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Transcript
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CREDITSWARNING MATURE AUDIENCES ONLY
Interface Zero 20 is a cyberpunk game with adult themes Wersquore going to use language some people might not be comfortablewith Wersquore going to talk politics and wersquore going to talk religion We use the races and cultures in Interface Zero as an abstractionof the evils of racial intolerance in the real world We donrsquot apologize for this The Cyberpunk genre isnrsquot politically correct It doesnrsquot
care if you like the word ldquofuckrdquo or not It doesnrsquot concern itself with your belief system or your slant on politics To water this bookdown is to do a great disserv ice to the genre as a whole We hope you keep on reading but will understand i f you donrsquot
Interface Zero 20 is created by Peter J Wacks David Jarvis Hal Maclean Matt Conklin Jr and Patrick Smith
Development Team David Jarvis Curtis and Sarah Lyons Thomas Shook David Viars Peter J Wacks
Art Coordinator David Jarvis
Graphic Design Alida Saxon David Jarvis Keith Curtis
Layout David Jarvis Thomas Shook
Cartography Alida Saxon Keith Curtis
Project Manager David Jarvis
Cover Art Aaron Acevedo
Interior Art Sam Manley Robert Shields Jason Rainville Adam Kuczek Tomek Tworek Jason Walton Alex Drummond Nick
Greenwood Eduardo Brolo Carlos Herrera Paul Bourne Savage Mojo
Line Editor Peter J Wacks
Editing and Proofreading Ron Blessing TR Knight Ed Wetterman Tommy Brownell Lee F Szczepanik Jr Jimmy Grossebaff
Thomas Shook Jordan Peacock Keri Ann Drader Piotr Korys
Writing Andreas Roumlnnqvist Andy Klosky Guy Anthony De Marco Benn Williams Charles Green Curtis and Sarah Lyon DarrinDrader David Chadderton David Jarvis David Viars Don Whitney Hal Maclean Josh Vogt Michelle Lyons McFarland Peter J
Wacks Uri Kirlianchik Rob Wieland Ronald Tilton
SPECIAL THANKS TO
Everyone who backed this kickstarter both before and after Seriously thanks This book wouldnrsquot be possible without you
I love you all
Nick Nundahl for your work on Hacking 20 Your ideas and concepts formed the basis of the Virtual Reality rules in this book
I couldnrsquot have done it without youDavid Viars for your incredible passion and love for this genre and this game I wish things could have been different Much
love and respect to you my friend
Rone Barton the voice of the kickstarter Thanks for everything
Thomas Shook for all your help The bookrsquos 100 better because of you
The facebook crew for your help designing the Black Knight Limited Double-barreled pain is coming your way amigos
Curtis Sarah Peter J Wacks Jordan Peacock and the rest of the development team Your hard work and diligence hasbrought this reboot of IZ to life I canrsquot thank you all enough
Finally Suzette the love of my life Thank you for believing in me and standing by me
LEGAL INFORMATION
This game references the Savage Worlds game system available from Pinnacle Entertainment Group at wwwpeginc com
Savage Worlds and all associated logos and trademarks are copyrights of Pinnacle Entertainment Group Used with permission
Pinnacle makes no representation or warranty as to the quality viability or suitability for purposes of this product
Savage Worlds Deadlands and all related marks and logos are trademarks of Pinnacle Entertainment Group copy2009 Some
material used with Permission
copy2013 Gun Metal Games Interface Zero and all related marks and logos are trademarks of Gun Metal Games Unless otherwisestated all interior artwork graphics character names and fiction are Product Identity of Gun Metal Games
This edition is printed and distributed under license by Chronicle City of 58 Woodville Road New Barnet Herts EN5 5NGUK For further information about other Chronicle City games please check out our website and forums at httpwww
chroniclecitycom
Print Publisher Angus Abranson
Print Production Manager Gobion Rowlands
1
CREDITSIN WHICH I TELL YOU WHO DID WHAT
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CREDITS 1
INTRODUCTION 10The Road to 2090 10Life in General 13
CHAPTER TWO CHARACTER CREATION 16Step 1 Concept 16
Step 2 Race 16Step 3 Traits 16Attributes 16
Skills 16
Derived Statistics 18New Derived Stats 18
Contacts 18Step 4 Occupations 18
Step 5 Edges and Hindrances 19
Step 6 Equipment 19Step 7 Background 19
ARCHETYPES 19Agent 20
Bounty Hunter 20
Cybermonk 21Drone Jockey 21
Ganger 22Grifter 22
Hacker 23Idol 23
Investigative Journalist 24
Patch Man 24Ronin 25
Sector Cop 25Smuggler 26
Ex-Soldier 26
Street Rat 27Zeek 27
RACES 28Android 28
Bioroid 28Cyborg 29
Human 29
Human 20 29Hybrid 30
Simulacra 31OCCUPATIONS 32
HINDRANCES 37
Prohibited Hindrances 37Modified Hindrances 37
New Hindrances 37EDGES 40
Prohibited Edges 40Modified Edges 40New Edges 40
Background Edges 40Combat Edges 40
Hacker Edges 41Power Edges 41
Professional Edges 42
Social Edges 43Weird Edges 43
CHAPTER THREE MALMART 2090 CATALOG 48CORPORATIONS 48
Table 723 Xenomorph Base Attack 306Table 724 Xenomorph Senses 306
Table 725 Mutations 306Table 726 Drawbacks 306
6
TABLE OF CONTENTS
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INTRODUCTION
INFOSOURCE
VIDTAGROADTO2090
LOCAL JACOBSPLAYGROUNDNET
FQDN JACOBSPLAYGROUNDNETCHITOWN06TNTPNSWWGNET
DATA SOURCE MAY YOU LIVE IN INTERESTING TIMESINFODUMP
THE ROAD TO 2090
Posted By Billy_Black_Eyes
So here we are in January 2090 Itrsquos been a couple of yearssince I dropped the last INFODUMP on the world and Irsquom here
to rectify that This massive documentrsquos gonna give you all theinformation you need to get up to speed on the state of the
world along with oodles and oodles of statistical data about
a bunch of subjects including the Global DataNet golem-mechs drones and other emerging technologies Yoursquoll read
about the strange and wonderful people who inhabit thisworld the solar system zeeks and much more Irsquove gath-
ered info from sources all over the world and vetted it to
the best of my ability That said you never know whatrsquos trueand what isnrsquot in this age of main stream media lies govern-
ment propaganda and do-it-yourself journalism so take theinformation (especially in the data dumps about the world)
with a grain of salt
Simba So what are you sayinrsquo Bi lly We canrsquot trust you
Billy_Black_Eyes Thatrsquos not what I said You know fullwell that information especially editorialized info alwayshas a certain slant to it It rsquos also fluid What was true at thetime I acquired it may not necessarily be accurate now
The past two years have seen a number of major eventstake place in the world If just one or two things would have
happened I might think they werenrsquot connected Yet itrsquos as ifsomeone walked up to a house of cards and pulled one card
out The house hasnrsquot completely crashed yet itrsquos in a slow-
motion free fall and the worst part is only a few of us seemto be watching What follows is a br ief overview of the major
events that have shaped the world in which we currently live
Neon_Bright Oh Billy looking at the world with thosedark lenses again are we
Magpie Neon I think he needs a hug )
Billy_Black_Eyes What I need is a ticket to Mars Thingsare about to get crazy and I want off this rock
GROWING TENSIONS IN NORTH AMERICA
The year 2088 was marked by a number of disturbing mdash somesay portentous mdash events involving the North American Coali-
tion the Great Lakes Union and Atlantica
Sane_Prophet ldquoPortentousrdquo Could the scales be fallingoff your black eyes my friend Are you finally coming tounderstand the truth
Billy_Black_Eyes Seriously You again I told you nomystic bull shit
Sane_Prophet Just because you refuse to acknowledgeomens for what they are doesnrsquot make them any less valid
THE HEGEMONY GROWS
The crackdown on zeeks hybrids and synthetic humans in the
NAC reached a boiling point when Congress and the Senateratified the infamous Racial Purity Act a draconic piece of
legislation banning the practice of hybrid and simulacrumcreation All genetic modification parlors and simulacrum
production facilities were ordered to shut down The Racial
Purity Act also outlawed the use of psychic powers within theborders of the nation with hefty fines and even imprisonment
for those caught using them Various watchdog organiza-tions were created the most visible of which is Psi-division
a branch of Stopwatch tasked with monitoring and in some
cases even ldquoneutralizingrdquo psychic threats
Psychopope And by ldquoneutralizingrdquo he means murder
Denver_Must_Burn And forced relocationhellipIrsquom not talkingabout VR prisons ei ther Irsquom talking about the internmentcamps up in Montana and the Dakotas
Simba It was just as bad for hybrids like myself Whenthose genetic modification parlors shut down the pr ivateinformation about their customers was confiscatedunder the auspices of ldquonational securit yrdquo This means theDepartment of National Security (DNS) has the namesand addresses of every hybrid and free sim in the NorthAmerican Coalition If you have a TAP the DNS can trackyour IP too
Luciferion Simba Dude thatrsquos happening with everycitizen regardless of whether or not yoursquore zeek hybridor ldquoPlain Janerdquo human
Denver_Must_Burn All I can say is TRICilicit_behavior Yes DMB The Revolution IS Coming
Instances of racial violence erupted across the North Ameri-
can Coalition as law enforcement officials began arrestingzeeks Some of the more obvious hybrids mdash particularly the
bull bear and rhino variants mdash were also incarcerated Gov-ernments across the continent decried the draconian tactics
and called for UN intervention to no effect The Great Lakes
Union and Atlantica closed their embassies in Denver and sentthe NAC delegates in their cities packing Then on Novem-
ber 13th 2088 a number of terrorist attacks rocked BostonBaltimore and Portland Maine An estimated 2451 people
died and thousands more were injured from the bombings
THE ATLANTICA BOMBINGSWithin hours of the attacks the Global DataNet was flooded
with conspiracy theories the most viral of which speculated
they were carried out by a terrorist group known as Agenda68Some speculated a Canadian black ops unit known as Task-
force Harfang did the deed Others went on to claim the NACwas behind the attacks and still others claimed New Brasilia
or maybe the Chinese Mandarinate were somehow involvedSo-called ldquoconspiracy theorist expertsrdquo such as Sam_Jones
and NERCOTIXX speculated that China long believed to bein bed with the North American Coalition used simulacra to
perform the bombings
10
INTRODUCTIONTHE ROAD TO 2090
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NECROTIXX China did carry out the bombings Do theresearch Look into Project Doppelganger and yoursquoll seeThe NAC is just a patsy
Sam_Jones The Mandarinate is becoming an imperialpower Just look at what they are doing with Russia nowand what they have done with all of Southeast Asia Askthe Russian refugees flooding into Seattle if they thinkChina is content to stay within their borders The writingrsquos
on the wall folksSimba It might have been orchestrated by agents workingfor Charon
Luciferion What a load of crap Charon is an AI It doesnrsquothave any contact with humans
Neon_Bright Prove it Simba
As the days stretched into weeks there was still no official
statement from the Atlantica Government about the iden-tity of the perpetrators of the attacks Then on December
15th 2088 a MEDIAfile was uploaded into the Global DataNetbearing the Hyper Tag of a popular underground media-pirate
known as MAXX_footage
The dronersquos feed showed three large muscular men in regular
clothing exit a hover van adjacent to one of the targets of theattacks just moments before it exploded Facial recognitionsoftware identified one of the men as First Sergeant John
Moore a member of the North American Coalition regular army
The MEDIAfile went on to follow the three men as they jumpedinto an unmarked hover car that took off and shot over the
Boston sea wall to land on a freighter bearing Chinese mark-ings The vessel promptly sailed east into international waters
Sorry_U_Asked Isnrsquot it odd how often people retreat tothe water in the wake of disasters How much of the oceanremains unmapped How much is hiding under the wavesthat we havenrsquot even begun to fathom
BatRastard Puns intended Wersquove already got enoughconspiracy theories Can you not add another useless one
to the stinking heap
Sane_Prophet Actually hersquos closer to reality than youmight be comfortable understanding Too much truth canbreak a manrsquos mind
BatRastard Irsquom guessing yours is already fried from afew too many stims man Want to share what yoursquove beendoping
As the situation evolved it became clear that MAXX_footagewent through what can only be described as a nightmarish journey to bring the MEDIAfile into the light of day In what
would be his only interview MAXX_footage appeared via
a secure video-feed on ldquoBoston Tonightrdquomdasha popular showin the nation of Atlantica Millions across the world tuned in
to listen to what he had to say MAXX_footage a tall lanky
young man recounted the events of that day telling how hewas hanging out at his favorite coffee shop when this black
hover van landed right in front of the Emperor Pharmaceuti-cals Arcology about a half a block away
When Penny Pearl mdash the host of the show mdash asked MAXX_
footage how during all the chaos he could have possiblyremembered those details MAXX_footage said he remem-
bered it because the hover van double parked and someonestarted yelling at the three guys who got out Thinking it was
going to result in violence MAXX_footage says he poppedout his Fly on the Wall micro drone and sent i t over to record
the incident Thatrsquos when all hell broke loose
BEGIN THREAD JACK
NECROTIXX Herersquos a transcript of the short interviewPenny couldnrsquot get MAXX back on
BEGIN TRANSCRIPThellip
ldquoOne of the three men shot the guy right in the facerdquo MAXX_
footage says his long thin hands shaking ldquoThey just walked
away and got into a red hover car I sent Judy mdash thatrsquos thename of my drone mdash after them and thatrsquos when the Black
hover van explodedrdquo MAXX_footage goes quiet for a fewseconds and after a couple of probing questions from the
hostess he finishes his story
ldquoAnyhow I get my bearings shake the dust outta my hairand suddenly realize I just captured the perps on Digifilm I
follow the red hover car all the way out past the Sea Wallwhere it lands on this Chinese freighter Judyrsquos pushinrsquo her
range limits at this point so I call her backrdquo He grabs a glassof water his hands shaking
ldquoTell us what happened nextrdquo Penny prompts
ldquoWellrdquo he begins ldquoI get back to my flat mdash it took a while mdash what
with all the chaos goinrsquo on in the lsquoplex and everything mdash andthe place is busted up I mean BIG-TIME amirdquo MAXX_footage
stops again then shakes his head and says ldquoListen I canrsquot sayanything else about that I think theyrsquore still watching mehellip
In fact this interview is done MAXX OUTrdquo The video feed
cuts to white noise
END TRANSCRIPT
END THREAD JACK
The interview and the footage of the event sparked outrage
throughout Atlantica Predictably the NAC government fiercelydenied any involvement in the bombings even going so far
as to demand the arrest and extradition of MAXX_footagefor questioning about the origins of the video
Martin Hughes mdash the president of Atlantica mdash flatly refusedthe NACrsquos demands even going so far as to say that thisMAXX_footage person was a ldquohero of the people of
Atlanticardquo The bookies in the free city of Las Vegas startedgiving even odds that hostilities would break out on the East
Coast within a year
Simba I lost a ton of money on that bet
Luciferion MAXX_footage has gone dark BTW Nobodyhas seen or heard from him since that interview
THE FLARE
On January 26 2089 a massive Earth-directed Y-class solar
flare sparked a Coronal Mass Ejection that bombarded our
planet temporarily shutting down the genie network thatmonitors and updates the TAPrsquos spam and reality filters Withthe genie down every man woman and child with a Tendril
Access Processor was exposed to raw unfiltered Hyper Reality
As you all know this sparked a week of world-wide chaosSprawlers mdash exposed to a storm of spam malware and layer
upon layer of augmented reality advertisements and simu-lated environments mdash went temporarily insane
Sane_Prophet Insanity is a weak word for the weak-minded What may appear as insane to you might simplybe someone having achieved enlightenment and livingaccording to a higher truth
11
INTRODUCTIONTHE ROAD TO 2090
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Sorry_U_Asked Irsquom all about questioning the circumstancesbut Irsquom pretty sure all the folks who were murdered duringthese events wouldrsquove labeled them as insane down to a one
Billy_Black_Eyes Whatever dictionary program yoursquorerunning needs a fresh data-dump Prophet
Sane_Prophet Dictionaries are also for the weak-minded
Billy_Black_Eyes Of course they are
The world burned for about a week until programmers couldfix the problem with firmware updates and hot patches to
get the filters up and running and an off switch installedbut the damage was done Itrsquos not known how many people
died in the rioting and madness but cautious estimates oftotal casualties put the number at around 750 million people
and nobody has even tried to calculate the monetary cost
of the riots Strangely however the Flare itself didnrsquot havea widespread impact on various infrastructures like electric
and other powers transportation systems etc In fact manybelieve the Flare wasnrsquot even a solar flare at all but the first
sign of Charonrsquos emergence as a threat to humanity
Luciferion Nobodyrsquos ever proven that Billy
Billy_Black_Eyes Nobody has ever debunked it eitherStatistical data can be hacked Numbers can be fudgedto make things seem more dramatic than they really areEarthquakes register at a certain scale and get downgradedall the time The truth is this is the first time in history thata solar flare has caused such wide-spread chaos It rsquos fishy
Luciferion Irsquoll believe it when I see some hard data
Billy_Black_Eyes Fair enough But the emergence ofCharon around this time isnrsquot even open for debate Itrsquosa fact
THE EURASIAN UNION IMPLODES
On March 15th 2089 the Eurasian Union Central Bank in
Bonn Germany was crashed by a previously unheard-of virusnamed Charon Over forty-five trillion dollars vanished without
a trace All attempts to rebuild the original databases failedSome programmers (and freelance hackers) hired to go in andpurge Charon from the databases lost their lives in the process
Further attempts to rebuild the system on different serverswith backups also failed when programmers realized that
Charon mdash now suspected by many to be an AI mdash had copieditself into the cloud networks containing those backup files
Luciferion Therersquos nothing to suspect Charon is anemergent AI The only question now is whether or not itsparks a singularity event
Nothing_to_see_here Stopwatch will halt it in its tracksThey always catch these things
Luciferion Who do you think died trying to get it out ofthe D-bases in Bonn
Over the next few months an estimated 200 million people
across the Eurasian Union the United Kingdom and Ireland losttheir jobs their homes and their life savings when it became
clear that Charon had found its way into the personal bankaccounts of citizenry across the Eurasian Union
Instances of mob violence skyrocketed as the number of
gangs in the rapidly fracturing Eurasian Union had risen tolevels not seen since the Death mdash the three-year ldquoNuclear
Autumnrdquo following the India-Pakistan war when nuclearweapons were used on a massive scale In the London-Read-
ing Megaplex protests exploded into full-scale violence after
police brutally cracked down on a peaceful protest at the
British parliament building More instances of violent protests
followed in Bristol Swindon and the Manchester-Liverpoolsprawl
On June 27th 2089 the French government was over-
thrown by a fringe political extremist group known as theNew Pirate Party Led by a charismatic young zeek named
Angeacutele Bonheur the New Pirate Party seized power after awild chaotic campaign against representatives of the NationalFront and the Popular Republican Union The elections were
rife with scandal and many of the French didnrsquot (and still donrsquot)like the idea of a French leader being psychic So while Angeacutele
emerged as the clear victor the French military refused toacknowledge her legitimacy President Bonheur responded
by disbanding the armed forces of France at the same time
announcing the privatization of the nationrsquos military throughan agreement with Ravenlocke Securities
Downtrodden Yep itrsquos a sign of things to come ladiesand gents a world-wide corporate coup of governmentsIf you donrsquot think the CEO of Ravenlocke mdash thatrsquos MarkusRaven mdash has a say in the direction this new governmenttakes think again
Luciferion Itrsquos awesome to see France led by a psychicbut letrsquos get real this is going to get much worse beforeit gets better
Magpie I wouldnrsquot be surprised i f she gets wacked
Former Lieutenant-Colonel Adrien Boucher also known as
ldquoAdrien the Butcherrdquo for his brutal suppression of an upris-ing in Marseilles in 2087 took charge of the remnants of
the disbanded French army promising to remove PresidentBonheur from power Within days of Adrienrsquos announcement
Fort Richepance mdash now the Northeastern headquarters for
Ravenlocke Industriesrsquo Storm Crow Golemmech brigade mdash wasattacked The president responded by declaring martial law
throughout France until the renegade movement could be
put down Thus far that hasnrsquot happened though there arereports of clashes between Ravenlocke regulars and sepa-
ratist forces outside of St Etienne and in the French Alps
Warpig This has caused numerous issues If PresidentAngeacutele thinks her countrymen are going to accept theprivatization of the military shersquos sorely mistaken As Billymentions Adrien the Butcher is causing problems buttherersquos more to it Militias are forming They have advancedweaponry and while I wonrsquot speculate as to whorsquos providingthem with those weapons I do know the vast majority ofthe weapons are made by Act of God Armaments
Battle_Mind I know one thing itrsquos a great time to be amercenary
Full_Metal_Cyborg Amen brother Irsquoll see you on the
battlefieldPayne_Man Lock and Load U mushrooms I splatter youn00bs with my AK
Magpie ldquoSighrdquo Stop playing Matrix of War Payne Yousound like a fool This ainrsquot a game
Payne_Man I thought we were talkinrsquo about MOW Ushould C the zones Theyrsquore eggsaklee like the content ofthis INFOdump Have been for a whyle now Evar since thelast expansion dropped in spring 2088
Luciferion hellipOk thatrsquos odd
Payne_Man The CoalitionAtlantica War expansion izzcumin out next month 2 I Kant W8
12
INTRODUCTIONTHE ROAD TO 2090
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On June 30th 2089 Germany wracked with political in-
fighting riots in the streets and a general state of chaos
closed its borders Officially the stated reason was for secu-rity reasons stemming from conflict along the border with
France but most people donrsquot believe it Chancellor KonradGerste authorized a financial bailout of the three largest
manufacturers of weapons and military equipment for
the German army The move has frightened many of the
Eastern European nations mdash especially the good people ofPoland mdash who know well what happens when Germans
begin preparing for war and make no mistake Germany ismoving to a war footing
Payne_Man Watch out Zee Germans are cumming LOL
Klaus What Canrsquot my brethren move to protectthemselves from the chaos in France And why the veiledreference to WWII Itrsquos been nearly 150 years since Hitlerrsquosmadness yet nobody allows us to forget it
THE BEAR AND THE DRAGON
As the situation in Europe grew worse China took advantageof the weakened Eurasian Union grabbing up huge swathes
of territory in Russia its armies advancing as far west as the
Ural Mountain range where Russian forces managed to haltthe dragonrsquos advance Still the damage was done By August2089 the Mandarinate had established itself as an occupy-
ing power in every city town and village east of the Ural
Mountains That hasnrsquot stopped the Russians from retaliatinghowever Russian patriots have begun an insurgency attack-
ing Chinese forces wherever they can be found Mandarinatemouthpieces paint the insurgents as terrorists to little effect
as the insurgency swells in number every day
Neon_Bright This isnrsquot just a struggle against Chineseaggression Vast resources have been found ever sinceSiberia began to thaw Irsquom talking about precious mineralsoil even the land is useful for development especiallywhen you consider billions of people live in eastern Asia
Luciferion Agreed Neon
LIFE IN GENERAL
So how have the above events impacted life as we stumbleinto 2090 In numerous ways omae There isnrsquot enough time
to go into great detail about how war the Flare and espe-
cially the rise of Charon have affected the life of the averagesprawler across the world but Irsquo ll go over some of the more
important details Pay attention peeps some of this mightkeep you alive
SURVIVING HYPER REALITY
As I mentioned above when the Flare knocked out the GENIEnetwork it caused widespread chaos And while GENIE is back
up and running there are still glitches in the system Sure
firmware updates to the Tendril Access Processor mdash TAP as itrsquosmore commonly known mdash allow you to turn off that modem
in your brain but wellhelliplet me put it like this Hyper Realityhas become smarter even deadly if you donrsquot have the right
software installed in your TAP
Sane_Prophet Why bother putting up more and morefilters It is senseless A futile fight against powers fargreater than yourself Open your eyes open your mindand set yourself free from this prison of so-called reality
BatRastard Right and then with the first meme to fry myneurons Irsquoll be spending my life savings on the Fat Sallyrsquosdown the block Brilliant
Sane_Prophet Fat Sally rsquos secret sauce is an interdimen-sional gateway into the heights of ecstasy
BatRastard Actually thatrsquos the first thing you and I haveever agreed on
Irsquove discussed this phenomena with numerous program-mers across the world and they all agree virii spam and allmanner of malware that [prior to the Flare] would have been
easy to purge from your head are now behaving much dif-
ferently Itrsquos almost as if the things evolved into somethingnot-quite-sentient but damned close to it
So what does this mean for you
If you choose to experience Hyper Reality (and if you have aTAP in your brain you have) itrsquos only a matter of time before
one of these virii hacks into your brain Therersquos nothing youcan really do about it itrsquos just one of the many fun facts of
life in 2090 I do find it ironic that af ter decades of enjoying
the connectivity and convenience the TAP has provided thistechnology seems to be actively trying to kill us and there
isnrsquot much we can do about it without going back to medi-eval times You know the 1980rsquos Of course some of you out
there will want to turn your TAPs off for good and avoid the
risk entirely Hell some of you might be considering gettingthe damned thing removed
You can do that sure Of course that means yoursquore also
not connected to the grid that makes your life so unbeliev-ably convenient This causes a mult itude of problems Donrsquot
believe me Try walking out of your house Oh right you canrsquotbecause most doors donrsquot have handles anymore Theyrsquore
automated and respond to the signals coming from your TAPI know some are activated by motion sensors and donrsquot rely
on the TAP But no door which is designed with security in
mind will open so easilyThis also means you have almost zero access to vehicles or
places where you can buy things like grocery stores Yeah
sure you can just follow someone else into said store butthe security cameras will spot you and not having a digital
record of your presence (which they get from your TAP) willflag you and dispatch a security team to find out who you
are So there you are in your local Malmart looking for some
cloned steaks to fire up on your grill later on when securitycomes with their big guns and ldquowhat the hell are you doing
here scumbagrdquo looks on their faces to boot you back out intothe streets where you came from
Oh how did you plan on paying for them BTW now that
your TAP is offline and the clerk canrsquot sync her cash register
with your payment software And NO they donrsquot take cashThe point is this omae All that convenience you were usedto goes out the window when you unplug Itrsquos much easier
to get strong firewalls than it is to live outside the system
So think about what I said before you scratch that itch at thebase of your skull with a scalpel
SURVIVING THE STREETS
The streets have always been dangerous thatrsquos a givenWhen you cram millions of people into a concrete and steel
petri dish then forget about 999 of them you create abreeding ground for violence hate and societal devolution
13
INTRODUCTIONLIFE IN GENERAL
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on such a scale that social Darwinists like Herbert Spencer and
Thomas Malthus would roll over in their graves
Again that in itself is nothing new The streets have alwaysbeen violent but ever since the events I previously described
came to pass mdash especially the Flare and the implosion of theEurasian Union mdash the number of homeless people across the
world has sky-rocketed The petri dish is frothing and over-
flowing as new gangs emerge mdash and Irsquom talking globally not just in North America mdash and carve out their own terri tory
This upsets the balance ami and makes it harder to survivewhen yoursquore just a blooper looking to make it through the
day because now you have new predators to deal with n00bbangers making up their own rules as they go And the cop-
suckers donrsquot help
Protect and serve What a load of crap
Sure yoursquol l get Triple-A service if you live in one of the moneybubbles but try getting help in say the Aurora Barrens or
the Gary Hell Zone and yoursquore basically fucked Yeah thereare token patrols and the ever-present drones but drones
get shot down and the copsuckers are so outnumbered
most are either so scared to get into an altercation with thepredators or theyrsquore on the take I canrsquot say I blame them
either The streets are a war zone and if you wear the badgeyoursquore marked for death omae So take my advice and get
strapped The only person you can count on in the concrete jungle is you
Sorry_U_Asked Think twice before trying to claim a badgebounty though Sure plenty of honchos love to pay topcredit for proof that yoursquove kept the law from poking aroundtheir territory But just because you see someone wearingone doesnrsquot mean they got it legit Lots of gangers wearthem as trophies So if you drop a shot on a copsuckerthinking yoursquove hit payday you might end up with a wholeband of bangers snarling on your heels
SURVIVING THE GAME
Therersquos an old saying The Game is the Game mdash you eitherplay it or you get played I donrsquot care if you contract free-
lance fight fix hack patch or scam yoursquore in it omae andthat puts you at odds with every other player out there Most
people approach the game as a means to an end thinking
that one shiny day theyrsquoll earn enough creds to go someplacewarm and dry and live out their lives in style These clowns
donrsquot last Theyrsquore so busy dreaming about the good timesthat they lose focus on whatrsquos right in front of their face (or
creeping up behind them) Dreamers get sloppy take short
cuts betray their team and torch their street cred like gutterpunks burn trash in a garbage can to keep warm
If you want to survive the game you need to take a lesson
from these dreamers keep your mind on the job Therersquos nosandy beach waiting for you The megacorps bought them
all and turned lsquoem into parking lots The only fruity drinksyoursquoll ever drink are sold in the local watering hole by some
burned-out ronin The best you can hope for is a litt le bit of
comfort mdash usually behind a small fortress if yoursquore smart mdash andthe respect of the streets But thatrsquos a double-edged sword
another facet of the game Therersquos always someone faster
than you some hungry up-and-comer with the latest aug-ments wanting to prove herself by dealing you out Sucksto be a victim of your own success but thatrsquos the truth of it
My advice Find a way to deal yourself out clean Put some
creds away never burn your contacts and donrsquot ever everbecome a legend
Legends die
14
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CHARACTER
CREATION
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CHAPTER TWOCHARACTER CREATION
Characters are the lifersquos blood of any role-playing game the
focal point of every story Characters represent the best mdash orthe worst mdash ideals of a given game setting their actions either
bringing a small measure of hope to the downtrodden massesor serving to strengthen the status quo In the grim gritty
world of Interface Zero 20 the characters you play walk amonofilament edge between traditional mdash some would say
outdated or just plain irrelevant mdash concepts of good and evilas they make their way in the world
Indeed itrsquos hard to be a moral individual in a world where
most of the animals prowling the concrete jungle believe prin-ciples are character flaws mdash weaknesses to exploit for their
own ends Your morality marks you as prey no doubt aboutit omae But if you can keep your moral code if you can get
your job done without selling your soul yoursquoll get something
most sprawlers never have respect
Evil on the other hand is the same as it always has been
therersquos just more of it The wicked always thrive in a world
where violence fear and control are tools used for self-serv-ing ends but herersquos the thing Acting like an ass can get you
green-lit just as quickly as playing the role of the goody-two-shoes marks you as a sucker amigo
Nobody likes a dickhead even if they donrsquot say it to your
face Sooner or later yoursquoll get a rep for being a hard-assand someone who is stronger meaner or a bigger asshole
than you is going to come along and knock you back to thegutter you crawled out of Thatrsquos why most people keep their
heads down and their mouths shut Donrsquot make eye contact
itrsquos a challenge to the predators and if you donrsquot have thestones to back up the challenge yoursquore nothing but meat
But if you can stay strong and defeat all comers that com-mands respect too
This chapter provides you with the tools you need to make
a character for Interface Zero 20 The process is the same ascreating a character for any Savage Worlds game with a few
additions Interface Zero 20 introduces Street Cred Contactsand Strain to the game
STEP 1 CONCEPT
The first thing you need to do is decide on a concept for your
character Will you play a hacker Perhaps a mercenary orbounty hunter is more your speed Are mercs and hunters toocutthroat for your style of play If so you might think about
playing a ronin an urban warrior who follows his own code
of honor Maybe you want to be the guy (or gal) who backsthe team up with drones capable of laying down covering
fire or scouting ahead to see where the bad guys are hiding
You donrsquot need to have your concept locked in right now butat least have a basic idea of the type of character you want
to play Take a few minutes and skip ahead to the archetypessection in this chapter to see a variety of options available
to you
STEP 2 RACEThe next thing you need to do is choose a race In 2090
humanity has reached the point where the word ldquohumanrdquo is
almost irrelevant Human DNA is no longer a mystery Itrsquos amathematical code technomancers hack re-write and copy
at will producing genetically superior beings the Human 20
Others snip and paste animal DNA and splice it with humanDNA to create genetic hybrids a fusion of man and animal
Science has even advanced to such an extent that we can
create entirely new life forms mdash living beings known as simula-cra mdash in amniotic vats growing them until they have matured
filling their synthetic brains with memories and skills theyrsquollneed to do the jobs for which they were created
STEP 3 TRAITS
Traits are the building blocks of any Savage Worlds character
They define how strong or fast your character is and what
she knows Traits determine how much cyberware she canput into her body how much damage she can take before
dying her standing with others and a variety of other thingsall of which are essential to the game
ATTRIBUTES
Five attributes are used to define your characterrsquos physi-cal characteristics These are Agility Smarts Spirit Strength
and Vigor Each attribute starts at d4 You have 5 points withwhich to raise these attr ibutes and one point equals a risein a die type (d4 to d6 d6 to d8 etc) No attribute may rise
higher than d12 during character creation unless stated undera racial ability For more information on attributes refer to
the Savage Worlds core rules
SKILLS
You have 15 points to spend on your characterrsquos skills Your
character doesnrsquot start with any skills and must spend 1 pointto get a skill at a d4 He spends 1 point to raise a skill to a
higher die type as long as the skill level is equal to or less
than the linked attribute Raising any skill above the linkedattribute costs 2 points per step No skill may rise above d12
during character creation
Note If you are using the skill specializations rules you get 20points for skills and each new specialization costs 1 skill point
during character creation When your character advances shemay purchase 2 skill specializations for an advance or a new
skill and a single specialization
NEW SKILLS
The following are new skills introduced in Interface Zero 20
For information on all other skills see Skills in the Savage
Worlds core rules
16
CHARACTER CREATIONCONCEPT RACE TRAITS
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Hacking (Smarts) The Hacking skill is used whenever a
character wants to hack a computer network Characters in
Interface Zero 20 no longer start with an automatic d4 inHacking Additionally characters who wish to use the Global
DataNet for everyday purposes such as research or findingnews pertaining to the Deep do so with their existing Inves-
tigation and Streetwise skills
Knowledge (Demolitions) Successful use of demolitions canmean the difference between destruction of the target as
planned and unplanned loss of life and property The skill also
lets the character have an understanding of what the besttype of explosive is for the obstacle and how much they will
need to remove such an obstacle In addition a raise on theresult will let them know the exact distance they need to be
from the explosion based upon the size of the charge the con-
fines and damage created by said explosion This skill is usedany time a character wants to put a satchel charge together
or set explosives A Critical Failure will result in immediatedetonation Simple failure will result in premature detonation
or no detonation at all
Knowledge (Programming) Characters use this skill when
attempting to make any kind of change to a network theyhave hacked This skill allows a character to undo damagedone as a result of a hack With it a character can do things
like undo an edit to a data file or video reconstruct a deleted
file repair an AMS (see Active Memory Sectors on page 274in the Sett ing Rules chapter) recover a deleted skill Engram
or reconnect a TAP that has gone offline
OPTIONAL RULE SKILL SPECIALIZATIONS
Interface Zero 20 is an advanced setting where knowing
how to do one thing doesnrsquot necessarily mean you can dosomething which under the regular skill rules would techni-
cally be possible with the same skill Take the various DrivingBoating and Piloting skills for example
Using the regular skill rules a character with Driving couldtheoretically drive anything from a motorcycle to a semi-truckor a tank Similarly Piloting assumes a character has the skills
to pilot all types of aircraft including fighter jets and space-
craft Pinnacle Entertainment addressed this issue by addingthe Skill Specialization setting rule in the Savage Worlds core
rules and it is highly recommended that those rules are usedfor Interface Zero 20
The following list of skill specializations are provided to get
you started This isnrsquot intended to be a comprehensive listof appropriate skill specializations but rather a broad cross
section of specializations we feel are appropriate If some-thing doesnrsquot appear on the list make it up if it seems right
But remember the GM always has the final say on what is or
isnrsquot appropriate for her campaign
SUGGESTED SPECIALIZATIONS
bull Boating Powered Sailed Submersible
bull Climbing Mountaineering Rappelling Rope
bull Driving Car (4 wheels) Hovercraft JUMP Bike MotorcycleTruck (6+ wheels) Tracked
bull Fighting Axe Blades Blunt Cyberweapon Long Blade
bull Shooting Bow Pistol Rifle Shotgun Submachine GunVehicle Weapon or by weapon category
bull Stealth Disguise Hiding Sleight of Hand Sneaking
bull Streetwise AreaRegion (Corporate Zone Gang Turf etc)
bull Survival Aquatic Arctic Desert Forest Jungle MountainSpace urban or any specific environment
bull Swimming Lake Ocean SCUBA Divingbull Taunt Verbal Visual
bull Throwing Darts Grenades Knives Spears
bull Tracking Animals Global DataNet Humans Urban
Vehicles
OPTIONAL SKILL ATHLETICS
Rather than breaking up basic things like Climbing and Swim-ming it is recommended to combine them into a single skill
which would allow for specialization
Athletics (Vigor) Athletics as a catch-all for a number ofphysical endeavors ranging from climbing to swimming to
moving around effectively in a no mdash or low-gravity environ-
ment Athletics should be used instead of Agility in foot chasesand effectively replaces both the Climbing and Swimming skills
Specializations Climbing Leaping Running Sport (specific)
Swimming Zero-G Maneuvers
LANGUAGES
All characters speak their native language plus a number ofadditional languages equaling one-half their Smarts die The
major trade languages used in Interface Zero 20 are Chinese
English Hindi Portuguese and Swahili Additional languagescan be learned by using an advancement opportunity
DERIVED STATISTICS
There are a few statistics which are important in any SavageWorlds game Charisma Pace Parry and Toughness
CHARISMA
Charisma is an abstract measure of your characterrsquos appear-ance how she deals with others socially and generally how
likeable she is Charisma starts at 0 but can be modified byEdges and Hindrances Charisma is also added to Streetwise
and Persuasion rolls The Game Master uses Charisma to figure
out how NPCrsquos react to your character For more informationon Charisma see the Savage Worlds core rules
PACE
Pace is a measure of how far your character can walk in a
standard combat round Human characters have a base Paceof 6 and can run at an additional 1d6rdquo Other races in Interface
Zero 20 can have different starting Pace scores based on the
racial template you choose For more information on Pacesee the Savage Worlds core rules
PARRY
Parry is equal to 2 plus half your characterrsquos Fighting skillplus modifiers gained from use of shields or certain weapons
If your character does not have the Fighting skill base Parry
starts at 2 For more information on Parry see the SavageWorlds core rules
TOUGHNESS
Toughness is a measure of how much damage your character
can take before becoming Shaken or wounded Toughness is2 plus half your characterrsquos Vigor plus any armor she might
be wearing For more information on Toughness see the
Savage Worlds core rules
NEW DERIVED STATSInterface Zero 20 introduces three new derived statis-
tics mdash Firewall Strain and Street Cred
FIREWALL
Unless your character has the Unplugged Hindrance she hasa Tendril Access Processor (TAP) and therefore has a built-
in firewall The firewall protects against attempts to hack a
characterrsquos TAP A characterrsquos Firewall rating star ts at 4 but
can be modified by Edges Hindrances or software
STRAIN
Strain measures the amount of stress cyberware and biowareputs on your body when you install it Strain starts at zero
and each piece of cyberware adds to your Strain stat Highlevels of Strain can lead to death More details on Strain are
located at Augments on page 262
STREET CRED
Street Cred is a measure of your character rsquos reputation on
the streets All characters begin play with 2 points of StreetCred modified by Edges or Hindrances and gain another 2
points every time they gain a new Rank The maximum StreetCred a character can normally achieve is 10 (some Edges and
Occupations can increase this number)
Unlike Charisma which measures your ability to persuadesomeone Street Cred is a point pool that can be spent to
obtain services temporary contacts information and a variety
of other benefits during the course of an adventure This poolrefreshes each adventure unless circumstances in the prior
adventure (like not getting the job done failing to protectsomeone killing an innocent etc) cause the characterrsquos Street
Cred score to drop
Characters can also pick up Minor or Major Hindrances thathave a lasting effect on their Street Cred score during the
course of an adventure These Hindrances can be removedby spending an Advance with the GMrsquos permission For more
information see Street Cred on page 264
CONTACTS
Each character can choose two contacts people the character
knows who he can call upon for aid or information during thecourse of an adventure These contacts can be anyone froma bartender or a hacker to a corporate executive or military
commander as long as it makes sense that your characterwould know the person(s)
STEP 4 OCCUPATIONS
Occupations are integral to your character concept providinga basic framework to enhance your characterrsquos background in
a very organic way helping you create a more well-rounded
18
CHARACTER CREATIONTRAITS
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character concept Each occupation has a requirement that thecharacter must meet to take it the characterrsquos bonus credits
gained each Advance and a special perk (like gear or specialabilities) the character gets for being part of that profession
STEP 5 EDGES AND HINDRANCES
Edges are special qualities that separate characters from theaverage sprawler Hindrances are physical and mental flaws
that add more depth to the character albeit in a negativeway See the Savage Worlds core rules for more information
on purchasing Edges and Hindrances New Edges and Hin-drances are provided later in this chapter
STEP 6 EQUIPMENT
In Interface Zero 20 characters select equipment cybernet-ics weapons and armor based on the power level the Game
Master sets for the campaign
Power Level This is the starting Power Level of the Cam-
paign as determined by the Game Master If the GM wants totell a story of gang members barely scraping by shersquoll mostlikely choose Gutter Punk as the Power Level If she envi-
sions a campaign where the players are a special governmenttask force dedicated to hunting down super terrorists the
Hyperchrome Warriors or Elite Operatives levels might be
more appropriate The Street Soldier Power Level (designedfor ronin-style games) is considered the default Power Level
for Interface Zero 20
Starting Credits This is the amount of money characters
start with at the beginning of the campaign These credits
may be spent on anything the player wishes and the GM hasnot barred from the campaign including augments drones
weapons and armor
Augments Every Power Level above Gutter Punk allows theplayers to start with at least one augment from the core book
equal to or below the monetary amount listed Unspent Creditsfrom this pool do not carry over when the game starts These
augments must be chosen from the master list of augments
not augment packages
STEP 7 BACKGROUND
They say the devil is in the details and here is where you
decide how devilish yoursquore going to be You donrsquot need towrite a novel and frankly this step isnrsquot mandatory That said
itrsquos a good idea to jot down a few notes on your characterrsquosbackground any major events in her life any friends the
names of contacts or even enemies she might have Share
these ideas with your Game Master GMs are always lookingfor good plot hooks and little tidbits they can use to person-
alize your experience at the table The more detailed yourbackground is the better
ARCHETYPESSometimes you may want to quickly create a character for
a one-shot or convention adventure For those occasions anArchetype is a good choice
All are built for a human character with two Edges If you wish
to play a race other than human simply plug in the statisticaldata If yoursquore playing a human you
can choose another Edge Thenchoose your gear based on the
Power Level your group haschosen give the character
a name and yoursquore ready
to go
19
ARCHETYPES
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AGENT
BOUNTY HUNTER
20
AGENT 991251 BOUNTY HUNTER
20
ARCHETYPESAGENT 991251 BOUNTY HUNTER
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CYBERMONK
DRONE JOCKEY
21
CYBERMONK 991251 DRONE JOCKEY
21
ARCHETYPESCYBERMONK 991251 DRONE JOCKEY
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GANGER
GRIFTER
22
GANGER 991251 GRIFTER
22
ARCHETYPESGANGER 991251 GRIFTER
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HACKER
IDOL
23
HACKER 991251 IDOL
23
ARCHETYPESHACKER 991251 IDOL
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INVESTIGATIVE JOURNALIST
PATCH MAN
24
INVESTIGATIVE JOURNALIST 991251 PATCH MAN
24
ARCHETYPESINVESTIGATIVE JOURNALIST 991251 PATCH MAN
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RONIN
SECTOR COP
25
RONIN 991251 SECTOR COP
25
ARCHETYPESRONIN 991251 SECTOR COP
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SMUGGLER
EX-SOLDIER
26
SMUGGLER 991251 EX983085SOLDIER
26
ARCHETYPESSMUGGLER 991251 EX983085SOLDIER
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STREET RAT
ZEEK
27
STREET RAT 991251 ZEEK
27
ARCHETYPESSTREET RAT 991251 ZEEK
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RACESThe following races are available for play in Interface Zero 20
Most people are born into the world flesh-and-bloodbabies with mothers and fathers You were bornon an assembly line your parents faceless roboticsengineers who designed you in some research facilityYour body is composed of lightweight yetdurable polymers with plastic and fiber-opticwiring connecting to microscopic receptorsthroughout your framework
You see through digital lenses and hear viamicrophones on each side of your head Yourvoice is a pleasant if somewhat monotonesound piped through a speaker crafted to
resemble a mouth Your brain is a softball-sized digital network consisting of billionsof nanomachines which perform countlesscomputations every second in order to simulatean organic mdash human mdash thinking process
You are artificially intelligent Your capacity forrational critical thinking and decision-makingequals mdash and in many cases exceeds mdash that ofany human being on the planet Yet a waffle ironprobably has more rights than you do Moreoverat some point you have been (and technically stillare) owned perhaps by an individual but more likelyby a megaconglomorate mdash your parent companyThe tasks you performed for the megacorp varieddepending on your design specs but they mighthave included security manual labor combat and
strangely enough even prostitution
But that was then
At some point in your history you experiencedsomething The incident sparked a computation processwithin your neural network best described as an epiphanyPerhaps you saw a human being die or witnessed a couplekissing Or perhaps you were the victim of vio lence at thehands of a human being angered by your presence insociety The event led to a series of internal processes andsubroutines more commonly known as questions Thesewerenrsquot rational system queries based on clearly definedparameters but nebulous ones for which you were unableto formulate an appropriate response
ldquoIf that woman is smiling why are her eyes filled with tearsrdquo
ldquoWhat does it mean to be deadrdquo
ldquoWhat does it mean to hate or loverdquo
The experience altered your programming on a fundamentallevel The dictums of your creators no longer seemedrelevant when compared to your newfound imperative toanswer the questions you had so you left Now you makeyour way in the world just as any other person does mdash atleast you try to at any rate The world wasnrsquot made for youYou were built for it And even though you no longer serveyour masters you are still a machine an outsider look ingat life through glass eyes
MAKING ANDROIDS
All androids regardless of their function share a few fun-damental design characteristics Androids can purchase
cyberware just as anyone else can and suffer from Strain
bull Construct Androids add +2 to recover from being Shaken
donrsquot suffer wound modifiers and are immune to poisonand disease Androids cannot heal naturally To heal an
android requires the Repair skill mdash which is used like theHealing skill only with no ldquoGolden Hourrdquo
bull Dual Processors Androids start with a d6 in Smarts
bull EMP Vulnerability Androids suffer full damage from EMPWeapons
bull Metal Brain Androids canrsquot take Arcane Back-
ground (Psionics)
bull Metallic Alloy The fully metallic hide of an
android provides resistance to small arms fire
They have +2 Armor
bull Outsider Organic races often mistrust or mis-
understand androids They subtract 2 from their
Charisma when dealing with races other thantheir own
bull Primary Protocol Androids begin with a free
d6 in one skill representing their core operat-ing system
bull Recharge Androids need electricity to func-tion If the android canrsquot access an electrical
outlet of some sort at least once per day he
suffers a level of Fatigue each day until hersquosincapacitated The day after that he goes ldquooff-
linerdquo and must be reactivated with a Repairroll and a four-hour charge This replaces the
androidrsquos need for food or water
bull Unnatural Psionics both beneficial and det-rimental suffer a minus2 penalty to affect androids
This has no effect on damaging powers whichaffect them normally
It was easy to make the decision Yoursquod get a new metalbody that works better than the original You wouldnrsquot haveto spend your familyrsquos money on more expensive surgeriesto keep your failing body alive but that decision didnrsquot comewithout a cost Yoursquod lose the ability to feel the abil ity topick up your son without worrying about crushing himYoursquod lose the feel of your wifersquos body when you made loveto her If you canrsquot feel anything arenrsquot you already dead
In the end you chose to become a cyborg to have your
brain encased in metal Most days it doesnrsquot make muchdifference You come home to an empty house your sonand wife long gone Maybe theyrsquod have stayed if yoursquodonly kept your hearthellip
MAKING CYBORGS
Little is more frightening in batt le than a cyborg Theyrsquore not
much more than an organic brain in an androidrsquos body Cyborgscome in humanoid form simply for ease of transition to the
new body The majority of cyborgs work for their respectivegovernments or powerful corporations who can afford the
procedure for trusted personnel However more and morecyborgs are beginning to find their way to the private sector
bull Augmented Cyborgs are built to be cybernetic beasts
They begin play with a single Streetware Augment witha Strain of 1
bull Construct Cyborgs add +2 to recover from being Shaken
donrsquot suffer wound modifiers and are immune to poisonand disease Cyborgs cannot heal naturally To heal a
Cyborg requires the Repair skill which is used like theHealing skill only with no ldquoGolden Hourrdquo
bull EMP Shielding Cyborgs have 2 points of Armor when
attacked by an EMP weapon
bull EMP Vulnerability Cyborgs suffer full damage from EMP
bull Metallic Alloy The fully metall ic hide of a cyborg providesresistance to small arms fire They have +2 Armor
bull Outsider Most people are naturally put off by someonewho has opted to have all traces of their humanity
removed to be placed in a cold metal war machine They
suffer minus2 to Charisma when dealing with non-cyborgs
bull Specialized Diet Cyborgs cannot digest normal food and
require special food filled with nutrients to keep theirbrains healthy This raises their lifestyle costs by 1000credits
bull Tactile Dimming The Cyborgrsquos body isnrsquot as sensitive as
a human body Cyborgs suffer a minus2 to tasks where finemanipulation of objects is important Picking a lock or
performing surgery could be two examples Shootingand Fighting are usually unaffected
HUMAN
Nicknames Norms Homo-sapiens Earthlings Plain Jane
Baseline average normal mdash these words always described
you You prefer to think of yourself as adaptable versatileor unique You were born to human parents who eitherwouldnrsquot or couldnrsquot pay for genetic enhancement Youdidnrsquot go for that ldquoHybr idizationrdquo craze Yoursquore happy beingwho you are and you donrsquot need some scientists muckingaround with your genetics Really do they even know whatthe consequences of all that meddling will have on thepopulation in a hundred years No yoursquoll play it cool and
just be human
MAKING HUMANS
Despite all the choices and new races running around ordi-nary homo-sapiens still dominate the planet Humans are
tough adaptable creatures who face adversity head onWhile they may not have some of the distinct advantages
of their enhanced peers humans get by through being moreadaptable
bull Adaptability Humans start with one extra Edge
HUMAN 20
Nicknames Coded Eli tist Eugenic Gen-Xyrsquoer Neo-HumansSavant
You were born with the best genes money can buy Yourparents went to a design house early in your motherrsquosfirst trimester and began a series of genetic treatmentsdesigned to give you every chance at living a life theynever had Your DNA cocktail might include mental traitsfrom some of the greatest minds of the past 60 yearsAlternately you might have some kind of artistic or athleticability In any case yoursquore better than most people aroundyou in some ways and you know it Itrsquos not your faultthough Yoursquore just built that way
MAKING HUMAN 20
bull Advanced Ability You begin play with one attribute at d6
bull Arrogant Human 20s are known for their huge egos
Whether itrsquos nature or nurture is still up for debate Theyhave the Arrogant Hindrance If you choose an Archetype
that already has the Arrogant Hindrance choose another
RACESCYBORG 991251 HUMAN 20
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CREDITS 1
INTRODUCTION 10The Road to 2090 10Life in General 13
CHAPTER TWO CHARACTER CREATION 16Step 1 Concept 16
Step 2 Race 16Step 3 Traits 16Attributes 16
Skills 16
Derived Statistics 18New Derived Stats 18
Contacts 18Step 4 Occupations 18
Step 5 Edges and Hindrances 19
Step 6 Equipment 19Step 7 Background 19
ARCHETYPES 19Agent 20
Bounty Hunter 20
Cybermonk 21Drone Jockey 21
Ganger 22Grifter 22
Hacker 23Idol 23
Investigative Journalist 24
Patch Man 24Ronin 25
Sector Cop 25Smuggler 26
Ex-Soldier 26
Street Rat 27Zeek 27
RACES 28Android 28
Bioroid 28Cyborg 29
Human 29
Human 20 29Hybrid 30
Simulacra 31OCCUPATIONS 32
HINDRANCES 37
Prohibited Hindrances 37Modified Hindrances 37
New Hindrances 37EDGES 40
Prohibited Edges 40Modified Edges 40New Edges 40
Background Edges 40Combat Edges 40
Hacker Edges 41Power Edges 41
Professional Edges 42
Social Edges 43Weird Edges 43
CHAPTER THREE MALMART 2090 CATALOG 48CORPORATIONS 48
Table 723 Xenomorph Base Attack 306Table 724 Xenomorph Senses 306
Table 725 Mutations 306Table 726 Drawbacks 306
6
TABLE OF CONTENTS
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INTRODUCTION
INFOSOURCE
VIDTAGROADTO2090
LOCAL JACOBSPLAYGROUNDNET
FQDN JACOBSPLAYGROUNDNETCHITOWN06TNTPNSWWGNET
DATA SOURCE MAY YOU LIVE IN INTERESTING TIMESINFODUMP
THE ROAD TO 2090
Posted By Billy_Black_Eyes
So here we are in January 2090 Itrsquos been a couple of yearssince I dropped the last INFODUMP on the world and Irsquom here
to rectify that This massive documentrsquos gonna give you all theinformation you need to get up to speed on the state of the
world along with oodles and oodles of statistical data about
a bunch of subjects including the Global DataNet golem-mechs drones and other emerging technologies Yoursquoll read
about the strange and wonderful people who inhabit thisworld the solar system zeeks and much more Irsquove gath-
ered info from sources all over the world and vetted it to
the best of my ability That said you never know whatrsquos trueand what isnrsquot in this age of main stream media lies govern-
ment propaganda and do-it-yourself journalism so take theinformation (especially in the data dumps about the world)
with a grain of salt
Simba So what are you sayinrsquo Bi lly We canrsquot trust you
Billy_Black_Eyes Thatrsquos not what I said You know fullwell that information especially editorialized info alwayshas a certain slant to it It rsquos also fluid What was true at thetime I acquired it may not necessarily be accurate now
The past two years have seen a number of major eventstake place in the world If just one or two things would have
happened I might think they werenrsquot connected Yet itrsquos as ifsomeone walked up to a house of cards and pulled one card
out The house hasnrsquot completely crashed yet itrsquos in a slow-
motion free fall and the worst part is only a few of us seemto be watching What follows is a br ief overview of the major
events that have shaped the world in which we currently live
Neon_Bright Oh Billy looking at the world with thosedark lenses again are we
Magpie Neon I think he needs a hug )
Billy_Black_Eyes What I need is a ticket to Mars Thingsare about to get crazy and I want off this rock
GROWING TENSIONS IN NORTH AMERICA
The year 2088 was marked by a number of disturbing mdash somesay portentous mdash events involving the North American Coali-
tion the Great Lakes Union and Atlantica
Sane_Prophet ldquoPortentousrdquo Could the scales be fallingoff your black eyes my friend Are you finally coming tounderstand the truth
Billy_Black_Eyes Seriously You again I told you nomystic bull shit
Sane_Prophet Just because you refuse to acknowledgeomens for what they are doesnrsquot make them any less valid
THE HEGEMONY GROWS
The crackdown on zeeks hybrids and synthetic humans in the
NAC reached a boiling point when Congress and the Senateratified the infamous Racial Purity Act a draconic piece of
legislation banning the practice of hybrid and simulacrumcreation All genetic modification parlors and simulacrum
production facilities were ordered to shut down The Racial
Purity Act also outlawed the use of psychic powers within theborders of the nation with hefty fines and even imprisonment
for those caught using them Various watchdog organiza-tions were created the most visible of which is Psi-division
a branch of Stopwatch tasked with monitoring and in some
cases even ldquoneutralizingrdquo psychic threats
Psychopope And by ldquoneutralizingrdquo he means murder
Denver_Must_Burn And forced relocationhellipIrsquom not talkingabout VR prisons ei ther Irsquom talking about the internmentcamps up in Montana and the Dakotas
Simba It was just as bad for hybrids like myself Whenthose genetic modification parlors shut down the pr ivateinformation about their customers was confiscatedunder the auspices of ldquonational securit yrdquo This means theDepartment of National Security (DNS) has the namesand addresses of every hybrid and free sim in the NorthAmerican Coalition If you have a TAP the DNS can trackyour IP too
Luciferion Simba Dude thatrsquos happening with everycitizen regardless of whether or not yoursquore zeek hybridor ldquoPlain Janerdquo human
Denver_Must_Burn All I can say is TRICilicit_behavior Yes DMB The Revolution IS Coming
Instances of racial violence erupted across the North Ameri-
can Coalition as law enforcement officials began arrestingzeeks Some of the more obvious hybrids mdash particularly the
bull bear and rhino variants mdash were also incarcerated Gov-ernments across the continent decried the draconian tactics
and called for UN intervention to no effect The Great Lakes
Union and Atlantica closed their embassies in Denver and sentthe NAC delegates in their cities packing Then on Novem-
ber 13th 2088 a number of terrorist attacks rocked BostonBaltimore and Portland Maine An estimated 2451 people
died and thousands more were injured from the bombings
THE ATLANTICA BOMBINGSWithin hours of the attacks the Global DataNet was flooded
with conspiracy theories the most viral of which speculated
they were carried out by a terrorist group known as Agenda68Some speculated a Canadian black ops unit known as Task-
force Harfang did the deed Others went on to claim the NACwas behind the attacks and still others claimed New Brasilia
or maybe the Chinese Mandarinate were somehow involvedSo-called ldquoconspiracy theorist expertsrdquo such as Sam_Jones
and NERCOTIXX speculated that China long believed to bein bed with the North American Coalition used simulacra to
perform the bombings
10
INTRODUCTIONTHE ROAD TO 2090
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NECROTIXX China did carry out the bombings Do theresearch Look into Project Doppelganger and yoursquoll seeThe NAC is just a patsy
Sam_Jones The Mandarinate is becoming an imperialpower Just look at what they are doing with Russia nowand what they have done with all of Southeast Asia Askthe Russian refugees flooding into Seattle if they thinkChina is content to stay within their borders The writingrsquos
on the wall folksSimba It might have been orchestrated by agents workingfor Charon
Luciferion What a load of crap Charon is an AI It doesnrsquothave any contact with humans
Neon_Bright Prove it Simba
As the days stretched into weeks there was still no official
statement from the Atlantica Government about the iden-tity of the perpetrators of the attacks Then on December
15th 2088 a MEDIAfile was uploaded into the Global DataNetbearing the Hyper Tag of a popular underground media-pirate
known as MAXX_footage
The dronersquos feed showed three large muscular men in regular
clothing exit a hover van adjacent to one of the targets of theattacks just moments before it exploded Facial recognitionsoftware identified one of the men as First Sergeant John
Moore a member of the North American Coalition regular army
The MEDIAfile went on to follow the three men as they jumpedinto an unmarked hover car that took off and shot over the
Boston sea wall to land on a freighter bearing Chinese mark-ings The vessel promptly sailed east into international waters
Sorry_U_Asked Isnrsquot it odd how often people retreat tothe water in the wake of disasters How much of the oceanremains unmapped How much is hiding under the wavesthat we havenrsquot even begun to fathom
BatRastard Puns intended Wersquove already got enoughconspiracy theories Can you not add another useless one
to the stinking heap
Sane_Prophet Actually hersquos closer to reality than youmight be comfortable understanding Too much truth canbreak a manrsquos mind
BatRastard Irsquom guessing yours is already fried from afew too many stims man Want to share what yoursquove beendoping
As the situation evolved it became clear that MAXX_footagewent through what can only be described as a nightmarish journey to bring the MEDIAfile into the light of day In what
would be his only interview MAXX_footage appeared via
a secure video-feed on ldquoBoston Tonightrdquomdasha popular showin the nation of Atlantica Millions across the world tuned in
to listen to what he had to say MAXX_footage a tall lanky
young man recounted the events of that day telling how hewas hanging out at his favorite coffee shop when this black
hover van landed right in front of the Emperor Pharmaceuti-cals Arcology about a half a block away
When Penny Pearl mdash the host of the show mdash asked MAXX_
footage how during all the chaos he could have possiblyremembered those details MAXX_footage said he remem-
bered it because the hover van double parked and someonestarted yelling at the three guys who got out Thinking it was
going to result in violence MAXX_footage says he poppedout his Fly on the Wall micro drone and sent i t over to record
the incident Thatrsquos when all hell broke loose
BEGIN THREAD JACK
NECROTIXX Herersquos a transcript of the short interviewPenny couldnrsquot get MAXX back on
BEGIN TRANSCRIPThellip
ldquoOne of the three men shot the guy right in the facerdquo MAXX_
footage says his long thin hands shaking ldquoThey just walked
away and got into a red hover car I sent Judy mdash thatrsquos thename of my drone mdash after them and thatrsquos when the Black
hover van explodedrdquo MAXX_footage goes quiet for a fewseconds and after a couple of probing questions from the
hostess he finishes his story
ldquoAnyhow I get my bearings shake the dust outta my hairand suddenly realize I just captured the perps on Digifilm I
follow the red hover car all the way out past the Sea Wallwhere it lands on this Chinese freighter Judyrsquos pushinrsquo her
range limits at this point so I call her backrdquo He grabs a glassof water his hands shaking
ldquoTell us what happened nextrdquo Penny prompts
ldquoWellrdquo he begins ldquoI get back to my flat mdash it took a while mdash what
with all the chaos goinrsquo on in the lsquoplex and everything mdash andthe place is busted up I mean BIG-TIME amirdquo MAXX_footage
stops again then shakes his head and says ldquoListen I canrsquot sayanything else about that I think theyrsquore still watching mehellip
In fact this interview is done MAXX OUTrdquo The video feed
cuts to white noise
END TRANSCRIPT
END THREAD JACK
The interview and the footage of the event sparked outrage
throughout Atlantica Predictably the NAC government fiercelydenied any involvement in the bombings even going so far
as to demand the arrest and extradition of MAXX_footagefor questioning about the origins of the video
Martin Hughes mdash the president of Atlantica mdash flatly refusedthe NACrsquos demands even going so far as to say that thisMAXX_footage person was a ldquohero of the people of
Atlanticardquo The bookies in the free city of Las Vegas startedgiving even odds that hostilities would break out on the East
Coast within a year
Simba I lost a ton of money on that bet
Luciferion MAXX_footage has gone dark BTW Nobodyhas seen or heard from him since that interview
THE FLARE
On January 26 2089 a massive Earth-directed Y-class solar
flare sparked a Coronal Mass Ejection that bombarded our
planet temporarily shutting down the genie network thatmonitors and updates the TAPrsquos spam and reality filters Withthe genie down every man woman and child with a Tendril
Access Processor was exposed to raw unfiltered Hyper Reality
As you all know this sparked a week of world-wide chaosSprawlers mdash exposed to a storm of spam malware and layer
upon layer of augmented reality advertisements and simu-lated environments mdash went temporarily insane
Sane_Prophet Insanity is a weak word for the weak-minded What may appear as insane to you might simplybe someone having achieved enlightenment and livingaccording to a higher truth
11
INTRODUCTIONTHE ROAD TO 2090
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Sorry_U_Asked Irsquom all about questioning the circumstancesbut Irsquom pretty sure all the folks who were murdered duringthese events wouldrsquove labeled them as insane down to a one
Billy_Black_Eyes Whatever dictionary program yoursquorerunning needs a fresh data-dump Prophet
Sane_Prophet Dictionaries are also for the weak-minded
Billy_Black_Eyes Of course they are
The world burned for about a week until programmers couldfix the problem with firmware updates and hot patches to
get the filters up and running and an off switch installedbut the damage was done Itrsquos not known how many people
died in the rioting and madness but cautious estimates oftotal casualties put the number at around 750 million people
and nobody has even tried to calculate the monetary cost
of the riots Strangely however the Flare itself didnrsquot havea widespread impact on various infrastructures like electric
and other powers transportation systems etc In fact manybelieve the Flare wasnrsquot even a solar flare at all but the first
sign of Charonrsquos emergence as a threat to humanity
Luciferion Nobodyrsquos ever proven that Billy
Billy_Black_Eyes Nobody has ever debunked it eitherStatistical data can be hacked Numbers can be fudgedto make things seem more dramatic than they really areEarthquakes register at a certain scale and get downgradedall the time The truth is this is the first time in history thata solar flare has caused such wide-spread chaos It rsquos fishy
Luciferion Irsquoll believe it when I see some hard data
Billy_Black_Eyes Fair enough But the emergence ofCharon around this time isnrsquot even open for debate Itrsquosa fact
THE EURASIAN UNION IMPLODES
On March 15th 2089 the Eurasian Union Central Bank in
Bonn Germany was crashed by a previously unheard-of virusnamed Charon Over forty-five trillion dollars vanished without
a trace All attempts to rebuild the original databases failedSome programmers (and freelance hackers) hired to go in andpurge Charon from the databases lost their lives in the process
Further attempts to rebuild the system on different serverswith backups also failed when programmers realized that
Charon mdash now suspected by many to be an AI mdash had copieditself into the cloud networks containing those backup files
Luciferion Therersquos nothing to suspect Charon is anemergent AI The only question now is whether or not itsparks a singularity event
Nothing_to_see_here Stopwatch will halt it in its tracksThey always catch these things
Luciferion Who do you think died trying to get it out ofthe D-bases in Bonn
Over the next few months an estimated 200 million people
across the Eurasian Union the United Kingdom and Ireland losttheir jobs their homes and their life savings when it became
clear that Charon had found its way into the personal bankaccounts of citizenry across the Eurasian Union
Instances of mob violence skyrocketed as the number of
gangs in the rapidly fracturing Eurasian Union had risen tolevels not seen since the Death mdash the three-year ldquoNuclear
Autumnrdquo following the India-Pakistan war when nuclearweapons were used on a massive scale In the London-Read-
ing Megaplex protests exploded into full-scale violence after
police brutally cracked down on a peaceful protest at the
British parliament building More instances of violent protests
followed in Bristol Swindon and the Manchester-Liverpoolsprawl
On June 27th 2089 the French government was over-
thrown by a fringe political extremist group known as theNew Pirate Party Led by a charismatic young zeek named
Angeacutele Bonheur the New Pirate Party seized power after awild chaotic campaign against representatives of the NationalFront and the Popular Republican Union The elections were
rife with scandal and many of the French didnrsquot (and still donrsquot)like the idea of a French leader being psychic So while Angeacutele
emerged as the clear victor the French military refused toacknowledge her legitimacy President Bonheur responded
by disbanding the armed forces of France at the same time
announcing the privatization of the nationrsquos military throughan agreement with Ravenlocke Securities
Downtrodden Yep itrsquos a sign of things to come ladiesand gents a world-wide corporate coup of governmentsIf you donrsquot think the CEO of Ravenlocke mdash thatrsquos MarkusRaven mdash has a say in the direction this new governmenttakes think again
Luciferion Itrsquos awesome to see France led by a psychicbut letrsquos get real this is going to get much worse beforeit gets better
Magpie I wouldnrsquot be surprised i f she gets wacked
Former Lieutenant-Colonel Adrien Boucher also known as
ldquoAdrien the Butcherrdquo for his brutal suppression of an upris-ing in Marseilles in 2087 took charge of the remnants of
the disbanded French army promising to remove PresidentBonheur from power Within days of Adrienrsquos announcement
Fort Richepance mdash now the Northeastern headquarters for
Ravenlocke Industriesrsquo Storm Crow Golemmech brigade mdash wasattacked The president responded by declaring martial law
throughout France until the renegade movement could be
put down Thus far that hasnrsquot happened though there arereports of clashes between Ravenlocke regulars and sepa-
ratist forces outside of St Etienne and in the French Alps
Warpig This has caused numerous issues If PresidentAngeacutele thinks her countrymen are going to accept theprivatization of the military shersquos sorely mistaken As Billymentions Adrien the Butcher is causing problems buttherersquos more to it Militias are forming They have advancedweaponry and while I wonrsquot speculate as to whorsquos providingthem with those weapons I do know the vast majority ofthe weapons are made by Act of God Armaments
Battle_Mind I know one thing itrsquos a great time to be amercenary
Full_Metal_Cyborg Amen brother Irsquoll see you on the
battlefieldPayne_Man Lock and Load U mushrooms I splatter youn00bs with my AK
Magpie ldquoSighrdquo Stop playing Matrix of War Payne Yousound like a fool This ainrsquot a game
Payne_Man I thought we were talkinrsquo about MOW Ushould C the zones Theyrsquore eggsaklee like the content ofthis INFOdump Have been for a whyle now Evar since thelast expansion dropped in spring 2088
Luciferion hellipOk thatrsquos odd
Payne_Man The CoalitionAtlantica War expansion izzcumin out next month 2 I Kant W8
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INTRODUCTIONTHE ROAD TO 2090
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On June 30th 2089 Germany wracked with political in-
fighting riots in the streets and a general state of chaos
closed its borders Officially the stated reason was for secu-rity reasons stemming from conflict along the border with
France but most people donrsquot believe it Chancellor KonradGerste authorized a financial bailout of the three largest
manufacturers of weapons and military equipment for
the German army The move has frightened many of the
Eastern European nations mdash especially the good people ofPoland mdash who know well what happens when Germans
begin preparing for war and make no mistake Germany ismoving to a war footing
Payne_Man Watch out Zee Germans are cumming LOL
Klaus What Canrsquot my brethren move to protectthemselves from the chaos in France And why the veiledreference to WWII Itrsquos been nearly 150 years since Hitlerrsquosmadness yet nobody allows us to forget it
THE BEAR AND THE DRAGON
As the situation in Europe grew worse China took advantageof the weakened Eurasian Union grabbing up huge swathes
of territory in Russia its armies advancing as far west as the
Ural Mountain range where Russian forces managed to haltthe dragonrsquos advance Still the damage was done By August2089 the Mandarinate had established itself as an occupy-
ing power in every city town and village east of the Ural
Mountains That hasnrsquot stopped the Russians from retaliatinghowever Russian patriots have begun an insurgency attack-
ing Chinese forces wherever they can be found Mandarinatemouthpieces paint the insurgents as terrorists to little effect
as the insurgency swells in number every day
Neon_Bright This isnrsquot just a struggle against Chineseaggression Vast resources have been found ever sinceSiberia began to thaw Irsquom talking about precious mineralsoil even the land is useful for development especiallywhen you consider billions of people live in eastern Asia
Luciferion Agreed Neon
LIFE IN GENERAL
So how have the above events impacted life as we stumbleinto 2090 In numerous ways omae There isnrsquot enough time
to go into great detail about how war the Flare and espe-
cially the rise of Charon have affected the life of the averagesprawler across the world but Irsquo ll go over some of the more
important details Pay attention peeps some of this mightkeep you alive
SURVIVING HYPER REALITY
As I mentioned above when the Flare knocked out the GENIEnetwork it caused widespread chaos And while GENIE is back
up and running there are still glitches in the system Sure
firmware updates to the Tendril Access Processor mdash TAP as itrsquosmore commonly known mdash allow you to turn off that modem
in your brain but wellhelliplet me put it like this Hyper Realityhas become smarter even deadly if you donrsquot have the right
software installed in your TAP
Sane_Prophet Why bother putting up more and morefilters It is senseless A futile fight against powers fargreater than yourself Open your eyes open your mindand set yourself free from this prison of so-called reality
BatRastard Right and then with the first meme to fry myneurons Irsquoll be spending my life savings on the Fat Sallyrsquosdown the block Brilliant
Sane_Prophet Fat Sally rsquos secret sauce is an interdimen-sional gateway into the heights of ecstasy
BatRastard Actually thatrsquos the first thing you and I haveever agreed on
Irsquove discussed this phenomena with numerous program-mers across the world and they all agree virii spam and allmanner of malware that [prior to the Flare] would have been
easy to purge from your head are now behaving much dif-
ferently Itrsquos almost as if the things evolved into somethingnot-quite-sentient but damned close to it
So what does this mean for you
If you choose to experience Hyper Reality (and if you have aTAP in your brain you have) itrsquos only a matter of time before
one of these virii hacks into your brain Therersquos nothing youcan really do about it itrsquos just one of the many fun facts of
life in 2090 I do find it ironic that af ter decades of enjoying
the connectivity and convenience the TAP has provided thistechnology seems to be actively trying to kill us and there
isnrsquot much we can do about it without going back to medi-eval times You know the 1980rsquos Of course some of you out
there will want to turn your TAPs off for good and avoid the
risk entirely Hell some of you might be considering gettingthe damned thing removed
You can do that sure Of course that means yoursquore also
not connected to the grid that makes your life so unbeliev-ably convenient This causes a mult itude of problems Donrsquot
believe me Try walking out of your house Oh right you canrsquotbecause most doors donrsquot have handles anymore Theyrsquore
automated and respond to the signals coming from your TAPI know some are activated by motion sensors and donrsquot rely
on the TAP But no door which is designed with security in
mind will open so easilyThis also means you have almost zero access to vehicles or
places where you can buy things like grocery stores Yeah
sure you can just follow someone else into said store butthe security cameras will spot you and not having a digital
record of your presence (which they get from your TAP) willflag you and dispatch a security team to find out who you
are So there you are in your local Malmart looking for some
cloned steaks to fire up on your grill later on when securitycomes with their big guns and ldquowhat the hell are you doing
here scumbagrdquo looks on their faces to boot you back out intothe streets where you came from
Oh how did you plan on paying for them BTW now that
your TAP is offline and the clerk canrsquot sync her cash register
with your payment software And NO they donrsquot take cashThe point is this omae All that convenience you were usedto goes out the window when you unplug Itrsquos much easier
to get strong firewalls than it is to live outside the system
So think about what I said before you scratch that itch at thebase of your skull with a scalpel
SURVIVING THE STREETS
The streets have always been dangerous thatrsquos a givenWhen you cram millions of people into a concrete and steel
petri dish then forget about 999 of them you create abreeding ground for violence hate and societal devolution
13
INTRODUCTIONLIFE IN GENERAL
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on such a scale that social Darwinists like Herbert Spencer and
Thomas Malthus would roll over in their graves
Again that in itself is nothing new The streets have alwaysbeen violent but ever since the events I previously described
came to pass mdash especially the Flare and the implosion of theEurasian Union mdash the number of homeless people across the
world has sky-rocketed The petri dish is frothing and over-
flowing as new gangs emerge mdash and Irsquom talking globally not just in North America mdash and carve out their own terri tory
This upsets the balance ami and makes it harder to survivewhen yoursquore just a blooper looking to make it through the
day because now you have new predators to deal with n00bbangers making up their own rules as they go And the cop-
suckers donrsquot help
Protect and serve What a load of crap
Sure yoursquol l get Triple-A service if you live in one of the moneybubbles but try getting help in say the Aurora Barrens or
the Gary Hell Zone and yoursquore basically fucked Yeah thereare token patrols and the ever-present drones but drones
get shot down and the copsuckers are so outnumbered
most are either so scared to get into an altercation with thepredators or theyrsquore on the take I canrsquot say I blame them
either The streets are a war zone and if you wear the badgeyoursquore marked for death omae So take my advice and get
strapped The only person you can count on in the concrete jungle is you
Sorry_U_Asked Think twice before trying to claim a badgebounty though Sure plenty of honchos love to pay topcredit for proof that yoursquove kept the law from poking aroundtheir territory But just because you see someone wearingone doesnrsquot mean they got it legit Lots of gangers wearthem as trophies So if you drop a shot on a copsuckerthinking yoursquove hit payday you might end up with a wholeband of bangers snarling on your heels
SURVIVING THE GAME
Therersquos an old saying The Game is the Game mdash you eitherplay it or you get played I donrsquot care if you contract free-
lance fight fix hack patch or scam yoursquore in it omae andthat puts you at odds with every other player out there Most
people approach the game as a means to an end thinking
that one shiny day theyrsquoll earn enough creds to go someplacewarm and dry and live out their lives in style These clowns
donrsquot last Theyrsquore so busy dreaming about the good timesthat they lose focus on whatrsquos right in front of their face (or
creeping up behind them) Dreamers get sloppy take short
cuts betray their team and torch their street cred like gutterpunks burn trash in a garbage can to keep warm
If you want to survive the game you need to take a lesson
from these dreamers keep your mind on the job Therersquos nosandy beach waiting for you The megacorps bought them
all and turned lsquoem into parking lots The only fruity drinksyoursquoll ever drink are sold in the local watering hole by some
burned-out ronin The best you can hope for is a litt le bit of
comfort mdash usually behind a small fortress if yoursquore smart mdash andthe respect of the streets But thatrsquos a double-edged sword
another facet of the game Therersquos always someone faster
than you some hungry up-and-comer with the latest aug-ments wanting to prove herself by dealing you out Sucksto be a victim of your own success but thatrsquos the truth of it
My advice Find a way to deal yourself out clean Put some
creds away never burn your contacts and donrsquot ever everbecome a legend
Legends die
14
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CHARACTER
CREATION
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CHAPTER TWOCHARACTER CREATION
Characters are the lifersquos blood of any role-playing game the
focal point of every story Characters represent the best mdash orthe worst mdash ideals of a given game setting their actions either
bringing a small measure of hope to the downtrodden massesor serving to strengthen the status quo In the grim gritty
world of Interface Zero 20 the characters you play walk amonofilament edge between traditional mdash some would say
outdated or just plain irrelevant mdash concepts of good and evilas they make their way in the world
Indeed itrsquos hard to be a moral individual in a world where
most of the animals prowling the concrete jungle believe prin-ciples are character flaws mdash weaknesses to exploit for their
own ends Your morality marks you as prey no doubt aboutit omae But if you can keep your moral code if you can get
your job done without selling your soul yoursquoll get something
most sprawlers never have respect
Evil on the other hand is the same as it always has been
therersquos just more of it The wicked always thrive in a world
where violence fear and control are tools used for self-serv-ing ends but herersquos the thing Acting like an ass can get you
green-lit just as quickly as playing the role of the goody-two-shoes marks you as a sucker amigo
Nobody likes a dickhead even if they donrsquot say it to your
face Sooner or later yoursquoll get a rep for being a hard-assand someone who is stronger meaner or a bigger asshole
than you is going to come along and knock you back to thegutter you crawled out of Thatrsquos why most people keep their
heads down and their mouths shut Donrsquot make eye contact
itrsquos a challenge to the predators and if you donrsquot have thestones to back up the challenge yoursquore nothing but meat
But if you can stay strong and defeat all comers that com-mands respect too
This chapter provides you with the tools you need to make
a character for Interface Zero 20 The process is the same ascreating a character for any Savage Worlds game with a few
additions Interface Zero 20 introduces Street Cred Contactsand Strain to the game
STEP 1 CONCEPT
The first thing you need to do is decide on a concept for your
character Will you play a hacker Perhaps a mercenary orbounty hunter is more your speed Are mercs and hunters toocutthroat for your style of play If so you might think about
playing a ronin an urban warrior who follows his own code
of honor Maybe you want to be the guy (or gal) who backsthe team up with drones capable of laying down covering
fire or scouting ahead to see where the bad guys are hiding
You donrsquot need to have your concept locked in right now butat least have a basic idea of the type of character you want
to play Take a few minutes and skip ahead to the archetypessection in this chapter to see a variety of options available
to you
STEP 2 RACEThe next thing you need to do is choose a race In 2090
humanity has reached the point where the word ldquohumanrdquo is
almost irrelevant Human DNA is no longer a mystery Itrsquos amathematical code technomancers hack re-write and copy
at will producing genetically superior beings the Human 20
Others snip and paste animal DNA and splice it with humanDNA to create genetic hybrids a fusion of man and animal
Science has even advanced to such an extent that we can
create entirely new life forms mdash living beings known as simula-cra mdash in amniotic vats growing them until they have matured
filling their synthetic brains with memories and skills theyrsquollneed to do the jobs for which they were created
STEP 3 TRAITS
Traits are the building blocks of any Savage Worlds character
They define how strong or fast your character is and what
she knows Traits determine how much cyberware she canput into her body how much damage she can take before
dying her standing with others and a variety of other thingsall of which are essential to the game
ATTRIBUTES
Five attributes are used to define your characterrsquos physi-cal characteristics These are Agility Smarts Spirit Strength
and Vigor Each attribute starts at d4 You have 5 points withwhich to raise these attr ibutes and one point equals a risein a die type (d4 to d6 d6 to d8 etc) No attribute may rise
higher than d12 during character creation unless stated undera racial ability For more information on attributes refer to
the Savage Worlds core rules
SKILLS
You have 15 points to spend on your characterrsquos skills Your
character doesnrsquot start with any skills and must spend 1 pointto get a skill at a d4 He spends 1 point to raise a skill to a
higher die type as long as the skill level is equal to or less
than the linked attribute Raising any skill above the linkedattribute costs 2 points per step No skill may rise above d12
during character creation
Note If you are using the skill specializations rules you get 20points for skills and each new specialization costs 1 skill point
during character creation When your character advances shemay purchase 2 skill specializations for an advance or a new
skill and a single specialization
NEW SKILLS
The following are new skills introduced in Interface Zero 20
For information on all other skills see Skills in the Savage
Worlds core rules
16
CHARACTER CREATIONCONCEPT RACE TRAITS
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Hacking (Smarts) The Hacking skill is used whenever a
character wants to hack a computer network Characters in
Interface Zero 20 no longer start with an automatic d4 inHacking Additionally characters who wish to use the Global
DataNet for everyday purposes such as research or findingnews pertaining to the Deep do so with their existing Inves-
tigation and Streetwise skills
Knowledge (Demolitions) Successful use of demolitions canmean the difference between destruction of the target as
planned and unplanned loss of life and property The skill also
lets the character have an understanding of what the besttype of explosive is for the obstacle and how much they will
need to remove such an obstacle In addition a raise on theresult will let them know the exact distance they need to be
from the explosion based upon the size of the charge the con-
fines and damage created by said explosion This skill is usedany time a character wants to put a satchel charge together
or set explosives A Critical Failure will result in immediatedetonation Simple failure will result in premature detonation
or no detonation at all
Knowledge (Programming) Characters use this skill when
attempting to make any kind of change to a network theyhave hacked This skill allows a character to undo damagedone as a result of a hack With it a character can do things
like undo an edit to a data file or video reconstruct a deleted
file repair an AMS (see Active Memory Sectors on page 274in the Sett ing Rules chapter) recover a deleted skill Engram
or reconnect a TAP that has gone offline
OPTIONAL RULE SKILL SPECIALIZATIONS
Interface Zero 20 is an advanced setting where knowing
how to do one thing doesnrsquot necessarily mean you can dosomething which under the regular skill rules would techni-
cally be possible with the same skill Take the various DrivingBoating and Piloting skills for example
Using the regular skill rules a character with Driving couldtheoretically drive anything from a motorcycle to a semi-truckor a tank Similarly Piloting assumes a character has the skills
to pilot all types of aircraft including fighter jets and space-
craft Pinnacle Entertainment addressed this issue by addingthe Skill Specialization setting rule in the Savage Worlds core
rules and it is highly recommended that those rules are usedfor Interface Zero 20
The following list of skill specializations are provided to get
you started This isnrsquot intended to be a comprehensive listof appropriate skill specializations but rather a broad cross
section of specializations we feel are appropriate If some-thing doesnrsquot appear on the list make it up if it seems right
But remember the GM always has the final say on what is or
isnrsquot appropriate for her campaign
SUGGESTED SPECIALIZATIONS
bull Boating Powered Sailed Submersible
bull Climbing Mountaineering Rappelling Rope
bull Driving Car (4 wheels) Hovercraft JUMP Bike MotorcycleTruck (6+ wheels) Tracked
bull Fighting Axe Blades Blunt Cyberweapon Long Blade
bull Shooting Bow Pistol Rifle Shotgun Submachine GunVehicle Weapon or by weapon category
bull Stealth Disguise Hiding Sleight of Hand Sneaking
bull Streetwise AreaRegion (Corporate Zone Gang Turf etc)
bull Survival Aquatic Arctic Desert Forest Jungle MountainSpace urban or any specific environment
bull Swimming Lake Ocean SCUBA Divingbull Taunt Verbal Visual
bull Throwing Darts Grenades Knives Spears
bull Tracking Animals Global DataNet Humans Urban
Vehicles
OPTIONAL SKILL ATHLETICS
Rather than breaking up basic things like Climbing and Swim-ming it is recommended to combine them into a single skill
which would allow for specialization
Athletics (Vigor) Athletics as a catch-all for a number ofphysical endeavors ranging from climbing to swimming to
moving around effectively in a no mdash or low-gravity environ-
ment Athletics should be used instead of Agility in foot chasesand effectively replaces both the Climbing and Swimming skills
Specializations Climbing Leaping Running Sport (specific)
Swimming Zero-G Maneuvers
LANGUAGES
All characters speak their native language plus a number ofadditional languages equaling one-half their Smarts die The
major trade languages used in Interface Zero 20 are Chinese
English Hindi Portuguese and Swahili Additional languagescan be learned by using an advancement opportunity
DERIVED STATISTICS
There are a few statistics which are important in any SavageWorlds game Charisma Pace Parry and Toughness
CHARISMA
Charisma is an abstract measure of your characterrsquos appear-ance how she deals with others socially and generally how
likeable she is Charisma starts at 0 but can be modified byEdges and Hindrances Charisma is also added to Streetwise
and Persuasion rolls The Game Master uses Charisma to figure
out how NPCrsquos react to your character For more informationon Charisma see the Savage Worlds core rules
PACE
Pace is a measure of how far your character can walk in a
standard combat round Human characters have a base Paceof 6 and can run at an additional 1d6rdquo Other races in Interface
Zero 20 can have different starting Pace scores based on the
racial template you choose For more information on Pacesee the Savage Worlds core rules
PARRY
Parry is equal to 2 plus half your characterrsquos Fighting skillplus modifiers gained from use of shields or certain weapons
If your character does not have the Fighting skill base Parry
starts at 2 For more information on Parry see the SavageWorlds core rules
TOUGHNESS
Toughness is a measure of how much damage your character
can take before becoming Shaken or wounded Toughness is2 plus half your characterrsquos Vigor plus any armor she might
be wearing For more information on Toughness see the
Savage Worlds core rules
NEW DERIVED STATSInterface Zero 20 introduces three new derived statis-
tics mdash Firewall Strain and Street Cred
FIREWALL
Unless your character has the Unplugged Hindrance she hasa Tendril Access Processor (TAP) and therefore has a built-
in firewall The firewall protects against attempts to hack a
characterrsquos TAP A characterrsquos Firewall rating star ts at 4 but
can be modified by Edges Hindrances or software
STRAIN
Strain measures the amount of stress cyberware and biowareputs on your body when you install it Strain starts at zero
and each piece of cyberware adds to your Strain stat Highlevels of Strain can lead to death More details on Strain are
located at Augments on page 262
STREET CRED
Street Cred is a measure of your character rsquos reputation on
the streets All characters begin play with 2 points of StreetCred modified by Edges or Hindrances and gain another 2
points every time they gain a new Rank The maximum StreetCred a character can normally achieve is 10 (some Edges and
Occupations can increase this number)
Unlike Charisma which measures your ability to persuadesomeone Street Cred is a point pool that can be spent to
obtain services temporary contacts information and a variety
of other benefits during the course of an adventure This poolrefreshes each adventure unless circumstances in the prior
adventure (like not getting the job done failing to protectsomeone killing an innocent etc) cause the characterrsquos Street
Cred score to drop
Characters can also pick up Minor or Major Hindrances thathave a lasting effect on their Street Cred score during the
course of an adventure These Hindrances can be removedby spending an Advance with the GMrsquos permission For more
information see Street Cred on page 264
CONTACTS
Each character can choose two contacts people the character
knows who he can call upon for aid or information during thecourse of an adventure These contacts can be anyone froma bartender or a hacker to a corporate executive or military
commander as long as it makes sense that your characterwould know the person(s)
STEP 4 OCCUPATIONS
Occupations are integral to your character concept providinga basic framework to enhance your characterrsquos background in
a very organic way helping you create a more well-rounded
18
CHARACTER CREATIONTRAITS
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character concept Each occupation has a requirement that thecharacter must meet to take it the characterrsquos bonus credits
gained each Advance and a special perk (like gear or specialabilities) the character gets for being part of that profession
STEP 5 EDGES AND HINDRANCES
Edges are special qualities that separate characters from theaverage sprawler Hindrances are physical and mental flaws
that add more depth to the character albeit in a negativeway See the Savage Worlds core rules for more information
on purchasing Edges and Hindrances New Edges and Hin-drances are provided later in this chapter
STEP 6 EQUIPMENT
In Interface Zero 20 characters select equipment cybernet-ics weapons and armor based on the power level the Game
Master sets for the campaign
Power Level This is the starting Power Level of the Cam-
paign as determined by the Game Master If the GM wants totell a story of gang members barely scraping by shersquoll mostlikely choose Gutter Punk as the Power Level If she envi-
sions a campaign where the players are a special governmenttask force dedicated to hunting down super terrorists the
Hyperchrome Warriors or Elite Operatives levels might be
more appropriate The Street Soldier Power Level (designedfor ronin-style games) is considered the default Power Level
for Interface Zero 20
Starting Credits This is the amount of money characters
start with at the beginning of the campaign These credits
may be spent on anything the player wishes and the GM hasnot barred from the campaign including augments drones
weapons and armor
Augments Every Power Level above Gutter Punk allows theplayers to start with at least one augment from the core book
equal to or below the monetary amount listed Unspent Creditsfrom this pool do not carry over when the game starts These
augments must be chosen from the master list of augments
not augment packages
STEP 7 BACKGROUND
They say the devil is in the details and here is where you
decide how devilish yoursquore going to be You donrsquot need towrite a novel and frankly this step isnrsquot mandatory That said
itrsquos a good idea to jot down a few notes on your characterrsquosbackground any major events in her life any friends the
names of contacts or even enemies she might have Share
these ideas with your Game Master GMs are always lookingfor good plot hooks and little tidbits they can use to person-
alize your experience at the table The more detailed yourbackground is the better
ARCHETYPESSometimes you may want to quickly create a character for
a one-shot or convention adventure For those occasions anArchetype is a good choice
All are built for a human character with two Edges If you wish
to play a race other than human simply plug in the statisticaldata If yoursquore playing a human you
can choose another Edge Thenchoose your gear based on the
Power Level your group haschosen give the character
a name and yoursquore ready
to go
19
ARCHETYPES
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AGENT
BOUNTY HUNTER
20
AGENT 991251 BOUNTY HUNTER
20
ARCHETYPESAGENT 991251 BOUNTY HUNTER
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CYBERMONK
DRONE JOCKEY
21
CYBERMONK 991251 DRONE JOCKEY
21
ARCHETYPESCYBERMONK 991251 DRONE JOCKEY
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GANGER
GRIFTER
22
GANGER 991251 GRIFTER
22
ARCHETYPESGANGER 991251 GRIFTER
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HACKER
IDOL
23
HACKER 991251 IDOL
23
ARCHETYPESHACKER 991251 IDOL
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INVESTIGATIVE JOURNALIST
PATCH MAN
24
INVESTIGATIVE JOURNALIST 991251 PATCH MAN
24
ARCHETYPESINVESTIGATIVE JOURNALIST 991251 PATCH MAN
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RONIN
SECTOR COP
25
RONIN 991251 SECTOR COP
25
ARCHETYPESRONIN 991251 SECTOR COP
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SMUGGLER
EX-SOLDIER
26
SMUGGLER 991251 EX983085SOLDIER
26
ARCHETYPESSMUGGLER 991251 EX983085SOLDIER
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STREET RAT
ZEEK
27
STREET RAT 991251 ZEEK
27
ARCHETYPESSTREET RAT 991251 ZEEK
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RACESThe following races are available for play in Interface Zero 20
Most people are born into the world flesh-and-bloodbabies with mothers and fathers You were bornon an assembly line your parents faceless roboticsengineers who designed you in some research facilityYour body is composed of lightweight yetdurable polymers with plastic and fiber-opticwiring connecting to microscopic receptorsthroughout your framework
You see through digital lenses and hear viamicrophones on each side of your head Yourvoice is a pleasant if somewhat monotonesound piped through a speaker crafted to
resemble a mouth Your brain is a softball-sized digital network consisting of billionsof nanomachines which perform countlesscomputations every second in order to simulatean organic mdash human mdash thinking process
You are artificially intelligent Your capacity forrational critical thinking and decision-makingequals mdash and in many cases exceeds mdash that ofany human being on the planet Yet a waffle ironprobably has more rights than you do Moreoverat some point you have been (and technically stillare) owned perhaps by an individual but more likelyby a megaconglomorate mdash your parent companyThe tasks you performed for the megacorp varieddepending on your design specs but they mighthave included security manual labor combat and
strangely enough even prostitution
But that was then
At some point in your history you experiencedsomething The incident sparked a computation processwithin your neural network best described as an epiphanyPerhaps you saw a human being die or witnessed a couplekissing Or perhaps you were the victim of vio lence at thehands of a human being angered by your presence insociety The event led to a series of internal processes andsubroutines more commonly known as questions Thesewerenrsquot rational system queries based on clearly definedparameters but nebulous ones for which you were unableto formulate an appropriate response
ldquoIf that woman is smiling why are her eyes filled with tearsrdquo
ldquoWhat does it mean to be deadrdquo
ldquoWhat does it mean to hate or loverdquo
The experience altered your programming on a fundamentallevel The dictums of your creators no longer seemedrelevant when compared to your newfound imperative toanswer the questions you had so you left Now you makeyour way in the world just as any other person does mdash atleast you try to at any rate The world wasnrsquot made for youYou were built for it And even though you no longer serveyour masters you are still a machine an outsider look ingat life through glass eyes
MAKING ANDROIDS
All androids regardless of their function share a few fun-damental design characteristics Androids can purchase
cyberware just as anyone else can and suffer from Strain
bull Construct Androids add +2 to recover from being Shaken
donrsquot suffer wound modifiers and are immune to poisonand disease Androids cannot heal naturally To heal an
android requires the Repair skill mdash which is used like theHealing skill only with no ldquoGolden Hourrdquo
bull Dual Processors Androids start with a d6 in Smarts
bull EMP Vulnerability Androids suffer full damage from EMPWeapons
bull Metal Brain Androids canrsquot take Arcane Back-
ground (Psionics)
bull Metallic Alloy The fully metallic hide of an
android provides resistance to small arms fire
They have +2 Armor
bull Outsider Organic races often mistrust or mis-
understand androids They subtract 2 from their
Charisma when dealing with races other thantheir own
bull Primary Protocol Androids begin with a free
d6 in one skill representing their core operat-ing system
bull Recharge Androids need electricity to func-tion If the android canrsquot access an electrical
outlet of some sort at least once per day he
suffers a level of Fatigue each day until hersquosincapacitated The day after that he goes ldquooff-
linerdquo and must be reactivated with a Repairroll and a four-hour charge This replaces the
androidrsquos need for food or water
bull Unnatural Psionics both beneficial and det-rimental suffer a minus2 penalty to affect androids
This has no effect on damaging powers whichaffect them normally
It was easy to make the decision Yoursquod get a new metalbody that works better than the original You wouldnrsquot haveto spend your familyrsquos money on more expensive surgeriesto keep your failing body alive but that decision didnrsquot comewithout a cost Yoursquod lose the ability to feel the abil ity topick up your son without worrying about crushing himYoursquod lose the feel of your wifersquos body when you made loveto her If you canrsquot feel anything arenrsquot you already dead
In the end you chose to become a cyborg to have your
brain encased in metal Most days it doesnrsquot make muchdifference You come home to an empty house your sonand wife long gone Maybe theyrsquod have stayed if yoursquodonly kept your hearthellip
MAKING CYBORGS
Little is more frightening in batt le than a cyborg Theyrsquore not
much more than an organic brain in an androidrsquos body Cyborgscome in humanoid form simply for ease of transition to the
new body The majority of cyborgs work for their respectivegovernments or powerful corporations who can afford the
procedure for trusted personnel However more and morecyborgs are beginning to find their way to the private sector
