virus, 384 switching, 152 Nostalgia, 41–42, 68 Pods, 142–43, 271 key, 253
Melding, 376 synthetic, 143–45 Note taking, 21–22 Poison gland, 305 Quick actions, 119, 190
Melee trade–in, 277 Nott, 111 Political blocs, 74–76 R
attack/combat, 191, 202 Morphing disorder, 150 NotWater, 323 Political experimentation, 58 Radar (radio/microwave), 302, 311
weapons, 206, 334, 335 Motivation, 121, 138,139, 152 Nova York (Metis), 97 Politics jamming, 262
Memorizing, 175 Movement, 190–91 Novacrabs, 142 inner system, 55–57 Radiation, 201
Memory rates, 191 Novelty, 64 outer system, 57–58 sense, 306
editing, 232 Moxie, 122, 189 Nutcracker, 324 Portable plane, 343 Radio
hacking, 261 improved, 153 Nyhavn, 107 Portable quantum entangled communic., 315 booster, 314
Mental alterations, attitudes toward, 48 increasing, 135 O Portable sensor, 325 jamming, 262
Mental armor, 223 NPCs and, 386 Oberon, 108
Objects, 202–3 Portal denial system, 292 ranges, 299
Mental augmentation, 301, 306–7 starting, 135 Oblivious, 151 Post–apocalyptic theme, 19 transceiver, 300
Mental disorder, 150 MRDR, 319 Obsessive compulsive disorder (OCD), 214 Positioning, 205 Railguns, 336
Mental healing, 215 Multiple devices access, 249 Octavia, 90 Post traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), 214 Range, 203
Mental health, 209–15 Multiple personalities, 301 Octomorphs, 141 Power, 299 Ranged attack, 191
Mental speed, 308 Multiple personality disorder, 214 Offensive armor, 313 Pragmatists, 359 Ranged combat, 202–3
Mental stress, 230–31 Multiple targets, 221 Olympians, 140 Predators, 362 Ranged weapons, extra, 206
Mentons, 139 Multitasking, 224, 307 Olympus, 95–96 Predictive boost, 225 Rapid healer, 147
Mercenaries, 23, 57 Muscle augmentation, 305 Olympus Mons, 94 Prehensile feet, 305 Reach, 204
Mercurials, 81, 134 Muses, 47–48, 51–52, 264 Omni awareness, 227 Prehensile tail, 305 Reactive ammo, 338
Mercury habitats, 88 Infolife and, 244, 245 Omnicor, 72 Preservationists, 82 Reactive armor–piercing (RAP) ammo, 338
Merging, 275–76 roleplaying, 265 O’Neill cylinders, 281–82 Priority call, 357 Reactive coating, 313
Mesh, 24 Mute, moderate, 211 On the run, 151 Prisoner mask, 316 Real world niavete, 151
abuses, 243–44 Myst trees, 111 Opposed tests, 119, 127, 192 Privacy, 49–50, 58–59, 238 Real–time search, 250
access, 50 N psi, 222 Privacy mode, 252 Reaper, 144
accounts, access privileges, 246–47 Nanobandage, 333 Oracles, 309 Private habitats, 69 Re–authentication, 257
capabilities, 236 Nanodetectors, 326–27 Oral consumption, 317 Private information, 290 Reboot, 257
gear modifiers, 247 Nanodrugs, 317, 321–22 Orbital Hash, 319 Profession skill, 183 Reclaimers, 82
gear quality, 247 Nano–ecologists, 81–82 Out’sters, 80 Programming Recreational drugs, 320
gear rules, 299 Nanofabrication, 183 Outcome determination, 192 skill, 183 Reflex boosters, 308
false ID, 252 blueprints, 284–85 Overload grenade, 340–41 test, 285 Refractive glazing, 313
ID, 246 programming test, 285 Oxygen reserve, 308 Progress (Deimos), 96 Refractory metals, 298
ID authentication, 253 raw materials, 284 Oxytocin–A, 324 Project Ozma, 85, 96, 379–80 Regeneration, 376
ID tracking, 251–52 time, 285 P Prometheans, 85, 378, 381 Re–instantiated, 132
information overload, 237–38 Nanofabricators, 327–28 Pain Prometheus (Marseilles), 105 Relationships, 45
inserts, basic, 46, 300 Nanophages, 309 filter, 143 Prosperity Group, 73 Relics, Earth, 64
interface, 239–41, 245–46 Nanoplague, 364 threshold, high, 224 Proteans, 329 Religious groups, 82–83
