#dynamic hacking

[dailycharacteroption]

Subsystems and You 14: Dynamic Hacking

(art by ianllanas on DeviantArt)

A fascinating thing about cyberpunk and near-future scifi in general is how they speculate on what threads technology will go down in the near future.

For example, a lot of cyberpunk fiction speculated that hacking in the future would involve avatars facing off against elaborate 3D representations of security systems and the avatars of counterhackers in what amount to cyber-wizard battles, with things like DDOS attacks, viruses, and the like being visualized in this 3D hacking space as “spells” or special attacks.

You see this sort of thing in anything from Johnny Mnemonic to The Matrix, though in the latter case, the visualization was more the heroes setting up links so that the folks back in the ship could do the real hacking.

Of course, hacking in the real world has never been so fancy-looking or glamorous, and most programming is dedicated to making hacking programs and viruses able to interact with and overwhelm a system rather than making them show a neat picture to represent them doing so. (Not to say they don’t sometimes do that).

But we’re not interested in the real world right now. In the world of Starfinder, which draws inspiration from all over sci-fi, you can absolutely see characters having their own badass avatars and performing elaborate acts of hacking, which is where today’s subject comes in!

To be up front, this subsystem is meant to be used sparingly, as players are not likely to enjoy being bogged down with an elaborate computerized battle every single time they remove a virus or hack a door lock. Indeed, this system is meant to be used more for major hacking jobs. Things like elaborate defenses for campaign-important databases, battles against malevolent AI on their home turf, and so on.

In any case, the dynamic hacking system functionally turns hacking into a form of combat, with rounds and turns and everything.

First, every hacker has a Deceive, Hacking, and Process bonus, which covers the user’s ability to hide their persona from countermeasures, overcome those countermeasures, and perform various other effects separately such as scanning, repairing the persona, and so on.

Each of these three stats use your computer skill by default, but you can set up each with bonuses or penalties before and during a hack to specialize in infiltration, offense, and support, as long as you don’t go over a certain total bonus based on your computer skill.

From there you have the lead hacker, whose persona avatar is on the line, while other support hackers aid them in various ways.

While the support hackers can only perform minor actions, the lead hacker can perform a minor and major action per turn, plus extra if they’re willing to take penalties.

Each dynamic hacking encounter has countermeasures that seek to protect the system, nodes which provide paths to various files and programs, and modules, which represent protected files or programs which the hackers desire access to in order to access their data or function. Each one has their own abilities as well as the DCs to overcome them, the countdowns for any reprisals they offer, and so on.

In order to overcome these obstacles, the hacking team has several actions they can perform, ranging from minor (aiding and assessing) to major (blending in, creating decoys, modifying programs, recalibrating, repairing the persona, and of course, resolving the current obstacle.

Finally, it is also worth noting that this subsystem has rules for incorporating already existing class abilities and other special abilities tied to hacking, allowing them to apply in appropriate ways, such as faster hacking instead reducing the penalty of multiple actions, or countermeasure negation instead giving a massive bonus to resolving them.

As we can see, this style of hacking is not useful for casual hacking actions in normal play, but it can be a fun way to make for a fun and climactic encounter, or even add another layer to a combat encounter, where the party hacker has to crack the code while their allies keep security robots and the like off of them.

Either way, it's also a good reason to come up with your character's persona avatar appearance and other quirks of their hacking style.

That will do for today, but we’ve got one more subject lined up for tomorrow, from Second Edition Pathfinder! (For real this time).

[echofades]

You won, and you broke my heart. / You broke mine first. HACKS | 4.01

[stagefoureddiediaz]

Thinking many thoughts about the fact that Ravi is a manifestation of bucks abandonment issues - in that he is essentially the ghost of Daniel - who always appears in the firehouse at moments when bucks abandonment issues are at their most pronounced.

Ravi first appears the episode after Buck finds out about Daniel in season 4 and has popped up at every critical point since - the sniper arc in 4 - at the moment when Buck is facing the possibility of losing Eddie.