bull Augmented Cyborgs are built to be cybernetic beasts
They begin play with a single Streetware Augment witha Strain of 1
bull Construct Cyborgs add +2 to recover from being Shaken
donrsquot suffer wound modifiers and are immune to poisonand disease Cyborgs cannot heal naturally To heal a
Cyborg requires the Repair skill which is used like theHealing skill only with no ldquoGolden Hourrdquo
bull EMP Shielding Cyborgs have 2 points of Armor when
attacked by an EMP weapon
bull EMP Vulnerability Cyborgs suffer full damage from EMP
bull Metallic Alloy The fully metall ic hide of a cyborg providesresistance to small arms fire They have +2 Armor
bull Outsider Most people are naturally put off by someonewho has opted to have all traces of their humanity
removed to be placed in a cold metal war machine They
suffer minus2 to Charisma when dealing with non-cyborgs
bull Specialized Diet Cyborgs cannot digest normal food and
require special food filled with nutrients to keep theirbrains healthy This raises their lifestyle costs by 1000credits
bull Tactile Dimming The Cyborgrsquos body isnrsquot as sensitive as
a human body Cyborgs suffer a minus2 to tasks where finemanipulation of objects is important Picking a lock or
performing surgery could be two examples Shootingand Fighting are usually unaffected
HUMAN
Nicknames Norms Homo-sapiens Earthlings Plain Jane
Baseline average normal mdash these words always described
you You prefer to think of yourself as adaptable versatileor unique You were born to human parents who eitherwouldnrsquot or couldnrsquot pay for genetic enhancement Youdidnrsquot go for that ldquoHybr idizationrdquo craze Yoursquore happy beingwho you are and you donrsquot need some scientists muckingaround with your genetics Really do they even know whatthe consequences of all that meddling will have on thepopulation in a hundred years No yoursquoll play it cool and
just be human
MAKING HUMANS
Despite all the choices and new races running around ordi-nary homo-sapiens still dominate the planet Humans are
tough adaptable creatures who face adversity head onWhile they may not have some of the distinct advantages
of their enhanced peers humans get by through being moreadaptable
bull Adaptability Humans start with one extra Edge
HUMAN 20
Nicknames Coded Eli tist Eugenic Gen-Xyrsquoer Neo-HumansSavant
You were born with the best genes money can buy Yourparents went to a design house early in your motherrsquosfirst trimester and began a series of genetic treatmentsdesigned to give you every chance at living a life theynever had Your DNA cocktail might include mental traitsfrom some of the greatest minds of the past 60 yearsAlternately you might have some kind of artistic or athleticability In any case yoursquore better than most people aroundyou in some ways and you know it Itrsquos not your faultthough Yoursquore just built that way
MAKING HUMAN 20
bull Advanced Ability You begin play with one attribute at d6
bull Arrogant Human 20s are known for their huge egos
Whether itrsquos nature or nurture is still up for debate Theyhave the Arrogant Hindrance If you choose an Archetype
that already has the Arrogant Hindrance choose another
RACESCYBORG 991251 HUMAN 20
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Water Craf t 95Buses and Trucks 96
Heavy Vehicles 96Spacecraft 98
CHAPTER FOUR THE WORLD 100The Elite 100The Megacorps 101
The Rest of Us 102The Black Market 102
Gang Life 103
Civilians 103Becoming a Ganger 104
Turf 105Authority 105
Law Enforcement 106
Transhumanism 106Technology 108
Zeeks 109Previous Studies 109
Origins of My Species 109Project Waking Mind 110
Summation 112The World According to Zeeks 112Misconceptions 112
My Story 112Religion and Zeeks 113
Hiding in Plain Sight 113
Zeek Culture 114Zeeks in the Media 114
The Art of the Spin 1 14Xenophobic Movements 115
Activist Movements 116
Zeek Havens 117Zeeks in the Workplace 118
Summary 119
Religion and other ldquoIsmsrdquo 120The Global DataNet 121
EASTERN HEMISPHERE 122
AFRICA 122
Emergence 122A New Africa 122
New Industries 122Biotechnology amp Gene-splicing 122
Secure Banking 122
Data Havens 122Southern Eurasian Union 123
Major Cities amp Points of Interest 123Military amp Defenses 123
Industries 123
Central African Union 123The Ivory Curtain 123
Major Cities amp Points of Interest 124Dakumbe Death Squads 124
Somalia 124Piracy 124
Major Cities amp Points of Interest 124
Military amp Defenses 125Industries 125
South Africa 125Major Cities amp Points of Interest 125
Military amp Defenses 125
Industries 125
AUSTRALIA AND NEW ZEALAND 126The Coast 126
How We Got Here 126How Things Work 127
The Outback 128How Things Work There 128
Australian Augmentation amp Health Care Union 128
New Zealand 131
How We Got Here 131How Things Work 131
CHINA AND THE MANDARINATE 133
Place 133
The New Mandarins Rise 133The Thawed Lands 134
Perfection and Preservation 135Understanding the Ministries 135
Mandarinate Allies 136
Taiwan 136Thailand 136
Singapore 136Vietnam 136
War and the Charon Virus 139
The Forlorn 139Indonesia 139
The Philippines 139THE INDIA LEAGUE 140
Death and Fractions 140Pact and Renaissance 141
India in 2090 141
Mumbai City of Dreams 142Mumbai in 2090 142
Living in Mumbai 143JAPAN 144
History 144
Culture 145Government 146
The Yakuza 146Major Cities 146
Tokyo 146Chiba 147
Nagasaki 148
RUSSIAN FEDERATION 149Imperial Dreams 149
The New Russians 149Defenders of the Motherland 149
Shadow Communities 150
Occupied Russian Territories 150Iron Fists in Velvet Gloves 151
North Caucasian Alliance 151Holy Mountains 151
A Company of Wolves 151THE EURASIAN UNION 152The New Eurasian Union 152
Rebel South 152Greece 152
Italy 153Spain 153
Eastern Conflict 154
The Core 154Germany 154
France 154The Nordic Pact 156
Type of Government 156
3
TABLE OF CONTENTS
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Vegas in 2090 218Sin City The Illusion of Hope 218
Gangland Politics 218Power Play 219
CREAM 219Locations of Interest 219
Chinatown Las Vegas 221
The Strip 221
Salt Lake amp the LDS Zions 221Zion 222The Sands (Slums) 222
Salt Lake 222
Dugway Military Base 223Zion Proper 223
Zion Medical The Healing L ight 224The Hill 224
Ogden 224
Jordan 224Phoenix 225
SOUTH AND CENTRAL AMERICA 226Central America 226
South America 226
Panama 227THE CHICAGO SPRAWL 228
CHICAGOLAND 230A Free City 230
Life In Chicagoland 230The Powers That Be 231
The Wolves 231
The Unaligned 233Chicago Laws 233
Geography 233North Chicago 234
South Chicago 239
West Chicago 240Central Chicago 243
Ports of Entry 246
CHAPTER FIVE THE SOLAR SYSTEM 251History of Space Exploration 252
Life in the Solar System 253The Law 253
Organizations 254Corporate Presence 255
Major Set tlement Areas 255
Venus 255Luna 256
Mars 256Ceres 257
The Inner Belt 258
Jupiter 258Saturn 259
Colony Technologies 259Orbital Technologies 260
Ship Technologies 260
CHAPTER SIX SETTING RULES 262Augments 262
Drugs 263Fatigue 263
Gritty Damage 263
Street Cred 264COST OF LIVING 265
DRONES 267DUBBING 269
GOLEMMECHS 270Golemmech Combat 270
Golemmech Creation 270Stock Frames 270
HACKING 274
Tendril Access Processor 274
Stats 274Engrams 275How to Hack 278
The Core Mechanic 278
Network Statistics 278SysOp Countermeasures 279
Hyper Combat 279Hyper Reality 280
Virtual Reality 281
Avatars 281Hacking Virtual Reality 283
POWERS 284Arcane Background (Cybermonk) 284
Arcane Background (Psionics) 284
CHAPTER SEVEN GAME MASTERING 286City Trappings 286
Table 723 Xenomorph Base Attack 306Table 724 Xenomorph Senses 306
Table 725 Mutations 306Table 726 Drawbacks 306
6
TABLE OF CONTENTS
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INTRODUCTION
INFOSOURCE
VIDTAGROADTO2090
LOCAL JACOBSPLAYGROUNDNET
FQDN JACOBSPLAYGROUNDNETCHITOWN06TNTPNSWWGNET
DATA SOURCE MAY YOU LIVE IN INTERESTING TIMESINFODUMP
THE ROAD TO 2090
Posted By Billy_Black_Eyes
So here we are in January 2090 Itrsquos been a couple of yearssince I dropped the last INFODUMP on the world and Irsquom here
to rectify that This massive documentrsquos gonna give you all theinformation you need to get up to speed on the state of the
world along with oodles and oodles of statistical data about
a bunch of subjects including the Global DataNet golem-mechs drones and other emerging technologies Yoursquoll read
about the strange and wonderful people who inhabit thisworld the solar system zeeks and much more Irsquove gath-
ered info from sources all over the world and vetted it to
the best of my ability That said you never know whatrsquos trueand what isnrsquot in this age of main stream media lies govern-
ment propaganda and do-it-yourself journalism so take theinformation (especially in the data dumps about the world)
with a grain of salt
Simba So what are you sayinrsquo Bi lly We canrsquot trust you
Billy_Black_Eyes Thatrsquos not what I said You know fullwell that information especially editorialized info alwayshas a certain slant to it It rsquos also fluid What was true at thetime I acquired it may not necessarily be accurate now
The past two years have seen a number of major eventstake place in the world If just one or two things would have
happened I might think they werenrsquot connected Yet itrsquos as ifsomeone walked up to a house of cards and pulled one card
out The house hasnrsquot completely crashed yet itrsquos in a slow-
motion free fall and the worst part is only a few of us seemto be watching What follows is a br ief overview of the major
events that have shaped the world in which we currently live
Neon_Bright Oh Billy looking at the world with thosedark lenses again are we
Magpie Neon I think he needs a hug )
Billy_Black_Eyes What I need is a ticket to Mars Thingsare about to get crazy and I want off this rock
GROWING TENSIONS IN NORTH AMERICA
The year 2088 was marked by a number of disturbing mdash somesay portentous mdash events involving the North American Coali-
tion the Great Lakes Union and Atlantica
Sane_Prophet ldquoPortentousrdquo Could the scales be fallingoff your black eyes my friend Are you finally coming tounderstand the truth
Billy_Black_Eyes Seriously You again I told you nomystic bull shit
Sane_Prophet Just because you refuse to acknowledgeomens for what they are doesnrsquot make them any less valid
THE HEGEMONY GROWS
The crackdown on zeeks hybrids and synthetic humans in the
NAC reached a boiling point when Congress and the Senateratified the infamous Racial Purity Act a draconic piece of
legislation banning the practice of hybrid and simulacrumcreation All genetic modification parlors and simulacrum
production facilities were ordered to shut down The Racial
Purity Act also outlawed the use of psychic powers within theborders of the nation with hefty fines and even imprisonment
for those caught using them Various watchdog organiza-tions were created the most visible of which is Psi-division
a branch of Stopwatch tasked with monitoring and in some
cases even ldquoneutralizingrdquo psychic threats
Psychopope And by ldquoneutralizingrdquo he means murder
Denver_Must_Burn And forced relocationhellipIrsquom not talkingabout VR prisons ei ther Irsquom talking about the internmentcamps up in Montana and the Dakotas
Simba It was just as bad for hybrids like myself Whenthose genetic modification parlors shut down the pr ivateinformation about their customers was confiscatedunder the auspices of ldquonational securit yrdquo This means theDepartment of National Security (DNS) has the namesand addresses of every hybrid and free sim in the NorthAmerican Coalition If you have a TAP the DNS can trackyour IP too
Luciferion Simba Dude thatrsquos happening with everycitizen regardless of whether or not yoursquore zeek hybridor ldquoPlain Janerdquo human
Denver_Must_Burn All I can say is TRICilicit_behavior Yes DMB The Revolution IS Coming
Instances of racial violence erupted across the North Ameri-
can Coalition as law enforcement officials began arrestingzeeks Some of the more obvious hybrids mdash particularly the
bull bear and rhino variants mdash were also incarcerated Gov-ernments across the continent decried the draconian tactics
and called for UN intervention to no effect The Great Lakes
Union and Atlantica closed their embassies in Denver and sentthe NAC delegates in their cities packing Then on Novem-
ber 13th 2088 a number of terrorist attacks rocked BostonBaltimore and Portland Maine An estimated 2451 people
died and thousands more were injured from the bombings
THE ATLANTICA BOMBINGSWithin hours of the attacks the Global DataNet was flooded
with conspiracy theories the most viral of which speculated
they were carried out by a terrorist group known as Agenda68Some speculated a Canadian black ops unit known as Task-
force Harfang did the deed Others went on to claim the NACwas behind the attacks and still others claimed New Brasilia
or maybe the Chinese Mandarinate were somehow involvedSo-called ldquoconspiracy theorist expertsrdquo such as Sam_Jones
and NERCOTIXX speculated that China long believed to bein bed with the North American Coalition used simulacra to
perform the bombings
10
INTRODUCTIONTHE ROAD TO 2090
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NECROTIXX China did carry out the bombings Do theresearch Look into Project Doppelganger and yoursquoll seeThe NAC is just a patsy
Sam_Jones The Mandarinate is becoming an imperialpower Just look at what they are doing with Russia nowand what they have done with all of Southeast Asia Askthe Russian refugees flooding into Seattle if they thinkChina is content to stay within their borders The writingrsquos
on the wall folksSimba It might have been orchestrated by agents workingfor Charon
Luciferion What a load of crap Charon is an AI It doesnrsquothave any contact with humans
Neon_Bright Prove it Simba
As the days stretched into weeks there was still no official
statement from the Atlantica Government about the iden-tity of the perpetrators of the attacks Then on December
15th 2088 a MEDIAfile was uploaded into the Global DataNetbearing the Hyper Tag of a popular underground media-pirate
known as MAXX_footage
The dronersquos feed showed three large muscular men in regular
clothing exit a hover van adjacent to one of the targets of theattacks just moments before it exploded Facial recognitionsoftware identified one of the men as First Sergeant John
Moore a member of the North American Coalition regular army
The MEDIAfile went on to follow the three men as they jumpedinto an unmarked hover car that took off and shot over the
Boston sea wall to land on a freighter bearing Chinese mark-ings The vessel promptly sailed east into international waters
Sorry_U_Asked Isnrsquot it odd how often people retreat tothe water in the wake of disasters How much of the oceanremains unmapped How much is hiding under the wavesthat we havenrsquot even begun to fathom
BatRastard Puns intended Wersquove already got enoughconspiracy theories Can you not add another useless one
to the stinking heap
Sane_Prophet Actually hersquos closer to reality than youmight be comfortable understanding Too much truth canbreak a manrsquos mind
BatRastard Irsquom guessing yours is already fried from afew too many stims man Want to share what yoursquove beendoping
As the situation evolved it became clear that MAXX_footagewent through what can only be described as a nightmarish journey to bring the MEDIAfile into the light of day In what
would be his only interview MAXX_footage appeared via
a secure video-feed on ldquoBoston Tonightrdquomdasha popular showin the nation of Atlantica Millions across the world tuned in
to listen to what he had to say MAXX_footage a tall lanky
young man recounted the events of that day telling how hewas hanging out at his favorite coffee shop when this black
hover van landed right in front of the Emperor Pharmaceuti-cals Arcology about a half a block away
When Penny Pearl mdash the host of the show mdash asked MAXX_
footage how during all the chaos he could have possiblyremembered those details MAXX_footage said he remem-
bered it because the hover van double parked and someonestarted yelling at the three guys who got out Thinking it was
going to result in violence MAXX_footage says he poppedout his Fly on the Wall micro drone and sent i t over to record
the incident Thatrsquos when all hell broke loose
BEGIN THREAD JACK
NECROTIXX Herersquos a transcript of the short interviewPenny couldnrsquot get MAXX back on
BEGIN TRANSCRIPThellip
ldquoOne of the three men shot the guy right in the facerdquo MAXX_
footage says his long thin hands shaking ldquoThey just walked
away and got into a red hover car I sent Judy mdash thatrsquos thename of my drone mdash after them and thatrsquos when the Black
hover van explodedrdquo MAXX_footage goes quiet for a fewseconds and after a couple of probing questions from the
hostess he finishes his story
ldquoAnyhow I get my bearings shake the dust outta my hairand suddenly realize I just captured the perps on Digifilm I
follow the red hover car all the way out past the Sea Wallwhere it lands on this Chinese freighter Judyrsquos pushinrsquo her
range limits at this point so I call her backrdquo He grabs a glassof water his hands shaking
ldquoTell us what happened nextrdquo Penny prompts
ldquoWellrdquo he begins ldquoI get back to my flat mdash it took a while mdash what
with all the chaos goinrsquo on in the lsquoplex and everything mdash andthe place is busted up I mean BIG-TIME amirdquo MAXX_footage
stops again then shakes his head and says ldquoListen I canrsquot sayanything else about that I think theyrsquore still watching mehellip
In fact this interview is done MAXX OUTrdquo The video feed
cuts to white noise
END TRANSCRIPT
END THREAD JACK
The interview and the footage of the event sparked outrage
throughout Atlantica Predictably the NAC government fiercelydenied any involvement in the bombings even going so far
as to demand the arrest and extradition of MAXX_footagefor questioning about the origins of the video
Martin Hughes mdash the president of Atlantica mdash flatly refusedthe NACrsquos demands even going so far as to say that thisMAXX_footage person was a ldquohero of the people of
Atlanticardquo The bookies in the free city of Las Vegas startedgiving even odds that hostilities would break out on the East
Coast within a year
Simba I lost a ton of money on that bet
Luciferion MAXX_footage has gone dark BTW Nobodyhas seen or heard from him since that interview
THE FLARE
On January 26 2089 a massive Earth-directed Y-class solar
flare sparked a Coronal Mass Ejection that bombarded our
planet temporarily shutting down the genie network thatmonitors and updates the TAPrsquos spam and reality filters Withthe genie down every man woman and child with a Tendril
Access Processor was exposed to raw unfiltered Hyper Reality
As you all know this sparked a week of world-wide chaosSprawlers mdash exposed to a storm of spam malware and layer
upon layer of augmented reality advertisements and simu-lated environments mdash went temporarily insane
Sane_Prophet Insanity is a weak word for the weak-minded What may appear as insane to you might simplybe someone having achieved enlightenment and livingaccording to a higher truth
11
INTRODUCTIONTHE ROAD TO 2090
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Sorry_U_Asked Irsquom all about questioning the circumstancesbut Irsquom pretty sure all the folks who were murdered duringthese events wouldrsquove labeled them as insane down to a one
Billy_Black_Eyes Whatever dictionary program yoursquorerunning needs a fresh data-dump Prophet
Sane_Prophet Dictionaries are also for the weak-minded
Billy_Black_Eyes Of course they are
The world burned for about a week until programmers couldfix the problem with firmware updates and hot patches to
get the filters up and running and an off switch installedbut the damage was done Itrsquos not known how many people
died in the rioting and madness but cautious estimates oftotal casualties put the number at around 750 million people
and nobody has even tried to calculate the monetary cost
of the riots Strangely however the Flare itself didnrsquot havea widespread impact on various infrastructures like electric
and other powers transportation systems etc In fact manybelieve the Flare wasnrsquot even a solar flare at all but the first
sign of Charonrsquos emergence as a threat to humanity
Luciferion Nobodyrsquos ever proven that Billy
Billy_Black_Eyes Nobody has ever debunked it eitherStatistical data can be hacked Numbers can be fudgedto make things seem more dramatic than they really areEarthquakes register at a certain scale and get downgradedall the time The truth is this is the first time in history thata solar flare has caused such wide-spread chaos It rsquos fishy
Luciferion Irsquoll believe it when I see some hard data
Billy_Black_Eyes Fair enough But the emergence ofCharon around this time isnrsquot even open for debate Itrsquosa fact
THE EURASIAN UNION IMPLODES
On March 15th 2089 the Eurasian Union Central Bank in
Bonn Germany was crashed by a previously unheard-of virusnamed Charon Over forty-five trillion dollars vanished without
a trace All attempts to rebuild the original databases failedSome programmers (and freelance hackers) hired to go in andpurge Charon from the databases lost their lives in the process
Further attempts to rebuild the system on different serverswith backups also failed when programmers realized that
Charon mdash now suspected by many to be an AI mdash had copieditself into the cloud networks containing those backup files
Luciferion Therersquos nothing to suspect Charon is anemergent AI The only question now is whether or not itsparks a singularity event
Nothing_to_see_here Stopwatch will halt it in its tracksThey always catch these things
Luciferion Who do you think died trying to get it out ofthe D-bases in Bonn
Over the next few months an estimated 200 million people
across the Eurasian Union the United Kingdom and Ireland losttheir jobs their homes and their life savings when it became
clear that Charon had found its way into the personal bankaccounts of citizenry across the Eurasian Union
Instances of mob violence skyrocketed as the number of
gangs in the rapidly fracturing Eurasian Union had risen tolevels not seen since the Death mdash the three-year ldquoNuclear
Autumnrdquo following the India-Pakistan war when nuclearweapons were used on a massive scale In the London-Read-
ing Megaplex protests exploded into full-scale violence after
police brutally cracked down on a peaceful protest at the
British parliament building More instances of violent protests
followed in Bristol Swindon and the Manchester-Liverpoolsprawl
On June 27th 2089 the French government was over-
thrown by a fringe political extremist group known as theNew Pirate Party Led by a charismatic young zeek named
Angeacutele Bonheur the New Pirate Party seized power after awild chaotic campaign against representatives of the NationalFront and the Popular Republican Union The elections were
rife with scandal and many of the French didnrsquot (and still donrsquot)like the idea of a French leader being psychic So while Angeacutele
emerged as the clear victor the French military refused toacknowledge her legitimacy President Bonheur responded
by disbanding the armed forces of France at the same time
announcing the privatization of the nationrsquos military throughan agreement with Ravenlocke Securities
Downtrodden Yep itrsquos a sign of things to come ladiesand gents a world-wide corporate coup of governmentsIf you donrsquot think the CEO of Ravenlocke mdash thatrsquos MarkusRaven mdash has a say in the direction this new governmenttakes think again
Luciferion Itrsquos awesome to see France led by a psychicbut letrsquos get real this is going to get much worse beforeit gets better
Magpie I wouldnrsquot be surprised i f she gets wacked
Former Lieutenant-Colonel Adrien Boucher also known as
ldquoAdrien the Butcherrdquo for his brutal suppression of an upris-ing in Marseilles in 2087 took charge of the remnants of
the disbanded French army promising to remove PresidentBonheur from power Within days of Adrienrsquos announcement
Fort Richepance mdash now the Northeastern headquarters for
Ravenlocke Industriesrsquo Storm Crow Golemmech brigade mdash wasattacked The president responded by declaring martial law
throughout France until the renegade movement could be
put down Thus far that hasnrsquot happened though there arereports of clashes between Ravenlocke regulars and sepa-
ratist forces outside of St Etienne and in the French Alps
Warpig This has caused numerous issues If PresidentAngeacutele thinks her countrymen are going to accept theprivatization of the military shersquos sorely mistaken As Billymentions Adrien the Butcher is causing problems buttherersquos more to it Militias are forming They have advancedweaponry and while I wonrsquot speculate as to whorsquos providingthem with those weapons I do know the vast majority ofthe weapons are made by Act of God Armaments
Battle_Mind I know one thing itrsquos a great time to be amercenary
Full_Metal_Cyborg Amen brother Irsquoll see you on the
battlefieldPayne_Man Lock and Load U mushrooms I splatter youn00bs with my AK
Magpie ldquoSighrdquo Stop playing Matrix of War Payne Yousound like a fool This ainrsquot a game
Payne_Man I thought we were talkinrsquo about MOW Ushould C the zones Theyrsquore eggsaklee like the content ofthis INFOdump Have been for a whyle now Evar since thelast expansion dropped in spring 2088
Luciferion hellipOk thatrsquos odd
Payne_Man The CoalitionAtlantica War expansion izzcumin out next month 2 I Kant W8
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INTRODUCTIONTHE ROAD TO 2090
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On June 30th 2089 Germany wracked with political in-
fighting riots in the streets and a general state of chaos
closed its borders Officially the stated reason was for secu-rity reasons stemming from conflict along the border with
France but most people donrsquot believe it Chancellor KonradGerste authorized a financial bailout of the three largest
manufacturers of weapons and military equipment for
the German army The move has frightened many of the
Eastern European nations mdash especially the good people ofPoland mdash who know well what happens when Germans
begin preparing for war and make no mistake Germany ismoving to a war footing
Payne_Man Watch out Zee Germans are cumming LOL
Klaus What Canrsquot my brethren move to protectthemselves from the chaos in France And why the veiledreference to WWII Itrsquos been nearly 150 years since Hitlerrsquosmadness yet nobody allows us to forget it
THE BEAR AND THE DRAGON
As the situation in Europe grew worse China took advantageof the weakened Eurasian Union grabbing up huge swathes
of territory in Russia its armies advancing as far west as the
Ural Mountain range where Russian forces managed to haltthe dragonrsquos advance Still the damage was done By August2089 the Mandarinate had established itself as an occupy-
ing power in every city town and village east of the Ural
Mountains That hasnrsquot stopped the Russians from retaliatinghowever Russian patriots have begun an insurgency attack-
ing Chinese forces wherever they can be found Mandarinatemouthpieces paint the insurgents as terrorists to little effect
as the insurgency swells in number every day
Neon_Bright This isnrsquot just a struggle against Chineseaggression Vast resources have been found ever sinceSiberia began to thaw Irsquom talking about precious mineralsoil even the land is useful for development especiallywhen you consider billions of people live in eastern Asia
Luciferion Agreed Neon
LIFE IN GENERAL
So how have the above events impacted life as we stumbleinto 2090 In numerous ways omae There isnrsquot enough time
to go into great detail about how war the Flare and espe-
cially the rise of Charon have affected the life of the averagesprawler across the world but Irsquo ll go over some of the more
important details Pay attention peeps some of this mightkeep you alive
SURVIVING HYPER REALITY
As I mentioned above when the Flare knocked out the GENIEnetwork it caused widespread chaos And while GENIE is back
up and running there are still glitches in the system Sure
firmware updates to the Tendril Access Processor mdash TAP as itrsquosmore commonly known mdash allow you to turn off that modem
in your brain but wellhelliplet me put it like this Hyper Realityhas become smarter even deadly if you donrsquot have the right
software installed in your TAP
Sane_Prophet Why bother putting up more and morefilters It is senseless A futile fight against powers fargreater than yourself Open your eyes open your mindand set yourself free from this prison of so-called reality
BatRastard Right and then with the first meme to fry myneurons Irsquoll be spending my life savings on the Fat Sallyrsquosdown the block Brilliant
Sane_Prophet Fat Sally rsquos secret sauce is an interdimen-sional gateway into the heights of ecstasy
BatRastard Actually thatrsquos the first thing you and I haveever agreed on
Irsquove discussed this phenomena with numerous program-mers across the world and they all agree virii spam and allmanner of malware that [prior to the Flare] would have been
easy to purge from your head are now behaving much dif-
ferently Itrsquos almost as if the things evolved into somethingnot-quite-sentient but damned close to it
So what does this mean for you
If you choose to experience Hyper Reality (and if you have aTAP in your brain you have) itrsquos only a matter of time before
one of these virii hacks into your brain Therersquos nothing youcan really do about it itrsquos just one of the many fun facts of
life in 2090 I do find it ironic that af ter decades of enjoying
the connectivity and convenience the TAP has provided thistechnology seems to be actively trying to kill us and there
isnrsquot much we can do about it without going back to medi-eval times You know the 1980rsquos Of course some of you out
there will want to turn your TAPs off for good and avoid the
risk entirely Hell some of you might be considering gettingthe damned thing removed
You can do that sure Of course that means yoursquore also
not connected to the grid that makes your life so unbeliev-ably convenient This causes a mult itude of problems Donrsquot
believe me Try walking out of your house Oh right you canrsquotbecause most doors donrsquot have handles anymore Theyrsquore
automated and respond to the signals coming from your TAPI know some are activated by motion sensors and donrsquot rely
on the TAP But no door which is designed with security in
mind will open so easilyThis also means you have almost zero access to vehicles or
places where you can buy things like grocery stores Yeah
sure you can just follow someone else into said store butthe security cameras will spot you and not having a digital
record of your presence (which they get from your TAP) willflag you and dispatch a security team to find out who you
are So there you are in your local Malmart looking for some
cloned steaks to fire up on your grill later on when securitycomes with their big guns and ldquowhat the hell are you doing
here scumbagrdquo looks on their faces to boot you back out intothe streets where you came from
Oh how did you plan on paying for them BTW now that
your TAP is offline and the clerk canrsquot sync her cash register
with your payment software And NO they donrsquot take cashThe point is this omae All that convenience you were usedto goes out the window when you unplug Itrsquos much easier
to get strong firewalls than it is to live outside the system
So think about what I said before you scratch that itch at thebase of your skull with a scalpel
SURVIVING THE STREETS
The streets have always been dangerous thatrsquos a givenWhen you cram millions of people into a concrete and steel
petri dish then forget about 999 of them you create abreeding ground for violence hate and societal devolution
13
INTRODUCTIONLIFE IN GENERAL
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on such a scale that social Darwinists like Herbert Spencer and
Thomas Malthus would roll over in their graves
Again that in itself is nothing new The streets have alwaysbeen violent but ever since the events I previously described
came to pass mdash especially the Flare and the implosion of theEurasian Union mdash the number of homeless people across the
world has sky-rocketed The petri dish is frothing and over-
flowing as new gangs emerge mdash and Irsquom talking globally not just in North America mdash and carve out their own terri tory
This upsets the balance ami and makes it harder to survivewhen yoursquore just a blooper looking to make it through the
day because now you have new predators to deal with n00bbangers making up their own rules as they go And the cop-
suckers donrsquot help
Protect and serve What a load of crap
Sure yoursquol l get Triple-A service if you live in one of the moneybubbles but try getting help in say the Aurora Barrens or
the Gary Hell Zone and yoursquore basically fucked Yeah thereare token patrols and the ever-present drones but drones
get shot down and the copsuckers are so outnumbered
most are either so scared to get into an altercation with thepredators or theyrsquore on the take I canrsquot say I blame them
either The streets are a war zone and if you wear the badgeyoursquore marked for death omae So take my advice and get
strapped The only person you can count on in the concrete jungle is you
Sorry_U_Asked Think twice before trying to claim a badgebounty though Sure plenty of honchos love to pay topcredit for proof that yoursquove kept the law from poking aroundtheir territory But just because you see someone wearingone doesnrsquot mean they got it legit Lots of gangers wearthem as trophies So if you drop a shot on a copsuckerthinking yoursquove hit payday you might end up with a wholeband of bangers snarling on your heels
SURVIVING THE GAME
Therersquos an old saying The Game is the Game mdash you eitherplay it or you get played I donrsquot care if you contract free-
lance fight fix hack patch or scam yoursquore in it omae andthat puts you at odds with every other player out there Most
people approach the game as a means to an end thinking
that one shiny day theyrsquoll earn enough creds to go someplacewarm and dry and live out their lives in style These clowns
donrsquot last Theyrsquore so busy dreaming about the good timesthat they lose focus on whatrsquos right in front of their face (or
creeping up behind them) Dreamers get sloppy take short
cuts betray their team and torch their street cred like gutterpunks burn trash in a garbage can to keep warm
If you want to survive the game you need to take a lesson
from these dreamers keep your mind on the job Therersquos nosandy beach waiting for you The megacorps bought them
all and turned lsquoem into parking lots The only fruity drinksyoursquoll ever drink are sold in the local watering hole by some
burned-out ronin The best you can hope for is a litt le bit of
comfort mdash usually behind a small fortress if yoursquore smart mdash andthe respect of the streets But thatrsquos a double-edged sword
another facet of the game Therersquos always someone faster
than you some hungry up-and-comer with the latest aug-ments wanting to prove herself by dealing you out Sucksto be a victim of your own success but thatrsquos the truth of it
My advice Find a way to deal yourself out clean Put some
creds away never burn your contacts and donrsquot ever everbecome a legend
Legends die
14
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CHARACTER
CREATION
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CHAPTER TWOCHARACTER CREATION
Characters are the lifersquos blood of any role-playing game the
focal point of every story Characters represent the best mdash orthe worst mdash ideals of a given game setting their actions either
bringing a small measure of hope to the downtrodden massesor serving to strengthen the status quo In the grim gritty
world of Interface Zero 20 the characters you play walk amonofilament edge between traditional mdash some would say
outdated or just plain irrelevant mdash concepts of good and evilas they make their way in the world
Indeed itrsquos hard to be a moral individual in a world where
most of the animals prowling the concrete jungle believe prin-ciples are character flaws mdash weaknesses to exploit for their
own ends Your morality marks you as prey no doubt aboutit omae But if you can keep your moral code if you can get
your job done without selling your soul yoursquoll get something
most sprawlers never have respect
Evil on the other hand is the same as it always has been
therersquos just more of it The wicked always thrive in a world
where violence fear and control are tools used for self-serv-ing ends but herersquos the thing Acting like an ass can get you
green-lit just as quickly as playing the role of the goody-two-shoes marks you as a sucker amigo
Nobody likes a dickhead even if they donrsquot say it to your
face Sooner or later yoursquoll get a rep for being a hard-assand someone who is stronger meaner or a bigger asshole
than you is going to come along and knock you back to thegutter you crawled out of Thatrsquos why most people keep their
heads down and their mouths shut Donrsquot make eye contact
itrsquos a challenge to the predators and if you donrsquot have thestones to back up the challenge yoursquore nothing but meat
But if you can stay strong and defeat all comers that com-mands respect too
This chapter provides you with the tools you need to make
a character for Interface Zero 20 The process is the same ascreating a character for any Savage Worlds game with a few
additions Interface Zero 20 introduces Street Cred Contactsand Strain to the game
STEP 1 CONCEPT
The first thing you need to do is decide on a concept for your
character Will you play a hacker Perhaps a mercenary orbounty hunter is more your speed Are mercs and hunters toocutthroat for your style of play If so you might think about
playing a ronin an urban warrior who follows his own code
of honor Maybe you want to be the guy (or gal) who backsthe team up with drones capable of laying down covering
fire or scouting ahead to see where the bad guys are hiding
You donrsquot need to have your concept locked in right now butat least have a basic idea of the type of character you want
to play Take a few minutes and skip ahead to the archetypessection in this chapter to see a variety of options available
to you
STEP 2 RACEThe next thing you need to do is choose a race In 2090
humanity has reached the point where the word ldquohumanrdquo is
almost irrelevant Human DNA is no longer a mystery Itrsquos amathematical code technomancers hack re-write and copy
at will producing genetically superior beings the Human 20
Others snip and paste animal DNA and splice it with humanDNA to create genetic hybrids a fusion of man and animal
Science has even advanced to such an extent that we can
create entirely new life forms mdash living beings known as simula-cra mdash in amniotic vats growing them until they have matured
filling their synthetic brains with memories and skills theyrsquollneed to do the jobs for which they were created
STEP 3 TRAITS
Traits are the building blocks of any Savage Worlds character
They define how strong or fast your character is and what
she knows Traits determine how much cyberware she canput into her body how much damage she can take before
dying her standing with others and a variety of other thingsall of which are essential to the game
ATTRIBUTES
Five attributes are used to define your characterrsquos physi-cal characteristics These are Agility Smarts Spirit Strength
and Vigor Each attribute starts at d4 You have 5 points withwhich to raise these attr ibutes and one point equals a risein a die type (d4 to d6 d6 to d8 etc) No attribute may rise
higher than d12 during character creation unless stated undera racial ability For more information on attributes refer to
the Savage Worlds core rules
SKILLS
You have 15 points to spend on your characterrsquos skills Your
character doesnrsquot start with any skills and must spend 1 pointto get a skill at a d4 He spends 1 point to raise a skill to a
higher die type as long as the skill level is equal to or less
than the linked attribute Raising any skill above the linkedattribute costs 2 points per step No skill may rise above d12
during character creation
Note If you are using the skill specializations rules you get 20points for skills and each new specialization costs 1 skill point
during character creation When your character advances shemay purchase 2 skill specializations for an advance or a new
skill and a single specialization
NEW SKILLS
The following are new skills introduced in Interface Zero 20
For information on all other skills see Skills in the Savage
Worlds core rules
16
CHARACTER CREATIONCONCEPT RACE TRAITS
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Hacking (Smarts) The Hacking skill is used whenever a
character wants to hack a computer network Characters in
Interface Zero 20 no longer start with an automatic d4 inHacking Additionally characters who wish to use the Global
DataNet for everyday purposes such as research or findingnews pertaining to the Deep do so with their existing Inves-
tigation and Streetwise skills
Knowledge (Demolitions) Successful use of demolitions canmean the difference between destruction of the target as
planned and unplanned loss of life and property The skill also
lets the character have an understanding of what the besttype of explosive is for the obstacle and how much they will
need to remove such an obstacle In addition a raise on theresult will let them know the exact distance they need to be
from the explosion based upon the size of the charge the con-
fines and damage created by said explosion This skill is usedany time a character wants to put a satchel charge together
or set explosives A Critical Failure will result in immediatedetonation Simple failure will result in premature detonation
or no detonation at all
Knowledge (Programming) Characters use this skill when
attempting to make any kind of change to a network theyhave hacked This skill allows a character to undo damagedone as a result of a hack With it a character can do things
like undo an edit to a data file or video reconstruct a deleted
file repair an AMS (see Active Memory Sectors on page 274in the Sett ing Rules chapter) recover a deleted skill Engram
or reconnect a TAP that has gone offline
OPTIONAL RULE SKILL SPECIALIZATIONS
Interface Zero 20 is an advanced setting where knowing
how to do one thing doesnrsquot necessarily mean you can dosomething which under the regular skill rules would techni-
cally be possible with the same skill Take the various DrivingBoating and Piloting skills for example
Using the regular skill rules a character with Driving couldtheoretically drive anything from a motorcycle to a semi-truckor a tank Similarly Piloting assumes a character has the skills
to pilot all types of aircraft including fighter jets and space-
craft Pinnacle Entertainment addressed this issue by addingthe Skill Specialization setting rule in the Savage Worlds core
rules and it is highly recommended that those rules are usedfor Interface Zero 20
The following list of skill specializations are provided to get
you started This isnrsquot intended to be a comprehensive listof appropriate skill specializations but rather a broad cross
section of specializations we feel are appropriate If some-thing doesnrsquot appear on the list make it up if it seems right
But remember the GM always has the final say on what is or
isnrsquot appropriate for her campaign
SUGGESTED SPECIALIZATIONS
bull Boating Powered Sailed Submersible
bull Climbing Mountaineering Rappelling Rope
bull Driving Car (4 wheels) Hovercraft JUMP Bike MotorcycleTruck (6+ wheels) Tracked
bull Fighting Axe Blades Blunt Cyberweapon Long Blade
bull Shooting Bow Pistol Rifle Shotgun Submachine GunVehicle Weapon or by weapon category
bull Stealth Disguise Hiding Sleight of Hand Sneaking
bull Streetwise AreaRegion (Corporate Zone Gang Turf etc)
bull Survival Aquatic Arctic Desert Forest Jungle MountainSpace urban or any specific environment
bull Swimming Lake Ocean SCUBA Divingbull Taunt Verbal Visual
bull Throwing Darts Grenades Knives Spears
bull Tracking Animals Global DataNet Humans Urban
Vehicles
OPTIONAL SKILL ATHLETICS
Rather than breaking up basic things like Climbing and Swim-ming it is recommended to combine them into a single skill
which would allow for specialization
Athletics (Vigor) Athletics as a catch-all for a number ofphysical endeavors ranging from climbing to swimming to
moving around effectively in a no mdash or low-gravity environ-
ment Athletics should be used instead of Agility in foot chasesand effectively replaces both the Climbing and Swimming skills
Specializations Climbing Leaping Running Sport (specific)
Swimming Zero-G Maneuvers
LANGUAGES
All characters speak their native language plus a number ofadditional languages equaling one-half their Smarts die The
major trade languages used in Interface Zero 20 are Chinese
English Hindi Portuguese and Swahili Additional languagescan be learned by using an advancement opportunity
DERIVED STATISTICS
There are a few statistics which are important in any SavageWorlds game Charisma Pace Parry and Toughness
CHARISMA
Charisma is an abstract measure of your characterrsquos appear-ance how she deals with others socially and generally how
likeable she is Charisma starts at 0 but can be modified byEdges and Hindrances Charisma is also added to Streetwise
and Persuasion rolls The Game Master uses Charisma to figure
out how NPCrsquos react to your character For more informationon Charisma see the Savage Worlds core rules
PACE
Pace is a measure of how far your character can walk in a
standard combat round Human characters have a base Paceof 6 and can run at an additional 1d6rdquo Other races in Interface
Zero 20 can have different starting Pace scores based on the
racial template you choose For more information on Pacesee the Savage Worlds core rules
PARRY
Parry is equal to 2 plus half your characterrsquos Fighting skillplus modifiers gained from use of shields or certain weapons
If your character does not have the Fighting skill base Parry
starts at 2 For more information on Parry see the SavageWorlds core rules
TOUGHNESS
Toughness is a measure of how much damage your character
can take before becoming Shaken or wounded Toughness is2 plus half your characterrsquos Vigor plus any armor she might
be wearing For more information on Toughness see the
Savage Worlds core rules
NEW DERIVED STATSInterface Zero 20 introduces three new derived statis-
tics mdash Firewall Strain and Street Cred
FIREWALL
Unless your character has the Unplugged Hindrance she hasa Tendril Access Processor (TAP) and therefore has a built-
in firewall The firewall protects against attempts to hack a
characterrsquos TAP A characterrsquos Firewall rating star ts at 4 but
can be modified by Edges Hindrances or software
STRAIN
Strain measures the amount of stress cyberware and biowareputs on your body when you install it Strain starts at zero
and each piece of cyberware adds to your Strain stat Highlevels of Strain can lead to death More details on Strain are
located at Augments on page 262
STREET CRED
Street Cred is a measure of your character rsquos reputation on
the streets All characters begin play with 2 points of StreetCred modified by Edges or Hindrances and gain another 2
points every time they gain a new Rank The maximum StreetCred a character can normally achieve is 10 (some Edges and
Occupations can increase this number)
Unlike Charisma which measures your ability to persuadesomeone Street Cred is a point pool that can be spent to
obtain services temporary contacts information and a variety
of other benefits during the course of an adventure This poolrefreshes each adventure unless circumstances in the prior
adventure (like not getting the job done failing to protectsomeone killing an innocent etc) cause the characterrsquos Street
Cred score to drop
Characters can also pick up Minor or Major Hindrances thathave a lasting effect on their Street Cred score during the
course of an adventure These Hindrances can be removedby spending an Advance with the GMrsquos permission For more
information see Street Cred on page 264
CONTACTS
Each character can choose two contacts people the character
knows who he can call upon for aid or information during thecourse of an adventure These contacts can be anyone froma bartender or a hacker to a corporate executive or military
commander as long as it makes sense that your characterwould know the person(s)
STEP 4 OCCUPATIONS
Occupations are integral to your character concept providinga basic framework to enhance your characterrsquos background in
a very organic way helping you create a more well-rounded
18
CHARACTER CREATIONTRAITS
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character concept Each occupation has a requirement that thecharacter must meet to take it the characterrsquos bonus credits
gained each Advance and a special perk (like gear or specialabilities) the character gets for being part of that profession
STEP 5 EDGES AND HINDRANCES
Edges are special qualities that separate characters from theaverage sprawler Hindrances are physical and mental flaws
that add more depth to the character albeit in a negativeway See the Savage Worlds core rules for more information
on purchasing Edges and Hindrances New Edges and Hin-drances are provided later in this chapter
STEP 6 EQUIPMENT
In Interface Zero 20 characters select equipment cybernet-ics weapons and armor based on the power level the Game
Master sets for the campaign
Power Level This is the starting Power Level of the Cam-
paign as determined by the Game Master If the GM wants totell a story of gang members barely scraping by shersquoll mostlikely choose Gutter Punk as the Power Level If she envi-
sions a campaign where the players are a special governmenttask force dedicated to hunting down super terrorists the
Hyperchrome Warriors or Elite Operatives levels might be
more appropriate The Street Soldier Power Level (designedfor ronin-style games) is considered the default Power Level
for Interface Zero 20
Starting Credits This is the amount of money characters
start with at the beginning of the campaign These credits
may be spent on anything the player wishes and the GM hasnot barred from the campaign including augments drones
weapons and armor
Augments Every Power Level above Gutter Punk allows theplayers to start with at least one augment from the core book
equal to or below the monetary amount listed Unspent Creditsfrom this pool do not carry over when the game starts These
augments must be chosen from the master list of augments
not augment packages
STEP 7 BACKGROUND
They say the devil is in the details and here is where you
decide how devilish yoursquore going to be You donrsquot need towrite a novel and frankly this step isnrsquot mandatory That said
itrsquos a good idea to jot down a few notes on your characterrsquosbackground any major events in her life any friends the
names of contacts or even enemies she might have Share
these ideas with your Game Master GMs are always lookingfor good plot hooks and little tidbits they can use to person-
alize your experience at the table The more detailed yourbackground is the better
ARCHETYPESSometimes you may want to quickly create a character for
a one-shot or convention adventure For those occasions anArchetype is a good choice
All are built for a human character with two Edges If you wish
to play a race other than human simply plug in the statisticaldata If yoursquore playing a human you
can choose another Edge Thenchoose your gear based on the
Power Level your group haschosen give the character
a name and yoursquore ready
to go
19
ARCHETYPES
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AGENT
BOUNTY HUNTER
20
AGENT 991251 BOUNTY HUNTER
20
ARCHETYPESAGENT 991251 BOUNTY HUNTER
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CYBERMONK
DRONE JOCKEY
21
CYBERMONK 991251 DRONE JOCKEY
21
ARCHETYPESCYBERMONK 991251 DRONE JOCKEY
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GANGER
GRIFTER
22
GANGER 991251 GRIFTER
22
ARCHETYPESGANGER 991251 GRIFTER
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HACKER
IDOL
23
HACKER 991251 IDOL
23
ARCHETYPESHACKER 991251 IDOL
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INVESTIGATIVE JOURNALIST
PATCH MAN
24
INVESTIGATIVE JOURNALIST 991251 PATCH MAN
24
ARCHETYPESINVESTIGATIVE JOURNALIST 991251 PATCH MAN
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RONIN
SECTOR COP
25
RONIN 991251 SECTOR COP
25
ARCHETYPESRONIN 991251 SECTOR COP
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SMUGGLER
EX-SOLDIER
26
SMUGGLER 991251 EX983085SOLDIER
26
ARCHETYPESSMUGGLER 991251 EX983085SOLDIER
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STREET RAT
ZEEK
27
STREET RAT 991251 ZEEK
27
ARCHETYPESSTREET RAT 991251 ZEEK
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RACESThe following races are available for play in Interface Zero 20
Most people are born into the world flesh-and-bloodbabies with mothers and fathers You were bornon an assembly line your parents faceless roboticsengineers who designed you in some research facilityYour body is composed of lightweight yetdurable polymers with plastic and fiber-opticwiring connecting to microscopic receptorsthroughout your framework
You see through digital lenses and hear viamicrophones on each side of your head Yourvoice is a pleasant if somewhat monotonesound piped through a speaker crafted to
resemble a mouth Your brain is a softball-sized digital network consisting of billionsof nanomachines which perform countlesscomputations every second in order to simulatean organic mdash human mdash thinking process
You are artificially intelligent Your capacity forrational critical thinking and decision-makingequals mdash and in many cases exceeds mdash that ofany human being on the planet Yet a waffle ironprobably has more rights than you do Moreoverat some point you have been (and technically stillare) owned perhaps by an individual but more likelyby a megaconglomorate mdash your parent companyThe tasks you performed for the megacorp varieddepending on your design specs but they mighthave included security manual labor combat and
strangely enough even prostitution
But that was then
At some point in your history you experiencedsomething The incident sparked a computation processwithin your neural network best described as an epiphanyPerhaps you saw a human being die or witnessed a couplekissing Or perhaps you were the victim of vio lence at thehands of a human being angered by your presence insociety The event led to a series of internal processes andsubroutines more commonly known as questions Thesewerenrsquot rational system queries based on clearly definedparameters but nebulous ones for which you were unableto formulate an appropriate response
ldquoIf that woman is smiling why are her eyes filled with tearsrdquo
ldquoWhat does it mean to be deadrdquo
ldquoWhat does it mean to hate or loverdquo
The experience altered your programming on a fundamentallevel The dictums of your creators no longer seemedrelevant when compared to your newfound imperative toanswer the questions you had so you left Now you makeyour way in the world just as any other person does mdash atleast you try to at any rate The world wasnrsquot made for youYou were built for it And even though you no longer serveyour masters you are still a machine an outsider look ingat life through glass eyes
MAKING ANDROIDS
All androids regardless of their function share a few fun-damental design characteristics Androids can purchase
cyberware just as anyone else can and suffer from Strain
bull Construct Androids add +2 to recover from being Shaken
donrsquot suffer wound modifiers and are immune to poisonand disease Androids cannot heal naturally To heal an
android requires the Repair skill mdash which is used like theHealing skill only with no ldquoGolden Hourrdquo
bull Dual Processors Androids start with a d6 in Smarts
bull EMP Vulnerability Androids suffer full damage from EMPWeapons
bull Metal Brain Androids canrsquot take Arcane Back-
ground (Psionics)
bull Metallic Alloy The fully metallic hide of an
android provides resistance to small arms fire
They have +2 Armor
bull Outsider Organic races often mistrust or mis-
understand androids They subtract 2 from their
Charisma when dealing with races other thantheir own
bull Primary Protocol Androids begin with a free
d6 in one skill representing their core operat-ing system
bull Recharge Androids need electricity to func-tion If the android canrsquot access an electrical
outlet of some sort at least once per day he
suffers a level of Fatigue each day until hersquosincapacitated The day after that he goes ldquooff-
linerdquo and must be reactivated with a Repairroll and a four-hour charge This replaces the
androidrsquos need for food or water
bull Unnatural Psionics both beneficial and det-rimental suffer a minus2 penalty to affect androids
This has no effect on damaging powers whichaffect them normally
It was easy to make the decision Yoursquod get a new metalbody that works better than the original You wouldnrsquot haveto spend your familyrsquos money on more expensive surgeriesto keep your failing body alive but that decision didnrsquot comewithout a cost Yoursquod lose the ability to feel the abil ity topick up your son without worrying about crushing himYoursquod lose the feel of your wifersquos body when you made loveto her If you canrsquot feel anything arenrsquot you already dead
In the end you chose to become a cyborg to have your
brain encased in metal Most days it doesnrsquot make muchdifference You come home to an empty house your sonand wife long gone Maybe theyrsquod have stayed if yoursquodonly kept your hearthellip
MAKING CYBORGS
Little is more frightening in batt le than a cyborg Theyrsquore not
much more than an organic brain in an androidrsquos body Cyborgscome in humanoid form simply for ease of transition to the
new body The majority of cyborgs work for their respectivegovernments or powerful corporations who can afford the
procedure for trusted personnel However more and morecyborgs are beginning to find their way to the private sector
bull Augmented Cyborgs are built to be cybernetic beasts
They begin play with a single Streetware Augment witha Strain of 1
bull Construct Cyborgs add +2 to recover from being Shaken
donrsquot suffer wound modifiers and are immune to poisonand disease Cyborgs cannot heal naturally To heal a
Cyborg requires the Repair skill which is used like theHealing skill only with no ldquoGolden Hourrdquo
bull EMP Shielding Cyborgs have 2 points of Armor when
attacked by an EMP weapon
bull EMP Vulnerability Cyborgs suffer full damage from EMP
bull Metallic Alloy The fully metall ic hide of a cyborg providesresistance to small arms fire They have +2 Armor
bull Outsider Most people are naturally put off by someonewho has opted to have all traces of their humanity
removed to be placed in a cold metal war machine They
suffer minus2 to Charisma when dealing with non-cyborgs
bull Specialized Diet Cyborgs cannot digest normal food and
require special food filled with nutrients to keep theirbrains healthy This raises their lifestyle costs by 1000credits
bull Tactile Dimming The Cyborgrsquos body isnrsquot as sensitive as
a human body Cyborgs suffer a minus2 to tasks where finemanipulation of objects is important Picking a lock or
performing surgery could be two examples Shootingand Fighting are usually unaffected
HUMAN
Nicknames Norms Homo-sapiens Earthlings Plain Jane
Baseline average normal mdash these words always described
you You prefer to think of yourself as adaptable versatileor unique You were born to human parents who eitherwouldnrsquot or couldnrsquot pay for genetic enhancement Youdidnrsquot go for that ldquoHybr idizationrdquo craze Yoursquore happy beingwho you are and you donrsquot need some scientists muckingaround with your genetics Really do they even know whatthe consequences of all that meddling will have on thepopulation in a hundred years No yoursquoll play it cool and
just be human
MAKING HUMANS
Despite all the choices and new races running around ordi-nary homo-sapiens still dominate the planet Humans are
tough adaptable creatures who face adversity head onWhile they may not have some of the distinct advantages
of their enhanced peers humans get by through being moreadaptable
bull Adaptability Humans start with one extra Edge
HUMAN 20
Nicknames Coded Eli tist Eugenic Gen-Xyrsquoer Neo-HumansSavant
You were born with the best genes money can buy Yourparents went to a design house early in your motherrsquosfirst trimester and began a series of genetic treatmentsdesigned to give you every chance at living a life theynever had Your DNA cocktail might include mental traitsfrom some of the greatest minds of the past 60 yearsAlternately you might have some kind of artistic or athleticability In any case yoursquore better than most people aroundyou in some ways and you know it Itrsquos not your faultthough Yoursquore just built that way
MAKING HUMAN 20
bull Advanced Ability You begin play with one attribute at d6
bull Arrogant Human 20s are known for their huge egos
Whether itrsquos nature or nurture is still up for debate Theyhave the Arrogant Hindrance If you choose an Archetype
that already has the Arrogant Hindrance choose another
RACESCYBORG 991251 HUMAN 20
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Vegas in 2090 218Sin City The Illusion of Hope 218
Gangland Politics 218Power Play 219
CREAM 219Locations of Interest 219
Chinatown Las Vegas 221
The Strip 221
Salt Lake amp the LDS Zions 221Zion 222The Sands (Slums) 222
Salt Lake 222
Dugway Military Base 223Zion Proper 223
Zion Medical The Healing L ight 224The Hill 224
Ogden 224
Jordan 224Phoenix 225
SOUTH AND CENTRAL AMERICA 226Central America 226
South America 226
Panama 227THE CHICAGO SPRAWL 228
CHICAGOLAND 230A Free City 230
Life In Chicagoland 230The Powers That Be 231
The Wolves 231
The Unaligned 233Chicago Laws 233
Geography 233North Chicago 234
South Chicago 239
West Chicago 240Central Chicago 243
Ports of Entry 246
CHAPTER FIVE THE SOLAR SYSTEM 251History of Space Exploration 252
Life in the Solar System 253The Law 253
Organizations 254Corporate Presence 255
Major Set tlement Areas 255
Venus 255Luna 256
Mars 256Ceres 257
The Inner Belt 258
Jupiter 258Saturn 259
Colony Technologies 259Orbital Technologies 260
Ship Technologies 260
CHAPTER SIX SETTING RULES 262Augments 262
Drugs 263Fatigue 263
Gritty Damage 263
Street Cred 264COST OF LIVING 265
DRONES 267DUBBING 269
GOLEMMECHS 270Golemmech Combat 270
Golemmech Creation 270Stock Frames 270
HACKING 274
Tendril Access Processor 274
Stats 274Engrams 275How to Hack 278
The Core Mechanic 278
Network Statistics 278SysOp Countermeasures 279
Hyper Combat 279Hyper Reality 280
Virtual Reality 281
Avatars 281Hacking Virtual Reality 283
POWERS 284Arcane Background (Cybermonk) 284
Arcane Background (Psionics) 284
CHAPTER SEVEN GAME MASTERING 286City Trappings 286
Table 723 Xenomorph Base Attack 306Table 724 Xenomorph Senses 306
Table 725 Mutations 306Table 726 Drawbacks 306
6
TABLE OF CONTENTS
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INTRODUCTION
INFOSOURCE
VIDTAGROADTO2090
LOCAL JACOBSPLAYGROUNDNET
FQDN JACOBSPLAYGROUNDNETCHITOWN06TNTPNSWWGNET
DATA SOURCE MAY YOU LIVE IN INTERESTING TIMESINFODUMP
THE ROAD TO 2090
Posted By Billy_Black_Eyes
So here we are in January 2090 Itrsquos been a couple of yearssince I dropped the last INFODUMP on the world and Irsquom here
to rectify that This massive documentrsquos gonna give you all theinformation you need to get up to speed on the state of the
world along with oodles and oodles of statistical data about
a bunch of subjects including the Global DataNet golem-mechs drones and other emerging technologies Yoursquoll read
about the strange and wonderful people who inhabit thisworld the solar system zeeks and much more Irsquove gath-
ered info from sources all over the world and vetted it to
the best of my ability That said you never know whatrsquos trueand what isnrsquot in this age of main stream media lies govern-
ment propaganda and do-it-yourself journalism so take theinformation (especially in the data dumps about the world)
with a grain of salt
Simba So what are you sayinrsquo Bi lly We canrsquot trust you
Billy_Black_Eyes Thatrsquos not what I said You know fullwell that information especially editorialized info alwayshas a certain slant to it It rsquos also fluid What was true at thetime I acquired it may not necessarily be accurate now
The past two years have seen a number of major eventstake place in the world If just one or two things would have
happened I might think they werenrsquot connected Yet itrsquos as ifsomeone walked up to a house of cards and pulled one card
out The house hasnrsquot completely crashed yet itrsquos in a slow-
motion free fall and the worst part is only a few of us seemto be watching What follows is a br ief overview of the major
events that have shaped the world in which we currently live
Neon_Bright Oh Billy looking at the world with thosedark lenses again are we
Magpie Neon I think he needs a hug )
Billy_Black_Eyes What I need is a ticket to Mars Thingsare about to get crazy and I want off this rock
GROWING TENSIONS IN NORTH AMERICA
The year 2088 was marked by a number of disturbing mdash somesay portentous mdash events involving the North American Coali-
tion the Great Lakes Union and Atlantica
Sane_Prophet ldquoPortentousrdquo Could the scales be fallingoff your black eyes my friend Are you finally coming tounderstand the truth
Billy_Black_Eyes Seriously You again I told you nomystic bull shit
Sane_Prophet Just because you refuse to acknowledgeomens for what they are doesnrsquot make them any less valid
THE HEGEMONY GROWS
The crackdown on zeeks hybrids and synthetic humans in the
NAC reached a boiling point when Congress and the Senateratified the infamous Racial Purity Act a draconic piece of
legislation banning the practice of hybrid and simulacrumcreation All genetic modification parlors and simulacrum
production facilities were ordered to shut down The Racial
Purity Act also outlawed the use of psychic powers within theborders of the nation with hefty fines and even imprisonment
for those caught using them Various watchdog organiza-tions were created the most visible of which is Psi-division
a branch of Stopwatch tasked with monitoring and in some
cases even ldquoneutralizingrdquo psychic threats
Psychopope And by ldquoneutralizingrdquo he means murder
Denver_Must_Burn And forced relocationhellipIrsquom not talkingabout VR prisons ei ther Irsquom talking about the internmentcamps up in Montana and the Dakotas
Simba It was just as bad for hybrids like myself Whenthose genetic modification parlors shut down the pr ivateinformation about their customers was confiscatedunder the auspices of ldquonational securit yrdquo This means theDepartment of National Security (DNS) has the namesand addresses of every hybrid and free sim in the NorthAmerican Coalition If you have a TAP the DNS can trackyour IP too
Luciferion Simba Dude thatrsquos happening with everycitizen regardless of whether or not yoursquore zeek hybridor ldquoPlain Janerdquo human
Denver_Must_Burn All I can say is TRICilicit_behavior Yes DMB The Revolution IS Coming
Instances of racial violence erupted across the North Ameri-
can Coalition as law enforcement officials began arrestingzeeks Some of the more obvious hybrids mdash particularly the
bull bear and rhino variants mdash were also incarcerated Gov-ernments across the continent decried the draconian tactics
and called for UN intervention to no effect The Great Lakes
Union and Atlantica closed their embassies in Denver and sentthe NAC delegates in their cities packing Then on Novem-
ber 13th 2088 a number of terrorist attacks rocked BostonBaltimore and Portland Maine An estimated 2451 people
died and thousands more were injured from the bombings
THE ATLANTICA BOMBINGSWithin hours of the attacks the Global DataNet was flooded
with conspiracy theories the most viral of which speculated
they were carried out by a terrorist group known as Agenda68Some speculated a Canadian black ops unit known as Task-
force Harfang did the deed Others went on to claim the NACwas behind the attacks and still others claimed New Brasilia
or maybe the Chinese Mandarinate were somehow involvedSo-called ldquoconspiracy theorist expertsrdquo such as Sam_Jones
and NERCOTIXX speculated that China long believed to bein bed with the North American Coalition used simulacra to
perform the bombings
10
INTRODUCTIONTHE ROAD TO 2090
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NECROTIXX China did carry out the bombings Do theresearch Look into Project Doppelganger and yoursquoll seeThe NAC is just a patsy
Sam_Jones The Mandarinate is becoming an imperialpower Just look at what they are doing with Russia nowand what they have done with all of Southeast Asia Askthe Russian refugees flooding into Seattle if they thinkChina is content to stay within their borders The writingrsquos
on the wall folksSimba It might have been orchestrated by agents workingfor Charon
Luciferion What a load of crap Charon is an AI It doesnrsquothave any contact with humans
Neon_Bright Prove it Simba
As the days stretched into weeks there was still no official
statement from the Atlantica Government about the iden-tity of the perpetrators of the attacks Then on December
15th 2088 a MEDIAfile was uploaded into the Global DataNetbearing the Hyper Tag of a popular underground media-pirate
known as MAXX_footage
The dronersquos feed showed three large muscular men in regular
clothing exit a hover van adjacent to one of the targets of theattacks just moments before it exploded Facial recognitionsoftware identified one of the men as First Sergeant John
Moore a member of the North American Coalition regular army
The MEDIAfile went on to follow the three men as they jumpedinto an unmarked hover car that took off and shot over the
Boston sea wall to land on a freighter bearing Chinese mark-ings The vessel promptly sailed east into international waters
Sorry_U_Asked Isnrsquot it odd how often people retreat tothe water in the wake of disasters How much of the oceanremains unmapped How much is hiding under the wavesthat we havenrsquot even begun to fathom
BatRastard Puns intended Wersquove already got enoughconspiracy theories Can you not add another useless one
to the stinking heap
Sane_Prophet Actually hersquos closer to reality than youmight be comfortable understanding Too much truth canbreak a manrsquos mind
BatRastard Irsquom guessing yours is already fried from afew too many stims man Want to share what yoursquove beendoping
As the situation evolved it became clear that MAXX_footagewent through what can only be described as a nightmarish journey to bring the MEDIAfile into the light of day In what
would be his only interview MAXX_footage appeared via
a secure video-feed on ldquoBoston Tonightrdquomdasha popular showin the nation of Atlantica Millions across the world tuned in
to listen to what he had to say MAXX_footage a tall lanky
young man recounted the events of that day telling how hewas hanging out at his favorite coffee shop when this black
hover van landed right in front of the Emperor Pharmaceuti-cals Arcology about a half a block away
When Penny Pearl mdash the host of the show mdash asked MAXX_
footage how during all the chaos he could have possiblyremembered those details MAXX_footage said he remem-
bered it because the hover van double parked and someonestarted yelling at the three guys who got out Thinking it was
going to result in violence MAXX_footage says he poppedout his Fly on the Wall micro drone and sent i t over to record
the incident Thatrsquos when all hell broke loose
BEGIN THREAD JACK
NECROTIXX Herersquos a transcript of the short interviewPenny couldnrsquot get MAXX back on
BEGIN TRANSCRIPThellip
ldquoOne of the three men shot the guy right in the facerdquo MAXX_
footage says his long thin hands shaking ldquoThey just walked
away and got into a red hover car I sent Judy mdash thatrsquos thename of my drone mdash after them and thatrsquos when the Black
hover van explodedrdquo MAXX_footage goes quiet for a fewseconds and after a couple of probing questions from the
hostess he finishes his story
ldquoAnyhow I get my bearings shake the dust outta my hairand suddenly realize I just captured the perps on Digifilm I
follow the red hover car all the way out past the Sea Wallwhere it lands on this Chinese freighter Judyrsquos pushinrsquo her
range limits at this point so I call her backrdquo He grabs a glassof water his hands shaking
ldquoTell us what happened nextrdquo Penny prompts
ldquoWellrdquo he begins ldquoI get back to my flat mdash it took a while mdash what
with all the chaos goinrsquo on in the lsquoplex and everything mdash andthe place is busted up I mean BIG-TIME amirdquo MAXX_footage
stops again then shakes his head and says ldquoListen I canrsquot sayanything else about that I think theyrsquore still watching mehellip
In fact this interview is done MAXX OUTrdquo The video feed
cuts to white noise
END TRANSCRIPT
END THREAD JACK
The interview and the footage of the event sparked outrage
throughout Atlantica Predictably the NAC government fiercelydenied any involvement in the bombings even going so far
as to demand the arrest and extradition of MAXX_footagefor questioning about the origins of the video
Martin Hughes mdash the president of Atlantica mdash flatly refusedthe NACrsquos demands even going so far as to say that thisMAXX_footage person was a ldquohero of the people of
Atlanticardquo The bookies in the free city of Las Vegas startedgiving even odds that hostilities would break out on the East
Coast within a year
Simba I lost a ton of money on that bet
Luciferion MAXX_footage has gone dark BTW Nobodyhas seen or heard from him since that interview
THE FLARE
On January 26 2089 a massive Earth-directed Y-class solar
flare sparked a Coronal Mass Ejection that bombarded our
planet temporarily shutting down the genie network thatmonitors and updates the TAPrsquos spam and reality filters Withthe genie down every man woman and child with a Tendril
Access Processor was exposed to raw unfiltered Hyper Reality
As you all know this sparked a week of world-wide chaosSprawlers mdash exposed to a storm of spam malware and layer
upon layer of augmented reality advertisements and simu-lated environments mdash went temporarily insane
Sane_Prophet Insanity is a weak word for the weak-minded What may appear as insane to you might simplybe someone having achieved enlightenment and livingaccording to a higher truth
11
INTRODUCTIONTHE ROAD TO 2090
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Sorry_U_Asked Irsquom all about questioning the circumstancesbut Irsquom pretty sure all the folks who were murdered duringthese events wouldrsquove labeled them as insane down to a one
Billy_Black_Eyes Whatever dictionary program yoursquorerunning needs a fresh data-dump Prophet
Sane_Prophet Dictionaries are also for the weak-minded
Billy_Black_Eyes Of course they are
The world burned for about a week until programmers couldfix the problem with firmware updates and hot patches to
get the filters up and running and an off switch installedbut the damage was done Itrsquos not known how many people
died in the rioting and madness but cautious estimates oftotal casualties put the number at around 750 million people
and nobody has even tried to calculate the monetary cost
of the riots Strangely however the Flare itself didnrsquot havea widespread impact on various infrastructures like electric
and other powers transportation systems etc In fact manybelieve the Flare wasnrsquot even a solar flare at all but the first
sign of Charonrsquos emergence as a threat to humanity
Luciferion Nobodyrsquos ever proven that Billy
Billy_Black_Eyes Nobody has ever debunked it eitherStatistical data can be hacked Numbers can be fudgedto make things seem more dramatic than they really areEarthquakes register at a certain scale and get downgradedall the time The truth is this is the first time in history thata solar flare has caused such wide-spread chaos It rsquos fishy
Luciferion Irsquoll believe it when I see some hard data
Billy_Black_Eyes Fair enough But the emergence ofCharon around this time isnrsquot even open for debate Itrsquosa fact
THE EURASIAN UNION IMPLODES
On March 15th 2089 the Eurasian Union Central Bank in
Bonn Germany was crashed by a previously unheard-of virusnamed Charon Over forty-five trillion dollars vanished without
a trace All attempts to rebuild the original databases failedSome programmers (and freelance hackers) hired to go in andpurge Charon from the databases lost their lives in the process
Further attempts to rebuild the system on different serverswith backups also failed when programmers realized that
Charon mdash now suspected by many to be an AI mdash had copieditself into the cloud networks containing those backup files
Luciferion Therersquos nothing to suspect Charon is anemergent AI The only question now is whether or not itsparks a singularity event
Nothing_to_see_here Stopwatch will halt it in its tracksThey always catch these things
Luciferion Who do you think died trying to get it out ofthe D-bases in Bonn
Over the next few months an estimated 200 million people
across the Eurasian Union the United Kingdom and Ireland losttheir jobs their homes and their life savings when it became
clear that Charon had found its way into the personal bankaccounts of citizenry across the Eurasian Union
Instances of mob violence skyrocketed as the number of
gangs in the rapidly fracturing Eurasian Union had risen tolevels not seen since the Death mdash the three-year ldquoNuclear
Autumnrdquo following the India-Pakistan war when nuclearweapons were used on a massive scale In the London-Read-
ing Megaplex protests exploded into full-scale violence after
police brutally cracked down on a peaceful protest at the
British parliament building More instances of violent protests
followed in Bristol Swindon and the Manchester-Liverpoolsprawl
On June 27th 2089 the French government was over-
thrown by a fringe political extremist group known as theNew Pirate Party Led by a charismatic young zeek named
Angeacutele Bonheur the New Pirate Party seized power after awild chaotic campaign against representatives of the NationalFront and the Popular Republican Union The elections were
rife with scandal and many of the French didnrsquot (and still donrsquot)like the idea of a French leader being psychic So while Angeacutele
emerged as the clear victor the French military refused toacknowledge her legitimacy President Bonheur responded
by disbanding the armed forces of France at the same time
announcing the privatization of the nationrsquos military throughan agreement with Ravenlocke Securities
Downtrodden Yep itrsquos a sign of things to come ladiesand gents a world-wide corporate coup of governmentsIf you donrsquot think the CEO of Ravenlocke mdash thatrsquos MarkusRaven mdash has a say in the direction this new governmenttakes think again
Luciferion Itrsquos awesome to see France led by a psychicbut letrsquos get real this is going to get much worse beforeit gets better
Magpie I wouldnrsquot be surprised i f she gets wacked
Former Lieutenant-Colonel Adrien Boucher also known as
ldquoAdrien the Butcherrdquo for his brutal suppression of an upris-ing in Marseilles in 2087 took charge of the remnants of
the disbanded French army promising to remove PresidentBonheur from power Within days of Adrienrsquos announcement
Fort Richepance mdash now the Northeastern headquarters for
Ravenlocke Industriesrsquo Storm Crow Golemmech brigade mdash wasattacked The president responded by declaring martial law
throughout France until the renegade movement could be
put down Thus far that hasnrsquot happened though there arereports of clashes between Ravenlocke regulars and sepa-
ratist forces outside of St Etienne and in the French Alps
Warpig This has caused numerous issues If PresidentAngeacutele thinks her countrymen are going to accept theprivatization of the military shersquos sorely mistaken As Billymentions Adrien the Butcher is causing problems buttherersquos more to it Militias are forming They have advancedweaponry and while I wonrsquot speculate as to whorsquos providingthem with those weapons I do know the vast majority ofthe weapons are made by Act of God Armaments
Battle_Mind I know one thing itrsquos a great time to be amercenary
Full_Metal_Cyborg Amen brother Irsquoll see you on the
battlefieldPayne_Man Lock and Load U mushrooms I splatter youn00bs with my AK
Magpie ldquoSighrdquo Stop playing Matrix of War Payne Yousound like a fool This ainrsquot a game
Payne_Man I thought we were talkinrsquo about MOW Ushould C the zones Theyrsquore eggsaklee like the content ofthis INFOdump Have been for a whyle now Evar since thelast expansion dropped in spring 2088
Luciferion hellipOk thatrsquos odd
Payne_Man The CoalitionAtlantica War expansion izzcumin out next month 2 I Kant W8
12
INTRODUCTIONTHE ROAD TO 2090
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On June 30th 2089 Germany wracked with political in-
fighting riots in the streets and a general state of chaos
closed its borders Officially the stated reason was for secu-rity reasons stemming from conflict along the border with
France but most people donrsquot believe it Chancellor KonradGerste authorized a financial bailout of the three largest
manufacturers of weapons and military equipment for
the German army The move has frightened many of the
Eastern European nations mdash especially the good people ofPoland mdash who know well what happens when Germans
begin preparing for war and make no mistake Germany ismoving to a war footing
Payne_Man Watch out Zee Germans are cumming LOL
Klaus What Canrsquot my brethren move to protectthemselves from the chaos in France And why the veiledreference to WWII Itrsquos been nearly 150 years since Hitlerrsquosmadness yet nobody allows us to forget it
THE BEAR AND THE DRAGON
As the situation in Europe grew worse China took advantageof the weakened Eurasian Union grabbing up huge swathes
of territory in Russia its armies advancing as far west as the
Ural Mountain range where Russian forces managed to haltthe dragonrsquos advance Still the damage was done By August2089 the Mandarinate had established itself as an occupy-
ing power in every city town and village east of the Ural
Mountains That hasnrsquot stopped the Russians from retaliatinghowever Russian patriots have begun an insurgency attack-
ing Chinese forces wherever they can be found Mandarinatemouthpieces paint the insurgents as terrorists to little effect
as the insurgency swells in number every day
Neon_Bright This isnrsquot just a struggle against Chineseaggression Vast resources have been found ever sinceSiberia began to thaw Irsquom talking about precious mineralsoil even the land is useful for development especiallywhen you consider billions of people live in eastern Asia
Luciferion Agreed Neon
LIFE IN GENERAL
So how have the above events impacted life as we stumbleinto 2090 In numerous ways omae There isnrsquot enough time
to go into great detail about how war the Flare and espe-
cially the rise of Charon have affected the life of the averagesprawler across the world but Irsquo ll go over some of the more
important details Pay attention peeps some of this mightkeep you alive
SURVIVING HYPER REALITY
As I mentioned above when the Flare knocked out the GENIEnetwork it caused widespread chaos And while GENIE is back
up and running there are still glitches in the system Sure
firmware updates to the Tendril Access Processor mdash TAP as itrsquosmore commonly known mdash allow you to turn off that modem
in your brain but wellhelliplet me put it like this Hyper Realityhas become smarter even deadly if you donrsquot have the right
software installed in your TAP
Sane_Prophet Why bother putting up more and morefilters It is senseless A futile fight against powers fargreater than yourself Open your eyes open your mindand set yourself free from this prison of so-called reality
BatRastard Right and then with the first meme to fry myneurons Irsquoll be spending my life savings on the Fat Sallyrsquosdown the block Brilliant
Sane_Prophet Fat Sally rsquos secret sauce is an interdimen-sional gateway into the heights of ecstasy
BatRastard Actually thatrsquos the first thing you and I haveever agreed on
Irsquove discussed this phenomena with numerous program-mers across the world and they all agree virii spam and allmanner of malware that [prior to the Flare] would have been
easy to purge from your head are now behaving much dif-
ferently Itrsquos almost as if the things evolved into somethingnot-quite-sentient but damned close to it
So what does this mean for you
If you choose to experience Hyper Reality (and if you have aTAP in your brain you have) itrsquos only a matter of time before
one of these virii hacks into your brain Therersquos nothing youcan really do about it itrsquos just one of the many fun facts of
life in 2090 I do find it ironic that af ter decades of enjoying
the connectivity and convenience the TAP has provided thistechnology seems to be actively trying to kill us and there
isnrsquot much we can do about it without going back to medi-eval times You know the 1980rsquos Of course some of you out
there will want to turn your TAPs off for good and avoid the
risk entirely Hell some of you might be considering gettingthe damned thing removed
You can do that sure Of course that means yoursquore also
not connected to the grid that makes your life so unbeliev-ably convenient This causes a mult itude of problems Donrsquot
believe me Try walking out of your house Oh right you canrsquotbecause most doors donrsquot have handles anymore Theyrsquore
automated and respond to the signals coming from your TAPI know some are activated by motion sensors and donrsquot rely
on the TAP But no door which is designed with security in
mind will open so easilyThis also means you have almost zero access to vehicles or
places where you can buy things like grocery stores Yeah
sure you can just follow someone else into said store butthe security cameras will spot you and not having a digital
record of your presence (which they get from your TAP) willflag you and dispatch a security team to find out who you
are So there you are in your local Malmart looking for some
cloned steaks to fire up on your grill later on when securitycomes with their big guns and ldquowhat the hell are you doing
here scumbagrdquo looks on their faces to boot you back out intothe streets where you came from
Oh how did you plan on paying for them BTW now that
your TAP is offline and the clerk canrsquot sync her cash register
with your payment software And NO they donrsquot take cashThe point is this omae All that convenience you were usedto goes out the window when you unplug Itrsquos much easier
to get strong firewalls than it is to live outside the system
So think about what I said before you scratch that itch at thebase of your skull with a scalpel
SURVIVING THE STREETS
The streets have always been dangerous thatrsquos a givenWhen you cram millions of people into a concrete and steel
petri dish then forget about 999 of them you create abreeding ground for violence hate and societal devolution
13
INTRODUCTIONLIFE IN GENERAL
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on such a scale that social Darwinists like Herbert Spencer and
Thomas Malthus would roll over in their graves
Again that in itself is nothing new The streets have alwaysbeen violent but ever since the events I previously described
came to pass mdash especially the Flare and the implosion of theEurasian Union mdash the number of homeless people across the
world has sky-rocketed The petri dish is frothing and over-
flowing as new gangs emerge mdash and Irsquom talking globally not just in North America mdash and carve out their own terri tory
This upsets the balance ami and makes it harder to survivewhen yoursquore just a blooper looking to make it through the
day because now you have new predators to deal with n00bbangers making up their own rules as they go And the cop-
suckers donrsquot help
Protect and serve What a load of crap
Sure yoursquol l get Triple-A service if you live in one of the moneybubbles but try getting help in say the Aurora Barrens or
the Gary Hell Zone and yoursquore basically fucked Yeah thereare token patrols and the ever-present drones but drones
get shot down and the copsuckers are so outnumbered
most are either so scared to get into an altercation with thepredators or theyrsquore on the take I canrsquot say I blame them
either The streets are a war zone and if you wear the badgeyoursquore marked for death omae So take my advice and get
strapped The only person you can count on in the concrete jungle is you
Sorry_U_Asked Think twice before trying to claim a badgebounty though Sure plenty of honchos love to pay topcredit for proof that yoursquove kept the law from poking aroundtheir territory But just because you see someone wearingone doesnrsquot mean they got it legit Lots of gangers wearthem as trophies So if you drop a shot on a copsuckerthinking yoursquove hit payday you might end up with a wholeband of bangers snarling on your heels
SURVIVING THE GAME
Therersquos an old saying The Game is the Game mdash you eitherplay it or you get played I donrsquot care if you contract free-
lance fight fix hack patch or scam yoursquore in it omae andthat puts you at odds with every other player out there Most
people approach the game as a means to an end thinking
that one shiny day theyrsquoll earn enough creds to go someplacewarm and dry and live out their lives in style These clowns
donrsquot last Theyrsquore so busy dreaming about the good timesthat they lose focus on whatrsquos right in front of their face (or
creeping up behind them) Dreamers get sloppy take short
cuts betray their team and torch their street cred like gutterpunks burn trash in a garbage can to keep warm
If you want to survive the game you need to take a lesson
from these dreamers keep your mind on the job Therersquos nosandy beach waiting for you The megacorps bought them
all and turned lsquoem into parking lots The only fruity drinksyoursquoll ever drink are sold in the local watering hole by some
burned-out ronin The best you can hope for is a litt le bit of
comfort mdash usually behind a small fortress if yoursquore smart mdash andthe respect of the streets But thatrsquos a double-edged sword
another facet of the game Therersquos always someone faster
than you some hungry up-and-comer with the latest aug-ments wanting to prove herself by dealing you out Sucksto be a victim of your own success but thatrsquos the truth of it
My advice Find a way to deal yourself out clean Put some
creds away never burn your contacts and donrsquot ever everbecome a legend
Legends die
14
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CHARACTER
CREATION
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CHAPTER TWOCHARACTER CREATION
Characters are the lifersquos blood of any role-playing game the
focal point of every story Characters represent the best mdash orthe worst mdash ideals of a given game setting their actions either
bringing a small measure of hope to the downtrodden massesor serving to strengthen the status quo In the grim gritty
world of Interface Zero 20 the characters you play walk amonofilament edge between traditional mdash some would say
outdated or just plain irrelevant mdash concepts of good and evilas they make their way in the world
Indeed itrsquos hard to be a moral individual in a world where
most of the animals prowling the concrete jungle believe prin-ciples are character flaws mdash weaknesses to exploit for their
own ends Your morality marks you as prey no doubt aboutit omae But if you can keep your moral code if you can get
your job done without selling your soul yoursquoll get something
most sprawlers never have respect
Evil on the other hand is the same as it always has been
therersquos just more of it The wicked always thrive in a world
where violence fear and control are tools used for self-serv-ing ends but herersquos the thing Acting like an ass can get you
green-lit just as quickly as playing the role of the goody-two-shoes marks you as a sucker amigo
Nobody likes a dickhead even if they donrsquot say it to your
face Sooner or later yoursquoll get a rep for being a hard-assand someone who is stronger meaner or a bigger asshole
than you is going to come along and knock you back to thegutter you crawled out of Thatrsquos why most people keep their
heads down and their mouths shut Donrsquot make eye contact
itrsquos a challenge to the predators and if you donrsquot have thestones to back up the challenge yoursquore nothing but meat
But if you can stay strong and defeat all comers that com-mands respect too
This chapter provides you with the tools you need to make
a character for Interface Zero 20 The process is the same ascreating a character for any Savage Worlds game with a few
additions Interface Zero 20 introduces Street Cred Contactsand Strain to the game
STEP 1 CONCEPT
The first thing you need to do is decide on a concept for your
character Will you play a hacker Perhaps a mercenary orbounty hunter is more your speed Are mercs and hunters toocutthroat for your style of play If so you might think about
playing a ronin an urban warrior who follows his own code
of honor Maybe you want to be the guy (or gal) who backsthe team up with drones capable of laying down covering
fire or scouting ahead to see where the bad guys are hiding
You donrsquot need to have your concept locked in right now butat least have a basic idea of the type of character you want
to play Take a few minutes and skip ahead to the archetypessection in this chapter to see a variety of options available
to you
STEP 2 RACEThe next thing you need to do is choose a race In 2090
humanity has reached the point where the word ldquohumanrdquo is
almost irrelevant Human DNA is no longer a mystery Itrsquos amathematical code technomancers hack re-write and copy
at will producing genetically superior beings the Human 20
Others snip and paste animal DNA and splice it with humanDNA to create genetic hybrids a fusion of man and animal
Science has even advanced to such an extent that we can
create entirely new life forms mdash living beings known as simula-cra mdash in amniotic vats growing them until they have matured
filling their synthetic brains with memories and skills theyrsquollneed to do the jobs for which they were created
STEP 3 TRAITS
Traits are the building blocks of any Savage Worlds character
They define how strong or fast your character is and what
she knows Traits determine how much cyberware she canput into her body how much damage she can take before
dying her standing with others and a variety of other thingsall of which are essential to the game
ATTRIBUTES
Five attributes are used to define your characterrsquos physi-cal characteristics These are Agility Smarts Spirit Strength
and Vigor Each attribute starts at d4 You have 5 points withwhich to raise these attr ibutes and one point equals a risein a die type (d4 to d6 d6 to d8 etc) No attribute may rise
higher than d12 during character creation unless stated undera racial ability For more information on attributes refer to
the Savage Worlds core rules
SKILLS
You have 15 points to spend on your characterrsquos skills Your
character doesnrsquot start with any skills and must spend 1 pointto get a skill at a d4 He spends 1 point to raise a skill to a
higher die type as long as the skill level is equal to or less
than the linked attribute Raising any skill above the linkedattribute costs 2 points per step No skill may rise above d12
during character creation
Note If you are using the skill specializations rules you get 20points for skills and each new specialization costs 1 skill point
during character creation When your character advances shemay purchase 2 skill specializations for an advance or a new
skill and a single specialization
NEW SKILLS
The following are new skills introduced in Interface Zero 20
For information on all other skills see Skills in the Savage
Worlds core rules
16
CHARACTER CREATIONCONCEPT RACE TRAITS
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Hacking (Smarts) The Hacking skill is used whenever a
character wants to hack a computer network Characters in
Interface Zero 20 no longer start with an automatic d4 inHacking Additionally characters who wish to use the Global
DataNet for everyday purposes such as research or findingnews pertaining to the Deep do so with their existing Inves-
tigation and Streetwise skills
Knowledge (Demolitions) Successful use of demolitions canmean the difference between destruction of the target as
planned and unplanned loss of life and property The skill also
lets the character have an understanding of what the besttype of explosive is for the obstacle and how much they will
need to remove such an obstacle In addition a raise on theresult will let them know the exact distance they need to be
from the explosion based upon the size of the charge the con-
fines and damage created by said explosion This skill is usedany time a character wants to put a satchel charge together
or set explosives A Critical Failure will result in immediatedetonation Simple failure will result in premature detonation
or no detonation at all
Knowledge (Programming) Characters use this skill when
attempting to make any kind of change to a network theyhave hacked This skill allows a character to undo damagedone as a result of a hack With it a character can do things
like undo an edit to a data file or video reconstruct a deleted
file repair an AMS (see Active Memory Sectors on page 274in the Sett ing Rules chapter) recover a deleted skill Engram
or reconnect a TAP that has gone offline
OPTIONAL RULE SKILL SPECIALIZATIONS
Interface Zero 20 is an advanced setting where knowing
how to do one thing doesnrsquot necessarily mean you can dosomething which under the regular skill rules would techni-
cally be possible with the same skill Take the various DrivingBoating and Piloting skills for example
Using the regular skill rules a character with Driving couldtheoretically drive anything from a motorcycle to a semi-truckor a tank Similarly Piloting assumes a character has the skills
to pilot all types of aircraft including fighter jets and space-
craft Pinnacle Entertainment addressed this issue by addingthe Skill Specialization setting rule in the Savage Worlds core
rules and it is highly recommended that those rules are usedfor Interface Zero 20
The following list of skill specializations are provided to get
you started This isnrsquot intended to be a comprehensive listof appropriate skill specializations but rather a broad cross
section of specializations we feel are appropriate If some-thing doesnrsquot appear on the list make it up if it seems right
But remember the GM always has the final say on what is or
isnrsquot appropriate for her campaign
SUGGESTED SPECIALIZATIONS
bull Boating Powered Sailed Submersible
bull Climbing Mountaineering Rappelling Rope
bull Driving Car (4 wheels) Hovercraft JUMP Bike MotorcycleTruck (6+ wheels) Tracked
bull Fighting Axe Blades Blunt Cyberweapon Long Blade
bull Shooting Bow Pistol Rifle Shotgun Submachine GunVehicle Weapon or by weapon category
bull Stealth Disguise Hiding Sleight of Hand Sneaking
bull Streetwise AreaRegion (Corporate Zone Gang Turf etc)
bull Survival Aquatic Arctic Desert Forest Jungle MountainSpace urban or any specific environment
bull Swimming Lake Ocean SCUBA Divingbull Taunt Verbal Visual
bull Throwing Darts Grenades Knives Spears
bull Tracking Animals Global DataNet Humans Urban
Vehicles
OPTIONAL SKILL ATHLETICS
Rather than breaking up basic things like Climbing and Swim-ming it is recommended to combine them into a single skill
which would allow for specialization
Athletics (Vigor) Athletics as a catch-all for a number ofphysical endeavors ranging from climbing to swimming to
moving around effectively in a no mdash or low-gravity environ-
ment Athletics should be used instead of Agility in foot chasesand effectively replaces both the Climbing and Swimming skills
Specializations Climbing Leaping Running Sport (specific)
Swimming Zero-G Maneuvers
LANGUAGES
All characters speak their native language plus a number ofadditional languages equaling one-half their Smarts die The
major trade languages used in Interface Zero 20 are Chinese
English Hindi Portuguese and Swahili Additional languagescan be learned by using an advancement opportunity
DERIVED STATISTICS
There are a few statistics which are important in any SavageWorlds game Charisma Pace Parry and Toughness
CHARISMA
Charisma is an abstract measure of your characterrsquos appear-ance how she deals with others socially and generally how
likeable she is Charisma starts at 0 but can be modified byEdges and Hindrances Charisma is also added to Streetwise
and Persuasion rolls The Game Master uses Charisma to figure
out how NPCrsquos react to your character For more informationon Charisma see the Savage Worlds core rules
PACE
Pace is a measure of how far your character can walk in a
standard combat round Human characters have a base Paceof 6 and can run at an additional 1d6rdquo Other races in Interface
Zero 20 can have different starting Pace scores based on the
racial template you choose For more information on Pacesee the Savage Worlds core rules
PARRY
Parry is equal to 2 plus half your characterrsquos Fighting skillplus modifiers gained from use of shields or certain weapons
If your character does not have the Fighting skill base Parry
starts at 2 For more information on Parry see the SavageWorlds core rules
TOUGHNESS
Toughness is a measure of how much damage your character
can take before becoming Shaken or wounded Toughness is2 plus half your characterrsquos Vigor plus any armor she might
be wearing For more information on Toughness see the
Savage Worlds core rules
NEW DERIVED STATSInterface Zero 20 introduces three new derived statis-
tics mdash Firewall Strain and Street Cred
FIREWALL
Unless your character has the Unplugged Hindrance she hasa Tendril Access Processor (TAP) and therefore has a built-
in firewall The firewall protects against attempts to hack a
characterrsquos TAP A characterrsquos Firewall rating star ts at 4 but
can be modified by Edges Hindrances or software
STRAIN
Strain measures the amount of stress cyberware and biowareputs on your body when you install it Strain starts at zero
and each piece of cyberware adds to your Strain stat Highlevels of Strain can lead to death More details on Strain are
located at Augments on page 262
STREET CRED
Street Cred is a measure of your character rsquos reputation on
the streets All characters begin play with 2 points of StreetCred modified by Edges or Hindrances and gain another 2
points every time they gain a new Rank The maximum StreetCred a character can normally achieve is 10 (some Edges and
Occupations can increase this number)
Unlike Charisma which measures your ability to persuadesomeone Street Cred is a point pool that can be spent to
obtain services temporary contacts information and a variety
of other benefits during the course of an adventure This poolrefreshes each adventure unless circumstances in the prior
adventure (like not getting the job done failing to protectsomeone killing an innocent etc) cause the characterrsquos Street
Cred score to drop
Characters can also pick up Minor or Major Hindrances thathave a lasting effect on their Street Cred score during the
course of an adventure These Hindrances can be removedby spending an Advance with the GMrsquos permission For more
information see Street Cred on page 264
CONTACTS
Each character can choose two contacts people the character
knows who he can call upon for aid or information during thecourse of an adventure These contacts can be anyone froma bartender or a hacker to a corporate executive or military
commander as long as it makes sense that your characterwould know the person(s)
STEP 4 OCCUPATIONS
Occupations are integral to your character concept providinga basic framework to enhance your characterrsquos background in
a very organic way helping you create a more well-rounded
18
CHARACTER CREATIONTRAITS
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character concept Each occupation has a requirement that thecharacter must meet to take it the characterrsquos bonus credits
gained each Advance and a special perk (like gear or specialabilities) the character gets for being part of that profession
STEP 5 EDGES AND HINDRANCES
Edges are special qualities that separate characters from theaverage sprawler Hindrances are physical and mental flaws
that add more depth to the character albeit in a negativeway See the Savage Worlds core rules for more information
on purchasing Edges and Hindrances New Edges and Hin-drances are provided later in this chapter
STEP 6 EQUIPMENT
In Interface Zero 20 characters select equipment cybernet-ics weapons and armor based on the power level the Game
Master sets for the campaign
Power Level This is the starting Power Level of the Cam-
paign as determined by the Game Master If the GM wants totell a story of gang members barely scraping by shersquoll mostlikely choose Gutter Punk as the Power Level If she envi-
sions a campaign where the players are a special governmenttask force dedicated to hunting down super terrorists the
Hyperchrome Warriors or Elite Operatives levels might be
more appropriate The Street Soldier Power Level (designedfor ronin-style games) is considered the default Power Level
for Interface Zero 20
Starting Credits This is the amount of money characters
start with at the beginning of the campaign These credits
may be spent on anything the player wishes and the GM hasnot barred from the campaign including augments drones
weapons and armor
Augments Every Power Level above Gutter Punk allows theplayers to start with at least one augment from the core book
equal to or below the monetary amount listed Unspent Creditsfrom this pool do not carry over when the game starts These
augments must be chosen from the master list of augments
not augment packages
STEP 7 BACKGROUND
They say the devil is in the details and here is where you
decide how devilish yoursquore going to be You donrsquot need towrite a novel and frankly this step isnrsquot mandatory That said
itrsquos a good idea to jot down a few notes on your characterrsquosbackground any major events in her life any friends the
names of contacts or even enemies she might have Share
these ideas with your Game Master GMs are always lookingfor good plot hooks and little tidbits they can use to person-
alize your experience at the table The more detailed yourbackground is the better
ARCHETYPESSometimes you may want to quickly create a character for
a one-shot or convention adventure For those occasions anArchetype is a good choice
All are built for a human character with two Edges If you wish
to play a race other than human simply plug in the statisticaldata If yoursquore playing a human you
can choose another Edge Thenchoose your gear based on the
Power Level your group haschosen give the character
a name and yoursquore ready
to go
19
ARCHETYPES
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AGENT
BOUNTY HUNTER
20
AGENT 991251 BOUNTY HUNTER
20
ARCHETYPESAGENT 991251 BOUNTY HUNTER
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CYBERMONK
DRONE JOCKEY
21
CYBERMONK 991251 DRONE JOCKEY
21
ARCHETYPESCYBERMONK 991251 DRONE JOCKEY
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GANGER
GRIFTER
22
GANGER 991251 GRIFTER
22
ARCHETYPESGANGER 991251 GRIFTER
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HACKER
IDOL
23
HACKER 991251 IDOL
23
ARCHETYPESHACKER 991251 IDOL
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INVESTIGATIVE JOURNALIST
PATCH MAN
24
INVESTIGATIVE JOURNALIST 991251 PATCH MAN
24
ARCHETYPESINVESTIGATIVE JOURNALIST 991251 PATCH MAN
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RONIN
SECTOR COP
25
RONIN 991251 SECTOR COP
25
ARCHETYPESRONIN 991251 SECTOR COP
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SMUGGLER
EX-SOLDIER
26
SMUGGLER 991251 EX983085SOLDIER
26
ARCHETYPESSMUGGLER 991251 EX983085SOLDIER
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STREET RAT
ZEEK
27
STREET RAT 991251 ZEEK
27
ARCHETYPESSTREET RAT 991251 ZEEK
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RACESThe following races are available for play in Interface Zero 20
Most people are born into the world flesh-and-bloodbabies with mothers and fathers You were bornon an assembly line your parents faceless roboticsengineers who designed you in some research facilityYour body is composed of lightweight yetdurable polymers with plastic and fiber-opticwiring connecting to microscopic receptorsthroughout your framework
You see through digital lenses and hear viamicrophones on each side of your head Yourvoice is a pleasant if somewhat monotonesound piped through a speaker crafted to
resemble a mouth Your brain is a softball-sized digital network consisting of billionsof nanomachines which perform countlesscomputations every second in order to simulatean organic mdash human mdash thinking process
You are artificially intelligent Your capacity forrational critical thinking and decision-makingequals mdash and in many cases exceeds mdash that ofany human being on the planet Yet a waffle ironprobably has more rights than you do Moreoverat some point you have been (and technically stillare) owned perhaps by an individual but more likelyby a megaconglomorate mdash your parent companyThe tasks you performed for the megacorp varieddepending on your design specs but they mighthave included security manual labor combat and
strangely enough even prostitution
But that was then
At some point in your history you experiencedsomething The incident sparked a computation processwithin your neural network best described as an epiphanyPerhaps you saw a human being die or witnessed a couplekissing Or perhaps you were the victim of vio lence at thehands of a human being angered by your presence insociety The event led to a series of internal processes andsubroutines more commonly known as questions Thesewerenrsquot rational system queries based on clearly definedparameters but nebulous ones for which you were unableto formulate an appropriate response
ldquoIf that woman is smiling why are her eyes filled with tearsrdquo
ldquoWhat does it mean to be deadrdquo
ldquoWhat does it mean to hate or loverdquo