islands, 242–43 Nanoscopic vision, 311 tolerance, 146, 150 Protocol skill, 183 Reloading, 193
local, 239 Nanoswarms, 328–29, 383 Palming skill, 182 Proxies, 85, 357–59 Remade, 141
security, 253–54 Nanotagging, 292 Pan (iZulu), 104 Proximity, 338 Remembering, 175
technologies, 237 Nanotat, 310 Pandora Gates, 24, 46, 377–79 Psi, 126, 147, 218–19, 220–29 Remote sniffing, Mesh ID, 252
traffic filters, mist, 248 ID alterations, 280 Panic, moderate, 211 Assault skill, 184 Rental insurance, 279
uses, 241–42 scans, 279–80 Paradise, 92 attack, 191 Repair, 179, 208–9
Metacelebrities, 52 Nanotech Hamilton cylinders, 67 Paralysis, major, 211 chameleon, 147 Repair spray, 333
Metallic foam, 298 Nanotechnology Paranoia, 42–43 damage, 207 Reputation, 125, 135, 285, 287–91
Metallic glass, 298 advanced, 328–29 Particle beam bolter, 338–39 defense, 147 burning, 288
Metallic hydrogen rocket (MH), 347 basic, 326–28 Partnership, 290 drawbacks, 220–21 gain/loss, 384–85
Metamaterials, 298 Nanotoxins, 324, 325 Passcode, 253 drugs, 325 identity and, 289
Metastasizer, 384 Nanoviruses, 384 Passive alert, 257 exsurgent, 371 improving, 153
Microbug, 316 Nanoware, 308–9 Passive psi, 221 exsurgent synthmorphs, 371 increasing, 136
Microgravity, 199 Narcissism, moderate, 211 Passkey, 253 improving, 153 levels, 287
habitats, 68–69 Narcoalgorithms, 322–23 Pathfinder, 73 range, 221 limits, 288
shoes, 325 Narrative modifiers, 116 Pathogens, 324 shield, 228 networks, 287
Microlight, 310, 343 Native tongue, 135 skills, 172–73
sleights, 136, 223–29

Research pistol, 340 Smartlink, 342 T Unarmed
online, 249–51 weapons skill, 184 –weapon data, 205 Tactical networks, 205, 331 combat skill, 185
skill, 184, 249–51 Seismic sensors, 293 Smell, enhanced, 301 Taggants, 329 weapons, 334
Resistance, 190 Self–healing, 292, 313 Snake, 310 Target Unattractive, 151
Resleeving, 270–72 Selfhood, 275 Snappers, 370 multiple, 202 Unbreathable atmosphere, 201
alienation, 272 Semi–automatic (SA), 198 Sniffer, 293, 331 numbers, 115 Uncanny valley, 151–52
biomorphs, pods, 271 Sense Sniffing, 252 specific, 197 Unconscious lead, 225
continuity, 269 block, 228 Sniper rifle, 335 Task Action Programming Test, 246 Unconsciousness, 208
continuity test, 272–73 enhancement, 301–2, 306 Social drugs, 320 Task actions, 120, 127, 190 Underbarrel seeker, 339–40
costs, 271 skill, 184 Social engineers, 359 Tasping, 232 Underwater, 201
gamemaster and, 271 Sensor, 293, 311 Social gaff negation, 183 Teamwork, 117, 127 Unfit, 152
infomorph, 272 ranges, 299 Social networks, 124–25, 239, 242, Techno–Creationists, 83 Uniform blast, 193
integration, 271 Sensory Technology, 45 Uplifts, 81, 132
integration test, 271 boost, 225 285–87, 289 Temperature tolerance, 305 Uploading, 268–69
public morph, 278 databases, 302 Social stigma, 151 Terahertz sensors, 302 Uranus, 107
synthmorphs, 271 input, 205 Socialites, 82, 134 Terminology, 25–27 Chat Noir, Fissure Gate, 108
Resolve, 175 reprogramming, 365 Society, 41 Terragenesis, 74 Titania, Oberon, 108
Respiration, enhanced, 305 Sentinels, 85, 356–57, 360 Socio–political intrigue, 23, 79–82 Test making, 115 Xiphos, 108
Respirocytes, 308–9 Servers, 247, 357 Software, 248, 331 Tethys (Godwinhead), 105 User accounts, 247
Retracting/telescoping limbs, 311 Services, 330–31 Software, crashing, 260 Tharsis League, 76 Utilitool, 326
Retrieval operations, 23 Servitor, 346 Sol (sun), 86 Thermal dampening, 313 Utopians, 57–58
Rez points, 152, 384 SETI habitats, 86, 88 Thermobaric, 341 Uzumaki, 384
Rhea (Kronos Cluster), 105 Solar system, 38 Thought browse, 228–29 V