He is there pretty much all the way through season 5 when Buck was facing Maddie being gone and then when Maddie returns, with Eddie leaving the 118 and breaking down.

In season 5 (defend in place) we also found out about him surviving childhood cancer and the parallels to Daniel become very obvious.

Then in season 6 he pops back up in the aftermath of bucks coma - when he’s wrestling with his own mortality and with the ghost of Daniel from his coma.

Then in season 7 he pops up during bucks bi arc - when buck is fearing Eddie’s abandonment (and his jealousy) because he’s hanging out with Tommy. Then he appears at the end of the season when Bobby is in hospital having had a heart attack. A representation of bucks fears around losing Bobby.

And now he’s turning up in season 8 when Eddie is going to be gone and buck is really having to face all of his abandonment issues - with Maddie being kidnapped, Eddie and Chris being gone and the end of his first queer relationship.

So Ravi seems to represent Bucks fears and issues rising to the surface - being consciously present and there for Buck to actually address. With Ravi disappearing again when Buck manages to rebury or repress them.

[egcalledgari]

I feel like a fucking genius.

my health has been really shit lately and I have a hard time getting out of my bed because of bad symptoms and fatigue so my pc hasn't been used in months because its just too much energy to get to my desk. but yesterday I was feeling better than usual and decided to move some stuff around in my room so now my desk is right up against my bed and I can use my pc without having to get up! I also moved one of my small shelves near the foot of my bed and put a lot of my craft supplies, drawing stuff, meds and a couple books on it!

I finally have my games back!! and more options for what I can do outside of just watch YouTube all day! now at least I wont be as bored all the time even if I can't go on walks to entertain myself like I used to

[therealstacyfakename]

“Maybe in every universe we’re in a toxic age gap relationship”

[lesbianlaracrofts]

me: yk im all for shipping deborah and ava together but i appreciate their relationship as platonic and i wouldn't be mad if that's all it ever will be bc it's just unlike anything i've seen before on tv between two women and it's so exciting on its own

also me watching this scene: omg they're gonna kiss????

[grimme-and-specs]

You know I had to do it to 'em too

Bonus:

EDIT, 2024-4-5:

If this gets to 213 notes before 4-13 I will personally redraw this earlier than planned.

[mistyheartrbs]

agree w everyone who said this ep felt more like a season premiere than a season finale - didn't make it bad, just lower-stakes than before and of course depressing to see deborah backsliding - but i think for the sake of a renewal it makes sense they ended it here. 4x09 felt very much like a series finale - everyone's arcs wrapped up, deborah and ava taking on the world together - and for the sake of another season you don't want it to feel tacked on. and of course the cycles and patterns! the cycles and patterns. the epic highs and lows of standup comedy and what have you

[carothepoet]

Watch the next three episodes just be Ava & Deb ruthlessly trolling Stacey

[dykered]

saw a post of a person saying that they were worried hacks were queerbaiting. how did we get here. what would be "canon" to you? seeing deb and ava get married and adopt children? i'm sorry but i find a lot more interesting their unhealthy unsafe age gap consensual workplace relationship that leaves them wanting for more everytime they have a fight. i can admit they should hatefuck but i don't want the show to give us a happy ending nuclear family way, i think it would be very boring and i don't watch hacks for that

[dont-be-a-gonk]

V doodles ft Johnny’s pants built for flat asses only

Veronica is so chromed out I can’t imagine Johnny would be able to move him even with a forklift. Man is now trapped worse than soul prison.

[echofades]

I don't even know your voice anymore. You are my voice. HACKS | 4.06

[warningsine]

[5 years later, Supergirl universe]

[1 year later, Hacks universe]

[midnight-stormm]

I love dreamnap!!!!

[hashtagtheyfucked]

Okay, ladies. It is time, once again, to be insane about Deborah Vance and Ava Daniels from Hacks. My best friend Hacks.

[normcore-tertiary-character]

Do you think Deborah ate it with Ava in that Caddy vest?