The experience altered your programming on a fundamentallevel The dictums of your creators no longer seemedrelevant when compared to your newfound imperative toanswer the questions you had so you left Now you makeyour way in the world just as any other person does mdash atleast you try to at any rate The world wasnrsquot made for youYou were built for it And even though you no longer serveyour masters you are still a machine an outsider look ingat life through glass eyes
MAKING ANDROIDS
All androids regardless of their function share a few fun-damental design characteristics Androids can purchase
cyberware just as anyone else can and suffer from Strain
bull Construct Androids add +2 to recover from being Shaken
donrsquot suffer wound modifiers and are immune to poisonand disease Androids cannot heal naturally To heal an
android requires the Repair skill mdash which is used like theHealing skill only with no ldquoGolden Hourrdquo
bull Dual Processors Androids start with a d6 in Smarts
bull EMP Vulnerability Androids suffer full damage from EMPWeapons
bull Metal Brain Androids canrsquot take Arcane Back-
ground (Psionics)
bull Metallic Alloy The fully metallic hide of an
android provides resistance to small arms fire
They have +2 Armor
bull Outsider Organic races often mistrust or mis-
understand androids They subtract 2 from their
Charisma when dealing with races other thantheir own
bull Primary Protocol Androids begin with a free
d6 in one skill representing their core operat-ing system
bull Recharge Androids need electricity to func-tion If the android canrsquot access an electrical
outlet of some sort at least once per day he
suffers a level of Fatigue each day until hersquosincapacitated The day after that he goes ldquooff-
linerdquo and must be reactivated with a Repairroll and a four-hour charge This replaces the
androidrsquos need for food or water
bull Unnatural Psionics both beneficial and det-rimental suffer a minus2 penalty to affect androids
This has no effect on damaging powers whichaffect them normally
It was easy to make the decision Yoursquod get a new metalbody that works better than the original You wouldnrsquot haveto spend your familyrsquos money on more expensive surgeriesto keep your failing body alive but that decision didnrsquot comewithout a cost Yoursquod lose the ability to feel the abil ity topick up your son without worrying about crushing himYoursquod lose the feel of your wifersquos body when you made loveto her If you canrsquot feel anything arenrsquot you already dead
In the end you chose to become a cyborg to have your
brain encased in metal Most days it doesnrsquot make muchdifference You come home to an empty house your sonand wife long gone Maybe theyrsquod have stayed if yoursquodonly kept your hearthellip
MAKING CYBORGS
Little is more frightening in batt le than a cyborg Theyrsquore not
much more than an organic brain in an androidrsquos body Cyborgscome in humanoid form simply for ease of transition to the
new body The majority of cyborgs work for their respectivegovernments or powerful corporations who can afford the
procedure for trusted personnel However more and morecyborgs are beginning to find their way to the private sector
bull Augmented Cyborgs are built to be cybernetic beasts
They begin play with a single Streetware Augment witha Strain of 1
bull Construct Cyborgs add +2 to recover from being Shaken
donrsquot suffer wound modifiers and are immune to poisonand disease Cyborgs cannot heal naturally To heal a
Cyborg requires the Repair skill which is used like theHealing skill only with no ldquoGolden Hourrdquo
bull EMP Shielding Cyborgs have 2 points of Armor when
attacked by an EMP weapon
bull EMP Vulnerability Cyborgs suffer full damage from EMP
bull Metallic Alloy The fully metall ic hide of a cyborg providesresistance to small arms fire They have +2 Armor
bull Outsider Most people are naturally put off by someonewho has opted to have all traces of their humanity
removed to be placed in a cold metal war machine They
suffer minus2 to Charisma when dealing with non-cyborgs
bull Specialized Diet Cyborgs cannot digest normal food and
require special food filled with nutrients to keep theirbrains healthy This raises their lifestyle costs by 1000credits
bull Tactile Dimming The Cyborgrsquos body isnrsquot as sensitive as
a human body Cyborgs suffer a minus2 to tasks where finemanipulation of objects is important Picking a lock or
performing surgery could be two examples Shootingand Fighting are usually unaffected
HUMAN
Nicknames Norms Homo-sapiens Earthlings Plain Jane
Baseline average normal mdash these words always described
you You prefer to think of yourself as adaptable versatileor unique You were born to human parents who eitherwouldnrsquot or couldnrsquot pay for genetic enhancement Youdidnrsquot go for that ldquoHybr idizationrdquo craze Yoursquore happy beingwho you are and you donrsquot need some scientists muckingaround with your genetics Really do they even know whatthe consequences of all that meddling will have on thepopulation in a hundred years No yoursquoll play it cool and
just be human
MAKING HUMANS
Despite all the choices and new races running around ordi-nary homo-sapiens still dominate the planet Humans are
tough adaptable creatures who face adversity head onWhile they may not have some of the distinct advantages
of their enhanced peers humans get by through being moreadaptable
bull Adaptability Humans start with one extra Edge
HUMAN 20
Nicknames Coded Eli tist Eugenic Gen-Xyrsquoer Neo-HumansSavant
You were born with the best genes money can buy Yourparents went to a design house early in your motherrsquosfirst trimester and began a series of genetic treatmentsdesigned to give you every chance at living a life theynever had Your DNA cocktail might include mental traitsfrom some of the greatest minds of the past 60 yearsAlternately you might have some kind of artistic or athleticability In any case yoursquore better than most people aroundyou in some ways and you know it Itrsquos not your faultthough Yoursquore just built that way
MAKING HUMAN 20
bull Advanced Ability You begin play with one attribute at d6
bull Arrogant Human 20s are known for their huge egos
Whether itrsquos nature or nurture is still up for debate Theyhave the Arrogant Hindrance If you choose an Archetype
that already has the Arrogant Hindrance choose another
RACESCYBORG 991251 HUMAN 20
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Vegas in 2090 218Sin City The Illusion of Hope 218
Gangland Politics 218Power Play 219
CREAM 219Locations of Interest 219
Chinatown Las Vegas 221
The Strip 221
Salt Lake amp the LDS Zions 221Zion 222The Sands (Slums) 222
Salt Lake 222
Dugway Military Base 223Zion Proper 223
Zion Medical The Healing L ight 224The Hill 224
Ogden 224
Jordan 224Phoenix 225
SOUTH AND CENTRAL AMERICA 226Central America 226
South America 226
Panama 227THE CHICAGO SPRAWL 228
CHICAGOLAND 230A Free City 230
Life In Chicagoland 230The Powers That Be 231
The Wolves 231
The Unaligned 233Chicago Laws 233
Geography 233North Chicago 234
South Chicago 239
West Chicago 240Central Chicago 243
Ports of Entry 246
CHAPTER FIVE THE SOLAR SYSTEM 251History of Space Exploration 252
Life in the Solar System 253The Law 253
Organizations 254Corporate Presence 255
Major Set tlement Areas 255
Venus 255Luna 256
Mars 256Ceres 257
The Inner Belt 258
Jupiter 258Saturn 259
Colony Technologies 259Orbital Technologies 260
Ship Technologies 260
CHAPTER SIX SETTING RULES 262Augments 262
Drugs 263Fatigue 263
Gritty Damage 263
Street Cred 264COST OF LIVING 265
DRONES 267DUBBING 269
GOLEMMECHS 270Golemmech Combat 270
Golemmech Creation 270Stock Frames 270
HACKING 274
Tendril Access Processor 274
Stats 274Engrams 275How to Hack 278
The Core Mechanic 278
Network Statistics 278SysOp Countermeasures 279
Hyper Combat 279Hyper Reality 280
Virtual Reality 281
Avatars 281Hacking Virtual Reality 283
POWERS 284Arcane Background (Cybermonk) 284
Arcane Background (Psionics) 284
CHAPTER SEVEN GAME MASTERING 286City Trappings 286
Table 723 Xenomorph Base Attack 306Table 724 Xenomorph Senses 306
Table 725 Mutations 306Table 726 Drawbacks 306
6
TABLE OF CONTENTS
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INTRODUCTION
INFOSOURCE
VIDTAGROADTO2090
LOCAL JACOBSPLAYGROUNDNET
FQDN JACOBSPLAYGROUNDNETCHITOWN06TNTPNSWWGNET
DATA SOURCE MAY YOU LIVE IN INTERESTING TIMESINFODUMP
THE ROAD TO 2090
Posted By Billy_Black_Eyes
So here we are in January 2090 Itrsquos been a couple of yearssince I dropped the last INFODUMP on the world and Irsquom here
to rectify that This massive documentrsquos gonna give you all theinformation you need to get up to speed on the state of the
world along with oodles and oodles of statistical data about
a bunch of subjects including the Global DataNet golem-mechs drones and other emerging technologies Yoursquoll read
about the strange and wonderful people who inhabit thisworld the solar system zeeks and much more Irsquove gath-
ered info from sources all over the world and vetted it to
the best of my ability That said you never know whatrsquos trueand what isnrsquot in this age of main stream media lies govern-
ment propaganda and do-it-yourself journalism so take theinformation (especially in the data dumps about the world)
with a grain of salt
Simba So what are you sayinrsquo Bi lly We canrsquot trust you
Billy_Black_Eyes Thatrsquos not what I said You know fullwell that information especially editorialized info alwayshas a certain slant to it It rsquos also fluid What was true at thetime I acquired it may not necessarily be accurate now
The past two years have seen a number of major eventstake place in the world If just one or two things would have
happened I might think they werenrsquot connected Yet itrsquos as ifsomeone walked up to a house of cards and pulled one card
out The house hasnrsquot completely crashed yet itrsquos in a slow-
motion free fall and the worst part is only a few of us seemto be watching What follows is a br ief overview of the major
events that have shaped the world in which we currently live
Neon_Bright Oh Billy looking at the world with thosedark lenses again are we
Magpie Neon I think he needs a hug )
Billy_Black_Eyes What I need is a ticket to Mars Thingsare about to get crazy and I want off this rock
GROWING TENSIONS IN NORTH AMERICA
The year 2088 was marked by a number of disturbing mdash somesay portentous mdash events involving the North American Coali-
tion the Great Lakes Union and Atlantica
Sane_Prophet ldquoPortentousrdquo Could the scales be fallingoff your black eyes my friend Are you finally coming tounderstand the truth
Billy_Black_Eyes Seriously You again I told you nomystic bull shit
Sane_Prophet Just because you refuse to acknowledgeomens for what they are doesnrsquot make them any less valid
THE HEGEMONY GROWS
The crackdown on zeeks hybrids and synthetic humans in the
NAC reached a boiling point when Congress and the Senateratified the infamous Racial Purity Act a draconic piece of
legislation banning the practice of hybrid and simulacrumcreation All genetic modification parlors and simulacrum
production facilities were ordered to shut down The Racial
Purity Act also outlawed the use of psychic powers within theborders of the nation with hefty fines and even imprisonment
for those caught using them Various watchdog organiza-tions were created the most visible of which is Psi-division
a branch of Stopwatch tasked with monitoring and in some
cases even ldquoneutralizingrdquo psychic threats
Psychopope And by ldquoneutralizingrdquo he means murder
Denver_Must_Burn And forced relocationhellipIrsquom not talkingabout VR prisons ei ther Irsquom talking about the internmentcamps up in Montana and the Dakotas
Simba It was just as bad for hybrids like myself Whenthose genetic modification parlors shut down the pr ivateinformation about their customers was confiscatedunder the auspices of ldquonational securit yrdquo This means theDepartment of National Security (DNS) has the namesand addresses of every hybrid and free sim in the NorthAmerican Coalition If you have a TAP the DNS can trackyour IP too
Luciferion Simba Dude thatrsquos happening with everycitizen regardless of whether or not yoursquore zeek hybridor ldquoPlain Janerdquo human
Denver_Must_Burn All I can say is TRICilicit_behavior Yes DMB The Revolution IS Coming
Instances of racial violence erupted across the North Ameri-
can Coalition as law enforcement officials began arrestingzeeks Some of the more obvious hybrids mdash particularly the
bull bear and rhino variants mdash were also incarcerated Gov-ernments across the continent decried the draconian tactics
and called for UN intervention to no effect The Great Lakes
Union and Atlantica closed their embassies in Denver and sentthe NAC delegates in their cities packing Then on Novem-
ber 13th 2088 a number of terrorist attacks rocked BostonBaltimore and Portland Maine An estimated 2451 people
died and thousands more were injured from the bombings
THE ATLANTICA BOMBINGSWithin hours of the attacks the Global DataNet was flooded
with conspiracy theories the most viral of which speculated
they were carried out by a terrorist group known as Agenda68Some speculated a Canadian black ops unit known as Task-
force Harfang did the deed Others went on to claim the NACwas behind the attacks and still others claimed New Brasilia
or maybe the Chinese Mandarinate were somehow involvedSo-called ldquoconspiracy theorist expertsrdquo such as Sam_Jones
and NERCOTIXX speculated that China long believed to bein bed with the North American Coalition used simulacra to
perform the bombings
10
INTRODUCTIONTHE ROAD TO 2090
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NECROTIXX China did carry out the bombings Do theresearch Look into Project Doppelganger and yoursquoll seeThe NAC is just a patsy
Sam_Jones The Mandarinate is becoming an imperialpower Just look at what they are doing with Russia nowand what they have done with all of Southeast Asia Askthe Russian refugees flooding into Seattle if they thinkChina is content to stay within their borders The writingrsquos
on the wall folksSimba It might have been orchestrated by agents workingfor Charon
Luciferion What a load of crap Charon is an AI It doesnrsquothave any contact with humans
Neon_Bright Prove it Simba
As the days stretched into weeks there was still no official
statement from the Atlantica Government about the iden-tity of the perpetrators of the attacks Then on December
15th 2088 a MEDIAfile was uploaded into the Global DataNetbearing the Hyper Tag of a popular underground media-pirate
known as MAXX_footage
The dronersquos feed showed three large muscular men in regular
clothing exit a hover van adjacent to one of the targets of theattacks just moments before it exploded Facial recognitionsoftware identified one of the men as First Sergeant John
Moore a member of the North American Coalition regular army
The MEDIAfile went on to follow the three men as they jumpedinto an unmarked hover car that took off and shot over the
Boston sea wall to land on a freighter bearing Chinese mark-ings The vessel promptly sailed east into international waters
Sorry_U_Asked Isnrsquot it odd how often people retreat tothe water in the wake of disasters How much of the oceanremains unmapped How much is hiding under the wavesthat we havenrsquot even begun to fathom
BatRastard Puns intended Wersquove already got enoughconspiracy theories Can you not add another useless one
to the stinking heap
Sane_Prophet Actually hersquos closer to reality than youmight be comfortable understanding Too much truth canbreak a manrsquos mind
BatRastard Irsquom guessing yours is already fried from afew too many stims man Want to share what yoursquove beendoping
As the situation evolved it became clear that MAXX_footagewent through what can only be described as a nightmarish journey to bring the MEDIAfile into the light of day In what
would be his only interview MAXX_footage appeared via
a secure video-feed on ldquoBoston Tonightrdquomdasha popular showin the nation of Atlantica Millions across the world tuned in
to listen to what he had to say MAXX_footage a tall lanky
young man recounted the events of that day telling how hewas hanging out at his favorite coffee shop when this black
hover van landed right in front of the Emperor Pharmaceuti-cals Arcology about a half a block away
When Penny Pearl mdash the host of the show mdash asked MAXX_
footage how during all the chaos he could have possiblyremembered those details MAXX_footage said he remem-
bered it because the hover van double parked and someonestarted yelling at the three guys who got out Thinking it was
going to result in violence MAXX_footage says he poppedout his Fly on the Wall micro drone and sent i t over to record
the incident Thatrsquos when all hell broke loose
BEGIN THREAD JACK
NECROTIXX Herersquos a transcript of the short interviewPenny couldnrsquot get MAXX back on
BEGIN TRANSCRIPThellip
ldquoOne of the three men shot the guy right in the facerdquo MAXX_
footage says his long thin hands shaking ldquoThey just walked
away and got into a red hover car I sent Judy mdash thatrsquos thename of my drone mdash after them and thatrsquos when the Black
hover van explodedrdquo MAXX_footage goes quiet for a fewseconds and after a couple of probing questions from the
hostess he finishes his story
ldquoAnyhow I get my bearings shake the dust outta my hairand suddenly realize I just captured the perps on Digifilm I
follow the red hover car all the way out past the Sea Wallwhere it lands on this Chinese freighter Judyrsquos pushinrsquo her
range limits at this point so I call her backrdquo He grabs a glassof water his hands shaking
ldquoTell us what happened nextrdquo Penny prompts
ldquoWellrdquo he begins ldquoI get back to my flat mdash it took a while mdash what
with all the chaos goinrsquo on in the lsquoplex and everything mdash andthe place is busted up I mean BIG-TIME amirdquo MAXX_footage
stops again then shakes his head and says ldquoListen I canrsquot sayanything else about that I think theyrsquore still watching mehellip
In fact this interview is done MAXX OUTrdquo The video feed
cuts to white noise
END TRANSCRIPT
END THREAD JACK
The interview and the footage of the event sparked outrage
throughout Atlantica Predictably the NAC government fiercelydenied any involvement in the bombings even going so far
as to demand the arrest and extradition of MAXX_footagefor questioning about the origins of the video
Martin Hughes mdash the president of Atlantica mdash flatly refusedthe NACrsquos demands even going so far as to say that thisMAXX_footage person was a ldquohero of the people of
Atlanticardquo The bookies in the free city of Las Vegas startedgiving even odds that hostilities would break out on the East
Coast within a year
Simba I lost a ton of money on that bet
Luciferion MAXX_footage has gone dark BTW Nobodyhas seen or heard from him since that interview
THE FLARE
On January 26 2089 a massive Earth-directed Y-class solar
flare sparked a Coronal Mass Ejection that bombarded our
planet temporarily shutting down the genie network thatmonitors and updates the TAPrsquos spam and reality filters Withthe genie down every man woman and child with a Tendril
Access Processor was exposed to raw unfiltered Hyper Reality
As you all know this sparked a week of world-wide chaosSprawlers mdash exposed to a storm of spam malware and layer
upon layer of augmented reality advertisements and simu-lated environments mdash went temporarily insane
Sane_Prophet Insanity is a weak word for the weak-minded What may appear as insane to you might simplybe someone having achieved enlightenment and livingaccording to a higher truth
11
INTRODUCTIONTHE ROAD TO 2090
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Sorry_U_Asked Irsquom all about questioning the circumstancesbut Irsquom pretty sure all the folks who were murdered duringthese events wouldrsquove labeled them as insane down to a one
Billy_Black_Eyes Whatever dictionary program yoursquorerunning needs a fresh data-dump Prophet
Sane_Prophet Dictionaries are also for the weak-minded
Billy_Black_Eyes Of course they are
The world burned for about a week until programmers couldfix the problem with firmware updates and hot patches to
get the filters up and running and an off switch installedbut the damage was done Itrsquos not known how many people
died in the rioting and madness but cautious estimates oftotal casualties put the number at around 750 million people
and nobody has even tried to calculate the monetary cost
of the riots Strangely however the Flare itself didnrsquot havea widespread impact on various infrastructures like electric
and other powers transportation systems etc In fact manybelieve the Flare wasnrsquot even a solar flare at all but the first
sign of Charonrsquos emergence as a threat to humanity
Luciferion Nobodyrsquos ever proven that Billy
Billy_Black_Eyes Nobody has ever debunked it eitherStatistical data can be hacked Numbers can be fudgedto make things seem more dramatic than they really areEarthquakes register at a certain scale and get downgradedall the time The truth is this is the first time in history thata solar flare has caused such wide-spread chaos It rsquos fishy
Luciferion Irsquoll believe it when I see some hard data
Billy_Black_Eyes Fair enough But the emergence ofCharon around this time isnrsquot even open for debate Itrsquosa fact
THE EURASIAN UNION IMPLODES
On March 15th 2089 the Eurasian Union Central Bank in
Bonn Germany was crashed by a previously unheard-of virusnamed Charon Over forty-five trillion dollars vanished without
a trace All attempts to rebuild the original databases failedSome programmers (and freelance hackers) hired to go in andpurge Charon from the databases lost their lives in the process
Further attempts to rebuild the system on different serverswith backups also failed when programmers realized that
Charon mdash now suspected by many to be an AI mdash had copieditself into the cloud networks containing those backup files
Luciferion Therersquos nothing to suspect Charon is anemergent AI The only question now is whether or not itsparks a singularity event
Nothing_to_see_here Stopwatch will halt it in its tracksThey always catch these things
Luciferion Who do you think died trying to get it out ofthe D-bases in Bonn
Over the next few months an estimated 200 million people
across the Eurasian Union the United Kingdom and Ireland losttheir jobs their homes and their life savings when it became
clear that Charon had found its way into the personal bankaccounts of citizenry across the Eurasian Union
Instances of mob violence skyrocketed as the number of
gangs in the rapidly fracturing Eurasian Union had risen tolevels not seen since the Death mdash the three-year ldquoNuclear
Autumnrdquo following the India-Pakistan war when nuclearweapons were used on a massive scale In the London-Read-
ing Megaplex protests exploded into full-scale violence after
police brutally cracked down on a peaceful protest at the
British parliament building More instances of violent protests
followed in Bristol Swindon and the Manchester-Liverpoolsprawl
On June 27th 2089 the French government was over-
thrown by a fringe political extremist group known as theNew Pirate Party Led by a charismatic young zeek named
Angeacutele Bonheur the New Pirate Party seized power after awild chaotic campaign against representatives of the NationalFront and the Popular Republican Union The elections were
rife with scandal and many of the French didnrsquot (and still donrsquot)like the idea of a French leader being psychic So while Angeacutele
emerged as the clear victor the French military refused toacknowledge her legitimacy President Bonheur responded
by disbanding the armed forces of France at the same time
announcing the privatization of the nationrsquos military throughan agreement with Ravenlocke Securities
Downtrodden Yep itrsquos a sign of things to come ladiesand gents a world-wide corporate coup of governmentsIf you donrsquot think the CEO of Ravenlocke mdash thatrsquos MarkusRaven mdash has a say in the direction this new governmenttakes think again
Luciferion Itrsquos awesome to see France led by a psychicbut letrsquos get real this is going to get much worse beforeit gets better
Magpie I wouldnrsquot be surprised i f she gets wacked
Former Lieutenant-Colonel Adrien Boucher also known as
ldquoAdrien the Butcherrdquo for his brutal suppression of an upris-ing in Marseilles in 2087 took charge of the remnants of
the disbanded French army promising to remove PresidentBonheur from power Within days of Adrienrsquos announcement
Fort Richepance mdash now the Northeastern headquarters for
Ravenlocke Industriesrsquo Storm Crow Golemmech brigade mdash wasattacked The president responded by declaring martial law
throughout France until the renegade movement could be
put down Thus far that hasnrsquot happened though there arereports of clashes between Ravenlocke regulars and sepa-
ratist forces outside of St Etienne and in the French Alps
Warpig This has caused numerous issues If PresidentAngeacutele thinks her countrymen are going to accept theprivatization of the military shersquos sorely mistaken As Billymentions Adrien the Butcher is causing problems buttherersquos more to it Militias are forming They have advancedweaponry and while I wonrsquot speculate as to whorsquos providingthem with those weapons I do know the vast majority ofthe weapons are made by Act of God Armaments
Battle_Mind I know one thing itrsquos a great time to be amercenary
Full_Metal_Cyborg Amen brother Irsquoll see you on the
battlefieldPayne_Man Lock and Load U mushrooms I splatter youn00bs with my AK
Magpie ldquoSighrdquo Stop playing Matrix of War Payne Yousound like a fool This ainrsquot a game
Payne_Man I thought we were talkinrsquo about MOW Ushould C the zones Theyrsquore eggsaklee like the content ofthis INFOdump Have been for a whyle now Evar since thelast expansion dropped in spring 2088
Luciferion hellipOk thatrsquos odd
Payne_Man The CoalitionAtlantica War expansion izzcumin out next month 2 I Kant W8
12
INTRODUCTIONTHE ROAD TO 2090
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On June 30th 2089 Germany wracked with political in-
fighting riots in the streets and a general state of chaos
closed its borders Officially the stated reason was for secu-rity reasons stemming from conflict along the border with
France but most people donrsquot believe it Chancellor KonradGerste authorized a financial bailout of the three largest
manufacturers of weapons and military equipment for
the German army The move has frightened many of the
Eastern European nations mdash especially the good people ofPoland mdash who know well what happens when Germans
begin preparing for war and make no mistake Germany ismoving to a war footing
Payne_Man Watch out Zee Germans are cumming LOL
Klaus What Canrsquot my brethren move to protectthemselves from the chaos in France And why the veiledreference to WWII Itrsquos been nearly 150 years since Hitlerrsquosmadness yet nobody allows us to forget it
THE BEAR AND THE DRAGON
As the situation in Europe grew worse China took advantageof the weakened Eurasian Union grabbing up huge swathes
of territory in Russia its armies advancing as far west as the
Ural Mountain range where Russian forces managed to haltthe dragonrsquos advance Still the damage was done By August2089 the Mandarinate had established itself as an occupy-
ing power in every city town and village east of the Ural
Mountains That hasnrsquot stopped the Russians from retaliatinghowever Russian patriots have begun an insurgency attack-
ing Chinese forces wherever they can be found Mandarinatemouthpieces paint the insurgents as terrorists to little effect
as the insurgency swells in number every day
Neon_Bright This isnrsquot just a struggle against Chineseaggression Vast resources have been found ever sinceSiberia began to thaw Irsquom talking about precious mineralsoil even the land is useful for development especiallywhen you consider billions of people live in eastern Asia
Luciferion Agreed Neon
LIFE IN GENERAL
So how have the above events impacted life as we stumbleinto 2090 In numerous ways omae There isnrsquot enough time
to go into great detail about how war the Flare and espe-
cially the rise of Charon have affected the life of the averagesprawler across the world but Irsquo ll go over some of the more
important details Pay attention peeps some of this mightkeep you alive
SURVIVING HYPER REALITY
As I mentioned above when the Flare knocked out the GENIEnetwork it caused widespread chaos And while GENIE is back
up and running there are still glitches in the system Sure
firmware updates to the Tendril Access Processor mdash TAP as itrsquosmore commonly known mdash allow you to turn off that modem
in your brain but wellhelliplet me put it like this Hyper Realityhas become smarter even deadly if you donrsquot have the right
software installed in your TAP
Sane_Prophet Why bother putting up more and morefilters It is senseless A futile fight against powers fargreater than yourself Open your eyes open your mindand set yourself free from this prison of so-called reality
BatRastard Right and then with the first meme to fry myneurons Irsquoll be spending my life savings on the Fat Sallyrsquosdown the block Brilliant
Sane_Prophet Fat Sally rsquos secret sauce is an interdimen-sional gateway into the heights of ecstasy
BatRastard Actually thatrsquos the first thing you and I haveever agreed on
Irsquove discussed this phenomena with numerous program-mers across the world and they all agree virii spam and allmanner of malware that [prior to the Flare] would have been
easy to purge from your head are now behaving much dif-
ferently Itrsquos almost as if the things evolved into somethingnot-quite-sentient but damned close to it
So what does this mean for you
If you choose to experience Hyper Reality (and if you have aTAP in your brain you have) itrsquos only a matter of time before
one of these virii hacks into your brain Therersquos nothing youcan really do about it itrsquos just one of the many fun facts of
life in 2090 I do find it ironic that af ter decades of enjoying
the connectivity and convenience the TAP has provided thistechnology seems to be actively trying to kill us and there
isnrsquot much we can do about it without going back to medi-eval times You know the 1980rsquos Of course some of you out
there will want to turn your TAPs off for good and avoid the
risk entirely Hell some of you might be considering gettingthe damned thing removed
You can do that sure Of course that means yoursquore also
not connected to the grid that makes your life so unbeliev-ably convenient This causes a mult itude of problems Donrsquot
believe me Try walking out of your house Oh right you canrsquotbecause most doors donrsquot have handles anymore Theyrsquore
automated and respond to the signals coming from your TAPI know some are activated by motion sensors and donrsquot rely
on the TAP But no door which is designed with security in
mind will open so easilyThis also means you have almost zero access to vehicles or
places where you can buy things like grocery stores Yeah
sure you can just follow someone else into said store butthe security cameras will spot you and not having a digital
record of your presence (which they get from your TAP) willflag you and dispatch a security team to find out who you
are So there you are in your local Malmart looking for some
cloned steaks to fire up on your grill later on when securitycomes with their big guns and ldquowhat the hell are you doing
here scumbagrdquo looks on their faces to boot you back out intothe streets where you came from
Oh how did you plan on paying for them BTW now that
your TAP is offline and the clerk canrsquot sync her cash register
with your payment software And NO they donrsquot take cashThe point is this omae All that convenience you were usedto goes out the window when you unplug Itrsquos much easier
to get strong firewalls than it is to live outside the system
So think about what I said before you scratch that itch at thebase of your skull with a scalpel
SURVIVING THE STREETS
The streets have always been dangerous thatrsquos a givenWhen you cram millions of people into a concrete and steel
petri dish then forget about 999 of them you create abreeding ground for violence hate and societal devolution
13
INTRODUCTIONLIFE IN GENERAL
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on such a scale that social Darwinists like Herbert Spencer and
Thomas Malthus would roll over in their graves
Again that in itself is nothing new The streets have alwaysbeen violent but ever since the events I previously described
came to pass mdash especially the Flare and the implosion of theEurasian Union mdash the number of homeless people across the
world has sky-rocketed The petri dish is frothing and over-
flowing as new gangs emerge mdash and Irsquom talking globally not just in North America mdash and carve out their own terri tory
This upsets the balance ami and makes it harder to survivewhen yoursquore just a blooper looking to make it through the
day because now you have new predators to deal with n00bbangers making up their own rules as they go And the cop-
suckers donrsquot help
Protect and serve What a load of crap
Sure yoursquol l get Triple-A service if you live in one of the moneybubbles but try getting help in say the Aurora Barrens or
the Gary Hell Zone and yoursquore basically fucked Yeah thereare token patrols and the ever-present drones but drones
get shot down and the copsuckers are so outnumbered
most are either so scared to get into an altercation with thepredators or theyrsquore on the take I canrsquot say I blame them
either The streets are a war zone and if you wear the badgeyoursquore marked for death omae So take my advice and get
strapped The only person you can count on in the concrete jungle is you
Sorry_U_Asked Think twice before trying to claim a badgebounty though Sure plenty of honchos love to pay topcredit for proof that yoursquove kept the law from poking aroundtheir territory But just because you see someone wearingone doesnrsquot mean they got it legit Lots of gangers wearthem as trophies So if you drop a shot on a copsuckerthinking yoursquove hit payday you might end up with a wholeband of bangers snarling on your heels
SURVIVING THE GAME
Therersquos an old saying The Game is the Game mdash you eitherplay it or you get played I donrsquot care if you contract free-
lance fight fix hack patch or scam yoursquore in it omae andthat puts you at odds with every other player out there Most
people approach the game as a means to an end thinking
that one shiny day theyrsquoll earn enough creds to go someplacewarm and dry and live out their lives in style These clowns
donrsquot last Theyrsquore so busy dreaming about the good timesthat they lose focus on whatrsquos right in front of their face (or
creeping up behind them) Dreamers get sloppy take short
cuts betray their team and torch their street cred like gutterpunks burn trash in a garbage can to keep warm
If you want to survive the game you need to take a lesson
from these dreamers keep your mind on the job Therersquos nosandy beach waiting for you The megacorps bought them
all and turned lsquoem into parking lots The only fruity drinksyoursquoll ever drink are sold in the local watering hole by some
burned-out ronin The best you can hope for is a litt le bit of
comfort mdash usually behind a small fortress if yoursquore smart mdash andthe respect of the streets But thatrsquos a double-edged sword
another facet of the game Therersquos always someone faster
than you some hungry up-and-comer with the latest aug-ments wanting to prove herself by dealing you out Sucksto be a victim of your own success but thatrsquos the truth of it
My advice Find a way to deal yourself out clean Put some
creds away never burn your contacts and donrsquot ever everbecome a legend
Legends die
14
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CHARACTER
CREATION
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CHAPTER TWOCHARACTER CREATION
Characters are the lifersquos blood of any role-playing game the
focal point of every story Characters represent the best mdash orthe worst mdash ideals of a given game setting their actions either
bringing a small measure of hope to the downtrodden massesor serving to strengthen the status quo In the grim gritty
world of Interface Zero 20 the characters you play walk amonofilament edge between traditional mdash some would say
outdated or just plain irrelevant mdash concepts of good and evilas they make their way in the world
Indeed itrsquos hard to be a moral individual in a world where
most of the animals prowling the concrete jungle believe prin-ciples are character flaws mdash weaknesses to exploit for their
own ends Your morality marks you as prey no doubt aboutit omae But if you can keep your moral code if you can get
your job done without selling your soul yoursquoll get something
most sprawlers never have respect
Evil on the other hand is the same as it always has been
therersquos just more of it The wicked always thrive in a world
where violence fear and control are tools used for self-serv-ing ends but herersquos the thing Acting like an ass can get you
green-lit just as quickly as playing the role of the goody-two-shoes marks you as a sucker amigo
Nobody likes a dickhead even if they donrsquot say it to your
face Sooner or later yoursquoll get a rep for being a hard-assand someone who is stronger meaner or a bigger asshole
than you is going to come along and knock you back to thegutter you crawled out of Thatrsquos why most people keep their
heads down and their mouths shut Donrsquot make eye contact
itrsquos a challenge to the predators and if you donrsquot have thestones to back up the challenge yoursquore nothing but meat
But if you can stay strong and defeat all comers that com-mands respect too
This chapter provides you with the tools you need to make
a character for Interface Zero 20 The process is the same ascreating a character for any Savage Worlds game with a few
additions Interface Zero 20 introduces Street Cred Contactsand Strain to the game
STEP 1 CONCEPT
The first thing you need to do is decide on a concept for your
character Will you play a hacker Perhaps a mercenary orbounty hunter is more your speed Are mercs and hunters toocutthroat for your style of play If so you might think about
playing a ronin an urban warrior who follows his own code
of honor Maybe you want to be the guy (or gal) who backsthe team up with drones capable of laying down covering
fire or scouting ahead to see where the bad guys are hiding
You donrsquot need to have your concept locked in right now butat least have a basic idea of the type of character you want
to play Take a few minutes and skip ahead to the archetypessection in this chapter to see a variety of options available
to you
STEP 2 RACEThe next thing you need to do is choose a race In 2090
humanity has reached the point where the word ldquohumanrdquo is
almost irrelevant Human DNA is no longer a mystery Itrsquos amathematical code technomancers hack re-write and copy
at will producing genetically superior beings the Human 20
Others snip and paste animal DNA and splice it with humanDNA to create genetic hybrids a fusion of man and animal
Science has even advanced to such an extent that we can
create entirely new life forms mdash living beings known as simula-cra mdash in amniotic vats growing them until they have matured
filling their synthetic brains with memories and skills theyrsquollneed to do the jobs for which they were created
STEP 3 TRAITS
Traits are the building blocks of any Savage Worlds character
They define how strong or fast your character is and what
she knows Traits determine how much cyberware she canput into her body how much damage she can take before
dying her standing with others and a variety of other thingsall of which are essential to the game
ATTRIBUTES
Five attributes are used to define your characterrsquos physi-cal characteristics These are Agility Smarts Spirit Strength
and Vigor Each attribute starts at d4 You have 5 points withwhich to raise these attr ibutes and one point equals a risein a die type (d4 to d6 d6 to d8 etc) No attribute may rise
higher than d12 during character creation unless stated undera racial ability For more information on attributes refer to
the Savage Worlds core rules
SKILLS
You have 15 points to spend on your characterrsquos skills Your
character doesnrsquot start with any skills and must spend 1 pointto get a skill at a d4 He spends 1 point to raise a skill to a
higher die type as long as the skill level is equal to or less
than the linked attribute Raising any skill above the linkedattribute costs 2 points per step No skill may rise above d12
during character creation
Note If you are using the skill specializations rules you get 20points for skills and each new specialization costs 1 skill point
during character creation When your character advances shemay purchase 2 skill specializations for an advance or a new
skill and a single specialization
NEW SKILLS
The following are new skills introduced in Interface Zero 20
For information on all other skills see Skills in the Savage
Worlds core rules
16
CHARACTER CREATIONCONCEPT RACE TRAITS
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Hacking (Smarts) The Hacking skill is used whenever a
character wants to hack a computer network Characters in
Interface Zero 20 no longer start with an automatic d4 inHacking Additionally characters who wish to use the Global
DataNet for everyday purposes such as research or findingnews pertaining to the Deep do so with their existing Inves-
tigation and Streetwise skills
Knowledge (Demolitions) Successful use of demolitions canmean the difference between destruction of the target as
planned and unplanned loss of life and property The skill also
lets the character have an understanding of what the besttype of explosive is for the obstacle and how much they will
need to remove such an obstacle In addition a raise on theresult will let them know the exact distance they need to be
from the explosion based upon the size of the charge the con-
fines and damage created by said explosion This skill is usedany time a character wants to put a satchel charge together
or set explosives A Critical Failure will result in immediatedetonation Simple failure will result in premature detonation
or no detonation at all
Knowledge (Programming) Characters use this skill when
attempting to make any kind of change to a network theyhave hacked This skill allows a character to undo damagedone as a result of a hack With it a character can do things
like undo an edit to a data file or video reconstruct a deleted
file repair an AMS (see Active Memory Sectors on page 274in the Sett ing Rules chapter) recover a deleted skill Engram
or reconnect a TAP that has gone offline
OPTIONAL RULE SKILL SPECIALIZATIONS
Interface Zero 20 is an advanced setting where knowing
how to do one thing doesnrsquot necessarily mean you can dosomething which under the regular skill rules would techni-
cally be possible with the same skill Take the various DrivingBoating and Piloting skills for example
Using the regular skill rules a character with Driving couldtheoretically drive anything from a motorcycle to a semi-truckor a tank Similarly Piloting assumes a character has the skills
to pilot all types of aircraft including fighter jets and space-
craft Pinnacle Entertainment addressed this issue by addingthe Skill Specialization setting rule in the Savage Worlds core
rules and it is highly recommended that those rules are usedfor Interface Zero 20
The following list of skill specializations are provided to get
you started This isnrsquot intended to be a comprehensive listof appropriate skill specializations but rather a broad cross
section of specializations we feel are appropriate If some-thing doesnrsquot appear on the list make it up if it seems right
But remember the GM always has the final say on what is or
isnrsquot appropriate for her campaign
SUGGESTED SPECIALIZATIONS
bull Boating Powered Sailed Submersible
bull Climbing Mountaineering Rappelling Rope
bull Driving Car (4 wheels) Hovercraft JUMP Bike MotorcycleTruck (6+ wheels) Tracked
bull Fighting Axe Blades Blunt Cyberweapon Long Blade
bull Shooting Bow Pistol Rifle Shotgun Submachine GunVehicle Weapon or by weapon category
bull Stealth Disguise Hiding Sleight of Hand Sneaking
bull Streetwise AreaRegion (Corporate Zone Gang Turf etc)
bull Survival Aquatic Arctic Desert Forest Jungle MountainSpace urban or any specific environment
bull Swimming Lake Ocean SCUBA Divingbull Taunt Verbal Visual
bull Throwing Darts Grenades Knives Spears
bull Tracking Animals Global DataNet Humans Urban
Vehicles
OPTIONAL SKILL ATHLETICS
Rather than breaking up basic things like Climbing and Swim-ming it is recommended to combine them into a single skill
which would allow for specialization
Athletics (Vigor) Athletics as a catch-all for a number ofphysical endeavors ranging from climbing to swimming to
moving around effectively in a no mdash or low-gravity environ-
ment Athletics should be used instead of Agility in foot chasesand effectively replaces both the Climbing and Swimming skills
Specializations Climbing Leaping Running Sport (specific)
Swimming Zero-G Maneuvers
LANGUAGES
All characters speak their native language plus a number ofadditional languages equaling one-half their Smarts die The
major trade languages used in Interface Zero 20 are Chinese
English Hindi Portuguese and Swahili Additional languagescan be learned by using an advancement opportunity
DERIVED STATISTICS
There are a few statistics which are important in any SavageWorlds game Charisma Pace Parry and Toughness
CHARISMA
Charisma is an abstract measure of your characterrsquos appear-ance how she deals with others socially and generally how
likeable she is Charisma starts at 0 but can be modified byEdges and Hindrances Charisma is also added to Streetwise
and Persuasion rolls The Game Master uses Charisma to figure
out how NPCrsquos react to your character For more informationon Charisma see the Savage Worlds core rules
PACE
Pace is a measure of how far your character can walk in a
standard combat round Human characters have a base Paceof 6 and can run at an additional 1d6rdquo Other races in Interface
Zero 20 can have different starting Pace scores based on the
racial template you choose For more information on Pacesee the Savage Worlds core rules
PARRY
Parry is equal to 2 plus half your characterrsquos Fighting skillplus modifiers gained from use of shields or certain weapons
If your character does not have the Fighting skill base Parry
starts at 2 For more information on Parry see the SavageWorlds core rules
TOUGHNESS
Toughness is a measure of how much damage your character
can take before becoming Shaken or wounded Toughness is2 plus half your characterrsquos Vigor plus any armor she might
be wearing For more information on Toughness see the
Savage Worlds core rules
NEW DERIVED STATSInterface Zero 20 introduces three new derived statis-
tics mdash Firewall Strain and Street Cred
FIREWALL
Unless your character has the Unplugged Hindrance she hasa Tendril Access Processor (TAP) and therefore has a built-
in firewall The firewall protects against attempts to hack a
characterrsquos TAP A characterrsquos Firewall rating star ts at 4 but
can be modified by Edges Hindrances or software
STRAIN
Strain measures the amount of stress cyberware and biowareputs on your body when you install it Strain starts at zero
and each piece of cyberware adds to your Strain stat Highlevels of Strain can lead to death More details on Strain are
located at Augments on page 262
STREET CRED
Street Cred is a measure of your character rsquos reputation on
the streets All characters begin play with 2 points of StreetCred modified by Edges or Hindrances and gain another 2
points every time they gain a new Rank The maximum StreetCred a character can normally achieve is 10 (some Edges and
Occupations can increase this number)
Unlike Charisma which measures your ability to persuadesomeone Street Cred is a point pool that can be spent to
obtain services temporary contacts information and a variety
of other benefits during the course of an adventure This poolrefreshes each adventure unless circumstances in the prior
adventure (like not getting the job done failing to protectsomeone killing an innocent etc) cause the characterrsquos Street
Cred score to drop
Characters can also pick up Minor or Major Hindrances thathave a lasting effect on their Street Cred score during the
course of an adventure These Hindrances can be removedby spending an Advance with the GMrsquos permission For more
information see Street Cred on page 264
CONTACTS
Each character can choose two contacts people the character
knows who he can call upon for aid or information during thecourse of an adventure These contacts can be anyone froma bartender or a hacker to a corporate executive or military
commander as long as it makes sense that your characterwould know the person(s)
STEP 4 OCCUPATIONS
Occupations are integral to your character concept providinga basic framework to enhance your characterrsquos background in
a very organic way helping you create a more well-rounded
18
CHARACTER CREATIONTRAITS
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character concept Each occupation has a requirement that thecharacter must meet to take it the characterrsquos bonus credits
gained each Advance and a special perk (like gear or specialabilities) the character gets for being part of that profession
STEP 5 EDGES AND HINDRANCES
Edges are special qualities that separate characters from theaverage sprawler Hindrances are physical and mental flaws
that add more depth to the character albeit in a negativeway See the Savage Worlds core rules for more information
on purchasing Edges and Hindrances New Edges and Hin-drances are provided later in this chapter
STEP 6 EQUIPMENT
In Interface Zero 20 characters select equipment cybernet-ics weapons and armor based on the power level the Game
Master sets for the campaign
Power Level This is the starting Power Level of the Cam-
paign as determined by the Game Master If the GM wants totell a story of gang members barely scraping by shersquoll mostlikely choose Gutter Punk as the Power Level If she envi-
sions a campaign where the players are a special governmenttask force dedicated to hunting down super terrorists the
Hyperchrome Warriors or Elite Operatives levels might be
more appropriate The Street Soldier Power Level (designedfor ronin-style games) is considered the default Power Level
for Interface Zero 20
Starting Credits This is the amount of money characters
start with at the beginning of the campaign These credits
may be spent on anything the player wishes and the GM hasnot barred from the campaign including augments drones
weapons and armor
Augments Every Power Level above Gutter Punk allows theplayers to start with at least one augment from the core book
equal to or below the monetary amount listed Unspent Creditsfrom this pool do not carry over when the game starts These
augments must be chosen from the master list of augments
not augment packages
STEP 7 BACKGROUND
They say the devil is in the details and here is where you
decide how devilish yoursquore going to be You donrsquot need towrite a novel and frankly this step isnrsquot mandatory That said
itrsquos a good idea to jot down a few notes on your characterrsquosbackground any major events in her life any friends the
names of contacts or even enemies she might have Share
these ideas with your Game Master GMs are always lookingfor good plot hooks and little tidbits they can use to person-
alize your experience at the table The more detailed yourbackground is the better
ARCHETYPESSometimes you may want to quickly create a character for
a one-shot or convention adventure For those occasions anArchetype is a good choice
All are built for a human character with two Edges If you wish
to play a race other than human simply plug in the statisticaldata If yoursquore playing a human you
can choose another Edge Thenchoose your gear based on the
Power Level your group haschosen give the character
a name and yoursquore ready
to go
19
ARCHETYPES
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AGENT
BOUNTY HUNTER
20
AGENT 991251 BOUNTY HUNTER
20
ARCHETYPESAGENT 991251 BOUNTY HUNTER
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CYBERMONK
DRONE JOCKEY
21
CYBERMONK 991251 DRONE JOCKEY
21
ARCHETYPESCYBERMONK 991251 DRONE JOCKEY
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GANGER
GRIFTER
22
GANGER 991251 GRIFTER
22
ARCHETYPESGANGER 991251 GRIFTER
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HACKER
IDOL
23
HACKER 991251 IDOL
23
ARCHETYPESHACKER 991251 IDOL
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INVESTIGATIVE JOURNALIST
PATCH MAN
24
INVESTIGATIVE JOURNALIST 991251 PATCH MAN
24
ARCHETYPESINVESTIGATIVE JOURNALIST 991251 PATCH MAN
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RONIN
SECTOR COP
25
RONIN 991251 SECTOR COP
25
ARCHETYPESRONIN 991251 SECTOR COP
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SMUGGLER
EX-SOLDIER
26
SMUGGLER 991251 EX983085SOLDIER
26
ARCHETYPESSMUGGLER 991251 EX983085SOLDIER
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STREET RAT
ZEEK
27
STREET RAT 991251 ZEEK
27
ARCHETYPESSTREET RAT 991251 ZEEK
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RACESThe following races are available for play in Interface Zero 20
Most people are born into the world flesh-and-bloodbabies with mothers and fathers You were bornon an assembly line your parents faceless roboticsengineers who designed you in some research facilityYour body is composed of lightweight yetdurable polymers with plastic and fiber-opticwiring connecting to microscopic receptorsthroughout your framework
You see through digital lenses and hear viamicrophones on each side of your head Yourvoice is a pleasant if somewhat monotonesound piped through a speaker crafted to
resemble a mouth Your brain is a softball-sized digital network consisting of billionsof nanomachines which perform countlesscomputations every second in order to simulatean organic mdash human mdash thinking process
You are artificially intelligent Your capacity forrational critical thinking and decision-makingequals mdash and in many cases exceeds mdash that ofany human being on the planet Yet a waffle ironprobably has more rights than you do Moreoverat some point you have been (and technically stillare) owned perhaps by an individual but more likelyby a megaconglomorate mdash your parent companyThe tasks you performed for the megacorp varieddepending on your design specs but they mighthave included security manual labor combat and
strangely enough even prostitution
But that was then
At some point in your history you experiencedsomething The incident sparked a computation processwithin your neural network best described as an epiphanyPerhaps you saw a human being die or witnessed a couplekissing Or perhaps you were the victim of vio lence at thehands of a human being angered by your presence insociety The event led to a series of internal processes andsubroutines more commonly known as questions Thesewerenrsquot rational system queries based on clearly definedparameters but nebulous ones for which you were unableto formulate an appropriate response
ldquoIf that woman is smiling why are her eyes filled with tearsrdquo
ldquoWhat does it mean to be deadrdquo
ldquoWhat does it mean to hate or loverdquo
The experience altered your programming on a fundamentallevel The dictums of your creators no longer seemedrelevant when compared to your newfound imperative toanswer the questions you had so you left Now you makeyour way in the world just as any other person does mdash atleast you try to at any rate The world wasnrsquot made for youYou were built for it And even though you no longer serveyour masters you are still a machine an outsider look ingat life through glass eyes
MAKING ANDROIDS
All androids regardless of their function share a few fun-damental design characteristics Androids can purchase
cyberware just as anyone else can and suffer from Strain
bull Construct Androids add +2 to recover from being Shaken
donrsquot suffer wound modifiers and are immune to poisonand disease Androids cannot heal naturally To heal an
android requires the Repair skill mdash which is used like theHealing skill only with no ldquoGolden Hourrdquo
bull Dual Processors Androids start with a d6 in Smarts
bull EMP Vulnerability Androids suffer full damage from EMPWeapons
bull Metal Brain Androids canrsquot take Arcane Back-
ground (Psionics)
bull Metallic Alloy The fully metallic hide of an
android provides resistance to small arms fire
They have +2 Armor
bull Outsider Organic races often mistrust or mis-
understand androids They subtract 2 from their
Charisma when dealing with races other thantheir own
bull Primary Protocol Androids begin with a free
d6 in one skill representing their core operat-ing system
bull Recharge Androids need electricity to func-tion If the android canrsquot access an electrical
outlet of some sort at least once per day he
suffers a level of Fatigue each day until hersquosincapacitated The day after that he goes ldquooff-
linerdquo and must be reactivated with a Repairroll and a four-hour charge This replaces the
androidrsquos need for food or water
bull Unnatural Psionics both beneficial and det-rimental suffer a minus2 penalty to affect androids
This has no effect on damaging powers whichaffect them normally
It was easy to make the decision Yoursquod get a new metalbody that works better than the original You wouldnrsquot haveto spend your familyrsquos money on more expensive surgeriesto keep your failing body alive but that decision didnrsquot comewithout a cost Yoursquod lose the ability to feel the abil ity topick up your son without worrying about crushing himYoursquod lose the feel of your wifersquos body when you made loveto her If you canrsquot feel anything arenrsquot you already dead
In the end you chose to become a cyborg to have your
brain encased in metal Most days it doesnrsquot make muchdifference You come home to an empty house your sonand wife long gone Maybe theyrsquod have stayed if yoursquodonly kept your hearthellip
MAKING CYBORGS
Little is more frightening in batt le than a cyborg Theyrsquore not
much more than an organic brain in an androidrsquos body Cyborgscome in humanoid form simply for ease of transition to the
new body The majority of cyborgs work for their respectivegovernments or powerful corporations who can afford the
procedure for trusted personnel However more and morecyborgs are beginning to find their way to the private sector
bull Augmented Cyborgs are built to be cybernetic beasts
They begin play with a single Streetware Augment witha Strain of 1
bull Construct Cyborgs add +2 to recover from being Shaken
donrsquot suffer wound modifiers and are immune to poisonand disease Cyborgs cannot heal naturally To heal a
Cyborg requires the Repair skill which is used like theHealing skill only with no ldquoGolden Hourrdquo
bull EMP Shielding Cyborgs have 2 points of Armor when
attacked by an EMP weapon
bull EMP Vulnerability Cyborgs suffer full damage from EMP
bull Metallic Alloy The fully metall ic hide of a cyborg providesresistance to small arms fire They have +2 Armor
bull Outsider Most people are naturally put off by someonewho has opted to have all traces of their humanity
removed to be placed in a cold metal war machine They
suffer minus2 to Charisma when dealing with non-cyborgs
bull Specialized Diet Cyborgs cannot digest normal food and
require special food filled with nutrients to keep theirbrains healthy This raises their lifestyle costs by 1000credits
bull Tactile Dimming The Cyborgrsquos body isnrsquot as sensitive as
a human body Cyborgs suffer a minus2 to tasks where finemanipulation of objects is important Picking a lock or
performing surgery could be two examples Shootingand Fighting are usually unaffected
HUMAN
Nicknames Norms Homo-sapiens Earthlings Plain Jane
Baseline average normal mdash these words always described
you You prefer to think of yourself as adaptable versatileor unique You were born to human parents who eitherwouldnrsquot or couldnrsquot pay for genetic enhancement Youdidnrsquot go for that ldquoHybr idizationrdquo craze Yoursquore happy beingwho you are and you donrsquot need some scientists muckingaround with your genetics Really do they even know whatthe consequences of all that meddling will have on thepopulation in a hundred years No yoursquoll play it cool and
just be human
MAKING HUMANS
Despite all the choices and new races running around ordi-nary homo-sapiens still dominate the planet Humans are
tough adaptable creatures who face adversity head onWhile they may not have some of the distinct advantages
of their enhanced peers humans get by through being moreadaptable
bull Adaptability Humans start with one extra Edge
HUMAN 20
Nicknames Coded Eli tist Eugenic Gen-Xyrsquoer Neo-HumansSavant
You were born with the best genes money can buy Yourparents went to a design house early in your motherrsquosfirst trimester and began a series of genetic treatmentsdesigned to give you every chance at living a life theynever had Your DNA cocktail might include mental traitsfrom some of the greatest minds of the past 60 yearsAlternately you might have some kind of artistic or athleticability In any case yoursquore better than most people aroundyou in some ways and you know it Itrsquos not your faultthough Yoursquore just built that way
MAKING HUMAN 20
bull Advanced Ability You begin play with one attribute at d6
bull Arrogant Human 20s are known for their huge egos
Whether itrsquos nature or nurture is still up for debate Theyhave the Arrogant Hindrance If you choose an Archetype
that already has the Arrogant Hindrance choose another
Table 723 Xenomorph Base Attack 306Table 724 Xenomorph Senses 306
Table 725 Mutations 306Table 726 Drawbacks 306
6
TABLE OF CONTENTS
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INTRODUCTION
INFOSOURCE
VIDTAGROADTO2090
LOCAL JACOBSPLAYGROUNDNET
FQDN JACOBSPLAYGROUNDNETCHITOWN06TNTPNSWWGNET
DATA SOURCE MAY YOU LIVE IN INTERESTING TIMESINFODUMP
THE ROAD TO 2090
Posted By Billy_Black_Eyes
So here we are in January 2090 Itrsquos been a couple of yearssince I dropped the last INFODUMP on the world and Irsquom here
to rectify that This massive documentrsquos gonna give you all theinformation you need to get up to speed on the state of the
world along with oodles and oodles of statistical data about
a bunch of subjects including the Global DataNet golem-mechs drones and other emerging technologies Yoursquoll read
about the strange and wonderful people who inhabit thisworld the solar system zeeks and much more Irsquove gath-
ered info from sources all over the world and vetted it to
the best of my ability That said you never know whatrsquos trueand what isnrsquot in this age of main stream media lies govern-
ment propaganda and do-it-yourself journalism so take theinformation (especially in the data dumps about the world)
with a grain of salt
Simba So what are you sayinrsquo Bi lly We canrsquot trust you
Billy_Black_Eyes Thatrsquos not what I said You know fullwell that information especially editorialized info alwayshas a certain slant to it It rsquos also fluid What was true at thetime I acquired it may not necessarily be accurate now
The past two years have seen a number of major eventstake place in the world If just one or two things would have
happened I might think they werenrsquot connected Yet itrsquos as ifsomeone walked up to a house of cards and pulled one card
out The house hasnrsquot completely crashed yet itrsquos in a slow-
motion free fall and the worst part is only a few of us seemto be watching What follows is a br ief overview of the major
events that have shaped the world in which we currently live
Neon_Bright Oh Billy looking at the world with thosedark lenses again are we
Magpie Neon I think he needs a hug )
Billy_Black_Eyes What I need is a ticket to Mars Thingsare about to get crazy and I want off this rock
GROWING TENSIONS IN NORTH AMERICA
The year 2088 was marked by a number of disturbing mdash somesay portentous mdash events involving the North American Coali-
tion the Great Lakes Union and Atlantica
Sane_Prophet ldquoPortentousrdquo Could the scales be fallingoff your black eyes my friend Are you finally coming tounderstand the truth
Billy_Black_Eyes Seriously You again I told you nomystic bull shit
Sane_Prophet Just because you refuse to acknowledgeomens for what they are doesnrsquot make them any less valid
THE HEGEMONY GROWS
The crackdown on zeeks hybrids and synthetic humans in the
NAC reached a boiling point when Congress and the Senateratified the infamous Racial Purity Act a draconic piece of
legislation banning the practice of hybrid and simulacrumcreation All genetic modification parlors and simulacrum
production facilities were ordered to shut down The Racial
Purity Act also outlawed the use of psychic powers within theborders of the nation with hefty fines and even imprisonment
for those caught using them Various watchdog organiza-tions were created the most visible of which is Psi-division
a branch of Stopwatch tasked with monitoring and in some
cases even ldquoneutralizingrdquo psychic threats
Psychopope And by ldquoneutralizingrdquo he means murder
Denver_Must_Burn And forced relocationhellipIrsquom not talkingabout VR prisons ei ther Irsquom talking about the internmentcamps up in Montana and the Dakotas
Simba It was just as bad for hybrids like myself Whenthose genetic modification parlors shut down the pr ivateinformation about their customers was confiscatedunder the auspices of ldquonational securit yrdquo This means theDepartment of National Security (DNS) has the namesand addresses of every hybrid and free sim in the NorthAmerican Coalition If you have a TAP the DNS can trackyour IP too
Luciferion Simba Dude thatrsquos happening with everycitizen regardless of whether or not yoursquore zeek hybridor ldquoPlain Janerdquo human
Denver_Must_Burn All I can say is TRICilicit_behavior Yes DMB The Revolution IS Coming
Instances of racial violence erupted across the North Ameri-
can Coalition as law enforcement officials began arrestingzeeks Some of the more obvious hybrids mdash particularly the
bull bear and rhino variants mdash were also incarcerated Gov-ernments across the continent decried the draconian tactics
and called for UN intervention to no effect The Great Lakes
Union and Atlantica closed their embassies in Denver and sentthe NAC delegates in their cities packing Then on Novem-
ber 13th 2088 a number of terrorist attacks rocked BostonBaltimore and Portland Maine An estimated 2451 people
died and thousands more were injured from the bombings
THE ATLANTICA BOMBINGSWithin hours of the attacks the Global DataNet was flooded
with conspiracy theories the most viral of which speculated
they were carried out by a terrorist group known as Agenda68Some speculated a Canadian black ops unit known as Task-
force Harfang did the deed Others went on to claim the NACwas behind the attacks and still others claimed New Brasilia
or maybe the Chinese Mandarinate were somehow involvedSo-called ldquoconspiracy theorist expertsrdquo such as Sam_Jones
and NERCOTIXX speculated that China long believed to bein bed with the North American Coalition used simulacra to
perform the bombings
10
INTRODUCTIONTHE ROAD TO 2090
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NECROTIXX China did carry out the bombings Do theresearch Look into Project Doppelganger and yoursquoll seeThe NAC is just a patsy
Sam_Jones The Mandarinate is becoming an imperialpower Just look at what they are doing with Russia nowand what they have done with all of Southeast Asia Askthe Russian refugees flooding into Seattle if they thinkChina is content to stay within their borders The writingrsquos
on the wall folksSimba It might have been orchestrated by agents workingfor Charon
Luciferion What a load of crap Charon is an AI It doesnrsquothave any contact with humans
Neon_Bright Prove it Simba
As the days stretched into weeks there was still no official
statement from the Atlantica Government about the iden-tity of the perpetrators of the attacks Then on December
15th 2088 a MEDIAfile was uploaded into the Global DataNetbearing the Hyper Tag of a popular underground media-pirate
known as MAXX_footage
The dronersquos feed showed three large muscular men in regular
clothing exit a hover van adjacent to one of the targets of theattacks just moments before it exploded Facial recognitionsoftware identified one of the men as First Sergeant John
Moore a member of the North American Coalition regular army
The MEDIAfile went on to follow the three men as they jumpedinto an unmarked hover car that took off and shot over the
Boston sea wall to land on a freighter bearing Chinese mark-ings The vessel promptly sailed east into international waters
Sorry_U_Asked Isnrsquot it odd how often people retreat tothe water in the wake of disasters How much of the oceanremains unmapped How much is hiding under the wavesthat we havenrsquot even begun to fathom
BatRastard Puns intended Wersquove already got enoughconspiracy theories Can you not add another useless one
to the stinking heap
Sane_Prophet Actually hersquos closer to reality than youmight be comfortable understanding Too much truth canbreak a manrsquos mind
BatRastard Irsquom guessing yours is already fried from afew too many stims man Want to share what yoursquove beendoping
As the situation evolved it became clear that MAXX_footagewent through what can only be described as a nightmarish journey to bring the MEDIAfile into the light of day In what
would be his only interview MAXX_footage appeared via
a secure video-feed on ldquoBoston Tonightrdquomdasha popular showin the nation of Atlantica Millions across the world tuned in
to listen to what he had to say MAXX_footage a tall lanky
young man recounted the events of that day telling how hewas hanging out at his favorite coffee shop when this black
hover van landed right in front of the Emperor Pharmaceuti-cals Arcology about a half a block away
When Penny Pearl mdash the host of the show mdash asked MAXX_
footage how during all the chaos he could have possiblyremembered those details MAXX_footage said he remem-
bered it because the hover van double parked and someonestarted yelling at the three guys who got out Thinking it was
going to result in violence MAXX_footage says he poppedout his Fly on the Wall micro drone and sent i t over to record
the incident Thatrsquos when all hell broke loose
BEGIN THREAD JACK
NECROTIXX Herersquos a transcript of the short interviewPenny couldnrsquot get MAXX back on
BEGIN TRANSCRIPThellip
ldquoOne of the three men shot the guy right in the facerdquo MAXX_
footage says his long thin hands shaking ldquoThey just walked
away and got into a red hover car I sent Judy mdash thatrsquos thename of my drone mdash after them and thatrsquos when the Black
hover van explodedrdquo MAXX_footage goes quiet for a fewseconds and after a couple of probing questions from the
hostess he finishes his story
ldquoAnyhow I get my bearings shake the dust outta my hairand suddenly realize I just captured the perps on Digifilm I
follow the red hover car all the way out past the Sea Wallwhere it lands on this Chinese freighter Judyrsquos pushinrsquo her
range limits at this point so I call her backrdquo He grabs a glassof water his hands shaking
ldquoTell us what happened nextrdquo Penny prompts
ldquoWellrdquo he begins ldquoI get back to my flat mdash it took a while mdash what
with all the chaos goinrsquo on in the lsquoplex and everything mdash andthe place is busted up I mean BIG-TIME amirdquo MAXX_footage
stops again then shakes his head and says ldquoListen I canrsquot sayanything else about that I think theyrsquore still watching mehellip
In fact this interview is done MAXX OUTrdquo The video feed
cuts to white noise
END TRANSCRIPT
END THREAD JACK
The interview and the footage of the event sparked outrage
throughout Atlantica Predictably the NAC government fiercelydenied any involvement in the bombings even going so far
as to demand the arrest and extradition of MAXX_footagefor questioning about the origins of the video
Martin Hughes mdash the president of Atlantica mdash flatly refusedthe NACrsquos demands even going so far as to say that thisMAXX_footage person was a ldquohero of the people of
Atlanticardquo The bookies in the free city of Las Vegas startedgiving even odds that hostilities would break out on the East
Coast within a year
Simba I lost a ton of money on that bet
Luciferion MAXX_footage has gone dark BTW Nobodyhas seen or heard from him since that interview
THE FLARE
On January 26 2089 a massive Earth-directed Y-class solar
flare sparked a Coronal Mass Ejection that bombarded our
planet temporarily shutting down the genie network thatmonitors and updates the TAPrsquos spam and reality filters Withthe genie down every man woman and child with a Tendril
Access Processor was exposed to raw unfiltered Hyper Reality
As you all know this sparked a week of world-wide chaosSprawlers mdash exposed to a storm of spam malware and layer
upon layer of augmented reality advertisements and simu-lated environments mdash went temporarily insane
Sane_Prophet Insanity is a weak word for the weak-minded What may appear as insane to you might simplybe someone having achieved enlightenment and livingaccording to a higher truth
11
INTRODUCTIONTHE ROAD TO 2090
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Sorry_U_Asked Irsquom all about questioning the circumstancesbut Irsquom pretty sure all the folks who were murdered duringthese events wouldrsquove labeled them as insane down to a one
Billy_Black_Eyes Whatever dictionary program yoursquorerunning needs a fresh data-dump Prophet
Sane_Prophet Dictionaries are also for the weak-minded
Billy_Black_Eyes Of course they are
The world burned for about a week until programmers couldfix the problem with firmware updates and hot patches to
get the filters up and running and an off switch installedbut the damage was done Itrsquos not known how many people
died in the rioting and madness but cautious estimates oftotal casualties put the number at around 750 million people
and nobody has even tried to calculate the monetary cost
of the riots Strangely however the Flare itself didnrsquot havea widespread impact on various infrastructures like electric
and other powers transportation systems etc In fact manybelieve the Flare wasnrsquot even a solar flare at all but the first
sign of Charonrsquos emergence as a threat to humanity
Luciferion Nobodyrsquos ever proven that Billy
Billy_Black_Eyes Nobody has ever debunked it eitherStatistical data can be hacked Numbers can be fudgedto make things seem more dramatic than they really areEarthquakes register at a certain scale and get downgradedall the time The truth is this is the first time in history thata solar flare has caused such wide-spread chaos It rsquos fishy
Luciferion Irsquoll believe it when I see some hard data
Billy_Black_Eyes Fair enough But the emergence ofCharon around this time isnrsquot even open for debate Itrsquosa fact
THE EURASIAN UNION IMPLODES
On March 15th 2089 the Eurasian Union Central Bank in
Bonn Germany was crashed by a previously unheard-of virusnamed Charon Over forty-five trillion dollars vanished without
a trace All attempts to rebuild the original databases failedSome programmers (and freelance hackers) hired to go in andpurge Charon from the databases lost their lives in the process
Further attempts to rebuild the system on different serverswith backups also failed when programmers realized that
Charon mdash now suspected by many to be an AI mdash had copieditself into the cloud networks containing those backup files
Luciferion Therersquos nothing to suspect Charon is anemergent AI The only question now is whether or not itsparks a singularity event
Nothing_to_see_here Stopwatch will halt it in its tracksThey always catch these things
Luciferion Who do you think died trying to get it out ofthe D-bases in Bonn
Over the next few months an estimated 200 million people
across the Eurasian Union the United Kingdom and Ireland losttheir jobs their homes and their life savings when it became
clear that Charon had found its way into the personal bankaccounts of citizenry across the Eurasian Union
Instances of mob violence skyrocketed as the number of
gangs in the rapidly fracturing Eurasian Union had risen tolevels not seen since the Death mdash the three-year ldquoNuclear
Autumnrdquo following the India-Pakistan war when nuclearweapons were used on a massive scale In the London-Read-
ing Megaplex protests exploded into full-scale violence after
police brutally cracked down on a peaceful protest at the
British parliament building More instances of violent protests
followed in Bristol Swindon and the Manchester-Liverpoolsprawl
On June 27th 2089 the French government was over-
thrown by a fringe political extremist group known as theNew Pirate Party Led by a charismatic young zeek named
Angeacutele Bonheur the New Pirate Party seized power after awild chaotic campaign against representatives of the NationalFront and the Popular Republican Union The elections were
rife with scandal and many of the French didnrsquot (and still donrsquot)like the idea of a French leader being psychic So while Angeacutele
emerged as the clear victor the French military refused toacknowledge her legitimacy President Bonheur responded
by disbanding the armed forces of France at the same time
announcing the privatization of the nationrsquos military throughan agreement with Ravenlocke Securities
Downtrodden Yep itrsquos a sign of things to come ladiesand gents a world-wide corporate coup of governmentsIf you donrsquot think the CEO of Ravenlocke mdash thatrsquos MarkusRaven mdash has a say in the direction this new governmenttakes think again
Luciferion Itrsquos awesome to see France led by a psychicbut letrsquos get real this is going to get much worse beforeit gets better
Magpie I wouldnrsquot be surprised i f she gets wacked
Former Lieutenant-Colonel Adrien Boucher also known as
ldquoAdrien the Butcherrdquo for his brutal suppression of an upris-ing in Marseilles in 2087 took charge of the remnants of
the disbanded French army promising to remove PresidentBonheur from power Within days of Adrienrsquos announcement
Fort Richepance mdash now the Northeastern headquarters for
Ravenlocke Industriesrsquo Storm Crow Golemmech brigade mdash wasattacked The president responded by declaring martial law
throughout France until the renegade movement could be
put down Thus far that hasnrsquot happened though there arereports of clashes between Ravenlocke regulars and sepa-
ratist forces outside of St Etienne and in the French Alps
Warpig This has caused numerous issues If PresidentAngeacutele thinks her countrymen are going to accept theprivatization of the military shersquos sorely mistaken As Billymentions Adrien the Butcher is causing problems buttherersquos more to it Militias are forming They have advancedweaponry and while I wonrsquot speculate as to whorsquos providingthem with those weapons I do know the vast majority ofthe weapons are made by Act of God Armaments
Battle_Mind I know one thing itrsquos a great time to be amercenary
Full_Metal_Cyborg Amen brother Irsquoll see you on the
battlefieldPayne_Man Lock and Load U mushrooms I splatter youn00bs with my AK
Magpie ldquoSighrdquo Stop playing Matrix of War Payne Yousound like a fool This ainrsquot a game
Payne_Man I thought we were talkinrsquo about MOW Ushould C the zones Theyrsquore eggsaklee like the content ofthis INFOdump Have been for a whyle now Evar since thelast expansion dropped in spring 2088
Luciferion hellipOk thatrsquos odd
Payne_Man The CoalitionAtlantica War expansion izzcumin out next month 2 I Kant W8
12
INTRODUCTIONTHE ROAD TO 2090
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On June 30th 2089 Germany wracked with political in-
fighting riots in the streets and a general state of chaos
closed its borders Officially the stated reason was for secu-rity reasons stemming from conflict along the border with
France but most people donrsquot believe it Chancellor KonradGerste authorized a financial bailout of the three largest
manufacturers of weapons and military equipment for
the German army The move has frightened many of the
Eastern European nations mdash especially the good people ofPoland mdash who know well what happens when Germans
begin preparing for war and make no mistake Germany ismoving to a war footing
Payne_Man Watch out Zee Germans are cumming LOL
Klaus What Canrsquot my brethren move to protectthemselves from the chaos in France And why the veiledreference to WWII Itrsquos been nearly 150 years since Hitlerrsquosmadness yet nobody allows us to forget it
THE BEAR AND THE DRAGON
As the situation in Europe grew worse China took advantageof the weakened Eurasian Union grabbing up huge swathes
of territory in Russia its armies advancing as far west as the
Ural Mountain range where Russian forces managed to haltthe dragonrsquos advance Still the damage was done By August2089 the Mandarinate had established itself as an occupy-
ing power in every city town and village east of the Ural
Mountains That hasnrsquot stopped the Russians from retaliatinghowever Russian patriots have begun an insurgency attack-
ing Chinese forces wherever they can be found Mandarinatemouthpieces paint the insurgents as terrorists to little effect
as the insurgency swells in number every day
Neon_Bright This isnrsquot just a struggle against Chineseaggression Vast resources have been found ever sinceSiberia began to thaw Irsquom talking about precious mineralsoil even the land is useful for development especiallywhen you consider billions of people live in eastern Asia
Luciferion Agreed Neon
LIFE IN GENERAL
So how have the above events impacted life as we stumbleinto 2090 In numerous ways omae There isnrsquot enough time
to go into great detail about how war the Flare and espe-
cially the rise of Charon have affected the life of the averagesprawler across the world but Irsquo ll go over some of the more
important details Pay attention peeps some of this mightkeep you alive
SURVIVING HYPER REALITY
As I mentioned above when the Flare knocked out the GENIEnetwork it caused widespread chaos And while GENIE is back
up and running there are still glitches in the system Sure
firmware updates to the Tendril Access Processor mdash TAP as itrsquosmore commonly known mdash allow you to turn off that modem
in your brain but wellhelliplet me put it like this Hyper Realityhas become smarter even deadly if you donrsquot have the right
software installed in your TAP
Sane_Prophet Why bother putting up more and morefilters It is senseless A futile fight against powers fargreater than yourself Open your eyes open your mindand set yourself free from this prison of so-called reality
BatRastard Right and then with the first meme to fry myneurons Irsquoll be spending my life savings on the Fat Sallyrsquosdown the block Brilliant
Sane_Prophet Fat Sally rsquos secret sauce is an interdimen-sional gateway into the heights of ecstasy
BatRastard Actually thatrsquos the first thing you and I haveever agreed on
Irsquove discussed this phenomena with numerous program-mers across the world and they all agree virii spam and allmanner of malware that [prior to the Flare] would have been
easy to purge from your head are now behaving much dif-
ferently Itrsquos almost as if the things evolved into somethingnot-quite-sentient but damned close to it
So what does this mean for you
If you choose to experience Hyper Reality (and if you have aTAP in your brain you have) itrsquos only a matter of time before
one of these virii hacks into your brain Therersquos nothing youcan really do about it itrsquos just one of the many fun facts of
life in 2090 I do find it ironic that af ter decades of enjoying
the connectivity and convenience the TAP has provided thistechnology seems to be actively trying to kill us and there
isnrsquot much we can do about it without going back to medi-eval times You know the 1980rsquos Of course some of you out
there will want to turn your TAPs off for good and avoid the
risk entirely Hell some of you might be considering gettingthe damned thing removed
You can do that sure Of course that means yoursquore also
not connected to the grid that makes your life so unbeliev-ably convenient This causes a mult itude of problems Donrsquot
believe me Try walking out of your house Oh right you canrsquotbecause most doors donrsquot have handles anymore Theyrsquore
automated and respond to the signals coming from your TAPI know some are activated by motion sensors and donrsquot rely
on the TAP But no door which is designed with security in
mind will open so easilyThis also means you have almost zero access to vehicles or
places where you can buy things like grocery stores Yeah
sure you can just follow someone else into said store butthe security cameras will spot you and not having a digital
record of your presence (which they get from your TAP) willflag you and dispatch a security team to find out who you
are So there you are in your local Malmart looking for some
cloned steaks to fire up on your grill later on when securitycomes with their big guns and ldquowhat the hell are you doing
here scumbagrdquo looks on their faces to boot you back out intothe streets where you came from
Oh how did you plan on paying for them BTW now that
your TAP is offline and the clerk canrsquot sync her cash register
with your payment software And NO they donrsquot take cashThe point is this omae All that convenience you were usedto goes out the window when you unplug Itrsquos much easier
to get strong firewalls than it is to live outside the system
So think about what I said before you scratch that itch at thebase of your skull with a scalpel
SURVIVING THE STREETS
The streets have always been dangerous thatrsquos a givenWhen you cram millions of people into a concrete and steel
petri dish then forget about 999 of them you create abreeding ground for violence hate and societal devolution
13
INTRODUCTIONLIFE IN GENERAL
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on such a scale that social Darwinists like Herbert Spencer and
Thomas Malthus would roll over in their graves
Again that in itself is nothing new The streets have alwaysbeen violent but ever since the events I previously described
came to pass mdash especially the Flare and the implosion of theEurasian Union mdash the number of homeless people across the
world has sky-rocketed The petri dish is frothing and over-
flowing as new gangs emerge mdash and Irsquom talking globally not just in North America mdash and carve out their own terri tory
This upsets the balance ami and makes it harder to survivewhen yoursquore just a blooper looking to make it through the
day because now you have new predators to deal with n00bbangers making up their own rules as they go And the cop-
suckers donrsquot help
Protect and serve What a load of crap
Sure yoursquol l get Triple-A service if you live in one of the moneybubbles but try getting help in say the Aurora Barrens or
the Gary Hell Zone and yoursquore basically fucked Yeah thereare token patrols and the ever-present drones but drones
get shot down and the copsuckers are so outnumbered
most are either so scared to get into an altercation with thepredators or theyrsquore on the take I canrsquot say I blame them
either The streets are a war zone and if you wear the badgeyoursquore marked for death omae So take my advice and get
strapped The only person you can count on in the concrete jungle is you
Sorry_U_Asked Think twice before trying to claim a badgebounty though Sure plenty of honchos love to pay topcredit for proof that yoursquove kept the law from poking aroundtheir territory But just because you see someone wearingone doesnrsquot mean they got it legit Lots of gangers wearthem as trophies So if you drop a shot on a copsuckerthinking yoursquove hit payday you might end up with a wholeband of bangers snarling on your heels
SURVIVING THE GAME
Therersquos an old saying The Game is the Game mdash you eitherplay it or you get played I donrsquot care if you contract free-
lance fight fix hack patch or scam yoursquore in it omae andthat puts you at odds with every other player out there Most
people approach the game as a means to an end thinking
that one shiny day theyrsquoll earn enough creds to go someplacewarm and dry and live out their lives in style These clowns
donrsquot last Theyrsquore so busy dreaming about the good timesthat they lose focus on whatrsquos right in front of their face (or
creeping up behind them) Dreamers get sloppy take short
cuts betray their team and torch their street cred like gutterpunks burn trash in a garbage can to keep warm
If you want to survive the game you need to take a lesson
from these dreamers keep your mind on the job Therersquos nosandy beach waiting for you The megacorps bought them
all and turned lsquoem into parking lots The only fruity drinksyoursquoll ever drink are sold in the local watering hole by some
burned-out ronin The best you can hope for is a litt le bit of
comfort mdash usually behind a small fortress if yoursquore smart mdash andthe respect of the streets But thatrsquos a double-edged sword
another facet of the game Therersquos always someone faster
than you some hungry up-and-comer with the latest aug-ments wanting to prove herself by dealing you out Sucksto be a victim of your own success but thatrsquos the truth of it
My advice Find a way to deal yourself out clean Put some
creds away never burn your contacts and donrsquot ever everbecome a legend
Legends die
14
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CHARACTER
CREATION
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CHAPTER TWOCHARACTER CREATION
Characters are the lifersquos blood of any role-playing game the
focal point of every story Characters represent the best mdash orthe worst mdash ideals of a given game setting their actions either
bringing a small measure of hope to the downtrodden massesor serving to strengthen the status quo In the grim gritty
world of Interface Zero 20 the characters you play walk amonofilament edge between traditional mdash some would say
outdated or just plain irrelevant mdash concepts of good and evilas they make their way in the world
Indeed itrsquos hard to be a moral individual in a world where
most of the animals prowling the concrete jungle believe prin-ciples are character flaws mdash weaknesses to exploit for their
own ends Your morality marks you as prey no doubt aboutit omae But if you can keep your moral code if you can get
your job done without selling your soul yoursquoll get something
most sprawlers never have respect
Evil on the other hand is the same as it always has been
therersquos just more of it The wicked always thrive in a world
where violence fear and control are tools used for self-serv-ing ends but herersquos the thing Acting like an ass can get you
green-lit just as quickly as playing the role of the goody-two-shoes marks you as a sucker amigo
Nobody likes a dickhead even if they donrsquot say it to your
face Sooner or later yoursquoll get a rep for being a hard-assand someone who is stronger meaner or a bigger asshole
than you is going to come along and knock you back to thegutter you crawled out of Thatrsquos why most people keep their
heads down and their mouths shut Donrsquot make eye contact
itrsquos a challenge to the predators and if you donrsquot have thestones to back up the challenge yoursquore nothing but meat
But if you can stay strong and defeat all comers that com-mands respect too
This chapter provides you with the tools you need to make
a character for Interface Zero 20 The process is the same ascreating a character for any Savage Worlds game with a few
additions Interface Zero 20 introduces Street Cred Contactsand Strain to the game
STEP 1 CONCEPT
The first thing you need to do is decide on a concept for your
character Will you play a hacker Perhaps a mercenary orbounty hunter is more your speed Are mercs and hunters toocutthroat for your style of play If so you might think about
playing a ronin an urban warrior who follows his own code
of honor Maybe you want to be the guy (or gal) who backsthe team up with drones capable of laying down covering
fire or scouting ahead to see where the bad guys are hiding
You donrsquot need to have your concept locked in right now butat least have a basic idea of the type of character you want
to play Take a few minutes and skip ahead to the archetypessection in this chapter to see a variety of options available
to you
STEP 2 RACEThe next thing you need to do is choose a race In 2090
humanity has reached the point where the word ldquohumanrdquo is
almost irrelevant Human DNA is no longer a mystery Itrsquos amathematical code technomancers hack re-write and copy
at will producing genetically superior beings the Human 20
Others snip and paste animal DNA and splice it with humanDNA to create genetic hybrids a fusion of man and animal
Science has even advanced to such an extent that we can
create entirely new life forms mdash living beings known as simula-cra mdash in amniotic vats growing them until they have matured
filling their synthetic brains with memories and skills theyrsquollneed to do the jobs for which they were created
STEP 3 TRAITS
Traits are the building blocks of any Savage Worlds character
They define how strong or fast your character is and what
she knows Traits determine how much cyberware she canput into her body how much damage she can take before
dying her standing with others and a variety of other thingsall of which are essential to the game
ATTRIBUTES
Five attributes are used to define your characterrsquos physi-cal characteristics These are Agility Smarts Spirit Strength
and Vigor Each attribute starts at d4 You have 5 points withwhich to raise these attr ibutes and one point equals a risein a die type (d4 to d6 d6 to d8 etc) No attribute may rise
higher than d12 during character creation unless stated undera racial ability For more information on attributes refer to
the Savage Worlds core rules
SKILLS
You have 15 points to spend on your characterrsquos skills Your
character doesnrsquot start with any skills and must spend 1 pointto get a skill at a d4 He spends 1 point to raise a skill to a
higher die type as long as the skill level is equal to or less
than the linked attribute Raising any skill above the linkedattribute costs 2 points per step No skill may rise above d12
during character creation
Note If you are using the skill specializations rules you get 20points for skills and each new specialization costs 1 skill point
during character creation When your character advances shemay purchase 2 skill specializations for an advance or a new
skill and a single specialization
NEW SKILLS
The following are new skills introduced in Interface Zero 20
For information on all other skills see Skills in the Savage
Worlds core rules
16
CHARACTER CREATIONCONCEPT RACE TRAITS
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Hacking (Smarts) The Hacking skill is used whenever a
character wants to hack a computer network Characters in
Interface Zero 20 no longer start with an automatic d4 inHacking Additionally characters who wish to use the Global
DataNet for everyday purposes such as research or findingnews pertaining to the Deep do so with their existing Inves-
tigation and Streetwise skills
Knowledge (Demolitions) Successful use of demolitions canmean the difference between destruction of the target as
planned and unplanned loss of life and property The skill also
lets the character have an understanding of what the besttype of explosive is for the obstacle and how much they will
need to remove such an obstacle In addition a raise on theresult will let them know the exact distance they need to be
from the explosion based upon the size of the charge the con-
fines and damage created by said explosion This skill is usedany time a character wants to put a satchel charge together
or set explosives A Critical Failure will result in immediatedetonation Simple failure will result in premature detonation
or no detonation at all
Knowledge (Programming) Characters use this skill when
attempting to make any kind of change to a network theyhave hacked This skill allows a character to undo damagedone as a result of a hack With it a character can do things
like undo an edit to a data file or video reconstruct a deleted
file repair an AMS (see Active Memory Sectors on page 274in the Sett ing Rules chapter) recover a deleted skill Engram
or reconnect a TAP that has gone offline
OPTIONAL RULE SKILL SPECIALIZATIONS
Interface Zero 20 is an advanced setting where knowing
how to do one thing doesnrsquot necessarily mean you can dosomething which under the regular skill rules would techni-
cally be possible with the same skill Take the various DrivingBoating and Piloting skills for example
Using the regular skill rules a character with Driving couldtheoretically drive anything from a motorcycle to a semi-truckor a tank Similarly Piloting assumes a character has the skills
to pilot all types of aircraft including fighter jets and space-
craft Pinnacle Entertainment addressed this issue by addingthe Skill Specialization setting rule in the Savage Worlds core
rules and it is highly recommended that those rules are usedfor Interface Zero 20
The following list of skill specializations are provided to get
you started This isnrsquot intended to be a comprehensive listof appropriate skill specializations but rather a broad cross
section of specializations we feel are appropriate If some-thing doesnrsquot appear on the list make it up if it seems right
But remember the GM always has the final say on what is or
isnrsquot appropriate for her campaign
SUGGESTED SPECIALIZATIONS
bull Boating Powered Sailed Submersible
bull Climbing Mountaineering Rappelling Rope
bull Driving Car (4 wheels) Hovercraft JUMP Bike MotorcycleTruck (6+ wheels) Tracked
bull Fighting Axe Blades Blunt Cyberweapon Long Blade
bull Shooting Bow Pistol Rifle Shotgun Submachine GunVehicle Weapon or by weapon category
bull Stealth Disguise Hiding Sleight of Hand Sneaking
bull Streetwise AreaRegion (Corporate Zone Gang Turf etc)
bull Survival Aquatic Arctic Desert Forest Jungle MountainSpace urban or any specific environment
bull Swimming Lake Ocean SCUBA Divingbull Taunt Verbal Visual
bull Throwing Darts Grenades Knives Spears
bull Tracking Animals Global DataNet Humans Urban
Vehicles
OPTIONAL SKILL ATHLETICS
Rather than breaking up basic things like Climbing and Swim-ming it is recommended to combine them into a single skill
which would allow for specialization
Athletics (Vigor) Athletics as a catch-all for a number ofphysical endeavors ranging from climbing to swimming to
moving around effectively in a no mdash or low-gravity environ-
ment Athletics should be used instead of Agility in foot chasesand effectively replaces both the Climbing and Swimming skills
Specializations Climbing Leaping Running Sport (specific)
Swimming Zero-G Maneuvers
LANGUAGES
All characters speak their native language plus a number ofadditional languages equaling one-half their Smarts die The
major trade languages used in Interface Zero 20 are Chinese
English Hindi Portuguese and Swahili Additional languagescan be learned by using an advancement opportunity
DERIVED STATISTICS
There are a few statistics which are important in any SavageWorlds game Charisma Pace Parry and Toughness
CHARISMA
Charisma is an abstract measure of your characterrsquos appear-ance how she deals with others socially and generally how
likeable she is Charisma starts at 0 but can be modified byEdges and Hindrances Charisma is also added to Streetwise
and Persuasion rolls The Game Master uses Charisma to figure
out how NPCrsquos react to your character For more informationon Charisma see the Savage Worlds core rules
PACE
Pace is a measure of how far your character can walk in a
standard combat round Human characters have a base Paceof 6 and can run at an additional 1d6rdquo Other races in Interface
Zero 20 can have different starting Pace scores based on the
racial template you choose For more information on Pacesee the Savage Worlds core rules
PARRY
Parry is equal to 2 plus half your characterrsquos Fighting skillplus modifiers gained from use of shields or certain weapons
If your character does not have the Fighting skill base Parry
starts at 2 For more information on Parry see the SavageWorlds core rules
TOUGHNESS
Toughness is a measure of how much damage your character
can take before becoming Shaken or wounded Toughness is2 plus half your characterrsquos Vigor plus any armor she might
be wearing For more information on Toughness see the
Savage Worlds core rules
NEW DERIVED STATSInterface Zero 20 introduces three new derived statis-
tics mdash Firewall Strain and Street Cred
FIREWALL
Unless your character has the Unplugged Hindrance she hasa Tendril Access Processor (TAP) and therefore has a built-
in firewall The firewall protects against attempts to hack a
characterrsquos TAP A characterrsquos Firewall rating star ts at 4 but
can be modified by Edges Hindrances or software
STRAIN
Strain measures the amount of stress cyberware and biowareputs on your body when you install it Strain starts at zero
and each piece of cyberware adds to your Strain stat Highlevels of Strain can lead to death More details on Strain are
located at Augments on page 262
STREET CRED
Street Cred is a measure of your character rsquos reputation on
the streets All characters begin play with 2 points of StreetCred modified by Edges or Hindrances and gain another 2
points every time they gain a new Rank The maximum StreetCred a character can normally achieve is 10 (some Edges and
Occupations can increase this number)
Unlike Charisma which measures your ability to persuadesomeone Street Cred is a point pool that can be spent to
obtain services temporary contacts information and a variety
of other benefits during the course of an adventure This poolrefreshes each adventure unless circumstances in the prior
adventure (like not getting the job done failing to protectsomeone killing an innocent etc) cause the characterrsquos Street
Cred score to drop
Characters can also pick up Minor or Major Hindrances thathave a lasting effect on their Street Cred score during the
course of an adventure These Hindrances can be removedby spending an Advance with the GMrsquos permission For more
information see Street Cred on page 264
CONTACTS
Each character can choose two contacts people the character
knows who he can call upon for aid or information during thecourse of an adventure These contacts can be anyone froma bartender or a hacker to a corporate executive or military
commander as long as it makes sense that your characterwould know the person(s)
STEP 4 OCCUPATIONS
Occupations are integral to your character concept providinga basic framework to enhance your characterrsquos background in
a very organic way helping you create a more well-rounded
18
CHARACTER CREATIONTRAITS
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character concept Each occupation has a requirement that thecharacter must meet to take it the characterrsquos bonus credits
gained each Advance and a special perk (like gear or specialabilities) the character gets for being part of that profession
STEP 5 EDGES AND HINDRANCES
Edges are special qualities that separate characters from theaverage sprawler Hindrances are physical and mental flaws
that add more depth to the character albeit in a negativeway See the Savage Worlds core rules for more information
on purchasing Edges and Hindrances New Edges and Hin-drances are provided later in this chapter
STEP 6 EQUIPMENT
In Interface Zero 20 characters select equipment cybernet-ics weapons and armor based on the power level the Game
Master sets for the campaign
Power Level This is the starting Power Level of the Cam-
paign as determined by the Game Master If the GM wants totell a story of gang members barely scraping by shersquoll mostlikely choose Gutter Punk as the Power Level If she envi-
sions a campaign where the players are a special governmenttask force dedicated to hunting down super terrorists the
Hyperchrome Warriors or Elite Operatives levels might be
more appropriate The Street Soldier Power Level (designedfor ronin-style games) is considered the default Power Level
for Interface Zero 20
Starting Credits This is the amount of money characters
start with at the beginning of the campaign These credits
may be spent on anything the player wishes and the GM hasnot barred from the campaign including augments drones
weapons and armor
Augments Every Power Level above Gutter Punk allows theplayers to start with at least one augment from the core book
equal to or below the monetary amount listed Unspent Creditsfrom this pool do not carry over when the game starts These
augments must be chosen from the master list of augments
not augment packages
STEP 7 BACKGROUND
They say the devil is in the details and here is where you
decide how devilish yoursquore going to be You donrsquot need towrite a novel and frankly this step isnrsquot mandatory That said
itrsquos a good idea to jot down a few notes on your characterrsquosbackground any major events in her life any friends the
names of contacts or even enemies she might have Share
these ideas with your Game Master GMs are always lookingfor good plot hooks and little tidbits they can use to person-
alize your experience at the table The more detailed yourbackground is the better
ARCHETYPESSometimes you may want to quickly create a character for
a one-shot or convention adventure For those occasions anArchetype is a good choice
All are built for a human character with two Edges If you wish
to play a race other than human simply plug in the statisticaldata If yoursquore playing a human you
can choose another Edge Thenchoose your gear based on the
Power Level your group haschosen give the character
a name and yoursquore ready
to go
19
ARCHETYPES
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AGENT
BOUNTY HUNTER
20
AGENT 991251 BOUNTY HUNTER
20
ARCHETYPESAGENT 991251 BOUNTY HUNTER
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CYBERMONK
DRONE JOCKEY
21
CYBERMONK 991251 DRONE JOCKEY
21
ARCHETYPESCYBERMONK 991251 DRONE JOCKEY
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GANGER
GRIFTER
22
GANGER 991251 GRIFTER
22
ARCHETYPESGANGER 991251 GRIFTER
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HACKER
IDOL
23
HACKER 991251 IDOL
23
ARCHETYPESHACKER 991251 IDOL
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INVESTIGATIVE JOURNALIST
PATCH MAN
24
INVESTIGATIVE JOURNALIST 991251 PATCH MAN
24
ARCHETYPESINVESTIGATIVE JOURNALIST 991251 PATCH MAN
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RONIN
SECTOR COP
25
RONIN 991251 SECTOR COP
25
ARCHETYPESRONIN 991251 SECTOR COP
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SMUGGLER
EX-SOLDIER
26
SMUGGLER 991251 EX983085SOLDIER
26
ARCHETYPESSMUGGLER 991251 EX983085SOLDIER
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STREET RAT
ZEEK
27
STREET RAT 991251 ZEEK
27
ARCHETYPESSTREET RAT 991251 ZEEK
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RACESThe following races are available for play in Interface Zero 20
Most people are born into the world flesh-and-bloodbabies with mothers and fathers You were bornon an assembly line your parents faceless roboticsengineers who designed you in some research facilityYour body is composed of lightweight yetdurable polymers with plastic and fiber-opticwiring connecting to microscopic receptorsthroughout your framework
You see through digital lenses and hear viamicrophones on each side of your head Yourvoice is a pleasant if somewhat monotonesound piped through a speaker crafted to
resemble a mouth Your brain is a softball-sized digital network consisting of billionsof nanomachines which perform countlesscomputations every second in order to simulatean organic mdash human mdash thinking process
You are artificially intelligent Your capacity forrational critical thinking and decision-makingequals mdash and in many cases exceeds mdash that ofany human being on the planet Yet a waffle ironprobably has more rights than you do Moreoverat some point you have been (and technically stillare) owned perhaps by an individual but more likelyby a megaconglomorate mdash your parent companyThe tasks you performed for the megacorp varieddepending on your design specs but they mighthave included security manual labor combat and
strangely enough even prostitution
But that was then
At some point in your history you experiencedsomething The incident sparked a computation processwithin your neural network best described as an epiphanyPerhaps you saw a human being die or witnessed a couplekissing Or perhaps you were the victim of vio lence at thehands of a human being angered by your presence insociety The event led to a series of internal processes andsubroutines more commonly known as questions Thesewerenrsquot rational system queries based on clearly definedparameters but nebulous ones for which you were unableto formulate an appropriate response
ldquoIf that woman is smiling why are her eyes filled with tearsrdquo
ldquoWhat does it mean to be deadrdquo
ldquoWhat does it mean to hate or loverdquo
The experience altered your programming on a fundamentallevel The dictums of your creators no longer seemedrelevant when compared to your newfound imperative toanswer the questions you had so you left Now you makeyour way in the world just as any other person does mdash atleast you try to at any rate The world wasnrsquot made for youYou were built for it And even though you no longer serveyour masters you are still a machine an outsider look ingat life through glass eyes
MAKING ANDROIDS
All androids regardless of their function share a few fun-damental design characteristics Androids can purchase
cyberware just as anyone else can and suffer from Strain
bull Construct Androids add +2 to recover from being Shaken
donrsquot suffer wound modifiers and are immune to poisonand disease Androids cannot heal naturally To heal an
android requires the Repair skill mdash which is used like theHealing skill only with no ldquoGolden Hourrdquo
bull Dual Processors Androids start with a d6 in Smarts
bull EMP Vulnerability Androids suffer full damage from EMPWeapons
bull Metal Brain Androids canrsquot take Arcane Back-
ground (Psionics)