Right at home, 147 (Search for Extra–Terrestrial Intelligence), 379 Solaris, 73 Throwing weapons skill, 184 V/2011–Caldwell, 88–89
Riot shield, 312 Severe failure, 118 Somatek, 73–74 Thrown damage bonus, 202 Vacuum, 201
RNA (Research Network Affiliation), 125 Sexuality, 45, 305 Soundwaves, 303 Thruster pack, 345 and range, 203
Robotic enhancements, 310–11 Shackle (Shackleton–New Varanasi), 93 Sousveillance, 238 Thrust victor, 310 sealing, 306
Robots, 342, 345–46 Shape adjusting, 311 Space TILION, 92 suits, 333–34
Rocket buggy, 343 Shard pistol, 340 colonist, original, 132 Time sense, 225 Valles Marineris, 94
Rocket pack, 345 Shell habitats, 67, 280–81 Timeline, 37 Valles–New Shanghai, 96
Roleplaying game (RPG), 18–19 jamming, 196 roach, 330 Timid, 151 Value, 63–64
Roleplaying movement, 195 travel, 283–84, 331 Tin cans, 282 Variable opposed test, 119
exsurgents, 368–69 remote control, 196 Spacecraft, 346–49 Titan, 24, 106 Vectors, 359
factors, 376 skills, 195 propulsion, 347 Aarhus, 106 Vehicle passenger attacks, 196
mind edits, 231 stats, 195 Spaceship combat, 284 New Quebec, 106 Vehicles, 195–96, 342–49
muses, 265 Shelter dome, 333 Spam, 228 Nyhavn, 106–7 Venus, 24, 89–90
Roller, 310 Shifters, 370 Spasm, 332 Phoebe, Skathi, Abramsen, 107 Venusian, 134
Rotorcraft, 310 Shock Special skills, 185 Titanian Commonwealth, 79, 108, 134 Vertigo, 365
Routers, 359 attacks, 204 Specializations, 123, 127, 136, 153, 173 Firewall, 361 Vibroblade, 334
Rusters, 141 baton, 334 Specialized hive, 328 TITANs (Total Information Tactical Vidgames, 52–53
S gloves, 334 Specimen container, 330 Vids, 52–53
Saboteurs, 329 safety, 342 Speck, 346 Awareness Networks), Viewers, 326
Safety system, 342 weapon immunity, 143 Specs, 326 32, 34–6, 40, 42, 48, 85, 236, 244–45, Vision, enhanced, 301
Salamander, 86 Shooting through, 203 Speed (SPD), 121, 138, 189 324, 354–55, 362–63, 387–89 Vo Nguyen, 92
Salvage and rescue, 23 Shredder, 340 Spimes, 238 –controlled army, 66 Vortex ring gun, 341
Sample characters, 154–69 Shui Fong, 84 Spindle, 333 infected ruins, 270 Voting, 56
Saturn Shutdown, 257, 262 Spindle climber, 333 legacy, 237, 381–84 VPN (virtual private network), 241–42
Atlas (Volkograad), 103 Shutter, 332 Splash, 337, 341 mutated person, 47 hacking, 260
Dione (Thoroughgood), 103 Signal, 199–200 Splicers, 139, 174 quarantine zone, 94 VR (virtual reality), 236, 240–41
Enceladus (Profunda), 103 Silence, 289 Spoof, 331 relics, 56 vertigo, 152
Epimethus, Janus, 103 Silencer/sound suppressor, 342 Sports, 54 Token lock, 291 worlds, 54
Gateway (Pandora), 104 Simulmorphs, 262 Spotted intruder, 256 Tools, 325 Vulcanoids habitats, 88–89
Hyperion, 104 Simulspace, 262–64 Spray armor, 313 Top secret intel, 290 Vulvanoid Gate, 46
Iapetus, 104 access, 241 Spray weapons, 184, 341 Torch, 340 W
Meathab, 104 environments, 240–41 Sprayer, 341 Toruses, 282 Walker, 310
Mimas (Harmonious Anarchy), 104 hacking, 263–64 Sprinting, 191 Touch–only attack, 206 Warbots, 383
moonlets, 102–3 rules, 263 Starware, 74 Tough, 148 Wasp knife, 334
Norse, Inuit, Gallic moonlets, 104 subscription, 331 Static, 228 Toughness, 143 Watts–Macleod virus, 218, 219, 220, 368
Pan (iZulu), 104 Single–shot (SS), 198 Stealthed signals, 252 Toxic atmosphere, 201 Weak immune system, 152
Phelan’s Recourse, 104–5 Singularity seekers, 43 Stellar Intelligence, 74 Toxin, 323–24, 325 Weapon, 334–42
Prometheus (Marseilles), 105 Situational awareness, 148 Sticky grenades, 341 filters, 305 accessories, 341–42
resources, economics, 102 Skathi, 107 Stress Trace, 258 improvised, 202