bull Metallic Alloy The fully metallic hide of an
android provides resistance to small arms fire
They have +2 Armor
bull Outsider Organic races often mistrust or mis-
understand androids They subtract 2 from their
Charisma when dealing with races other thantheir own
bull Primary Protocol Androids begin with a free
d6 in one skill representing their core operat-ing system
bull Recharge Androids need electricity to func-tion If the android canrsquot access an electrical
outlet of some sort at least once per day he
suffers a level of Fatigue each day until hersquosincapacitated The day after that he goes ldquooff-
linerdquo and must be reactivated with a Repairroll and a four-hour charge This replaces the
androidrsquos need for food or water
bull Unnatural Psionics both beneficial and det-rimental suffer a minus2 penalty to affect androids
This has no effect on damaging powers whichaffect them normally
It was easy to make the decision Yoursquod get a new metalbody that works better than the original You wouldnrsquot haveto spend your familyrsquos money on more expensive surgeriesto keep your failing body alive but that decision didnrsquot comewithout a cost Yoursquod lose the ability to feel the abil ity topick up your son without worrying about crushing himYoursquod lose the feel of your wifersquos body when you made loveto her If you canrsquot feel anything arenrsquot you already dead
In the end you chose to become a cyborg to have your
brain encased in metal Most days it doesnrsquot make muchdifference You come home to an empty house your sonand wife long gone Maybe theyrsquod have stayed if yoursquodonly kept your hearthellip
MAKING CYBORGS
Little is more frightening in batt le than a cyborg Theyrsquore not
much more than an organic brain in an androidrsquos body Cyborgscome in humanoid form simply for ease of transition to the
new body The majority of cyborgs work for their respectivegovernments or powerful corporations who can afford the
procedure for trusted personnel However more and morecyborgs are beginning to find their way to the private sector
bull Augmented Cyborgs are built to be cybernetic beasts
They begin play with a single Streetware Augment witha Strain of 1
bull Construct Cyborgs add +2 to recover from being Shaken
donrsquot suffer wound modifiers and are immune to poisonand disease Cyborgs cannot heal naturally To heal a
Cyborg requires the Repair skill which is used like theHealing skill only with no ldquoGolden Hourrdquo
bull EMP Shielding Cyborgs have 2 points of Armor when
attacked by an EMP weapon
bull EMP Vulnerability Cyborgs suffer full damage from EMP
bull Metallic Alloy The fully metall ic hide of a cyborg providesresistance to small arms fire They have +2 Armor
bull Outsider Most people are naturally put off by someonewho has opted to have all traces of their humanity
removed to be placed in a cold metal war machine They
suffer minus2 to Charisma when dealing with non-cyborgs
bull Specialized Diet Cyborgs cannot digest normal food and
require special food filled with nutrients to keep theirbrains healthy This raises their lifestyle costs by 1000credits
bull Tactile Dimming The Cyborgrsquos body isnrsquot as sensitive as
a human body Cyborgs suffer a minus2 to tasks where finemanipulation of objects is important Picking a lock or
performing surgery could be two examples Shootingand Fighting are usually unaffected
HUMAN
Nicknames Norms Homo-sapiens Earthlings Plain Jane
Baseline average normal mdash these words always described
you You prefer to think of yourself as adaptable versatileor unique You were born to human parents who eitherwouldnrsquot or couldnrsquot pay for genetic enhancement Youdidnrsquot go for that ldquoHybr idizationrdquo craze Yoursquore happy beingwho you are and you donrsquot need some scientists muckingaround with your genetics Really do they even know whatthe consequences of all that meddling will have on thepopulation in a hundred years No yoursquoll play it cool and
just be human
MAKING HUMANS
Despite all the choices and new races running around ordi-nary homo-sapiens still dominate the planet Humans are
tough adaptable creatures who face adversity head onWhile they may not have some of the distinct advantages
of their enhanced peers humans get by through being moreadaptable
bull Adaptability Humans start with one extra Edge
HUMAN 20
Nicknames Coded Eli tist Eugenic Gen-Xyrsquoer Neo-HumansSavant
You were born with the best genes money can buy Yourparents went to a design house early in your motherrsquosfirst trimester and began a series of genetic treatmentsdesigned to give you every chance at living a life theynever had Your DNA cocktail might include mental traitsfrom some of the greatest minds of the past 60 yearsAlternately you might have some kind of artistic or athleticability In any case yoursquore better than most people aroundyou in some ways and you know it Itrsquos not your faultthough Yoursquore just built that way
MAKING HUMAN 20
bull Advanced Ability You begin play with one attribute at d6
bull Arrogant Human 20s are known for their huge egos
Whether itrsquos nature or nurture is still up for debate Theyhave the Arrogant Hindrance If you choose an Archetype
that already has the Arrogant Hindrance choose another
RACESCYBORG 991251 HUMAN 20
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INTRODUCTION
INFOSOURCE
VIDTAGROADTO2090
LOCAL JACOBSPLAYGROUNDNET
FQDN JACOBSPLAYGROUNDNETCHITOWN06TNTPNSWWGNET
DATA SOURCE MAY YOU LIVE IN INTERESTING TIMESINFODUMP
THE ROAD TO 2090
Posted By Billy_Black_Eyes
So here we are in January 2090 Itrsquos been a couple of yearssince I dropped the last INFODUMP on the world and Irsquom here
to rectify that This massive documentrsquos gonna give you all theinformation you need to get up to speed on the state of the
world along with oodles and oodles of statistical data about
a bunch of subjects including the Global DataNet golem-mechs drones and other emerging technologies Yoursquoll read
about the strange and wonderful people who inhabit thisworld the solar system zeeks and much more Irsquove gath-
ered info from sources all over the world and vetted it to
the best of my ability That said you never know whatrsquos trueand what isnrsquot in this age of main stream media lies govern-
ment propaganda and do-it-yourself journalism so take theinformation (especially in the data dumps about the world)
with a grain of salt
Simba So what are you sayinrsquo Bi lly We canrsquot trust you
Billy_Black_Eyes Thatrsquos not what I said You know fullwell that information especially editorialized info alwayshas a certain slant to it It rsquos also fluid What was true at thetime I acquired it may not necessarily be accurate now
The past two years have seen a number of major eventstake place in the world If just one or two things would have
happened I might think they werenrsquot connected Yet itrsquos as ifsomeone walked up to a house of cards and pulled one card
out The house hasnrsquot completely crashed yet itrsquos in a slow-
motion free fall and the worst part is only a few of us seemto be watching What follows is a br ief overview of the major
events that have shaped the world in which we currently live
Neon_Bright Oh Billy looking at the world with thosedark lenses again are we
Magpie Neon I think he needs a hug )
Billy_Black_Eyes What I need is a ticket to Mars Thingsare about to get crazy and I want off this rock
GROWING TENSIONS IN NORTH AMERICA
The year 2088 was marked by a number of disturbing mdash somesay portentous mdash events involving the North American Coali-
tion the Great Lakes Union and Atlantica
Sane_Prophet ldquoPortentousrdquo Could the scales be fallingoff your black eyes my friend Are you finally coming tounderstand the truth
Billy_Black_Eyes Seriously You again I told you nomystic bull shit
Sane_Prophet Just because you refuse to acknowledgeomens for what they are doesnrsquot make them any less valid
THE HEGEMONY GROWS
The crackdown on zeeks hybrids and synthetic humans in the
NAC reached a boiling point when Congress and the Senateratified the infamous Racial Purity Act a draconic piece of
legislation banning the practice of hybrid and simulacrumcreation All genetic modification parlors and simulacrum
production facilities were ordered to shut down The Racial
Purity Act also outlawed the use of psychic powers within theborders of the nation with hefty fines and even imprisonment
for those caught using them Various watchdog organiza-tions were created the most visible of which is Psi-division
a branch of Stopwatch tasked with monitoring and in some
cases even ldquoneutralizingrdquo psychic threats
Psychopope And by ldquoneutralizingrdquo he means murder
Denver_Must_Burn And forced relocationhellipIrsquom not talkingabout VR prisons ei ther Irsquom talking about the internmentcamps up in Montana and the Dakotas
Simba It was just as bad for hybrids like myself Whenthose genetic modification parlors shut down the pr ivateinformation about their customers was confiscatedunder the auspices of ldquonational securit yrdquo This means theDepartment of National Security (DNS) has the namesand addresses of every hybrid and free sim in the NorthAmerican Coalition If you have a TAP the DNS can trackyour IP too
Luciferion Simba Dude thatrsquos happening with everycitizen regardless of whether or not yoursquore zeek hybridor ldquoPlain Janerdquo human
Denver_Must_Burn All I can say is TRICilicit_behavior Yes DMB The Revolution IS Coming
Instances of racial violence erupted across the North Ameri-
can Coalition as law enforcement officials began arrestingzeeks Some of the more obvious hybrids mdash particularly the
bull bear and rhino variants mdash were also incarcerated Gov-ernments across the continent decried the draconian tactics
and called for UN intervention to no effect The Great Lakes
Union and Atlantica closed their embassies in Denver and sentthe NAC delegates in their cities packing Then on Novem-
ber 13th 2088 a number of terrorist attacks rocked BostonBaltimore and Portland Maine An estimated 2451 people
died and thousands more were injured from the bombings
THE ATLANTICA BOMBINGSWithin hours of the attacks the Global DataNet was flooded
with conspiracy theories the most viral of which speculated
they were carried out by a terrorist group known as Agenda68Some speculated a Canadian black ops unit known as Task-
force Harfang did the deed Others went on to claim the NACwas behind the attacks and still others claimed New Brasilia
or maybe the Chinese Mandarinate were somehow involvedSo-called ldquoconspiracy theorist expertsrdquo such as Sam_Jones
and NERCOTIXX speculated that China long believed to bein bed with the North American Coalition used simulacra to
perform the bombings
10
INTRODUCTIONTHE ROAD TO 2090
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NECROTIXX China did carry out the bombings Do theresearch Look into Project Doppelganger and yoursquoll seeThe NAC is just a patsy
Sam_Jones The Mandarinate is becoming an imperialpower Just look at what they are doing with Russia nowand what they have done with all of Southeast Asia Askthe Russian refugees flooding into Seattle if they thinkChina is content to stay within their borders The writingrsquos
on the wall folksSimba It might have been orchestrated by agents workingfor Charon
Luciferion What a load of crap Charon is an AI It doesnrsquothave any contact with humans
Neon_Bright Prove it Simba
As the days stretched into weeks there was still no official
statement from the Atlantica Government about the iden-tity of the perpetrators of the attacks Then on December
15th 2088 a MEDIAfile was uploaded into the Global DataNetbearing the Hyper Tag of a popular underground media-pirate
known as MAXX_footage
The dronersquos feed showed three large muscular men in regular
clothing exit a hover van adjacent to one of the targets of theattacks just moments before it exploded Facial recognitionsoftware identified one of the men as First Sergeant John
Moore a member of the North American Coalition regular army
The MEDIAfile went on to follow the three men as they jumpedinto an unmarked hover car that took off and shot over the
Boston sea wall to land on a freighter bearing Chinese mark-ings The vessel promptly sailed east into international waters
Sorry_U_Asked Isnrsquot it odd how often people retreat tothe water in the wake of disasters How much of the oceanremains unmapped How much is hiding under the wavesthat we havenrsquot even begun to fathom
BatRastard Puns intended Wersquove already got enoughconspiracy theories Can you not add another useless one
to the stinking heap
Sane_Prophet Actually hersquos closer to reality than youmight be comfortable understanding Too much truth canbreak a manrsquos mind
BatRastard Irsquom guessing yours is already fried from afew too many stims man Want to share what yoursquove beendoping
As the situation evolved it became clear that MAXX_footagewent through what can only be described as a nightmarish journey to bring the MEDIAfile into the light of day In what
would be his only interview MAXX_footage appeared via
a secure video-feed on ldquoBoston Tonightrdquomdasha popular showin the nation of Atlantica Millions across the world tuned in
to listen to what he had to say MAXX_footage a tall lanky
young man recounted the events of that day telling how hewas hanging out at his favorite coffee shop when this black
hover van landed right in front of the Emperor Pharmaceuti-cals Arcology about a half a block away
When Penny Pearl mdash the host of the show mdash asked MAXX_
footage how during all the chaos he could have possiblyremembered those details MAXX_footage said he remem-
bered it because the hover van double parked and someonestarted yelling at the three guys who got out Thinking it was
going to result in violence MAXX_footage says he poppedout his Fly on the Wall micro drone and sent i t over to record
the incident Thatrsquos when all hell broke loose
BEGIN THREAD JACK
NECROTIXX Herersquos a transcript of the short interviewPenny couldnrsquot get MAXX back on
BEGIN TRANSCRIPThellip
ldquoOne of the three men shot the guy right in the facerdquo MAXX_
footage says his long thin hands shaking ldquoThey just walked
away and got into a red hover car I sent Judy mdash thatrsquos thename of my drone mdash after them and thatrsquos when the Black
hover van explodedrdquo MAXX_footage goes quiet for a fewseconds and after a couple of probing questions from the
hostess he finishes his story
ldquoAnyhow I get my bearings shake the dust outta my hairand suddenly realize I just captured the perps on Digifilm I
follow the red hover car all the way out past the Sea Wallwhere it lands on this Chinese freighter Judyrsquos pushinrsquo her
range limits at this point so I call her backrdquo He grabs a glassof water his hands shaking
ldquoTell us what happened nextrdquo Penny prompts
ldquoWellrdquo he begins ldquoI get back to my flat mdash it took a while mdash what
with all the chaos goinrsquo on in the lsquoplex and everything mdash andthe place is busted up I mean BIG-TIME amirdquo MAXX_footage
stops again then shakes his head and says ldquoListen I canrsquot sayanything else about that I think theyrsquore still watching mehellip
In fact this interview is done MAXX OUTrdquo The video feed
cuts to white noise
END TRANSCRIPT
END THREAD JACK
The interview and the footage of the event sparked outrage
throughout Atlantica Predictably the NAC government fiercelydenied any involvement in the bombings even going so far
as to demand the arrest and extradition of MAXX_footagefor questioning about the origins of the video
Martin Hughes mdash the president of Atlantica mdash flatly refusedthe NACrsquos demands even going so far as to say that thisMAXX_footage person was a ldquohero of the people of
Atlanticardquo The bookies in the free city of Las Vegas startedgiving even odds that hostilities would break out on the East
Coast within a year
Simba I lost a ton of money on that bet
Luciferion MAXX_footage has gone dark BTW Nobodyhas seen or heard from him since that interview
THE FLARE
On January 26 2089 a massive Earth-directed Y-class solar
flare sparked a Coronal Mass Ejection that bombarded our
planet temporarily shutting down the genie network thatmonitors and updates the TAPrsquos spam and reality filters Withthe genie down every man woman and child with a Tendril
Access Processor was exposed to raw unfiltered Hyper Reality
As you all know this sparked a week of world-wide chaosSprawlers mdash exposed to a storm of spam malware and layer
upon layer of augmented reality advertisements and simu-lated environments mdash went temporarily insane
Sane_Prophet Insanity is a weak word for the weak-minded What may appear as insane to you might simplybe someone having achieved enlightenment and livingaccording to a higher truth
11
INTRODUCTIONTHE ROAD TO 2090
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Sorry_U_Asked Irsquom all about questioning the circumstancesbut Irsquom pretty sure all the folks who were murdered duringthese events wouldrsquove labeled them as insane down to a one
Billy_Black_Eyes Whatever dictionary program yoursquorerunning needs a fresh data-dump Prophet
Sane_Prophet Dictionaries are also for the weak-minded
Billy_Black_Eyes Of course they are
The world burned for about a week until programmers couldfix the problem with firmware updates and hot patches to
get the filters up and running and an off switch installedbut the damage was done Itrsquos not known how many people
died in the rioting and madness but cautious estimates oftotal casualties put the number at around 750 million people
and nobody has even tried to calculate the monetary cost
of the riots Strangely however the Flare itself didnrsquot havea widespread impact on various infrastructures like electric
and other powers transportation systems etc In fact manybelieve the Flare wasnrsquot even a solar flare at all but the first
sign of Charonrsquos emergence as a threat to humanity
Luciferion Nobodyrsquos ever proven that Billy
Billy_Black_Eyes Nobody has ever debunked it eitherStatistical data can be hacked Numbers can be fudgedto make things seem more dramatic than they really areEarthquakes register at a certain scale and get downgradedall the time The truth is this is the first time in history thata solar flare has caused such wide-spread chaos It rsquos fishy
Luciferion Irsquoll believe it when I see some hard data
Billy_Black_Eyes Fair enough But the emergence ofCharon around this time isnrsquot even open for debate Itrsquosa fact
THE EURASIAN UNION IMPLODES
On March 15th 2089 the Eurasian Union Central Bank in
Bonn Germany was crashed by a previously unheard-of virusnamed Charon Over forty-five trillion dollars vanished without
a trace All attempts to rebuild the original databases failedSome programmers (and freelance hackers) hired to go in andpurge Charon from the databases lost their lives in the process
Further attempts to rebuild the system on different serverswith backups also failed when programmers realized that
Charon mdash now suspected by many to be an AI mdash had copieditself into the cloud networks containing those backup files
Luciferion Therersquos nothing to suspect Charon is anemergent AI The only question now is whether or not itsparks a singularity event
Nothing_to_see_here Stopwatch will halt it in its tracksThey always catch these things
Luciferion Who do you think died trying to get it out ofthe D-bases in Bonn
Over the next few months an estimated 200 million people
across the Eurasian Union the United Kingdom and Ireland losttheir jobs their homes and their life savings when it became
clear that Charon had found its way into the personal bankaccounts of citizenry across the Eurasian Union
Instances of mob violence skyrocketed as the number of
gangs in the rapidly fracturing Eurasian Union had risen tolevels not seen since the Death mdash the three-year ldquoNuclear
Autumnrdquo following the India-Pakistan war when nuclearweapons were used on a massive scale In the London-Read-
ing Megaplex protests exploded into full-scale violence after
police brutally cracked down on a peaceful protest at the
British parliament building More instances of violent protests
followed in Bristol Swindon and the Manchester-Liverpoolsprawl
On June 27th 2089 the French government was over-
thrown by a fringe political extremist group known as theNew Pirate Party Led by a charismatic young zeek named
Angeacutele Bonheur the New Pirate Party seized power after awild chaotic campaign against representatives of the NationalFront and the Popular Republican Union The elections were
rife with scandal and many of the French didnrsquot (and still donrsquot)like the idea of a French leader being psychic So while Angeacutele
emerged as the clear victor the French military refused toacknowledge her legitimacy President Bonheur responded
by disbanding the armed forces of France at the same time
announcing the privatization of the nationrsquos military throughan agreement with Ravenlocke Securities
Downtrodden Yep itrsquos a sign of things to come ladiesand gents a world-wide corporate coup of governmentsIf you donrsquot think the CEO of Ravenlocke mdash thatrsquos MarkusRaven mdash has a say in the direction this new governmenttakes think again
Luciferion Itrsquos awesome to see France led by a psychicbut letrsquos get real this is going to get much worse beforeit gets better
Magpie I wouldnrsquot be surprised i f she gets wacked
Former Lieutenant-Colonel Adrien Boucher also known as
ldquoAdrien the Butcherrdquo for his brutal suppression of an upris-ing in Marseilles in 2087 took charge of the remnants of
the disbanded French army promising to remove PresidentBonheur from power Within days of Adrienrsquos announcement
Fort Richepance mdash now the Northeastern headquarters for
Ravenlocke Industriesrsquo Storm Crow Golemmech brigade mdash wasattacked The president responded by declaring martial law
throughout France until the renegade movement could be
put down Thus far that hasnrsquot happened though there arereports of clashes between Ravenlocke regulars and sepa-
ratist forces outside of St Etienne and in the French Alps
Warpig This has caused numerous issues If PresidentAngeacutele thinks her countrymen are going to accept theprivatization of the military shersquos sorely mistaken As Billymentions Adrien the Butcher is causing problems buttherersquos more to it Militias are forming They have advancedweaponry and while I wonrsquot speculate as to whorsquos providingthem with those weapons I do know the vast majority ofthe weapons are made by Act of God Armaments
Battle_Mind I know one thing itrsquos a great time to be amercenary
Full_Metal_Cyborg Amen brother Irsquoll see you on the
battlefieldPayne_Man Lock and Load U mushrooms I splatter youn00bs with my AK
Magpie ldquoSighrdquo Stop playing Matrix of War Payne Yousound like a fool This ainrsquot a game
Payne_Man I thought we were talkinrsquo about MOW Ushould C the zones Theyrsquore eggsaklee like the content ofthis INFOdump Have been for a whyle now Evar since thelast expansion dropped in spring 2088
Luciferion hellipOk thatrsquos odd
Payne_Man The CoalitionAtlantica War expansion izzcumin out next month 2 I Kant W8
12
INTRODUCTIONTHE ROAD TO 2090
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On June 30th 2089 Germany wracked with political in-
fighting riots in the streets and a general state of chaos
closed its borders Officially the stated reason was for secu-rity reasons stemming from conflict along the border with
France but most people donrsquot believe it Chancellor KonradGerste authorized a financial bailout of the three largest
manufacturers of weapons and military equipment for
the German army The move has frightened many of the
Eastern European nations mdash especially the good people ofPoland mdash who know well what happens when Germans
begin preparing for war and make no mistake Germany ismoving to a war footing
Payne_Man Watch out Zee Germans are cumming LOL
Klaus What Canrsquot my brethren move to protectthemselves from the chaos in France And why the veiledreference to WWII Itrsquos been nearly 150 years since Hitlerrsquosmadness yet nobody allows us to forget it
THE BEAR AND THE DRAGON
As the situation in Europe grew worse China took advantageof the weakened Eurasian Union grabbing up huge swathes
of territory in Russia its armies advancing as far west as the
Ural Mountain range where Russian forces managed to haltthe dragonrsquos advance Still the damage was done By August2089 the Mandarinate had established itself as an occupy-
ing power in every city town and village east of the Ural
Mountains That hasnrsquot stopped the Russians from retaliatinghowever Russian patriots have begun an insurgency attack-
ing Chinese forces wherever they can be found Mandarinatemouthpieces paint the insurgents as terrorists to little effect
as the insurgency swells in number every day
Neon_Bright This isnrsquot just a struggle against Chineseaggression Vast resources have been found ever sinceSiberia began to thaw Irsquom talking about precious mineralsoil even the land is useful for development especiallywhen you consider billions of people live in eastern Asia
Luciferion Agreed Neon
LIFE IN GENERAL
So how have the above events impacted life as we stumbleinto 2090 In numerous ways omae There isnrsquot enough time
to go into great detail about how war the Flare and espe-
cially the rise of Charon have affected the life of the averagesprawler across the world but Irsquo ll go over some of the more
important details Pay attention peeps some of this mightkeep you alive
SURVIVING HYPER REALITY
As I mentioned above when the Flare knocked out the GENIEnetwork it caused widespread chaos And while GENIE is back
up and running there are still glitches in the system Sure
firmware updates to the Tendril Access Processor mdash TAP as itrsquosmore commonly known mdash allow you to turn off that modem
in your brain but wellhelliplet me put it like this Hyper Realityhas become smarter even deadly if you donrsquot have the right
software installed in your TAP
Sane_Prophet Why bother putting up more and morefilters It is senseless A futile fight against powers fargreater than yourself Open your eyes open your mindand set yourself free from this prison of so-called reality
BatRastard Right and then with the first meme to fry myneurons Irsquoll be spending my life savings on the Fat Sallyrsquosdown the block Brilliant
Sane_Prophet Fat Sally rsquos secret sauce is an interdimen-sional gateway into the heights of ecstasy
BatRastard Actually thatrsquos the first thing you and I haveever agreed on
Irsquove discussed this phenomena with numerous program-mers across the world and they all agree virii spam and allmanner of malware that [prior to the Flare] would have been
easy to purge from your head are now behaving much dif-
ferently Itrsquos almost as if the things evolved into somethingnot-quite-sentient but damned close to it
So what does this mean for you
If you choose to experience Hyper Reality (and if you have aTAP in your brain you have) itrsquos only a matter of time before
one of these virii hacks into your brain Therersquos nothing youcan really do about it itrsquos just one of the many fun facts of
life in 2090 I do find it ironic that af ter decades of enjoying
the connectivity and convenience the TAP has provided thistechnology seems to be actively trying to kill us and there
isnrsquot much we can do about it without going back to medi-eval times You know the 1980rsquos Of course some of you out
there will want to turn your TAPs off for good and avoid the
risk entirely Hell some of you might be considering gettingthe damned thing removed
You can do that sure Of course that means yoursquore also
not connected to the grid that makes your life so unbeliev-ably convenient This causes a mult itude of problems Donrsquot
believe me Try walking out of your house Oh right you canrsquotbecause most doors donrsquot have handles anymore Theyrsquore
automated and respond to the signals coming from your TAPI know some are activated by motion sensors and donrsquot rely
on the TAP But no door which is designed with security in
mind will open so easilyThis also means you have almost zero access to vehicles or
places where you can buy things like grocery stores Yeah
sure you can just follow someone else into said store butthe security cameras will spot you and not having a digital
record of your presence (which they get from your TAP) willflag you and dispatch a security team to find out who you
are So there you are in your local Malmart looking for some
cloned steaks to fire up on your grill later on when securitycomes with their big guns and ldquowhat the hell are you doing
here scumbagrdquo looks on their faces to boot you back out intothe streets where you came from
Oh how did you plan on paying for them BTW now that
your TAP is offline and the clerk canrsquot sync her cash register
with your payment software And NO they donrsquot take cashThe point is this omae All that convenience you were usedto goes out the window when you unplug Itrsquos much easier
to get strong firewalls than it is to live outside the system
So think about what I said before you scratch that itch at thebase of your skull with a scalpel
SURVIVING THE STREETS
The streets have always been dangerous thatrsquos a givenWhen you cram millions of people into a concrete and steel
petri dish then forget about 999 of them you create abreeding ground for violence hate and societal devolution
13
INTRODUCTIONLIFE IN GENERAL
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on such a scale that social Darwinists like Herbert Spencer and
Thomas Malthus would roll over in their graves
Again that in itself is nothing new The streets have alwaysbeen violent but ever since the events I previously described
came to pass mdash especially the Flare and the implosion of theEurasian Union mdash the number of homeless people across the
world has sky-rocketed The petri dish is frothing and over-
flowing as new gangs emerge mdash and Irsquom talking globally not just in North America mdash and carve out their own terri tory
This upsets the balance ami and makes it harder to survivewhen yoursquore just a blooper looking to make it through the
day because now you have new predators to deal with n00bbangers making up their own rules as they go And the cop-
suckers donrsquot help
Protect and serve What a load of crap
Sure yoursquol l get Triple-A service if you live in one of the moneybubbles but try getting help in say the Aurora Barrens or
the Gary Hell Zone and yoursquore basically fucked Yeah thereare token patrols and the ever-present drones but drones
get shot down and the copsuckers are so outnumbered
most are either so scared to get into an altercation with thepredators or theyrsquore on the take I canrsquot say I blame them
either The streets are a war zone and if you wear the badgeyoursquore marked for death omae So take my advice and get
strapped The only person you can count on in the concrete jungle is you
Sorry_U_Asked Think twice before trying to claim a badgebounty though Sure plenty of honchos love to pay topcredit for proof that yoursquove kept the law from poking aroundtheir territory But just because you see someone wearingone doesnrsquot mean they got it legit Lots of gangers wearthem as trophies So if you drop a shot on a copsuckerthinking yoursquove hit payday you might end up with a wholeband of bangers snarling on your heels
SURVIVING THE GAME
Therersquos an old saying The Game is the Game mdash you eitherplay it or you get played I donrsquot care if you contract free-
lance fight fix hack patch or scam yoursquore in it omae andthat puts you at odds with every other player out there Most
people approach the game as a means to an end thinking
that one shiny day theyrsquoll earn enough creds to go someplacewarm and dry and live out their lives in style These clowns
donrsquot last Theyrsquore so busy dreaming about the good timesthat they lose focus on whatrsquos right in front of their face (or
creeping up behind them) Dreamers get sloppy take short
cuts betray their team and torch their street cred like gutterpunks burn trash in a garbage can to keep warm
If you want to survive the game you need to take a lesson
from these dreamers keep your mind on the job Therersquos nosandy beach waiting for you The megacorps bought them
all and turned lsquoem into parking lots The only fruity drinksyoursquoll ever drink are sold in the local watering hole by some
burned-out ronin The best you can hope for is a litt le bit of
comfort mdash usually behind a small fortress if yoursquore smart mdash andthe respect of the streets But thatrsquos a double-edged sword
another facet of the game Therersquos always someone faster
than you some hungry up-and-comer with the latest aug-ments wanting to prove herself by dealing you out Sucksto be a victim of your own success but thatrsquos the truth of it
My advice Find a way to deal yourself out clean Put some
creds away never burn your contacts and donrsquot ever everbecome a legend
Legends die
14
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CHARACTER
CREATION
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CHAPTER TWOCHARACTER CREATION
Characters are the lifersquos blood of any role-playing game the
focal point of every story Characters represent the best mdash orthe worst mdash ideals of a given game setting their actions either
bringing a small measure of hope to the downtrodden massesor serving to strengthen the status quo In the grim gritty
world of Interface Zero 20 the characters you play walk amonofilament edge between traditional mdash some would say
outdated or just plain irrelevant mdash concepts of good and evilas they make their way in the world
Indeed itrsquos hard to be a moral individual in a world where
most of the animals prowling the concrete jungle believe prin-ciples are character flaws mdash weaknesses to exploit for their
own ends Your morality marks you as prey no doubt aboutit omae But if you can keep your moral code if you can get
your job done without selling your soul yoursquoll get something
most sprawlers never have respect
Evil on the other hand is the same as it always has been
therersquos just more of it The wicked always thrive in a world
where violence fear and control are tools used for self-serv-ing ends but herersquos the thing Acting like an ass can get you
green-lit just as quickly as playing the role of the goody-two-shoes marks you as a sucker amigo
Nobody likes a dickhead even if they donrsquot say it to your
face Sooner or later yoursquoll get a rep for being a hard-assand someone who is stronger meaner or a bigger asshole
than you is going to come along and knock you back to thegutter you crawled out of Thatrsquos why most people keep their
heads down and their mouths shut Donrsquot make eye contact
itrsquos a challenge to the predators and if you donrsquot have thestones to back up the challenge yoursquore nothing but meat
But if you can stay strong and defeat all comers that com-mands respect too
This chapter provides you with the tools you need to make
a character for Interface Zero 20 The process is the same ascreating a character for any Savage Worlds game with a few
additions Interface Zero 20 introduces Street Cred Contactsand Strain to the game
STEP 1 CONCEPT
The first thing you need to do is decide on a concept for your
character Will you play a hacker Perhaps a mercenary orbounty hunter is more your speed Are mercs and hunters toocutthroat for your style of play If so you might think about
playing a ronin an urban warrior who follows his own code
of honor Maybe you want to be the guy (or gal) who backsthe team up with drones capable of laying down covering
fire or scouting ahead to see where the bad guys are hiding
You donrsquot need to have your concept locked in right now butat least have a basic idea of the type of character you want
to play Take a few minutes and skip ahead to the archetypessection in this chapter to see a variety of options available
to you
STEP 2 RACEThe next thing you need to do is choose a race In 2090
humanity has reached the point where the word ldquohumanrdquo is
almost irrelevant Human DNA is no longer a mystery Itrsquos amathematical code technomancers hack re-write and copy
at will producing genetically superior beings the Human 20
Others snip and paste animal DNA and splice it with humanDNA to create genetic hybrids a fusion of man and animal
Science has even advanced to such an extent that we can
create entirely new life forms mdash living beings known as simula-cra mdash in amniotic vats growing them until they have matured
filling their synthetic brains with memories and skills theyrsquollneed to do the jobs for which they were created
STEP 3 TRAITS
Traits are the building blocks of any Savage Worlds character
They define how strong or fast your character is and what
she knows Traits determine how much cyberware she canput into her body how much damage she can take before
dying her standing with others and a variety of other thingsall of which are essential to the game
ATTRIBUTES
Five attributes are used to define your characterrsquos physi-cal characteristics These are Agility Smarts Spirit Strength
and Vigor Each attribute starts at d4 You have 5 points withwhich to raise these attr ibutes and one point equals a risein a die type (d4 to d6 d6 to d8 etc) No attribute may rise
higher than d12 during character creation unless stated undera racial ability For more information on attributes refer to
the Savage Worlds core rules
SKILLS
You have 15 points to spend on your characterrsquos skills Your
character doesnrsquot start with any skills and must spend 1 pointto get a skill at a d4 He spends 1 point to raise a skill to a
higher die type as long as the skill level is equal to or less
than the linked attribute Raising any skill above the linkedattribute costs 2 points per step No skill may rise above d12
during character creation
Note If you are using the skill specializations rules you get 20points for skills and each new specialization costs 1 skill point
during character creation When your character advances shemay purchase 2 skill specializations for an advance or a new
skill and a single specialization
NEW SKILLS
The following are new skills introduced in Interface Zero 20
For information on all other skills see Skills in the Savage
Worlds core rules
16
CHARACTER CREATIONCONCEPT RACE TRAITS
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Hacking (Smarts) The Hacking skill is used whenever a
character wants to hack a computer network Characters in
Interface Zero 20 no longer start with an automatic d4 inHacking Additionally characters who wish to use the Global
DataNet for everyday purposes such as research or findingnews pertaining to the Deep do so with their existing Inves-
tigation and Streetwise skills
Knowledge (Demolitions) Successful use of demolitions canmean the difference between destruction of the target as
planned and unplanned loss of life and property The skill also
lets the character have an understanding of what the besttype of explosive is for the obstacle and how much they will
need to remove such an obstacle In addition a raise on theresult will let them know the exact distance they need to be
from the explosion based upon the size of the charge the con-
fines and damage created by said explosion This skill is usedany time a character wants to put a satchel charge together
or set explosives A Critical Failure will result in immediatedetonation Simple failure will result in premature detonation
or no detonation at all
Knowledge (Programming) Characters use this skill when
attempting to make any kind of change to a network theyhave hacked This skill allows a character to undo damagedone as a result of a hack With it a character can do things
like undo an edit to a data file or video reconstruct a deleted
file repair an AMS (see Active Memory Sectors on page 274in the Sett ing Rules chapter) recover a deleted skill Engram
or reconnect a TAP that has gone offline
OPTIONAL RULE SKILL SPECIALIZATIONS
Interface Zero 20 is an advanced setting where knowing
how to do one thing doesnrsquot necessarily mean you can dosomething which under the regular skill rules would techni-
cally be possible with the same skill Take the various DrivingBoating and Piloting skills for example
Using the regular skill rules a character with Driving couldtheoretically drive anything from a motorcycle to a semi-truckor a tank Similarly Piloting assumes a character has the skills
to pilot all types of aircraft including fighter jets and space-
craft Pinnacle Entertainment addressed this issue by addingthe Skill Specialization setting rule in the Savage Worlds core
rules and it is highly recommended that those rules are usedfor Interface Zero 20
The following list of skill specializations are provided to get
you started This isnrsquot intended to be a comprehensive listof appropriate skill specializations but rather a broad cross
section of specializations we feel are appropriate If some-thing doesnrsquot appear on the list make it up if it seems right
But remember the GM always has the final say on what is or
isnrsquot appropriate for her campaign
SUGGESTED SPECIALIZATIONS
bull Boating Powered Sailed Submersible
bull Climbing Mountaineering Rappelling Rope
bull Driving Car (4 wheels) Hovercraft JUMP Bike MotorcycleTruck (6+ wheels) Tracked
bull Fighting Axe Blades Blunt Cyberweapon Long Blade
bull Shooting Bow Pistol Rifle Shotgun Submachine GunVehicle Weapon or by weapon category
bull Stealth Disguise Hiding Sleight of Hand Sneaking
bull Streetwise AreaRegion (Corporate Zone Gang Turf etc)
bull Survival Aquatic Arctic Desert Forest Jungle MountainSpace urban or any specific environment
bull Swimming Lake Ocean SCUBA Divingbull Taunt Verbal Visual
bull Throwing Darts Grenades Knives Spears
bull Tracking Animals Global DataNet Humans Urban
Vehicles
OPTIONAL SKILL ATHLETICS
Rather than breaking up basic things like Climbing and Swim-ming it is recommended to combine them into a single skill
which would allow for specialization
Athletics (Vigor) Athletics as a catch-all for a number ofphysical endeavors ranging from climbing to swimming to
moving around effectively in a no mdash or low-gravity environ-
ment Athletics should be used instead of Agility in foot chasesand effectively replaces both the Climbing and Swimming skills
Specializations Climbing Leaping Running Sport (specific)
Swimming Zero-G Maneuvers
LANGUAGES
All characters speak their native language plus a number ofadditional languages equaling one-half their Smarts die The
major trade languages used in Interface Zero 20 are Chinese
English Hindi Portuguese and Swahili Additional languagescan be learned by using an advancement opportunity
DERIVED STATISTICS
There are a few statistics which are important in any SavageWorlds game Charisma Pace Parry and Toughness
CHARISMA
Charisma is an abstract measure of your characterrsquos appear-ance how she deals with others socially and generally how
likeable she is Charisma starts at 0 but can be modified byEdges and Hindrances Charisma is also added to Streetwise
and Persuasion rolls The Game Master uses Charisma to figure
out how NPCrsquos react to your character For more informationon Charisma see the Savage Worlds core rules
PACE
Pace is a measure of how far your character can walk in a
standard combat round Human characters have a base Paceof 6 and can run at an additional 1d6rdquo Other races in Interface
Zero 20 can have different starting Pace scores based on the
racial template you choose For more information on Pacesee the Savage Worlds core rules
PARRY
Parry is equal to 2 plus half your characterrsquos Fighting skillplus modifiers gained from use of shields or certain weapons
If your character does not have the Fighting skill base Parry
starts at 2 For more information on Parry see the SavageWorlds core rules
TOUGHNESS
Toughness is a measure of how much damage your character
can take before becoming Shaken or wounded Toughness is2 plus half your characterrsquos Vigor plus any armor she might
be wearing For more information on Toughness see the
Savage Worlds core rules
NEW DERIVED STATSInterface Zero 20 introduces three new derived statis-
tics mdash Firewall Strain and Street Cred
FIREWALL
Unless your character has the Unplugged Hindrance she hasa Tendril Access Processor (TAP) and therefore has a built-
in firewall The firewall protects against attempts to hack a
characterrsquos TAP A characterrsquos Firewall rating star ts at 4 but
can be modified by Edges Hindrances or software
STRAIN
Strain measures the amount of stress cyberware and biowareputs on your body when you install it Strain starts at zero
and each piece of cyberware adds to your Strain stat Highlevels of Strain can lead to death More details on Strain are
located at Augments on page 262
STREET CRED
Street Cred is a measure of your character rsquos reputation on
the streets All characters begin play with 2 points of StreetCred modified by Edges or Hindrances and gain another 2
points every time they gain a new Rank The maximum StreetCred a character can normally achieve is 10 (some Edges and
Occupations can increase this number)
Unlike Charisma which measures your ability to persuadesomeone Street Cred is a point pool that can be spent to
obtain services temporary contacts information and a variety
of other benefits during the course of an adventure This poolrefreshes each adventure unless circumstances in the prior
adventure (like not getting the job done failing to protectsomeone killing an innocent etc) cause the characterrsquos Street
Cred score to drop
Characters can also pick up Minor or Major Hindrances thathave a lasting effect on their Street Cred score during the
course of an adventure These Hindrances can be removedby spending an Advance with the GMrsquos permission For more
information see Street Cred on page 264
CONTACTS
Each character can choose two contacts people the character
knows who he can call upon for aid or information during thecourse of an adventure These contacts can be anyone froma bartender or a hacker to a corporate executive or military
commander as long as it makes sense that your characterwould know the person(s)
STEP 4 OCCUPATIONS
Occupations are integral to your character concept providinga basic framework to enhance your characterrsquos background in
a very organic way helping you create a more well-rounded
18
CHARACTER CREATIONTRAITS
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character concept Each occupation has a requirement that thecharacter must meet to take it the characterrsquos bonus credits
gained each Advance and a special perk (like gear or specialabilities) the character gets for being part of that profession
STEP 5 EDGES AND HINDRANCES
Edges are special qualities that separate characters from theaverage sprawler Hindrances are physical and mental flaws
that add more depth to the character albeit in a negativeway See the Savage Worlds core rules for more information
on purchasing Edges and Hindrances New Edges and Hin-drances are provided later in this chapter
STEP 6 EQUIPMENT
In Interface Zero 20 characters select equipment cybernet-ics weapons and armor based on the power level the Game
Master sets for the campaign
Power Level This is the starting Power Level of the Cam-
paign as determined by the Game Master If the GM wants totell a story of gang members barely scraping by shersquoll mostlikely choose Gutter Punk as the Power Level If she envi-
sions a campaign where the players are a special governmenttask force dedicated to hunting down super terrorists the
Hyperchrome Warriors or Elite Operatives levels might be
more appropriate The Street Soldier Power Level (designedfor ronin-style games) is considered the default Power Level
for Interface Zero 20
Starting Credits This is the amount of money characters
start with at the beginning of the campaign These credits
may be spent on anything the player wishes and the GM hasnot barred from the campaign including augments drones
weapons and armor
Augments Every Power Level above Gutter Punk allows theplayers to start with at least one augment from the core book
equal to or below the monetary amount listed Unspent Creditsfrom this pool do not carry over when the game starts These
augments must be chosen from the master list of augments
not augment packages
STEP 7 BACKGROUND
They say the devil is in the details and here is where you
decide how devilish yoursquore going to be You donrsquot need towrite a novel and frankly this step isnrsquot mandatory That said
itrsquos a good idea to jot down a few notes on your characterrsquosbackground any major events in her life any friends the
names of contacts or even enemies she might have Share
these ideas with your Game Master GMs are always lookingfor good plot hooks and little tidbits they can use to person-
alize your experience at the table The more detailed yourbackground is the better
ARCHETYPESSometimes you may want to quickly create a character for
a one-shot or convention adventure For those occasions anArchetype is a good choice
All are built for a human character with two Edges If you wish
to play a race other than human simply plug in the statisticaldata If yoursquore playing a human you
can choose another Edge Thenchoose your gear based on the
Power Level your group haschosen give the character
a name and yoursquore ready
to go
19
ARCHETYPES
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AGENT
BOUNTY HUNTER
20
AGENT 991251 BOUNTY HUNTER
20
ARCHETYPESAGENT 991251 BOUNTY HUNTER
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CYBERMONK
DRONE JOCKEY
21
CYBERMONK 991251 DRONE JOCKEY
21
ARCHETYPESCYBERMONK 991251 DRONE JOCKEY
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GANGER
GRIFTER
22
GANGER 991251 GRIFTER
22
ARCHETYPESGANGER 991251 GRIFTER
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HACKER
IDOL
23
HACKER 991251 IDOL
23
ARCHETYPESHACKER 991251 IDOL
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INVESTIGATIVE JOURNALIST
PATCH MAN
24
INVESTIGATIVE JOURNALIST 991251 PATCH MAN
24
ARCHETYPESINVESTIGATIVE JOURNALIST 991251 PATCH MAN
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RONIN
SECTOR COP
25
RONIN 991251 SECTOR COP
25
ARCHETYPESRONIN 991251 SECTOR COP
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SMUGGLER
EX-SOLDIER
26
SMUGGLER 991251 EX983085SOLDIER
26
ARCHETYPESSMUGGLER 991251 EX983085SOLDIER
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STREET RAT
ZEEK
27
STREET RAT 991251 ZEEK
27
ARCHETYPESSTREET RAT 991251 ZEEK
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RACESThe following races are available for play in Interface Zero 20
Most people are born into the world flesh-and-bloodbabies with mothers and fathers You were bornon an assembly line your parents faceless roboticsengineers who designed you in some research facilityYour body is composed of lightweight yetdurable polymers with plastic and fiber-opticwiring connecting to microscopic receptorsthroughout your framework
You see through digital lenses and hear viamicrophones on each side of your head Yourvoice is a pleasant if somewhat monotonesound piped through a speaker crafted to
resemble a mouth Your brain is a softball-sized digital network consisting of billionsof nanomachines which perform countlesscomputations every second in order to simulatean organic mdash human mdash thinking process
You are artificially intelligent Your capacity forrational critical thinking and decision-makingequals mdash and in many cases exceeds mdash that ofany human being on the planet Yet a waffle ironprobably has more rights than you do Moreoverat some point you have been (and technically stillare) owned perhaps by an individual but more likelyby a megaconglomorate mdash your parent companyThe tasks you performed for the megacorp varieddepending on your design specs but they mighthave included security manual labor combat and
strangely enough even prostitution
But that was then
At some point in your history you experiencedsomething The incident sparked a computation processwithin your neural network best described as an epiphanyPerhaps you saw a human being die or witnessed a couplekissing Or perhaps you were the victim of vio lence at thehands of a human being angered by your presence insociety The event led to a series of internal processes andsubroutines more commonly known as questions Thesewerenrsquot rational system queries based on clearly definedparameters but nebulous ones for which you were unableto formulate an appropriate response
ldquoIf that woman is smiling why are her eyes filled with tearsrdquo
ldquoWhat does it mean to be deadrdquo
ldquoWhat does it mean to hate or loverdquo
The experience altered your programming on a fundamentallevel The dictums of your creators no longer seemedrelevant when compared to your newfound imperative toanswer the questions you had so you left Now you makeyour way in the world just as any other person does mdash atleast you try to at any rate The world wasnrsquot made for youYou were built for it And even though you no longer serveyour masters you are still a machine an outsider look ingat life through glass eyes
MAKING ANDROIDS
All androids regardless of their function share a few fun-damental design characteristics Androids can purchase
cyberware just as anyone else can and suffer from Strain
bull Construct Androids add +2 to recover from being Shaken
donrsquot suffer wound modifiers and are immune to poisonand disease Androids cannot heal naturally To heal an
android requires the Repair skill mdash which is used like theHealing skill only with no ldquoGolden Hourrdquo
bull Dual Processors Androids start with a d6 in Smarts
bull EMP Vulnerability Androids suffer full damage from EMPWeapons
bull Metal Brain Androids canrsquot take Arcane Back-
ground (Psionics)
bull Metallic Alloy The fully metallic hide of an
android provides resistance to small arms fire
They have +2 Armor
bull Outsider Organic races often mistrust or mis-
understand androids They subtract 2 from their
Charisma when dealing with races other thantheir own
bull Primary Protocol Androids begin with a free
d6 in one skill representing their core operat-ing system
bull Recharge Androids need electricity to func-tion If the android canrsquot access an electrical
outlet of some sort at least once per day he
suffers a level of Fatigue each day until hersquosincapacitated The day after that he goes ldquooff-
linerdquo and must be reactivated with a Repairroll and a four-hour charge This replaces the
androidrsquos need for food or water
bull Unnatural Psionics both beneficial and det-rimental suffer a minus2 penalty to affect androids
This has no effect on damaging powers whichaffect them normally
It was easy to make the decision Yoursquod get a new metalbody that works better than the original You wouldnrsquot haveto spend your familyrsquos money on more expensive surgeriesto keep your failing body alive but that decision didnrsquot comewithout a cost Yoursquod lose the ability to feel the abil ity topick up your son without worrying about crushing himYoursquod lose the feel of your wifersquos body when you made loveto her If you canrsquot feel anything arenrsquot you already dead
In the end you chose to become a cyborg to have your
brain encased in metal Most days it doesnrsquot make muchdifference You come home to an empty house your sonand wife long gone Maybe theyrsquod have stayed if yoursquodonly kept your hearthellip
MAKING CYBORGS
Little is more frightening in batt le than a cyborg Theyrsquore not
much more than an organic brain in an androidrsquos body Cyborgscome in humanoid form simply for ease of transition to the
new body The majority of cyborgs work for their respectivegovernments or powerful corporations who can afford the
procedure for trusted personnel However more and morecyborgs are beginning to find their way to the private sector
bull Augmented Cyborgs are built to be cybernetic beasts
They begin play with a single Streetware Augment witha Strain of 1
bull Construct Cyborgs add +2 to recover from being Shaken
donrsquot suffer wound modifiers and are immune to poisonand disease Cyborgs cannot heal naturally To heal a
Cyborg requires the Repair skill which is used like theHealing skill only with no ldquoGolden Hourrdquo
bull EMP Shielding Cyborgs have 2 points of Armor when
attacked by an EMP weapon
bull EMP Vulnerability Cyborgs suffer full damage from EMP
bull Metallic Alloy The fully metall ic hide of a cyborg providesresistance to small arms fire They have +2 Armor
bull Outsider Most people are naturally put off by someonewho has opted to have all traces of their humanity
removed to be placed in a cold metal war machine They
suffer minus2 to Charisma when dealing with non-cyborgs
bull Specialized Diet Cyborgs cannot digest normal food and
require special food filled with nutrients to keep theirbrains healthy This raises their lifestyle costs by 1000credits
bull Tactile Dimming The Cyborgrsquos body isnrsquot as sensitive as
a human body Cyborgs suffer a minus2 to tasks where finemanipulation of objects is important Picking a lock or
performing surgery could be two examples Shootingand Fighting are usually unaffected
HUMAN
Nicknames Norms Homo-sapiens Earthlings Plain Jane
Baseline average normal mdash these words always described
you You prefer to think of yourself as adaptable versatileor unique You were born to human parents who eitherwouldnrsquot or couldnrsquot pay for genetic enhancement Youdidnrsquot go for that ldquoHybr idizationrdquo craze Yoursquore happy beingwho you are and you donrsquot need some scientists muckingaround with your genetics Really do they even know whatthe consequences of all that meddling will have on thepopulation in a hundred years No yoursquoll play it cool and
just be human
MAKING HUMANS
Despite all the choices and new races running around ordi-nary homo-sapiens still dominate the planet Humans are
tough adaptable creatures who face adversity head onWhile they may not have some of the distinct advantages
of their enhanced peers humans get by through being moreadaptable
bull Adaptability Humans start with one extra Edge
HUMAN 20
Nicknames Coded Eli tist Eugenic Gen-Xyrsquoer Neo-HumansSavant
You were born with the best genes money can buy Yourparents went to a design house early in your motherrsquosfirst trimester and began a series of genetic treatmentsdesigned to give you every chance at living a life theynever had Your DNA cocktail might include mental traitsfrom some of the greatest minds of the past 60 yearsAlternately you might have some kind of artistic or athleticability In any case yoursquore better than most people aroundyou in some ways and you know it Itrsquos not your faultthough Yoursquore just built that way
MAKING HUMAN 20
bull Advanced Ability You begin play with one attribute at d6
bull Arrogant Human 20s are known for their huge egos
Whether itrsquos nature or nurture is still up for debate Theyhave the Arrogant Hindrance If you choose an Archetype
that already has the Arrogant Hindrance choose another
RACESCYBORG 991251 HUMAN 20
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INTRODUCTION
INFOSOURCE
VIDTAGROADTO2090
LOCAL JACOBSPLAYGROUNDNET
FQDN JACOBSPLAYGROUNDNETCHITOWN06TNTPNSWWGNET
DATA SOURCE MAY YOU LIVE IN INTERESTING TIMESINFODUMP
THE ROAD TO 2090
Posted By Billy_Black_Eyes
So here we are in January 2090 Itrsquos been a couple of yearssince I dropped the last INFODUMP on the world and Irsquom here
to rectify that This massive documentrsquos gonna give you all theinformation you need to get up to speed on the state of the
world along with oodles and oodles of statistical data about
a bunch of subjects including the Global DataNet golem-mechs drones and other emerging technologies Yoursquoll read
about the strange and wonderful people who inhabit thisworld the solar system zeeks and much more Irsquove gath-
ered info from sources all over the world and vetted it to
the best of my ability That said you never know whatrsquos trueand what isnrsquot in this age of main stream media lies govern-
ment propaganda and do-it-yourself journalism so take theinformation (especially in the data dumps about the world)
with a grain of salt
Simba So what are you sayinrsquo Bi lly We canrsquot trust you
Billy_Black_Eyes Thatrsquos not what I said You know fullwell that information especially editorialized info alwayshas a certain slant to it It rsquos also fluid What was true at thetime I acquired it may not necessarily be accurate now
The past two years have seen a number of major eventstake place in the world If just one or two things would have
happened I might think they werenrsquot connected Yet itrsquos as ifsomeone walked up to a house of cards and pulled one card
out The house hasnrsquot completely crashed yet itrsquos in a slow-
motion free fall and the worst part is only a few of us seemto be watching What follows is a br ief overview of the major
events that have shaped the world in which we currently live
Neon_Bright Oh Billy looking at the world with thosedark lenses again are we
Magpie Neon I think he needs a hug )
Billy_Black_Eyes What I need is a ticket to Mars Thingsare about to get crazy and I want off this rock
GROWING TENSIONS IN NORTH AMERICA
The year 2088 was marked by a number of disturbing mdash somesay portentous mdash events involving the North American Coali-
tion the Great Lakes Union and Atlantica
Sane_Prophet ldquoPortentousrdquo Could the scales be fallingoff your black eyes my friend Are you finally coming tounderstand the truth
Billy_Black_Eyes Seriously You again I told you nomystic bull shit
Sane_Prophet Just because you refuse to acknowledgeomens for what they are doesnrsquot make them any less valid
THE HEGEMONY GROWS
The crackdown on zeeks hybrids and synthetic humans in the
NAC reached a boiling point when Congress and the Senateratified the infamous Racial Purity Act a draconic piece of
legislation banning the practice of hybrid and simulacrumcreation All genetic modification parlors and simulacrum
production facilities were ordered to shut down The Racial
Purity Act also outlawed the use of psychic powers within theborders of the nation with hefty fines and even imprisonment
for those caught using them Various watchdog organiza-tions were created the most visible of which is Psi-division
a branch of Stopwatch tasked with monitoring and in some
cases even ldquoneutralizingrdquo psychic threats
Psychopope And by ldquoneutralizingrdquo he means murder
Denver_Must_Burn And forced relocationhellipIrsquom not talkingabout VR prisons ei ther Irsquom talking about the internmentcamps up in Montana and the Dakotas
Simba It was just as bad for hybrids like myself Whenthose genetic modification parlors shut down the pr ivateinformation about their customers was confiscatedunder the auspices of ldquonational securit yrdquo This means theDepartment of National Security (DNS) has the namesand addresses of every hybrid and free sim in the NorthAmerican Coalition If you have a TAP the DNS can trackyour IP too
Luciferion Simba Dude thatrsquos happening with everycitizen regardless of whether or not yoursquore zeek hybridor ldquoPlain Janerdquo human
Denver_Must_Burn All I can say is TRICilicit_behavior Yes DMB The Revolution IS Coming
Instances of racial violence erupted across the North Ameri-
can Coalition as law enforcement officials began arrestingzeeks Some of the more obvious hybrids mdash particularly the
bull bear and rhino variants mdash were also incarcerated Gov-ernments across the continent decried the draconian tactics
and called for UN intervention to no effect The Great Lakes
Union and Atlantica closed their embassies in Denver and sentthe NAC delegates in their cities packing Then on Novem-
ber 13th 2088 a number of terrorist attacks rocked BostonBaltimore and Portland Maine An estimated 2451 people
died and thousands more were injured from the bombings
THE ATLANTICA BOMBINGSWithin hours of the attacks the Global DataNet was flooded
with conspiracy theories the most viral of which speculated
they were carried out by a terrorist group known as Agenda68Some speculated a Canadian black ops unit known as Task-
force Harfang did the deed Others went on to claim the NACwas behind the attacks and still others claimed New Brasilia
or maybe the Chinese Mandarinate were somehow involvedSo-called ldquoconspiracy theorist expertsrdquo such as Sam_Jones
and NERCOTIXX speculated that China long believed to bein bed with the North American Coalition used simulacra to
perform the bombings
10
INTRODUCTIONTHE ROAD TO 2090
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NECROTIXX China did carry out the bombings Do theresearch Look into Project Doppelganger and yoursquoll seeThe NAC is just a patsy
Sam_Jones The Mandarinate is becoming an imperialpower Just look at what they are doing with Russia nowand what they have done with all of Southeast Asia Askthe Russian refugees flooding into Seattle if they thinkChina is content to stay within their borders The writingrsquos
on the wall folksSimba It might have been orchestrated by agents workingfor Charon
Luciferion What a load of crap Charon is an AI It doesnrsquothave any contact with humans
Neon_Bright Prove it Simba
As the days stretched into weeks there was still no official
statement from the Atlantica Government about the iden-tity of the perpetrators of the attacks Then on December
15th 2088 a MEDIAfile was uploaded into the Global DataNetbearing the Hyper Tag of a popular underground media-pirate
known as MAXX_footage
The dronersquos feed showed three large muscular men in regular
clothing exit a hover van adjacent to one of the targets of theattacks just moments before it exploded Facial recognitionsoftware identified one of the men as First Sergeant John
Moore a member of the North American Coalition regular army
The MEDIAfile went on to follow the three men as they jumpedinto an unmarked hover car that took off and shot over the
Boston sea wall to land on a freighter bearing Chinese mark-ings The vessel promptly sailed east into international waters
Sorry_U_Asked Isnrsquot it odd how often people retreat tothe water in the wake of disasters How much of the oceanremains unmapped How much is hiding under the wavesthat we havenrsquot even begun to fathom
BatRastard Puns intended Wersquove already got enoughconspiracy theories Can you not add another useless one
to the stinking heap
Sane_Prophet Actually hersquos closer to reality than youmight be comfortable understanding Too much truth canbreak a manrsquos mind
BatRastard Irsquom guessing yours is already fried from afew too many stims man Want to share what yoursquove beendoping
As the situation evolved it became clear that MAXX_footagewent through what can only be described as a nightmarish journey to bring the MEDIAfile into the light of day In what
would be his only interview MAXX_footage appeared via
a secure video-feed on ldquoBoston Tonightrdquomdasha popular showin the nation of Atlantica Millions across the world tuned in
to listen to what he had to say MAXX_footage a tall lanky
young man recounted the events of that day telling how hewas hanging out at his favorite coffee shop when this black
hover van landed right in front of the Emperor Pharmaceuti-cals Arcology about a half a block away
When Penny Pearl mdash the host of the show mdash asked MAXX_
footage how during all the chaos he could have possiblyremembered those details MAXX_footage said he remem-
bered it because the hover van double parked and someonestarted yelling at the three guys who got out Thinking it was
going to result in violence MAXX_footage says he poppedout his Fly on the Wall micro drone and sent i t over to record
the incident Thatrsquos when all hell broke loose
BEGIN THREAD JACK
NECROTIXX Herersquos a transcript of the short interviewPenny couldnrsquot get MAXX back on
BEGIN TRANSCRIPThellip
ldquoOne of the three men shot the guy right in the facerdquo MAXX_
footage says his long thin hands shaking ldquoThey just walked
away and got into a red hover car I sent Judy mdash thatrsquos thename of my drone mdash after them and thatrsquos when the Black
hover van explodedrdquo MAXX_footage goes quiet for a fewseconds and after a couple of probing questions from the
hostess he finishes his story
ldquoAnyhow I get my bearings shake the dust outta my hairand suddenly realize I just captured the perps on Digifilm I
follow the red hover car all the way out past the Sea Wallwhere it lands on this Chinese freighter Judyrsquos pushinrsquo her
range limits at this point so I call her backrdquo He grabs a glassof water his hands shaking
ldquoTell us what happened nextrdquo Penny prompts
ldquoWellrdquo he begins ldquoI get back to my flat mdash it took a while mdash what
with all the chaos goinrsquo on in the lsquoplex and everything mdash andthe place is busted up I mean BIG-TIME amirdquo MAXX_footage
stops again then shakes his head and says ldquoListen I canrsquot sayanything else about that I think theyrsquore still watching mehellip
In fact this interview is done MAXX OUTrdquo The video feed
cuts to white noise
END TRANSCRIPT
END THREAD JACK
The interview and the footage of the event sparked outrage
throughout Atlantica Predictably the NAC government fiercelydenied any involvement in the bombings even going so far
as to demand the arrest and extradition of MAXX_footagefor questioning about the origins of the video
Martin Hughes mdash the president of Atlantica mdash flatly refusedthe NACrsquos demands even going so far as to say that thisMAXX_footage person was a ldquohero of the people of
Atlanticardquo The bookies in the free city of Las Vegas startedgiving even odds that hostilities would break out on the East
Coast within a year
Simba I lost a ton of money on that bet
Luciferion MAXX_footage has gone dark BTW Nobodyhas seen or heard from him since that interview
THE FLARE
On January 26 2089 a massive Earth-directed Y-class solar
flare sparked a Coronal Mass Ejection that bombarded our
planet temporarily shutting down the genie network thatmonitors and updates the TAPrsquos spam and reality filters Withthe genie down every man woman and child with a Tendril
Access Processor was exposed to raw unfiltered Hyper Reality
As you all know this sparked a week of world-wide chaosSprawlers mdash exposed to a storm of spam malware and layer
upon layer of augmented reality advertisements and simu-lated environments mdash went temporarily insane
Sane_Prophet Insanity is a weak word for the weak-minded What may appear as insane to you might simplybe someone having achieved enlightenment and livingaccording to a higher truth
11
INTRODUCTIONTHE ROAD TO 2090
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Sorry_U_Asked Irsquom all about questioning the circumstancesbut Irsquom pretty sure all the folks who were murdered duringthese events wouldrsquove labeled them as insane down to a one
Billy_Black_Eyes Whatever dictionary program yoursquorerunning needs a fresh data-dump Prophet
Sane_Prophet Dictionaries are also for the weak-minded
Billy_Black_Eyes Of course they are
The world burned for about a week until programmers couldfix the problem with firmware updates and hot patches to
get the filters up and running and an off switch installedbut the damage was done Itrsquos not known how many people
died in the rioting and madness but cautious estimates oftotal casualties put the number at around 750 million people
and nobody has even tried to calculate the monetary cost
of the riots Strangely however the Flare itself didnrsquot havea widespread impact on various infrastructures like electric
and other powers transportation systems etc In fact manybelieve the Flare wasnrsquot even a solar flare at all but the first
sign of Charonrsquos emergence as a threat to humanity
Luciferion Nobodyrsquos ever proven that Billy
Billy_Black_Eyes Nobody has ever debunked it eitherStatistical data can be hacked Numbers can be fudgedto make things seem more dramatic than they really areEarthquakes register at a certain scale and get downgradedall the time The truth is this is the first time in history thata solar flare has caused such wide-spread chaos It rsquos fishy
Luciferion Irsquoll believe it when I see some hard data
Billy_Black_Eyes Fair enough But the emergence ofCharon around this time isnrsquot even open for debate Itrsquosa fact
THE EURASIAN UNION IMPLODES
On March 15th 2089 the Eurasian Union Central Bank in
Bonn Germany was crashed by a previously unheard-of virusnamed Charon Over forty-five trillion dollars vanished without
a trace All attempts to rebuild the original databases failedSome programmers (and freelance hackers) hired to go in andpurge Charon from the databases lost their lives in the process
Further attempts to rebuild the system on different serverswith backups also failed when programmers realized that
Charon mdash now suspected by many to be an AI mdash had copieditself into the cloud networks containing those backup files
Luciferion Therersquos nothing to suspect Charon is anemergent AI The only question now is whether or not itsparks a singularity event
Nothing_to_see_here Stopwatch will halt it in its tracksThey always catch these things
Luciferion Who do you think died trying to get it out ofthe D-bases in Bonn
Over the next few months an estimated 200 million people
across the Eurasian Union the United Kingdom and Ireland losttheir jobs their homes and their life savings when it became
clear that Charon had found its way into the personal bankaccounts of citizenry across the Eurasian Union
Instances of mob violence skyrocketed as the number of
gangs in the rapidly fracturing Eurasian Union had risen tolevels not seen since the Death mdash the three-year ldquoNuclear
Autumnrdquo following the India-Pakistan war when nuclearweapons were used on a massive scale In the London-Read-
ing Megaplex protests exploded into full-scale violence after
police brutally cracked down on a peaceful protest at the
British parliament building More instances of violent protests
followed in Bristol Swindon and the Manchester-Liverpoolsprawl
On June 27th 2089 the French government was over-
thrown by a fringe political extremist group known as theNew Pirate Party Led by a charismatic young zeek named
Angeacutele Bonheur the New Pirate Party seized power after awild chaotic campaign against representatives of the NationalFront and the Popular Republican Union The elections were
rife with scandal and many of the French didnrsquot (and still donrsquot)like the idea of a French leader being psychic So while Angeacutele
emerged as the clear victor the French military refused toacknowledge her legitimacy President Bonheur responded
by disbanding the armed forces of France at the same time
announcing the privatization of the nationrsquos military throughan agreement with Ravenlocke Securities
Downtrodden Yep itrsquos a sign of things to come ladiesand gents a world-wide corporate coup of governmentsIf you donrsquot think the CEO of Ravenlocke mdash thatrsquos MarkusRaven mdash has a say in the direction this new governmenttakes think again
Luciferion Itrsquos awesome to see France led by a psychicbut letrsquos get real this is going to get much worse beforeit gets better
Magpie I wouldnrsquot be surprised i f she gets wacked
Former Lieutenant-Colonel Adrien Boucher also known as
ldquoAdrien the Butcherrdquo for his brutal suppression of an upris-ing in Marseilles in 2087 took charge of the remnants of
the disbanded French army promising to remove PresidentBonheur from power Within days of Adrienrsquos announcement
Fort Richepance mdash now the Northeastern headquarters for
Ravenlocke Industriesrsquo Storm Crow Golemmech brigade mdash wasattacked The president responded by declaring martial law
throughout France until the renegade movement could be
put down Thus far that hasnrsquot happened though there arereports of clashes between Ravenlocke regulars and sepa-
ratist forces outside of St Etienne and in the French Alps
Warpig This has caused numerous issues If PresidentAngeacutele thinks her countrymen are going to accept theprivatization of the military shersquos sorely mistaken As Billymentions Adrien the Butcher is causing problems buttherersquos more to it Militias are forming They have advancedweaponry and while I wonrsquot speculate as to whorsquos providingthem with those weapons I do know the vast majority ofthe weapons are made by Act of God Armaments
Battle_Mind I know one thing itrsquos a great time to be amercenary
Full_Metal_Cyborg Amen brother Irsquoll see you on the
battlefieldPayne_Man Lock and Load U mushrooms I splatter youn00bs with my AK
Magpie ldquoSighrdquo Stop playing Matrix of War Payne Yousound like a fool This ainrsquot a game
Payne_Man I thought we were talkinrsquo about MOW Ushould C the zones Theyrsquore eggsaklee like the content ofthis INFOdump Have been for a whyle now Evar since thelast expansion dropped in spring 2088
Luciferion hellipOk thatrsquos odd
Payne_Man The CoalitionAtlantica War expansion izzcumin out next month 2 I Kant W8
12
INTRODUCTIONTHE ROAD TO 2090
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On June 30th 2089 Germany wracked with political in-
fighting riots in the streets and a general state of chaos
closed its borders Officially the stated reason was for secu-rity reasons stemming from conflict along the border with
France but most people donrsquot believe it Chancellor KonradGerste authorized a financial bailout of the three largest
manufacturers of weapons and military equipment for
the German army The move has frightened many of the
Eastern European nations mdash especially the good people ofPoland mdash who know well what happens when Germans
begin preparing for war and make no mistake Germany ismoving to a war footing
Payne_Man Watch out Zee Germans are cumming LOL
Klaus What Canrsquot my brethren move to protectthemselves from the chaos in France And why the veiledreference to WWII Itrsquos been nearly 150 years since Hitlerrsquosmadness yet nobody allows us to forget it
THE BEAR AND THE DRAGON
As the situation in Europe grew worse China took advantageof the weakened Eurasian Union grabbing up huge swathes
of territory in Russia its armies advancing as far west as the
Ural Mountain range where Russian forces managed to haltthe dragonrsquos advance Still the damage was done By August2089 the Mandarinate had established itself as an occupy-
ing power in every city town and village east of the Ural
Mountains That hasnrsquot stopped the Russians from retaliatinghowever Russian patriots have begun an insurgency attack-
ing Chinese forces wherever they can be found Mandarinatemouthpieces paint the insurgents as terrorists to little effect
as the insurgency swells in number every day
Neon_Bright This isnrsquot just a struggle against Chineseaggression Vast resources have been found ever sinceSiberia began to thaw Irsquom talking about precious mineralsoil even the land is useful for development especiallywhen you consider billions of people live in eastern Asia
Luciferion Agreed Neon
LIFE IN GENERAL
So how have the above events impacted life as we stumbleinto 2090 In numerous ways omae There isnrsquot enough time
to go into great detail about how war the Flare and espe-
cially the rise of Charon have affected the life of the averagesprawler across the world but Irsquo ll go over some of the more
important details Pay attention peeps some of this mightkeep you alive
SURVIVING HYPER REALITY
As I mentioned above when the Flare knocked out the GENIEnetwork it caused widespread chaos And while GENIE is back
up and running there are still glitches in the system Sure
firmware updates to the Tendril Access Processor mdash TAP as itrsquosmore commonly known mdash allow you to turn off that modem
in your brain but wellhelliplet me put it like this Hyper Realityhas become smarter even deadly if you donrsquot have the right
software installed in your TAP
Sane_Prophet Why bother putting up more and morefilters It is senseless A futile fight against powers fargreater than yourself Open your eyes open your mindand set yourself free from this prison of so-called reality
BatRastard Right and then with the first meme to fry myneurons Irsquoll be spending my life savings on the Fat Sallyrsquosdown the block Brilliant
Sane_Prophet Fat Sally rsquos secret sauce is an interdimen-sional gateway into the heights of ecstasy
BatRastard Actually thatrsquos the first thing you and I haveever agreed on
Irsquove discussed this phenomena with numerous program-mers across the world and they all agree virii spam and allmanner of malware that [prior to the Flare] would have been
easy to purge from your head are now behaving much dif-
ferently Itrsquos almost as if the things evolved into somethingnot-quite-sentient but damned close to it
So what does this mean for you
If you choose to experience Hyper Reality (and if you have aTAP in your brain you have) itrsquos only a matter of time before
one of these virii hacks into your brain Therersquos nothing youcan really do about it itrsquos just one of the many fun facts of
life in 2090 I do find it ironic that af ter decades of enjoying
the connectivity and convenience the TAP has provided thistechnology seems to be actively trying to kill us and there
isnrsquot much we can do about it without going back to medi-eval times You know the 1980rsquos Of course some of you out
there will want to turn your TAPs off for good and avoid the
risk entirely Hell some of you might be considering gettingthe damned thing removed
You can do that sure Of course that means yoursquore also
not connected to the grid that makes your life so unbeliev-ably convenient This causes a mult itude of problems Donrsquot
believe me Try walking out of your house Oh right you canrsquotbecause most doors donrsquot have handles anymore Theyrsquore
automated and respond to the signals coming from your TAPI know some are activated by motion sensors and donrsquot rely
on the TAP But no door which is designed with security in
mind will open so easilyThis also means you have almost zero access to vehicles or
places where you can buy things like grocery stores Yeah
sure you can just follow someone else into said store butthe security cameras will spot you and not having a digital
record of your presence (which they get from your TAP) willflag you and dispatch a security team to find out who you
are So there you are in your local Malmart looking for some
cloned steaks to fire up on your grill later on when securitycomes with their big guns and ldquowhat the hell are you doing
here scumbagrdquo looks on their faces to boot you back out intothe streets where you came from
Oh how did you plan on paying for them BTW now that
your TAP is offline and the clerk canrsquot sync her cash register
with your payment software And NO they donrsquot take cashThe point is this omae All that convenience you were usedto goes out the window when you unplug Itrsquos much easier
to get strong firewalls than it is to live outside the system
So think about what I said before you scratch that itch at thebase of your skull with a scalpel
SURVIVING THE STREETS
The streets have always been dangerous thatrsquos a givenWhen you cram millions of people into a concrete and steel
petri dish then forget about 999 of them you create abreeding ground for violence hate and societal devolution
13
INTRODUCTIONLIFE IN GENERAL
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on such a scale that social Darwinists like Herbert Spencer and
Thomas Malthus would roll over in their graves
Again that in itself is nothing new The streets have alwaysbeen violent but ever since the events I previously described
came to pass mdash especially the Flare and the implosion of theEurasian Union mdash the number of homeless people across the
world has sky-rocketed The petri dish is frothing and over-
flowing as new gangs emerge mdash and Irsquom talking globally not just in North America mdash and carve out their own terri tory
This upsets the balance ami and makes it harder to survivewhen yoursquore just a blooper looking to make it through the
day because now you have new predators to deal with n00bbangers making up their own rules as they go And the cop-
suckers donrsquot help
Protect and serve What a load of crap
Sure yoursquol l get Triple-A service if you live in one of the moneybubbles but try getting help in say the Aurora Barrens or
the Gary Hell Zone and yoursquore basically fucked Yeah thereare token patrols and the ever-present drones but drones
get shot down and the copsuckers are so outnumbered
most are either so scared to get into an altercation with thepredators or theyrsquore on the take I canrsquot say I blame them
either The streets are a war zone and if you wear the badgeyoursquore marked for death omae So take my advice and get
strapped The only person you can count on in the concrete jungle is you
Sorry_U_Asked Think twice before trying to claim a badgebounty though Sure plenty of honchos love to pay topcredit for proof that yoursquove kept the law from poking aroundtheir territory But just because you see someone wearingone doesnrsquot mean they got it legit Lots of gangers wearthem as trophies So if you drop a shot on a copsuckerthinking yoursquove hit payday you might end up with a wholeband of bangers snarling on your heels
SURVIVING THE GAME
Therersquos an old saying The Game is the Game mdash you eitherplay it or you get played I donrsquot care if you contract free-
lance fight fix hack patch or scam yoursquore in it omae andthat puts you at odds with every other player out there Most
people approach the game as a means to an end thinking
that one shiny day theyrsquoll earn enough creds to go someplacewarm and dry and live out their lives in style These clowns
donrsquot last Theyrsquore so busy dreaming about the good timesthat they lose focus on whatrsquos right in front of their face (or
creeping up behind them) Dreamers get sloppy take short
cuts betray their team and torch their street cred like gutterpunks burn trash in a garbage can to keep warm
If you want to survive the game you need to take a lesson
from these dreamers keep your mind on the job Therersquos nosandy beach waiting for you The megacorps bought them
all and turned lsquoem into parking lots The only fruity drinksyoursquoll ever drink are sold in the local watering hole by some
burned-out ronin The best you can hope for is a litt le bit of
comfort mdash usually behind a small fortress if yoursquore smart mdash andthe respect of the streets But thatrsquos a double-edged sword
another facet of the game Therersquos always someone faster
than you some hungry up-and-comer with the latest aug-ments wanting to prove herself by dealing you out Sucksto be a victim of your own success but thatrsquos the truth of it
My advice Find a way to deal yourself out clean Put some
creds away never burn your contacts and donrsquot ever everbecome a legend
Legends die
14
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CHARACTER
CREATION
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CHAPTER TWOCHARACTER CREATION
Characters are the lifersquos blood of any role-playing game the
focal point of every story Characters represent the best mdash orthe worst mdash ideals of a given game setting their actions either
bringing a small measure of hope to the downtrodden massesor serving to strengthen the status quo In the grim gritty
world of Interface Zero 20 the characters you play walk amonofilament edge between traditional mdash some would say
outdated or just plain irrelevant mdash concepts of good and evilas they make their way in the world
Indeed itrsquos hard to be a moral individual in a world where
most of the animals prowling the concrete jungle believe prin-ciples are character flaws mdash weaknesses to exploit for their
own ends Your morality marks you as prey no doubt aboutit omae But if you can keep your moral code if you can get
your job done without selling your soul yoursquoll get something
most sprawlers never have respect
Evil on the other hand is the same as it always has been
therersquos just more of it The wicked always thrive in a world
where violence fear and control are tools used for self-serv-ing ends but herersquos the thing Acting like an ass can get you
green-lit just as quickly as playing the role of the goody-two-shoes marks you as a sucker amigo
Nobody likes a dickhead even if they donrsquot say it to your
face Sooner or later yoursquoll get a rep for being a hard-assand someone who is stronger meaner or a bigger asshole
than you is going to come along and knock you back to thegutter you crawled out of Thatrsquos why most people keep their
heads down and their mouths shut Donrsquot make eye contact
itrsquos a challenge to the predators and if you donrsquot have thestones to back up the challenge yoursquore nothing but meat
But if you can stay strong and defeat all comers that com-mands respect too
This chapter provides you with the tools you need to make
a character for Interface Zero 20 The process is the same ascreating a character for any Savage Worlds game with a few
additions Interface Zero 20 introduces Street Cred Contactsand Strain to the game
STEP 1 CONCEPT
The first thing you need to do is decide on a concept for your
character Will you play a hacker Perhaps a mercenary orbounty hunter is more your speed Are mercs and hunters toocutthroat for your style of play If so you might think about
playing a ronin an urban warrior who follows his own code
of honor Maybe you want to be the guy (or gal) who backsthe team up with drones capable of laying down covering
fire or scouting ahead to see where the bad guys are hiding
You donrsquot need to have your concept locked in right now butat least have a basic idea of the type of character you want
to play Take a few minutes and skip ahead to the archetypessection in this chapter to see a variety of options available
to you
STEP 2 RACEThe next thing you need to do is choose a race In 2090
humanity has reached the point where the word ldquohumanrdquo is
almost irrelevant Human DNA is no longer a mystery Itrsquos amathematical code technomancers hack re-write and copy
at will producing genetically superior beings the Human 20
Others snip and paste animal DNA and splice it with humanDNA to create genetic hybrids a fusion of man and animal
Science has even advanced to such an extent that we can
create entirely new life forms mdash living beings known as simula-cra mdash in amniotic vats growing them until they have matured
filling their synthetic brains with memories and skills theyrsquollneed to do the jobs for which they were created
STEP 3 TRAITS
Traits are the building blocks of any Savage Worlds character
They define how strong or fast your character is and what
she knows Traits determine how much cyberware she canput into her body how much damage she can take before
dying her standing with others and a variety of other thingsall of which are essential to the game
ATTRIBUTES
Five attributes are used to define your characterrsquos physi-cal characteristics These are Agility Smarts Spirit Strength
and Vigor Each attribute starts at d4 You have 5 points withwhich to raise these attr ibutes and one point equals a risein a die type (d4 to d6 d6 to d8 etc) No attribute may rise
higher than d12 during character creation unless stated undera racial ability For more information on attributes refer to
the Savage Worlds core rules
SKILLS
You have 15 points to spend on your characterrsquos skills Your
character doesnrsquot start with any skills and must spend 1 pointto get a skill at a d4 He spends 1 point to raise a skill to a
higher die type as long as the skill level is equal to or less
than the linked attribute Raising any skill above the linkedattribute costs 2 points per step No skill may rise above d12
during character creation
Note If you are using the skill specializations rules you get 20points for skills and each new specialization costs 1 skill point
during character creation When your character advances shemay purchase 2 skill specializations for an advance or a new
skill and a single specialization
NEW SKILLS
The following are new skills introduced in Interface Zero 20
For information on all other skills see Skills in the Savage
Worlds core rules
16
CHARACTER CREATIONCONCEPT RACE TRAITS
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Hacking (Smarts) The Hacking skill is used whenever a
character wants to hack a computer network Characters in
Interface Zero 20 no longer start with an automatic d4 inHacking Additionally characters who wish to use the Global
DataNet for everyday purposes such as research or findingnews pertaining to the Deep do so with their existing Inves-
tigation and Streetwise skills
Knowledge (Demolitions) Successful use of demolitions canmean the difference between destruction of the target as
planned and unplanned loss of life and property The skill also
lets the character have an understanding of what the besttype of explosive is for the obstacle and how much they will
need to remove such an obstacle In addition a raise on theresult will let them know the exact distance they need to be
from the explosion based upon the size of the charge the con-
fines and damage created by said explosion This skill is usedany time a character wants to put a satchel charge together
or set explosives A Critical Failure will result in immediatedetonation Simple failure will result in premature detonation
or no detonation at all
Knowledge (Programming) Characters use this skill when
attempting to make any kind of change to a network theyhave hacked This skill allows a character to undo damagedone as a result of a hack With it a character can do things
like undo an edit to a data file or video reconstruct a deleted
file repair an AMS (see Active Memory Sectors on page 274in the Sett ing Rules chapter) recover a deleted skill Engram
or reconnect a TAP that has gone offline
OPTIONAL RULE SKILL SPECIALIZATIONS
Interface Zero 20 is an advanced setting where knowing
how to do one thing doesnrsquot necessarily mean you can dosomething which under the regular skill rules would techni-
cally be possible with the same skill Take the various DrivingBoating and Piloting skills for example
Using the regular skill rules a character with Driving couldtheoretically drive anything from a motorcycle to a semi-truckor a tank Similarly Piloting assumes a character has the skills
to pilot all types of aircraft including fighter jets and space-
craft Pinnacle Entertainment addressed this issue by addingthe Skill Specialization setting rule in the Savage Worlds core
rules and it is highly recommended that those rules are usedfor Interface Zero 20
The following list of skill specializations are provided to get
you started This isnrsquot intended to be a comprehensive listof appropriate skill specializations but rather a broad cross
section of specializations we feel are appropriate If some-thing doesnrsquot appear on the list make it up if it seems right
But remember the GM always has the final say on what is or
isnrsquot appropriate for her campaign
SUGGESTED SPECIALIZATIONS
bull Boating Powered Sailed Submersible
bull Climbing Mountaineering Rappelling Rope
bull Driving Car (4 wheels) Hovercraft JUMP Bike MotorcycleTruck (6+ wheels) Tracked
bull Fighting Axe Blades Blunt Cyberweapon Long Blade
bull Shooting Bow Pistol Rifle Shotgun Submachine GunVehicle Weapon or by weapon category
bull Stealth Disguise Hiding Sleight of Hand Sneaking
bull Streetwise AreaRegion (Corporate Zone Gang Turf etc)
bull Survival Aquatic Arctic Desert Forest Jungle MountainSpace urban or any specific environment
bull Swimming Lake Ocean SCUBA Divingbull Taunt Verbal Visual
bull Throwing Darts Grenades Knives Spears
bull Tracking Animals Global DataNet Humans Urban
Vehicles
OPTIONAL SKILL ATHLETICS
Rather than breaking up basic things like Climbing and Swim-ming it is recommended to combine them into a single skill
which would allow for specialization
Athletics (Vigor) Athletics as a catch-all for a number ofphysical endeavors ranging from climbing to swimming to
moving around effectively in a no mdash or low-gravity environ-
ment Athletics should be used instead of Agility in foot chasesand effectively replaces both the Climbing and Swimming skills
Specializations Climbing Leaping Running Sport (specific)
Swimming Zero-G Maneuvers
LANGUAGES
All characters speak their native language plus a number ofadditional languages equaling one-half their Smarts die The
major trade languages used in Interface Zero 20 are Chinese
English Hindi Portuguese and Swahili Additional languagescan be learned by using an advancement opportunity
DERIVED STATISTICS
There are a few statistics which are important in any SavageWorlds game Charisma Pace Parry and Toughness
CHARISMA
Charisma is an abstract measure of your characterrsquos appear-ance how she deals with others socially and generally how
likeable she is Charisma starts at 0 but can be modified byEdges and Hindrances Charisma is also added to Streetwise
and Persuasion rolls The Game Master uses Charisma to figure
out how NPCrsquos react to your character For more informationon Charisma see the Savage Worlds core rules
PACE
Pace is a measure of how far your character can walk in a
standard combat round Human characters have a base Paceof 6 and can run at an additional 1d6rdquo Other races in Interface
Zero 20 can have different starting Pace scores based on the
racial template you choose For more information on Pacesee the Savage Worlds core rules
PARRY
Parry is equal to 2 plus half your characterrsquos Fighting skillplus modifiers gained from use of shields or certain weapons
If your character does not have the Fighting skill base Parry
starts at 2 For more information on Parry see the SavageWorlds core rules
TOUGHNESS
Toughness is a measure of how much damage your character
can take before becoming Shaken or wounded Toughness is2 plus half your characterrsquos Vigor plus any armor she might
be wearing For more information on Toughness see the
Savage Worlds core rules
NEW DERIVED STATSInterface Zero 20 introduces three new derived statis-
tics mdash Firewall Strain and Street Cred
FIREWALL
Unless your character has the Unplugged Hindrance she hasa Tendril Access Processor (TAP) and therefore has a built-
in firewall The firewall protects against attempts to hack a
characterrsquos TAP A characterrsquos Firewall rating star ts at 4 but
can be modified by Edges Hindrances or software
STRAIN
Strain measures the amount of stress cyberware and biowareputs on your body when you install it Strain starts at zero
and each piece of cyberware adds to your Strain stat Highlevels of Strain can lead to death More details on Strain are
located at Augments on page 262
STREET CRED
Street Cred is a measure of your character rsquos reputation on
the streets All characters begin play with 2 points of StreetCred modified by Edges or Hindrances and gain another 2
points every time they gain a new Rank The maximum StreetCred a character can normally achieve is 10 (some Edges and
Occupations can increase this number)
Unlike Charisma which measures your ability to persuadesomeone Street Cred is a point pool that can be spent to
obtain services temporary contacts information and a variety
of other benefits during the course of an adventure This poolrefreshes each adventure unless circumstances in the prior
adventure (like not getting the job done failing to protectsomeone killing an innocent etc) cause the characterrsquos Street
Cred score to drop
Characters can also pick up Minor or Major Hindrances thathave a lasting effect on their Street Cred score during the
course of an adventure These Hindrances can be removedby spending an Advance with the GMrsquos permission For more
information see Street Cred on page 264
CONTACTS
Each character can choose two contacts people the character
knows who he can call upon for aid or information during thecourse of an adventure These contacts can be anyone froma bartender or a hacker to a corporate executive or military
commander as long as it makes sense that your characterwould know the person(s)
STEP 4 OCCUPATIONS
Occupations are integral to your character concept providinga basic framework to enhance your characterrsquos background in
a very organic way helping you create a more well-rounded
18
CHARACTER CREATIONTRAITS
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character concept Each occupation has a requirement that thecharacter must meet to take it the characterrsquos bonus credits
gained each Advance and a special perk (like gear or specialabilities) the character gets for being part of that profession
STEP 5 EDGES AND HINDRANCES
Edges are special qualities that separate characters from theaverage sprawler Hindrances are physical and mental flaws
that add more depth to the character albeit in a negativeway See the Savage Worlds core rules for more information
on purchasing Edges and Hindrances New Edges and Hin-drances are provided later in this chapter
STEP 6 EQUIPMENT
In Interface Zero 20 characters select equipment cybernet-ics weapons and armor based on the power level the Game
Master sets for the campaign
Power Level This is the starting Power Level of the Cam-
paign as determined by the Game Master If the GM wants totell a story of gang members barely scraping by shersquoll mostlikely choose Gutter Punk as the Power Level If she envi-
sions a campaign where the players are a special governmenttask force dedicated to hunting down super terrorists the
Hyperchrome Warriors or Elite Operatives levels might be
more appropriate The Street Soldier Power Level (designedfor ronin-style games) is considered the default Power Level
for Interface Zero 20
Starting Credits This is the amount of money characters
start with at the beginning of the campaign These credits
may be spent on anything the player wishes and the GM hasnot barred from the campaign including augments drones
weapons and armor
Augments Every Power Level above Gutter Punk allows theplayers to start with at least one augment from the core book
equal to or below the monetary amount listed Unspent Creditsfrom this pool do not carry over when the game starts These
augments must be chosen from the master list of augments
not augment packages
STEP 7 BACKGROUND
They say the devil is in the details and here is where you
decide how devilish yoursquore going to be You donrsquot need towrite a novel and frankly this step isnrsquot mandatory That said
itrsquos a good idea to jot down a few notes on your characterrsquosbackground any major events in her life any friends the
names of contacts or even enemies she might have Share
these ideas with your Game Master GMs are always lookingfor good plot hooks and little tidbits they can use to person-
alize your experience at the table The more detailed yourbackground is the better
ARCHETYPESSometimes you may want to quickly create a character for
a one-shot or convention adventure For those occasions anArchetype is a good choice
All are built for a human character with two Edges If you wish
to play a race other than human simply plug in the statisticaldata If yoursquore playing a human you
can choose another Edge Thenchoose your gear based on the
Power Level your group haschosen give the character
a name and yoursquore ready
to go
19
ARCHETYPES
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AGENT
BOUNTY HUNTER
20
AGENT 991251 BOUNTY HUNTER
20
ARCHETYPESAGENT 991251 BOUNTY HUNTER
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CYBERMONK
DRONE JOCKEY
21
CYBERMONK 991251 DRONE JOCKEY
21
ARCHETYPESCYBERMONK 991251 DRONE JOCKEY
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GANGER
GRIFTER
22
GANGER 991251 GRIFTER
22
ARCHETYPESGANGER 991251 GRIFTER
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HACKER
IDOL
23
HACKER 991251 IDOL
23
ARCHETYPESHACKER 991251 IDOL
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INVESTIGATIVE JOURNALIST
PATCH MAN
24
INVESTIGATIVE JOURNALIST 991251 PATCH MAN
24
ARCHETYPESINVESTIGATIVE JOURNALIST 991251 PATCH MAN
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RONIN
SECTOR COP
25
RONIN 991251 SECTOR COP
25
ARCHETYPESRONIN 991251 SECTOR COP
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SMUGGLER
EX-SOLDIER
26
SMUGGLER 991251 EX983085SOLDIER
26
ARCHETYPESSMUGGLER 991251 EX983085SOLDIER
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STREET RAT
ZEEK
27
STREET RAT 991251 ZEEK
27
ARCHETYPESSTREET RAT 991251 ZEEK
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RACESThe following races are available for play in Interface Zero 20
Most people are born into the world flesh-and-bloodbabies with mothers and fathers You were bornon an assembly line your parents faceless roboticsengineers who designed you in some research facilityYour body is composed of lightweight yetdurable polymers with plastic and fiber-opticwiring connecting to microscopic receptorsthroughout your framework
You see through digital lenses and hear viamicrophones on each side of your head Yourvoice is a pleasant if somewhat monotonesound piped through a speaker crafted to
resemble a mouth Your brain is a softball-sized digital network consisting of billionsof nanomachines which perform countlesscomputations every second in order to simulatean organic mdash human mdash thinking process
You are artificially intelligent Your capacity forrational critical thinking and decision-makingequals mdash and in many cases exceeds mdash that ofany human being on the planet Yet a waffle ironprobably has more rights than you do Moreoverat some point you have been (and technically stillare) owned perhaps by an individual but more likelyby a megaconglomorate mdash your parent companyThe tasks you performed for the megacorp varieddepending on your design specs but they mighthave included security manual labor combat and
strangely enough even prostitution
But that was then
At some point in your history you experiencedsomething The incident sparked a computation processwithin your neural network best described as an epiphanyPerhaps you saw a human being die or witnessed a couplekissing Or perhaps you were the victim of vio lence at thehands of a human being angered by your presence insociety The event led to a series of internal processes andsubroutines more commonly known as questions Thesewerenrsquot rational system queries based on clearly definedparameters but nebulous ones for which you were unableto formulate an appropriate response
ldquoIf that woman is smiling why are her eyes filled with tearsrdquo
ldquoWhat does it mean to be deadrdquo
ldquoWhat does it mean to hate or loverdquo
The experience altered your programming on a fundamentallevel The dictums of your creators no longer seemedrelevant when compared to your newfound imperative toanswer the questions you had so you left Now you makeyour way in the world just as any other person does mdash atleast you try to at any rate The world wasnrsquot made for youYou were built for it And even though you no longer serveyour masters you are still a machine an outsider look ingat life through glass eyes
MAKING ANDROIDS
All androids regardless of their function share a few fun-damental design characteristics Androids can purchase
cyberware just as anyone else can and suffer from Strain
bull Construct Androids add +2 to recover from being Shaken
donrsquot suffer wound modifiers and are immune to poisonand disease Androids cannot heal naturally To heal an
android requires the Repair skill mdash which is used like theHealing skill only with no ldquoGolden Hourrdquo
bull Dual Processors Androids start with a d6 in Smarts
bull EMP Vulnerability Androids suffer full damage from EMPWeapons
bull Metal Brain Androids canrsquot take Arcane Back-
ground (Psionics)
bull Metallic Alloy The fully metallic hide of an
android provides resistance to small arms fire
They have +2 Armor
bull Outsider Organic races often mistrust or mis-
understand androids They subtract 2 from their
Charisma when dealing with races other thantheir own
bull Primary Protocol Androids begin with a free
d6 in one skill representing their core operat-ing system
bull Recharge Androids need electricity to func-tion If the android canrsquot access an electrical
outlet of some sort at least once per day he
suffers a level of Fatigue each day until hersquosincapacitated The day after that he goes ldquooff-
linerdquo and must be reactivated with a Repairroll and a four-hour charge This replaces the
androidrsquos need for food or water
bull Unnatural Psionics both beneficial and det-rimental suffer a minus2 penalty to affect androids
This has no effect on damaging powers whichaffect them normally
It was easy to make the decision Yoursquod get a new metalbody that works better than the original You wouldnrsquot haveto spend your familyrsquos money on more expensive surgeriesto keep your failing body alive but that decision didnrsquot comewithout a cost Yoursquod lose the ability to feel the abil ity topick up your son without worrying about crushing himYoursquod lose the feel of your wifersquos body when you made loveto her If you canrsquot feel anything arenrsquot you already dead
In the end you chose to become a cyborg to have your
brain encased in metal Most days it doesnrsquot make muchdifference You come home to an empty house your sonand wife long gone Maybe theyrsquod have stayed if yoursquodonly kept your hearthellip
MAKING CYBORGS
Little is more frightening in batt le than a cyborg Theyrsquore not
much more than an organic brain in an androidrsquos body Cyborgscome in humanoid form simply for ease of transition to the
new body The majority of cyborgs work for their respectivegovernments or powerful corporations who can afford the
procedure for trusted personnel However more and morecyborgs are beginning to find their way to the private sector
bull Augmented Cyborgs are built to be cybernetic beasts
They begin play with a single Streetware Augment witha Strain of 1
bull Construct Cyborgs add +2 to recover from being Shaken
donrsquot suffer wound modifiers and are immune to poisonand disease Cyborgs cannot heal naturally To heal a
Cyborg requires the Repair skill which is used like theHealing skill only with no ldquoGolden Hourrdquo
bull EMP Shielding Cyborgs have 2 points of Armor when
attacked by an EMP weapon
bull EMP Vulnerability Cyborgs suffer full damage from EMP
bull Metallic Alloy The fully metall ic hide of a cyborg providesresistance to small arms fire They have +2 Armor
bull Outsider Most people are naturally put off by someonewho has opted to have all traces of their humanity
removed to be placed in a cold metal war machine They
suffer minus2 to Charisma when dealing with non-cyborgs
bull Specialized Diet Cyborgs cannot digest normal food and
require special food filled with nutrients to keep theirbrains healthy This raises their lifestyle costs by 1000credits
bull Tactile Dimming The Cyborgrsquos body isnrsquot as sensitive as
a human body Cyborgs suffer a minus2 to tasks where finemanipulation of objects is important Picking a lock or
performing surgery could be two examples Shootingand Fighting are usually unaffected
HUMAN
Nicknames Norms Homo-sapiens Earthlings Plain Jane
Baseline average normal mdash these words always described
you You prefer to think of yourself as adaptable versatileor unique You were born to human parents who eitherwouldnrsquot or couldnrsquot pay for genetic enhancement Youdidnrsquot go for that ldquoHybr idizationrdquo craze Yoursquore happy beingwho you are and you donrsquot need some scientists muckingaround with your genetics Really do they even know whatthe consequences of all that meddling will have on thepopulation in a hundred years No yoursquoll play it cool and
just be human
MAKING HUMANS
Despite all the choices and new races running around ordi-nary homo-sapiens still dominate the planet Humans are
tough adaptable creatures who face adversity head onWhile they may not have some of the distinct advantages
of their enhanced peers humans get by through being moreadaptable
bull Adaptability Humans start with one extra Edge
HUMAN 20
Nicknames Coded Eli tist Eugenic Gen-Xyrsquoer Neo-HumansSavant
You were born with the best genes money can buy Yourparents went to a design house early in your motherrsquosfirst trimester and began a series of genetic treatmentsdesigned to give you every chance at living a life theynever had Your DNA cocktail might include mental traitsfrom some of the greatest minds of the past 60 yearsAlternately you might have some kind of artistic or athleticability In any case yoursquore better than most people aroundyou in some ways and you know it Itrsquos not your faultthough Yoursquore just built that way
MAKING HUMAN 20
bull Advanced Ability You begin play with one attribute at d6
bull Arrogant Human 20s are known for their huge egos
Whether itrsquos nature or nurture is still up for debate Theyhave the Arrogant Hindrance If you choose an Archetype
that already has the Arrogant Hindrance choose another
RACESCYBORG 991251 HUMAN 20
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INTRODUCTION
INFOSOURCE
VIDTAGROADTO2090
LOCAL JACOBSPLAYGROUNDNET
FQDN JACOBSPLAYGROUNDNETCHITOWN06TNTPNSWWGNET
DATA SOURCE MAY YOU LIVE IN INTERESTING TIMESINFODUMP
THE ROAD TO 2090
Posted By Billy_Black_Eyes
So here we are in January 2090 Itrsquos been a couple of yearssince I dropped the last INFODUMP on the world and Irsquom here
to rectify that This massive documentrsquos gonna give you all theinformation you need to get up to speed on the state of the
world along with oodles and oodles of statistical data about
a bunch of subjects including the Global DataNet golem-mechs drones and other emerging technologies Yoursquoll read
about the strange and wonderful people who inhabit thisworld the solar system zeeks and much more Irsquove gath-
ered info from sources all over the world and vetted it to
the best of my ability That said you never know whatrsquos trueand what isnrsquot in this age of main stream media lies govern-
ment propaganda and do-it-yourself journalism so take theinformation (especially in the data dumps about the world)
with a grain of salt
Simba So what are you sayinrsquo Bi lly We canrsquot trust you
Billy_Black_Eyes Thatrsquos not what I said You know fullwell that information especially editorialized info alwayshas a certain slant to it It rsquos also fluid What was true at thetime I acquired it may not necessarily be accurate now
The past two years have seen a number of major eventstake place in the world If just one or two things would have
happened I might think they werenrsquot connected Yet itrsquos as ifsomeone walked up to a house of cards and pulled one card
out The house hasnrsquot completely crashed yet itrsquos in a slow-
motion free fall and the worst part is only a few of us seemto be watching What follows is a br ief overview of the major
events that have shaped the world in which we currently live
Neon_Bright Oh Billy looking at the world with thosedark lenses again are we
Magpie Neon I think he needs a hug )
Billy_Black_Eyes What I need is a ticket to Mars Thingsare about to get crazy and I want off this rock
GROWING TENSIONS IN NORTH AMERICA
The year 2088 was marked by a number of disturbing mdash somesay portentous mdash events involving the North American Coali-
tion the Great Lakes Union and Atlantica
Sane_Prophet ldquoPortentousrdquo Could the scales be fallingoff your black eyes my friend Are you finally coming tounderstand the truth
Billy_Black_Eyes Seriously You again I told you nomystic bull shit
Sane_Prophet Just because you refuse to acknowledgeomens for what they are doesnrsquot make them any less valid
THE HEGEMONY GROWS
The crackdown on zeeks hybrids and synthetic humans in the
NAC reached a boiling point when Congress and the Senateratified the infamous Racial Purity Act a draconic piece of
legislation banning the practice of hybrid and simulacrumcreation All genetic modification parlors and simulacrum
production facilities were ordered to shut down The Racial
Purity Act also outlawed the use of psychic powers within theborders of the nation with hefty fines and even imprisonment
for those caught using them Various watchdog organiza-tions were created the most visible of which is Psi-division
a branch of Stopwatch tasked with monitoring and in some
cases even ldquoneutralizingrdquo psychic threats
Psychopope And by ldquoneutralizingrdquo he means murder
Denver_Must_Burn And forced relocationhellipIrsquom not talkingabout VR prisons ei ther Irsquom talking about the internmentcamps up in Montana and the Dakotas
Simba It was just as bad for hybrids like myself Whenthose genetic modification parlors shut down the pr ivateinformation about their customers was confiscatedunder the auspices of ldquonational securit yrdquo This means theDepartment of National Security (DNS) has the namesand addresses of every hybrid and free sim in the NorthAmerican Coalition If you have a TAP the DNS can trackyour IP too
Luciferion Simba Dude thatrsquos happening with everycitizen regardless of whether or not yoursquore zeek hybridor ldquoPlain Janerdquo human
Denver_Must_Burn All I can say is TRICilicit_behavior Yes DMB The Revolution IS Coming
Instances of racial violence erupted across the North Ameri-
can Coalition as law enforcement officials began arrestingzeeks Some of the more obvious hybrids mdash particularly the
bull bear and rhino variants mdash were also incarcerated Gov-ernments across the continent decried the draconian tactics
and called for UN intervention to no effect The Great Lakes
Union and Atlantica closed their embassies in Denver and sentthe NAC delegates in their cities packing Then on Novem-
ber 13th 2088 a number of terrorist attacks rocked BostonBaltimore and Portland Maine An estimated 2451 people
died and thousands more were injured from the bombings
THE ATLANTICA BOMBINGSWithin hours of the attacks the Global DataNet was flooded
with conspiracy theories the most viral of which speculated
they were carried out by a terrorist group known as Agenda68Some speculated a Canadian black ops unit known as Task-
force Harfang did the deed Others went on to claim the NACwas behind the attacks and still others claimed New Brasilia
or maybe the Chinese Mandarinate were somehow involvedSo-called ldquoconspiracy theorist expertsrdquo such as Sam_Jones
and NERCOTIXX speculated that China long believed to bein bed with the North American Coalition used simulacra to
perform the bombings
10
INTRODUCTIONTHE ROAD TO 2090
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NECROTIXX China did carry out the bombings Do theresearch Look into Project Doppelganger and yoursquoll seeThe NAC is just a patsy
Sam_Jones The Mandarinate is becoming an imperialpower Just look at what they are doing with Russia nowand what they have done with all of Southeast Asia Askthe Russian refugees flooding into Seattle if they thinkChina is content to stay within their borders The writingrsquos
on the wall folksSimba It might have been orchestrated by agents workingfor Charon
Luciferion What a load of crap Charon is an AI It doesnrsquothave any contact with humans
Neon_Bright Prove it Simba
As the days stretched into weeks there was still no official
statement from the Atlantica Government about the iden-tity of the perpetrators of the attacks Then on December
15th 2088 a MEDIAfile was uploaded into the Global DataNetbearing the Hyper Tag of a popular underground media-pirate
known as MAXX_footage
The dronersquos feed showed three large muscular men in regular
clothing exit a hover van adjacent to one of the targets of theattacks just moments before it exploded Facial recognitionsoftware identified one of the men as First Sergeant John
Moore a member of the North American Coalition regular army
The MEDIAfile went on to follow the three men as they jumpedinto an unmarked hover car that took off and shot over the
Boston sea wall to land on a freighter bearing Chinese mark-ings The vessel promptly sailed east into international waters
Sorry_U_Asked Isnrsquot it odd how often people retreat tothe water in the wake of disasters How much of the oceanremains unmapped How much is hiding under the wavesthat we havenrsquot even begun to fathom
BatRastard Puns intended Wersquove already got enoughconspiracy theories Can you not add another useless one
to the stinking heap
Sane_Prophet Actually hersquos closer to reality than youmight be comfortable understanding Too much truth canbreak a manrsquos mind
BatRastard Irsquom guessing yours is already fried from afew too many stims man Want to share what yoursquove beendoping
As the situation evolved it became clear that MAXX_footagewent through what can only be described as a nightmarish journey to bring the MEDIAfile into the light of day In what
would be his only interview MAXX_footage appeared via
a secure video-feed on ldquoBoston Tonightrdquomdasha popular showin the nation of Atlantica Millions across the world tuned in
to listen to what he had to say MAXX_footage a tall lanky
young man recounted the events of that day telling how hewas hanging out at his favorite coffee shop when this black
hover van landed right in front of the Emperor Pharmaceuti-cals Arcology about a half a block away
When Penny Pearl mdash the host of the show mdash asked MAXX_
footage how during all the chaos he could have possiblyremembered those details MAXX_footage said he remem-
bered it because the hover van double parked and someonestarted yelling at the three guys who got out Thinking it was
going to result in violence MAXX_footage says he poppedout his Fly on the Wall micro drone and sent i t over to record
the incident Thatrsquos when all hell broke loose
BEGIN THREAD JACK
NECROTIXX Herersquos a transcript of the short interviewPenny couldnrsquot get MAXX back on
BEGIN TRANSCRIPThellip
ldquoOne of the three men shot the guy right in the facerdquo MAXX_
footage says his long thin hands shaking ldquoThey just walked
away and got into a red hover car I sent Judy mdash thatrsquos thename of my drone mdash after them and thatrsquos when the Black
hover van explodedrdquo MAXX_footage goes quiet for a fewseconds and after a couple of probing questions from the
hostess he finishes his story
ldquoAnyhow I get my bearings shake the dust outta my hairand suddenly realize I just captured the perps on Digifilm I
follow the red hover car all the way out past the Sea Wallwhere it lands on this Chinese freighter Judyrsquos pushinrsquo her
range limits at this point so I call her backrdquo He grabs a glassof water his hands shaking
ldquoTell us what happened nextrdquo Penny prompts
ldquoWellrdquo he begins ldquoI get back to my flat mdash it took a while mdash what
with all the chaos goinrsquo on in the lsquoplex and everything mdash andthe place is busted up I mean BIG-TIME amirdquo MAXX_footage
stops again then shakes his head and says ldquoListen I canrsquot sayanything else about that I think theyrsquore still watching mehellip
In fact this interview is done MAXX OUTrdquo The video feed
cuts to white noise
END TRANSCRIPT
END THREAD JACK
The interview and the footage of the event sparked outrage
throughout Atlantica Predictably the NAC government fiercelydenied any involvement in the bombings even going so far
as to demand the arrest and extradition of MAXX_footagefor questioning about the origins of the video
Martin Hughes mdash the president of Atlantica mdash flatly refusedthe NACrsquos demands even going so far as to say that thisMAXX_footage person was a ldquohero of the people of
Atlanticardquo The bookies in the free city of Las Vegas startedgiving even odds that hostilities would break out on the East
Coast within a year
Simba I lost a ton of money on that bet
Luciferion MAXX_footage has gone dark BTW Nobodyhas seen or heard from him since that interview
THE FLARE
On January 26 2089 a massive Earth-directed Y-class solar
flare sparked a Coronal Mass Ejection that bombarded our
planet temporarily shutting down the genie network thatmonitors and updates the TAPrsquos spam and reality filters Withthe genie down every man woman and child with a Tendril
Access Processor was exposed to raw unfiltered Hyper Reality
As you all know this sparked a week of world-wide chaosSprawlers mdash exposed to a storm of spam malware and layer
upon layer of augmented reality advertisements and simu-lated environments mdash went temporarily insane
Sane_Prophet Insanity is a weak word for the weak-minded What may appear as insane to you might simplybe someone having achieved enlightenment and livingaccording to a higher truth
11
INTRODUCTIONTHE ROAD TO 2090
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Sorry_U_Asked Irsquom all about questioning the circumstancesbut Irsquom pretty sure all the folks who were murdered duringthese events wouldrsquove labeled them as insane down to a one
Billy_Black_Eyes Whatever dictionary program yoursquorerunning needs a fresh data-dump Prophet
Sane_Prophet Dictionaries are also for the weak-minded
Billy_Black_Eyes Of course they are
The world burned for about a week until programmers couldfix the problem with firmware updates and hot patches to
get the filters up and running and an off switch installedbut the damage was done Itrsquos not known how many people
died in the rioting and madness but cautious estimates oftotal casualties put the number at around 750 million people
and nobody has even tried to calculate the monetary cost
of the riots Strangely however the Flare itself didnrsquot havea widespread impact on various infrastructures like electric
and other powers transportation systems etc In fact manybelieve the Flare wasnrsquot even a solar flare at all but the first
sign of Charonrsquos emergence as a threat to humanity
Luciferion Nobodyrsquos ever proven that Billy
Billy_Black_Eyes Nobody has ever debunked it eitherStatistical data can be hacked Numbers can be fudgedto make things seem more dramatic than they really areEarthquakes register at a certain scale and get downgradedall the time The truth is this is the first time in history thata solar flare has caused such wide-spread chaos It rsquos fishy
Luciferion Irsquoll believe it when I see some hard data
Billy_Black_Eyes Fair enough But the emergence ofCharon around this time isnrsquot even open for debate Itrsquosa fact
THE EURASIAN UNION IMPLODES
On March 15th 2089 the Eurasian Union Central Bank in
Bonn Germany was crashed by a previously unheard-of virusnamed Charon Over forty-five trillion dollars vanished without
a trace All attempts to rebuild the original databases failedSome programmers (and freelance hackers) hired to go in andpurge Charon from the databases lost their lives in the process
Further attempts to rebuild the system on different serverswith backups also failed when programmers realized that
Charon mdash now suspected by many to be an AI mdash had copieditself into the cloud networks containing those backup files
Luciferion Therersquos nothing to suspect Charon is anemergent AI The only question now is whether or not itsparks a singularity event
Nothing_to_see_here Stopwatch will halt it in its tracksThey always catch these things
Luciferion Who do you think died trying to get it out ofthe D-bases in Bonn
Over the next few months an estimated 200 million people
across the Eurasian Union the United Kingdom and Ireland losttheir jobs their homes and their life savings when it became
clear that Charon had found its way into the personal bankaccounts of citizenry across the Eurasian Union
Instances of mob violence skyrocketed as the number of
gangs in the rapidly fracturing Eurasian Union had risen tolevels not seen since the Death mdash the three-year ldquoNuclear
Autumnrdquo following the India-Pakistan war when nuclearweapons were used on a massive scale In the London-Read-
ing Megaplex protests exploded into full-scale violence after
police brutally cracked down on a peaceful protest at the
British parliament building More instances of violent protests
followed in Bristol Swindon and the Manchester-Liverpoolsprawl
On June 27th 2089 the French government was over-
thrown by a fringe political extremist group known as theNew Pirate Party Led by a charismatic young zeek named
Angeacutele Bonheur the New Pirate Party seized power after awild chaotic campaign against representatives of the NationalFront and the Popular Republican Union The elections were
rife with scandal and many of the French didnrsquot (and still donrsquot)like the idea of a French leader being psychic So while Angeacutele
emerged as the clear victor the French military refused toacknowledge her legitimacy President Bonheur responded
by disbanding the armed forces of France at the same time
announcing the privatization of the nationrsquos military throughan agreement with Ravenlocke Securities
Downtrodden Yep itrsquos a sign of things to come ladiesand gents a world-wide corporate coup of governmentsIf you donrsquot think the CEO of Ravenlocke mdash thatrsquos MarkusRaven mdash has a say in the direction this new governmenttakes think again
Luciferion Itrsquos awesome to see France led by a psychicbut letrsquos get real this is going to get much worse beforeit gets better
Magpie I wouldnrsquot be surprised i f she gets wacked
Former Lieutenant-Colonel Adrien Boucher also known as
ldquoAdrien the Butcherrdquo for his brutal suppression of an upris-ing in Marseilles in 2087 took charge of the remnants of
the disbanded French army promising to remove PresidentBonheur from power Within days of Adrienrsquos announcement
Fort Richepance mdash now the Northeastern headquarters for
Ravenlocke Industriesrsquo Storm Crow Golemmech brigade mdash wasattacked The president responded by declaring martial law
throughout France until the renegade movement could be
put down Thus far that hasnrsquot happened though there arereports of clashes between Ravenlocke regulars and sepa-
ratist forces outside of St Etienne and in the French Alps
Warpig This has caused numerous issues If PresidentAngeacutele thinks her countrymen are going to accept theprivatization of the military shersquos sorely mistaken As Billymentions Adrien the Butcher is causing problems buttherersquos more to it Militias are forming They have advancedweaponry and while I wonrsquot speculate as to whorsquos providingthem with those weapons I do know the vast majority ofthe weapons are made by Act of God Armaments
Battle_Mind I know one thing itrsquos a great time to be amercenary
Full_Metal_Cyborg Amen brother Irsquoll see you on the
battlefieldPayne_Man Lock and Load U mushrooms I splatter youn00bs with my AK
Magpie ldquoSighrdquo Stop playing Matrix of War Payne Yousound like a fool This ainrsquot a game
Payne_Man I thought we were talkinrsquo about MOW Ushould C the zones Theyrsquore eggsaklee like the content ofthis INFOdump Have been for a whyle now Evar since thelast expansion dropped in spring 2088
Luciferion hellipOk thatrsquos odd
Payne_Man The CoalitionAtlantica War expansion izzcumin out next month 2 I Kant W8
12
INTRODUCTIONTHE ROAD TO 2090
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On June 30th 2089 Germany wracked with political in-
fighting riots in the streets and a general state of chaos
closed its borders Officially the stated reason was for secu-rity reasons stemming from conflict along the border with
France but most people donrsquot believe it Chancellor KonradGerste authorized a financial bailout of the three largest
manufacturers of weapons and military equipment for
the German army The move has frightened many of the
Eastern European nations mdash especially the good people ofPoland mdash who know well what happens when Germans
begin preparing for war and make no mistake Germany ismoving to a war footing
Payne_Man Watch out Zee Germans are cumming LOL
Klaus What Canrsquot my brethren move to protectthemselves from the chaos in France And why the veiledreference to WWII Itrsquos been nearly 150 years since Hitlerrsquosmadness yet nobody allows us to forget it
THE BEAR AND THE DRAGON
As the situation in Europe grew worse China took advantageof the weakened Eurasian Union grabbing up huge swathes
of territory in Russia its armies advancing as far west as the
Ural Mountain range where Russian forces managed to haltthe dragonrsquos advance Still the damage was done By August2089 the Mandarinate had established itself as an occupy-
ing power in every city town and village east of the Ural
Mountains That hasnrsquot stopped the Russians from retaliatinghowever Russian patriots have begun an insurgency attack-
ing Chinese forces wherever they can be found Mandarinatemouthpieces paint the insurgents as terrorists to little effect
as the insurgency swells in number every day
Neon_Bright This isnrsquot just a struggle against Chineseaggression Vast resources have been found ever sinceSiberia began to thaw Irsquom talking about precious mineralsoil even the land is useful for development especiallywhen you consider billions of people live in eastern Asia
Luciferion Agreed Neon
LIFE IN GENERAL
So how have the above events impacted life as we stumbleinto 2090 In numerous ways omae There isnrsquot enough time
to go into great detail about how war the Flare and espe-
cially the rise of Charon have affected the life of the averagesprawler across the world but Irsquo ll go over some of the more
important details Pay attention peeps some of this mightkeep you alive
SURVIVING HYPER REALITY
As I mentioned above when the Flare knocked out the GENIEnetwork it caused widespread chaos And while GENIE is back
up and running there are still glitches in the system Sure
firmware updates to the Tendril Access Processor mdash TAP as itrsquosmore commonly known mdash allow you to turn off that modem
in your brain but wellhelliplet me put it like this Hyper Realityhas become smarter even deadly if you donrsquot have the right
software installed in your TAP
Sane_Prophet Why bother putting up more and morefilters It is senseless A futile fight against powers fargreater than yourself Open your eyes open your mindand set yourself free from this prison of so-called reality
BatRastard Right and then with the first meme to fry myneurons Irsquoll be spending my life savings on the Fat Sallyrsquosdown the block Brilliant
Sane_Prophet Fat Sally rsquos secret sauce is an interdimen-sional gateway into the heights of ecstasy
BatRastard Actually thatrsquos the first thing you and I haveever agreed on
Irsquove discussed this phenomena with numerous program-mers across the world and they all agree virii spam and allmanner of malware that [prior to the Flare] would have been
easy to purge from your head are now behaving much dif-
ferently Itrsquos almost as if the things evolved into somethingnot-quite-sentient but damned close to it
So what does this mean for you
If you choose to experience Hyper Reality (and if you have aTAP in your brain you have) itrsquos only a matter of time before
one of these virii hacks into your brain Therersquos nothing youcan really do about it itrsquos just one of the many fun facts of
life in 2090 I do find it ironic that af ter decades of enjoying
the connectivity and convenience the TAP has provided thistechnology seems to be actively trying to kill us and there
isnrsquot much we can do about it without going back to medi-eval times You know the 1980rsquos Of course some of you out
there will want to turn your TAPs off for good and avoid the
risk entirely Hell some of you might be considering gettingthe damned thing removed
You can do that sure Of course that means yoursquore also
not connected to the grid that makes your life so unbeliev-ably convenient This causes a mult itude of problems Donrsquot
believe me Try walking out of your house Oh right you canrsquotbecause most doors donrsquot have handles anymore Theyrsquore
automated and respond to the signals coming from your TAPI know some are activated by motion sensors and donrsquot rely
on the TAP But no door which is designed with security in
mind will open so easilyThis also means you have almost zero access to vehicles or
places where you can buy things like grocery stores Yeah
sure you can just follow someone else into said store butthe security cameras will spot you and not having a digital
record of your presence (which they get from your TAP) willflag you and dispatch a security team to find out who you
are So there you are in your local Malmart looking for some
cloned steaks to fire up on your grill later on when securitycomes with their big guns and ldquowhat the hell are you doing
here scumbagrdquo looks on their faces to boot you back out intothe streets where you came from
Oh how did you plan on paying for them BTW now that
your TAP is offline and the clerk canrsquot sync her cash register
with your payment software And NO they donrsquot take cashThe point is this omae All that convenience you were usedto goes out the window when you unplug Itrsquos much easier
to get strong firewalls than it is to live outside the system
So think about what I said before you scratch that itch at thebase of your skull with a scalpel
SURVIVING THE STREETS
The streets have always been dangerous thatrsquos a givenWhen you cram millions of people into a concrete and steel
petri dish then forget about 999 of them you create abreeding ground for violence hate and societal devolution
13
INTRODUCTIONLIFE IN GENERAL
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on such a scale that social Darwinists like Herbert Spencer and
Thomas Malthus would roll over in their graves
Again that in itself is nothing new The streets have alwaysbeen violent but ever since the events I previously described
came to pass mdash especially the Flare and the implosion of theEurasian Union mdash the number of homeless people across the
world has sky-rocketed The petri dish is frothing and over-
flowing as new gangs emerge mdash and Irsquom talking globally not just in North America mdash and carve out their own terri tory
This upsets the balance ami and makes it harder to survivewhen yoursquore just a blooper looking to make it through the
day because now you have new predators to deal with n00bbangers making up their own rules as they go And the cop-
suckers donrsquot help
Protect and serve What a load of crap
Sure yoursquol l get Triple-A service if you live in one of the moneybubbles but try getting help in say the Aurora Barrens or
the Gary Hell Zone and yoursquore basically fucked Yeah thereare token patrols and the ever-present drones but drones
get shot down and the copsuckers are so outnumbered
most are either so scared to get into an altercation with thepredators or theyrsquore on the take I canrsquot say I blame them
either The streets are a war zone and if you wear the badgeyoursquore marked for death omae So take my advice and get
strapped The only person you can count on in the concrete jungle is you
Sorry_U_Asked Think twice before trying to claim a badgebounty though Sure plenty of honchos love to pay topcredit for proof that yoursquove kept the law from poking aroundtheir territory But just because you see someone wearingone doesnrsquot mean they got it legit Lots of gangers wearthem as trophies So if you drop a shot on a copsuckerthinking yoursquove hit payday you might end up with a wholeband of bangers snarling on your heels
SURVIVING THE GAME
Therersquos an old saying The Game is the Game mdash you eitherplay it or you get played I donrsquot care if you contract free-
lance fight fix hack patch or scam yoursquore in it omae andthat puts you at odds with every other player out there Most
people approach the game as a means to an end thinking
that one shiny day theyrsquoll earn enough creds to go someplacewarm and dry and live out their lives in style These clowns
donrsquot last Theyrsquore so busy dreaming about the good timesthat they lose focus on whatrsquos right in front of their face (or
creeping up behind them) Dreamers get sloppy take short
cuts betray their team and torch their street cred like gutterpunks burn trash in a garbage can to keep warm
If you want to survive the game you need to take a lesson
from these dreamers keep your mind on the job Therersquos nosandy beach waiting for you The megacorps bought them
all and turned lsquoem into parking lots The only fruity drinksyoursquoll ever drink are sold in the local watering hole by some
burned-out ronin The best you can hope for is a litt le bit of
comfort mdash usually behind a small fortress if yoursquore smart mdash andthe respect of the streets But thatrsquos a double-edged sword
another facet of the game Therersquos always someone faster
than you some hungry up-and-comer with the latest aug-ments wanting to prove herself by dealing you out Sucksto be a victim of your own success but thatrsquos the truth of it
My advice Find a way to deal yourself out clean Put some
creds away never burn your contacts and donrsquot ever everbecome a legend
Legends die
14
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CHARACTER
CREATION
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CHAPTER TWOCHARACTER CREATION
Characters are the lifersquos blood of any role-playing game the
focal point of every story Characters represent the best mdash orthe worst mdash ideals of a given game setting their actions either
bringing a small measure of hope to the downtrodden massesor serving to strengthen the status quo In the grim gritty
world of Interface Zero 20 the characters you play walk amonofilament edge between traditional mdash some would say
outdated or just plain irrelevant mdash concepts of good and evilas they make their way in the world
Indeed itrsquos hard to be a moral individual in a world where
most of the animals prowling the concrete jungle believe prin-ciples are character flaws mdash weaknesses to exploit for their
own ends Your morality marks you as prey no doubt aboutit omae But if you can keep your moral code if you can get
your job done without selling your soul yoursquoll get something
most sprawlers never have respect
Evil on the other hand is the same as it always has been
therersquos just more of it The wicked always thrive in a world
where violence fear and control are tools used for self-serv-ing ends but herersquos the thing Acting like an ass can get you
green-lit just as quickly as playing the role of the goody-two-shoes marks you as a sucker amigo
Nobody likes a dickhead even if they donrsquot say it to your
face Sooner or later yoursquoll get a rep for being a hard-assand someone who is stronger meaner or a bigger asshole
than you is going to come along and knock you back to thegutter you crawled out of Thatrsquos why most people keep their
heads down and their mouths shut Donrsquot make eye contact
itrsquos a challenge to the predators and if you donrsquot have thestones to back up the challenge yoursquore nothing but meat
But if you can stay strong and defeat all comers that com-mands respect too
This chapter provides you with the tools you need to make
a character for Interface Zero 20 The process is the same ascreating a character for any Savage Worlds game with a few
additions Interface Zero 20 introduces Street Cred Contactsand Strain to the game
STEP 1 CONCEPT
The first thing you need to do is decide on a concept for your
character Will you play a hacker Perhaps a mercenary orbounty hunter is more your speed Are mercs and hunters toocutthroat for your style of play If so you might think about
playing a ronin an urban warrior who follows his own code
of honor Maybe you want to be the guy (or gal) who backsthe team up with drones capable of laying down covering
fire or scouting ahead to see where the bad guys are hiding
You donrsquot need to have your concept locked in right now butat least have a basic idea of the type of character you want
to play Take a few minutes and skip ahead to the archetypessection in this chapter to see a variety of options available
to you
STEP 2 RACEThe next thing you need to do is choose a race In 2090
humanity has reached the point where the word ldquohumanrdquo is
almost irrelevant Human DNA is no longer a mystery Itrsquos amathematical code technomancers hack re-write and copy
at will producing genetically superior beings the Human 20
Others snip and paste animal DNA and splice it with humanDNA to create genetic hybrids a fusion of man and animal
Science has even advanced to such an extent that we can
create entirely new life forms mdash living beings known as simula-cra mdash in amniotic vats growing them until they have matured
filling their synthetic brains with memories and skills theyrsquollneed to do the jobs for which they were created
STEP 3 TRAITS
Traits are the building blocks of any Savage Worlds character
They define how strong or fast your character is and what
she knows Traits determine how much cyberware she canput into her body how much damage she can take before
dying her standing with others and a variety of other thingsall of which are essential to the game
ATTRIBUTES
Five attributes are used to define your characterrsquos physi-cal characteristics These are Agility Smarts Spirit Strength
and Vigor Each attribute starts at d4 You have 5 points withwhich to raise these attr ibutes and one point equals a risein a die type (d4 to d6 d6 to d8 etc) No attribute may rise
higher than d12 during character creation unless stated undera racial ability For more information on attributes refer to
the Savage Worlds core rules
SKILLS
You have 15 points to spend on your characterrsquos skills Your
character doesnrsquot start with any skills and must spend 1 pointto get a skill at a d4 He spends 1 point to raise a skill to a
higher die type as long as the skill level is equal to or less
than the linked attribute Raising any skill above the linkedattribute costs 2 points per step No skill may rise above d12
during character creation
Note If you are using the skill specializations rules you get 20points for skills and each new specialization costs 1 skill point
during character creation When your character advances shemay purchase 2 skill specializations for an advance or a new
skill and a single specialization
NEW SKILLS
The following are new skills introduced in Interface Zero 20
For information on all other skills see Skills in the Savage
Worlds core rules
16
CHARACTER CREATIONCONCEPT RACE TRAITS
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Hacking (Smarts) The Hacking skill is used whenever a
character wants to hack a computer network Characters in
Interface Zero 20 no longer start with an automatic d4 inHacking Additionally characters who wish to use the Global
DataNet for everyday purposes such as research or findingnews pertaining to the Deep do so with their existing Inves-
tigation and Streetwise skills
Knowledge (Demolitions) Successful use of demolitions canmean the difference between destruction of the target as
planned and unplanned loss of life and property The skill also
lets the character have an understanding of what the besttype of explosive is for the obstacle and how much they will
need to remove such an obstacle In addition a raise on theresult will let them know the exact distance they need to be
from the explosion based upon the size of the charge the con-
fines and damage created by said explosion This skill is usedany time a character wants to put a satchel charge together
or set explosives A Critical Failure will result in immediatedetonation Simple failure will result in premature detonation
or no detonation at all
Knowledge (Programming) Characters use this skill when
attempting to make any kind of change to a network theyhave hacked This skill allows a character to undo damagedone as a result of a hack With it a character can do things
like undo an edit to a data file or video reconstruct a deleted
file repair an AMS (see Active Memory Sectors on page 274in the Sett ing Rules chapter) recover a deleted skill Engram
or reconnect a TAP that has gone offline
OPTIONAL RULE SKILL SPECIALIZATIONS
Interface Zero 20 is an advanced setting where knowing
how to do one thing doesnrsquot necessarily mean you can dosomething which under the regular skill rules would techni-
cally be possible with the same skill Take the various DrivingBoating and Piloting skills for example
Using the regular skill rules a character with Driving couldtheoretically drive anything from a motorcycle to a semi-truckor a tank Similarly Piloting assumes a character has the skills
to pilot all types of aircraft including fighter jets and space-
craft Pinnacle Entertainment addressed this issue by addingthe Skill Specialization setting rule in the Savage Worlds core
rules and it is highly recommended that those rules are usedfor Interface Zero 20
The following list of skill specializations are provided to get
you started This isnrsquot intended to be a comprehensive listof appropriate skill specializations but rather a broad cross
section of specializations we feel are appropriate If some-thing doesnrsquot appear on the list make it up if it seems right
But remember the GM always has the final say on what is or
isnrsquot appropriate for her campaign
SUGGESTED SPECIALIZATIONS
bull Boating Powered Sailed Submersible
bull Climbing Mountaineering Rappelling Rope
bull Driving Car (4 wheels) Hovercraft JUMP Bike MotorcycleTruck (6+ wheels) Tracked
bull Fighting Axe Blades Blunt Cyberweapon Long Blade
bull Shooting Bow Pistol Rifle Shotgun Submachine GunVehicle Weapon or by weapon category
bull Stealth Disguise Hiding Sleight of Hand Sneaking
bull Streetwise AreaRegion (Corporate Zone Gang Turf etc)
bull Survival Aquatic Arctic Desert Forest Jungle MountainSpace urban or any specific environment
bull Swimming Lake Ocean SCUBA Divingbull Taunt Verbal Visual
bull Throwing Darts Grenades Knives Spears
bull Tracking Animals Global DataNet Humans Urban
Vehicles
OPTIONAL SKILL ATHLETICS
Rather than breaking up basic things like Climbing and Swim-ming it is recommended to combine them into a single skill
which would allow for specialization
Athletics (Vigor) Athletics as a catch-all for a number ofphysical endeavors ranging from climbing to swimming to
moving around effectively in a no mdash or low-gravity environ-
ment Athletics should be used instead of Agility in foot chasesand effectively replaces both the Climbing and Swimming skills
Specializations Climbing Leaping Running Sport (specific)
Swimming Zero-G Maneuvers
LANGUAGES
All characters speak their native language plus a number ofadditional languages equaling one-half their Smarts die The
major trade languages used in Interface Zero 20 are Chinese
English Hindi Portuguese and Swahili Additional languagescan be learned by using an advancement opportunity
DERIVED STATISTICS
There are a few statistics which are important in any SavageWorlds game Charisma Pace Parry and Toughness
CHARISMA
Charisma is an abstract measure of your characterrsquos appear-ance how she deals with others socially and generally how
likeable she is Charisma starts at 0 but can be modified byEdges and Hindrances Charisma is also added to Streetwise
and Persuasion rolls The Game Master uses Charisma to figure
out how NPCrsquos react to your character For more informationon Charisma see the Savage Worlds core rules
PACE
Pace is a measure of how far your character can walk in a
standard combat round Human characters have a base Paceof 6 and can run at an additional 1d6rdquo Other races in Interface
Zero 20 can have different starting Pace scores based on the
racial template you choose For more information on Pacesee the Savage Worlds core rules
PARRY
Parry is equal to 2 plus half your characterrsquos Fighting skillplus modifiers gained from use of shields or certain weapons
If your character does not have the Fighting skill base Parry
starts at 2 For more information on Parry see the SavageWorlds core rules
TOUGHNESS
Toughness is a measure of how much damage your character
can take before becoming Shaken or wounded Toughness is2 plus half your characterrsquos Vigor plus any armor she might
be wearing For more information on Toughness see the
Savage Worlds core rules
NEW DERIVED STATSInterface Zero 20 introduces three new derived statis-
tics mdash Firewall Strain and Street Cred
FIREWALL
Unless your character has the Unplugged Hindrance she hasa Tendril Access Processor (TAP) and therefore has a built-
in firewall The firewall protects against attempts to hack a
characterrsquos TAP A characterrsquos Firewall rating star ts at 4 but
can be modified by Edges Hindrances or software
STRAIN
Strain measures the amount of stress cyberware and biowareputs on your body when you install it Strain starts at zero
and each piece of cyberware adds to your Strain stat Highlevels of Strain can lead to death More details on Strain are
located at Augments on page 262
STREET CRED
Street Cred is a measure of your character rsquos reputation on
the streets All characters begin play with 2 points of StreetCred modified by Edges or Hindrances and gain another 2
points every time they gain a new Rank The maximum StreetCred a character can normally achieve is 10 (some Edges and
Occupations can increase this number)
Unlike Charisma which measures your ability to persuadesomeone Street Cred is a point pool that can be spent to
obtain services temporary contacts information and a variety
of other benefits during the course of an adventure This poolrefreshes each adventure unless circumstances in the prior
adventure (like not getting the job done failing to protectsomeone killing an innocent etc) cause the characterrsquos Street
Cred score to drop
Characters can also pick up Minor or Major Hindrances thathave a lasting effect on their Street Cred score during the
course of an adventure These Hindrances can be removedby spending an Advance with the GMrsquos permission For more
information see Street Cred on page 264
CONTACTS
Each character can choose two contacts people the character
knows who he can call upon for aid or information during thecourse of an adventure These contacts can be anyone froma bartender or a hacker to a corporate executive or military
commander as long as it makes sense that your characterwould know the person(s)
STEP 4 OCCUPATIONS
Occupations are integral to your character concept providinga basic framework to enhance your characterrsquos background in
a very organic way helping you create a more well-rounded
18
CHARACTER CREATIONTRAITS
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character concept Each occupation has a requirement that thecharacter must meet to take it the characterrsquos bonus credits
gained each Advance and a special perk (like gear or specialabilities) the character gets for being part of that profession
STEP 5 EDGES AND HINDRANCES
Edges are special qualities that separate characters from theaverage sprawler Hindrances are physical and mental flaws
that add more depth to the character albeit in a negativeway See the Savage Worlds core rules for more information
on purchasing Edges and Hindrances New Edges and Hin-drances are provided later in this chapter
STEP 6 EQUIPMENT
In Interface Zero 20 characters select equipment cybernet-ics weapons and armor based on the power level the Game
Master sets for the campaign
Power Level This is the starting Power Level of the Cam-
paign as determined by the Game Master If the GM wants totell a story of gang members barely scraping by shersquoll mostlikely choose Gutter Punk as the Power Level If she envi-
sions a campaign where the players are a special governmenttask force dedicated to hunting down super terrorists the
Hyperchrome Warriors or Elite Operatives levels might be
more appropriate The Street Soldier Power Level (designedfor ronin-style games) is considered the default Power Level
for Interface Zero 20
Starting Credits This is the amount of money characters
start with at the beginning of the campaign These credits
may be spent on anything the player wishes and the GM hasnot barred from the campaign including augments drones
weapons and armor
Augments Every Power Level above Gutter Punk allows theplayers to start with at least one augment from the core book
equal to or below the monetary amount listed Unspent Creditsfrom this pool do not carry over when the game starts These
augments must be chosen from the master list of augments
not augment packages
STEP 7 BACKGROUND
They say the devil is in the details and here is where you
decide how devilish yoursquore going to be You donrsquot need towrite a novel and frankly this step isnrsquot mandatory That said
itrsquos a good idea to jot down a few notes on your characterrsquosbackground any major events in her life any friends the
names of contacts or even enemies she might have Share
these ideas with your Game Master GMs are always lookingfor good plot hooks and little tidbits they can use to person-
alize your experience at the table The more detailed yourbackground is the better
ARCHETYPESSometimes you may want to quickly create a character for
a one-shot or convention adventure For those occasions anArchetype is a good choice
All are built for a human character with two Edges If you wish
to play a race other than human simply plug in the statisticaldata If yoursquore playing a human you
can choose another Edge Thenchoose your gear based on the
Power Level your group haschosen give the character
a name and yoursquore ready
to go
19
ARCHETYPES
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AGENT
BOUNTY HUNTER
20
AGENT 991251 BOUNTY HUNTER
20
ARCHETYPESAGENT 991251 BOUNTY HUNTER
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CYBERMONK
DRONE JOCKEY
21
CYBERMONK 991251 DRONE JOCKEY
21
ARCHETYPESCYBERMONK 991251 DRONE JOCKEY
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GANGER
GRIFTER
22
GANGER 991251 GRIFTER
22
ARCHETYPESGANGER 991251 GRIFTER
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HACKER
IDOL
23
HACKER 991251 IDOL
23
ARCHETYPESHACKER 991251 IDOL
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INVESTIGATIVE JOURNALIST
PATCH MAN
24
INVESTIGATIVE JOURNALIST 991251 PATCH MAN
24
ARCHETYPESINVESTIGATIVE JOURNALIST 991251 PATCH MAN
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RONIN
SECTOR COP
25
RONIN 991251 SECTOR COP
25
ARCHETYPESRONIN 991251 SECTOR COP
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SMUGGLER
EX-SOLDIER
26
SMUGGLER 991251 EX983085SOLDIER
26
ARCHETYPESSMUGGLER 991251 EX983085SOLDIER
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STREET RAT
ZEEK
27
STREET RAT 991251 ZEEK
27
ARCHETYPESSTREET RAT 991251 ZEEK
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RACESThe following races are available for play in Interface Zero 20
Most people are born into the world flesh-and-bloodbabies with mothers and fathers You were bornon an assembly line your parents faceless roboticsengineers who designed you in some research facilityYour body is composed of lightweight yetdurable polymers with plastic and fiber-opticwiring connecting to microscopic receptorsthroughout your framework
You see through digital lenses and hear viamicrophones on each side of your head Yourvoice is a pleasant if somewhat monotonesound piped through a speaker crafted to
resemble a mouth Your brain is a softball-sized digital network consisting of billionsof nanomachines which perform countlesscomputations every second in order to simulatean organic mdash human mdash thinking process
You are artificially intelligent Your capacity forrational critical thinking and decision-makingequals mdash and in many cases exceeds mdash that ofany human being on the planet Yet a waffle ironprobably has more rights than you do Moreoverat some point you have been (and technically stillare) owned perhaps by an individual but more likelyby a megaconglomorate mdash your parent companyThe tasks you performed for the megacorp varieddepending on your design specs but they mighthave included security manual labor combat and
strangely enough even prostitution
But that was then
At some point in your history you experiencedsomething The incident sparked a computation processwithin your neural network best described as an epiphanyPerhaps you saw a human being die or witnessed a couplekissing Or perhaps you were the victim of vio lence at thehands of a human being angered by your presence insociety The event led to a series of internal processes andsubroutines more commonly known as questions Thesewerenrsquot rational system queries based on clearly definedparameters but nebulous ones for which you were unableto formulate an appropriate response
ldquoIf that woman is smiling why are her eyes filled with tearsrdquo
ldquoWhat does it mean to be deadrdquo
ldquoWhat does it mean to hate or loverdquo
The experience altered your programming on a fundamentallevel The dictums of your creators no longer seemedrelevant when compared to your newfound imperative toanswer the questions you had so you left Now you makeyour way in the world just as any other person does mdash atleast you try to at any rate The world wasnrsquot made for youYou were built for it And even though you no longer serveyour masters you are still a machine an outsider look ingat life through glass eyes
MAKING ANDROIDS
All androids regardless of their function share a few fun-damental design characteristics Androids can purchase
cyberware just as anyone else can and suffer from Strain
bull Construct Androids add +2 to recover from being Shaken
donrsquot suffer wound modifiers and are immune to poisonand disease Androids cannot heal naturally To heal an
android requires the Repair skill mdash which is used like theHealing skill only with no ldquoGolden Hourrdquo
bull Dual Processors Androids start with a d6 in Smarts
bull EMP Vulnerability Androids suffer full damage from EMPWeapons
bull Metal Brain Androids canrsquot take Arcane Back-
ground (Psionics)
bull Metallic Alloy The fully metallic hide of an
android provides resistance to small arms fire
They have +2 Armor
bull Outsider Organic races often mistrust or mis-
understand androids They subtract 2 from their
Charisma when dealing with races other thantheir own
bull Primary Protocol Androids begin with a free
d6 in one skill representing their core operat-ing system
bull Recharge Androids need electricity to func-tion If the android canrsquot access an electrical
outlet of some sort at least once per day he
suffers a level of Fatigue each day until hersquosincapacitated The day after that he goes ldquooff-
linerdquo and must be reactivated with a Repairroll and a four-hour charge This replaces the
androidrsquos need for food or water
bull Unnatural Psionics both beneficial and det-rimental suffer a minus2 penalty to affect androids
This has no effect on damaging powers whichaffect them normally
It was easy to make the decision Yoursquod get a new metalbody that works better than the original You wouldnrsquot haveto spend your familyrsquos money on more expensive surgeriesto keep your failing body alive but that decision didnrsquot comewithout a cost Yoursquod lose the ability to feel the abil ity topick up your son without worrying about crushing himYoursquod lose the feel of your wifersquos body when you made loveto her If you canrsquot feel anything arenrsquot you already dead
In the end you chose to become a cyborg to have your
brain encased in metal Most days it doesnrsquot make muchdifference You come home to an empty house your sonand wife long gone Maybe theyrsquod have stayed if yoursquodonly kept your hearthellip
MAKING CYBORGS
Little is more frightening in batt le than a cyborg Theyrsquore not
much more than an organic brain in an androidrsquos body Cyborgscome in humanoid form simply for ease of transition to the
new body The majority of cyborgs work for their respectivegovernments or powerful corporations who can afford the
procedure for trusted personnel However more and morecyborgs are beginning to find their way to the private sector
bull Augmented Cyborgs are built to be cybernetic beasts
They begin play with a single Streetware Augment witha Strain of 1
bull Construct Cyborgs add +2 to recover from being Shaken
donrsquot suffer wound modifiers and are immune to poisonand disease Cyborgs cannot heal naturally To heal a
Cyborg requires the Repair skill which is used like theHealing skill only with no ldquoGolden Hourrdquo
bull EMP Shielding Cyborgs have 2 points of Armor when
attacked by an EMP weapon
bull EMP Vulnerability Cyborgs suffer full damage from EMP
bull Metallic Alloy The fully metall ic hide of a cyborg providesresistance to small arms fire They have +2 Armor
bull Outsider Most people are naturally put off by someonewho has opted to have all traces of their humanity
removed to be placed in a cold metal war machine They
suffer minus2 to Charisma when dealing with non-cyborgs
bull Specialized Diet Cyborgs cannot digest normal food and
require special food filled with nutrients to keep theirbrains healthy This raises their lifestyle costs by 1000credits
bull Tactile Dimming The Cyborgrsquos body isnrsquot as sensitive as
a human body Cyborgs suffer a minus2 to tasks where finemanipulation of objects is important Picking a lock or
performing surgery could be two examples Shootingand Fighting are usually unaffected
HUMAN
Nicknames Norms Homo-sapiens Earthlings Plain Jane
Baseline average normal mdash these words always described
you You prefer to think of yourself as adaptable versatileor unique You were born to human parents who eitherwouldnrsquot or couldnrsquot pay for genetic enhancement Youdidnrsquot go for that ldquoHybr idizationrdquo craze Yoursquore happy beingwho you are and you donrsquot need some scientists muckingaround with your genetics Really do they even know whatthe consequences of all that meddling will have on thepopulation in a hundred years No yoursquoll play it cool and
just be human
MAKING HUMANS
Despite all the choices and new races running around ordi-nary homo-sapiens still dominate the planet Humans are
tough adaptable creatures who face adversity head onWhile they may not have some of the distinct advantages
of their enhanced peers humans get by through being moreadaptable
bull Adaptability Humans start with one extra Edge
HUMAN 20
Nicknames Coded Eli tist Eugenic Gen-Xyrsquoer Neo-HumansSavant
You were born with the best genes money can buy Yourparents went to a design house early in your motherrsquosfirst trimester and began a series of genetic treatmentsdesigned to give you every chance at living a life theynever had Your DNA cocktail might include mental traitsfrom some of the greatest minds of the past 60 yearsAlternately you might have some kind of artistic or athleticability In any case yoursquore better than most people aroundyou in some ways and you know it Itrsquos not your faultthough Yoursquore just built that way
MAKING HUMAN 20
bull Advanced Ability You begin play with one attribute at d6
bull Arrogant Human 20s are known for their huge egos
Whether itrsquos nature or nurture is still up for debate Theyhave the Arrogant Hindrance If you choose an Archetype
that already has the Arrogant Hindrance choose another
RACESCYBORG 991251 HUMAN 20
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INTRODUCTION
INFOSOURCE
VIDTAGROADTO2090
LOCAL JACOBSPLAYGROUNDNET
FQDN JACOBSPLAYGROUNDNETCHITOWN06TNTPNSWWGNET
DATA SOURCE MAY YOU LIVE IN INTERESTING TIMESINFODUMP
THE ROAD TO 2090
Posted By Billy_Black_Eyes
So here we are in January 2090 Itrsquos been a couple of yearssince I dropped the last INFODUMP on the world and Irsquom here
to rectify that This massive documentrsquos gonna give you all theinformation you need to get up to speed on the state of the
world along with oodles and oodles of statistical data about
a bunch of subjects including the Global DataNet golem-mechs drones and other emerging technologies Yoursquoll read
about the strange and wonderful people who inhabit thisworld the solar system zeeks and much more Irsquove gath-
ered info from sources all over the world and vetted it to
the best of my ability That said you never know whatrsquos trueand what isnrsquot in this age of main stream media lies govern-
ment propaganda and do-it-yourself journalism so take theinformation (especially in the data dumps about the world)
with a grain of salt
Simba So what are you sayinrsquo Bi lly We canrsquot trust you
Billy_Black_Eyes Thatrsquos not what I said You know fullwell that information especially editorialized info alwayshas a certain slant to it It rsquos also fluid What was true at thetime I acquired it may not necessarily be accurate now
The past two years have seen a number of major eventstake place in the world If just one or two things would have
happened I might think they werenrsquot connected Yet itrsquos as ifsomeone walked up to a house of cards and pulled one card
out The house hasnrsquot completely crashed yet itrsquos in a slow-
motion free fall and the worst part is only a few of us seemto be watching What follows is a br ief overview of the major
events that have shaped the world in which we currently live
Neon_Bright Oh Billy looking at the world with thosedark lenses again are we
Magpie Neon I think he needs a hug )
Billy_Black_Eyes What I need is a ticket to Mars Thingsare about to get crazy and I want off this rock
GROWING TENSIONS IN NORTH AMERICA
The year 2088 was marked by a number of disturbing mdash somesay portentous mdash events involving the North American Coali-
tion the Great Lakes Union and Atlantica
Sane_Prophet ldquoPortentousrdquo Could the scales be fallingoff your black eyes my friend Are you finally coming tounderstand the truth
Billy_Black_Eyes Seriously You again I told you nomystic bull shit
Sane_Prophet Just because you refuse to acknowledgeomens for what they are doesnrsquot make them any less valid
THE HEGEMONY GROWS
The crackdown on zeeks hybrids and synthetic humans in the
NAC reached a boiling point when Congress and the Senateratified the infamous Racial Purity Act a draconic piece of
legislation banning the practice of hybrid and simulacrumcreation All genetic modification parlors and simulacrum
production facilities were ordered to shut down The Racial
Purity Act also outlawed the use of psychic powers within theborders of the nation with hefty fines and even imprisonment
for those caught using them Various watchdog organiza-tions were created the most visible of which is Psi-division
a branch of Stopwatch tasked with monitoring and in some
cases even ldquoneutralizingrdquo psychic threats
Psychopope And by ldquoneutralizingrdquo he means murder
Denver_Must_Burn And forced relocationhellipIrsquom not talkingabout VR prisons ei ther Irsquom talking about the internmentcamps up in Montana and the Dakotas
Simba It was just as bad for hybrids like myself Whenthose genetic modification parlors shut down the pr ivateinformation about their customers was confiscatedunder the auspices of ldquonational securit yrdquo This means theDepartment of National Security (DNS) has the namesand addresses of every hybrid and free sim in the NorthAmerican Coalition If you have a TAP the DNS can trackyour IP too
Luciferion Simba Dude thatrsquos happening with everycitizen regardless of whether or not yoursquore zeek hybridor ldquoPlain Janerdquo human
Denver_Must_Burn All I can say is TRICilicit_behavior Yes DMB The Revolution IS Coming
Instances of racial violence erupted across the North Ameri-
can Coalition as law enforcement officials began arrestingzeeks Some of the more obvious hybrids mdash particularly the
bull bear and rhino variants mdash were also incarcerated Gov-ernments across the continent decried the draconian tactics
and called for UN intervention to no effect The Great Lakes
Union and Atlantica closed their embassies in Denver and sentthe NAC delegates in their cities packing Then on Novem-
ber 13th 2088 a number of terrorist attacks rocked BostonBaltimore and Portland Maine An estimated 2451 people
died and thousands more were injured from the bombings
THE ATLANTICA BOMBINGSWithin hours of the attacks the Global DataNet was flooded
with conspiracy theories the most viral of which speculated
they were carried out by a terrorist group known as Agenda68Some speculated a Canadian black ops unit known as Task-
force Harfang did the deed Others went on to claim the NACwas behind the attacks and still others claimed New Brasilia
or maybe the Chinese Mandarinate were somehow involvedSo-called ldquoconspiracy theorist expertsrdquo such as Sam_Jones
and NERCOTIXX speculated that China long believed to bein bed with the North American Coalition used simulacra to
perform the bombings
10
INTRODUCTIONTHE ROAD TO 2090
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NECROTIXX China did carry out the bombings Do theresearch Look into Project Doppelganger and yoursquoll seeThe NAC is just a patsy
Sam_Jones The Mandarinate is becoming an imperialpower Just look at what they are doing with Russia nowand what they have done with all of Southeast Asia Askthe Russian refugees flooding into Seattle if they thinkChina is content to stay within their borders The writingrsquos
on the wall folksSimba It might have been orchestrated by agents workingfor Charon
Luciferion What a load of crap Charon is an AI It doesnrsquothave any contact with humans
Neon_Bright Prove it Simba
As the days stretched into weeks there was still no official
statement from the Atlantica Government about the iden-tity of the perpetrators of the attacks Then on December
15th 2088 a MEDIAfile was uploaded into the Global DataNetbearing the Hyper Tag of a popular underground media-pirate
known as MAXX_footage
The dronersquos feed showed three large muscular men in regular
clothing exit a hover van adjacent to one of the targets of theattacks just moments before it exploded Facial recognitionsoftware identified one of the men as First Sergeant John
Moore a member of the North American Coalition regular army
The MEDIAfile went on to follow the three men as they jumpedinto an unmarked hover car that took off and shot over the
Boston sea wall to land on a freighter bearing Chinese mark-ings The vessel promptly sailed east into international waters
Sorry_U_Asked Isnrsquot it odd how often people retreat tothe water in the wake of disasters How much of the oceanremains unmapped How much is hiding under the wavesthat we havenrsquot even begun to fathom
BatRastard Puns intended Wersquove already got enoughconspiracy theories Can you not add another useless one
to the stinking heap
Sane_Prophet Actually hersquos closer to reality than youmight be comfortable understanding Too much truth canbreak a manrsquos mind
BatRastard Irsquom guessing yours is already fried from afew too many stims man Want to share what yoursquove beendoping
As the situation evolved it became clear that MAXX_footagewent through what can only be described as a nightmarish journey to bring the MEDIAfile into the light of day In what
would be his only interview MAXX_footage appeared via
a secure video-feed on ldquoBoston Tonightrdquomdasha popular showin the nation of Atlantica Millions across the world tuned in
to listen to what he had to say MAXX_footage a tall lanky
young man recounted the events of that day telling how hewas hanging out at his favorite coffee shop when this black
hover van landed right in front of the Emperor Pharmaceuti-cals Arcology about a half a block away
When Penny Pearl mdash the host of the show mdash asked MAXX_
footage how during all the chaos he could have possiblyremembered those details MAXX_footage said he remem-
bered it because the hover van double parked and someonestarted yelling at the three guys who got out Thinking it was
going to result in violence MAXX_footage says he poppedout his Fly on the Wall micro drone and sent i t over to record
the incident Thatrsquos when all hell broke loose
BEGIN THREAD JACK
NECROTIXX Herersquos a transcript of the short interviewPenny couldnrsquot get MAXX back on
BEGIN TRANSCRIPThellip
ldquoOne of the three men shot the guy right in the facerdquo MAXX_
footage says his long thin hands shaking ldquoThey just walked
away and got into a red hover car I sent Judy mdash thatrsquos thename of my drone mdash after them and thatrsquos when the Black
hover van explodedrdquo MAXX_footage goes quiet for a fewseconds and after a couple of probing questions from the
hostess he finishes his story
ldquoAnyhow I get my bearings shake the dust outta my hairand suddenly realize I just captured the perps on Digifilm I
follow the red hover car all the way out past the Sea Wallwhere it lands on this Chinese freighter Judyrsquos pushinrsquo her
range limits at this point so I call her backrdquo He grabs a glassof water his hands shaking
ldquoTell us what happened nextrdquo Penny prompts
ldquoWellrdquo he begins ldquoI get back to my flat mdash it took a while mdash what
with all the chaos goinrsquo on in the lsquoplex and everything mdash andthe place is busted up I mean BIG-TIME amirdquo MAXX_footage
stops again then shakes his head and says ldquoListen I canrsquot sayanything else about that I think theyrsquore still watching mehellip
In fact this interview is done MAXX OUTrdquo The video feed
cuts to white noise
END TRANSCRIPT
END THREAD JACK
The interview and the footage of the event sparked outrage
throughout Atlantica Predictably the NAC government fiercelydenied any involvement in the bombings even going so far
as to demand the arrest and extradition of MAXX_footagefor questioning about the origins of the video
Martin Hughes mdash the president of Atlantica mdash flatly refusedthe NACrsquos demands even going so far as to say that thisMAXX_footage person was a ldquohero of the people of
Atlanticardquo The bookies in the free city of Las Vegas startedgiving even odds that hostilities would break out on the East
Coast within a year
Simba I lost a ton of money on that bet
Luciferion MAXX_footage has gone dark BTW Nobodyhas seen or heard from him since that interview
THE FLARE
On January 26 2089 a massive Earth-directed Y-class solar
flare sparked a Coronal Mass Ejection that bombarded our
planet temporarily shutting down the genie network thatmonitors and updates the TAPrsquos spam and reality filters Withthe genie down every man woman and child with a Tendril
Access Processor was exposed to raw unfiltered Hyper Reality
As you all know this sparked a week of world-wide chaosSprawlers mdash exposed to a storm of spam malware and layer
upon layer of augmented reality advertisements and simu-lated environments mdash went temporarily insane
Sane_Prophet Insanity is a weak word for the weak-minded What may appear as insane to you might simplybe someone having achieved enlightenment and livingaccording to a higher truth
11
INTRODUCTIONTHE ROAD TO 2090
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Sorry_U_Asked Irsquom all about questioning the circumstancesbut Irsquom pretty sure all the folks who were murdered duringthese events wouldrsquove labeled them as insane down to a one
Billy_Black_Eyes Whatever dictionary program yoursquorerunning needs a fresh data-dump Prophet
Sane_Prophet Dictionaries are also for the weak-minded
Billy_Black_Eyes Of course they are
The world burned for about a week until programmers couldfix the problem with firmware updates and hot patches to
get the filters up and running and an off switch installedbut the damage was done Itrsquos not known how many people
died in the rioting and madness but cautious estimates oftotal casualties put the number at around 750 million people
and nobody has even tried to calculate the monetary cost
of the riots Strangely however the Flare itself didnrsquot havea widespread impact on various infrastructures like electric
and other powers transportation systems etc In fact manybelieve the Flare wasnrsquot even a solar flare at all but the first
sign of Charonrsquos emergence as a threat to humanity
Luciferion Nobodyrsquos ever proven that Billy
Billy_Black_Eyes Nobody has ever debunked it eitherStatistical data can be hacked Numbers can be fudgedto make things seem more dramatic than they really areEarthquakes register at a certain scale and get downgradedall the time The truth is this is the first time in history thata solar flare has caused such wide-spread chaos It rsquos fishy
Luciferion Irsquoll believe it when I see some hard data
Billy_Black_Eyes Fair enough But the emergence ofCharon around this time isnrsquot even open for debate Itrsquosa fact
THE EURASIAN UNION IMPLODES
On March 15th 2089 the Eurasian Union Central Bank in
Bonn Germany was crashed by a previously unheard-of virusnamed Charon Over forty-five trillion dollars vanished without
a trace All attempts to rebuild the original databases failedSome programmers (and freelance hackers) hired to go in andpurge Charon from the databases lost their lives in the process
Further attempts to rebuild the system on different serverswith backups also failed when programmers realized that
Charon mdash now suspected by many to be an AI mdash had copieditself into the cloud networks containing those backup files
Luciferion Therersquos nothing to suspect Charon is anemergent AI The only question now is whether or not itsparks a singularity event
Nothing_to_see_here Stopwatch will halt it in its tracksThey always catch these things
Luciferion Who do you think died trying to get it out ofthe D-bases in Bonn
Over the next few months an estimated 200 million people
across the Eurasian Union the United Kingdom and Ireland losttheir jobs their homes and their life savings when it became
clear that Charon had found its way into the personal bankaccounts of citizenry across the Eurasian Union
Instances of mob violence skyrocketed as the number of
gangs in the rapidly fracturing Eurasian Union had risen tolevels not seen since the Death mdash the three-year ldquoNuclear
Autumnrdquo following the India-Pakistan war when nuclearweapons were used on a massive scale In the London-Read-
ing Megaplex protests exploded into full-scale violence after
police brutally cracked down on a peaceful protest at the
British parliament building More instances of violent protests
followed in Bristol Swindon and the Manchester-Liverpoolsprawl
On June 27th 2089 the French government was over-
thrown by a fringe political extremist group known as theNew Pirate Party Led by a charismatic young zeek named
Angeacutele Bonheur the New Pirate Party seized power after awild chaotic campaign against representatives of the NationalFront and the Popular Republican Union The elections were
rife with scandal and many of the French didnrsquot (and still donrsquot)like the idea of a French leader being psychic So while Angeacutele
emerged as the clear victor the French military refused toacknowledge her legitimacy President Bonheur responded
by disbanding the armed forces of France at the same time
announcing the privatization of the nationrsquos military throughan agreement with Ravenlocke Securities
Downtrodden Yep itrsquos a sign of things to come ladiesand gents a world-wide corporate coup of governmentsIf you donrsquot think the CEO of Ravenlocke mdash thatrsquos MarkusRaven mdash has a say in the direction this new governmenttakes think again
Luciferion Itrsquos awesome to see France led by a psychicbut letrsquos get real this is going to get much worse beforeit gets better
Magpie I wouldnrsquot be surprised i f she gets wacked
Former Lieutenant-Colonel Adrien Boucher also known as
ldquoAdrien the Butcherrdquo for his brutal suppression of an upris-ing in Marseilles in 2087 took charge of the remnants of
the disbanded French army promising to remove PresidentBonheur from power Within days of Adrienrsquos announcement
Fort Richepance mdash now the Northeastern headquarters for
Ravenlocke Industriesrsquo Storm Crow Golemmech brigade mdash wasattacked The president responded by declaring martial law
throughout France until the renegade movement could be
put down Thus far that hasnrsquot happened though there arereports of clashes between Ravenlocke regulars and sepa-
ratist forces outside of St Etienne and in the French Alps
Warpig This has caused numerous issues If PresidentAngeacutele thinks her countrymen are going to accept theprivatization of the military shersquos sorely mistaken As Billymentions Adrien the Butcher is causing problems buttherersquos more to it Militias are forming They have advancedweaponry and while I wonrsquot speculate as to whorsquos providingthem with those weapons I do know the vast majority ofthe weapons are made by Act of God Armaments
Battle_Mind I know one thing itrsquos a great time to be amercenary
Full_Metal_Cyborg Amen brother Irsquoll see you on the
battlefieldPayne_Man Lock and Load U mushrooms I splatter youn00bs with my AK
Magpie ldquoSighrdquo Stop playing Matrix of War Payne Yousound like a fool This ainrsquot a game
Payne_Man I thought we were talkinrsquo about MOW Ushould C the zones Theyrsquore eggsaklee like the content ofthis INFOdump Have been for a whyle now Evar since thelast expansion dropped in spring 2088
Luciferion hellipOk thatrsquos odd
Payne_Man The CoalitionAtlantica War expansion izzcumin out next month 2 I Kant W8
12
INTRODUCTIONTHE ROAD TO 2090
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On June 30th 2089 Germany wracked with political in-
fighting riots in the streets and a general state of chaos
closed its borders Officially the stated reason was for secu-rity reasons stemming from conflict along the border with
France but most people donrsquot believe it Chancellor KonradGerste authorized a financial bailout of the three largest
manufacturers of weapons and military equipment for
the German army The move has frightened many of the
Eastern European nations mdash especially the good people ofPoland mdash who know well what happens when Germans
begin preparing for war and make no mistake Germany ismoving to a war footing
Payne_Man Watch out Zee Germans are cumming LOL
Klaus What Canrsquot my brethren move to protectthemselves from the chaos in France And why the veiledreference to WWII Itrsquos been nearly 150 years since Hitlerrsquosmadness yet nobody allows us to forget it
THE BEAR AND THE DRAGON
As the situation in Europe grew worse China took advantageof the weakened Eurasian Union grabbing up huge swathes
of territory in Russia its armies advancing as far west as the
Ural Mountain range where Russian forces managed to haltthe dragonrsquos advance Still the damage was done By August2089 the Mandarinate had established itself as an occupy-
ing power in every city town and village east of the Ural
Mountains That hasnrsquot stopped the Russians from retaliatinghowever Russian patriots have begun an insurgency attack-
ing Chinese forces wherever they can be found Mandarinatemouthpieces paint the insurgents as terrorists to little effect
as the insurgency swells in number every day
Neon_Bright This isnrsquot just a struggle against Chineseaggression Vast resources have been found ever sinceSiberia began to thaw Irsquom talking about precious mineralsoil even the land is useful for development especiallywhen you consider billions of people live in eastern Asia
Luciferion Agreed Neon
LIFE IN GENERAL
So how have the above events impacted life as we stumbleinto 2090 In numerous ways omae There isnrsquot enough time
to go into great detail about how war the Flare and espe-
cially the rise of Charon have affected the life of the averagesprawler across the world but Irsquo ll go over some of the more
important details Pay attention peeps some of this mightkeep you alive
SURVIVING HYPER REALITY
As I mentioned above when the Flare knocked out the GENIEnetwork it caused widespread chaos And while GENIE is back
up and running there are still glitches in the system Sure
firmware updates to the Tendril Access Processor mdash TAP as itrsquosmore commonly known mdash allow you to turn off that modem
in your brain but wellhelliplet me put it like this Hyper Realityhas become smarter even deadly if you donrsquot have the right
software installed in your TAP
Sane_Prophet Why bother putting up more and morefilters It is senseless A futile fight against powers fargreater than yourself Open your eyes open your mindand set yourself free from this prison of so-called reality
BatRastard Right and then with the first meme to fry myneurons Irsquoll be spending my life savings on the Fat Sallyrsquosdown the block Brilliant
Sane_Prophet Fat Sally rsquos secret sauce is an interdimen-sional gateway into the heights of ecstasy
BatRastard Actually thatrsquos the first thing you and I haveever agreed on
Irsquove discussed this phenomena with numerous program-mers across the world and they all agree virii spam and allmanner of malware that [prior to the Flare] would have been
easy to purge from your head are now behaving much dif-
ferently Itrsquos almost as if the things evolved into somethingnot-quite-sentient but damned close to it
So what does this mean for you
If you choose to experience Hyper Reality (and if you have aTAP in your brain you have) itrsquos only a matter of time before
one of these virii hacks into your brain Therersquos nothing youcan really do about it itrsquos just one of the many fun facts of
life in 2090 I do find it ironic that af ter decades of enjoying
the connectivity and convenience the TAP has provided thistechnology seems to be actively trying to kill us and there
isnrsquot much we can do about it without going back to medi-eval times You know the 1980rsquos Of course some of you out
there will want to turn your TAPs off for good and avoid the
risk entirely Hell some of you might be considering gettingthe damned thing removed
You can do that sure Of course that means yoursquore also
not connected to the grid that makes your life so unbeliev-ably convenient This causes a mult itude of problems Donrsquot
believe me Try walking out of your house Oh right you canrsquotbecause most doors donrsquot have handles anymore Theyrsquore
automated and respond to the signals coming from your TAPI know some are activated by motion sensors and donrsquot rely
on the TAP But no door which is designed with security in
mind will open so easilyThis also means you have almost zero access to vehicles or
places where you can buy things like grocery stores Yeah
sure you can just follow someone else into said store butthe security cameras will spot you and not having a digital
record of your presence (which they get from your TAP) willflag you and dispatch a security team to find out who you
are So there you are in your local Malmart looking for some
cloned steaks to fire up on your grill later on when securitycomes with their big guns and ldquowhat the hell are you doing
here scumbagrdquo looks on their faces to boot you back out intothe streets where you came from
Oh how did you plan on paying for them BTW now that
your TAP is offline and the clerk canrsquot sync her cash register
with your payment software And NO they donrsquot take cashThe point is this omae All that convenience you were usedto goes out the window when you unplug Itrsquos much easier
to get strong firewalls than it is to live outside the system
So think about what I said before you scratch that itch at thebase of your skull with a scalpel
SURVIVING THE STREETS
The streets have always been dangerous thatrsquos a givenWhen you cram millions of people into a concrete and steel
petri dish then forget about 999 of them you create abreeding ground for violence hate and societal devolution
13
INTRODUCTIONLIFE IN GENERAL
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on such a scale that social Darwinists like Herbert Spencer and
Thomas Malthus would roll over in their graves
Again that in itself is nothing new The streets have alwaysbeen violent but ever since the events I previously described
came to pass mdash especially the Flare and the implosion of theEurasian Union mdash the number of homeless people across the
world has sky-rocketed The petri dish is frothing and over-
flowing as new gangs emerge mdash and Irsquom talking globally not just in North America mdash and carve out their own terri tory
This upsets the balance ami and makes it harder to survivewhen yoursquore just a blooper looking to make it through the
day because now you have new predators to deal with n00bbangers making up their own rules as they go And the cop-
suckers donrsquot help
Protect and serve What a load of crap
Sure yoursquol l get Triple-A service if you live in one of the moneybubbles but try getting help in say the Aurora Barrens or
the Gary Hell Zone and yoursquore basically fucked Yeah thereare token patrols and the ever-present drones but drones
get shot down and the copsuckers are so outnumbered
most are either so scared to get into an altercation with thepredators or theyrsquore on the take I canrsquot say I blame them
either The streets are a war zone and if you wear the badgeyoursquore marked for death omae So take my advice and get
strapped The only person you can count on in the concrete jungle is you
Sorry_U_Asked Think twice before trying to claim a badgebounty though Sure plenty of honchos love to pay topcredit for proof that yoursquove kept the law from poking aroundtheir territory But just because you see someone wearingone doesnrsquot mean they got it legit Lots of gangers wearthem as trophies So if you drop a shot on a copsuckerthinking yoursquove hit payday you might end up with a wholeband of bangers snarling on your heels
SURVIVING THE GAME
Therersquos an old saying The Game is the Game mdash you eitherplay it or you get played I donrsquot care if you contract free-
lance fight fix hack patch or scam yoursquore in it omae andthat puts you at odds with every other player out there Most
people approach the game as a means to an end thinking
that one shiny day theyrsquoll earn enough creds to go someplacewarm and dry and live out their lives in style These clowns
donrsquot last Theyrsquore so busy dreaming about the good timesthat they lose focus on whatrsquos right in front of their face (or
creeping up behind them) Dreamers get sloppy take short
cuts betray their team and torch their street cred like gutterpunks burn trash in a garbage can to keep warm
If you want to survive the game you need to take a lesson
from these dreamers keep your mind on the job Therersquos nosandy beach waiting for you The megacorps bought them
all and turned lsquoem into parking lots The only fruity drinksyoursquoll ever drink are sold in the local watering hole by some
burned-out ronin The best you can hope for is a litt le bit of
comfort mdash usually behind a small fortress if yoursquore smart mdash andthe respect of the streets But thatrsquos a double-edged sword
another facet of the game Therersquos always someone faster
than you some hungry up-and-comer with the latest aug-ments wanting to prove herself by dealing you out Sucksto be a victim of your own success but thatrsquos the truth of it
My advice Find a way to deal yourself out clean Put some
creds away never burn your contacts and donrsquot ever everbecome a legend
Legends die
14
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CHARACTER
CREATION
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CHAPTER TWOCHARACTER CREATION
Characters are the lifersquos blood of any role-playing game the
focal point of every story Characters represent the best mdash orthe worst mdash ideals of a given game setting their actions either
bringing a small measure of hope to the downtrodden massesor serving to strengthen the status quo In the grim gritty
world of Interface Zero 20 the characters you play walk amonofilament edge between traditional mdash some would say
outdated or just plain irrelevant mdash concepts of good and evilas they make their way in the world
Indeed itrsquos hard to be a moral individual in a world where
most of the animals prowling the concrete jungle believe prin-ciples are character flaws mdash weaknesses to exploit for their
own ends Your morality marks you as prey no doubt aboutit omae But if you can keep your moral code if you can get
your job done without selling your soul yoursquoll get something
most sprawlers never have respect
Evil on the other hand is the same as it always has been
therersquos just more of it The wicked always thrive in a world
where violence fear and control are tools used for self-serv-ing ends but herersquos the thing Acting like an ass can get you
green-lit just as quickly as playing the role of the goody-two-shoes marks you as a sucker amigo
Nobody likes a dickhead even if they donrsquot say it to your
face Sooner or later yoursquoll get a rep for being a hard-assand someone who is stronger meaner or a bigger asshole
than you is going to come along and knock you back to thegutter you crawled out of Thatrsquos why most people keep their
heads down and their mouths shut Donrsquot make eye contact
itrsquos a challenge to the predators and if you donrsquot have thestones to back up the challenge yoursquore nothing but meat
But if you can stay strong and defeat all comers that com-mands respect too
This chapter provides you with the tools you need to make
a character for Interface Zero 20 The process is the same ascreating a character for any Savage Worlds game with a few
additions Interface Zero 20 introduces Street Cred Contactsand Strain to the game
STEP 1 CONCEPT
The first thing you need to do is decide on a concept for your
character Will you play a hacker Perhaps a mercenary orbounty hunter is more your speed Are mercs and hunters toocutthroat for your style of play If so you might think about
playing a ronin an urban warrior who follows his own code
of honor Maybe you want to be the guy (or gal) who backsthe team up with drones capable of laying down covering
fire or scouting ahead to see where the bad guys are hiding
You donrsquot need to have your concept locked in right now butat least have a basic idea of the type of character you want
to play Take a few minutes and skip ahead to the archetypessection in this chapter to see a variety of options available
to you
STEP 2 RACEThe next thing you need to do is choose a race In 2090
humanity has reached the point where the word ldquohumanrdquo is
almost irrelevant Human DNA is no longer a mystery Itrsquos amathematical code technomancers hack re-write and copy
at will producing genetically superior beings the Human 20
Others snip and paste animal DNA and splice it with humanDNA to create genetic hybrids a fusion of man and animal
Science has even advanced to such an extent that we can
create entirely new life forms mdash living beings known as simula-cra mdash in amniotic vats growing them until they have matured
filling their synthetic brains with memories and skills theyrsquollneed to do the jobs for which they were created
STEP 3 TRAITS
Traits are the building blocks of any Savage Worlds character
They define how strong or fast your character is and what
she knows Traits determine how much cyberware she canput into her body how much damage she can take before
dying her standing with others and a variety of other thingsall of which are essential to the game
ATTRIBUTES
Five attributes are used to define your characterrsquos physi-cal characteristics These are Agility Smarts Spirit Strength
and Vigor Each attribute starts at d4 You have 5 points withwhich to raise these attr ibutes and one point equals a risein a die type (d4 to d6 d6 to d8 etc) No attribute may rise
higher than d12 during character creation unless stated undera racial ability For more information on attributes refer to
the Savage Worlds core rules
SKILLS
You have 15 points to spend on your characterrsquos skills Your
character doesnrsquot start with any skills and must spend 1 pointto get a skill at a d4 He spends 1 point to raise a skill to a
higher die type as long as the skill level is equal to or less
than the linked attribute Raising any skill above the linkedattribute costs 2 points per step No skill may rise above d12
during character creation
Note If you are using the skill specializations rules you get 20points for skills and each new specialization costs 1 skill point
during character creation When your character advances shemay purchase 2 skill specializations for an advance or a new
skill and a single specialization
NEW SKILLS
The following are new skills introduced in Interface Zero 20
For information on all other skills see Skills in the Savage
Worlds core rules
16
CHARACTER CREATIONCONCEPT RACE TRAITS
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Hacking (Smarts) The Hacking skill is used whenever a
character wants to hack a computer network Characters in
Interface Zero 20 no longer start with an automatic d4 inHacking Additionally characters who wish to use the Global
DataNet for everyday purposes such as research or findingnews pertaining to the Deep do so with their existing Inves-
tigation and Streetwise skills
Knowledge (Demolitions) Successful use of demolitions canmean the difference between destruction of the target as
planned and unplanned loss of life and property The skill also
lets the character have an understanding of what the besttype of explosive is for the obstacle and how much they will
need to remove such an obstacle In addition a raise on theresult will let them know the exact distance they need to be
from the explosion based upon the size of the charge the con-
fines and damage created by said explosion This skill is usedany time a character wants to put a satchel charge together
or set explosives A Critical Failure will result in immediatedetonation Simple failure will result in premature detonation
or no detonation at all
Knowledge (Programming) Characters use this skill when
attempting to make any kind of change to a network theyhave hacked This skill allows a character to undo damagedone as a result of a hack With it a character can do things
like undo an edit to a data file or video reconstruct a deleted
file repair an AMS (see Active Memory Sectors on page 274in the Sett ing Rules chapter) recover a deleted skill Engram
or reconnect a TAP that has gone offline
OPTIONAL RULE SKILL SPECIALIZATIONS
Interface Zero 20 is an advanced setting where knowing
how to do one thing doesnrsquot necessarily mean you can dosomething which under the regular skill rules would techni-
cally be possible with the same skill Take the various DrivingBoating and Piloting skills for example
Using the regular skill rules a character with Driving couldtheoretically drive anything from a motorcycle to a semi-truckor a tank Similarly Piloting assumes a character has the skills
to pilot all types of aircraft including fighter jets and space-
craft Pinnacle Entertainment addressed this issue by addingthe Skill Specialization setting rule in the Savage Worlds core
rules and it is highly recommended that those rules are usedfor Interface Zero 20
The following list of skill specializations are provided to get
you started This isnrsquot intended to be a comprehensive listof appropriate skill specializations but rather a broad cross
section of specializations we feel are appropriate If some-thing doesnrsquot appear on the list make it up if it seems right
But remember the GM always has the final say on what is or
isnrsquot appropriate for her campaign
SUGGESTED SPECIALIZATIONS
bull Boating Powered Sailed Submersible
bull Climbing Mountaineering Rappelling Rope
bull Driving Car (4 wheels) Hovercraft JUMP Bike MotorcycleTruck (6+ wheels) Tracked
bull Fighting Axe Blades Blunt Cyberweapon Long Blade
bull Shooting Bow Pistol Rifle Shotgun Submachine GunVehicle Weapon or by weapon category
bull Stealth Disguise Hiding Sleight of Hand Sneaking
bull Streetwise AreaRegion (Corporate Zone Gang Turf etc)
bull Survival Aquatic Arctic Desert Forest Jungle MountainSpace urban or any specific environment
bull Swimming Lake Ocean SCUBA Divingbull Taunt Verbal Visual
bull Throwing Darts Grenades Knives Spears
bull Tracking Animals Global DataNet Humans Urban
Vehicles
OPTIONAL SKILL ATHLETICS
Rather than breaking up basic things like Climbing and Swim-ming it is recommended to combine them into a single skill
which would allow for specialization
Athletics (Vigor) Athletics as a catch-all for a number ofphysical endeavors ranging from climbing to swimming to
moving around effectively in a no mdash or low-gravity environ-
ment Athletics should be used instead of Agility in foot chasesand effectively replaces both the Climbing and Swimming skills
Specializations Climbing Leaping Running Sport (specific)
Swimming Zero-G Maneuvers
LANGUAGES
All characters speak their native language plus a number ofadditional languages equaling one-half their Smarts die The
major trade languages used in Interface Zero 20 are Chinese
English Hindi Portuguese and Swahili Additional languagescan be learned by using an advancement opportunity
DERIVED STATISTICS
There are a few statistics which are important in any SavageWorlds game Charisma Pace Parry and Toughness
CHARISMA
Charisma is an abstract measure of your characterrsquos appear-ance how she deals with others socially and generally how
likeable she is Charisma starts at 0 but can be modified byEdges and Hindrances Charisma is also added to Streetwise
and Persuasion rolls The Game Master uses Charisma to figure
out how NPCrsquos react to your character For more informationon Charisma see the Savage Worlds core rules
PACE
Pace is a measure of how far your character can walk in a
standard combat round Human characters have a base Paceof 6 and can run at an additional 1d6rdquo Other races in Interface
Zero 20 can have different starting Pace scores based on the
racial template you choose For more information on Pacesee the Savage Worlds core rules
PARRY
Parry is equal to 2 plus half your characterrsquos Fighting skillplus modifiers gained from use of shields or certain weapons
If your character does not have the Fighting skill base Parry
starts at 2 For more information on Parry see the SavageWorlds core rules
TOUGHNESS
Toughness is a measure of how much damage your character
can take before becoming Shaken or wounded Toughness is2 plus half your characterrsquos Vigor plus any armor she might
be wearing For more information on Toughness see the
Savage Worlds core rules
NEW DERIVED STATSInterface Zero 20 introduces three new derived statis-
tics mdash Firewall Strain and Street Cred
FIREWALL
Unless your character has the Unplugged Hindrance she hasa Tendril Access Processor (TAP) and therefore has a built-
in firewall The firewall protects against attempts to hack a
characterrsquos TAP A characterrsquos Firewall rating star ts at 4 but
can be modified by Edges Hindrances or software
STRAIN
Strain measures the amount of stress cyberware and biowareputs on your body when you install it Strain starts at zero
and each piece of cyberware adds to your Strain stat Highlevels of Strain can lead to death More details on Strain are
located at Augments on page 262
STREET CRED
Street Cred is a measure of your character rsquos reputation on
the streets All characters begin play with 2 points of StreetCred modified by Edges or Hindrances and gain another 2
points every time they gain a new Rank The maximum StreetCred a character can normally achieve is 10 (some Edges and
Occupations can increase this number)
Unlike Charisma which measures your ability to persuadesomeone Street Cred is a point pool that can be spent to
obtain services temporary contacts information and a variety
of other benefits during the course of an adventure This poolrefreshes each adventure unless circumstances in the prior
adventure (like not getting the job done failing to protectsomeone killing an innocent etc) cause the characterrsquos Street
Cred score to drop
Characters can also pick up Minor or Major Hindrances thathave a lasting effect on their Street Cred score during the
course of an adventure These Hindrances can be removedby spending an Advance with the GMrsquos permission For more
information see Street Cred on page 264
CONTACTS
Each character can choose two contacts people the character
knows who he can call upon for aid or information during thecourse of an adventure These contacts can be anyone froma bartender or a hacker to a corporate executive or military
commander as long as it makes sense that your characterwould know the person(s)
STEP 4 OCCUPATIONS
Occupations are integral to your character concept providinga basic framework to enhance your characterrsquos background in
a very organic way helping you create a more well-rounded
18
CHARACTER CREATIONTRAITS
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character concept Each occupation has a requirement that thecharacter must meet to take it the characterrsquos bonus credits
gained each Advance and a special perk (like gear or specialabilities) the character gets for being part of that profession
STEP 5 EDGES AND HINDRANCES
Edges are special qualities that separate characters from theaverage sprawler Hindrances are physical and mental flaws
that add more depth to the character albeit in a negativeway See the Savage Worlds core rules for more information
on purchasing Edges and Hindrances New Edges and Hin-drances are provided later in this chapter
STEP 6 EQUIPMENT
In Interface Zero 20 characters select equipment cybernet-ics weapons and armor based on the power level the Game
Master sets for the campaign
Power Level This is the starting Power Level of the Cam-
paign as determined by the Game Master If the GM wants totell a story of gang members barely scraping by shersquoll mostlikely choose Gutter Punk as the Power Level If she envi-
sions a campaign where the players are a special governmenttask force dedicated to hunting down super terrorists the
Hyperchrome Warriors or Elite Operatives levels might be
more appropriate The Street Soldier Power Level (designedfor ronin-style games) is considered the default Power Level
for Interface Zero 20
Starting Credits This is the amount of money characters
start with at the beginning of the campaign These credits
may be spent on anything the player wishes and the GM hasnot barred from the campaign including augments drones
weapons and armor
Augments Every Power Level above Gutter Punk allows theplayers to start with at least one augment from the core book
equal to or below the monetary amount listed Unspent Creditsfrom this pool do not carry over when the game starts These
augments must be chosen from the master list of augments
not augment packages
STEP 7 BACKGROUND
They say the devil is in the details and here is where you
decide how devilish yoursquore going to be You donrsquot need towrite a novel and frankly this step isnrsquot mandatory That said
itrsquos a good idea to jot down a few notes on your characterrsquosbackground any major events in her life any friends the
names of contacts or even enemies she might have Share
these ideas with your Game Master GMs are always lookingfor good plot hooks and little tidbits they can use to person-
alize your experience at the table The more detailed yourbackground is the better
ARCHETYPESSometimes you may want to quickly create a character for
a one-shot or convention adventure For those occasions anArchetype is a good choice
All are built for a human character with two Edges If you wish
to play a race other than human simply plug in the statisticaldata If yoursquore playing a human you
can choose another Edge Thenchoose your gear based on the
Power Level your group haschosen give the character
a name and yoursquore ready
to go
19
ARCHETYPES
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AGENT
BOUNTY HUNTER
20
AGENT 991251 BOUNTY HUNTER
20
ARCHETYPESAGENT 991251 BOUNTY HUNTER
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CYBERMONK
DRONE JOCKEY
21
CYBERMONK 991251 DRONE JOCKEY
21
ARCHETYPESCYBERMONK 991251 DRONE JOCKEY
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GANGER
GRIFTER
22
GANGER 991251 GRIFTER
22
ARCHETYPESGANGER 991251 GRIFTER
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HACKER
IDOL
23
HACKER 991251 IDOL
23
ARCHETYPESHACKER 991251 IDOL
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INVESTIGATIVE JOURNALIST
PATCH MAN
24
INVESTIGATIVE JOURNALIST 991251 PATCH MAN
24
ARCHETYPESINVESTIGATIVE JOURNALIST 991251 PATCH MAN
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RONIN
SECTOR COP
25
RONIN 991251 SECTOR COP
25
ARCHETYPESRONIN 991251 SECTOR COP
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SMUGGLER
EX-SOLDIER
26
SMUGGLER 991251 EX983085SOLDIER
26
ARCHETYPESSMUGGLER 991251 EX983085SOLDIER
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STREET RAT
ZEEK
27
STREET RAT 991251 ZEEK
27
ARCHETYPESSTREET RAT 991251 ZEEK
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RACESThe following races are available for play in Interface Zero 20
Most people are born into the world flesh-and-bloodbabies with mothers and fathers You were bornon an assembly line your parents faceless roboticsengineers who designed you in some research facilityYour body is composed of lightweight yetdurable polymers with plastic and fiber-opticwiring connecting to microscopic receptorsthroughout your framework
You see through digital lenses and hear viamicrophones on each side of your head Yourvoice is a pleasant if somewhat monotonesound piped through a speaker crafted to
resemble a mouth Your brain is a softball-sized digital network consisting of billionsof nanomachines which perform countlesscomputations every second in order to simulatean organic mdash human mdash thinking process
You are artificially intelligent Your capacity forrational critical thinking and decision-makingequals mdash and in many cases exceeds mdash that ofany human being on the planet Yet a waffle ironprobably has more rights than you do Moreoverat some point you have been (and technically stillare) owned perhaps by an individual but more likelyby a megaconglomorate mdash your parent companyThe tasks you performed for the megacorp varieddepending on your design specs but they mighthave included security manual labor combat and
strangely enough even prostitution
But that was then
At some point in your history you experiencedsomething The incident sparked a computation processwithin your neural network best described as an epiphanyPerhaps you saw a human being die or witnessed a couplekissing Or perhaps you were the victim of vio lence at thehands of a human being angered by your presence insociety The event led to a series of internal processes andsubroutines more commonly known as questions Thesewerenrsquot rational system queries based on clearly definedparameters but nebulous ones for which you were unableto formulate an appropriate response
ldquoIf that woman is smiling why are her eyes filled with tearsrdquo
ldquoWhat does it mean to be deadrdquo
ldquoWhat does it mean to hate or loverdquo
The experience altered your programming on a fundamentallevel The dictums of your creators no longer seemedrelevant when compared to your newfound imperative toanswer the questions you had so you left Now you makeyour way in the world just as any other person does mdash atleast you try to at any rate The world wasnrsquot made for youYou were built for it And even though you no longer serveyour masters you are still a machine an outsider look ingat life through glass eyes
MAKING ANDROIDS
All androids regardless of their function share a few fun-damental design characteristics Androids can purchase
cyberware just as anyone else can and suffer from Strain
bull Construct Androids add +2 to recover from being Shaken
donrsquot suffer wound modifiers and are immune to poisonand disease Androids cannot heal naturally To heal an
android requires the Repair skill mdash which is used like theHealing skill only with no ldquoGolden Hourrdquo
bull Dual Processors Androids start with a d6 in Smarts
bull EMP Vulnerability Androids suffer full damage from EMPWeapons
bull Metal Brain Androids canrsquot take Arcane Back-
ground (Psionics)
bull Metallic Alloy The fully metallic hide of an
android provides resistance to small arms fire
They have +2 Armor
bull Outsider Organic races often mistrust or mis-
understand androids They subtract 2 from their
Charisma when dealing with races other thantheir own
bull Primary Protocol Androids begin with a free
d6 in one skill representing their core operat-ing system
bull Recharge Androids need electricity to func-tion If the android canrsquot access an electrical
outlet of some sort at least once per day he
suffers a level of Fatigue each day until hersquosincapacitated The day after that he goes ldquooff-
linerdquo and must be reactivated with a Repairroll and a four-hour charge This replaces the
androidrsquos need for food or water
bull Unnatural Psionics both beneficial and det-rimental suffer a minus2 penalty to affect androids
This has no effect on damaging powers whichaffect them normally
It was easy to make the decision Yoursquod get a new metalbody that works better than the original You wouldnrsquot haveto spend your familyrsquos money on more expensive surgeriesto keep your failing body alive but that decision didnrsquot comewithout a cost Yoursquod lose the ability to feel the abil ity topick up your son without worrying about crushing himYoursquod lose the feel of your wifersquos body when you made loveto her If you canrsquot feel anything arenrsquot you already dead
In the end you chose to become a cyborg to have your
brain encased in metal Most days it doesnrsquot make muchdifference You come home to an empty house your sonand wife long gone Maybe theyrsquod have stayed if yoursquodonly kept your hearthellip
MAKING CYBORGS
Little is more frightening in batt le than a cyborg Theyrsquore not
much more than an organic brain in an androidrsquos body Cyborgscome in humanoid form simply for ease of transition to the
new body The majority of cyborgs work for their respectivegovernments or powerful corporations who can afford the
procedure for trusted personnel However more and morecyborgs are beginning to find their way to the private sector
bull Augmented Cyborgs are built to be cybernetic beasts
They begin play with a single Streetware Augment witha Strain of 1
bull Construct Cyborgs add +2 to recover from being Shaken
donrsquot suffer wound modifiers and are immune to poisonand disease Cyborgs cannot heal naturally To heal a
Cyborg requires the Repair skill which is used like theHealing skill only with no ldquoGolden Hourrdquo
bull EMP Shielding Cyborgs have 2 points of Armor when
attacked by an EMP weapon
bull EMP Vulnerability Cyborgs suffer full damage from EMP
bull Metallic Alloy The fully metall ic hide of a cyborg providesresistance to small arms fire They have +2 Armor
bull Outsider Most people are naturally put off by someonewho has opted to have all traces of their humanity
removed to be placed in a cold metal war machine They
suffer minus2 to Charisma when dealing with non-cyborgs
bull Specialized Diet Cyborgs cannot digest normal food and
require special food filled with nutrients to keep theirbrains healthy This raises their lifestyle costs by 1000credits
bull Tactile Dimming The Cyborgrsquos body isnrsquot as sensitive as
a human body Cyborgs suffer a minus2 to tasks where finemanipulation of objects is important Picking a lock or
performing surgery could be two examples Shootingand Fighting are usually unaffected
HUMAN
Nicknames Norms Homo-sapiens Earthlings Plain Jane
Baseline average normal mdash these words always described
you You prefer to think of yourself as adaptable versatileor unique You were born to human parents who eitherwouldnrsquot or couldnrsquot pay for genetic enhancement Youdidnrsquot go for that ldquoHybr idizationrdquo craze Yoursquore happy beingwho you are and you donrsquot need some scientists muckingaround with your genetics Really do they even know whatthe consequences of all that meddling will have on thepopulation in a hundred years No yoursquoll play it cool and
just be human
MAKING HUMANS
Despite all the choices and new races running around ordi-nary homo-sapiens still dominate the planet Humans are
tough adaptable creatures who face adversity head onWhile they may not have some of the distinct advantages
of their enhanced peers humans get by through being moreadaptable
bull Adaptability Humans start with one extra Edge
HUMAN 20
Nicknames Coded Eli tist Eugenic Gen-Xyrsquoer Neo-HumansSavant
You were born with the best genes money can buy Yourparents went to a design house early in your motherrsquosfirst trimester and began a series of genetic treatmentsdesigned to give you every chance at living a life theynever had Your DNA cocktail might include mental traitsfrom some of the greatest minds of the past 60 yearsAlternately you might have some kind of artistic or athleticability In any case yoursquore better than most people aroundyou in some ways and you know it Itrsquos not your faultthough Yoursquore just built that way
MAKING HUMAN 20
bull Advanced Ability You begin play with one attribute at d6
bull Arrogant Human 20s are known for their huge egos
Whether itrsquos nature or nurture is still up for debate Theyhave the Arrogant Hindrance If you choose an Archetype
that already has the Arrogant Hindrance choose another
RACESCYBORG 991251 HUMAN 20
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NECROTIXX China did carry out the bombings Do theresearch Look into Project Doppelganger and yoursquoll seeThe NAC is just a patsy
Sam_Jones The Mandarinate is becoming an imperialpower Just look at what they are doing with Russia nowand what they have done with all of Southeast Asia Askthe Russian refugees flooding into Seattle if they thinkChina is content to stay within their borders The writingrsquos
on the wall folksSimba It might have been orchestrated by agents workingfor Charon
Luciferion What a load of crap Charon is an AI It doesnrsquothave any contact with humans
Neon_Bright Prove it Simba
As the days stretched into weeks there was still no official