Rhea (Kronos Cluster), 105 Skill points, 209 Tracked, 310 mount, 311
rings, 102 categories, 172 value, 209 Tracker Dye, 323 ranges, 203
satellites, 102 core, 172 Stressful situations/experiences, 214, 215 Tracking, 251–52, 331 scanners, 293
Tethys (Godwinhead), 105 imprints, 232 Striking looks, 148 Traction pads, 317 wielding two or more, 206
Saucer, 345 improving, 152–53 Structural enhancement, 311 Trade, 23 Wheeled, 310
Savant calculation, 225 learned, 172–73 Structuralists, 359 Traffic filters, 248 Whippers, 370
Scanners, 359 list, 176–84 Structures, 202–3 Training animals, 177 White noise machine, 317
Scanning, 251 necessary, 176 Stunner, 339 Traits, 123 Willpower stress tests, 214
Scarcity, 63–64 ranges, 174 Subcultures, 39–41 gaining/losing, 153 Winged, 310
Scarification, 310 suppression, 232 Subdermal implants, 309 purchasing, 136 Wireless code lock, 291
Scatter, 204 untrained use, 116 Subdued opponent, 204 Transhumanism, 18, 38, 389 Wireless inhibitors, 292
Scavenger tech, 330 using, 173–74 Subliminal, 228 informorphs, 245 Wireless scanning, 251, 293
Scent alteration, 310 Skilled sentient labor, 64 Submachine guns, 335 labor, 64 Wireless termination, 258
Schizo, 321 Skillsofts, 332 Submarine, 310 life, death and morphs, 50–51 Worker pods, 142
Schizophrenia, 214 Skillware, 309 Substance abuse, 317–18 Transparent alumina, 298 Wormhole, 378
Scorchers, 332 Skinaethesia, 73 Subversion, 259–61 Transport, standard, 349 Wormwood, 111
Scorching, 261–62 Skindyes, 310 difficulties, 259 Transporter, 344 Wound, 207–8
Scouts, 329 Skinflex, 309 examples, 259 Trauma, 209 Determination, 192
Scramble, 228 Skinlink, 309 Success tests, 117–19, 127 effects, 209–10 effects, 207–8
Scrapper’s Gel, 323 Skinning, 240 Sun Yee On, 84 threshold (TT), 122, 138 threshold (WT), 121
Scripting, 260–61 Skin pocket, 305 Superthermite charges, 330 Travel, 48–49, 63 Wounds, 207–8
Scrounging skill, 184 Skinthetic, 73 Suppressive fire, 204 basics, 283–84 Wrappers, 370
Scum, 78–79, 134 Sky Ark, 111 Surgery, 208 distance, 283 Wrist–mounted tools, 309
Scumborn, 132 Slaving devices, 248 Surprise, 204–5 local, 283 X
Scum barge, 67–68, 348–49 Sleep, 365 Surveillance, 238, 293 T–ray emitter, 306 Xenodeism, 83
Searches, 249–251 Slip, 323 bugs and, 315 Tremors, moderate, 211 Xenomorph virus, 368
Second skin, 147, 312 Slippery walls, 292 Survival gear. 332–33 Triads, 84 Xiphos, 108
Secret information, 290 Slitheroids, 144 Suryas, 86 Trigger, 324 XP (experience playback), 53, 236, 241–42,
Security Slow learner, 151 Swarm, 328–29 Trike, 344 331
accounts, 247 Small jet, 343 composition, 311 Triton, 109 X–ray emitter, 317
AI, 331–32 Small lander and orbit transfer vehicle Swarmanoid, 144 Trivial favor, 290 X–ray sensors, 303
alerts, 257 Sweeping fire, 194 Trojans Y–Z
access control, 291–92 (SLOTV), 349 Swimming skill, 184 Locus, 100–101 YGBM (you gotta believe me) attacks, 365–66
active countermeasures, 293 Smart Sybils, 81 resources, economies, 100 Zap, 337
bypassing active, 255–56 ammo, 338 Sylphs, 139–40 Twelve Commons, 103 Zbrny Group, 74
detection, surveillance, 293 clothing, 325 Synergy, 111 Twitch nerve gas, 324 Zero ammo, 338
egocaster, 276 dogs, 330 Synthetic mask, 311 Two–handed weapons, 206 Zero–g nausea, 152
Seed AI, 245, 353–54 dust, 316 Synthmorph, 66, 143–45, 195–96, 369–70 U Zoosemiotics, 148
Seeker, 199–200, 339–40 magazine, 342 bioware and, 306 Ukko Julinä, 88
armband, 340 materials, 298 object repair, 209 Ultimates, 82, 134
grenade and, 340–41 monkey, 330 physical repair, 209 Ultraviolet sensors, 303
rats, 330 resleeving, 271
skin, 312
vac clothing, 325