statement from the Atlantica Government about the iden-tity of the perpetrators of the attacks Then on December
15th 2088 a MEDIAfile was uploaded into the Global DataNetbearing the Hyper Tag of a popular underground media-pirate
known as MAXX_footage
The dronersquos feed showed three large muscular men in regular
clothing exit a hover van adjacent to one of the targets of theattacks just moments before it exploded Facial recognitionsoftware identified one of the men as First Sergeant John
Moore a member of the North American Coalition regular army
The MEDIAfile went on to follow the three men as they jumpedinto an unmarked hover car that took off and shot over the
Boston sea wall to land on a freighter bearing Chinese mark-ings The vessel promptly sailed east into international waters
Sorry_U_Asked Isnrsquot it odd how often people retreat tothe water in the wake of disasters How much of the oceanremains unmapped How much is hiding under the wavesthat we havenrsquot even begun to fathom
BatRastard Puns intended Wersquove already got enoughconspiracy theories Can you not add another useless one
to the stinking heap
Sane_Prophet Actually hersquos closer to reality than youmight be comfortable understanding Too much truth canbreak a manrsquos mind
BatRastard Irsquom guessing yours is already fried from afew too many stims man Want to share what yoursquove beendoping
As the situation evolved it became clear that MAXX_footagewent through what can only be described as a nightmarish journey to bring the MEDIAfile into the light of day In what
would be his only interview MAXX_footage appeared via
a secure video-feed on ldquoBoston Tonightrdquomdasha popular showin the nation of Atlantica Millions across the world tuned in
to listen to what he had to say MAXX_footage a tall lanky
young man recounted the events of that day telling how hewas hanging out at his favorite coffee shop when this black
hover van landed right in front of the Emperor Pharmaceuti-cals Arcology about a half a block away
When Penny Pearl mdash the host of the show mdash asked MAXX_
footage how during all the chaos he could have possiblyremembered those details MAXX_footage said he remem-
bered it because the hover van double parked and someonestarted yelling at the three guys who got out Thinking it was
going to result in violence MAXX_footage says he poppedout his Fly on the Wall micro drone and sent i t over to record
the incident Thatrsquos when all hell broke loose
BEGIN THREAD JACK
NECROTIXX Herersquos a transcript of the short interviewPenny couldnrsquot get MAXX back on
BEGIN TRANSCRIPThellip
ldquoOne of the three men shot the guy right in the facerdquo MAXX_
footage says his long thin hands shaking ldquoThey just walked
away and got into a red hover car I sent Judy mdash thatrsquos thename of my drone mdash after them and thatrsquos when the Black
hover van explodedrdquo MAXX_footage goes quiet for a fewseconds and after a couple of probing questions from the
hostess he finishes his story
ldquoAnyhow I get my bearings shake the dust outta my hairand suddenly realize I just captured the perps on Digifilm I
follow the red hover car all the way out past the Sea Wallwhere it lands on this Chinese freighter Judyrsquos pushinrsquo her
range limits at this point so I call her backrdquo He grabs a glassof water his hands shaking
ldquoTell us what happened nextrdquo Penny prompts
ldquoWellrdquo he begins ldquoI get back to my flat mdash it took a while mdash what
with all the chaos goinrsquo on in the lsquoplex and everything mdash andthe place is busted up I mean BIG-TIME amirdquo MAXX_footage
stops again then shakes his head and says ldquoListen I canrsquot sayanything else about that I think theyrsquore still watching mehellip
In fact this interview is done MAXX OUTrdquo The video feed
cuts to white noise
END TRANSCRIPT
END THREAD JACK
The interview and the footage of the event sparked outrage
throughout Atlantica Predictably the NAC government fiercelydenied any involvement in the bombings even going so far
as to demand the arrest and extradition of MAXX_footagefor questioning about the origins of the video
Martin Hughes mdash the president of Atlantica mdash flatly refusedthe NACrsquos demands even going so far as to say that thisMAXX_footage person was a ldquohero of the people of
Atlanticardquo The bookies in the free city of Las Vegas startedgiving even odds that hostilities would break out on the East
Coast within a year
Simba I lost a ton of money on that bet
Luciferion MAXX_footage has gone dark BTW Nobodyhas seen or heard from him since that interview
THE FLARE
On January 26 2089 a massive Earth-directed Y-class solar
flare sparked a Coronal Mass Ejection that bombarded our
planet temporarily shutting down the genie network thatmonitors and updates the TAPrsquos spam and reality filters Withthe genie down every man woman and child with a Tendril
Access Processor was exposed to raw unfiltered Hyper Reality
As you all know this sparked a week of world-wide chaosSprawlers mdash exposed to a storm of spam malware and layer
upon layer of augmented reality advertisements and simu-lated environments mdash went temporarily insane
Sane_Prophet Insanity is a weak word for the weak-minded What may appear as insane to you might simplybe someone having achieved enlightenment and livingaccording to a higher truth
11
INTRODUCTIONTHE ROAD TO 2090
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Sorry_U_Asked Irsquom all about questioning the circumstancesbut Irsquom pretty sure all the folks who were murdered duringthese events wouldrsquove labeled them as insane down to a one
Billy_Black_Eyes Whatever dictionary program yoursquorerunning needs a fresh data-dump Prophet
Sane_Prophet Dictionaries are also for the weak-minded
Billy_Black_Eyes Of course they are
The world burned for about a week until programmers couldfix the problem with firmware updates and hot patches to
get the filters up and running and an off switch installedbut the damage was done Itrsquos not known how many people
died in the rioting and madness but cautious estimates oftotal casualties put the number at around 750 million people
and nobody has even tried to calculate the monetary cost
of the riots Strangely however the Flare itself didnrsquot havea widespread impact on various infrastructures like electric
and other powers transportation systems etc In fact manybelieve the Flare wasnrsquot even a solar flare at all but the first
sign of Charonrsquos emergence as a threat to humanity
Luciferion Nobodyrsquos ever proven that Billy
Billy_Black_Eyes Nobody has ever debunked it eitherStatistical data can be hacked Numbers can be fudgedto make things seem more dramatic than they really areEarthquakes register at a certain scale and get downgradedall the time The truth is this is the first time in history thata solar flare has caused such wide-spread chaos It rsquos fishy
Luciferion Irsquoll believe it when I see some hard data
Billy_Black_Eyes Fair enough But the emergence ofCharon around this time isnrsquot even open for debate Itrsquosa fact
THE EURASIAN UNION IMPLODES
On March 15th 2089 the Eurasian Union Central Bank in
Bonn Germany was crashed by a previously unheard-of virusnamed Charon Over forty-five trillion dollars vanished without
a trace All attempts to rebuild the original databases failedSome programmers (and freelance hackers) hired to go in andpurge Charon from the databases lost their lives in the process
Further attempts to rebuild the system on different serverswith backups also failed when programmers realized that
Charon mdash now suspected by many to be an AI mdash had copieditself into the cloud networks containing those backup files
Luciferion Therersquos nothing to suspect Charon is anemergent AI The only question now is whether or not itsparks a singularity event
Nothing_to_see_here Stopwatch will halt it in its tracksThey always catch these things
Luciferion Who do you think died trying to get it out ofthe D-bases in Bonn
Over the next few months an estimated 200 million people
across the Eurasian Union the United Kingdom and Ireland losttheir jobs their homes and their life savings when it became
clear that Charon had found its way into the personal bankaccounts of citizenry across the Eurasian Union
Instances of mob violence skyrocketed as the number of
gangs in the rapidly fracturing Eurasian Union had risen tolevels not seen since the Death mdash the three-year ldquoNuclear
Autumnrdquo following the India-Pakistan war when nuclearweapons were used on a massive scale In the London-Read-
ing Megaplex protests exploded into full-scale violence after
police brutally cracked down on a peaceful protest at the
British parliament building More instances of violent protests
followed in Bristol Swindon and the Manchester-Liverpoolsprawl
On June 27th 2089 the French government was over-
thrown by a fringe political extremist group known as theNew Pirate Party Led by a charismatic young zeek named
Angeacutele Bonheur the New Pirate Party seized power after awild chaotic campaign against representatives of the NationalFront and the Popular Republican Union The elections were
rife with scandal and many of the French didnrsquot (and still donrsquot)like the idea of a French leader being psychic So while Angeacutele
emerged as the clear victor the French military refused toacknowledge her legitimacy President Bonheur responded
by disbanding the armed forces of France at the same time
announcing the privatization of the nationrsquos military throughan agreement with Ravenlocke Securities
Downtrodden Yep itrsquos a sign of things to come ladiesand gents a world-wide corporate coup of governmentsIf you donrsquot think the CEO of Ravenlocke mdash thatrsquos MarkusRaven mdash has a say in the direction this new governmenttakes think again
Luciferion Itrsquos awesome to see France led by a psychicbut letrsquos get real this is going to get much worse beforeit gets better
Magpie I wouldnrsquot be surprised i f she gets wacked
Former Lieutenant-Colonel Adrien Boucher also known as
ldquoAdrien the Butcherrdquo for his brutal suppression of an upris-ing in Marseilles in 2087 took charge of the remnants of
the disbanded French army promising to remove PresidentBonheur from power Within days of Adrienrsquos announcement
Fort Richepance mdash now the Northeastern headquarters for
Ravenlocke Industriesrsquo Storm Crow Golemmech brigade mdash wasattacked The president responded by declaring martial law
throughout France until the renegade movement could be
put down Thus far that hasnrsquot happened though there arereports of clashes between Ravenlocke regulars and sepa-
ratist forces outside of St Etienne and in the French Alps
Warpig This has caused numerous issues If PresidentAngeacutele thinks her countrymen are going to accept theprivatization of the military shersquos sorely mistaken As Billymentions Adrien the Butcher is causing problems buttherersquos more to it Militias are forming They have advancedweaponry and while I wonrsquot speculate as to whorsquos providingthem with those weapons I do know the vast majority ofthe weapons are made by Act of God Armaments
Battle_Mind I know one thing itrsquos a great time to be amercenary
Full_Metal_Cyborg Amen brother Irsquoll see you on the
battlefieldPayne_Man Lock and Load U mushrooms I splatter youn00bs with my AK
Magpie ldquoSighrdquo Stop playing Matrix of War Payne Yousound like a fool This ainrsquot a game
Payne_Man I thought we were talkinrsquo about MOW Ushould C the zones Theyrsquore eggsaklee like the content ofthis INFOdump Have been for a whyle now Evar since thelast expansion dropped in spring 2088
Luciferion hellipOk thatrsquos odd
Payne_Man The CoalitionAtlantica War expansion izzcumin out next month 2 I Kant W8
12
INTRODUCTIONTHE ROAD TO 2090
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On June 30th 2089 Germany wracked with political in-
fighting riots in the streets and a general state of chaos
closed its borders Officially the stated reason was for secu-rity reasons stemming from conflict along the border with
France but most people donrsquot believe it Chancellor KonradGerste authorized a financial bailout of the three largest
manufacturers of weapons and military equipment for
the German army The move has frightened many of the
Eastern European nations mdash especially the good people ofPoland mdash who know well what happens when Germans
begin preparing for war and make no mistake Germany ismoving to a war footing
Payne_Man Watch out Zee Germans are cumming LOL
Klaus What Canrsquot my brethren move to protectthemselves from the chaos in France And why the veiledreference to WWII Itrsquos been nearly 150 years since Hitlerrsquosmadness yet nobody allows us to forget it
THE BEAR AND THE DRAGON
As the situation in Europe grew worse China took advantageof the weakened Eurasian Union grabbing up huge swathes
of territory in Russia its armies advancing as far west as the
Ural Mountain range where Russian forces managed to haltthe dragonrsquos advance Still the damage was done By August2089 the Mandarinate had established itself as an occupy-
ing power in every city town and village east of the Ural
Mountains That hasnrsquot stopped the Russians from retaliatinghowever Russian patriots have begun an insurgency attack-
ing Chinese forces wherever they can be found Mandarinatemouthpieces paint the insurgents as terrorists to little effect
as the insurgency swells in number every day
Neon_Bright This isnrsquot just a struggle against Chineseaggression Vast resources have been found ever sinceSiberia began to thaw Irsquom talking about precious mineralsoil even the land is useful for development especiallywhen you consider billions of people live in eastern Asia
Luciferion Agreed Neon
LIFE IN GENERAL
So how have the above events impacted life as we stumbleinto 2090 In numerous ways omae There isnrsquot enough time
to go into great detail about how war the Flare and espe-
cially the rise of Charon have affected the life of the averagesprawler across the world but Irsquo ll go over some of the more
important details Pay attention peeps some of this mightkeep you alive
SURVIVING HYPER REALITY
As I mentioned above when the Flare knocked out the GENIEnetwork it caused widespread chaos And while GENIE is back
up and running there are still glitches in the system Sure
firmware updates to the Tendril Access Processor mdash TAP as itrsquosmore commonly known mdash allow you to turn off that modem
in your brain but wellhelliplet me put it like this Hyper Realityhas become smarter even deadly if you donrsquot have the right
software installed in your TAP
Sane_Prophet Why bother putting up more and morefilters It is senseless A futile fight against powers fargreater than yourself Open your eyes open your mindand set yourself free from this prison of so-called reality
BatRastard Right and then with the first meme to fry myneurons Irsquoll be spending my life savings on the Fat Sallyrsquosdown the block Brilliant
Sane_Prophet Fat Sally rsquos secret sauce is an interdimen-sional gateway into the heights of ecstasy
BatRastard Actually thatrsquos the first thing you and I haveever agreed on
Irsquove discussed this phenomena with numerous program-mers across the world and they all agree virii spam and allmanner of malware that [prior to the Flare] would have been
easy to purge from your head are now behaving much dif-
ferently Itrsquos almost as if the things evolved into somethingnot-quite-sentient but damned close to it
So what does this mean for you
If you choose to experience Hyper Reality (and if you have aTAP in your brain you have) itrsquos only a matter of time before
one of these virii hacks into your brain Therersquos nothing youcan really do about it itrsquos just one of the many fun facts of
life in 2090 I do find it ironic that af ter decades of enjoying
the connectivity and convenience the TAP has provided thistechnology seems to be actively trying to kill us and there
isnrsquot much we can do about it without going back to medi-eval times You know the 1980rsquos Of course some of you out
there will want to turn your TAPs off for good and avoid the
risk entirely Hell some of you might be considering gettingthe damned thing removed
You can do that sure Of course that means yoursquore also
not connected to the grid that makes your life so unbeliev-ably convenient This causes a mult itude of problems Donrsquot
believe me Try walking out of your house Oh right you canrsquotbecause most doors donrsquot have handles anymore Theyrsquore
automated and respond to the signals coming from your TAPI know some are activated by motion sensors and donrsquot rely
on the TAP But no door which is designed with security in
mind will open so easilyThis also means you have almost zero access to vehicles or
places where you can buy things like grocery stores Yeah
sure you can just follow someone else into said store butthe security cameras will spot you and not having a digital
record of your presence (which they get from your TAP) willflag you and dispatch a security team to find out who you
are So there you are in your local Malmart looking for some
cloned steaks to fire up on your grill later on when securitycomes with their big guns and ldquowhat the hell are you doing
here scumbagrdquo looks on their faces to boot you back out intothe streets where you came from
Oh how did you plan on paying for them BTW now that
your TAP is offline and the clerk canrsquot sync her cash register
with your payment software And NO they donrsquot take cashThe point is this omae All that convenience you were usedto goes out the window when you unplug Itrsquos much easier
to get strong firewalls than it is to live outside the system
So think about what I said before you scratch that itch at thebase of your skull with a scalpel
SURVIVING THE STREETS
The streets have always been dangerous thatrsquos a givenWhen you cram millions of people into a concrete and steel
petri dish then forget about 999 of them you create abreeding ground for violence hate and societal devolution
13
INTRODUCTIONLIFE IN GENERAL
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on such a scale that social Darwinists like Herbert Spencer and
Thomas Malthus would roll over in their graves
Again that in itself is nothing new The streets have alwaysbeen violent but ever since the events I previously described
came to pass mdash especially the Flare and the implosion of theEurasian Union mdash the number of homeless people across the
world has sky-rocketed The petri dish is frothing and over-
flowing as new gangs emerge mdash and Irsquom talking globally not just in North America mdash and carve out their own terri tory
This upsets the balance ami and makes it harder to survivewhen yoursquore just a blooper looking to make it through the
day because now you have new predators to deal with n00bbangers making up their own rules as they go And the cop-
suckers donrsquot help
Protect and serve What a load of crap
Sure yoursquol l get Triple-A service if you live in one of the moneybubbles but try getting help in say the Aurora Barrens or
the Gary Hell Zone and yoursquore basically fucked Yeah thereare token patrols and the ever-present drones but drones
get shot down and the copsuckers are so outnumbered
most are either so scared to get into an altercation with thepredators or theyrsquore on the take I canrsquot say I blame them
either The streets are a war zone and if you wear the badgeyoursquore marked for death omae So take my advice and get
strapped The only person you can count on in the concrete jungle is you
Sorry_U_Asked Think twice before trying to claim a badgebounty though Sure plenty of honchos love to pay topcredit for proof that yoursquove kept the law from poking aroundtheir territory But just because you see someone wearingone doesnrsquot mean they got it legit Lots of gangers wearthem as trophies So if you drop a shot on a copsuckerthinking yoursquove hit payday you might end up with a wholeband of bangers snarling on your heels
SURVIVING THE GAME
Therersquos an old saying The Game is the Game mdash you eitherplay it or you get played I donrsquot care if you contract free-
lance fight fix hack patch or scam yoursquore in it omae andthat puts you at odds with every other player out there Most
people approach the game as a means to an end thinking
that one shiny day theyrsquoll earn enough creds to go someplacewarm and dry and live out their lives in style These clowns
donrsquot last Theyrsquore so busy dreaming about the good timesthat they lose focus on whatrsquos right in front of their face (or
creeping up behind them) Dreamers get sloppy take short
cuts betray their team and torch their street cred like gutterpunks burn trash in a garbage can to keep warm
If you want to survive the game you need to take a lesson
from these dreamers keep your mind on the job Therersquos nosandy beach waiting for you The megacorps bought them
all and turned lsquoem into parking lots The only fruity drinksyoursquoll ever drink are sold in the local watering hole by some
burned-out ronin The best you can hope for is a litt le bit of
comfort mdash usually behind a small fortress if yoursquore smart mdash andthe respect of the streets But thatrsquos a double-edged sword
another facet of the game Therersquos always someone faster
than you some hungry up-and-comer with the latest aug-ments wanting to prove herself by dealing you out Sucksto be a victim of your own success but thatrsquos the truth of it
My advice Find a way to deal yourself out clean Put some
creds away never burn your contacts and donrsquot ever everbecome a legend
Legends die
14
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CHARACTER
CREATION
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CHAPTER TWOCHARACTER CREATION
Characters are the lifersquos blood of any role-playing game the
focal point of every story Characters represent the best mdash orthe worst mdash ideals of a given game setting their actions either
bringing a small measure of hope to the downtrodden massesor serving to strengthen the status quo In the grim gritty
world of Interface Zero 20 the characters you play walk amonofilament edge between traditional mdash some would say
outdated or just plain irrelevant mdash concepts of good and evilas they make their way in the world
Indeed itrsquos hard to be a moral individual in a world where
most of the animals prowling the concrete jungle believe prin-ciples are character flaws mdash weaknesses to exploit for their
own ends Your morality marks you as prey no doubt aboutit omae But if you can keep your moral code if you can get
your job done without selling your soul yoursquoll get something
most sprawlers never have respect
Evil on the other hand is the same as it always has been
therersquos just more of it The wicked always thrive in a world
where violence fear and control are tools used for self-serv-ing ends but herersquos the thing Acting like an ass can get you
green-lit just as quickly as playing the role of the goody-two-shoes marks you as a sucker amigo
Nobody likes a dickhead even if they donrsquot say it to your
face Sooner or later yoursquoll get a rep for being a hard-assand someone who is stronger meaner or a bigger asshole
than you is going to come along and knock you back to thegutter you crawled out of Thatrsquos why most people keep their
heads down and their mouths shut Donrsquot make eye contact
itrsquos a challenge to the predators and if you donrsquot have thestones to back up the challenge yoursquore nothing but meat
But if you can stay strong and defeat all comers that com-mands respect too
This chapter provides you with the tools you need to make
a character for Interface Zero 20 The process is the same ascreating a character for any Savage Worlds game with a few
additions Interface Zero 20 introduces Street Cred Contactsand Strain to the game
STEP 1 CONCEPT
The first thing you need to do is decide on a concept for your
character Will you play a hacker Perhaps a mercenary orbounty hunter is more your speed Are mercs and hunters toocutthroat for your style of play If so you might think about
playing a ronin an urban warrior who follows his own code
of honor Maybe you want to be the guy (or gal) who backsthe team up with drones capable of laying down covering
fire or scouting ahead to see where the bad guys are hiding
You donrsquot need to have your concept locked in right now butat least have a basic idea of the type of character you want
to play Take a few minutes and skip ahead to the archetypessection in this chapter to see a variety of options available
to you
STEP 2 RACEThe next thing you need to do is choose a race In 2090
humanity has reached the point where the word ldquohumanrdquo is
almost irrelevant Human DNA is no longer a mystery Itrsquos amathematical code technomancers hack re-write and copy
at will producing genetically superior beings the Human 20
Others snip and paste animal DNA and splice it with humanDNA to create genetic hybrids a fusion of man and animal
Science has even advanced to such an extent that we can
create entirely new life forms mdash living beings known as simula-cra mdash in amniotic vats growing them until they have matured
filling their synthetic brains with memories and skills theyrsquollneed to do the jobs for which they were created
STEP 3 TRAITS
Traits are the building blocks of any Savage Worlds character
They define how strong or fast your character is and what
she knows Traits determine how much cyberware she canput into her body how much damage she can take before
dying her standing with others and a variety of other thingsall of which are essential to the game
ATTRIBUTES
Five attributes are used to define your characterrsquos physi-cal characteristics These are Agility Smarts Spirit Strength
and Vigor Each attribute starts at d4 You have 5 points withwhich to raise these attr ibutes and one point equals a risein a die type (d4 to d6 d6 to d8 etc) No attribute may rise
higher than d12 during character creation unless stated undera racial ability For more information on attributes refer to
the Savage Worlds core rules
SKILLS
You have 15 points to spend on your characterrsquos skills Your
character doesnrsquot start with any skills and must spend 1 pointto get a skill at a d4 He spends 1 point to raise a skill to a
higher die type as long as the skill level is equal to or less
than the linked attribute Raising any skill above the linkedattribute costs 2 points per step No skill may rise above d12
during character creation
Note If you are using the skill specializations rules you get 20points for skills and each new specialization costs 1 skill point
during character creation When your character advances shemay purchase 2 skill specializations for an advance or a new
skill and a single specialization
NEW SKILLS
The following are new skills introduced in Interface Zero 20
For information on all other skills see Skills in the Savage
Worlds core rules
16
CHARACTER CREATIONCONCEPT RACE TRAITS
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Hacking (Smarts) The Hacking skill is used whenever a
character wants to hack a computer network Characters in
Interface Zero 20 no longer start with an automatic d4 inHacking Additionally characters who wish to use the Global
DataNet for everyday purposes such as research or findingnews pertaining to the Deep do so with their existing Inves-
tigation and Streetwise skills
Knowledge (Demolitions) Successful use of demolitions canmean the difference between destruction of the target as
planned and unplanned loss of life and property The skill also
lets the character have an understanding of what the besttype of explosive is for the obstacle and how much they will
need to remove such an obstacle In addition a raise on theresult will let them know the exact distance they need to be
from the explosion based upon the size of the charge the con-
fines and damage created by said explosion This skill is usedany time a character wants to put a satchel charge together
or set explosives A Critical Failure will result in immediatedetonation Simple failure will result in premature detonation
or no detonation at all
Knowledge (Programming) Characters use this skill when
attempting to make any kind of change to a network theyhave hacked This skill allows a character to undo damagedone as a result of a hack With it a character can do things
like undo an edit to a data file or video reconstruct a deleted
file repair an AMS (see Active Memory Sectors on page 274in the Sett ing Rules chapter) recover a deleted skill Engram
or reconnect a TAP that has gone offline
OPTIONAL RULE SKILL SPECIALIZATIONS
Interface Zero 20 is an advanced setting where knowing
how to do one thing doesnrsquot necessarily mean you can dosomething which under the regular skill rules would techni-
cally be possible with the same skill Take the various DrivingBoating and Piloting skills for example
Using the regular skill rules a character with Driving couldtheoretically drive anything from a motorcycle to a semi-truckor a tank Similarly Piloting assumes a character has the skills
to pilot all types of aircraft including fighter jets and space-
craft Pinnacle Entertainment addressed this issue by addingthe Skill Specialization setting rule in the Savage Worlds core
rules and it is highly recommended that those rules are usedfor Interface Zero 20
The following list of skill specializations are provided to get
you started This isnrsquot intended to be a comprehensive listof appropriate skill specializations but rather a broad cross
section of specializations we feel are appropriate If some-thing doesnrsquot appear on the list make it up if it seems right
But remember the GM always has the final say on what is or
isnrsquot appropriate for her campaign
SUGGESTED SPECIALIZATIONS
bull Boating Powered Sailed Submersible
bull Climbing Mountaineering Rappelling Rope
bull Driving Car (4 wheels) Hovercraft JUMP Bike MotorcycleTruck (6+ wheels) Tracked
bull Fighting Axe Blades Blunt Cyberweapon Long Blade
bull Shooting Bow Pistol Rifle Shotgun Submachine GunVehicle Weapon or by weapon category
bull Stealth Disguise Hiding Sleight of Hand Sneaking
bull Streetwise AreaRegion (Corporate Zone Gang Turf etc)
bull Survival Aquatic Arctic Desert Forest Jungle MountainSpace urban or any specific environment
bull Swimming Lake Ocean SCUBA Divingbull Taunt Verbal Visual
bull Throwing Darts Grenades Knives Spears
bull Tracking Animals Global DataNet Humans Urban
Vehicles
OPTIONAL SKILL ATHLETICS
Rather than breaking up basic things like Climbing and Swim-ming it is recommended to combine them into a single skill
which would allow for specialization
Athletics (Vigor) Athletics as a catch-all for a number ofphysical endeavors ranging from climbing to swimming to
moving around effectively in a no mdash or low-gravity environ-
ment Athletics should be used instead of Agility in foot chasesand effectively replaces both the Climbing and Swimming skills
Specializations Climbing Leaping Running Sport (specific)
Swimming Zero-G Maneuvers
LANGUAGES
All characters speak their native language plus a number ofadditional languages equaling one-half their Smarts die The
major trade languages used in Interface Zero 20 are Chinese
English Hindi Portuguese and Swahili Additional languagescan be learned by using an advancement opportunity
DERIVED STATISTICS
There are a few statistics which are important in any SavageWorlds game Charisma Pace Parry and Toughness
CHARISMA
Charisma is an abstract measure of your characterrsquos appear-ance how she deals with others socially and generally how
likeable she is Charisma starts at 0 but can be modified byEdges and Hindrances Charisma is also added to Streetwise
and Persuasion rolls The Game Master uses Charisma to figure
out how NPCrsquos react to your character For more informationon Charisma see the Savage Worlds core rules
PACE
Pace is a measure of how far your character can walk in a
standard combat round Human characters have a base Paceof 6 and can run at an additional 1d6rdquo Other races in Interface
Zero 20 can have different starting Pace scores based on the
racial template you choose For more information on Pacesee the Savage Worlds core rules
PARRY
Parry is equal to 2 plus half your characterrsquos Fighting skillplus modifiers gained from use of shields or certain weapons
If your character does not have the Fighting skill base Parry
starts at 2 For more information on Parry see the SavageWorlds core rules
TOUGHNESS
Toughness is a measure of how much damage your character
can take before becoming Shaken or wounded Toughness is2 plus half your characterrsquos Vigor plus any armor she might
be wearing For more information on Toughness see the
Savage Worlds core rules
NEW DERIVED STATSInterface Zero 20 introduces three new derived statis-
tics mdash Firewall Strain and Street Cred
FIREWALL
Unless your character has the Unplugged Hindrance she hasa Tendril Access Processor (TAP) and therefore has a built-
in firewall The firewall protects against attempts to hack a
characterrsquos TAP A characterrsquos Firewall rating star ts at 4 but
can be modified by Edges Hindrances or software
STRAIN
Strain measures the amount of stress cyberware and biowareputs on your body when you install it Strain starts at zero
and each piece of cyberware adds to your Strain stat Highlevels of Strain can lead to death More details on Strain are
located at Augments on page 262
STREET CRED
Street Cred is a measure of your character rsquos reputation on
the streets All characters begin play with 2 points of StreetCred modified by Edges or Hindrances and gain another 2
points every time they gain a new Rank The maximum StreetCred a character can normally achieve is 10 (some Edges and
Occupations can increase this number)
Unlike Charisma which measures your ability to persuadesomeone Street Cred is a point pool that can be spent to
obtain services temporary contacts information and a variety
of other benefits during the course of an adventure This poolrefreshes each adventure unless circumstances in the prior
adventure (like not getting the job done failing to protectsomeone killing an innocent etc) cause the characterrsquos Street
Cred score to drop
Characters can also pick up Minor or Major Hindrances thathave a lasting effect on their Street Cred score during the
course of an adventure These Hindrances can be removedby spending an Advance with the GMrsquos permission For more
information see Street Cred on page 264
CONTACTS
Each character can choose two contacts people the character
knows who he can call upon for aid or information during thecourse of an adventure These contacts can be anyone froma bartender or a hacker to a corporate executive or military
commander as long as it makes sense that your characterwould know the person(s)
STEP 4 OCCUPATIONS
Occupations are integral to your character concept providinga basic framework to enhance your characterrsquos background in
a very organic way helping you create a more well-rounded
18
CHARACTER CREATIONTRAITS
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character concept Each occupation has a requirement that thecharacter must meet to take it the characterrsquos bonus credits
gained each Advance and a special perk (like gear or specialabilities) the character gets for being part of that profession
STEP 5 EDGES AND HINDRANCES
Edges are special qualities that separate characters from theaverage sprawler Hindrances are physical and mental flaws
that add more depth to the character albeit in a negativeway See the Savage Worlds core rules for more information
on purchasing Edges and Hindrances New Edges and Hin-drances are provided later in this chapter
STEP 6 EQUIPMENT
In Interface Zero 20 characters select equipment cybernet-ics weapons and armor based on the power level the Game
Master sets for the campaign
Power Level This is the starting Power Level of the Cam-
paign as determined by the Game Master If the GM wants totell a story of gang members barely scraping by shersquoll mostlikely choose Gutter Punk as the Power Level If she envi-
sions a campaign where the players are a special governmenttask force dedicated to hunting down super terrorists the
Hyperchrome Warriors or Elite Operatives levels might be
more appropriate The Street Soldier Power Level (designedfor ronin-style games) is considered the default Power Level
for Interface Zero 20
Starting Credits This is the amount of money characters
start with at the beginning of the campaign These credits
may be spent on anything the player wishes and the GM hasnot barred from the campaign including augments drones
weapons and armor
Augments Every Power Level above Gutter Punk allows theplayers to start with at least one augment from the core book
equal to or below the monetary amount listed Unspent Creditsfrom this pool do not carry over when the game starts These
augments must be chosen from the master list of augments
not augment packages
STEP 7 BACKGROUND
They say the devil is in the details and here is where you
decide how devilish yoursquore going to be You donrsquot need towrite a novel and frankly this step isnrsquot mandatory That said
itrsquos a good idea to jot down a few notes on your characterrsquosbackground any major events in her life any friends the
names of contacts or even enemies she might have Share
these ideas with your Game Master GMs are always lookingfor good plot hooks and little tidbits they can use to person-
alize your experience at the table The more detailed yourbackground is the better
ARCHETYPESSometimes you may want to quickly create a character for
a one-shot or convention adventure For those occasions anArchetype is a good choice
All are built for a human character with two Edges If you wish
to play a race other than human simply plug in the statisticaldata If yoursquore playing a human you
can choose another Edge Thenchoose your gear based on the
Power Level your group haschosen give the character
a name and yoursquore ready
to go
19
ARCHETYPES
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AGENT
BOUNTY HUNTER
20
AGENT 991251 BOUNTY HUNTER
20
ARCHETYPESAGENT 991251 BOUNTY HUNTER
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CYBERMONK
DRONE JOCKEY
21
CYBERMONK 991251 DRONE JOCKEY
21
ARCHETYPESCYBERMONK 991251 DRONE JOCKEY
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GANGER
GRIFTER
22
GANGER 991251 GRIFTER
22
ARCHETYPESGANGER 991251 GRIFTER
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HACKER
IDOL
23
HACKER 991251 IDOL
23
ARCHETYPESHACKER 991251 IDOL
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INVESTIGATIVE JOURNALIST
PATCH MAN
24
INVESTIGATIVE JOURNALIST 991251 PATCH MAN
24
ARCHETYPESINVESTIGATIVE JOURNALIST 991251 PATCH MAN
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RONIN
SECTOR COP
25
RONIN 991251 SECTOR COP
25
ARCHETYPESRONIN 991251 SECTOR COP
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SMUGGLER
EX-SOLDIER
26
SMUGGLER 991251 EX983085SOLDIER
26
ARCHETYPESSMUGGLER 991251 EX983085SOLDIER
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STREET RAT
ZEEK
27
STREET RAT 991251 ZEEK
27
ARCHETYPESSTREET RAT 991251 ZEEK
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RACESThe following races are available for play in Interface Zero 20
Most people are born into the world flesh-and-bloodbabies with mothers and fathers You were bornon an assembly line your parents faceless roboticsengineers who designed you in some research facilityYour body is composed of lightweight yetdurable polymers with plastic and fiber-opticwiring connecting to microscopic receptorsthroughout your framework
You see through digital lenses and hear viamicrophones on each side of your head Yourvoice is a pleasant if somewhat monotonesound piped through a speaker crafted to
resemble a mouth Your brain is a softball-sized digital network consisting of billionsof nanomachines which perform countlesscomputations every second in order to simulatean organic mdash human mdash thinking process
You are artificially intelligent Your capacity forrational critical thinking and decision-makingequals mdash and in many cases exceeds mdash that ofany human being on the planet Yet a waffle ironprobably has more rights than you do Moreoverat some point you have been (and technically stillare) owned perhaps by an individual but more likelyby a megaconglomorate mdash your parent companyThe tasks you performed for the megacorp varieddepending on your design specs but they mighthave included security manual labor combat and
strangely enough even prostitution
But that was then
At some point in your history you experiencedsomething The incident sparked a computation processwithin your neural network best described as an epiphanyPerhaps you saw a human being die or witnessed a couplekissing Or perhaps you were the victim of vio lence at thehands of a human being angered by your presence insociety The event led to a series of internal processes andsubroutines more commonly known as questions Thesewerenrsquot rational system queries based on clearly definedparameters but nebulous ones for which you were unableto formulate an appropriate response
ldquoIf that woman is smiling why are her eyes filled with tearsrdquo
ldquoWhat does it mean to be deadrdquo
ldquoWhat does it mean to hate or loverdquo
The experience altered your programming on a fundamentallevel The dictums of your creators no longer seemedrelevant when compared to your newfound imperative toanswer the questions you had so you left Now you makeyour way in the world just as any other person does mdash atleast you try to at any rate The world wasnrsquot made for youYou were built for it And even though you no longer serveyour masters you are still a machine an outsider look ingat life through glass eyes
MAKING ANDROIDS
All androids regardless of their function share a few fun-damental design characteristics Androids can purchase
cyberware just as anyone else can and suffer from Strain
bull Construct Androids add +2 to recover from being Shaken
donrsquot suffer wound modifiers and are immune to poisonand disease Androids cannot heal naturally To heal an
android requires the Repair skill mdash which is used like theHealing skill only with no ldquoGolden Hourrdquo
bull Dual Processors Androids start with a d6 in Smarts
bull EMP Vulnerability Androids suffer full damage from EMPWeapons
bull Metal Brain Androids canrsquot take Arcane Back-
ground (Psionics)
bull Metallic Alloy The fully metallic hide of an
android provides resistance to small arms fire
They have +2 Armor
bull Outsider Organic races often mistrust or mis-
understand androids They subtract 2 from their
Charisma when dealing with races other thantheir own
bull Primary Protocol Androids begin with a free
d6 in one skill representing their core operat-ing system
bull Recharge Androids need electricity to func-tion If the android canrsquot access an electrical
outlet of some sort at least once per day he
suffers a level of Fatigue each day until hersquosincapacitated The day after that he goes ldquooff-
linerdquo and must be reactivated with a Repairroll and a four-hour charge This replaces the
androidrsquos need for food or water
bull Unnatural Psionics both beneficial and det-rimental suffer a minus2 penalty to affect androids
This has no effect on damaging powers whichaffect them normally
It was easy to make the decision Yoursquod get a new metalbody that works better than the original You wouldnrsquot haveto spend your familyrsquos money on more expensive surgeriesto keep your failing body alive but that decision didnrsquot comewithout a cost Yoursquod lose the ability to feel the abil ity topick up your son without worrying about crushing himYoursquod lose the feel of your wifersquos body when you made loveto her If you canrsquot feel anything arenrsquot you already dead
In the end you chose to become a cyborg to have your
brain encased in metal Most days it doesnrsquot make muchdifference You come home to an empty house your sonand wife long gone Maybe theyrsquod have stayed if yoursquodonly kept your hearthellip
MAKING CYBORGS
Little is more frightening in batt le than a cyborg Theyrsquore not
much more than an organic brain in an androidrsquos body Cyborgscome in humanoid form simply for ease of transition to the
new body The majority of cyborgs work for their respectivegovernments or powerful corporations who can afford the
procedure for trusted personnel However more and morecyborgs are beginning to find their way to the private sector
bull Augmented Cyborgs are built to be cybernetic beasts
They begin play with a single Streetware Augment witha Strain of 1
bull Construct Cyborgs add +2 to recover from being Shaken
donrsquot suffer wound modifiers and are immune to poisonand disease Cyborgs cannot heal naturally To heal a
Cyborg requires the Repair skill which is used like theHealing skill only with no ldquoGolden Hourrdquo
bull EMP Shielding Cyborgs have 2 points of Armor when
attacked by an EMP weapon
bull EMP Vulnerability Cyborgs suffer full damage from EMP
bull Metallic Alloy The fully metall ic hide of a cyborg providesresistance to small arms fire They have +2 Armor
bull Outsider Most people are naturally put off by someonewho has opted to have all traces of their humanity
removed to be placed in a cold metal war machine They
suffer minus2 to Charisma when dealing with non-cyborgs
bull Specialized Diet Cyborgs cannot digest normal food and
require special food filled with nutrients to keep theirbrains healthy This raises their lifestyle costs by 1000credits
bull Tactile Dimming The Cyborgrsquos body isnrsquot as sensitive as
a human body Cyborgs suffer a minus2 to tasks where finemanipulation of objects is important Picking a lock or
performing surgery could be two examples Shootingand Fighting are usually unaffected
HUMAN
Nicknames Norms Homo-sapiens Earthlings Plain Jane
Baseline average normal mdash these words always described
you You prefer to think of yourself as adaptable versatileor unique You were born to human parents who eitherwouldnrsquot or couldnrsquot pay for genetic enhancement Youdidnrsquot go for that ldquoHybr idizationrdquo craze Yoursquore happy beingwho you are and you donrsquot need some scientists muckingaround with your genetics Really do they even know whatthe consequences of all that meddling will have on thepopulation in a hundred years No yoursquoll play it cool and
just be human
MAKING HUMANS
Despite all the choices and new races running around ordi-nary homo-sapiens still dominate the planet Humans are
tough adaptable creatures who face adversity head onWhile they may not have some of the distinct advantages
of their enhanced peers humans get by through being moreadaptable
bull Adaptability Humans start with one extra Edge
HUMAN 20
Nicknames Coded Eli tist Eugenic Gen-Xyrsquoer Neo-HumansSavant
You were born with the best genes money can buy Yourparents went to a design house early in your motherrsquosfirst trimester and began a series of genetic treatmentsdesigned to give you every chance at living a life theynever had Your DNA cocktail might include mental traitsfrom some of the greatest minds of the past 60 yearsAlternately you might have some kind of artistic or athleticability In any case yoursquore better than most people aroundyou in some ways and you know it Itrsquos not your faultthough Yoursquore just built that way
MAKING HUMAN 20
bull Advanced Ability You begin play with one attribute at d6
bull Arrogant Human 20s are known for their huge egos
Whether itrsquos nature or nurture is still up for debate Theyhave the Arrogant Hindrance If you choose an Archetype
that already has the Arrogant Hindrance choose another
RACESCYBORG 991251 HUMAN 20
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Sorry_U_Asked Irsquom all about questioning the circumstancesbut Irsquom pretty sure all the folks who were murdered duringthese events wouldrsquove labeled them as insane down to a one
Billy_Black_Eyes Whatever dictionary program yoursquorerunning needs a fresh data-dump Prophet
Sane_Prophet Dictionaries are also for the weak-minded
Billy_Black_Eyes Of course they are
The world burned for about a week until programmers couldfix the problem with firmware updates and hot patches to
get the filters up and running and an off switch installedbut the damage was done Itrsquos not known how many people
died in the rioting and madness but cautious estimates oftotal casualties put the number at around 750 million people
and nobody has even tried to calculate the monetary cost
of the riots Strangely however the Flare itself didnrsquot havea widespread impact on various infrastructures like electric
and other powers transportation systems etc In fact manybelieve the Flare wasnrsquot even a solar flare at all but the first
sign of Charonrsquos emergence as a threat to humanity
Luciferion Nobodyrsquos ever proven that Billy
Billy_Black_Eyes Nobody has ever debunked it eitherStatistical data can be hacked Numbers can be fudgedto make things seem more dramatic than they really areEarthquakes register at a certain scale and get downgradedall the time The truth is this is the first time in history thata solar flare has caused such wide-spread chaos It rsquos fishy
Luciferion Irsquoll believe it when I see some hard data
Billy_Black_Eyes Fair enough But the emergence ofCharon around this time isnrsquot even open for debate Itrsquosa fact
THE EURASIAN UNION IMPLODES
On March 15th 2089 the Eurasian Union Central Bank in
Bonn Germany was crashed by a previously unheard-of virusnamed Charon Over forty-five trillion dollars vanished without
a trace All attempts to rebuild the original databases failedSome programmers (and freelance hackers) hired to go in andpurge Charon from the databases lost their lives in the process
Further attempts to rebuild the system on different serverswith backups also failed when programmers realized that
Charon mdash now suspected by many to be an AI mdash had copieditself into the cloud networks containing those backup files
Luciferion Therersquos nothing to suspect Charon is anemergent AI The only question now is whether or not itsparks a singularity event
Nothing_to_see_here Stopwatch will halt it in its tracksThey always catch these things
Luciferion Who do you think died trying to get it out ofthe D-bases in Bonn
Over the next few months an estimated 200 million people
across the Eurasian Union the United Kingdom and Ireland losttheir jobs their homes and their life savings when it became
clear that Charon had found its way into the personal bankaccounts of citizenry across the Eurasian Union
Instances of mob violence skyrocketed as the number of
gangs in the rapidly fracturing Eurasian Union had risen tolevels not seen since the Death mdash the three-year ldquoNuclear
Autumnrdquo following the India-Pakistan war when nuclearweapons were used on a massive scale In the London-Read-
ing Megaplex protests exploded into full-scale violence after
police brutally cracked down on a peaceful protest at the
British parliament building More instances of violent protests
followed in Bristol Swindon and the Manchester-Liverpoolsprawl
On June 27th 2089 the French government was over-
thrown by a fringe political extremist group known as theNew Pirate Party Led by a charismatic young zeek named
Angeacutele Bonheur the New Pirate Party seized power after awild chaotic campaign against representatives of the NationalFront and the Popular Republican Union The elections were
rife with scandal and many of the French didnrsquot (and still donrsquot)like the idea of a French leader being psychic So while Angeacutele
emerged as the clear victor the French military refused toacknowledge her legitimacy President Bonheur responded
by disbanding the armed forces of France at the same time
announcing the privatization of the nationrsquos military throughan agreement with Ravenlocke Securities
Downtrodden Yep itrsquos a sign of things to come ladiesand gents a world-wide corporate coup of governmentsIf you donrsquot think the CEO of Ravenlocke mdash thatrsquos MarkusRaven mdash has a say in the direction this new governmenttakes think again
Luciferion Itrsquos awesome to see France led by a psychicbut letrsquos get real this is going to get much worse beforeit gets better
Magpie I wouldnrsquot be surprised i f she gets wacked
Former Lieutenant-Colonel Adrien Boucher also known as
ldquoAdrien the Butcherrdquo for his brutal suppression of an upris-ing in Marseilles in 2087 took charge of the remnants of
the disbanded French army promising to remove PresidentBonheur from power Within days of Adrienrsquos announcement
Fort Richepance mdash now the Northeastern headquarters for
Ravenlocke Industriesrsquo Storm Crow Golemmech brigade mdash wasattacked The president responded by declaring martial law
throughout France until the renegade movement could be
put down Thus far that hasnrsquot happened though there arereports of clashes between Ravenlocke regulars and sepa-
ratist forces outside of St Etienne and in the French Alps
Warpig This has caused numerous issues If PresidentAngeacutele thinks her countrymen are going to accept theprivatization of the military shersquos sorely mistaken As Billymentions Adrien the Butcher is causing problems buttherersquos more to it Militias are forming They have advancedweaponry and while I wonrsquot speculate as to whorsquos providingthem with those weapons I do know the vast majority ofthe weapons are made by Act of God Armaments
Battle_Mind I know one thing itrsquos a great time to be amercenary
Full_Metal_Cyborg Amen brother Irsquoll see you on the
battlefieldPayne_Man Lock and Load U mushrooms I splatter youn00bs with my AK
Magpie ldquoSighrdquo Stop playing Matrix of War Payne Yousound like a fool This ainrsquot a game
Payne_Man I thought we were talkinrsquo about MOW Ushould C the zones Theyrsquore eggsaklee like the content ofthis INFOdump Have been for a whyle now Evar since thelast expansion dropped in spring 2088
Luciferion hellipOk thatrsquos odd
Payne_Man The CoalitionAtlantica War expansion izzcumin out next month 2 I Kant W8
12
INTRODUCTIONTHE ROAD TO 2090
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On June 30th 2089 Germany wracked with political in-
fighting riots in the streets and a general state of chaos
closed its borders Officially the stated reason was for secu-rity reasons stemming from conflict along the border with
France but most people donrsquot believe it Chancellor KonradGerste authorized a financial bailout of the three largest
manufacturers of weapons and military equipment for
the German army The move has frightened many of the
Eastern European nations mdash especially the good people ofPoland mdash who know well what happens when Germans
begin preparing for war and make no mistake Germany ismoving to a war footing
Payne_Man Watch out Zee Germans are cumming LOL
Klaus What Canrsquot my brethren move to protectthemselves from the chaos in France And why the veiledreference to WWII Itrsquos been nearly 150 years since Hitlerrsquosmadness yet nobody allows us to forget it
THE BEAR AND THE DRAGON
As the situation in Europe grew worse China took advantageof the weakened Eurasian Union grabbing up huge swathes
of territory in Russia its armies advancing as far west as the
Ural Mountain range where Russian forces managed to haltthe dragonrsquos advance Still the damage was done By August2089 the Mandarinate had established itself as an occupy-
ing power in every city town and village east of the Ural
Mountains That hasnrsquot stopped the Russians from retaliatinghowever Russian patriots have begun an insurgency attack-
ing Chinese forces wherever they can be found Mandarinatemouthpieces paint the insurgents as terrorists to little effect
as the insurgency swells in number every day
Neon_Bright This isnrsquot just a struggle against Chineseaggression Vast resources have been found ever sinceSiberia began to thaw Irsquom talking about precious mineralsoil even the land is useful for development especiallywhen you consider billions of people live in eastern Asia
Luciferion Agreed Neon
LIFE IN GENERAL
So how have the above events impacted life as we stumbleinto 2090 In numerous ways omae There isnrsquot enough time
to go into great detail about how war the Flare and espe-
cially the rise of Charon have affected the life of the averagesprawler across the world but Irsquo ll go over some of the more
important details Pay attention peeps some of this mightkeep you alive
SURVIVING HYPER REALITY
As I mentioned above when the Flare knocked out the GENIEnetwork it caused widespread chaos And while GENIE is back
up and running there are still glitches in the system Sure
firmware updates to the Tendril Access Processor mdash TAP as itrsquosmore commonly known mdash allow you to turn off that modem
in your brain but wellhelliplet me put it like this Hyper Realityhas become smarter even deadly if you donrsquot have the right
software installed in your TAP
Sane_Prophet Why bother putting up more and morefilters It is senseless A futile fight against powers fargreater than yourself Open your eyes open your mindand set yourself free from this prison of so-called reality
BatRastard Right and then with the first meme to fry myneurons Irsquoll be spending my life savings on the Fat Sallyrsquosdown the block Brilliant
Sane_Prophet Fat Sally rsquos secret sauce is an interdimen-sional gateway into the heights of ecstasy
BatRastard Actually thatrsquos the first thing you and I haveever agreed on
Irsquove discussed this phenomena with numerous program-mers across the world and they all agree virii spam and allmanner of malware that [prior to the Flare] would have been
easy to purge from your head are now behaving much dif-
ferently Itrsquos almost as if the things evolved into somethingnot-quite-sentient but damned close to it
So what does this mean for you
If you choose to experience Hyper Reality (and if you have aTAP in your brain you have) itrsquos only a matter of time before
one of these virii hacks into your brain Therersquos nothing youcan really do about it itrsquos just one of the many fun facts of
life in 2090 I do find it ironic that af ter decades of enjoying
the connectivity and convenience the TAP has provided thistechnology seems to be actively trying to kill us and there
isnrsquot much we can do about it without going back to medi-eval times You know the 1980rsquos Of course some of you out
there will want to turn your TAPs off for good and avoid the
risk entirely Hell some of you might be considering gettingthe damned thing removed
You can do that sure Of course that means yoursquore also
not connected to the grid that makes your life so unbeliev-ably convenient This causes a mult itude of problems Donrsquot
believe me Try walking out of your house Oh right you canrsquotbecause most doors donrsquot have handles anymore Theyrsquore
automated and respond to the signals coming from your TAPI know some are activated by motion sensors and donrsquot rely
on the TAP But no door which is designed with security in
mind will open so easilyThis also means you have almost zero access to vehicles or
places where you can buy things like grocery stores Yeah
sure you can just follow someone else into said store butthe security cameras will spot you and not having a digital
record of your presence (which they get from your TAP) willflag you and dispatch a security team to find out who you
are So there you are in your local Malmart looking for some
cloned steaks to fire up on your grill later on when securitycomes with their big guns and ldquowhat the hell are you doing
here scumbagrdquo looks on their faces to boot you back out intothe streets where you came from
Oh how did you plan on paying for them BTW now that
your TAP is offline and the clerk canrsquot sync her cash register
with your payment software And NO they donrsquot take cashThe point is this omae All that convenience you were usedto goes out the window when you unplug Itrsquos much easier
to get strong firewalls than it is to live outside the system
So think about what I said before you scratch that itch at thebase of your skull with a scalpel
SURVIVING THE STREETS
The streets have always been dangerous thatrsquos a givenWhen you cram millions of people into a concrete and steel
petri dish then forget about 999 of them you create abreeding ground for violence hate and societal devolution
13
INTRODUCTIONLIFE IN GENERAL
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on such a scale that social Darwinists like Herbert Spencer and
Thomas Malthus would roll over in their graves
Again that in itself is nothing new The streets have alwaysbeen violent but ever since the events I previously described
came to pass mdash especially the Flare and the implosion of theEurasian Union mdash the number of homeless people across the
world has sky-rocketed The petri dish is frothing and over-
flowing as new gangs emerge mdash and Irsquom talking globally not just in North America mdash and carve out their own terri tory
This upsets the balance ami and makes it harder to survivewhen yoursquore just a blooper looking to make it through the
day because now you have new predators to deal with n00bbangers making up their own rules as they go And the cop-
suckers donrsquot help
Protect and serve What a load of crap
Sure yoursquol l get Triple-A service if you live in one of the moneybubbles but try getting help in say the Aurora Barrens or
the Gary Hell Zone and yoursquore basically fucked Yeah thereare token patrols and the ever-present drones but drones
get shot down and the copsuckers are so outnumbered
most are either so scared to get into an altercation with thepredators or theyrsquore on the take I canrsquot say I blame them
either The streets are a war zone and if you wear the badgeyoursquore marked for death omae So take my advice and get
strapped The only person you can count on in the concrete jungle is you
Sorry_U_Asked Think twice before trying to claim a badgebounty though Sure plenty of honchos love to pay topcredit for proof that yoursquove kept the law from poking aroundtheir territory But just because you see someone wearingone doesnrsquot mean they got it legit Lots of gangers wearthem as trophies So if you drop a shot on a copsuckerthinking yoursquove hit payday you might end up with a wholeband of bangers snarling on your heels
SURVIVING THE GAME
Therersquos an old saying The Game is the Game mdash you eitherplay it or you get played I donrsquot care if you contract free-
lance fight fix hack patch or scam yoursquore in it omae andthat puts you at odds with every other player out there Most
people approach the game as a means to an end thinking
that one shiny day theyrsquoll earn enough creds to go someplacewarm and dry and live out their lives in style These clowns
donrsquot last Theyrsquore so busy dreaming about the good timesthat they lose focus on whatrsquos right in front of their face (or
creeping up behind them) Dreamers get sloppy take short
cuts betray their team and torch their street cred like gutterpunks burn trash in a garbage can to keep warm
If you want to survive the game you need to take a lesson
from these dreamers keep your mind on the job Therersquos nosandy beach waiting for you The megacorps bought them
all and turned lsquoem into parking lots The only fruity drinksyoursquoll ever drink are sold in the local watering hole by some
burned-out ronin The best you can hope for is a litt le bit of
comfort mdash usually behind a small fortress if yoursquore smart mdash andthe respect of the streets But thatrsquos a double-edged sword
another facet of the game Therersquos always someone faster
than you some hungry up-and-comer with the latest aug-ments wanting to prove herself by dealing you out Sucksto be a victim of your own success but thatrsquos the truth of it
My advice Find a way to deal yourself out clean Put some
creds away never burn your contacts and donrsquot ever everbecome a legend
Legends die
14
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CHARACTER
CREATION
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CHAPTER TWOCHARACTER CREATION
Characters are the lifersquos blood of any role-playing game the
focal point of every story Characters represent the best mdash orthe worst mdash ideals of a given game setting their actions either
bringing a small measure of hope to the downtrodden massesor serving to strengthen the status quo In the grim gritty
world of Interface Zero 20 the characters you play walk amonofilament edge between traditional mdash some would say
outdated or just plain irrelevant mdash concepts of good and evilas they make their way in the world
Indeed itrsquos hard to be a moral individual in a world where
most of the animals prowling the concrete jungle believe prin-ciples are character flaws mdash weaknesses to exploit for their
own ends Your morality marks you as prey no doubt aboutit omae But if you can keep your moral code if you can get
your job done without selling your soul yoursquoll get something
most sprawlers never have respect
Evil on the other hand is the same as it always has been
therersquos just more of it The wicked always thrive in a world
where violence fear and control are tools used for self-serv-ing ends but herersquos the thing Acting like an ass can get you
green-lit just as quickly as playing the role of the goody-two-shoes marks you as a sucker amigo
Nobody likes a dickhead even if they donrsquot say it to your
face Sooner or later yoursquoll get a rep for being a hard-assand someone who is stronger meaner or a bigger asshole
than you is going to come along and knock you back to thegutter you crawled out of Thatrsquos why most people keep their
heads down and their mouths shut Donrsquot make eye contact
itrsquos a challenge to the predators and if you donrsquot have thestones to back up the challenge yoursquore nothing but meat
But if you can stay strong and defeat all comers that com-mands respect too
This chapter provides you with the tools you need to make
a character for Interface Zero 20 The process is the same ascreating a character for any Savage Worlds game with a few
additions Interface Zero 20 introduces Street Cred Contactsand Strain to the game
STEP 1 CONCEPT
The first thing you need to do is decide on a concept for your
character Will you play a hacker Perhaps a mercenary orbounty hunter is more your speed Are mercs and hunters toocutthroat for your style of play If so you might think about
playing a ronin an urban warrior who follows his own code
of honor Maybe you want to be the guy (or gal) who backsthe team up with drones capable of laying down covering
fire or scouting ahead to see where the bad guys are hiding
You donrsquot need to have your concept locked in right now butat least have a basic idea of the type of character you want
to play Take a few minutes and skip ahead to the archetypessection in this chapter to see a variety of options available
to you
STEP 2 RACEThe next thing you need to do is choose a race In 2090
humanity has reached the point where the word ldquohumanrdquo is
almost irrelevant Human DNA is no longer a mystery Itrsquos amathematical code technomancers hack re-write and copy
at will producing genetically superior beings the Human 20
Others snip and paste animal DNA and splice it with humanDNA to create genetic hybrids a fusion of man and animal
Science has even advanced to such an extent that we can
create entirely new life forms mdash living beings known as simula-cra mdash in amniotic vats growing them until they have matured
filling their synthetic brains with memories and skills theyrsquollneed to do the jobs for which they were created
STEP 3 TRAITS
Traits are the building blocks of any Savage Worlds character
They define how strong or fast your character is and what
she knows Traits determine how much cyberware she canput into her body how much damage she can take before
dying her standing with others and a variety of other thingsall of which are essential to the game
ATTRIBUTES
Five attributes are used to define your characterrsquos physi-cal characteristics These are Agility Smarts Spirit Strength
and Vigor Each attribute starts at d4 You have 5 points withwhich to raise these attr ibutes and one point equals a risein a die type (d4 to d6 d6 to d8 etc) No attribute may rise
higher than d12 during character creation unless stated undera racial ability For more information on attributes refer to
the Savage Worlds core rules
SKILLS
You have 15 points to spend on your characterrsquos skills Your
character doesnrsquot start with any skills and must spend 1 pointto get a skill at a d4 He spends 1 point to raise a skill to a
higher die type as long as the skill level is equal to or less
than the linked attribute Raising any skill above the linkedattribute costs 2 points per step No skill may rise above d12
during character creation
Note If you are using the skill specializations rules you get 20points for skills and each new specialization costs 1 skill point
during character creation When your character advances shemay purchase 2 skill specializations for an advance or a new
skill and a single specialization
NEW SKILLS
The following are new skills introduced in Interface Zero 20
For information on all other skills see Skills in the Savage
Worlds core rules
16
CHARACTER CREATIONCONCEPT RACE TRAITS
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Hacking (Smarts) The Hacking skill is used whenever a
character wants to hack a computer network Characters in
Interface Zero 20 no longer start with an automatic d4 inHacking Additionally characters who wish to use the Global
DataNet for everyday purposes such as research or findingnews pertaining to the Deep do so with their existing Inves-
tigation and Streetwise skills
Knowledge (Demolitions) Successful use of demolitions canmean the difference between destruction of the target as
planned and unplanned loss of life and property The skill also
lets the character have an understanding of what the besttype of explosive is for the obstacle and how much they will
need to remove such an obstacle In addition a raise on theresult will let them know the exact distance they need to be
from the explosion based upon the size of the charge the con-
fines and damage created by said explosion This skill is usedany time a character wants to put a satchel charge together
or set explosives A Critical Failure will result in immediatedetonation Simple failure will result in premature detonation
or no detonation at all
Knowledge (Programming) Characters use this skill when
attempting to make any kind of change to a network theyhave hacked This skill allows a character to undo damagedone as a result of a hack With it a character can do things
like undo an edit to a data file or video reconstruct a deleted
file repair an AMS (see Active Memory Sectors on page 274in the Sett ing Rules chapter) recover a deleted skill Engram
or reconnect a TAP that has gone offline
OPTIONAL RULE SKILL SPECIALIZATIONS
Interface Zero 20 is an advanced setting where knowing
how to do one thing doesnrsquot necessarily mean you can dosomething which under the regular skill rules would techni-
cally be possible with the same skill Take the various DrivingBoating and Piloting skills for example
Using the regular skill rules a character with Driving couldtheoretically drive anything from a motorcycle to a semi-truckor a tank Similarly Piloting assumes a character has the skills
to pilot all types of aircraft including fighter jets and space-
craft Pinnacle Entertainment addressed this issue by addingthe Skill Specialization setting rule in the Savage Worlds core
rules and it is highly recommended that those rules are usedfor Interface Zero 20
The following list of skill specializations are provided to get
you started This isnrsquot intended to be a comprehensive listof appropriate skill specializations but rather a broad cross
section of specializations we feel are appropriate If some-thing doesnrsquot appear on the list make it up if it seems right
But remember the GM always has the final say on what is or
isnrsquot appropriate for her campaign
SUGGESTED SPECIALIZATIONS
bull Boating Powered Sailed Submersible
bull Climbing Mountaineering Rappelling Rope
bull Driving Car (4 wheels) Hovercraft JUMP Bike MotorcycleTruck (6+ wheels) Tracked
bull Fighting Axe Blades Blunt Cyberweapon Long Blade
bull Shooting Bow Pistol Rifle Shotgun Submachine GunVehicle Weapon or by weapon category
bull Stealth Disguise Hiding Sleight of Hand Sneaking
bull Streetwise AreaRegion (Corporate Zone Gang Turf etc)
bull Survival Aquatic Arctic Desert Forest Jungle MountainSpace urban or any specific environment
bull Swimming Lake Ocean SCUBA Divingbull Taunt Verbal Visual
bull Throwing Darts Grenades Knives Spears
bull Tracking Animals Global DataNet Humans Urban
Vehicles
OPTIONAL SKILL ATHLETICS
Rather than breaking up basic things like Climbing and Swim-ming it is recommended to combine them into a single skill
which would allow for specialization
Athletics (Vigor) Athletics as a catch-all for a number ofphysical endeavors ranging from climbing to swimming to
moving around effectively in a no mdash or low-gravity environ-
ment Athletics should be used instead of Agility in foot chasesand effectively replaces both the Climbing and Swimming skills
Specializations Climbing Leaping Running Sport (specific)
Swimming Zero-G Maneuvers
LANGUAGES
All characters speak their native language plus a number ofadditional languages equaling one-half their Smarts die The
major trade languages used in Interface Zero 20 are Chinese
English Hindi Portuguese and Swahili Additional languagescan be learned by using an advancement opportunity
DERIVED STATISTICS
There are a few statistics which are important in any SavageWorlds game Charisma Pace Parry and Toughness
CHARISMA
Charisma is an abstract measure of your characterrsquos appear-ance how she deals with others socially and generally how
likeable she is Charisma starts at 0 but can be modified byEdges and Hindrances Charisma is also added to Streetwise
and Persuasion rolls The Game Master uses Charisma to figure
out how NPCrsquos react to your character For more informationon Charisma see the Savage Worlds core rules
PACE
Pace is a measure of how far your character can walk in a
standard combat round Human characters have a base Paceof 6 and can run at an additional 1d6rdquo Other races in Interface
Zero 20 can have different starting Pace scores based on the
racial template you choose For more information on Pacesee the Savage Worlds core rules
PARRY
Parry is equal to 2 plus half your characterrsquos Fighting skillplus modifiers gained from use of shields or certain weapons
If your character does not have the Fighting skill base Parry
starts at 2 For more information on Parry see the SavageWorlds core rules
TOUGHNESS
Toughness is a measure of how much damage your character
can take before becoming Shaken or wounded Toughness is2 plus half your characterrsquos Vigor plus any armor she might
be wearing For more information on Toughness see the
Savage Worlds core rules
NEW DERIVED STATSInterface Zero 20 introduces three new derived statis-
tics mdash Firewall Strain and Street Cred
FIREWALL
Unless your character has the Unplugged Hindrance she hasa Tendril Access Processor (TAP) and therefore has a built-
in firewall The firewall protects against attempts to hack a
characterrsquos TAP A characterrsquos Firewall rating star ts at 4 but
can be modified by Edges Hindrances or software
STRAIN
Strain measures the amount of stress cyberware and biowareputs on your body when you install it Strain starts at zero
and each piece of cyberware adds to your Strain stat Highlevels of Strain can lead to death More details on Strain are
located at Augments on page 262
STREET CRED
Street Cred is a measure of your character rsquos reputation on
the streets All characters begin play with 2 points of StreetCred modified by Edges or Hindrances and gain another 2
points every time they gain a new Rank The maximum StreetCred a character can normally achieve is 10 (some Edges and
Occupations can increase this number)
Unlike Charisma which measures your ability to persuadesomeone Street Cred is a point pool that can be spent to
obtain services temporary contacts information and a variety
of other benefits during the course of an adventure This poolrefreshes each adventure unless circumstances in the prior
adventure (like not getting the job done failing to protectsomeone killing an innocent etc) cause the characterrsquos Street
Cred score to drop
Characters can also pick up Minor or Major Hindrances thathave a lasting effect on their Street Cred score during the
course of an adventure These Hindrances can be removedby spending an Advance with the GMrsquos permission For more
information see Street Cred on page 264
CONTACTS
Each character can choose two contacts people the character
knows who he can call upon for aid or information during thecourse of an adventure These contacts can be anyone froma bartender or a hacker to a corporate executive or military
commander as long as it makes sense that your characterwould know the person(s)
STEP 4 OCCUPATIONS
Occupations are integral to your character concept providinga basic framework to enhance your characterrsquos background in
a very organic way helping you create a more well-rounded
18
CHARACTER CREATIONTRAITS
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character concept Each occupation has a requirement that thecharacter must meet to take it the characterrsquos bonus credits
gained each Advance and a special perk (like gear or specialabilities) the character gets for being part of that profession
STEP 5 EDGES AND HINDRANCES
Edges are special qualities that separate characters from theaverage sprawler Hindrances are physical and mental flaws
that add more depth to the character albeit in a negativeway See the Savage Worlds core rules for more information
on purchasing Edges and Hindrances New Edges and Hin-drances are provided later in this chapter
STEP 6 EQUIPMENT
In Interface Zero 20 characters select equipment cybernet-ics weapons and armor based on the power level the Game
Master sets for the campaign
Power Level This is the starting Power Level of the Cam-
paign as determined by the Game Master If the GM wants totell a story of gang members barely scraping by shersquoll mostlikely choose Gutter Punk as the Power Level If she envi-
sions a campaign where the players are a special governmenttask force dedicated to hunting down super terrorists the
Hyperchrome Warriors or Elite Operatives levels might be
more appropriate The Street Soldier Power Level (designedfor ronin-style games) is considered the default Power Level
for Interface Zero 20
Starting Credits This is the amount of money characters
start with at the beginning of the campaign These credits
may be spent on anything the player wishes and the GM hasnot barred from the campaign including augments drones
weapons and armor
Augments Every Power Level above Gutter Punk allows theplayers to start with at least one augment from the core book
equal to or below the monetary amount listed Unspent Creditsfrom this pool do not carry over when the game starts These
augments must be chosen from the master list of augments
not augment packages
STEP 7 BACKGROUND
They say the devil is in the details and here is where you
decide how devilish yoursquore going to be You donrsquot need towrite a novel and frankly this step isnrsquot mandatory That said
itrsquos a good idea to jot down a few notes on your characterrsquosbackground any major events in her life any friends the
names of contacts or even enemies she might have Share
these ideas with your Game Master GMs are always lookingfor good plot hooks and little tidbits they can use to person-
alize your experience at the table The more detailed yourbackground is the better
ARCHETYPESSometimes you may want to quickly create a character for
a one-shot or convention adventure For those occasions anArchetype is a good choice
All are built for a human character with two Edges If you wish
to play a race other than human simply plug in the statisticaldata If yoursquore playing a human you
can choose another Edge Thenchoose your gear based on the
Power Level your group haschosen give the character
a name and yoursquore ready
to go
19
ARCHETYPES
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AGENT
BOUNTY HUNTER
20
AGENT 991251 BOUNTY HUNTER
20
ARCHETYPESAGENT 991251 BOUNTY HUNTER
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CYBERMONK
DRONE JOCKEY
21
CYBERMONK 991251 DRONE JOCKEY
21
ARCHETYPESCYBERMONK 991251 DRONE JOCKEY
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GANGER
GRIFTER
22
GANGER 991251 GRIFTER
22
ARCHETYPESGANGER 991251 GRIFTER
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HACKER
IDOL
23
HACKER 991251 IDOL
23
ARCHETYPESHACKER 991251 IDOL
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INVESTIGATIVE JOURNALIST
PATCH MAN
24
INVESTIGATIVE JOURNALIST 991251 PATCH MAN
24
ARCHETYPESINVESTIGATIVE JOURNALIST 991251 PATCH MAN
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RONIN
SECTOR COP
25
RONIN 991251 SECTOR COP
25
ARCHETYPESRONIN 991251 SECTOR COP
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SMUGGLER
EX-SOLDIER
26
SMUGGLER 991251 EX983085SOLDIER
26
ARCHETYPESSMUGGLER 991251 EX983085SOLDIER
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STREET RAT
ZEEK
27
STREET RAT 991251 ZEEK
27
ARCHETYPESSTREET RAT 991251 ZEEK
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RACESThe following races are available for play in Interface Zero 20
Most people are born into the world flesh-and-bloodbabies with mothers and fathers You were bornon an assembly line your parents faceless roboticsengineers who designed you in some research facilityYour body is composed of lightweight yetdurable polymers with plastic and fiber-opticwiring connecting to microscopic receptorsthroughout your framework
You see through digital lenses and hear viamicrophones on each side of your head Yourvoice is a pleasant if somewhat monotonesound piped through a speaker crafted to
resemble a mouth Your brain is a softball-sized digital network consisting of billionsof nanomachines which perform countlesscomputations every second in order to simulatean organic mdash human mdash thinking process
You are artificially intelligent Your capacity forrational critical thinking and decision-makingequals mdash and in many cases exceeds mdash that ofany human being on the planet Yet a waffle ironprobably has more rights than you do Moreoverat some point you have been (and technically stillare) owned perhaps by an individual but more likelyby a megaconglomorate mdash your parent companyThe tasks you performed for the megacorp varieddepending on your design specs but they mighthave included security manual labor combat and
strangely enough even prostitution
But that was then
At some point in your history you experiencedsomething The incident sparked a computation processwithin your neural network best described as an epiphanyPerhaps you saw a human being die or witnessed a couplekissing Or perhaps you were the victim of vio lence at thehands of a human being angered by your presence insociety The event led to a series of internal processes andsubroutines more commonly known as questions Thesewerenrsquot rational system queries based on clearly definedparameters but nebulous ones for which you were unableto formulate an appropriate response
ldquoIf that woman is smiling why are her eyes filled with tearsrdquo
ldquoWhat does it mean to be deadrdquo
ldquoWhat does it mean to hate or loverdquo
The experience altered your programming on a fundamentallevel The dictums of your creators no longer seemedrelevant when compared to your newfound imperative toanswer the questions you had so you left Now you makeyour way in the world just as any other person does mdash atleast you try to at any rate The world wasnrsquot made for youYou were built for it And even though you no longer serveyour masters you are still a machine an outsider look ingat life through glass eyes
MAKING ANDROIDS
All androids regardless of their function share a few fun-damental design characteristics Androids can purchase
cyberware just as anyone else can and suffer from Strain
bull Construct Androids add +2 to recover from being Shaken
donrsquot suffer wound modifiers and are immune to poisonand disease Androids cannot heal naturally To heal an
android requires the Repair skill mdash which is used like theHealing skill only with no ldquoGolden Hourrdquo
bull Dual Processors Androids start with a d6 in Smarts
bull EMP Vulnerability Androids suffer full damage from EMPWeapons
bull Metal Brain Androids canrsquot take Arcane Back-
ground (Psionics)
bull Metallic Alloy The fully metallic hide of an
android provides resistance to small arms fire
They have +2 Armor
bull Outsider Organic races often mistrust or mis-
understand androids They subtract 2 from their
Charisma when dealing with races other thantheir own
bull Primary Protocol Androids begin with a free
d6 in one skill representing their core operat-ing system
bull Recharge Androids need electricity to func-tion If the android canrsquot access an electrical
outlet of some sort at least once per day he
suffers a level of Fatigue each day until hersquosincapacitated The day after that he goes ldquooff-
linerdquo and must be reactivated with a Repairroll and a four-hour charge This replaces the
androidrsquos need for food or water
bull Unnatural Psionics both beneficial and det-rimental suffer a minus2 penalty to affect androids
This has no effect on damaging powers whichaffect them normally
It was easy to make the decision Yoursquod get a new metalbody that works better than the original You wouldnrsquot haveto spend your familyrsquos money on more expensive surgeriesto keep your failing body alive but that decision didnrsquot comewithout a cost Yoursquod lose the ability to feel the abil ity topick up your son without worrying about crushing himYoursquod lose the feel of your wifersquos body when you made loveto her If you canrsquot feel anything arenrsquot you already dead
In the end you chose to become a cyborg to have your
brain encased in metal Most days it doesnrsquot make muchdifference You come home to an empty house your sonand wife long gone Maybe theyrsquod have stayed if yoursquodonly kept your hearthellip
MAKING CYBORGS
Little is more frightening in batt le than a cyborg Theyrsquore not
much more than an organic brain in an androidrsquos body Cyborgscome in humanoid form simply for ease of transition to the
new body The majority of cyborgs work for their respectivegovernments or powerful corporations who can afford the
procedure for trusted personnel However more and morecyborgs are beginning to find their way to the private sector
bull Augmented Cyborgs are built to be cybernetic beasts
They begin play with a single Streetware Augment witha Strain of 1
bull Construct Cyborgs add +2 to recover from being Shaken
donrsquot suffer wound modifiers and are immune to poisonand disease Cyborgs cannot heal naturally To heal a
Cyborg requires the Repair skill which is used like theHealing skill only with no ldquoGolden Hourrdquo
bull EMP Shielding Cyborgs have 2 points of Armor when
attacked by an EMP weapon
bull EMP Vulnerability Cyborgs suffer full damage from EMP
bull Metallic Alloy The fully metall ic hide of a cyborg providesresistance to small arms fire They have +2 Armor
bull Outsider Most people are naturally put off by someonewho has opted to have all traces of their humanity
removed to be placed in a cold metal war machine They
suffer minus2 to Charisma when dealing with non-cyborgs
bull Specialized Diet Cyborgs cannot digest normal food and
require special food filled with nutrients to keep theirbrains healthy This raises their lifestyle costs by 1000credits
bull Tactile Dimming The Cyborgrsquos body isnrsquot as sensitive as
a human body Cyborgs suffer a minus2 to tasks where finemanipulation of objects is important Picking a lock or
performing surgery could be two examples Shootingand Fighting are usually unaffected
HUMAN
Nicknames Norms Homo-sapiens Earthlings Plain Jane
Baseline average normal mdash these words always described
you You prefer to think of yourself as adaptable versatileor unique You were born to human parents who eitherwouldnrsquot or couldnrsquot pay for genetic enhancement Youdidnrsquot go for that ldquoHybr idizationrdquo craze Yoursquore happy beingwho you are and you donrsquot need some scientists muckingaround with your genetics Really do they even know whatthe consequences of all that meddling will have on thepopulation in a hundred years No yoursquoll play it cool and
just be human
MAKING HUMANS
Despite all the choices and new races running around ordi-nary homo-sapiens still dominate the planet Humans are
tough adaptable creatures who face adversity head onWhile they may not have some of the distinct advantages
of their enhanced peers humans get by through being moreadaptable
bull Adaptability Humans start with one extra Edge
HUMAN 20
Nicknames Coded Eli tist Eugenic Gen-Xyrsquoer Neo-HumansSavant
You were born with the best genes money can buy Yourparents went to a design house early in your motherrsquosfirst trimester and began a series of genetic treatmentsdesigned to give you every chance at living a life theynever had Your DNA cocktail might include mental traitsfrom some of the greatest minds of the past 60 yearsAlternately you might have some kind of artistic or athleticability In any case yoursquore better than most people aroundyou in some ways and you know it Itrsquos not your faultthough Yoursquore just built that way
MAKING HUMAN 20
bull Advanced Ability You begin play with one attribute at d6
bull Arrogant Human 20s are known for their huge egos
Whether itrsquos nature or nurture is still up for debate Theyhave the Arrogant Hindrance If you choose an Archetype
that already has the Arrogant Hindrance choose another
RACESCYBORG 991251 HUMAN 20
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On June 30th 2089 Germany wracked with political in-
fighting riots in the streets and a general state of chaos
closed its borders Officially the stated reason was for secu-rity reasons stemming from conflict along the border with
France but most people donrsquot believe it Chancellor KonradGerste authorized a financial bailout of the three largest
manufacturers of weapons and military equipment for
the German army The move has frightened many of the
Eastern European nations mdash especially the good people ofPoland mdash who know well what happens when Germans
begin preparing for war and make no mistake Germany ismoving to a war footing
Payne_Man Watch out Zee Germans are cumming LOL
Klaus What Canrsquot my brethren move to protectthemselves from the chaos in France And why the veiledreference to WWII Itrsquos been nearly 150 years since Hitlerrsquosmadness yet nobody allows us to forget it
THE BEAR AND THE DRAGON
As the situation in Europe grew worse China took advantageof the weakened Eurasian Union grabbing up huge swathes
of territory in Russia its armies advancing as far west as the
Ural Mountain range where Russian forces managed to haltthe dragonrsquos advance Still the damage was done By August2089 the Mandarinate had established itself as an occupy-
ing power in every city town and village east of the Ural
Mountains That hasnrsquot stopped the Russians from retaliatinghowever Russian patriots have begun an insurgency attack-
ing Chinese forces wherever they can be found Mandarinatemouthpieces paint the insurgents as terrorists to little effect
as the insurgency swells in number every day
Neon_Bright This isnrsquot just a struggle against Chineseaggression Vast resources have been found ever sinceSiberia began to thaw Irsquom talking about precious mineralsoil even the land is useful for development especiallywhen you consider billions of people live in eastern Asia
Luciferion Agreed Neon
LIFE IN GENERAL
So how have the above events impacted life as we stumbleinto 2090 In numerous ways omae There isnrsquot enough time
to go into great detail about how war the Flare and espe-
cially the rise of Charon have affected the life of the averagesprawler across the world but Irsquo ll go over some of the more
important details Pay attention peeps some of this mightkeep you alive
SURVIVING HYPER REALITY
As I mentioned above when the Flare knocked out the GENIEnetwork it caused widespread chaos And while GENIE is back
up and running there are still glitches in the system Sure
firmware updates to the Tendril Access Processor mdash TAP as itrsquosmore commonly known mdash allow you to turn off that modem
in your brain but wellhelliplet me put it like this Hyper Realityhas become smarter even deadly if you donrsquot have the right
software installed in your TAP
Sane_Prophet Why bother putting up more and morefilters It is senseless A futile fight against powers fargreater than yourself Open your eyes open your mindand set yourself free from this prison of so-called reality
BatRastard Right and then with the first meme to fry myneurons Irsquoll be spending my life savings on the Fat Sallyrsquosdown the block Brilliant
Sane_Prophet Fat Sally rsquos secret sauce is an interdimen-sional gateway into the heights of ecstasy
BatRastard Actually thatrsquos the first thing you and I haveever agreed on
Irsquove discussed this phenomena with numerous program-mers across the world and they all agree virii spam and allmanner of malware that [prior to the Flare] would have been
easy to purge from your head are now behaving much dif-
ferently Itrsquos almost as if the things evolved into somethingnot-quite-sentient but damned close to it
So what does this mean for you
If you choose to experience Hyper Reality (and if you have aTAP in your brain you have) itrsquos only a matter of time before
one of these virii hacks into your brain Therersquos nothing youcan really do about it itrsquos just one of the many fun facts of
life in 2090 I do find it ironic that af ter decades of enjoying
the connectivity and convenience the TAP has provided thistechnology seems to be actively trying to kill us and there
isnrsquot much we can do about it without going back to medi-eval times You know the 1980rsquos Of course some of you out
there will want to turn your TAPs off for good and avoid the
risk entirely Hell some of you might be considering gettingthe damned thing removed
You can do that sure Of course that means yoursquore also
not connected to the grid that makes your life so unbeliev-ably convenient This causes a mult itude of problems Donrsquot
believe me Try walking out of your house Oh right you canrsquotbecause most doors donrsquot have handles anymore Theyrsquore
automated and respond to the signals coming from your TAPI know some are activated by motion sensors and donrsquot rely
on the TAP But no door which is designed with security in
mind will open so easilyThis also means you have almost zero access to vehicles or
places where you can buy things like grocery stores Yeah
sure you can just follow someone else into said store butthe security cameras will spot you and not having a digital
record of your presence (which they get from your TAP) willflag you and dispatch a security team to find out who you
are So there you are in your local Malmart looking for some
cloned steaks to fire up on your grill later on when securitycomes with their big guns and ldquowhat the hell are you doing
here scumbagrdquo looks on their faces to boot you back out intothe streets where you came from
Oh how did you plan on paying for them BTW now that
your TAP is offline and the clerk canrsquot sync her cash register
with your payment software And NO they donrsquot take cashThe point is this omae All that convenience you were usedto goes out the window when you unplug Itrsquos much easier
to get strong firewalls than it is to live outside the system
So think about what I said before you scratch that itch at thebase of your skull with a scalpel
SURVIVING THE STREETS
The streets have always been dangerous thatrsquos a givenWhen you cram millions of people into a concrete and steel
petri dish then forget about 999 of them you create abreeding ground for violence hate and societal devolution
13
INTRODUCTIONLIFE IN GENERAL
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on such a scale that social Darwinists like Herbert Spencer and
Thomas Malthus would roll over in their graves
Again that in itself is nothing new The streets have alwaysbeen violent but ever since the events I previously described
came to pass mdash especially the Flare and the implosion of theEurasian Union mdash the number of homeless people across the
world has sky-rocketed The petri dish is frothing and over-
flowing as new gangs emerge mdash and Irsquom talking globally not just in North America mdash and carve out their own terri tory
This upsets the balance ami and makes it harder to survivewhen yoursquore just a blooper looking to make it through the
day because now you have new predators to deal with n00bbangers making up their own rules as they go And the cop-
suckers donrsquot help
Protect and serve What a load of crap
Sure yoursquol l get Triple-A service if you live in one of the moneybubbles but try getting help in say the Aurora Barrens or
the Gary Hell Zone and yoursquore basically fucked Yeah thereare token patrols and the ever-present drones but drones
get shot down and the copsuckers are so outnumbered
most are either so scared to get into an altercation with thepredators or theyrsquore on the take I canrsquot say I blame them
either The streets are a war zone and if you wear the badgeyoursquore marked for death omae So take my advice and get
strapped The only person you can count on in the concrete jungle is you
Sorry_U_Asked Think twice before trying to claim a badgebounty though Sure plenty of honchos love to pay topcredit for proof that yoursquove kept the law from poking aroundtheir territory But just because you see someone wearingone doesnrsquot mean they got it legit Lots of gangers wearthem as trophies So if you drop a shot on a copsuckerthinking yoursquove hit payday you might end up with a wholeband of bangers snarling on your heels
SURVIVING THE GAME
Therersquos an old saying The Game is the Game mdash you eitherplay it or you get played I donrsquot care if you contract free-
lance fight fix hack patch or scam yoursquore in it omae andthat puts you at odds with every other player out there Most
people approach the game as a means to an end thinking
that one shiny day theyrsquoll earn enough creds to go someplacewarm and dry and live out their lives in style These clowns
donrsquot last Theyrsquore so busy dreaming about the good timesthat they lose focus on whatrsquos right in front of their face (or
creeping up behind them) Dreamers get sloppy take short
cuts betray their team and torch their street cred like gutterpunks burn trash in a garbage can to keep warm
If you want to survive the game you need to take a lesson
from these dreamers keep your mind on the job Therersquos nosandy beach waiting for you The megacorps bought them
all and turned lsquoem into parking lots The only fruity drinksyoursquoll ever drink are sold in the local watering hole by some
burned-out ronin The best you can hope for is a litt le bit of
comfort mdash usually behind a small fortress if yoursquore smart mdash andthe respect of the streets But thatrsquos a double-edged sword
another facet of the game Therersquos always someone faster
than you some hungry up-and-comer with the latest aug-ments wanting to prove herself by dealing you out Sucksto be a victim of your own success but thatrsquos the truth of it
My advice Find a way to deal yourself out clean Put some
creds away never burn your contacts and donrsquot ever everbecome a legend
Legends die
14
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CHARACTER
CREATION
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CHAPTER TWOCHARACTER CREATION
Characters are the lifersquos blood of any role-playing game the
focal point of every story Characters represent the best mdash orthe worst mdash ideals of a given game setting their actions either
bringing a small measure of hope to the downtrodden massesor serving to strengthen the status quo In the grim gritty
world of Interface Zero 20 the characters you play walk amonofilament edge between traditional mdash some would say
outdated or just plain irrelevant mdash concepts of good and evilas they make their way in the world
Indeed itrsquos hard to be a moral individual in a world where
most of the animals prowling the concrete jungle believe prin-ciples are character flaws mdash weaknesses to exploit for their
own ends Your morality marks you as prey no doubt aboutit omae But if you can keep your moral code if you can get
your job done without selling your soul yoursquoll get something
most sprawlers never have respect
Evil on the other hand is the same as it always has been
therersquos just more of it The wicked always thrive in a world
where violence fear and control are tools used for self-serv-ing ends but herersquos the thing Acting like an ass can get you
green-lit just as quickly as playing the role of the goody-two-shoes marks you as a sucker amigo
Nobody likes a dickhead even if they donrsquot say it to your
face Sooner or later yoursquoll get a rep for being a hard-assand someone who is stronger meaner or a bigger asshole
than you is going to come along and knock you back to thegutter you crawled out of Thatrsquos why most people keep their
heads down and their mouths shut Donrsquot make eye contact
itrsquos a challenge to the predators and if you donrsquot have thestones to back up the challenge yoursquore nothing but meat
But if you can stay strong and defeat all comers that com-mands respect too
This chapter provides you with the tools you need to make
a character for Interface Zero 20 The process is the same ascreating a character for any Savage Worlds game with a few
additions Interface Zero 20 introduces Street Cred Contactsand Strain to the game
STEP 1 CONCEPT
The first thing you need to do is decide on a concept for your
character Will you play a hacker Perhaps a mercenary orbounty hunter is more your speed Are mercs and hunters toocutthroat for your style of play If so you might think about
playing a ronin an urban warrior who follows his own code
of honor Maybe you want to be the guy (or gal) who backsthe team up with drones capable of laying down covering
fire or scouting ahead to see where the bad guys are hiding
You donrsquot need to have your concept locked in right now butat least have a basic idea of the type of character you want
to play Take a few minutes and skip ahead to the archetypessection in this chapter to see a variety of options available
to you
STEP 2 RACEThe next thing you need to do is choose a race In 2090
humanity has reached the point where the word ldquohumanrdquo is
almost irrelevant Human DNA is no longer a mystery Itrsquos amathematical code technomancers hack re-write and copy
at will producing genetically superior beings the Human 20
Others snip and paste animal DNA and splice it with humanDNA to create genetic hybrids a fusion of man and animal
Science has even advanced to such an extent that we can
create entirely new life forms mdash living beings known as simula-cra mdash in amniotic vats growing them until they have matured
filling their synthetic brains with memories and skills theyrsquollneed to do the jobs for which they were created
STEP 3 TRAITS
Traits are the building blocks of any Savage Worlds character
They define how strong or fast your character is and what
she knows Traits determine how much cyberware she canput into her body how much damage she can take before
dying her standing with others and a variety of other thingsall of which are essential to the game
ATTRIBUTES
Five attributes are used to define your characterrsquos physi-cal characteristics These are Agility Smarts Spirit Strength
and Vigor Each attribute starts at d4 You have 5 points withwhich to raise these attr ibutes and one point equals a risein a die type (d4 to d6 d6 to d8 etc) No attribute may rise
higher than d12 during character creation unless stated undera racial ability For more information on attributes refer to
the Savage Worlds core rules
SKILLS
You have 15 points to spend on your characterrsquos skills Your
character doesnrsquot start with any skills and must spend 1 pointto get a skill at a d4 He spends 1 point to raise a skill to a
higher die type as long as the skill level is equal to or less
than the linked attribute Raising any skill above the linkedattribute costs 2 points per step No skill may rise above d12
during character creation
Note If you are using the skill specializations rules you get 20points for skills and each new specialization costs 1 skill point
during character creation When your character advances shemay purchase 2 skill specializations for an advance or a new
skill and a single specialization
NEW SKILLS
The following are new skills introduced in Interface Zero 20
For information on all other skills see Skills in the Savage
Worlds core rules
16
CHARACTER CREATIONCONCEPT RACE TRAITS
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Hacking (Smarts) The Hacking skill is used whenever a
character wants to hack a computer network Characters in
Interface Zero 20 no longer start with an automatic d4 inHacking Additionally characters who wish to use the Global
DataNet for everyday purposes such as research or findingnews pertaining to the Deep do so with their existing Inves-
tigation and Streetwise skills
Knowledge (Demolitions) Successful use of demolitions canmean the difference between destruction of the target as
planned and unplanned loss of life and property The skill also
lets the character have an understanding of what the besttype of explosive is for the obstacle and how much they will
need to remove such an obstacle In addition a raise on theresult will let them know the exact distance they need to be
from the explosion based upon the size of the charge the con-
fines and damage created by said explosion This skill is usedany time a character wants to put a satchel charge together
or set explosives A Critical Failure will result in immediatedetonation Simple failure will result in premature detonation
or no detonation at all
Knowledge (Programming) Characters use this skill when
attempting to make any kind of change to a network theyhave hacked This skill allows a character to undo damagedone as a result of a hack With it a character can do things
like undo an edit to a data file or video reconstruct a deleted
file repair an AMS (see Active Memory Sectors on page 274in the Sett ing Rules chapter) recover a deleted skill Engram
or reconnect a TAP that has gone offline
OPTIONAL RULE SKILL SPECIALIZATIONS
Interface Zero 20 is an advanced setting where knowing
how to do one thing doesnrsquot necessarily mean you can dosomething which under the regular skill rules would techni-
cally be possible with the same skill Take the various DrivingBoating and Piloting skills for example
Using the regular skill rules a character with Driving couldtheoretically drive anything from a motorcycle to a semi-truckor a tank Similarly Piloting assumes a character has the skills
to pilot all types of aircraft including fighter jets and space-
craft Pinnacle Entertainment addressed this issue by addingthe Skill Specialization setting rule in the Savage Worlds core
rules and it is highly recommended that those rules are usedfor Interface Zero 20
The following list of skill specializations are provided to get
you started This isnrsquot intended to be a comprehensive listof appropriate skill specializations but rather a broad cross
section of specializations we feel are appropriate If some-thing doesnrsquot appear on the list make it up if it seems right
But remember the GM always has the final say on what is or
isnrsquot appropriate for her campaign
SUGGESTED SPECIALIZATIONS
bull Boating Powered Sailed Submersible
bull Climbing Mountaineering Rappelling Rope
bull Driving Car (4 wheels) Hovercraft JUMP Bike MotorcycleTruck (6+ wheels) Tracked
bull Fighting Axe Blades Blunt Cyberweapon Long Blade
bull Shooting Bow Pistol Rifle Shotgun Submachine GunVehicle Weapon or by weapon category
bull Stealth Disguise Hiding Sleight of Hand Sneaking
bull Streetwise AreaRegion (Corporate Zone Gang Turf etc)
bull Survival Aquatic Arctic Desert Forest Jungle MountainSpace urban or any specific environment
bull Swimming Lake Ocean SCUBA Divingbull Taunt Verbal Visual
bull Throwing Darts Grenades Knives Spears
bull Tracking Animals Global DataNet Humans Urban
Vehicles
OPTIONAL SKILL ATHLETICS
Rather than breaking up basic things like Climbing and Swim-ming it is recommended to combine them into a single skill
which would allow for specialization
Athletics (Vigor) Athletics as a catch-all for a number ofphysical endeavors ranging from climbing to swimming to
moving around effectively in a no mdash or low-gravity environ-
ment Athletics should be used instead of Agility in foot chasesand effectively replaces both the Climbing and Swimming skills
Specializations Climbing Leaping Running Sport (specific)
Swimming Zero-G Maneuvers
LANGUAGES
All characters speak their native language plus a number ofadditional languages equaling one-half their Smarts die The
major trade languages used in Interface Zero 20 are Chinese
English Hindi Portuguese and Swahili Additional languagescan be learned by using an advancement opportunity
DERIVED STATISTICS
There are a few statistics which are important in any SavageWorlds game Charisma Pace Parry and Toughness
CHARISMA
Charisma is an abstract measure of your characterrsquos appear-ance how she deals with others socially and generally how
likeable she is Charisma starts at 0 but can be modified byEdges and Hindrances Charisma is also added to Streetwise
and Persuasion rolls The Game Master uses Charisma to figure
out how NPCrsquos react to your character For more informationon Charisma see the Savage Worlds core rules
PACE
Pace is a measure of how far your character can walk in a
standard combat round Human characters have a base Paceof 6 and can run at an additional 1d6rdquo Other races in Interface
Zero 20 can have different starting Pace scores based on the
racial template you choose For more information on Pacesee the Savage Worlds core rules
PARRY
Parry is equal to 2 plus half your characterrsquos Fighting skillplus modifiers gained from use of shields or certain weapons
If your character does not have the Fighting skill base Parry
starts at 2 For more information on Parry see the SavageWorlds core rules
TOUGHNESS
Toughness is a measure of how much damage your character
can take before becoming Shaken or wounded Toughness is2 plus half your characterrsquos Vigor plus any armor she might
be wearing For more information on Toughness see the
Savage Worlds core rules
NEW DERIVED STATSInterface Zero 20 introduces three new derived statis-
tics mdash Firewall Strain and Street Cred
FIREWALL
Unless your character has the Unplugged Hindrance she hasa Tendril Access Processor (TAP) and therefore has a built-
in firewall The firewall protects against attempts to hack a
characterrsquos TAP A characterrsquos Firewall rating star ts at 4 but
can be modified by Edges Hindrances or software
STRAIN
Strain measures the amount of stress cyberware and biowareputs on your body when you install it Strain starts at zero
and each piece of cyberware adds to your Strain stat Highlevels of Strain can lead to death More details on Strain are
located at Augments on page 262
STREET CRED
Street Cred is a measure of your character rsquos reputation on
the streets All characters begin play with 2 points of StreetCred modified by Edges or Hindrances and gain another 2
points every time they gain a new Rank The maximum StreetCred a character can normally achieve is 10 (some Edges and
Occupations can increase this number)
Unlike Charisma which measures your ability to persuadesomeone Street Cred is a point pool that can be spent to
obtain services temporary contacts information and a variety
of other benefits during the course of an adventure This poolrefreshes each adventure unless circumstances in the prior
adventure (like not getting the job done failing to protectsomeone killing an innocent etc) cause the characterrsquos Street
Cred score to drop
Characters can also pick up Minor or Major Hindrances thathave a lasting effect on their Street Cred score during the
course of an adventure These Hindrances can be removedby spending an Advance with the GMrsquos permission For more
information see Street Cred on page 264
CONTACTS
Each character can choose two contacts people the character
knows who he can call upon for aid or information during thecourse of an adventure These contacts can be anyone froma bartender or a hacker to a corporate executive or military
commander as long as it makes sense that your characterwould know the person(s)
STEP 4 OCCUPATIONS
Occupations are integral to your character concept providinga basic framework to enhance your characterrsquos background in
a very organic way helping you create a more well-rounded
18
CHARACTER CREATIONTRAITS
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character concept Each occupation has a requirement that thecharacter must meet to take it the characterrsquos bonus credits
gained each Advance and a special perk (like gear or specialabilities) the character gets for being part of that profession
STEP 5 EDGES AND HINDRANCES
Edges are special qualities that separate characters from theaverage sprawler Hindrances are physical and mental flaws
that add more depth to the character albeit in a negativeway See the Savage Worlds core rules for more information
on purchasing Edges and Hindrances New Edges and Hin-drances are provided later in this chapter
STEP 6 EQUIPMENT
In Interface Zero 20 characters select equipment cybernet-ics weapons and armor based on the power level the Game
Master sets for the campaign
Power Level This is the starting Power Level of the Cam-
paign as determined by the Game Master If the GM wants totell a story of gang members barely scraping by shersquoll mostlikely choose Gutter Punk as the Power Level If she envi-
sions a campaign where the players are a special governmenttask force dedicated to hunting down super terrorists the
Hyperchrome Warriors or Elite Operatives levels might be
more appropriate The Street Soldier Power Level (designedfor ronin-style games) is considered the default Power Level
for Interface Zero 20
Starting Credits This is the amount of money characters
start with at the beginning of the campaign These credits
may be spent on anything the player wishes and the GM hasnot barred from the campaign including augments drones
weapons and armor
Augments Every Power Level above Gutter Punk allows theplayers to start with at least one augment from the core book
equal to or below the monetary amount listed Unspent Creditsfrom this pool do not carry over when the game starts These
augments must be chosen from the master list of augments
not augment packages
STEP 7 BACKGROUND
They say the devil is in the details and here is where you
decide how devilish yoursquore going to be You donrsquot need towrite a novel and frankly this step isnrsquot mandatory That said
itrsquos a good idea to jot down a few notes on your characterrsquosbackground any major events in her life any friends the
names of contacts or even enemies she might have Share
these ideas with your Game Master GMs are always lookingfor good plot hooks and little tidbits they can use to person-
alize your experience at the table The more detailed yourbackground is the better
ARCHETYPESSometimes you may want to quickly create a character for
a one-shot or convention adventure For those occasions anArchetype is a good choice
All are built for a human character with two Edges If you wish
to play a race other than human simply plug in the statisticaldata If yoursquore playing a human you
can choose another Edge Thenchoose your gear based on the
Power Level your group haschosen give the character
a name and yoursquore ready
to go
19
ARCHETYPES
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AGENT
BOUNTY HUNTER
20
AGENT 991251 BOUNTY HUNTER
20
ARCHETYPESAGENT 991251 BOUNTY HUNTER
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CYBERMONK
DRONE JOCKEY
21
CYBERMONK 991251 DRONE JOCKEY
21
ARCHETYPESCYBERMONK 991251 DRONE JOCKEY
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GANGER
GRIFTER
22
GANGER 991251 GRIFTER
22
ARCHETYPESGANGER 991251 GRIFTER
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HACKER
IDOL
23
HACKER 991251 IDOL
23
ARCHETYPESHACKER 991251 IDOL
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INVESTIGATIVE JOURNALIST
PATCH MAN
24
INVESTIGATIVE JOURNALIST 991251 PATCH MAN
24
ARCHETYPESINVESTIGATIVE JOURNALIST 991251 PATCH MAN
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RONIN
SECTOR COP
25
RONIN 991251 SECTOR COP
25
ARCHETYPESRONIN 991251 SECTOR COP
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SMUGGLER
EX-SOLDIER
26
SMUGGLER 991251 EX983085SOLDIER
26
ARCHETYPESSMUGGLER 991251 EX983085SOLDIER
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STREET RAT
ZEEK
27
STREET RAT 991251 ZEEK
27
ARCHETYPESSTREET RAT 991251 ZEEK
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RACESThe following races are available for play in Interface Zero 20
Most people are born into the world flesh-and-bloodbabies with mothers and fathers You were bornon an assembly line your parents faceless roboticsengineers who designed you in some research facilityYour body is composed of lightweight yetdurable polymers with plastic and fiber-opticwiring connecting to microscopic receptorsthroughout your framework
You see through digital lenses and hear viamicrophones on each side of your head Yourvoice is a pleasant if somewhat monotonesound piped through a speaker crafted to
resemble a mouth Your brain is a softball-sized digital network consisting of billionsof nanomachines which perform countlesscomputations every second in order to simulatean organic mdash human mdash thinking process
You are artificially intelligent Your capacity forrational critical thinking and decision-makingequals mdash and in many cases exceeds mdash that ofany human being on the planet Yet a waffle ironprobably has more rights than you do Moreoverat some point you have been (and technically stillare) owned perhaps by an individual but more likelyby a megaconglomorate mdash your parent companyThe tasks you performed for the megacorp varieddepending on your design specs but they mighthave included security manual labor combat and
strangely enough even prostitution
But that was then
At some point in your history you experiencedsomething The incident sparked a computation processwithin your neural network best described as an epiphanyPerhaps you saw a human being die or witnessed a couplekissing Or perhaps you were the victim of vio lence at thehands of a human being angered by your presence insociety The event led to a series of internal processes andsubroutines more commonly known as questions Thesewerenrsquot rational system queries based on clearly definedparameters but nebulous ones for which you were unableto formulate an appropriate response
ldquoIf that woman is smiling why are her eyes filled with tearsrdquo
ldquoWhat does it mean to be deadrdquo
ldquoWhat does it mean to hate or loverdquo
The experience altered your programming on a fundamentallevel The dictums of your creators no longer seemedrelevant when compared to your newfound imperative toanswer the questions you had so you left Now you makeyour way in the world just as any other person does mdash atleast you try to at any rate The world wasnrsquot made for youYou were built for it And even though you no longer serveyour masters you are still a machine an outsider look ingat life through glass eyes
MAKING ANDROIDS
All androids regardless of their function share a few fun-damental design characteristics Androids can purchase
cyberware just as anyone else can and suffer from Strain
bull Construct Androids add +2 to recover from being Shaken
donrsquot suffer wound modifiers and are immune to poisonand disease Androids cannot heal naturally To heal an
android requires the Repair skill mdash which is used like theHealing skill only with no ldquoGolden Hourrdquo
bull Dual Processors Androids start with a d6 in Smarts
bull EMP Vulnerability Androids suffer full damage from EMPWeapons
bull Metal Brain Androids canrsquot take Arcane Back-
ground (Psionics)
bull Metallic Alloy The fully metallic hide of an
android provides resistance to small arms fire
They have +2 Armor
bull Outsider Organic races often mistrust or mis-
understand androids They subtract 2 from their
Charisma when dealing with races other thantheir own
bull Primary Protocol Androids begin with a free
d6 in one skill representing their core operat-ing system
bull Recharge Androids need electricity to func-tion If the android canrsquot access an electrical
outlet of some sort at least once per day he
suffers a level of Fatigue each day until hersquosincapacitated The day after that he goes ldquooff-
linerdquo and must be reactivated with a Repairroll and a four-hour charge This replaces the
androidrsquos need for food or water
bull Unnatural Psionics both beneficial and det-rimental suffer a minus2 penalty to affect androids
This has no effect on damaging powers whichaffect them normally
It was easy to make the decision Yoursquod get a new metalbody that works better than the original You wouldnrsquot haveto spend your familyrsquos money on more expensive surgeriesto keep your failing body alive but that decision didnrsquot comewithout a cost Yoursquod lose the ability to feel the abil ity topick up your son without worrying about crushing himYoursquod lose the feel of your wifersquos body when you made loveto her If you canrsquot feel anything arenrsquot you already dead
In the end you chose to become a cyborg to have your
brain encased in metal Most days it doesnrsquot make muchdifference You come home to an empty house your sonand wife long gone Maybe theyrsquod have stayed if yoursquodonly kept your hearthellip
MAKING CYBORGS
Little is more frightening in batt le than a cyborg Theyrsquore not
much more than an organic brain in an androidrsquos body Cyborgscome in humanoid form simply for ease of transition to the
new body The majority of cyborgs work for their respectivegovernments or powerful corporations who can afford the
procedure for trusted personnel However more and morecyborgs are beginning to find their way to the private sector
bull Augmented Cyborgs are built to be cybernetic beasts
They begin play with a single Streetware Augment witha Strain of 1
bull Construct Cyborgs add +2 to recover from being Shaken
donrsquot suffer wound modifiers and are immune to poisonand disease Cyborgs cannot heal naturally To heal a
Cyborg requires the Repair skill which is used like theHealing skill only with no ldquoGolden Hourrdquo
bull EMP Shielding Cyborgs have 2 points of Armor when
attacked by an EMP weapon
bull EMP Vulnerability Cyborgs suffer full damage from EMP
bull Metallic Alloy The fully metall ic hide of a cyborg providesresistance to small arms fire They have +2 Armor
bull Outsider Most people are naturally put off by someonewho has opted to have all traces of their humanity
removed to be placed in a cold metal war machine They
suffer minus2 to Charisma when dealing with non-cyborgs
bull Specialized Diet Cyborgs cannot digest normal food and
require special food filled with nutrients to keep theirbrains healthy This raises their lifestyle costs by 1000credits
bull Tactile Dimming The Cyborgrsquos body isnrsquot as sensitive as
a human body Cyborgs suffer a minus2 to tasks where finemanipulation of objects is important Picking a lock or
performing surgery could be two examples Shootingand Fighting are usually unaffected
HUMAN
Nicknames Norms Homo-sapiens Earthlings Plain Jane
Baseline average normal mdash these words always described
you You prefer to think of yourself as adaptable versatileor unique You were born to human parents who eitherwouldnrsquot or couldnrsquot pay for genetic enhancement Youdidnrsquot go for that ldquoHybr idizationrdquo craze Yoursquore happy beingwho you are and you donrsquot need some scientists muckingaround with your genetics Really do they even know whatthe consequences of all that meddling will have on thepopulation in a hundred years No yoursquoll play it cool and
just be human
MAKING HUMANS
Despite all the choices and new races running around ordi-nary homo-sapiens still dominate the planet Humans are
tough adaptable creatures who face adversity head onWhile they may not have some of the distinct advantages
of their enhanced peers humans get by through being moreadaptable
bull Adaptability Humans start with one extra Edge
HUMAN 20
Nicknames Coded Eli tist Eugenic Gen-Xyrsquoer Neo-HumansSavant
You were born with the best genes money can buy Yourparents went to a design house early in your motherrsquosfirst trimester and began a series of genetic treatmentsdesigned to give you every chance at living a life theynever had Your DNA cocktail might include mental traitsfrom some of the greatest minds of the past 60 yearsAlternately you might have some kind of artistic or athleticability In any case yoursquore better than most people aroundyou in some ways and you know it Itrsquos not your faultthough Yoursquore just built that way
MAKING HUMAN 20
bull Advanced Ability You begin play with one attribute at d6
bull Arrogant Human 20s are known for their huge egos
Whether itrsquos nature or nurture is still up for debate Theyhave the Arrogant Hindrance If you choose an Archetype
that already has the Arrogant Hindrance choose another
RACESCYBORG 991251 HUMAN 20
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on such a scale that social Darwinists like Herbert Spencer and
Thomas Malthus would roll over in their graves
Again that in itself is nothing new The streets have alwaysbeen violent but ever since the events I previously described
came to pass mdash especially the Flare and the implosion of theEurasian Union mdash the number of homeless people across the
world has sky-rocketed The petri dish is frothing and over-
flowing as new gangs emerge mdash and Irsquom talking globally not just in North America mdash and carve out their own terri tory
This upsets the balance ami and makes it harder to survivewhen yoursquore just a blooper looking to make it through the
day because now you have new predators to deal with n00bbangers making up their own rules as they go And the cop-
suckers donrsquot help
Protect and serve What a load of crap
Sure yoursquol l get Triple-A service if you live in one of the moneybubbles but try getting help in say the Aurora Barrens or
the Gary Hell Zone and yoursquore basically fucked Yeah thereare token patrols and the ever-present drones but drones
get shot down and the copsuckers are so outnumbered
most are either so scared to get into an altercation with thepredators or theyrsquore on the take I canrsquot say I blame them
either The streets are a war zone and if you wear the badgeyoursquore marked for death omae So take my advice and get
strapped The only person you can count on in the concrete jungle is you
Sorry_U_Asked Think twice before trying to claim a badgebounty though Sure plenty of honchos love to pay topcredit for proof that yoursquove kept the law from poking aroundtheir territory But just because you see someone wearingone doesnrsquot mean they got it legit Lots of gangers wearthem as trophies So if you drop a shot on a copsuckerthinking yoursquove hit payday you might end up with a wholeband of bangers snarling on your heels
SURVIVING THE GAME
Therersquos an old saying The Game is the Game mdash you eitherplay it or you get played I donrsquot care if you contract free-
lance fight fix hack patch or scam yoursquore in it omae andthat puts you at odds with every other player out there Most
people approach the game as a means to an end thinking
that one shiny day theyrsquoll earn enough creds to go someplacewarm and dry and live out their lives in style These clowns
donrsquot last Theyrsquore so busy dreaming about the good timesthat they lose focus on whatrsquos right in front of their face (or
creeping up behind them) Dreamers get sloppy take short
cuts betray their team and torch their street cred like gutterpunks burn trash in a garbage can to keep warm
If you want to survive the game you need to take a lesson
from these dreamers keep your mind on the job Therersquos nosandy beach waiting for you The megacorps bought them
all and turned lsquoem into parking lots The only fruity drinksyoursquoll ever drink are sold in the local watering hole by some
burned-out ronin The best you can hope for is a litt le bit of
comfort mdash usually behind a small fortress if yoursquore smart mdash andthe respect of the streets But thatrsquos a double-edged sword
another facet of the game Therersquos always someone faster
than you some hungry up-and-comer with the latest aug-ments wanting to prove herself by dealing you out Sucksto be a victim of your own success but thatrsquos the truth of it
My advice Find a way to deal yourself out clean Put some
creds away never burn your contacts and donrsquot ever everbecome a legend
Legends die
14
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CHARACTER
CREATION
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CHAPTER TWOCHARACTER CREATION
Characters are the lifersquos blood of any role-playing game the
focal point of every story Characters represent the best mdash orthe worst mdash ideals of a given game setting their actions either
bringing a small measure of hope to the downtrodden massesor serving to strengthen the status quo In the grim gritty
world of Interface Zero 20 the characters you play walk amonofilament edge between traditional mdash some would say
outdated or just plain irrelevant mdash concepts of good and evilas they make their way in the world
Indeed itrsquos hard to be a moral individual in a world where
most of the animals prowling the concrete jungle believe prin-ciples are character flaws mdash weaknesses to exploit for their
own ends Your morality marks you as prey no doubt aboutit omae But if you can keep your moral code if you can get
your job done without selling your soul yoursquoll get something
most sprawlers never have respect
Evil on the other hand is the same as it always has been
therersquos just more of it The wicked always thrive in a world
where violence fear and control are tools used for self-serv-ing ends but herersquos the thing Acting like an ass can get you
green-lit just as quickly as playing the role of the goody-two-shoes marks you as a sucker amigo
Nobody likes a dickhead even if they donrsquot say it to your
face Sooner or later yoursquoll get a rep for being a hard-assand someone who is stronger meaner or a bigger asshole
than you is going to come along and knock you back to thegutter you crawled out of Thatrsquos why most people keep their
heads down and their mouths shut Donrsquot make eye contact
itrsquos a challenge to the predators and if you donrsquot have thestones to back up the challenge yoursquore nothing but meat
But if you can stay strong and defeat all comers that com-mands respect too
This chapter provides you with the tools you need to make
a character for Interface Zero 20 The process is the same ascreating a character for any Savage Worlds game with a few
additions Interface Zero 20 introduces Street Cred Contactsand Strain to the game
STEP 1 CONCEPT
The first thing you need to do is decide on a concept for your
character Will you play a hacker Perhaps a mercenary orbounty hunter is more your speed Are mercs and hunters toocutthroat for your style of play If so you might think about
playing a ronin an urban warrior who follows his own code
of honor Maybe you want to be the guy (or gal) who backsthe team up with drones capable of laying down covering
fire or scouting ahead to see where the bad guys are hiding
You donrsquot need to have your concept locked in right now butat least have a basic idea of the type of character you want
to play Take a few minutes and skip ahead to the archetypessection in this chapter to see a variety of options available
to you
STEP 2 RACEThe next thing you need to do is choose a race In 2090
humanity has reached the point where the word ldquohumanrdquo is
almost irrelevant Human DNA is no longer a mystery Itrsquos amathematical code technomancers hack re-write and copy
at will producing genetically superior beings the Human 20
Others snip and paste animal DNA and splice it with humanDNA to create genetic hybrids a fusion of man and animal
Science has even advanced to such an extent that we can
create entirely new life forms mdash living beings known as simula-cra mdash in amniotic vats growing them until they have matured
filling their synthetic brains with memories and skills theyrsquollneed to do the jobs for which they were created
STEP 3 TRAITS
Traits are the building blocks of any Savage Worlds character
They define how strong or fast your character is and what
she knows Traits determine how much cyberware she canput into her body how much damage she can take before
dying her standing with others and a variety of other thingsall of which are essential to the game
ATTRIBUTES
Five attributes are used to define your characterrsquos physi-cal characteristics These are Agility Smarts Spirit Strength
and Vigor Each attribute starts at d4 You have 5 points withwhich to raise these attr ibutes and one point equals a risein a die type (d4 to d6 d6 to d8 etc) No attribute may rise
higher than d12 during character creation unless stated undera racial ability For more information on attributes refer to
the Savage Worlds core rules
SKILLS
You have 15 points to spend on your characterrsquos skills Your
character doesnrsquot start with any skills and must spend 1 pointto get a skill at a d4 He spends 1 point to raise a skill to a
higher die type as long as the skill level is equal to or less
than the linked attribute Raising any skill above the linkedattribute costs 2 points per step No skill may rise above d12
during character creation
Note If you are using the skill specializations rules you get 20points for skills and each new specialization costs 1 skill point
during character creation When your character advances shemay purchase 2 skill specializations for an advance or a new
skill and a single specialization
NEW SKILLS
The following are new skills introduced in Interface Zero 20
For information on all other skills see Skills in the Savage
Worlds core rules
16
CHARACTER CREATIONCONCEPT RACE TRAITS
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Hacking (Smarts) The Hacking skill is used whenever a
character wants to hack a computer network Characters in
Interface Zero 20 no longer start with an automatic d4 inHacking Additionally characters who wish to use the Global
DataNet for everyday purposes such as research or findingnews pertaining to the Deep do so with their existing Inves-
tigation and Streetwise skills
Knowledge (Demolitions) Successful use of demolitions canmean the difference between destruction of the target as
planned and unplanned loss of life and property The skill also
lets the character have an understanding of what the besttype of explosive is for the obstacle and how much they will
need to remove such an obstacle In addition a raise on theresult will let them know the exact distance they need to be
from the explosion based upon the size of the charge the con-
fines and damage created by said explosion This skill is usedany time a character wants to put a satchel charge together
or set explosives A Critical Failure will result in immediatedetonation Simple failure will result in premature detonation
or no detonation at all
Knowledge (Programming) Characters use this skill when
attempting to make any kind of change to a network theyhave hacked This skill allows a character to undo damagedone as a result of a hack With it a character can do things
like undo an edit to a data file or video reconstruct a deleted
file repair an AMS (see Active Memory Sectors on page 274in the Sett ing Rules chapter) recover a deleted skill Engram
or reconnect a TAP that has gone offline
OPTIONAL RULE SKILL SPECIALIZATIONS
Interface Zero 20 is an advanced setting where knowing
how to do one thing doesnrsquot necessarily mean you can dosomething which under the regular skill rules would techni-
cally be possible with the same skill Take the various DrivingBoating and Piloting skills for example
Using the regular skill rules a character with Driving couldtheoretically drive anything from a motorcycle to a semi-truckor a tank Similarly Piloting assumes a character has the skills
to pilot all types of aircraft including fighter jets and space-
craft Pinnacle Entertainment addressed this issue by addingthe Skill Specialization setting rule in the Savage Worlds core
rules and it is highly recommended that those rules are usedfor Interface Zero 20
The following list of skill specializations are provided to get
you started This isnrsquot intended to be a comprehensive listof appropriate skill specializations but rather a broad cross
section of specializations we feel are appropriate If some-thing doesnrsquot appear on the list make it up if it seems right
But remember the GM always has the final say on what is or
isnrsquot appropriate for her campaign
SUGGESTED SPECIALIZATIONS
bull Boating Powered Sailed Submersible
bull Climbing Mountaineering Rappelling Rope
bull Driving Car (4 wheels) Hovercraft JUMP Bike MotorcycleTruck (6+ wheels) Tracked
bull Fighting Axe Blades Blunt Cyberweapon Long Blade
bull Shooting Bow Pistol Rifle Shotgun Submachine GunVehicle Weapon or by weapon category
bull Stealth Disguise Hiding Sleight of Hand Sneaking
bull Streetwise AreaRegion (Corporate Zone Gang Turf etc)
bull Survival Aquatic Arctic Desert Forest Jungle MountainSpace urban or any specific environment
bull Swimming Lake Ocean SCUBA Divingbull Taunt Verbal Visual
bull Throwing Darts Grenades Knives Spears
bull Tracking Animals Global DataNet Humans Urban
Vehicles
OPTIONAL SKILL ATHLETICS
Rather than breaking up basic things like Climbing and Swim-ming it is recommended to combine them into a single skill
which would allow for specialization
Athletics (Vigor) Athletics as a catch-all for a number ofphysical endeavors ranging from climbing to swimming to
moving around effectively in a no mdash or low-gravity environ-
ment Athletics should be used instead of Agility in foot chasesand effectively replaces both the Climbing and Swimming skills
Specializations Climbing Leaping Running Sport (specific)
Swimming Zero-G Maneuvers
LANGUAGES
All characters speak their native language plus a number ofadditional languages equaling one-half their Smarts die The
major trade languages used in Interface Zero 20 are Chinese
English Hindi Portuguese and Swahili Additional languagescan be learned by using an advancement opportunity
DERIVED STATISTICS
There are a few statistics which are important in any SavageWorlds game Charisma Pace Parry and Toughness
CHARISMA
Charisma is an abstract measure of your characterrsquos appear-ance how she deals with others socially and generally how
likeable she is Charisma starts at 0 but can be modified byEdges and Hindrances Charisma is also added to Streetwise
and Persuasion rolls The Game Master uses Charisma to figure
out how NPCrsquos react to your character For more informationon Charisma see the Savage Worlds core rules
PACE
Pace is a measure of how far your character can walk in a
standard combat round Human characters have a base Paceof 6 and can run at an additional 1d6rdquo Other races in Interface
Zero 20 can have different starting Pace scores based on the
racial template you choose For more information on Pacesee the Savage Worlds core rules
PARRY
Parry is equal to 2 plus half your characterrsquos Fighting skillplus modifiers gained from use of shields or certain weapons
If your character does not have the Fighting skill base Parry
starts at 2 For more information on Parry see the SavageWorlds core rules
TOUGHNESS
Toughness is a measure of how much damage your character
can take before becoming Shaken or wounded Toughness is2 plus half your characterrsquos Vigor plus any armor she might
be wearing For more information on Toughness see the
Savage Worlds core rules
NEW DERIVED STATSInterface Zero 20 introduces three new derived statis-
tics mdash Firewall Strain and Street Cred
FIREWALL
Unless your character has the Unplugged Hindrance she hasa Tendril Access Processor (TAP) and therefore has a built-
in firewall The firewall protects against attempts to hack a
characterrsquos TAP A characterrsquos Firewall rating star ts at 4 but
can be modified by Edges Hindrances or software
STRAIN
Strain measures the amount of stress cyberware and biowareputs on your body when you install it Strain starts at zero
and each piece of cyberware adds to your Strain stat Highlevels of Strain can lead to death More details on Strain are
located at Augments on page 262
STREET CRED
Street Cred is a measure of your character rsquos reputation on
the streets All characters begin play with 2 points of StreetCred modified by Edges or Hindrances and gain another 2
points every time they gain a new Rank The maximum StreetCred a character can normally achieve is 10 (some Edges and
Occupations can increase this number)
Unlike Charisma which measures your ability to persuadesomeone Street Cred is a point pool that can be spent to
obtain services temporary contacts information and a variety
of other benefits during the course of an adventure This poolrefreshes each adventure unless circumstances in the prior
adventure (like not getting the job done failing to protectsomeone killing an innocent etc) cause the characterrsquos Street
Cred score to drop
Characters can also pick up Minor or Major Hindrances thathave a lasting effect on their Street Cred score during the
course of an adventure These Hindrances can be removedby spending an Advance with the GMrsquos permission For more
information see Street Cred on page 264
CONTACTS
Each character can choose two contacts people the character
knows who he can call upon for aid or information during thecourse of an adventure These contacts can be anyone froma bartender or a hacker to a corporate executive or military
commander as long as it makes sense that your characterwould know the person(s)
STEP 4 OCCUPATIONS
Occupations are integral to your character concept providinga basic framework to enhance your characterrsquos background in
a very organic way helping you create a more well-rounded
18
CHARACTER CREATIONTRAITS
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character concept Each occupation has a requirement that thecharacter must meet to take it the characterrsquos bonus credits
gained each Advance and a special perk (like gear or specialabilities) the character gets for being part of that profession
STEP 5 EDGES AND HINDRANCES
Edges are special qualities that separate characters from theaverage sprawler Hindrances are physical and mental flaws
that add more depth to the character albeit in a negativeway See the Savage Worlds core rules for more information
on purchasing Edges and Hindrances New Edges and Hin-drances are provided later in this chapter
STEP 6 EQUIPMENT
In Interface Zero 20 characters select equipment cybernet-ics weapons and armor based on the power level the Game
Master sets for the campaign
Power Level This is the starting Power Level of the Cam-
paign as determined by the Game Master If the GM wants totell a story of gang members barely scraping by shersquoll mostlikely choose Gutter Punk as the Power Level If she envi-
sions a campaign where the players are a special governmenttask force dedicated to hunting down super terrorists the
Hyperchrome Warriors or Elite Operatives levels might be
more appropriate The Street Soldier Power Level (designedfor ronin-style games) is considered the default Power Level
for Interface Zero 20
Starting Credits This is the amount of money characters
start with at the beginning of the campaign These credits
may be spent on anything the player wishes and the GM hasnot barred from the campaign including augments drones
weapons and armor
Augments Every Power Level above Gutter Punk allows theplayers to start with at least one augment from the core book
equal to or below the monetary amount listed Unspent Creditsfrom this pool do not carry over when the game starts These
augments must be chosen from the master list of augments
not augment packages
STEP 7 BACKGROUND
They say the devil is in the details and here is where you
decide how devilish yoursquore going to be You donrsquot need towrite a novel and frankly this step isnrsquot mandatory That said
itrsquos a good idea to jot down a few notes on your characterrsquosbackground any major events in her life any friends the
names of contacts or even enemies she might have Share
these ideas with your Game Master GMs are always lookingfor good plot hooks and little tidbits they can use to person-
alize your experience at the table The more detailed yourbackground is the better
ARCHETYPESSometimes you may want to quickly create a character for
a one-shot or convention adventure For those occasions anArchetype is a good choice
All are built for a human character with two Edges If you wish
to play a race other than human simply plug in the statisticaldata If yoursquore playing a human you
can choose another Edge Thenchoose your gear based on the
Power Level your group haschosen give the character
a name and yoursquore ready
to go
19
ARCHETYPES
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AGENT
BOUNTY HUNTER
20
AGENT 991251 BOUNTY HUNTER
20
ARCHETYPESAGENT 991251 BOUNTY HUNTER
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CYBERMONK
DRONE JOCKEY
21
CYBERMONK 991251 DRONE JOCKEY
21
ARCHETYPESCYBERMONK 991251 DRONE JOCKEY
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GANGER
GRIFTER
22
GANGER 991251 GRIFTER
22
ARCHETYPESGANGER 991251 GRIFTER
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HACKER
IDOL
23
HACKER 991251 IDOL
23
ARCHETYPESHACKER 991251 IDOL
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INVESTIGATIVE JOURNALIST
PATCH MAN
24
INVESTIGATIVE JOURNALIST 991251 PATCH MAN
24
ARCHETYPESINVESTIGATIVE JOURNALIST 991251 PATCH MAN
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RONIN
SECTOR COP
25
RONIN 991251 SECTOR COP
25
ARCHETYPESRONIN 991251 SECTOR COP
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SMUGGLER
EX-SOLDIER
26
SMUGGLER 991251 EX983085SOLDIER
26
ARCHETYPESSMUGGLER 991251 EX983085SOLDIER
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STREET RAT
ZEEK
27
STREET RAT 991251 ZEEK
27
ARCHETYPESSTREET RAT 991251 ZEEK
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RACESThe following races are available for play in Interface Zero 20
Most people are born into the world flesh-and-bloodbabies with mothers and fathers You were bornon an assembly line your parents faceless roboticsengineers who designed you in some research facilityYour body is composed of lightweight yetdurable polymers with plastic and fiber-opticwiring connecting to microscopic receptorsthroughout your framework
You see through digital lenses and hear viamicrophones on each side of your head Yourvoice is a pleasant if somewhat monotonesound piped through a speaker crafted to
resemble a mouth Your brain is a softball-sized digital network consisting of billionsof nanomachines which perform countlesscomputations every second in order to simulatean organic mdash human mdash thinking process
You are artificially intelligent Your capacity forrational critical thinking and decision-makingequals mdash and in many cases exceeds mdash that ofany human being on the planet Yet a waffle ironprobably has more rights than you do Moreoverat some point you have been (and technically stillare) owned perhaps by an individual but more likelyby a megaconglomorate mdash your parent companyThe tasks you performed for the megacorp varieddepending on your design specs but they mighthave included security manual labor combat and
strangely enough even prostitution
But that was then
At some point in your history you experiencedsomething The incident sparked a computation processwithin your neural network best described as an epiphanyPerhaps you saw a human being die or witnessed a couplekissing Or perhaps you were the victim of vio lence at thehands of a human being angered by your presence insociety The event led to a series of internal processes andsubroutines more commonly known as questions Thesewerenrsquot rational system queries based on clearly definedparameters but nebulous ones for which you were unableto formulate an appropriate response
ldquoIf that woman is smiling why are her eyes filled with tearsrdquo
ldquoWhat does it mean to be deadrdquo
ldquoWhat does it mean to hate or loverdquo
The experience altered your programming on a fundamentallevel The dictums of your creators no longer seemedrelevant when compared to your newfound imperative toanswer the questions you had so you left Now you makeyour way in the world just as any other person does mdash atleast you try to at any rate The world wasnrsquot made for youYou were built for it And even though you no longer serveyour masters you are still a machine an outsider look ingat life through glass eyes
MAKING ANDROIDS
All androids regardless of their function share a few fun-damental design characteristics Androids can purchase
cyberware just as anyone else can and suffer from Strain
bull Construct Androids add +2 to recover from being Shaken
donrsquot suffer wound modifiers and are immune to poisonand disease Androids cannot heal naturally To heal an
android requires the Repair skill mdash which is used like theHealing skill only with no ldquoGolden Hourrdquo
bull Dual Processors Androids start with a d6 in Smarts
bull EMP Vulnerability Androids suffer full damage from EMPWeapons
bull Metal Brain Androids canrsquot take Arcane Back-
ground (Psionics)
bull Metallic Alloy The fully metallic hide of an
android provides resistance to small arms fire
They have +2 Armor
bull Outsider Organic races often mistrust or mis-
understand androids They subtract 2 from their
Charisma when dealing with races other thantheir own
bull Primary Protocol Androids begin with a free
d6 in one skill representing their core operat-ing system
bull Recharge Androids need electricity to func-tion If the android canrsquot access an electrical
outlet of some sort at least once per day he
suffers a level of Fatigue each day until hersquosincapacitated The day after that he goes ldquooff-
linerdquo and must be reactivated with a Repairroll and a four-hour charge This replaces the
androidrsquos need for food or water
bull Unnatural Psionics both beneficial and det-rimental suffer a minus2 penalty to affect androids
This has no effect on damaging powers whichaffect them normally
It was easy to make the decision Yoursquod get a new metalbody that works better than the original You wouldnrsquot haveto spend your familyrsquos money on more expensive surgeriesto keep your failing body alive but that decision didnrsquot comewithout a cost Yoursquod lose the ability to feel the abil ity topick up your son without worrying about crushing himYoursquod lose the feel of your wifersquos body when you made loveto her If you canrsquot feel anything arenrsquot you already dead
In the end you chose to become a cyborg to have your
brain encased in metal Most days it doesnrsquot make muchdifference You come home to an empty house your sonand wife long gone Maybe theyrsquod have stayed if yoursquodonly kept your hearthellip
MAKING CYBORGS
Little is more frightening in batt le than a cyborg Theyrsquore not
much more than an organic brain in an androidrsquos body Cyborgscome in humanoid form simply for ease of transition to the
new body The majority of cyborgs work for their respectivegovernments or powerful corporations who can afford the
procedure for trusted personnel However more and morecyborgs are beginning to find their way to the private sector
bull Augmented Cyborgs are built to be cybernetic beasts
They begin play with a single Streetware Augment witha Strain of 1
bull Construct Cyborgs add +2 to recover from being Shaken
donrsquot suffer wound modifiers and are immune to poisonand disease Cyborgs cannot heal naturally To heal a
Cyborg requires the Repair skill which is used like theHealing skill only with no ldquoGolden Hourrdquo
bull EMP Shielding Cyborgs have 2 points of Armor when
attacked by an EMP weapon
bull EMP Vulnerability Cyborgs suffer full damage from EMP
bull Metallic Alloy The fully metall ic hide of a cyborg providesresistance to small arms fire They have +2 Armor
bull Outsider Most people are naturally put off by someonewho has opted to have all traces of their humanity
removed to be placed in a cold metal war machine They
suffer minus2 to Charisma when dealing with non-cyborgs
bull Specialized Diet Cyborgs cannot digest normal food and
require special food filled with nutrients to keep theirbrains healthy This raises their lifestyle costs by 1000credits
bull Tactile Dimming The Cyborgrsquos body isnrsquot as sensitive as
a human body Cyborgs suffer a minus2 to tasks where finemanipulation of objects is important Picking a lock or
performing surgery could be two examples Shootingand Fighting are usually unaffected
HUMAN
Nicknames Norms Homo-sapiens Earthlings Plain Jane
Baseline average normal mdash these words always described
you You prefer to think of yourself as adaptable versatileor unique You were born to human parents who eitherwouldnrsquot or couldnrsquot pay for genetic enhancement Youdidnrsquot go for that ldquoHybr idizationrdquo craze Yoursquore happy beingwho you are and you donrsquot need some scientists muckingaround with your genetics Really do they even know whatthe consequences of all that meddling will have on thepopulation in a hundred years No yoursquoll play it cool and
just be human
MAKING HUMANS
Despite all the choices and new races running around ordi-nary homo-sapiens still dominate the planet Humans are
tough adaptable creatures who face adversity head onWhile they may not have some of the distinct advantages
of their enhanced peers humans get by through being moreadaptable
bull Adaptability Humans start with one extra Edge
HUMAN 20
Nicknames Coded Eli tist Eugenic Gen-Xyrsquoer Neo-HumansSavant
You were born with the best genes money can buy Yourparents went to a design house early in your motherrsquosfirst trimester and began a series of genetic treatmentsdesigned to give you every chance at living a life theynever had Your DNA cocktail might include mental traitsfrom some of the greatest minds of the past 60 yearsAlternately you might have some kind of artistic or athleticability In any case yoursquore better than most people aroundyou in some ways and you know it Itrsquos not your faultthough Yoursquore just built that way
MAKING HUMAN 20
bull Advanced Ability You begin play with one attribute at d6
bull Arrogant Human 20s are known for their huge egos
Whether itrsquos nature or nurture is still up for debate Theyhave the Arrogant Hindrance If you choose an Archetype
that already has the Arrogant Hindrance choose another
RACESCYBORG 991251 HUMAN 20
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CHARACTER
CREATION
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CHAPTER TWOCHARACTER CREATION
Characters are the lifersquos blood of any role-playing game the
focal point of every story Characters represent the best mdash orthe worst mdash ideals of a given game setting their actions either
bringing a small measure of hope to the downtrodden massesor serving to strengthen the status quo In the grim gritty
world of Interface Zero 20 the characters you play walk amonofilament edge between traditional mdash some would say
outdated or just plain irrelevant mdash concepts of good and evilas they make their way in the world
Indeed itrsquos hard to be a moral individual in a world where
most of the animals prowling the concrete jungle believe prin-ciples are character flaws mdash weaknesses to exploit for their
own ends Your morality marks you as prey no doubt aboutit omae But if you can keep your moral code if you can get
your job done without selling your soul yoursquoll get something
most sprawlers never have respect
Evil on the other hand is the same as it always has been
therersquos just more of it The wicked always thrive in a world
where violence fear and control are tools used for self-serv-ing ends but herersquos the thing Acting like an ass can get you
green-lit just as quickly as playing the role of the goody-two-shoes marks you as a sucker amigo
Nobody likes a dickhead even if they donrsquot say it to your
face Sooner or later yoursquoll get a rep for being a hard-assand someone who is stronger meaner or a bigger asshole
than you is going to come along and knock you back to thegutter you crawled out of Thatrsquos why most people keep their
heads down and their mouths shut Donrsquot make eye contact
itrsquos a challenge to the predators and if you donrsquot have thestones to back up the challenge yoursquore nothing but meat
But if you can stay strong and defeat all comers that com-mands respect too
This chapter provides you with the tools you need to make
a character for Interface Zero 20 The process is the same ascreating a character for any Savage Worlds game with a few
additions Interface Zero 20 introduces Street Cred Contactsand Strain to the game
STEP 1 CONCEPT
The first thing you need to do is decide on a concept for your
character Will you play a hacker Perhaps a mercenary orbounty hunter is more your speed Are mercs and hunters toocutthroat for your style of play If so you might think about
playing a ronin an urban warrior who follows his own code
of honor Maybe you want to be the guy (or gal) who backsthe team up with drones capable of laying down covering
fire or scouting ahead to see where the bad guys are hiding
You donrsquot need to have your concept locked in right now butat least have a basic idea of the type of character you want
to play Take a few minutes and skip ahead to the archetypessection in this chapter to see a variety of options available
to you
STEP 2 RACEThe next thing you need to do is choose a race In 2090
humanity has reached the point where the word ldquohumanrdquo is
almost irrelevant Human DNA is no longer a mystery Itrsquos amathematical code technomancers hack re-write and copy
at will producing genetically superior beings the Human 20
Others snip and paste animal DNA and splice it with humanDNA to create genetic hybrids a fusion of man and animal
Science has even advanced to such an extent that we can
create entirely new life forms mdash living beings known as simula-cra mdash in amniotic vats growing them until they have matured
filling their synthetic brains with memories and skills theyrsquollneed to do the jobs for which they were created
STEP 3 TRAITS
Traits are the building blocks of any Savage Worlds character
They define how strong or fast your character is and what
she knows Traits determine how much cyberware she canput into her body how much damage she can take before
dying her standing with others and a variety of other thingsall of which are essential to the game
ATTRIBUTES
Five attributes are used to define your characterrsquos physi-cal characteristics These are Agility Smarts Spirit Strength
and Vigor Each attribute starts at d4 You have 5 points withwhich to raise these attr ibutes and one point equals a risein a die type (d4 to d6 d6 to d8 etc) No attribute may rise
higher than d12 during character creation unless stated undera racial ability For more information on attributes refer to
the Savage Worlds core rules
SKILLS
You have 15 points to spend on your characterrsquos skills Your
character doesnrsquot start with any skills and must spend 1 pointto get a skill at a d4 He spends 1 point to raise a skill to a
higher die type as long as the skill level is equal to or less
than the linked attribute Raising any skill above the linkedattribute costs 2 points per step No skill may rise above d12
during character creation
Note If you are using the skill specializations rules you get 20points for skills and each new specialization costs 1 skill point
during character creation When your character advances shemay purchase 2 skill specializations for an advance or a new
skill and a single specialization
NEW SKILLS
The following are new skills introduced in Interface Zero 20
For information on all other skills see Skills in the Savage
Worlds core rules
16
CHARACTER CREATIONCONCEPT RACE TRAITS
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Hacking (Smarts) The Hacking skill is used whenever a
character wants to hack a computer network Characters in
Interface Zero 20 no longer start with an automatic d4 inHacking Additionally characters who wish to use the Global
DataNet for everyday purposes such as research or findingnews pertaining to the Deep do so with their existing Inves-
tigation and Streetwise skills
Knowledge (Demolitions) Successful use of demolitions canmean the difference between destruction of the target as
planned and unplanned loss of life and property The skill also
lets the character have an understanding of what the besttype of explosive is for the obstacle and how much they will
need to remove such an obstacle In addition a raise on theresult will let them know the exact distance they need to be
from the explosion based upon the size of the charge the con-
fines and damage created by said explosion This skill is usedany time a character wants to put a satchel charge together
or set explosives A Critical Failure will result in immediatedetonation Simple failure will result in premature detonation
or no detonation at all
Knowledge (Programming) Characters use this skill when
attempting to make any kind of change to a network theyhave hacked This skill allows a character to undo damagedone as a result of a hack With it a character can do things
like undo an edit to a data file or video reconstruct a deleted
file repair an AMS (see Active Memory Sectors on page 274in the Sett ing Rules chapter) recover a deleted skill Engram
or reconnect a TAP that has gone offline
OPTIONAL RULE SKILL SPECIALIZATIONS
Interface Zero 20 is an advanced setting where knowing
how to do one thing doesnrsquot necessarily mean you can dosomething which under the regular skill rules would techni-
cally be possible with the same skill Take the various DrivingBoating and Piloting skills for example
Using the regular skill rules a character with Driving couldtheoretically drive anything from a motorcycle to a semi-truckor a tank Similarly Piloting assumes a character has the skills
to pilot all types of aircraft including fighter jets and space-
craft Pinnacle Entertainment addressed this issue by addingthe Skill Specialization setting rule in the Savage Worlds core
rules and it is highly recommended that those rules are usedfor Interface Zero 20
The following list of skill specializations are provided to get
you started This isnrsquot intended to be a comprehensive listof appropriate skill specializations but rather a broad cross
section of specializations we feel are appropriate If some-thing doesnrsquot appear on the list make it up if it seems right
But remember the GM always has the final say on what is or
isnrsquot appropriate for her campaign
SUGGESTED SPECIALIZATIONS
bull Boating Powered Sailed Submersible
bull Climbing Mountaineering Rappelling Rope
bull Driving Car (4 wheels) Hovercraft JUMP Bike MotorcycleTruck (6+ wheels) Tracked
bull Fighting Axe Blades Blunt Cyberweapon Long Blade
bull Shooting Bow Pistol Rifle Shotgun Submachine GunVehicle Weapon or by weapon category
bull Stealth Disguise Hiding Sleight of Hand Sneaking
bull Streetwise AreaRegion (Corporate Zone Gang Turf etc)
bull Survival Aquatic Arctic Desert Forest Jungle MountainSpace urban or any specific environment
bull Swimming Lake Ocean SCUBA Divingbull Taunt Verbal Visual
bull Throwing Darts Grenades Knives Spears
bull Tracking Animals Global DataNet Humans Urban
Vehicles
OPTIONAL SKILL ATHLETICS
Rather than breaking up basic things like Climbing and Swim-ming it is recommended to combine them into a single skill
which would allow for specialization
Athletics (Vigor) Athletics as a catch-all for a number ofphysical endeavors ranging from climbing to swimming to
moving around effectively in a no mdash or low-gravity environ-
ment Athletics should be used instead of Agility in foot chasesand effectively replaces both the Climbing and Swimming skills
Specializations Climbing Leaping Running Sport (specific)
Swimming Zero-G Maneuvers
LANGUAGES
All characters speak their native language plus a number ofadditional languages equaling one-half their Smarts die The
major trade languages used in Interface Zero 20 are Chinese
English Hindi Portuguese and Swahili Additional languagescan be learned by using an advancement opportunity
DERIVED STATISTICS
There are a few statistics which are important in any SavageWorlds game Charisma Pace Parry and Toughness
CHARISMA
Charisma is an abstract measure of your characterrsquos appear-ance how she deals with others socially and generally how
likeable she is Charisma starts at 0 but can be modified byEdges and Hindrances Charisma is also added to Streetwise
and Persuasion rolls The Game Master uses Charisma to figure
out how NPCrsquos react to your character For more informationon Charisma see the Savage Worlds core rules
PACE
Pace is a measure of how far your character can walk in a
standard combat round Human characters have a base Paceof 6 and can run at an additional 1d6rdquo Other races in Interface
Zero 20 can have different starting Pace scores based on the
racial template you choose For more information on Pacesee the Savage Worlds core rules
PARRY
Parry is equal to 2 plus half your characterrsquos Fighting skillplus modifiers gained from use of shields or certain weapons
If your character does not have the Fighting skill base Parry
starts at 2 For more information on Parry see the SavageWorlds core rules
TOUGHNESS
Toughness is a measure of how much damage your character
can take before becoming Shaken or wounded Toughness is2 plus half your characterrsquos Vigor plus any armor she might
be wearing For more information on Toughness see the
Savage Worlds core rules
NEW DERIVED STATSInterface Zero 20 introduces three new derived statis-
tics mdash Firewall Strain and Street Cred
FIREWALL
Unless your character has the Unplugged Hindrance she hasa Tendril Access Processor (TAP) and therefore has a built-
in firewall The firewall protects against attempts to hack a
characterrsquos TAP A characterrsquos Firewall rating star ts at 4 but
can be modified by Edges Hindrances or software
STRAIN
Strain measures the amount of stress cyberware and biowareputs on your body when you install it Strain starts at zero
and each piece of cyberware adds to your Strain stat Highlevels of Strain can lead to death More details on Strain are
located at Augments on page 262
STREET CRED
Street Cred is a measure of your character rsquos reputation on
the streets All characters begin play with 2 points of StreetCred modified by Edges or Hindrances and gain another 2
points every time they gain a new Rank The maximum StreetCred a character can normally achieve is 10 (some Edges and
Occupations can increase this number)
Unlike Charisma which measures your ability to persuadesomeone Street Cred is a point pool that can be spent to
obtain services temporary contacts information and a variety
of other benefits during the course of an adventure This poolrefreshes each adventure unless circumstances in the prior
adventure (like not getting the job done failing to protectsomeone killing an innocent etc) cause the characterrsquos Street
Cred score to drop
Characters can also pick up Minor or Major Hindrances thathave a lasting effect on their Street Cred score during the
course of an adventure These Hindrances can be removedby spending an Advance with the GMrsquos permission For more
information see Street Cred on page 264
CONTACTS
Each character can choose two contacts people the character
knows who he can call upon for aid or information during thecourse of an adventure These contacts can be anyone froma bartender or a hacker to a corporate executive or military
commander as long as it makes sense that your characterwould know the person(s)
STEP 4 OCCUPATIONS
Occupations are integral to your character concept providinga basic framework to enhance your characterrsquos background in
a very organic way helping you create a more well-rounded
18
CHARACTER CREATIONTRAITS
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character concept Each occupation has a requirement that thecharacter must meet to take it the characterrsquos bonus credits
gained each Advance and a special perk (like gear or specialabilities) the character gets for being part of that profession
STEP 5 EDGES AND HINDRANCES
Edges are special qualities that separate characters from theaverage sprawler Hindrances are physical and mental flaws
that add more depth to the character albeit in a negativeway See the Savage Worlds core rules for more information
on purchasing Edges and Hindrances New Edges and Hin-drances are provided later in this chapter
STEP 6 EQUIPMENT
In Interface Zero 20 characters select equipment cybernet-ics weapons and armor based on the power level the Game
Master sets for the campaign
Power Level This is the starting Power Level of the Cam-
paign as determined by the Game Master If the GM wants totell a story of gang members barely scraping by shersquoll mostlikely choose Gutter Punk as the Power Level If she envi-
sions a campaign where the players are a special governmenttask force dedicated to hunting down super terrorists the
Hyperchrome Warriors or Elite Operatives levels might be
more appropriate The Street Soldier Power Level (designedfor ronin-style games) is considered the default Power Level
for Interface Zero 20
Starting Credits This is the amount of money characters
start with at the beginning of the campaign These credits
may be spent on anything the player wishes and the GM hasnot barred from the campaign including augments drones
weapons and armor
Augments Every Power Level above Gutter Punk allows theplayers to start with at least one augment from the core book
equal to or below the monetary amount listed Unspent Creditsfrom this pool do not carry over when the game starts These
augments must be chosen from the master list of augments
not augment packages
STEP 7 BACKGROUND
They say the devil is in the details and here is where you
decide how devilish yoursquore going to be You donrsquot need towrite a novel and frankly this step isnrsquot mandatory That said
itrsquos a good idea to jot down a few notes on your characterrsquosbackground any major events in her life any friends the
names of contacts or even enemies she might have Share
these ideas with your Game Master GMs are always lookingfor good plot hooks and little tidbits they can use to person-
alize your experience at the table The more detailed yourbackground is the better
ARCHETYPESSometimes you may want to quickly create a character for
a one-shot or convention adventure For those occasions anArchetype is a good choice
All are built for a human character with two Edges If you wish
to play a race other than human simply plug in the statisticaldata If yoursquore playing a human you
can choose another Edge Thenchoose your gear based on the
Power Level your group haschosen give the character
a name and yoursquore ready
to go
19
ARCHETYPES
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AGENT
BOUNTY HUNTER
20
AGENT 991251 BOUNTY HUNTER
20
ARCHETYPESAGENT 991251 BOUNTY HUNTER
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CYBERMONK
DRONE JOCKEY
21
CYBERMONK 991251 DRONE JOCKEY
21
ARCHETYPESCYBERMONK 991251 DRONE JOCKEY
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GANGER
GRIFTER
22
GANGER 991251 GRIFTER
22
ARCHETYPESGANGER 991251 GRIFTER
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HACKER
IDOL
23
HACKER 991251 IDOL
23
ARCHETYPESHACKER 991251 IDOL
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INVESTIGATIVE JOURNALIST
PATCH MAN
24
INVESTIGATIVE JOURNALIST 991251 PATCH MAN
24
ARCHETYPESINVESTIGATIVE JOURNALIST 991251 PATCH MAN
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RONIN
SECTOR COP
25
RONIN 991251 SECTOR COP
25
ARCHETYPESRONIN 991251 SECTOR COP
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SMUGGLER
EX-SOLDIER
26
SMUGGLER 991251 EX983085SOLDIER
26
ARCHETYPESSMUGGLER 991251 EX983085SOLDIER
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STREET RAT
ZEEK
27
STREET RAT 991251 ZEEK
27
ARCHETYPESSTREET RAT 991251 ZEEK
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RACESThe following races are available for play in Interface Zero 20
Most people are born into the world flesh-and-bloodbabies with mothers and fathers You were bornon an assembly line your parents faceless roboticsengineers who designed you in some research facilityYour body is composed of lightweight yetdurable polymers with plastic and fiber-opticwiring connecting to microscopic receptorsthroughout your framework
You see through digital lenses and hear viamicrophones on each side of your head Yourvoice is a pleasant if somewhat monotonesound piped through a speaker crafted to
resemble a mouth Your brain is a softball-sized digital network consisting of billionsof nanomachines which perform countlesscomputations every second in order to simulatean organic mdash human mdash thinking process
You are artificially intelligent Your capacity forrational critical thinking and decision-makingequals mdash and in many cases exceeds mdash that ofany human being on the planet Yet a waffle ironprobably has more rights than you do Moreoverat some point you have been (and technically stillare) owned perhaps by an individual but more likelyby a megaconglomorate mdash your parent companyThe tasks you performed for the megacorp varieddepending on your design specs but they mighthave included security manual labor combat and
strangely enough even prostitution
But that was then
At some point in your history you experiencedsomething The incident sparked a computation processwithin your neural network best described as an epiphanyPerhaps you saw a human being die or witnessed a couplekissing Or perhaps you were the victim of vio lence at thehands of a human being angered by your presence insociety The event led to a series of internal processes andsubroutines more commonly known as questions Thesewerenrsquot rational system queries based on clearly definedparameters but nebulous ones for which you were unableto formulate an appropriate response
ldquoIf that woman is smiling why are her eyes filled with tearsrdquo
ldquoWhat does it mean to be deadrdquo
ldquoWhat does it mean to hate or loverdquo
The experience altered your programming on a fundamentallevel The dictums of your creators no longer seemedrelevant when compared to your newfound imperative toanswer the questions you had so you left Now you makeyour way in the world just as any other person does mdash atleast you try to at any rate The world wasnrsquot made for youYou were built for it And even though you no longer serveyour masters you are still a machine an outsider look ingat life through glass eyes
MAKING ANDROIDS
All androids regardless of their function share a few fun-damental design characteristics Androids can purchase
cyberware just as anyone else can and suffer from Strain
bull Construct Androids add +2 to recover from being Shaken
donrsquot suffer wound modifiers and are immune to poisonand disease Androids cannot heal naturally To heal an
android requires the Repair skill mdash which is used like theHealing skill only with no ldquoGolden Hourrdquo
bull Dual Processors Androids start with a d6 in Smarts
bull EMP Vulnerability Androids suffer full damage from EMPWeapons
bull Metal Brain Androids canrsquot take Arcane Back-
ground (Psionics)
bull Metallic Alloy The fully metallic hide of an
android provides resistance to small arms fire
They have +2 Armor
bull Outsider Organic races often mistrust or mis-
understand androids They subtract 2 from their
Charisma when dealing with races other thantheir own
bull Primary Protocol Androids begin with a free
d6 in one skill representing their core operat-ing system
bull Recharge Androids need electricity to func-tion If the android canrsquot access an electrical
outlet of some sort at least once per day he
suffers a level of Fatigue each day until hersquosincapacitated The day after that he goes ldquooff-
linerdquo and must be reactivated with a Repairroll and a four-hour charge This replaces the
androidrsquos need for food or water
bull Unnatural Psionics both beneficial and det-rimental suffer a minus2 penalty to affect androids
This has no effect on damaging powers whichaffect them normally
It was easy to make the decision Yoursquod get a new metalbody that works better than the original You wouldnrsquot haveto spend your familyrsquos money on more expensive surgeriesto keep your failing body alive but that decision didnrsquot comewithout a cost Yoursquod lose the ability to feel the abil ity topick up your son without worrying about crushing himYoursquod lose the feel of your wifersquos body when you made loveto her If you canrsquot feel anything arenrsquot you already dead
In the end you chose to become a cyborg to have your
brain encased in metal Most days it doesnrsquot make muchdifference You come home to an empty house your sonand wife long gone Maybe theyrsquod have stayed if yoursquodonly kept your hearthellip
MAKING CYBORGS
Little is more frightening in batt le than a cyborg Theyrsquore not
much more than an organic brain in an androidrsquos body Cyborgscome in humanoid form simply for ease of transition to the
new body The majority of cyborgs work for their respectivegovernments or powerful corporations who can afford the
procedure for trusted personnel However more and morecyborgs are beginning to find their way to the private sector
bull Augmented Cyborgs are built to be cybernetic beasts
They begin play with a single Streetware Augment witha Strain of 1
bull Construct Cyborgs add +2 to recover from being Shaken
donrsquot suffer wound modifiers and are immune to poisonand disease Cyborgs cannot heal naturally To heal a
Cyborg requires the Repair skill which is used like theHealing skill only with no ldquoGolden Hourrdquo
bull EMP Shielding Cyborgs have 2 points of Armor when
attacked by an EMP weapon
bull EMP Vulnerability Cyborgs suffer full damage from EMP
bull Metallic Alloy The fully metall ic hide of a cyborg providesresistance to small arms fire They have +2 Armor
bull Outsider Most people are naturally put off by someonewho has opted to have all traces of their humanity
removed to be placed in a cold metal war machine They
suffer minus2 to Charisma when dealing with non-cyborgs
bull Specialized Diet Cyborgs cannot digest normal food and
require special food filled with nutrients to keep theirbrains healthy This raises their lifestyle costs by 1000credits
bull Tactile Dimming The Cyborgrsquos body isnrsquot as sensitive as
a human body Cyborgs suffer a minus2 to tasks where finemanipulation of objects is important Picking a lock or
performing surgery could be two examples Shootingand Fighting are usually unaffected
HUMAN
Nicknames Norms Homo-sapiens Earthlings Plain Jane
Baseline average normal mdash these words always described
you You prefer to think of yourself as adaptable versatileor unique You were born to human parents who eitherwouldnrsquot or couldnrsquot pay for genetic enhancement Youdidnrsquot go for that ldquoHybr idizationrdquo craze Yoursquore happy beingwho you are and you donrsquot need some scientists muckingaround with your genetics Really do they even know whatthe consequences of all that meddling will have on thepopulation in a hundred years No yoursquoll play it cool and
just be human
MAKING HUMANS
Despite all the choices and new races running around ordi-nary homo-sapiens still dominate the planet Humans are
tough adaptable creatures who face adversity head onWhile they may not have some of the distinct advantages
of their enhanced peers humans get by through being moreadaptable
bull Adaptability Humans start with one extra Edge
HUMAN 20
Nicknames Coded Eli tist Eugenic Gen-Xyrsquoer Neo-HumansSavant
You were born with the best genes money can buy Yourparents went to a design house early in your motherrsquosfirst trimester and began a series of genetic treatmentsdesigned to give you every chance at living a life theynever had Your DNA cocktail might include mental traitsfrom some of the greatest minds of the past 60 yearsAlternately you might have some kind of artistic or athleticability In any case yoursquore better than most people aroundyou in some ways and you know it Itrsquos not your faultthough Yoursquore just built that way
MAKING HUMAN 20
bull Advanced Ability You begin play with one attribute at d6
bull Arrogant Human 20s are known for their huge egos
Whether itrsquos nature or nurture is still up for debate Theyhave the Arrogant Hindrance If you choose an Archetype
that already has the Arrogant Hindrance choose another
RACESCYBORG 991251 HUMAN 20
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CHAPTER TWOCHARACTER CREATION
Characters are the lifersquos blood of any role-playing game the
focal point of every story Characters represent the best mdash orthe worst mdash ideals of a given game setting their actions either
bringing a small measure of hope to the downtrodden massesor serving to strengthen the status quo In the grim gritty
world of Interface Zero 20 the characters you play walk amonofilament edge between traditional mdash some would say
outdated or just plain irrelevant mdash concepts of good and evilas they make their way in the world
Indeed itrsquos hard to be a moral individual in a world where
most of the animals prowling the concrete jungle believe prin-ciples are character flaws mdash weaknesses to exploit for their
own ends Your morality marks you as prey no doubt aboutit omae But if you can keep your moral code if you can get
your job done without selling your soul yoursquoll get something
most sprawlers never have respect
Evil on the other hand is the same as it always has been
therersquos just more of it The wicked always thrive in a world
where violence fear and control are tools used for self-serv-ing ends but herersquos the thing Acting like an ass can get you
green-lit just as quickly as playing the role of the goody-two-shoes marks you as a sucker amigo
Nobody likes a dickhead even if they donrsquot say it to your
face Sooner or later yoursquoll get a rep for being a hard-assand someone who is stronger meaner or a bigger asshole
than you is going to come along and knock you back to thegutter you crawled out of Thatrsquos why most people keep their
heads down and their mouths shut Donrsquot make eye contact
itrsquos a challenge to the predators and if you donrsquot have thestones to back up the challenge yoursquore nothing but meat
But if you can stay strong and defeat all comers that com-mands respect too
This chapter provides you with the tools you need to make
a character for Interface Zero 20 The process is the same ascreating a character for any Savage Worlds game with a few
additions Interface Zero 20 introduces Street Cred Contactsand Strain to the game
STEP 1 CONCEPT
The first thing you need to do is decide on a concept for your
character Will you play a hacker Perhaps a mercenary orbounty hunter is more your speed Are mercs and hunters toocutthroat for your style of play If so you might think about
playing a ronin an urban warrior who follows his own code
of honor Maybe you want to be the guy (or gal) who backsthe team up with drones capable of laying down covering
fire or scouting ahead to see where the bad guys are hiding
You donrsquot need to have your concept locked in right now butat least have a basic idea of the type of character you want
to play Take a few minutes and skip ahead to the archetypessection in this chapter to see a variety of options available
to you
STEP 2 RACEThe next thing you need to do is choose a race In 2090
humanity has reached the point where the word ldquohumanrdquo is
almost irrelevant Human DNA is no longer a mystery Itrsquos amathematical code technomancers hack re-write and copy
at will producing genetically superior beings the Human 20
Others snip and paste animal DNA and splice it with humanDNA to create genetic hybrids a fusion of man and animal
Science has even advanced to such an extent that we can
create entirely new life forms mdash living beings known as simula-cra mdash in amniotic vats growing them until they have matured
filling their synthetic brains with memories and skills theyrsquollneed to do the jobs for which they were created
STEP 3 TRAITS
Traits are the building blocks of any Savage Worlds character
They define how strong or fast your character is and what
she knows Traits determine how much cyberware she canput into her body how much damage she can take before
dying her standing with others and a variety of other thingsall of which are essential to the game
ATTRIBUTES
Five attributes are used to define your characterrsquos physi-cal characteristics These are Agility Smarts Spirit Strength
and Vigor Each attribute starts at d4 You have 5 points withwhich to raise these attr ibutes and one point equals a risein a die type (d4 to d6 d6 to d8 etc) No attribute may rise
higher than d12 during character creation unless stated undera racial ability For more information on attributes refer to
the Savage Worlds core rules
SKILLS
You have 15 points to spend on your characterrsquos skills Your
character doesnrsquot start with any skills and must spend 1 pointto get a skill at a d4 He spends 1 point to raise a skill to a
higher die type as long as the skill level is equal to or less
than the linked attribute Raising any skill above the linkedattribute costs 2 points per step No skill may rise above d12
during character creation
Note If you are using the skill specializations rules you get 20points for skills and each new specialization costs 1 skill point
during character creation When your character advances shemay purchase 2 skill specializations for an advance or a new
skill and a single specialization
NEW SKILLS
The following are new skills introduced in Interface Zero 20
For information on all other skills see Skills in the Savage
Worlds core rules
16
CHARACTER CREATIONCONCEPT RACE TRAITS
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Hacking (Smarts) The Hacking skill is used whenever a
character wants to hack a computer network Characters in
Interface Zero 20 no longer start with an automatic d4 inHacking Additionally characters who wish to use the Global
DataNet for everyday purposes such as research or findingnews pertaining to the Deep do so with their existing Inves-
tigation and Streetwise skills
Knowledge (Demolitions) Successful use of demolitions canmean the difference between destruction of the target as
planned and unplanned loss of life and property The skill also
lets the character have an understanding of what the besttype of explosive is for the obstacle and how much they will
need to remove such an obstacle In addition a raise on theresult will let them know the exact distance they need to be
from the explosion based upon the size of the charge the con-
fines and damage created by said explosion This skill is usedany time a character wants to put a satchel charge together
or set explosives A Critical Failure will result in immediatedetonation Simple failure will result in premature detonation
or no detonation at all
Knowledge (Programming) Characters use this skill when
attempting to make any kind of change to a network theyhave hacked This skill allows a character to undo damagedone as a result of a hack With it a character can do things
like undo an edit to a data file or video reconstruct a deleted
file repair an AMS (see Active Memory Sectors on page 274in the Sett ing Rules chapter) recover a deleted skill Engram
or reconnect a TAP that has gone offline
OPTIONAL RULE SKILL SPECIALIZATIONS
Interface Zero 20 is an advanced setting where knowing
how to do one thing doesnrsquot necessarily mean you can dosomething which under the regular skill rules would techni-
cally be possible with the same skill Take the various DrivingBoating and Piloting skills for example
Using the regular skill rules a character with Driving couldtheoretically drive anything from a motorcycle to a semi-truckor a tank Similarly Piloting assumes a character has the skills
to pilot all types of aircraft including fighter jets and space-
craft Pinnacle Entertainment addressed this issue by addingthe Skill Specialization setting rule in the Savage Worlds core
rules and it is highly recommended that those rules are usedfor Interface Zero 20
The following list of skill specializations are provided to get
you started This isnrsquot intended to be a comprehensive listof appropriate skill specializations but rather a broad cross
section of specializations we feel are appropriate If some-thing doesnrsquot appear on the list make it up if it seems right
But remember the GM always has the final say on what is or
isnrsquot appropriate for her campaign
SUGGESTED SPECIALIZATIONS
bull Boating Powered Sailed Submersible
bull Climbing Mountaineering Rappelling Rope
bull Driving Car (4 wheels) Hovercraft JUMP Bike MotorcycleTruck (6+ wheels) Tracked
bull Fighting Axe Blades Blunt Cyberweapon Long Blade
bull Shooting Bow Pistol Rifle Shotgun Submachine GunVehicle Weapon or by weapon category
bull Stealth Disguise Hiding Sleight of Hand Sneaking
bull Streetwise AreaRegion (Corporate Zone Gang Turf etc)
bull Survival Aquatic Arctic Desert Forest Jungle MountainSpace urban or any specific environment
bull Swimming Lake Ocean SCUBA Divingbull Taunt Verbal Visual
bull Throwing Darts Grenades Knives Spears
bull Tracking Animals Global DataNet Humans Urban
Vehicles
OPTIONAL SKILL ATHLETICS
Rather than breaking up basic things like Climbing and Swim-ming it is recommended to combine them into a single skill
which would allow for specialization
Athletics (Vigor) Athletics as a catch-all for a number ofphysical endeavors ranging from climbing to swimming to
moving around effectively in a no mdash or low-gravity environ-
ment Athletics should be used instead of Agility in foot chasesand effectively replaces both the Climbing and Swimming skills
Specializations Climbing Leaping Running Sport (specific)
Swimming Zero-G Maneuvers
LANGUAGES
All characters speak their native language plus a number ofadditional languages equaling one-half their Smarts die The
major trade languages used in Interface Zero 20 are Chinese
English Hindi Portuguese and Swahili Additional languagescan be learned by using an advancement opportunity
DERIVED STATISTICS
There are a few statistics which are important in any SavageWorlds game Charisma Pace Parry and Toughness
CHARISMA
Charisma is an abstract measure of your characterrsquos appear-ance how she deals with others socially and generally how
likeable she is Charisma starts at 0 but can be modified byEdges and Hindrances Charisma is also added to Streetwise
and Persuasion rolls The Game Master uses Charisma to figure
out how NPCrsquos react to your character For more informationon Charisma see the Savage Worlds core rules
PACE
Pace is a measure of how far your character can walk in a
standard combat round Human characters have a base Paceof 6 and can run at an additional 1d6rdquo Other races in Interface
Zero 20 can have different starting Pace scores based on the
racial template you choose For more information on Pacesee the Savage Worlds core rules
PARRY
Parry is equal to 2 plus half your characterrsquos Fighting skillplus modifiers gained from use of shields or certain weapons
If your character does not have the Fighting skill base Parry
starts at 2 For more information on Parry see the SavageWorlds core rules
TOUGHNESS
Toughness is a measure of how much damage your character
can take before becoming Shaken or wounded Toughness is2 plus half your characterrsquos Vigor plus any armor she might
be wearing For more information on Toughness see the
Savage Worlds core rules
NEW DERIVED STATSInterface Zero 20 introduces three new derived statis-
tics mdash Firewall Strain and Street Cred
FIREWALL
Unless your character has the Unplugged Hindrance she hasa Tendril Access Processor (TAP) and therefore has a built-
in firewall The firewall protects against attempts to hack a
characterrsquos TAP A characterrsquos Firewall rating star ts at 4 but
can be modified by Edges Hindrances or software
STRAIN
Strain measures the amount of stress cyberware and biowareputs on your body when you install it Strain starts at zero
and each piece of cyberware adds to your Strain stat Highlevels of Strain can lead to death More details on Strain are
located at Augments on page 262
STREET CRED
Street Cred is a measure of your character rsquos reputation on
the streets All characters begin play with 2 points of StreetCred modified by Edges or Hindrances and gain another 2
points every time they gain a new Rank The maximum StreetCred a character can normally achieve is 10 (some Edges and
Occupations can increase this number)
Unlike Charisma which measures your ability to persuadesomeone Street Cred is a point pool that can be spent to
obtain services temporary contacts information and a variety
of other benefits during the course of an adventure This poolrefreshes each adventure unless circumstances in the prior
adventure (like not getting the job done failing to protectsomeone killing an innocent etc) cause the characterrsquos Street
Cred score to drop
Characters can also pick up Minor or Major Hindrances thathave a lasting effect on their Street Cred score during the
course of an adventure These Hindrances can be removedby spending an Advance with the GMrsquos permission For more
information see Street Cred on page 264
CONTACTS
Each character can choose two contacts people the character
knows who he can call upon for aid or information during thecourse of an adventure These contacts can be anyone froma bartender or a hacker to a corporate executive or military
commander as long as it makes sense that your characterwould know the person(s)
STEP 4 OCCUPATIONS
Occupations are integral to your character concept providinga basic framework to enhance your characterrsquos background in
a very organic way helping you create a more well-rounded
18
CHARACTER CREATIONTRAITS
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character concept Each occupation has a requirement that thecharacter must meet to take it the characterrsquos bonus credits
gained each Advance and a special perk (like gear or specialabilities) the character gets for being part of that profession
STEP 5 EDGES AND HINDRANCES
Edges are special qualities that separate characters from theaverage sprawler Hindrances are physical and mental flaws
that add more depth to the character albeit in a negativeway See the Savage Worlds core rules for more information
on purchasing Edges and Hindrances New Edges and Hin-drances are provided later in this chapter
STEP 6 EQUIPMENT
In Interface Zero 20 characters select equipment cybernet-ics weapons and armor based on the power level the Game
Master sets for the campaign
Power Level This is the starting Power Level of the Cam-
paign as determined by the Game Master If the GM wants totell a story of gang members barely scraping by shersquoll mostlikely choose Gutter Punk as the Power Level If she envi-
sions a campaign where the players are a special governmenttask force dedicated to hunting down super terrorists the
Hyperchrome Warriors or Elite Operatives levels might be
more appropriate The Street Soldier Power Level (designedfor ronin-style games) is considered the default Power Level
for Interface Zero 20
Starting Credits This is the amount of money characters
start with at the beginning of the campaign These credits
may be spent on anything the player wishes and the GM hasnot barred from the campaign including augments drones
weapons and armor
Augments Every Power Level above Gutter Punk allows theplayers to start with at least one augment from the core book
equal to or below the monetary amount listed Unspent Creditsfrom this pool do not carry over when the game starts These
augments must be chosen from the master list of augments
not augment packages
STEP 7 BACKGROUND
They say the devil is in the details and here is where you
decide how devilish yoursquore going to be You donrsquot need towrite a novel and frankly this step isnrsquot mandatory That said
itrsquos a good idea to jot down a few notes on your characterrsquosbackground any major events in her life any friends the
names of contacts or even enemies she might have Share
these ideas with your Game Master GMs are always lookingfor good plot hooks and little tidbits they can use to person-
alize your experience at the table The more detailed yourbackground is the better
ARCHETYPESSometimes you may want to quickly create a character for
a one-shot or convention adventure For those occasions anArchetype is a good choice
All are built for a human character with two Edges If you wish
to play a race other than human simply plug in the statisticaldata If yoursquore playing a human you
can choose another Edge Thenchoose your gear based on the
Power Level your group haschosen give the character
a name and yoursquore ready
to go
19
ARCHETYPES
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AGENT
BOUNTY HUNTER
20
AGENT 991251 BOUNTY HUNTER
20
ARCHETYPESAGENT 991251 BOUNTY HUNTER
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CYBERMONK
DRONE JOCKEY
21
CYBERMONK 991251 DRONE JOCKEY
21
ARCHETYPESCYBERMONK 991251 DRONE JOCKEY
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GANGER
GRIFTER
22
GANGER 991251 GRIFTER
22
ARCHETYPESGANGER 991251 GRIFTER
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HACKER
IDOL
23
HACKER 991251 IDOL
23
ARCHETYPESHACKER 991251 IDOL
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INVESTIGATIVE JOURNALIST
PATCH MAN
24
INVESTIGATIVE JOURNALIST 991251 PATCH MAN
24
ARCHETYPESINVESTIGATIVE JOURNALIST 991251 PATCH MAN
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RONIN
SECTOR COP
25
RONIN 991251 SECTOR COP
25
ARCHETYPESRONIN 991251 SECTOR COP
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SMUGGLER
EX-SOLDIER
26
SMUGGLER 991251 EX983085SOLDIER
26
ARCHETYPESSMUGGLER 991251 EX983085SOLDIER
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STREET RAT
ZEEK
27
STREET RAT 991251 ZEEK
27
ARCHETYPESSTREET RAT 991251 ZEEK
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RACESThe following races are available for play in Interface Zero 20
Most people are born into the world flesh-and-bloodbabies with mothers and fathers You were bornon an assembly line your parents faceless roboticsengineers who designed you in some research facilityYour body is composed of lightweight yetdurable polymers with plastic and fiber-opticwiring connecting to microscopic receptorsthroughout your framework
You see through digital lenses and hear viamicrophones on each side of your head Yourvoice is a pleasant if somewhat monotonesound piped through a speaker crafted to
resemble a mouth Your brain is a softball-sized digital network consisting of billionsof nanomachines which perform countlesscomputations every second in order to simulatean organic mdash human mdash thinking process
You are artificially intelligent Your capacity forrational critical thinking and decision-makingequals mdash and in many cases exceeds mdash that ofany human being on the planet Yet a waffle ironprobably has more rights than you do Moreoverat some point you have been (and technically stillare) owned perhaps by an individual but more likelyby a megaconglomorate mdash your parent companyThe tasks you performed for the megacorp varieddepending on your design specs but they mighthave included security manual labor combat and
strangely enough even prostitution
But that was then
At some point in your history you experiencedsomething The incident sparked a computation processwithin your neural network best described as an epiphanyPerhaps you saw a human being die or witnessed a couplekissing Or perhaps you were the victim of vio lence at thehands of a human being angered by your presence insociety The event led to a series of internal processes andsubroutines more commonly known as questions Thesewerenrsquot rational system queries based on clearly definedparameters but nebulous ones for which you were unableto formulate an appropriate response
ldquoIf that woman is smiling why are her eyes filled with tearsrdquo
ldquoWhat does it mean to be deadrdquo
ldquoWhat does it mean to hate or loverdquo
The experience altered your programming on a fundamentallevel The dictums of your creators no longer seemedrelevant when compared to your newfound imperative toanswer the questions you had so you left Now you makeyour way in the world just as any other person does mdash atleast you try to at any rate The world wasnrsquot made for youYou were built for it And even though you no longer serveyour masters you are still a machine an outsider look ingat life through glass eyes
MAKING ANDROIDS
All androids regardless of their function share a few fun-damental design characteristics Androids can purchase
cyberware just as anyone else can and suffer from Strain
bull Construct Androids add +2 to recover from being Shaken
donrsquot suffer wound modifiers and are immune to poisonand disease Androids cannot heal naturally To heal an
android requires the Repair skill mdash which is used like theHealing skill only with no ldquoGolden Hourrdquo
bull Dual Processors Androids start with a d6 in Smarts
bull EMP Vulnerability Androids suffer full damage from EMPWeapons
bull Metal Brain Androids canrsquot take Arcane Back-
ground (Psionics)
bull Metallic Alloy The fully metallic hide of an
android provides resistance to small arms fire
They have +2 Armor
bull Outsider Organic races often mistrust or mis-
understand androids They subtract 2 from their
Charisma when dealing with races other thantheir own
bull Primary Protocol Androids begin with a free
d6 in one skill representing their core operat-ing system
bull Recharge Androids need electricity to func-tion If the android canrsquot access an electrical
outlet of some sort at least once per day he
suffers a level of Fatigue each day until hersquosincapacitated The day after that he goes ldquooff-
linerdquo and must be reactivated with a Repairroll and a four-hour charge This replaces the
androidrsquos need for food or water
bull Unnatural Psionics both beneficial and det-rimental suffer a minus2 penalty to affect androids
This has no effect on damaging powers whichaffect them normally
It was easy to make the decision Yoursquod get a new metalbody that works better than the original You wouldnrsquot haveto spend your familyrsquos money on more expensive surgeriesto keep your failing body alive but that decision didnrsquot comewithout a cost Yoursquod lose the ability to feel the abil ity topick up your son without worrying about crushing himYoursquod lose the feel of your wifersquos body when you made loveto her If you canrsquot feel anything arenrsquot you already dead
In the end you chose to become a cyborg to have your
brain encased in metal Most days it doesnrsquot make muchdifference You come home to an empty house your sonand wife long gone Maybe theyrsquod have stayed if yoursquodonly kept your hearthellip
MAKING CYBORGS
Little is more frightening in batt le than a cyborg Theyrsquore not
much more than an organic brain in an androidrsquos body Cyborgscome in humanoid form simply for ease of transition to the
new body The majority of cyborgs work for their respectivegovernments or powerful corporations who can afford the
procedure for trusted personnel However more and morecyborgs are beginning to find their way to the private sector
bull Augmented Cyborgs are built to be cybernetic beasts
They begin play with a single Streetware Augment witha Strain of 1
bull Construct Cyborgs add +2 to recover from being Shaken
donrsquot suffer wound modifiers and are immune to poisonand disease Cyborgs cannot heal naturally To heal a
Cyborg requires the Repair skill which is used like theHealing skill only with no ldquoGolden Hourrdquo
bull EMP Shielding Cyborgs have 2 points of Armor when
attacked by an EMP weapon
bull EMP Vulnerability Cyborgs suffer full damage from EMP
bull Metallic Alloy The fully metall ic hide of a cyborg providesresistance to small arms fire They have +2 Armor
bull Outsider Most people are naturally put off by someonewho has opted to have all traces of their humanity
removed to be placed in a cold metal war machine They
suffer minus2 to Charisma when dealing with non-cyborgs
bull Specialized Diet Cyborgs cannot digest normal food and
require special food filled with nutrients to keep theirbrains healthy This raises their lifestyle costs by 1000credits
bull Tactile Dimming The Cyborgrsquos body isnrsquot as sensitive as
a human body Cyborgs suffer a minus2 to tasks where finemanipulation of objects is important Picking a lock or
performing surgery could be two examples Shootingand Fighting are usually unaffected
HUMAN
Nicknames Norms Homo-sapiens Earthlings Plain Jane
Baseline average normal mdash these words always described
you You prefer to think of yourself as adaptable versatileor unique You were born to human parents who eitherwouldnrsquot or couldnrsquot pay for genetic enhancement Youdidnrsquot go for that ldquoHybr idizationrdquo craze Yoursquore happy beingwho you are and you donrsquot need some scientists muckingaround with your genetics Really do they even know whatthe consequences of all that meddling will have on thepopulation in a hundred years No yoursquoll play it cool and
just be human
MAKING HUMANS
Despite all the choices and new races running around ordi-nary homo-sapiens still dominate the planet Humans are
tough adaptable creatures who face adversity head onWhile they may not have some of the distinct advantages
of their enhanced peers humans get by through being moreadaptable
bull Adaptability Humans start with one extra Edge
HUMAN 20
Nicknames Coded Eli tist Eugenic Gen-Xyrsquoer Neo-HumansSavant
You were born with the best genes money can buy Yourparents went to a design house early in your motherrsquosfirst trimester and began a series of genetic treatmentsdesigned to give you every chance at living a life theynever had Your DNA cocktail might include mental traitsfrom some of the greatest minds of the past 60 yearsAlternately you might have some kind of artistic or athleticability In any case yoursquore better than most people aroundyou in some ways and you know it Itrsquos not your faultthough Yoursquore just built that way
MAKING HUMAN 20
bull Advanced Ability You begin play with one attribute at d6
bull Arrogant Human 20s are known for their huge egos
Whether itrsquos nature or nurture is still up for debate Theyhave the Arrogant Hindrance If you choose an Archetype
that already has the Arrogant Hindrance choose another
RACESCYBORG 991251 HUMAN 20
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Hacking (Smarts) The Hacking skill is used whenever a
character wants to hack a computer network Characters in
Interface Zero 20 no longer start with an automatic d4 inHacking Additionally characters who wish to use the Global
DataNet for everyday purposes such as research or findingnews pertaining to the Deep do so with their existing Inves-
tigation and Streetwise skills
Knowledge (Demolitions) Successful use of demolitions canmean the difference between destruction of the target as
planned and unplanned loss of life and property The skill also
lets the character have an understanding of what the besttype of explosive is for the obstacle and how much they will
need to remove such an obstacle In addition a raise on theresult will let them know the exact distance they need to be
from the explosion based upon the size of the charge the con-
fines and damage created by said explosion This skill is usedany time a character wants to put a satchel charge together
or set explosives A Critical Failure will result in immediatedetonation Simple failure will result in premature detonation
or no detonation at all
Knowledge (Programming) Characters use this skill when
attempting to make any kind of change to a network theyhave hacked This skill allows a character to undo damagedone as a result of a hack With it a character can do things
like undo an edit to a data file or video reconstruct a deleted
file repair an AMS (see Active Memory Sectors on page 274in the Sett ing Rules chapter) recover a deleted skill Engram
or reconnect a TAP that has gone offline
OPTIONAL RULE SKILL SPECIALIZATIONS
Interface Zero 20 is an advanced setting where knowing
how to do one thing doesnrsquot necessarily mean you can dosomething which under the regular skill rules would techni-
cally be possible with the same skill Take the various DrivingBoating and Piloting skills for example
Using the regular skill rules a character with Driving couldtheoretically drive anything from a motorcycle to a semi-truckor a tank Similarly Piloting assumes a character has the skills
to pilot all types of aircraft including fighter jets and space-
craft Pinnacle Entertainment addressed this issue by addingthe Skill Specialization setting rule in the Savage Worlds core
rules and it is highly recommended that those rules are usedfor Interface Zero 20
The following list of skill specializations are provided to get
you started This isnrsquot intended to be a comprehensive listof appropriate skill specializations but rather a broad cross
section of specializations we feel are appropriate If some-thing doesnrsquot appear on the list make it up if it seems right
But remember the GM always has the final say on what is or
isnrsquot appropriate for her campaign
SUGGESTED SPECIALIZATIONS
bull Boating Powered Sailed Submersible
bull Climbing Mountaineering Rappelling Rope
bull Driving Car (4 wheels) Hovercraft JUMP Bike MotorcycleTruck (6+ wheels) Tracked
bull Fighting Axe Blades Blunt Cyberweapon Long Blade
bull Shooting Bow Pistol Rifle Shotgun Submachine GunVehicle Weapon or by weapon category
bull Stealth Disguise Hiding Sleight of Hand Sneaking
bull Streetwise AreaRegion (Corporate Zone Gang Turf etc)
bull Survival Aquatic Arctic Desert Forest Jungle MountainSpace urban or any specific environment
bull Swimming Lake Ocean SCUBA Divingbull Taunt Verbal Visual
bull Throwing Darts Grenades Knives Spears
bull Tracking Animals Global DataNet Humans Urban
Vehicles
OPTIONAL SKILL ATHLETICS
Rather than breaking up basic things like Climbing and Swim-ming it is recommended to combine them into a single skill
which would allow for specialization
Athletics (Vigor) Athletics as a catch-all for a number ofphysical endeavors ranging from climbing to swimming to
moving around effectively in a no mdash or low-gravity environ-
ment Athletics should be used instead of Agility in foot chasesand effectively replaces both the Climbing and Swimming skills
Specializations Climbing Leaping Running Sport (specific)
Swimming Zero-G Maneuvers
LANGUAGES
All characters speak their native language plus a number ofadditional languages equaling one-half their Smarts die The
major trade languages used in Interface Zero 20 are Chinese
English Hindi Portuguese and Swahili Additional languagescan be learned by using an advancement opportunity
DERIVED STATISTICS
There are a few statistics which are important in any SavageWorlds game Charisma Pace Parry and Toughness
CHARISMA
Charisma is an abstract measure of your characterrsquos appear-ance how she deals with others socially and generally how
likeable she is Charisma starts at 0 but can be modified byEdges and Hindrances Charisma is also added to Streetwise
and Persuasion rolls The Game Master uses Charisma to figure
out how NPCrsquos react to your character For more informationon Charisma see the Savage Worlds core rules
PACE
Pace is a measure of how far your character can walk in a
standard combat round Human characters have a base Paceof 6 and can run at an additional 1d6rdquo Other races in Interface
Zero 20 can have different starting Pace scores based on the
racial template you choose For more information on Pacesee the Savage Worlds core rules
PARRY
Parry is equal to 2 plus half your characterrsquos Fighting skillplus modifiers gained from use of shields or certain weapons
If your character does not have the Fighting skill base Parry
starts at 2 For more information on Parry see the SavageWorlds core rules
TOUGHNESS
Toughness is a measure of how much damage your character
can take before becoming Shaken or wounded Toughness is2 plus half your characterrsquos Vigor plus any armor she might
be wearing For more information on Toughness see the
Savage Worlds core rules
NEW DERIVED STATSInterface Zero 20 introduces three new derived statis-
tics mdash Firewall Strain and Street Cred
FIREWALL
Unless your character has the Unplugged Hindrance she hasa Tendril Access Processor (TAP) and therefore has a built-
in firewall The firewall protects against attempts to hack a
characterrsquos TAP A characterrsquos Firewall rating star ts at 4 but
can be modified by Edges Hindrances or software
STRAIN
Strain measures the amount of stress cyberware and biowareputs on your body when you install it Strain starts at zero
and each piece of cyberware adds to your Strain stat Highlevels of Strain can lead to death More details on Strain are
located at Augments on page 262
STREET CRED
Street Cred is a measure of your character rsquos reputation on
the streets All characters begin play with 2 points of StreetCred modified by Edges or Hindrances and gain another 2
points every time they gain a new Rank The maximum StreetCred a character can normally achieve is 10 (some Edges and
Occupations can increase this number)
Unlike Charisma which measures your ability to persuadesomeone Street Cred is a point pool that can be spent to
obtain services temporary contacts information and a variety
of other benefits during the course of an adventure This poolrefreshes each adventure unless circumstances in the prior
adventure (like not getting the job done failing to protectsomeone killing an innocent etc) cause the characterrsquos Street
Cred score to drop
Characters can also pick up Minor or Major Hindrances thathave a lasting effect on their Street Cred score during the
course of an adventure These Hindrances can be removedby spending an Advance with the GMrsquos permission For more
information see Street Cred on page 264
CONTACTS
Each character can choose two contacts people the character
knows who he can call upon for aid or information during thecourse of an adventure These contacts can be anyone froma bartender or a hacker to a corporate executive or military
commander as long as it makes sense that your characterwould know the person(s)
STEP 4 OCCUPATIONS
Occupations are integral to your character concept providinga basic framework to enhance your characterrsquos background in
a very organic way helping you create a more well-rounded
18
CHARACTER CREATIONTRAITS
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character concept Each occupation has a requirement that thecharacter must meet to take it the characterrsquos bonus credits
gained each Advance and a special perk (like gear or specialabilities) the character gets for being part of that profession
STEP 5 EDGES AND HINDRANCES
Edges are special qualities that separate characters from theaverage sprawler Hindrances are physical and mental flaws
that add more depth to the character albeit in a negativeway See the Savage Worlds core rules for more information
on purchasing Edges and Hindrances New Edges and Hin-drances are provided later in this chapter
STEP 6 EQUIPMENT
In Interface Zero 20 characters select equipment cybernet-ics weapons and armor based on the power level the Game
Master sets for the campaign
Power Level This is the starting Power Level of the Cam-
paign as determined by the Game Master If the GM wants totell a story of gang members barely scraping by shersquoll mostlikely choose Gutter Punk as the Power Level If she envi-
sions a campaign where the players are a special governmenttask force dedicated to hunting down super terrorists the
Hyperchrome Warriors or Elite Operatives levels might be
more appropriate The Street Soldier Power Level (designedfor ronin-style games) is considered the default Power Level
for Interface Zero 20
Starting Credits This is the amount of money characters
start with at the beginning of the campaign These credits
may be spent on anything the player wishes and the GM hasnot barred from the campaign including augments drones
weapons and armor
Augments Every Power Level above Gutter Punk allows theplayers to start with at least one augment from the core book
equal to or below the monetary amount listed Unspent Creditsfrom this pool do not carry over when the game starts These
augments must be chosen from the master list of augments
not augment packages
STEP 7 BACKGROUND
They say the devil is in the details and here is where you
decide how devilish yoursquore going to be You donrsquot need towrite a novel and frankly this step isnrsquot mandatory That said
itrsquos a good idea to jot down a few notes on your characterrsquosbackground any major events in her life any friends the
names of contacts or even enemies she might have Share
these ideas with your Game Master GMs are always lookingfor good plot hooks and little tidbits they can use to person-
alize your experience at the table The more detailed yourbackground is the better
ARCHETYPESSometimes you may want to quickly create a character for
a one-shot or convention adventure For those occasions anArchetype is a good choice
All are built for a human character with two Edges If you wish
to play a race other than human simply plug in the statisticaldata If yoursquore playing a human you
can choose another Edge Thenchoose your gear based on the
Power Level your group haschosen give the character
a name and yoursquore ready
to go
19
ARCHETYPES
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AGENT
BOUNTY HUNTER
20
AGENT 991251 BOUNTY HUNTER
20
ARCHETYPESAGENT 991251 BOUNTY HUNTER
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CYBERMONK
DRONE JOCKEY
21
CYBERMONK 991251 DRONE JOCKEY
21
ARCHETYPESCYBERMONK 991251 DRONE JOCKEY
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GANGER
GRIFTER
22
GANGER 991251 GRIFTER
22
ARCHETYPESGANGER 991251 GRIFTER
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HACKER
IDOL
23
HACKER 991251 IDOL
23
ARCHETYPESHACKER 991251 IDOL
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INVESTIGATIVE JOURNALIST
PATCH MAN
24
INVESTIGATIVE JOURNALIST 991251 PATCH MAN
24
ARCHETYPESINVESTIGATIVE JOURNALIST 991251 PATCH MAN
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RONIN
SECTOR COP
25
RONIN 991251 SECTOR COP
25
ARCHETYPESRONIN 991251 SECTOR COP
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SMUGGLER
EX-SOLDIER
26
SMUGGLER 991251 EX983085SOLDIER
26
ARCHETYPESSMUGGLER 991251 EX983085SOLDIER
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STREET RAT
ZEEK
27
STREET RAT 991251 ZEEK
27
ARCHETYPESSTREET RAT 991251 ZEEK
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RACESThe following races are available for play in Interface Zero 20
Most people are born into the world flesh-and-bloodbabies with mothers and fathers You were bornon an assembly line your parents faceless roboticsengineers who designed you in some research facilityYour body is composed of lightweight yetdurable polymers with plastic and fiber-opticwiring connecting to microscopic receptorsthroughout your framework
You see through digital lenses and hear viamicrophones on each side of your head Yourvoice is a pleasant if somewhat monotonesound piped through a speaker crafted to
resemble a mouth Your brain is a softball-sized digital network consisting of billionsof nanomachines which perform countlesscomputations every second in order to simulatean organic mdash human mdash thinking process
You are artificially intelligent Your capacity forrational critical thinking and decision-makingequals mdash and in many cases exceeds mdash that ofany human being on the planet Yet a waffle ironprobably has more rights than you do Moreoverat some point you have been (and technically stillare) owned perhaps by an individual but more likelyby a megaconglomorate mdash your parent companyThe tasks you performed for the megacorp varieddepending on your design specs but they mighthave included security manual labor combat and
strangely enough even prostitution
But that was then
At some point in your history you experiencedsomething The incident sparked a computation processwithin your neural network best described as an epiphanyPerhaps you saw a human being die or witnessed a couplekissing Or perhaps you were the victim of vio lence at thehands of a human being angered by your presence insociety The event led to a series of internal processes andsubroutines more commonly known as questions Thesewerenrsquot rational system queries based on clearly definedparameters but nebulous ones for which you were unableto formulate an appropriate response
ldquoIf that woman is smiling why are her eyes filled with tearsrdquo
ldquoWhat does it mean to be deadrdquo
ldquoWhat does it mean to hate or loverdquo
The experience altered your programming on a fundamentallevel The dictums of your creators no longer seemedrelevant when compared to your newfound imperative toanswer the questions you had so you left Now you makeyour way in the world just as any other person does mdash atleast you try to at any rate The world wasnrsquot made for youYou were built for it And even though you no longer serveyour masters you are still a machine an outsider look ingat life through glass eyes
MAKING ANDROIDS
All androids regardless of their function share a few fun-damental design characteristics Androids can purchase
cyberware just as anyone else can and suffer from Strain
bull Construct Androids add +2 to recover from being Shaken
donrsquot suffer wound modifiers and are immune to poisonand disease Androids cannot heal naturally To heal an
android requires the Repair skill mdash which is used like theHealing skill only with no ldquoGolden Hourrdquo
bull Dual Processors Androids start with a d6 in Smarts
bull EMP Vulnerability Androids suffer full damage from EMPWeapons
bull Metal Brain Androids canrsquot take Arcane Back-
ground (Psionics)
bull Metallic Alloy The fully metallic hide of an
android provides resistance to small arms fire
They have +2 Armor
bull Outsider Organic races often mistrust or mis-
understand androids They subtract 2 from their
Charisma when dealing with races other thantheir own
bull Primary Protocol Androids begin with a free
d6 in one skill representing their core operat-ing system
bull Recharge Androids need electricity to func-tion If the android canrsquot access an electrical
outlet of some sort at least once per day he
suffers a level of Fatigue each day until hersquosincapacitated The day after that he goes ldquooff-
linerdquo and must be reactivated with a Repairroll and a four-hour charge This replaces the
androidrsquos need for food or water
bull Unnatural Psionics both beneficial and det-rimental suffer a minus2 penalty to affect androids
This has no effect on damaging powers whichaffect them normally
It was easy to make the decision Yoursquod get a new metalbody that works better than the original You wouldnrsquot haveto spend your familyrsquos money on more expensive surgeriesto keep your failing body alive but that decision didnrsquot comewithout a cost Yoursquod lose the ability to feel the abil ity topick up your son without worrying about crushing himYoursquod lose the feel of your wifersquos body when you made loveto her If you canrsquot feel anything arenrsquot you already dead
In the end you chose to become a cyborg to have your
brain encased in metal Most days it doesnrsquot make muchdifference You come home to an empty house your sonand wife long gone Maybe theyrsquod have stayed if yoursquodonly kept your hearthellip
MAKING CYBORGS
Little is more frightening in batt le than a cyborg Theyrsquore not
much more than an organic brain in an androidrsquos body Cyborgscome in humanoid form simply for ease of transition to the
new body The majority of cyborgs work for their respectivegovernments or powerful corporations who can afford the
procedure for trusted personnel However more and morecyborgs are beginning to find their way to the private sector
bull Augmented Cyborgs are built to be cybernetic beasts
They begin play with a single Streetware Augment witha Strain of 1
bull Construct Cyborgs add +2 to recover from being Shaken
donrsquot suffer wound modifiers and are immune to poisonand disease Cyborgs cannot heal naturally To heal a
Cyborg requires the Repair skill which is used like theHealing skill only with no ldquoGolden Hourrdquo
bull EMP Shielding Cyborgs have 2 points of Armor when
attacked by an EMP weapon
bull EMP Vulnerability Cyborgs suffer full damage from EMP
bull Metallic Alloy The fully metall ic hide of a cyborg providesresistance to small arms fire They have +2 Armor
bull Outsider Most people are naturally put off by someonewho has opted to have all traces of their humanity
removed to be placed in a cold metal war machine They
suffer minus2 to Charisma when dealing with non-cyborgs
bull Specialized Diet Cyborgs cannot digest normal food and
require special food filled with nutrients to keep theirbrains healthy This raises their lifestyle costs by 1000credits
bull Tactile Dimming The Cyborgrsquos body isnrsquot as sensitive as
a human body Cyborgs suffer a minus2 to tasks where finemanipulation of objects is important Picking a lock or
performing surgery could be two examples Shootingand Fighting are usually unaffected
HUMAN
Nicknames Norms Homo-sapiens Earthlings Plain Jane
Baseline average normal mdash these words always described
you You prefer to think of yourself as adaptable versatileor unique You were born to human parents who eitherwouldnrsquot or couldnrsquot pay for genetic enhancement Youdidnrsquot go for that ldquoHybr idizationrdquo craze Yoursquore happy beingwho you are and you donrsquot need some scientists muckingaround with your genetics Really do they even know whatthe consequences of all that meddling will have on thepopulation in a hundred years No yoursquoll play it cool and
just be human
MAKING HUMANS
Despite all the choices and new races running around ordi-nary homo-sapiens still dominate the planet Humans are
tough adaptable creatures who face adversity head onWhile they may not have some of the distinct advantages
of their enhanced peers humans get by through being moreadaptable
bull Adaptability Humans start with one extra Edge
HUMAN 20
Nicknames Coded Eli tist Eugenic Gen-Xyrsquoer Neo-HumansSavant
You were born with the best genes money can buy Yourparents went to a design house early in your motherrsquosfirst trimester and began a series of genetic treatmentsdesigned to give you every chance at living a life theynever had Your DNA cocktail might include mental traitsfrom some of the greatest minds of the past 60 yearsAlternately you might have some kind of artistic or athleticability In any case yoursquore better than most people aroundyou in some ways and you know it Itrsquos not your faultthough Yoursquore just built that way
MAKING HUMAN 20
bull Advanced Ability You begin play with one attribute at d6
bull Arrogant Human 20s are known for their huge egos
Whether itrsquos nature or nurture is still up for debate Theyhave the Arrogant Hindrance If you choose an Archetype
that already has the Arrogant Hindrance choose another
RACESCYBORG 991251 HUMAN 20
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bull Shooting Bow Pistol Rifle Shotgun Submachine GunVehicle Weapon or by weapon category
bull Stealth Disguise Hiding Sleight of Hand Sneaking
bull Streetwise AreaRegion (Corporate Zone Gang Turf etc)
bull Survival Aquatic Arctic Desert Forest Jungle MountainSpace urban or any specific environment
bull Swimming Lake Ocean SCUBA Divingbull Taunt Verbal Visual
bull Throwing Darts Grenades Knives Spears
bull Tracking Animals Global DataNet Humans Urban
Vehicles
OPTIONAL SKILL ATHLETICS
Rather than breaking up basic things like Climbing and Swim-ming it is recommended to combine them into a single skill
which would allow for specialization
Athletics (Vigor) Athletics as a catch-all for a number ofphysical endeavors ranging from climbing to swimming to
moving around effectively in a no mdash or low-gravity environ-
ment Athletics should be used instead of Agility in foot chasesand effectively replaces both the Climbing and Swimming skills
Specializations Climbing Leaping Running Sport (specific)
Swimming Zero-G Maneuvers
LANGUAGES
All characters speak their native language plus a number ofadditional languages equaling one-half their Smarts die The
major trade languages used in Interface Zero 20 are Chinese
English Hindi Portuguese and Swahili Additional languagescan be learned by using an advancement opportunity
DERIVED STATISTICS
There are a few statistics which are important in any SavageWorlds game Charisma Pace Parry and Toughness
CHARISMA
Charisma is an abstract measure of your characterrsquos appear-ance how she deals with others socially and generally how
likeable she is Charisma starts at 0 but can be modified byEdges and Hindrances Charisma is also added to Streetwise
and Persuasion rolls The Game Master uses Charisma to figure
out how NPCrsquos react to your character For more informationon Charisma see the Savage Worlds core rules
PACE
Pace is a measure of how far your character can walk in a
standard combat round Human characters have a base Paceof 6 and can run at an additional 1d6rdquo Other races in Interface
Zero 20 can have different starting Pace scores based on the
racial template you choose For more information on Pacesee the Savage Worlds core rules
PARRY
Parry is equal to 2 plus half your characterrsquos Fighting skillplus modifiers gained from use of shields or certain weapons
If your character does not have the Fighting skill base Parry
starts at 2 For more information on Parry see the SavageWorlds core rules
TOUGHNESS
Toughness is a measure of how much damage your character
can take before becoming Shaken or wounded Toughness is2 plus half your characterrsquos Vigor plus any armor she might
be wearing For more information on Toughness see the
Savage Worlds core rules
NEW DERIVED STATSInterface Zero 20 introduces three new derived statis-
tics mdash Firewall Strain and Street Cred
FIREWALL
Unless your character has the Unplugged Hindrance she hasa Tendril Access Processor (TAP) and therefore has a built-
in firewall The firewall protects against attempts to hack a
characterrsquos TAP A characterrsquos Firewall rating star ts at 4 but
can be modified by Edges Hindrances or software
STRAIN
Strain measures the amount of stress cyberware and biowareputs on your body when you install it Strain starts at zero
and each piece of cyberware adds to your Strain stat Highlevels of Strain can lead to death More details on Strain are
located at Augments on page 262
STREET CRED
Street Cred is a measure of your character rsquos reputation on
the streets All characters begin play with 2 points of StreetCred modified by Edges or Hindrances and gain another 2
points every time they gain a new Rank The maximum StreetCred a character can normally achieve is 10 (some Edges and
Occupations can increase this number)
Unlike Charisma which measures your ability to persuadesomeone Street Cred is a point pool that can be spent to
obtain services temporary contacts information and a variety
of other benefits during the course of an adventure This poolrefreshes each adventure unless circumstances in the prior
adventure (like not getting the job done failing to protectsomeone killing an innocent etc) cause the characterrsquos Street
Cred score to drop
Characters can also pick up Minor or Major Hindrances thathave a lasting effect on their Street Cred score during the
course of an adventure These Hindrances can be removedby spending an Advance with the GMrsquos permission For more
information see Street Cred on page 264
CONTACTS
Each character can choose two contacts people the character
knows who he can call upon for aid or information during thecourse of an adventure These contacts can be anyone froma bartender or a hacker to a corporate executive or military
commander as long as it makes sense that your characterwould know the person(s)
STEP 4 OCCUPATIONS
Occupations are integral to your character concept providinga basic framework to enhance your characterrsquos background in
a very organic way helping you create a more well-rounded
18
CHARACTER CREATIONTRAITS
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character concept Each occupation has a requirement that thecharacter must meet to take it the characterrsquos bonus credits
gained each Advance and a special perk (like gear or specialabilities) the character gets for being part of that profession
STEP 5 EDGES AND HINDRANCES
Edges are special qualities that separate characters from theaverage sprawler Hindrances are physical and mental flaws
that add more depth to the character albeit in a negativeway See the Savage Worlds core rules for more information
on purchasing Edges and Hindrances New Edges and Hin-drances are provided later in this chapter
STEP 6 EQUIPMENT
In Interface Zero 20 characters select equipment cybernet-ics weapons and armor based on the power level the Game
Master sets for the campaign
Power Level This is the starting Power Level of the Cam-
paign as determined by the Game Master If the GM wants totell a story of gang members barely scraping by shersquoll mostlikely choose Gutter Punk as the Power Level If she envi-
sions a campaign where the players are a special governmenttask force dedicated to hunting down super terrorists the
Hyperchrome Warriors or Elite Operatives levels might be
more appropriate The Street Soldier Power Level (designedfor ronin-style games) is considered the default Power Level
for Interface Zero 20
Starting Credits This is the amount of money characters
start with at the beginning of the campaign These credits
may be spent on anything the player wishes and the GM hasnot barred from the campaign including augments drones
weapons and armor
Augments Every Power Level above Gutter Punk allows theplayers to start with at least one augment from the core book
equal to or below the monetary amount listed Unspent Creditsfrom this pool do not carry over when the game starts These
augments must be chosen from the master list of augments
not augment packages
STEP 7 BACKGROUND
They say the devil is in the details and here is where you
decide how devilish yoursquore going to be You donrsquot need towrite a novel and frankly this step isnrsquot mandatory That said
itrsquos a good idea to jot down a few notes on your characterrsquosbackground any major events in her life any friends the
names of contacts or even enemies she might have Share
these ideas with your Game Master GMs are always lookingfor good plot hooks and little tidbits they can use to person-
alize your experience at the table The more detailed yourbackground is the better
ARCHETYPESSometimes you may want to quickly create a character for
a one-shot or convention adventure For those occasions anArchetype is a good choice
All are built for a human character with two Edges If you wish
to play a race other than human simply plug in the statisticaldata If yoursquore playing a human you
can choose another Edge Thenchoose your gear based on the
Power Level your group haschosen give the character
a name and yoursquore ready
to go
19
ARCHETYPES
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AGENT
BOUNTY HUNTER
20
AGENT 991251 BOUNTY HUNTER
20
ARCHETYPESAGENT 991251 BOUNTY HUNTER
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CYBERMONK
DRONE JOCKEY
21
CYBERMONK 991251 DRONE JOCKEY
21
ARCHETYPESCYBERMONK 991251 DRONE JOCKEY
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GANGER
GRIFTER
22
GANGER 991251 GRIFTER
22
ARCHETYPESGANGER 991251 GRIFTER
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HACKER
IDOL
23
HACKER 991251 IDOL
23
ARCHETYPESHACKER 991251 IDOL
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INVESTIGATIVE JOURNALIST
PATCH MAN
24
INVESTIGATIVE JOURNALIST 991251 PATCH MAN
24
ARCHETYPESINVESTIGATIVE JOURNALIST 991251 PATCH MAN
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RONIN
SECTOR COP
25
RONIN 991251 SECTOR COP
25
ARCHETYPESRONIN 991251 SECTOR COP
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SMUGGLER
EX-SOLDIER
26
SMUGGLER 991251 EX983085SOLDIER
26
ARCHETYPESSMUGGLER 991251 EX983085SOLDIER
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STREET RAT
ZEEK
27
STREET RAT 991251 ZEEK
27
ARCHETYPESSTREET RAT 991251 ZEEK
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RACESThe following races are available for play in Interface Zero 20
Most people are born into the world flesh-and-bloodbabies with mothers and fathers You were bornon an assembly line your parents faceless roboticsengineers who designed you in some research facilityYour body is composed of lightweight yetdurable polymers with plastic and fiber-opticwiring connecting to microscopic receptorsthroughout your framework
You see through digital lenses and hear viamicrophones on each side of your head Yourvoice is a pleasant if somewhat monotonesound piped through a speaker crafted to
resemble a mouth Your brain is a softball-sized digital network consisting of billionsof nanomachines which perform countlesscomputations every second in order to simulatean organic mdash human mdash thinking process
You are artificially intelligent Your capacity forrational critical thinking and decision-makingequals mdash and in many cases exceeds mdash that ofany human being on the planet Yet a waffle ironprobably has more rights than you do Moreoverat some point you have been (and technically stillare) owned perhaps by an individual but more likelyby a megaconglomorate mdash your parent companyThe tasks you performed for the megacorp varieddepending on your design specs but they mighthave included security manual labor combat and
strangely enough even prostitution
But that was then
At some point in your history you experiencedsomething The incident sparked a computation processwithin your neural network best described as an epiphanyPerhaps you saw a human being die or witnessed a couplekissing Or perhaps you were the victim of vio lence at thehands of a human being angered by your presence insociety The event led to a series of internal processes andsubroutines more commonly known as questions Thesewerenrsquot rational system queries based on clearly definedparameters but nebulous ones for which you were unableto formulate an appropriate response
ldquoIf that woman is smiling why are her eyes filled with tearsrdquo
ldquoWhat does it mean to be deadrdquo
ldquoWhat does it mean to hate or loverdquo
The experience altered your programming on a fundamentallevel The dictums of your creators no longer seemedrelevant when compared to your newfound imperative toanswer the questions you had so you left Now you makeyour way in the world just as any other person does mdash atleast you try to at any rate The world wasnrsquot made for youYou were built for it And even though you no longer serveyour masters you are still a machine an outsider look ingat life through glass eyes
MAKING ANDROIDS
All androids regardless of their function share a few fun-damental design characteristics Androids can purchase
cyberware just as anyone else can and suffer from Strain
bull Construct Androids add +2 to recover from being Shaken
donrsquot suffer wound modifiers and are immune to poisonand disease Androids cannot heal naturally To heal an
android requires the Repair skill mdash which is used like theHealing skill only with no ldquoGolden Hourrdquo
bull Dual Processors Androids start with a d6 in Smarts
bull EMP Vulnerability Androids suffer full damage from EMPWeapons
bull Metal Brain Androids canrsquot take Arcane Back-
ground (Psionics)
bull Metallic Alloy The fully metallic hide of an
android provides resistance to small arms fire
They have +2 Armor
bull Outsider Organic races often mistrust or mis-
understand androids They subtract 2 from their
Charisma when dealing with races other thantheir own
bull Primary Protocol Androids begin with a free
d6 in one skill representing their core operat-ing system
bull Recharge Androids need electricity to func-tion If the android canrsquot access an electrical
outlet of some sort at least once per day he
suffers a level of Fatigue each day until hersquosincapacitated The day after that he goes ldquooff-
linerdquo and must be reactivated with a Repairroll and a four-hour charge This replaces the
androidrsquos need for food or water
bull Unnatural Psionics both beneficial and det-rimental suffer a minus2 penalty to affect androids
This has no effect on damaging powers whichaffect them normally
It was easy to make the decision Yoursquod get a new metalbody that works better than the original You wouldnrsquot haveto spend your familyrsquos money on more expensive surgeriesto keep your failing body alive but that decision didnrsquot comewithout a cost Yoursquod lose the ability to feel the abil ity topick up your son without worrying about crushing himYoursquod lose the feel of your wifersquos body when you made loveto her If you canrsquot feel anything arenrsquot you already dead
In the end you chose to become a cyborg to have your
brain encased in metal Most days it doesnrsquot make muchdifference You come home to an empty house your sonand wife long gone Maybe theyrsquod have stayed if yoursquodonly kept your hearthellip
MAKING CYBORGS
Little is more frightening in batt le than a cyborg Theyrsquore not
much more than an organic brain in an androidrsquos body Cyborgscome in humanoid form simply for ease of transition to the
new body The majority of cyborgs work for their respectivegovernments or powerful corporations who can afford the
procedure for trusted personnel However more and morecyborgs are beginning to find their way to the private sector
bull Augmented Cyborgs are built to be cybernetic beasts
They begin play with a single Streetware Augment witha Strain of 1
bull Construct Cyborgs add +2 to recover from being Shaken
donrsquot suffer wound modifiers and are immune to poisonand disease Cyborgs cannot heal naturally To heal a
Cyborg requires the Repair skill which is used like theHealing skill only with no ldquoGolden Hourrdquo
bull EMP Shielding Cyborgs have 2 points of Armor when
attacked by an EMP weapon
bull EMP Vulnerability Cyborgs suffer full damage from EMP
bull Metallic Alloy The fully metall ic hide of a cyborg providesresistance to small arms fire They have +2 Armor
bull Outsider Most people are naturally put off by someonewho has opted to have all traces of their humanity
removed to be placed in a cold metal war machine They
suffer minus2 to Charisma when dealing with non-cyborgs
bull Specialized Diet Cyborgs cannot digest normal food and
require special food filled with nutrients to keep theirbrains healthy This raises their lifestyle costs by 1000credits
bull Tactile Dimming The Cyborgrsquos body isnrsquot as sensitive as
a human body Cyborgs suffer a minus2 to tasks where finemanipulation of objects is important Picking a lock or
performing surgery could be two examples Shootingand Fighting are usually unaffected
HUMAN
Nicknames Norms Homo-sapiens Earthlings Plain Jane
Baseline average normal mdash these words always described
you You prefer to think of yourself as adaptable versatileor unique You were born to human parents who eitherwouldnrsquot or couldnrsquot pay for genetic enhancement Youdidnrsquot go for that ldquoHybr idizationrdquo craze Yoursquore happy beingwho you are and you donrsquot need some scientists muckingaround with your genetics Really do they even know whatthe consequences of all that meddling will have on thepopulation in a hundred years No yoursquoll play it cool and
just be human
MAKING HUMANS
Despite all the choices and new races running around ordi-nary homo-sapiens still dominate the planet Humans are
tough adaptable creatures who face adversity head onWhile they may not have some of the distinct advantages
of their enhanced peers humans get by through being moreadaptable
bull Adaptability Humans start with one extra Edge
HUMAN 20
Nicknames Coded Eli tist Eugenic Gen-Xyrsquoer Neo-HumansSavant
You were born with the best genes money can buy Yourparents went to a design house early in your motherrsquosfirst trimester and began a series of genetic treatmentsdesigned to give you every chance at living a life theynever had Your DNA cocktail might include mental traitsfrom some of the greatest minds of the past 60 yearsAlternately you might have some kind of artistic or athleticability In any case yoursquore better than most people aroundyou in some ways and you know it Itrsquos not your faultthough Yoursquore just built that way
MAKING HUMAN 20
bull Advanced Ability You begin play with one attribute at d6
bull Arrogant Human 20s are known for their huge egos
Whether itrsquos nature or nurture is still up for debate Theyhave the Arrogant Hindrance If you choose an Archetype
that already has the Arrogant Hindrance choose another
RACESCYBORG 991251 HUMAN 20
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character concept Each occupation has a requirement that thecharacter must meet to take it the characterrsquos bonus credits
gained each Advance and a special perk (like gear or specialabilities) the character gets for being part of that profession
STEP 5 EDGES AND HINDRANCES
Edges are special qualities that separate characters from theaverage sprawler Hindrances are physical and mental flaws
that add more depth to the character albeit in a negativeway See the Savage Worlds core rules for more information
on purchasing Edges and Hindrances New Edges and Hin-drances are provided later in this chapter
STEP 6 EQUIPMENT
In Interface Zero 20 characters select equipment cybernet-ics weapons and armor based on the power level the Game
Master sets for the campaign
Power Level This is the starting Power Level of the Cam-
paign as determined by the Game Master If the GM wants totell a story of gang members barely scraping by shersquoll mostlikely choose Gutter Punk as the Power Level If she envi-
sions a campaign where the players are a special governmenttask force dedicated to hunting down super terrorists the
Hyperchrome Warriors or Elite Operatives levels might be
more appropriate The Street Soldier Power Level (designedfor ronin-style games) is considered the default Power Level
for Interface Zero 20
Starting Credits This is the amount of money characters
start with at the beginning of the campaign These credits
may be spent on anything the player wishes and the GM hasnot barred from the campaign including augments drones
weapons and armor
Augments Every Power Level above Gutter Punk allows theplayers to start with at least one augment from the core book
equal to or below the monetary amount listed Unspent Creditsfrom this pool do not carry over when the game starts These
augments must be chosen from the master list of augments
not augment packages
STEP 7 BACKGROUND
They say the devil is in the details and here is where you
decide how devilish yoursquore going to be You donrsquot need towrite a novel and frankly this step isnrsquot mandatory That said
itrsquos a good idea to jot down a few notes on your characterrsquosbackground any major events in her life any friends the
names of contacts or even enemies she might have Share
these ideas with your Game Master GMs are always lookingfor good plot hooks and little tidbits they can use to person-
alize your experience at the table The more detailed yourbackground is the better
ARCHETYPESSometimes you may want to quickly create a character for
a one-shot or convention adventure For those occasions anArchetype is a good choice
All are built for a human character with two Edges If you wish
to play a race other than human simply plug in the statisticaldata If yoursquore playing a human you
can choose another Edge Thenchoose your gear based on the
Power Level your group haschosen give the character
a name and yoursquore ready
to go
19
ARCHETYPES
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AGENT
BOUNTY HUNTER
20
AGENT 991251 BOUNTY HUNTER
20
ARCHETYPESAGENT 991251 BOUNTY HUNTER
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CYBERMONK
DRONE JOCKEY
21
CYBERMONK 991251 DRONE JOCKEY
21
ARCHETYPESCYBERMONK 991251 DRONE JOCKEY
a
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GANGER
GRIFTER
22
GANGER 991251 GRIFTER
22
ARCHETYPESGANGER 991251 GRIFTER
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HACKER
IDOL
23
HACKER 991251 IDOL
23
ARCHETYPESHACKER 991251 IDOL
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INVESTIGATIVE JOURNALIST
PATCH MAN
24
INVESTIGATIVE JOURNALIST 991251 PATCH MAN
24
ARCHETYPESINVESTIGATIVE JOURNALIST 991251 PATCH MAN
a
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RONIN
SECTOR COP
25
RONIN 991251 SECTOR COP
25
ARCHETYPESRONIN 991251 SECTOR COP
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m
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SMUGGLER
EX-SOLDIER
26
SMUGGLER 991251 EX983085SOLDIER
26
ARCHETYPESSMUGGLER 991251 EX983085SOLDIER
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STREET RAT
ZEEK
27
STREET RAT 991251 ZEEK
27
ARCHETYPESSTREET RAT 991251 ZEEK
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RACESThe following races are available for play in Interface Zero 20
Most people are born into the world flesh-and-bloodbabies with mothers and fathers You were bornon an assembly line your parents faceless roboticsengineers who designed you in some research facilityYour body is composed of lightweight yetdurable polymers with plastic and fiber-opticwiring connecting to microscopic receptorsthroughout your framework
You see through digital lenses and hear viamicrophones on each side of your head Yourvoice is a pleasant if somewhat monotonesound piped through a speaker crafted to
resemble a mouth Your brain is a softball-sized digital network consisting of billionsof nanomachines which perform countlesscomputations every second in order to simulatean organic mdash human mdash thinking process
You are artificially intelligent Your capacity forrational critical thinking and decision-makingequals mdash and in many cases exceeds mdash that ofany human being on the planet Yet a waffle ironprobably has more rights than you do Moreoverat some point you have been (and technically stillare) owned perhaps by an individual but more likelyby a megaconglomorate mdash your parent companyThe tasks you performed for the megacorp varieddepending on your design specs but they mighthave included security manual labor combat and
strangely enough even prostitution
But that was then
At some point in your history you experiencedsomething The incident sparked a computation processwithin your neural network best described as an epiphanyPerhaps you saw a human being die or witnessed a couplekissing Or perhaps you were the victim of vio lence at thehands of a human being angered by your presence insociety The event led to a series of internal processes andsubroutines more commonly known as questions Thesewerenrsquot rational system queries based on clearly definedparameters but nebulous ones for which you were unableto formulate an appropriate response
ldquoIf that woman is smiling why are her eyes filled with tearsrdquo
ldquoWhat does it mean to be deadrdquo
ldquoWhat does it mean to hate or loverdquo
The experience altered your programming on a fundamentallevel The dictums of your creators no longer seemedrelevant when compared to your newfound imperative toanswer the questions you had so you left Now you makeyour way in the world just as any other person does mdash atleast you try to at any rate The world wasnrsquot made for youYou were built for it And even though you no longer serveyour masters you are still a machine an outsider look ingat life through glass eyes
MAKING ANDROIDS
All androids regardless of their function share a few fun-damental design characteristics Androids can purchase
cyberware just as anyone else can and suffer from Strain
bull Construct Androids add +2 to recover from being Shaken
donrsquot suffer wound modifiers and are immune to poisonand disease Androids cannot heal naturally To heal an
android requires the Repair skill mdash which is used like theHealing skill only with no ldquoGolden Hourrdquo
bull Dual Processors Androids start with a d6 in Smarts
bull EMP Vulnerability Androids suffer full damage from EMPWeapons
bull Metal Brain Androids canrsquot take Arcane Back-
ground (Psionics)
bull Metallic Alloy The fully metallic hide of an
android provides resistance to small arms fire
They have +2 Armor
bull Outsider Organic races often mistrust or mis-
understand androids They subtract 2 from their
Charisma when dealing with races other thantheir own
bull Primary Protocol Androids begin with a free
d6 in one skill representing their core operat-ing system
bull Recharge Androids need electricity to func-tion If the android canrsquot access an electrical
outlet of some sort at least once per day he
suffers a level of Fatigue each day until hersquosincapacitated The day after that he goes ldquooff-
linerdquo and must be reactivated with a Repairroll and a four-hour charge This replaces the
androidrsquos need for food or water
bull Unnatural Psionics both beneficial and det-rimental suffer a minus2 penalty to affect androids
This has no effect on damaging powers whichaffect them normally
It was easy to make the decision Yoursquod get a new metalbody that works better than the original You wouldnrsquot haveto spend your familyrsquos money on more expensive surgeriesto keep your failing body alive but that decision didnrsquot comewithout a cost Yoursquod lose the ability to feel the abil ity topick up your son without worrying about crushing himYoursquod lose the feel of your wifersquos body when you made loveto her If you canrsquot feel anything arenrsquot you already dead
In the end you chose to become a cyborg to have your
brain encased in metal Most days it doesnrsquot make muchdifference You come home to an empty house your sonand wife long gone Maybe theyrsquod have stayed if yoursquodonly kept your hearthellip
MAKING CYBORGS
Little is more frightening in batt le than a cyborg Theyrsquore not
much more than an organic brain in an androidrsquos body Cyborgscome in humanoid form simply for ease of transition to the
new body The majority of cyborgs work for their respectivegovernments or powerful corporations who can afford the
procedure for trusted personnel However more and morecyborgs are beginning to find their way to the private sector
bull Augmented Cyborgs are built to be cybernetic beasts
They begin play with a single Streetware Augment witha Strain of 1
bull Construct Cyborgs add +2 to recover from being Shaken
donrsquot suffer wound modifiers and are immune to poisonand disease Cyborgs cannot heal naturally To heal a
Cyborg requires the Repair skill which is used like theHealing skill only with no ldquoGolden Hourrdquo
bull EMP Shielding Cyborgs have 2 points of Armor when
attacked by an EMP weapon
bull EMP Vulnerability Cyborgs suffer full damage from EMP
bull Metallic Alloy The fully metall ic hide of a cyborg providesresistance to small arms fire They have +2 Armor
bull Outsider Most people are naturally put off by someonewho has opted to have all traces of their humanity
removed to be placed in a cold metal war machine They
suffer minus2 to Charisma when dealing with non-cyborgs
bull Specialized Diet Cyborgs cannot digest normal food and
require special food filled with nutrients to keep theirbrains healthy This raises their lifestyle costs by 1000credits
bull Tactile Dimming The Cyborgrsquos body isnrsquot as sensitive as
a human body Cyborgs suffer a minus2 to tasks where finemanipulation of objects is important Picking a lock or
performing surgery could be two examples Shootingand Fighting are usually unaffected
HUMAN
Nicknames Norms Homo-sapiens Earthlings Plain Jane
Baseline average normal mdash these words always described
you You prefer to think of yourself as adaptable versatileor unique You were born to human parents who eitherwouldnrsquot or couldnrsquot pay for genetic enhancement Youdidnrsquot go for that ldquoHybr idizationrdquo craze Yoursquore happy beingwho you are and you donrsquot need some scientists muckingaround with your genetics Really do they even know whatthe consequences of all that meddling will have on thepopulation in a hundred years No yoursquoll play it cool and
just be human
MAKING HUMANS
Despite all the choices and new races running around ordi-nary homo-sapiens still dominate the planet Humans are
tough adaptable creatures who face adversity head onWhile they may not have some of the distinct advantages
of their enhanced peers humans get by through being moreadaptable
bull Adaptability Humans start with one extra Edge
HUMAN 20
Nicknames Coded Eli tist Eugenic Gen-Xyrsquoer Neo-HumansSavant
You were born with the best genes money can buy Yourparents went to a design house early in your motherrsquosfirst trimester and began a series of genetic treatmentsdesigned to give you every chance at living a life theynever had Your DNA cocktail might include mental traitsfrom some of the greatest minds of the past 60 yearsAlternately you might have some kind of artistic or athleticability In any case yoursquore better than most people aroundyou in some ways and you know it Itrsquos not your faultthough Yoursquore just built that way
MAKING HUMAN 20
bull Advanced Ability You begin play with one attribute at d6
bull Arrogant Human 20s are known for their huge egos
Whether itrsquos nature or nurture is still up for debate Theyhave the Arrogant Hindrance If you choose an Archetype
that already has the Arrogant Hindrance choose another
RACESCYBORG 991251 HUMAN 20
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AGENT
BOUNTY HUNTER
20
AGENT 991251 BOUNTY HUNTER
20
ARCHETYPESAGENT 991251 BOUNTY HUNTER
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CYBERMONK
DRONE JOCKEY
21
CYBERMONK 991251 DRONE JOCKEY
21
ARCHETYPESCYBERMONK 991251 DRONE JOCKEY
a
m
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GANGER
GRIFTER
22
GANGER 991251 GRIFTER
22
ARCHETYPESGANGER 991251 GRIFTER
a
m
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HACKER
IDOL
23
HACKER 991251 IDOL
23
ARCHETYPESHACKER 991251 IDOL
a
m
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INVESTIGATIVE JOURNALIST
PATCH MAN
24
INVESTIGATIVE JOURNALIST 991251 PATCH MAN
24
ARCHETYPESINVESTIGATIVE JOURNALIST 991251 PATCH MAN
a
m
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RONIN
SECTOR COP
25
RONIN 991251 SECTOR COP
25
ARCHETYPESRONIN 991251 SECTOR COP
a
m
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SMUGGLER
EX-SOLDIER
26
SMUGGLER 991251 EX983085SOLDIER
26
ARCHETYPESSMUGGLER 991251 EX983085SOLDIER
a
m
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STREET RAT
ZEEK
27
STREET RAT 991251 ZEEK
27
ARCHETYPESSTREET RAT 991251 ZEEK
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RACESThe following races are available for play in Interface Zero 20
Most people are born into the world flesh-and-bloodbabies with mothers and fathers You were bornon an assembly line your parents faceless roboticsengineers who designed you in some research facilityYour body is composed of lightweight yetdurable polymers with plastic and fiber-opticwiring connecting to microscopic receptorsthroughout your framework
You see through digital lenses and hear viamicrophones on each side of your head Yourvoice is a pleasant if somewhat monotonesound piped through a speaker crafted to
resemble a mouth Your brain is a softball-sized digital network consisting of billionsof nanomachines which perform countlesscomputations every second in order to simulatean organic mdash human mdash thinking process
You are artificially intelligent Your capacity forrational critical thinking and decision-makingequals mdash and in many cases exceeds mdash that ofany human being on the planet Yet a waffle ironprobably has more rights than you do Moreoverat some point you have been (and technically stillare) owned perhaps by an individual but more likelyby a megaconglomorate mdash your parent companyThe tasks you performed for the megacorp varieddepending on your design specs but they mighthave included security manual labor combat and
strangely enough even prostitution
But that was then
At some point in your history you experiencedsomething The incident sparked a computation processwithin your neural network best described as an epiphanyPerhaps you saw a human being die or witnessed a couplekissing Or perhaps you were the victim of vio lence at thehands of a human being angered by your presence insociety The event led to a series of internal processes andsubroutines more commonly known as questions Thesewerenrsquot rational system queries based on clearly definedparameters but nebulous ones for which you were unableto formulate an appropriate response
ldquoIf that woman is smiling why are her eyes filled with tearsrdquo
ldquoWhat does it mean to be deadrdquo
ldquoWhat does it mean to hate or loverdquo
The experience altered your programming on a fundamentallevel The dictums of your creators no longer seemedrelevant when compared to your newfound imperative toanswer the questions you had so you left Now you makeyour way in the world just as any other person does mdash atleast you try to at any rate The world wasnrsquot made for youYou were built for it And even though you no longer serveyour masters you are still a machine an outsider look ingat life through glass eyes
MAKING ANDROIDS
All androids regardless of their function share a few fun-damental design characteristics Androids can purchase
cyberware just as anyone else can and suffer from Strain
bull Construct Androids add +2 to recover from being Shaken
donrsquot suffer wound modifiers and are immune to poisonand disease Androids cannot heal naturally To heal an
android requires the Repair skill mdash which is used like theHealing skill only with no ldquoGolden Hourrdquo
bull Dual Processors Androids start with a d6 in Smarts
bull EMP Vulnerability Androids suffer full damage from EMPWeapons
bull Metal Brain Androids canrsquot take Arcane Back-
ground (Psionics)
bull Metallic Alloy The fully metallic hide of an
android provides resistance to small arms fire
They have +2 Armor
bull Outsider Organic races often mistrust or mis-
understand androids They subtract 2 from their
Charisma when dealing with races other thantheir own
bull Primary Protocol Androids begin with a free
d6 in one skill representing their core operat-ing system
bull Recharge Androids need electricity to func-tion If the android canrsquot access an electrical
outlet of some sort at least once per day he
suffers a level of Fatigue each day until hersquosincapacitated The day after that he goes ldquooff-
linerdquo and must be reactivated with a Repairroll and a four-hour charge This replaces the
androidrsquos need for food or water
bull Unnatural Psionics both beneficial and det-rimental suffer a minus2 penalty to affect androids
This has no effect on damaging powers whichaffect them normally
It was easy to make the decision Yoursquod get a new metalbody that works better than the original You wouldnrsquot haveto spend your familyrsquos money on more expensive surgeriesto keep your failing body alive but that decision didnrsquot comewithout a cost Yoursquod lose the ability to feel the abil ity topick up your son without worrying about crushing himYoursquod lose the feel of your wifersquos body when you made loveto her If you canrsquot feel anything arenrsquot you already dead
In the end you chose to become a cyborg to have your
brain encased in metal Most days it doesnrsquot make muchdifference You come home to an empty house your sonand wife long gone Maybe theyrsquod have stayed if yoursquodonly kept your hearthellip
MAKING CYBORGS
Little is more frightening in batt le than a cyborg Theyrsquore not
much more than an organic brain in an androidrsquos body Cyborgscome in humanoid form simply for ease of transition to the
new body The majority of cyborgs work for their respectivegovernments or powerful corporations who can afford the
procedure for trusted personnel However more and morecyborgs are beginning to find their way to the private sector
bull Augmented Cyborgs are built to be cybernetic beasts
They begin play with a single Streetware Augment witha Strain of 1
bull Construct Cyborgs add +2 to recover from being Shaken
donrsquot suffer wound modifiers and are immune to poisonand disease Cyborgs cannot heal naturally To heal a
Cyborg requires the Repair skill which is used like theHealing skill only with no ldquoGolden Hourrdquo
bull EMP Shielding Cyborgs have 2 points of Armor when
attacked by an EMP weapon
bull EMP Vulnerability Cyborgs suffer full damage from EMP
bull Metallic Alloy The fully metall ic hide of a cyborg providesresistance to small arms fire They have +2 Armor
bull Outsider Most people are naturally put off by someonewho has opted to have all traces of their humanity
removed to be placed in a cold metal war machine They
suffer minus2 to Charisma when dealing with non-cyborgs
bull Specialized Diet Cyborgs cannot digest normal food and
require special food filled with nutrients to keep theirbrains healthy This raises their lifestyle costs by 1000credits
bull Tactile Dimming The Cyborgrsquos body isnrsquot as sensitive as
a human body Cyborgs suffer a minus2 to tasks where finemanipulation of objects is important Picking a lock or
performing surgery could be two examples Shootingand Fighting are usually unaffected
HUMAN
Nicknames Norms Homo-sapiens Earthlings Plain Jane
Baseline average normal mdash these words always described
you You prefer to think of yourself as adaptable versatileor unique You were born to human parents who eitherwouldnrsquot or couldnrsquot pay for genetic enhancement Youdidnrsquot go for that ldquoHybr idizationrdquo craze Yoursquore happy beingwho you are and you donrsquot need some scientists muckingaround with your genetics Really do they even know whatthe consequences of all that meddling will have on thepopulation in a hundred years No yoursquoll play it cool and
just be human
MAKING HUMANS
Despite all the choices and new races running around ordi-nary homo-sapiens still dominate the planet Humans are
tough adaptable creatures who face adversity head onWhile they may not have some of the distinct advantages
of their enhanced peers humans get by through being moreadaptable
bull Adaptability Humans start with one extra Edge
HUMAN 20
Nicknames Coded Eli tist Eugenic Gen-Xyrsquoer Neo-HumansSavant
You were born with the best genes money can buy Yourparents went to a design house early in your motherrsquosfirst trimester and began a series of genetic treatmentsdesigned to give you every chance at living a life theynever had Your DNA cocktail might include mental traitsfrom some of the greatest minds of the past 60 yearsAlternately you might have some kind of artistic or athleticability In any case yoursquore better than most people aroundyou in some ways and you know it Itrsquos not your faultthough Yoursquore just built that way
MAKING HUMAN 20
bull Advanced Ability You begin play with one attribute at d6
bull Arrogant Human 20s are known for their huge egos
Whether itrsquos nature or nurture is still up for debate Theyhave the Arrogant Hindrance If you choose an Archetype
that already has the Arrogant Hindrance choose another
RACESCYBORG 991251 HUMAN 20
a
m
p
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7232019 IZ-sample
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CYBERMONK
DRONE JOCKEY
21
CYBERMONK 991251 DRONE JOCKEY
21
ARCHETYPESCYBERMONK 991251 DRONE JOCKEY
a
m
p
l
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f
i
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7232019 IZ-sample
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GANGER
GRIFTER
22
GANGER 991251 GRIFTER
22
ARCHETYPESGANGER 991251 GRIFTER
a
m
p
l
e
f
i
l
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7232019 IZ-sample
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HACKER
IDOL
23
HACKER 991251 IDOL
23
ARCHETYPESHACKER 991251 IDOL
a
m
p
l
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f
i
l
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7232019 IZ-sample
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INVESTIGATIVE JOURNALIST
PATCH MAN
24
INVESTIGATIVE JOURNALIST 991251 PATCH MAN
24
ARCHETYPESINVESTIGATIVE JOURNALIST 991251 PATCH MAN
a
m
p
l
e
f
i
l
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7232019 IZ-sample
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RONIN
SECTOR COP
25
RONIN 991251 SECTOR COP
25
ARCHETYPESRONIN 991251 SECTOR COP
a
m
p
l
e
f
i
l
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7232019 IZ-sample
httpslidepdfcomreaderfulliz-sample 2629
SMUGGLER
EX-SOLDIER
26
SMUGGLER 991251 EX983085SOLDIER
26
ARCHETYPESSMUGGLER 991251 EX983085SOLDIER
a
m
p
l
e
f
i
l
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7232019 IZ-sample
httpslidepdfcomreaderfulliz-sample 2729
STREET RAT
ZEEK
27
STREET RAT 991251 ZEEK
27
ARCHETYPESSTREET RAT 991251 ZEEK
a
m
p
l
e
f
i
l
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7232019 IZ-sample
httpslidepdfcomreaderfulliz-sample 2829
RACESThe following races are available for play in Interface Zero 20
Most people are born into the world flesh-and-bloodbabies with mothers and fathers You were bornon an assembly line your parents faceless roboticsengineers who designed you in some research facilityYour body is composed of lightweight yetdurable polymers with plastic and fiber-opticwiring connecting to microscopic receptorsthroughout your framework
You see through digital lenses and hear viamicrophones on each side of your head Yourvoice is a pleasant if somewhat monotonesound piped through a speaker crafted to
resemble a mouth Your brain is a softball-sized digital network consisting of billionsof nanomachines which perform countlesscomputations every second in order to simulatean organic mdash human mdash thinking process
You are artificially intelligent Your capacity forrational critical thinking and decision-makingequals mdash and in many cases exceeds mdash that ofany human being on the planet Yet a waffle ironprobably has more rights than you do Moreoverat some point you have been (and technically stillare) owned perhaps by an individual but more likelyby a megaconglomorate mdash your parent companyThe tasks you performed for the megacorp varieddepending on your design specs but they mighthave included security manual labor combat and
strangely enough even prostitution
But that was then
At some point in your history you experiencedsomething The incident sparked a computation processwithin your neural network best described as an epiphanyPerhaps you saw a human being die or witnessed a couplekissing Or perhaps you were the victim of vio lence at thehands of a human being angered by your presence insociety The event led to a series of internal processes andsubroutines more commonly known as questions Thesewerenrsquot rational system queries based on clearly definedparameters but nebulous ones for which you were unableto formulate an appropriate response
ldquoIf that woman is smiling why are her eyes filled with tearsrdquo
ldquoWhat does it mean to be deadrdquo
ldquoWhat does it mean to hate or loverdquo
The experience altered your programming on a fundamentallevel The dictums of your creators no longer seemedrelevant when compared to your newfound imperative toanswer the questions you had so you left Now you makeyour way in the world just as any other person does mdash atleast you try to at any rate The world wasnrsquot made for youYou were built for it And even though you no longer serveyour masters you are still a machine an outsider look ingat life through glass eyes
MAKING ANDROIDS
All androids regardless of their function share a few fun-damental design characteristics Androids can purchase
cyberware just as anyone else can and suffer from Strain
bull Construct Androids add +2 to recover from being Shaken
donrsquot suffer wound modifiers and are immune to poisonand disease Androids cannot heal naturally To heal an
android requires the Repair skill mdash which is used like theHealing skill only with no ldquoGolden Hourrdquo
bull Dual Processors Androids start with a d6 in Smarts
bull EMP Vulnerability Androids suffer full damage from EMPWeapons
bull Metal Brain Androids canrsquot take Arcane Back-
ground (Psionics)
bull Metallic Alloy The fully metallic hide of an
android provides resistance to small arms fire
They have +2 Armor
bull Outsider Organic races often mistrust or mis-
understand androids They subtract 2 from their
Charisma when dealing with races other thantheir own
bull Primary Protocol Androids begin with a free
d6 in one skill representing their core operat-ing system
bull Recharge Androids need electricity to func-tion If the android canrsquot access an electrical
outlet of some sort at least once per day he
suffers a level of Fatigue each day until hersquosincapacitated The day after that he goes ldquooff-
linerdquo and must be reactivated with a Repairroll and a four-hour charge This replaces the
androidrsquos need for food or water
bull Unnatural Psionics both beneficial and det-rimental suffer a minus2 penalty to affect androids
This has no effect on damaging powers whichaffect them normally
It was easy to make the decision Yoursquod get a new metalbody that works better than the original You wouldnrsquot haveto spend your familyrsquos money on more expensive surgeriesto keep your failing body alive but that decision didnrsquot comewithout a cost Yoursquod lose the ability to feel the abil ity topick up your son without worrying about crushing himYoursquod lose the feel of your wifersquos body when you made loveto her If you canrsquot feel anything arenrsquot you already dead
In the end you chose to become a cyborg to have your
brain encased in metal Most days it doesnrsquot make muchdifference You come home to an empty house your sonand wife long gone Maybe theyrsquod have stayed if yoursquodonly kept your hearthellip
MAKING CYBORGS
Little is more frightening in batt le than a cyborg Theyrsquore not
much more than an organic brain in an androidrsquos body Cyborgscome in humanoid form simply for ease of transition to the
new body The majority of cyborgs work for their respectivegovernments or powerful corporations who can afford the
procedure for trusted personnel However more and morecyborgs are beginning to find their way to the private sector
bull Augmented Cyborgs are built to be cybernetic beasts
They begin play with a single Streetware Augment witha Strain of 1
bull Construct Cyborgs add +2 to recover from being Shaken
donrsquot suffer wound modifiers and are immune to poisonand disease Cyborgs cannot heal naturally To heal a
Cyborg requires the Repair skill which is used like theHealing skill only with no ldquoGolden Hourrdquo
bull EMP Shielding Cyborgs have 2 points of Armor when
attacked by an EMP weapon
bull EMP Vulnerability Cyborgs suffer full damage from EMP
bull Metallic Alloy The fully metall ic hide of a cyborg providesresistance to small arms fire They have +2 Armor
bull Outsider Most people are naturally put off by someonewho has opted to have all traces of their humanity
removed to be placed in a cold metal war machine They
suffer minus2 to Charisma when dealing with non-cyborgs
bull Specialized Diet Cyborgs cannot digest normal food and
require special food filled with nutrients to keep theirbrains healthy This raises their lifestyle costs by 1000credits
bull Tactile Dimming The Cyborgrsquos body isnrsquot as sensitive as
a human body Cyborgs suffer a minus2 to tasks where finemanipulation of objects is important Picking a lock or
performing surgery could be two examples Shootingand Fighting are usually unaffected
HUMAN
Nicknames Norms Homo-sapiens Earthlings Plain Jane
Baseline average normal mdash these words always described
you You prefer to think of yourself as adaptable versatileor unique You were born to human parents who eitherwouldnrsquot or couldnrsquot pay for genetic enhancement Youdidnrsquot go for that ldquoHybr idizationrdquo craze Yoursquore happy beingwho you are and you donrsquot need some scientists muckingaround with your genetics Really do they even know whatthe consequences of all that meddling will have on thepopulation in a hundred years No yoursquoll play it cool and
just be human
MAKING HUMANS
Despite all the choices and new races running around ordi-nary homo-sapiens still dominate the planet Humans are
tough adaptable creatures who face adversity head onWhile they may not have some of the distinct advantages
of their enhanced peers humans get by through being moreadaptable
bull Adaptability Humans start with one extra Edge
HUMAN 20
Nicknames Coded Eli tist Eugenic Gen-Xyrsquoer Neo-HumansSavant
You were born with the best genes money can buy Yourparents went to a design house early in your motherrsquosfirst trimester and began a series of genetic treatmentsdesigned to give you every chance at living a life theynever had Your DNA cocktail might include mental traitsfrom some of the greatest minds of the past 60 yearsAlternately you might have some kind of artistic or athleticability In any case yoursquore better than most people aroundyou in some ways and you know it Itrsquos not your faultthough Yoursquore just built that way
MAKING HUMAN 20
bull Advanced Ability You begin play with one attribute at d6
bull Arrogant Human 20s are known for their huge egos
Whether itrsquos nature or nurture is still up for debate Theyhave the Arrogant Hindrance If you choose an Archetype
that already has the Arrogant Hindrance choose another
RACESCYBORG 991251 HUMAN 20
a
m
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7232019 IZ-sample
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GANGER
GRIFTER
22
GANGER 991251 GRIFTER
22
ARCHETYPESGANGER 991251 GRIFTER
a
m
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i
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7232019 IZ-sample
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HACKER
IDOL
23
HACKER 991251 IDOL
23
ARCHETYPESHACKER 991251 IDOL
a
m
p
l
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f
i
l
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7232019 IZ-sample
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INVESTIGATIVE JOURNALIST
PATCH MAN
24
INVESTIGATIVE JOURNALIST 991251 PATCH MAN
24
ARCHETYPESINVESTIGATIVE JOURNALIST 991251 PATCH MAN
a
m
p
l
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i
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7232019 IZ-sample
httpslidepdfcomreaderfulliz-sample 2529
RONIN
SECTOR COP
25
RONIN 991251 SECTOR COP
25
ARCHETYPESRONIN 991251 SECTOR COP
a
m
p
l
e
f
i
l
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7232019 IZ-sample
httpslidepdfcomreaderfulliz-sample 2629
SMUGGLER
EX-SOLDIER
26
SMUGGLER 991251 EX983085SOLDIER
26
ARCHETYPESSMUGGLER 991251 EX983085SOLDIER
a
m
p
l
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i
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7232019 IZ-sample
httpslidepdfcomreaderfulliz-sample 2729
STREET RAT
ZEEK
27
STREET RAT 991251 ZEEK
27
ARCHETYPESSTREET RAT 991251 ZEEK
a
m
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f
i
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7232019 IZ-sample
httpslidepdfcomreaderfulliz-sample 2829
RACESThe following races are available for play in Interface Zero 20
Most people are born into the world flesh-and-bloodbabies with mothers and fathers You were bornon an assembly line your parents faceless roboticsengineers who designed you in some research facilityYour body is composed of lightweight yetdurable polymers with plastic and fiber-opticwiring connecting to microscopic receptorsthroughout your framework
You see through digital lenses and hear viamicrophones on each side of your head Yourvoice is a pleasant if somewhat monotonesound piped through a speaker crafted to
resemble a mouth Your brain is a softball-sized digital network consisting of billionsof nanomachines which perform countlesscomputations every second in order to simulatean organic mdash human mdash thinking process
You are artificially intelligent Your capacity forrational critical thinking and decision-makingequals mdash and in many cases exceeds mdash that ofany human being on the planet Yet a waffle ironprobably has more rights than you do Moreoverat some point you have been (and technically stillare) owned perhaps by an individual but more likelyby a megaconglomorate mdash your parent companyThe tasks you performed for the megacorp varieddepending on your design specs but they mighthave included security manual labor combat and
strangely enough even prostitution
But that was then
At some point in your history you experiencedsomething The incident sparked a computation processwithin your neural network best described as an epiphanyPerhaps you saw a human being die or witnessed a couplekissing Or perhaps you were the victim of vio lence at thehands of a human being angered by your presence insociety The event led to a series of internal processes andsubroutines more commonly known as questions Thesewerenrsquot rational system queries based on clearly definedparameters but nebulous ones for which you were unableto formulate an appropriate response
ldquoIf that woman is smiling why are her eyes filled with tearsrdquo
ldquoWhat does it mean to be deadrdquo
ldquoWhat does it mean to hate or loverdquo
The experience altered your programming on a fundamentallevel The dictums of your creators no longer seemedrelevant when compared to your newfound imperative toanswer the questions you had so you left Now you makeyour way in the world just as any other person does mdash atleast you try to at any rate The world wasnrsquot made for youYou were built for it And even though you no longer serveyour masters you are still a machine an outsider look ingat life through glass eyes
MAKING ANDROIDS
All androids regardless of their function share a few fun-damental design characteristics Androids can purchase
cyberware just as anyone else can and suffer from Strain
bull Construct Androids add +2 to recover from being Shaken
donrsquot suffer wound modifiers and are immune to poisonand disease Androids cannot heal naturally To heal an
android requires the Repair skill mdash which is used like theHealing skill only with no ldquoGolden Hourrdquo
bull Dual Processors Androids start with a d6 in Smarts
bull EMP Vulnerability Androids suffer full damage from EMPWeapons
bull Metal Brain Androids canrsquot take Arcane Back-
ground (Psionics)
bull Metallic Alloy The fully metallic hide of an
android provides resistance to small arms fire
They have +2 Armor
bull Outsider Organic races often mistrust or mis-
understand androids They subtract 2 from their
Charisma when dealing with races other thantheir own
bull Primary Protocol Androids begin with a free
d6 in one skill representing their core operat-ing system
bull Recharge Androids need electricity to func-tion If the android canrsquot access an electrical
outlet of some sort at least once per day he
suffers a level of Fatigue each day until hersquosincapacitated The day after that he goes ldquooff-
linerdquo and must be reactivated with a Repairroll and a four-hour charge This replaces the
androidrsquos need for food or water
bull Unnatural Psionics both beneficial and det-rimental suffer a minus2 penalty to affect androids
This has no effect on damaging powers whichaffect them normally
It was easy to make the decision Yoursquod get a new metalbody that works better than the original You wouldnrsquot haveto spend your familyrsquos money on more expensive surgeriesto keep your failing body alive but that decision didnrsquot comewithout a cost Yoursquod lose the ability to feel the abil ity topick up your son without worrying about crushing himYoursquod lose the feel of your wifersquos body when you made loveto her If you canrsquot feel anything arenrsquot you already dead
In the end you chose to become a cyborg to have your
brain encased in metal Most days it doesnrsquot make muchdifference You come home to an empty house your sonand wife long gone Maybe theyrsquod have stayed if yoursquodonly kept your hearthellip
MAKING CYBORGS
Little is more frightening in batt le than a cyborg Theyrsquore not
much more than an organic brain in an androidrsquos body Cyborgscome in humanoid form simply for ease of transition to the
new body The majority of cyborgs work for their respectivegovernments or powerful corporations who can afford the
procedure for trusted personnel However more and morecyborgs are beginning to find their way to the private sector
bull Augmented Cyborgs are built to be cybernetic beasts
They begin play with a single Streetware Augment witha Strain of 1
bull Construct Cyborgs add +2 to recover from being Shaken
donrsquot suffer wound modifiers and are immune to poisonand disease Cyborgs cannot heal naturally To heal a
Cyborg requires the Repair skill which is used like theHealing skill only with no ldquoGolden Hourrdquo
bull EMP Shielding Cyborgs have 2 points of Armor when
attacked by an EMP weapon
bull EMP Vulnerability Cyborgs suffer full damage from EMP
bull Metallic Alloy The fully metall ic hide of a cyborg providesresistance to small arms fire They have +2 Armor
bull Outsider Most people are naturally put off by someonewho has opted to have all traces of their humanity
removed to be placed in a cold metal war machine They
suffer minus2 to Charisma when dealing with non-cyborgs
bull Specialized Diet Cyborgs cannot digest normal food and
require special food filled with nutrients to keep theirbrains healthy This raises their lifestyle costs by 1000credits
bull Tactile Dimming The Cyborgrsquos body isnrsquot as sensitive as
a human body Cyborgs suffer a minus2 to tasks where finemanipulation of objects is important Picking a lock or
performing surgery could be two examples Shootingand Fighting are usually unaffected
HUMAN
Nicknames Norms Homo-sapiens Earthlings Plain Jane
Baseline average normal mdash these words always described
you You prefer to think of yourself as adaptable versatileor unique You were born to human parents who eitherwouldnrsquot or couldnrsquot pay for genetic enhancement Youdidnrsquot go for that ldquoHybr idizationrdquo craze Yoursquore happy beingwho you are and you donrsquot need some scientists muckingaround with your genetics Really do they even know whatthe consequences of all that meddling will have on thepopulation in a hundred years No yoursquoll play it cool and
just be human
MAKING HUMANS
Despite all the choices and new races running around ordi-nary homo-sapiens still dominate the planet Humans are
tough adaptable creatures who face adversity head onWhile they may not have some of the distinct advantages
of their enhanced peers humans get by through being moreadaptable
bull Adaptability Humans start with one extra Edge
HUMAN 20
Nicknames Coded Eli tist Eugenic Gen-Xyrsquoer Neo-HumansSavant
You were born with the best genes money can buy Yourparents went to a design house early in your motherrsquosfirst trimester and began a series of genetic treatmentsdesigned to give you every chance at living a life theynever had Your DNA cocktail might include mental traitsfrom some of the greatest minds of the past 60 yearsAlternately you might have some kind of artistic or athleticability In any case yoursquore better than most people aroundyou in some ways and you know it Itrsquos not your faultthough Yoursquore just built that way
MAKING HUMAN 20
bull Advanced Ability You begin play with one attribute at d6
bull Arrogant Human 20s are known for their huge egos
Whether itrsquos nature or nurture is still up for debate Theyhave the Arrogant Hindrance If you choose an Archetype
that already has the Arrogant Hindrance choose another
RACESCYBORG 991251 HUMAN 20
a
m
p
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7232019 IZ-sample
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HACKER
IDOL
23
HACKER 991251 IDOL
23
ARCHETYPESHACKER 991251 IDOL
a
m
p
l
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f
i
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7232019 IZ-sample
httpslidepdfcomreaderfulliz-sample 2429
INVESTIGATIVE JOURNALIST
PATCH MAN
24
INVESTIGATIVE JOURNALIST 991251 PATCH MAN
24
ARCHETYPESINVESTIGATIVE JOURNALIST 991251 PATCH MAN
a
m
p
l
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f
i
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7232019 IZ-sample
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RONIN
SECTOR COP
25
RONIN 991251 SECTOR COP
25
ARCHETYPESRONIN 991251 SECTOR COP
a
m
p
l
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f
i
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7232019 IZ-sample
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SMUGGLER
EX-SOLDIER
26
SMUGGLER 991251 EX983085SOLDIER
26
ARCHETYPESSMUGGLER 991251 EX983085SOLDIER
a
m
p
l
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f
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7232019 IZ-sample
httpslidepdfcomreaderfulliz-sample 2729
STREET RAT
ZEEK
27
STREET RAT 991251 ZEEK
27
ARCHETYPESSTREET RAT 991251 ZEEK
a
m
p
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f
i
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7232019 IZ-sample
httpslidepdfcomreaderfulliz-sample 2829
RACESThe following races are available for play in Interface Zero 20
Most people are born into the world flesh-and-bloodbabies with mothers and fathers You were bornon an assembly line your parents faceless roboticsengineers who designed you in some research facilityYour body is composed of lightweight yetdurable polymers with plastic and fiber-opticwiring connecting to microscopic receptorsthroughout your framework
You see through digital lenses and hear viamicrophones on each side of your head Yourvoice is a pleasant if somewhat monotonesound piped through a speaker crafted to
resemble a mouth Your brain is a softball-sized digital network consisting of billionsof nanomachines which perform countlesscomputations every second in order to simulatean organic mdash human mdash thinking process
You are artificially intelligent Your capacity forrational critical thinking and decision-makingequals mdash and in many cases exceeds mdash that ofany human being on the planet Yet a waffle ironprobably has more rights than you do Moreoverat some point you have been (and technically stillare) owned perhaps by an individual but more likelyby a megaconglomorate mdash your parent companyThe tasks you performed for the megacorp varieddepending on your design specs but they mighthave included security manual labor combat and
strangely enough even prostitution
But that was then
At some point in your history you experiencedsomething The incident sparked a computation processwithin your neural network best described as an epiphanyPerhaps you saw a human being die or witnessed a couplekissing Or perhaps you were the victim of vio lence at thehands of a human being angered by your presence insociety The event led to a series of internal processes andsubroutines more commonly known as questions Thesewerenrsquot rational system queries based on clearly definedparameters but nebulous ones for which you were unableto formulate an appropriate response
ldquoIf that woman is smiling why are her eyes filled with tearsrdquo
ldquoWhat does it mean to be deadrdquo
ldquoWhat does it mean to hate or loverdquo
The experience altered your programming on a fundamentallevel The dictums of your creators no longer seemedrelevant when compared to your newfound imperative toanswer the questions you had so you left Now you makeyour way in the world just as any other person does mdash atleast you try to at any rate The world wasnrsquot made for youYou were built for it And even though you no longer serveyour masters you are still a machine an outsider look ingat life through glass eyes
MAKING ANDROIDS
All androids regardless of their function share a few fun-damental design characteristics Androids can purchase
cyberware just as anyone else can and suffer from Strain
bull Construct Androids add +2 to recover from being Shaken
donrsquot suffer wound modifiers and are immune to poisonand disease Androids cannot heal naturally To heal an
android requires the Repair skill mdash which is used like theHealing skill only with no ldquoGolden Hourrdquo
bull Dual Processors Androids start with a d6 in Smarts
bull EMP Vulnerability Androids suffer full damage from EMPWeapons
bull Metal Brain Androids canrsquot take Arcane Back-
ground (Psionics)
bull Metallic Alloy The fully metallic hide of an
android provides resistance to small arms fire
They have +2 Armor
bull Outsider Organic races often mistrust or mis-
understand androids They subtract 2 from their
Charisma when dealing with races other thantheir own
bull Primary Protocol Androids begin with a free
d6 in one skill representing their core operat-ing system
bull Recharge Androids need electricity to func-tion If the android canrsquot access an electrical
outlet of some sort at least once per day he
suffers a level of Fatigue each day until hersquosincapacitated The day after that he goes ldquooff-
linerdquo and must be reactivated with a Repairroll and a four-hour charge This replaces the
androidrsquos need for food or water
bull Unnatural Psionics both beneficial and det-rimental suffer a minus2 penalty to affect androids
This has no effect on damaging powers whichaffect them normally
It was easy to make the decision Yoursquod get a new metalbody that works better than the original You wouldnrsquot haveto spend your familyrsquos money on more expensive surgeriesto keep your failing body alive but that decision didnrsquot comewithout a cost Yoursquod lose the ability to feel the abil ity topick up your son without worrying about crushing himYoursquod lose the feel of your wifersquos body when you made loveto her If you canrsquot feel anything arenrsquot you already dead
In the end you chose to become a cyborg to have your
brain encased in metal Most days it doesnrsquot make muchdifference You come home to an empty house your sonand wife long gone Maybe theyrsquod have stayed if yoursquodonly kept your hearthellip
MAKING CYBORGS
Little is more frightening in batt le than a cyborg Theyrsquore not
much more than an organic brain in an androidrsquos body Cyborgscome in humanoid form simply for ease of transition to the
new body The majority of cyborgs work for their respectivegovernments or powerful corporations who can afford the
procedure for trusted personnel However more and morecyborgs are beginning to find their way to the private sector
bull Augmented Cyborgs are built to be cybernetic beasts
They begin play with a single Streetware Augment witha Strain of 1
bull Construct Cyborgs add +2 to recover from being Shaken
donrsquot suffer wound modifiers and are immune to poisonand disease Cyborgs cannot heal naturally To heal a
Cyborg requires the Repair skill which is used like theHealing skill only with no ldquoGolden Hourrdquo
bull EMP Shielding Cyborgs have 2 points of Armor when
attacked by an EMP weapon
bull EMP Vulnerability Cyborgs suffer full damage from EMP
bull Metallic Alloy The fully metall ic hide of a cyborg providesresistance to small arms fire They have +2 Armor
bull Outsider Most people are naturally put off by someonewho has opted to have all traces of their humanity
removed to be placed in a cold metal war machine They
suffer minus2 to Charisma when dealing with non-cyborgs
bull Specialized Diet Cyborgs cannot digest normal food and
require special food filled with nutrients to keep theirbrains healthy This raises their lifestyle costs by 1000credits
bull Tactile Dimming The Cyborgrsquos body isnrsquot as sensitive as
a human body Cyborgs suffer a minus2 to tasks where finemanipulation of objects is important Picking a lock or
performing surgery could be two examples Shootingand Fighting are usually unaffected
HUMAN
Nicknames Norms Homo-sapiens Earthlings Plain Jane
Baseline average normal mdash these words always described
you You prefer to think of yourself as adaptable versatileor unique You were born to human parents who eitherwouldnrsquot or couldnrsquot pay for genetic enhancement Youdidnrsquot go for that ldquoHybr idizationrdquo craze Yoursquore happy beingwho you are and you donrsquot need some scientists muckingaround with your genetics Really do they even know whatthe consequences of all that meddling will have on thepopulation in a hundred years No yoursquoll play it cool and
just be human
MAKING HUMANS
Despite all the choices and new races running around ordi-nary homo-sapiens still dominate the planet Humans are
tough adaptable creatures who face adversity head onWhile they may not have some of the distinct advantages
of their enhanced peers humans get by through being moreadaptable
bull Adaptability Humans start with one extra Edge
HUMAN 20
Nicknames Coded Eli tist Eugenic Gen-Xyrsquoer Neo-HumansSavant
You were born with the best genes money can buy Yourparents went to a design house early in your motherrsquosfirst trimester and began a series of genetic treatmentsdesigned to give you every chance at living a life theynever had Your DNA cocktail might include mental traitsfrom some of the greatest minds of the past 60 yearsAlternately you might have some kind of artistic or athleticability In any case yoursquore better than most people aroundyou in some ways and you know it Itrsquos not your faultthough Yoursquore just built that way
MAKING HUMAN 20
bull Advanced Ability You begin play with one attribute at d6
bull Arrogant Human 20s are known for their huge egos
Whether itrsquos nature or nurture is still up for debate Theyhave the Arrogant Hindrance If you choose an Archetype
that already has the Arrogant Hindrance choose another
RACESCYBORG 991251 HUMAN 20
a
m
p
l
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7232019 IZ-sample
httpslidepdfcomreaderfulliz-sample 2429
INVESTIGATIVE JOURNALIST
PATCH MAN
24
INVESTIGATIVE JOURNALIST 991251 PATCH MAN
24
ARCHETYPESINVESTIGATIVE JOURNALIST 991251 PATCH MAN
a
m
p
l
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f
i
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7232019 IZ-sample
httpslidepdfcomreaderfulliz-sample 2529
RONIN
SECTOR COP
25
RONIN 991251 SECTOR COP
25
ARCHETYPESRONIN 991251 SECTOR COP
a
m
p
l
e
f
i
l
e
7232019 IZ-sample
httpslidepdfcomreaderfulliz-sample 2629
SMUGGLER
EX-SOLDIER
26
SMUGGLER 991251 EX983085SOLDIER
26
ARCHETYPESSMUGGLER 991251 EX983085SOLDIER
a
m
p
l
e
f
i
l
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7232019 IZ-sample
httpslidepdfcomreaderfulliz-sample 2729
STREET RAT
ZEEK
27
STREET RAT 991251 ZEEK
27
ARCHETYPESSTREET RAT 991251 ZEEK
a
m
p
l
e
f
i
l
e
7232019 IZ-sample
httpslidepdfcomreaderfulliz-sample 2829
RACESThe following races are available for play in Interface Zero 20
Most people are born into the world flesh-and-bloodbabies with mothers and fathers You were bornon an assembly line your parents faceless roboticsengineers who designed you in some research facilityYour body is composed of lightweight yetdurable polymers with plastic and fiber-opticwiring connecting to microscopic receptorsthroughout your framework
You see through digital lenses and hear viamicrophones on each side of your head Yourvoice is a pleasant if somewhat monotonesound piped through a speaker crafted to
resemble a mouth Your brain is a softball-sized digital network consisting of billionsof nanomachines which perform countlesscomputations every second in order to simulatean organic mdash human mdash thinking process
You are artificially intelligent Your capacity forrational critical thinking and decision-makingequals mdash and in many cases exceeds mdash that ofany human being on the planet Yet a waffle ironprobably has more rights than you do Moreoverat some point you have been (and technically stillare) owned perhaps by an individual but more likelyby a megaconglomorate mdash your parent companyThe tasks you performed for the megacorp varieddepending on your design specs but they mighthave included security manual labor combat and
strangely enough even prostitution
But that was then
At some point in your history you experiencedsomething The incident sparked a computation processwithin your neural network best described as an epiphanyPerhaps you saw a human being die or witnessed a couplekissing Or perhaps you were the victim of vio lence at thehands of a human being angered by your presence insociety The event led to a series of internal processes andsubroutines more commonly known as questions Thesewerenrsquot rational system queries based on clearly definedparameters but nebulous ones for which you were unableto formulate an appropriate response
ldquoIf that woman is smiling why are her eyes filled with tearsrdquo
ldquoWhat does it mean to be deadrdquo
ldquoWhat does it mean to hate or loverdquo
The experience altered your programming on a fundamentallevel The dictums of your creators no longer seemedrelevant when compared to your newfound imperative toanswer the questions you had so you left Now you makeyour way in the world just as any other person does mdash atleast you try to at any rate The world wasnrsquot made for youYou were built for it And even though you no longer serveyour masters you are still a machine an outsider look ingat life through glass eyes
MAKING ANDROIDS
All androids regardless of their function share a few fun-damental design characteristics Androids can purchase
cyberware just as anyone else can and suffer from Strain
bull Construct Androids add +2 to recover from being Shaken
donrsquot suffer wound modifiers and are immune to poisonand disease Androids cannot heal naturally To heal an
android requires the Repair skill mdash which is used like theHealing skill only with no ldquoGolden Hourrdquo
bull Dual Processors Androids start with a d6 in Smarts
bull EMP Vulnerability Androids suffer full damage from EMPWeapons
bull Metal Brain Androids canrsquot take Arcane Back-
ground (Psionics)
bull Metallic Alloy The fully metallic hide of an
android provides resistance to small arms fire
They have +2 Armor
bull Outsider Organic races often mistrust or mis-
understand androids They subtract 2 from their
Charisma when dealing with races other thantheir own
bull Primary Protocol Androids begin with a free
d6 in one skill representing their core operat-ing system
bull Recharge Androids need electricity to func-tion If the android canrsquot access an electrical
outlet of some sort at least once per day he
suffers a level of Fatigue each day until hersquosincapacitated The day after that he goes ldquooff-
linerdquo and must be reactivated with a Repairroll and a four-hour charge This replaces the
androidrsquos need for food or water
bull Unnatural Psionics both beneficial and det-rimental suffer a minus2 penalty to affect androids
This has no effect on damaging powers whichaffect them normally
It was easy to make the decision Yoursquod get a new metalbody that works better than the original You wouldnrsquot haveto spend your familyrsquos money on more expensive surgeriesto keep your failing body alive but that decision didnrsquot comewithout a cost Yoursquod lose the ability to feel the abil ity topick up your son without worrying about crushing himYoursquod lose the feel of your wifersquos body when you made loveto her If you canrsquot feel anything arenrsquot you already dead
In the end you chose to become a cyborg to have your
brain encased in metal Most days it doesnrsquot make muchdifference You come home to an empty house your sonand wife long gone Maybe theyrsquod have stayed if yoursquodonly kept your hearthellip
MAKING CYBORGS
Little is more frightening in batt le than a cyborg Theyrsquore not
much more than an organic brain in an androidrsquos body Cyborgscome in humanoid form simply for ease of transition to the
new body The majority of cyborgs work for their respectivegovernments or powerful corporations who can afford the
procedure for trusted personnel However more and morecyborgs are beginning to find their way to the private sector
bull Augmented Cyborgs are built to be cybernetic beasts
They begin play with a single Streetware Augment witha Strain of 1
bull Construct Cyborgs add +2 to recover from being Shaken
donrsquot suffer wound modifiers and are immune to poisonand disease Cyborgs cannot heal naturally To heal a
Cyborg requires the Repair skill which is used like theHealing skill only with no ldquoGolden Hourrdquo
bull EMP Shielding Cyborgs have 2 points of Armor when
attacked by an EMP weapon
bull EMP Vulnerability Cyborgs suffer full damage from EMP
bull Metallic Alloy The fully metall ic hide of a cyborg providesresistance to small arms fire They have +2 Armor
bull Outsider Most people are naturally put off by someonewho has opted to have all traces of their humanity
removed to be placed in a cold metal war machine They
suffer minus2 to Charisma when dealing with non-cyborgs
bull Specialized Diet Cyborgs cannot digest normal food and
require special food filled with nutrients to keep theirbrains healthy This raises their lifestyle costs by 1000credits
bull Tactile Dimming The Cyborgrsquos body isnrsquot as sensitive as
a human body Cyborgs suffer a minus2 to tasks where finemanipulation of objects is important Picking a lock or
performing surgery could be two examples Shootingand Fighting are usually unaffected
HUMAN
Nicknames Norms Homo-sapiens Earthlings Plain Jane
Baseline average normal mdash these words always described
you You prefer to think of yourself as adaptable versatileor unique You were born to human parents who eitherwouldnrsquot or couldnrsquot pay for genetic enhancement Youdidnrsquot go for that ldquoHybr idizationrdquo craze Yoursquore happy beingwho you are and you donrsquot need some scientists muckingaround with your genetics Really do they even know whatthe consequences of all that meddling will have on thepopulation in a hundred years No yoursquoll play it cool and
just be human
MAKING HUMANS
Despite all the choices and new races running around ordi-nary homo-sapiens still dominate the planet Humans are
tough adaptable creatures who face adversity head onWhile they may not have some of the distinct advantages
of their enhanced peers humans get by through being moreadaptable
bull Adaptability Humans start with one extra Edge
HUMAN 20
Nicknames Coded Eli tist Eugenic Gen-Xyrsquoer Neo-HumansSavant
You were born with the best genes money can buy Yourparents went to a design house early in your motherrsquosfirst trimester and began a series of genetic treatmentsdesigned to give you every chance at living a life theynever had Your DNA cocktail might include mental traitsfrom some of the greatest minds of the past 60 yearsAlternately you might have some kind of artistic or athleticability In any case yoursquore better than most people aroundyou in some ways and you know it Itrsquos not your faultthough Yoursquore just built that way
MAKING HUMAN 20
bull Advanced Ability You begin play with one attribute at d6
bull Arrogant Human 20s are known for their huge egos
Whether itrsquos nature or nurture is still up for debate Theyhave the Arrogant Hindrance If you choose an Archetype
that already has the Arrogant Hindrance choose another
RACESCYBORG 991251 HUMAN 20
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7232019 IZ-sample
httpslidepdfcomreaderfulliz-sample 2529
RONIN
SECTOR COP
25
RONIN 991251 SECTOR COP
25
ARCHETYPESRONIN 991251 SECTOR COP
a
m
p
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7232019 IZ-sample
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SMUGGLER
EX-SOLDIER
26
SMUGGLER 991251 EX983085SOLDIER
26
ARCHETYPESSMUGGLER 991251 EX983085SOLDIER
a
m
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7232019 IZ-sample
httpslidepdfcomreaderfulliz-sample 2729
STREET RAT
ZEEK
27
STREET RAT 991251 ZEEK
27
ARCHETYPESSTREET RAT 991251 ZEEK
a
m
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7232019 IZ-sample
httpslidepdfcomreaderfulliz-sample 2829
RACESThe following races are available for play in Interface Zero 20
Most people are born into the world flesh-and-bloodbabies with mothers and fathers You were bornon an assembly line your parents faceless roboticsengineers who designed you in some research facilityYour body is composed of lightweight yetdurable polymers with plastic and fiber-opticwiring connecting to microscopic receptorsthroughout your framework
You see through digital lenses and hear viamicrophones on each side of your head Yourvoice is a pleasant if somewhat monotonesound piped through a speaker crafted to
resemble a mouth Your brain is a softball-sized digital network consisting of billionsof nanomachines which perform countlesscomputations every second in order to simulatean organic mdash human mdash thinking process
You are artificially intelligent Your capacity forrational critical thinking and decision-makingequals mdash and in many cases exceeds mdash that ofany human being on the planet Yet a waffle ironprobably has more rights than you do Moreoverat some point you have been (and technically stillare) owned perhaps by an individual but more likelyby a megaconglomorate mdash your parent companyThe tasks you performed for the megacorp varieddepending on your design specs but they mighthave included security manual labor combat and
strangely enough even prostitution
But that was then
At some point in your history you experiencedsomething The incident sparked a computation processwithin your neural network best described as an epiphanyPerhaps you saw a human being die or witnessed a couplekissing Or perhaps you were the victim of vio lence at thehands of a human being angered by your presence insociety The event led to a series of internal processes andsubroutines more commonly known as questions Thesewerenrsquot rational system queries based on clearly definedparameters but nebulous ones for which you were unableto formulate an appropriate response
ldquoIf that woman is smiling why are her eyes filled with tearsrdquo
ldquoWhat does it mean to be deadrdquo
ldquoWhat does it mean to hate or loverdquo
The experience altered your programming on a fundamentallevel The dictums of your creators no longer seemedrelevant when compared to your newfound imperative toanswer the questions you had so you left Now you makeyour way in the world just as any other person does mdash atleast you try to at any rate The world wasnrsquot made for youYou were built for it And even though you no longer serveyour masters you are still a machine an outsider look ingat life through glass eyes
MAKING ANDROIDS
All androids regardless of their function share a few fun-damental design characteristics Androids can purchase
cyberware just as anyone else can and suffer from Strain
bull Construct Androids add +2 to recover from being Shaken
donrsquot suffer wound modifiers and are immune to poisonand disease Androids cannot heal naturally To heal an
android requires the Repair skill mdash which is used like theHealing skill only with no ldquoGolden Hourrdquo
bull Dual Processors Androids start with a d6 in Smarts
bull EMP Vulnerability Androids suffer full damage from EMPWeapons
bull Metal Brain Androids canrsquot take Arcane Back-
ground (Psionics)
bull Metallic Alloy The fully metallic hide of an
android provides resistance to small arms fire
They have +2 Armor
bull Outsider Organic races often mistrust or mis-
understand androids They subtract 2 from their
Charisma when dealing with races other thantheir own
bull Primary Protocol Androids begin with a free
d6 in one skill representing their core operat-ing system
bull Recharge Androids need electricity to func-tion If the android canrsquot access an electrical
outlet of some sort at least once per day he
suffers a level of Fatigue each day until hersquosincapacitated The day after that he goes ldquooff-
linerdquo and must be reactivated with a Repairroll and a four-hour charge This replaces the
androidrsquos need for food or water
bull Unnatural Psionics both beneficial and det-rimental suffer a minus2 penalty to affect androids
This has no effect on damaging powers whichaffect them normally
It was easy to make the decision Yoursquod get a new metalbody that works better than the original You wouldnrsquot haveto spend your familyrsquos money on more expensive surgeriesto keep your failing body alive but that decision didnrsquot comewithout a cost Yoursquod lose the ability to feel the abil ity topick up your son without worrying about crushing himYoursquod lose the feel of your wifersquos body when you made loveto her If you canrsquot feel anything arenrsquot you already dead
In the end you chose to become a cyborg to have your
brain encased in metal Most days it doesnrsquot make muchdifference You come home to an empty house your sonand wife long gone Maybe theyrsquod have stayed if yoursquodonly kept your hearthellip
MAKING CYBORGS
Little is more frightening in batt le than a cyborg Theyrsquore not
much more than an organic brain in an androidrsquos body Cyborgscome in humanoid form simply for ease of transition to the
new body The majority of cyborgs work for their respectivegovernments or powerful corporations who can afford the
procedure for trusted personnel However more and morecyborgs are beginning to find their way to the private sector
bull Augmented Cyborgs are built to be cybernetic beasts
They begin play with a single Streetware Augment witha Strain of 1
bull Construct Cyborgs add +2 to recover from being Shaken
donrsquot suffer wound modifiers and are immune to poisonand disease Cyborgs cannot heal naturally To heal a
Cyborg requires the Repair skill which is used like theHealing skill only with no ldquoGolden Hourrdquo
bull EMP Shielding Cyborgs have 2 points of Armor when
attacked by an EMP weapon
bull EMP Vulnerability Cyborgs suffer full damage from EMP
bull Metallic Alloy The fully metall ic hide of a cyborg providesresistance to small arms fire They have +2 Armor
bull Outsider Most people are naturally put off by someonewho has opted to have all traces of their humanity
removed to be placed in a cold metal war machine They
suffer minus2 to Charisma when dealing with non-cyborgs
bull Specialized Diet Cyborgs cannot digest normal food and
require special food filled with nutrients to keep theirbrains healthy This raises their lifestyle costs by 1000credits
bull Tactile Dimming The Cyborgrsquos body isnrsquot as sensitive as
a human body Cyborgs suffer a minus2 to tasks where finemanipulation of objects is important Picking a lock or
performing surgery could be two examples Shootingand Fighting are usually unaffected
HUMAN
Nicknames Norms Homo-sapiens Earthlings Plain Jane
Baseline average normal mdash these words always described
you You prefer to think of yourself as adaptable versatileor unique You were born to human parents who eitherwouldnrsquot or couldnrsquot pay for genetic enhancement Youdidnrsquot go for that ldquoHybr idizationrdquo craze Yoursquore happy beingwho you are and you donrsquot need some scientists muckingaround with your genetics Really do they even know whatthe consequences of all that meddling will have on thepopulation in a hundred years No yoursquoll play it cool and
just be human
MAKING HUMANS
Despite all the choices and new races running around ordi-nary homo-sapiens still dominate the planet Humans are
tough adaptable creatures who face adversity head onWhile they may not have some of the distinct advantages
of their enhanced peers humans get by through being moreadaptable
bull Adaptability Humans start with one extra Edge
HUMAN 20
Nicknames Coded Eli tist Eugenic Gen-Xyrsquoer Neo-HumansSavant
You were born with the best genes money can buy Yourparents went to a design house early in your motherrsquosfirst trimester and began a series of genetic treatmentsdesigned to give you every chance at living a life theynever had Your DNA cocktail might include mental traitsfrom some of the greatest minds of the past 60 yearsAlternately you might have some kind of artistic or athleticability In any case yoursquore better than most people aroundyou in some ways and you know it Itrsquos not your faultthough Yoursquore just built that way
MAKING HUMAN 20
bull Advanced Ability You begin play with one attribute at d6
bull Arrogant Human 20s are known for their huge egos
Whether itrsquos nature or nurture is still up for debate Theyhave the Arrogant Hindrance If you choose an Archetype
that already has the Arrogant Hindrance choose another
RACESCYBORG 991251 HUMAN 20
a
m
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7232019 IZ-sample
httpslidepdfcomreaderfulliz-sample 2629
SMUGGLER
EX-SOLDIER
26
SMUGGLER 991251 EX983085SOLDIER
26
ARCHETYPESSMUGGLER 991251 EX983085SOLDIER
a
m
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7232019 IZ-sample
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STREET RAT
ZEEK
27
STREET RAT 991251 ZEEK
27
ARCHETYPESSTREET RAT 991251 ZEEK
a
m
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7232019 IZ-sample
httpslidepdfcomreaderfulliz-sample 2829
RACESThe following races are available for play in Interface Zero 20
Most people are born into the world flesh-and-bloodbabies with mothers and fathers You were bornon an assembly line your parents faceless roboticsengineers who designed you in some research facilityYour body is composed of lightweight yetdurable polymers with plastic and fiber-opticwiring connecting to microscopic receptorsthroughout your framework
You see through digital lenses and hear viamicrophones on each side of your head Yourvoice is a pleasant if somewhat monotonesound piped through a speaker crafted to
resemble a mouth Your brain is a softball-sized digital network consisting of billionsof nanomachines which perform countlesscomputations every second in order to simulatean organic mdash human mdash thinking process
You are artificially intelligent Your capacity forrational critical thinking and decision-makingequals mdash and in many cases exceeds mdash that ofany human being on the planet Yet a waffle ironprobably has more rights than you do Moreoverat some point you have been (and technically stillare) owned perhaps by an individual but more likelyby a megaconglomorate mdash your parent companyThe tasks you performed for the megacorp varieddepending on your design specs but they mighthave included security manual labor combat and
strangely enough even prostitution
But that was then
At some point in your history you experiencedsomething The incident sparked a computation processwithin your neural network best described as an epiphanyPerhaps you saw a human being die or witnessed a couplekissing Or perhaps you were the victim of vio lence at thehands of a human being angered by your presence insociety The event led to a series of internal processes andsubroutines more commonly known as questions Thesewerenrsquot rational system queries based on clearly definedparameters but nebulous ones for which you were unableto formulate an appropriate response
ldquoIf that woman is smiling why are her eyes filled with tearsrdquo
ldquoWhat does it mean to be deadrdquo
ldquoWhat does it mean to hate or loverdquo
The experience altered your programming on a fundamentallevel The dictums of your creators no longer seemedrelevant when compared to your newfound imperative toanswer the questions you had so you left Now you makeyour way in the world just as any other person does mdash atleast you try to at any rate The world wasnrsquot made for youYou were built for it And even though you no longer serveyour masters you are still a machine an outsider look ingat life through glass eyes
MAKING ANDROIDS
All androids regardless of their function share a few fun-damental design characteristics Androids can purchase
cyberware just as anyone else can and suffer from Strain
bull Construct Androids add +2 to recover from being Shaken
donrsquot suffer wound modifiers and are immune to poisonand disease Androids cannot heal naturally To heal an
android requires the Repair skill mdash which is used like theHealing skill only with no ldquoGolden Hourrdquo
bull Dual Processors Androids start with a d6 in Smarts
bull EMP Vulnerability Androids suffer full damage from EMPWeapons
bull Metal Brain Androids canrsquot take Arcane Back-
ground (Psionics)
bull Metallic Alloy The fully metallic hide of an
android provides resistance to small arms fire
They have +2 Armor
bull Outsider Organic races often mistrust or mis-
understand androids They subtract 2 from their
Charisma when dealing with races other thantheir own
bull Primary Protocol Androids begin with a free
d6 in one skill representing their core operat-ing system
bull Recharge Androids need electricity to func-tion If the android canrsquot access an electrical
outlet of some sort at least once per day he
suffers a level of Fatigue each day until hersquosincapacitated The day after that he goes ldquooff-
linerdquo and must be reactivated with a Repairroll and a four-hour charge This replaces the
androidrsquos need for food or water
bull Unnatural Psionics both beneficial and det-rimental suffer a minus2 penalty to affect androids
This has no effect on damaging powers whichaffect them normally
It was easy to make the decision Yoursquod get a new metalbody that works better than the original You wouldnrsquot haveto spend your familyrsquos money on more expensive surgeriesto keep your failing body alive but that decision didnrsquot comewithout a cost Yoursquod lose the ability to feel the abil ity topick up your son without worrying about crushing himYoursquod lose the feel of your wifersquos body when you made loveto her If you canrsquot feel anything arenrsquot you already dead
In the end you chose to become a cyborg to have your
brain encased in metal Most days it doesnrsquot make muchdifference You come home to an empty house your sonand wife long gone Maybe theyrsquod have stayed if yoursquodonly kept your hearthellip
MAKING CYBORGS
Little is more frightening in batt le than a cyborg Theyrsquore not
much more than an organic brain in an androidrsquos body Cyborgscome in humanoid form simply for ease of transition to the
new body The majority of cyborgs work for their respectivegovernments or powerful corporations who can afford the
procedure for trusted personnel However more and morecyborgs are beginning to find their way to the private sector
bull Augmented Cyborgs are built to be cybernetic beasts
They begin play with a single Streetware Augment witha Strain of 1
bull Construct Cyborgs add +2 to recover from being Shaken
donrsquot suffer wound modifiers and are immune to poisonand disease Cyborgs cannot heal naturally To heal a
Cyborg requires the Repair skill which is used like theHealing skill only with no ldquoGolden Hourrdquo
bull EMP Shielding Cyborgs have 2 points of Armor when
attacked by an EMP weapon
bull EMP Vulnerability Cyborgs suffer full damage from EMP
bull Metallic Alloy The fully metall ic hide of a cyborg providesresistance to small arms fire They have +2 Armor
bull Outsider Most people are naturally put off by someonewho has opted to have all traces of their humanity
removed to be placed in a cold metal war machine They
suffer minus2 to Charisma when dealing with non-cyborgs
bull Specialized Diet Cyborgs cannot digest normal food and
require special food filled with nutrients to keep theirbrains healthy This raises their lifestyle costs by 1000credits
bull Tactile Dimming The Cyborgrsquos body isnrsquot as sensitive as
a human body Cyborgs suffer a minus2 to tasks where finemanipulation of objects is important Picking a lock or
performing surgery could be two examples Shootingand Fighting are usually unaffected
HUMAN
Nicknames Norms Homo-sapiens Earthlings Plain Jane
Baseline average normal mdash these words always described
you You prefer to think of yourself as adaptable versatileor unique You were born to human parents who eitherwouldnrsquot or couldnrsquot pay for genetic enhancement Youdidnrsquot go for that ldquoHybr idizationrdquo craze Yoursquore happy beingwho you are and you donrsquot need some scientists muckingaround with your genetics Really do they even know whatthe consequences of all that meddling will have on thepopulation in a hundred years No yoursquoll play it cool and
just be human
MAKING HUMANS
Despite all the choices and new races running around ordi-nary homo-sapiens still dominate the planet Humans are
tough adaptable creatures who face adversity head onWhile they may not have some of the distinct advantages
of their enhanced peers humans get by through being moreadaptable
bull Adaptability Humans start with one extra Edge
HUMAN 20
Nicknames Coded Eli tist Eugenic Gen-Xyrsquoer Neo-HumansSavant
You were born with the best genes money can buy Yourparents went to a design house early in your motherrsquosfirst trimester and began a series of genetic treatmentsdesigned to give you every chance at living a life theynever had Your DNA cocktail might include mental traitsfrom some of the greatest minds of the past 60 yearsAlternately you might have some kind of artistic or athleticability In any case yoursquore better than most people aroundyou in some ways and you know it Itrsquos not your faultthough Yoursquore just built that way
MAKING HUMAN 20
bull Advanced Ability You begin play with one attribute at d6
bull Arrogant Human 20s are known for their huge egos
Whether itrsquos nature or nurture is still up for debate Theyhave the Arrogant Hindrance If you choose an Archetype
that already has the Arrogant Hindrance choose another
RACESCYBORG 991251 HUMAN 20
a
m
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7232019 IZ-sample
httpslidepdfcomreaderfulliz-sample 2729
STREET RAT
ZEEK
27
STREET RAT 991251 ZEEK
27
ARCHETYPESSTREET RAT 991251 ZEEK
a
m
p
l
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f
i
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7232019 IZ-sample
httpslidepdfcomreaderfulliz-sample 2829
RACESThe following races are available for play in Interface Zero 20
Most people are born into the world flesh-and-bloodbabies with mothers and fathers You were bornon an assembly line your parents faceless roboticsengineers who designed you in some research facilityYour body is composed of lightweight yetdurable polymers with plastic and fiber-opticwiring connecting to microscopic receptorsthroughout your framework
You see through digital lenses and hear viamicrophones on each side of your head Yourvoice is a pleasant if somewhat monotonesound piped through a speaker crafted to
resemble a mouth Your brain is a softball-sized digital network consisting of billionsof nanomachines which perform countlesscomputations every second in order to simulatean organic mdash human mdash thinking process
You are artificially intelligent Your capacity forrational critical thinking and decision-makingequals mdash and in many cases exceeds mdash that ofany human being on the planet Yet a waffle ironprobably has more rights than you do Moreoverat some point you have been (and technically stillare) owned perhaps by an individual but more likelyby a megaconglomorate mdash your parent companyThe tasks you performed for the megacorp varieddepending on your design specs but they mighthave included security manual labor combat and
strangely enough even prostitution
But that was then
At some point in your history you experiencedsomething The incident sparked a computation processwithin your neural network best described as an epiphanyPerhaps you saw a human being die or witnessed a couplekissing Or perhaps you were the victim of vio lence at thehands of a human being angered by your presence insociety The event led to a series of internal processes andsubroutines more commonly known as questions Thesewerenrsquot rational system queries based on clearly definedparameters but nebulous ones for which you were unableto formulate an appropriate response
ldquoIf that woman is smiling why are her eyes filled with tearsrdquo
ldquoWhat does it mean to be deadrdquo
ldquoWhat does it mean to hate or loverdquo
The experience altered your programming on a fundamentallevel The dictums of your creators no longer seemedrelevant when compared to your newfound imperative toanswer the questions you had so you left Now you makeyour way in the world just as any other person does mdash atleast you try to at any rate The world wasnrsquot made for youYou were built for it And even though you no longer serveyour masters you are still a machine an outsider look ingat life through glass eyes
MAKING ANDROIDS
All androids regardless of their function share a few fun-damental design characteristics Androids can purchase
cyberware just as anyone else can and suffer from Strain
bull Construct Androids add +2 to recover from being Shaken
donrsquot suffer wound modifiers and are immune to poisonand disease Androids cannot heal naturally To heal an
android requires the Repair skill mdash which is used like theHealing skill only with no ldquoGolden Hourrdquo
bull Dual Processors Androids start with a d6 in Smarts
bull EMP Vulnerability Androids suffer full damage from EMPWeapons
bull Metal Brain Androids canrsquot take Arcane Back-
ground (Psionics)
bull Metallic Alloy The fully metallic hide of an
android provides resistance to small arms fire
They have +2 Armor
bull Outsider Organic races often mistrust or mis-
understand androids They subtract 2 from their
Charisma when dealing with races other thantheir own
bull Primary Protocol Androids begin with a free
d6 in one skill representing their core operat-ing system
bull Recharge Androids need electricity to func-tion If the android canrsquot access an electrical
outlet of some sort at least once per day he
suffers a level of Fatigue each day until hersquosincapacitated The day after that he goes ldquooff-
linerdquo and must be reactivated with a Repairroll and a four-hour charge This replaces the
androidrsquos need for food or water
bull Unnatural Psionics both beneficial and det-rimental suffer a minus2 penalty to affect androids
This has no effect on damaging powers whichaffect them normally
It was easy to make the decision Yoursquod get a new metalbody that works better than the original You wouldnrsquot haveto spend your familyrsquos money on more expensive surgeriesto keep your failing body alive but that decision didnrsquot comewithout a cost Yoursquod lose the ability to feel the abil ity topick up your son without worrying about crushing himYoursquod lose the feel of your wifersquos body when you made loveto her If you canrsquot feel anything arenrsquot you already dead
In the end you chose to become a cyborg to have your
brain encased in metal Most days it doesnrsquot make muchdifference You come home to an empty house your sonand wife long gone Maybe theyrsquod have stayed if yoursquodonly kept your hearthellip
MAKING CYBORGS
Little is more frightening in batt le than a cyborg Theyrsquore not
much more than an organic brain in an androidrsquos body Cyborgscome in humanoid form simply for ease of transition to the
new body The majority of cyborgs work for their respectivegovernments or powerful corporations who can afford the
procedure for trusted personnel However more and morecyborgs are beginning to find their way to the private sector
bull Augmented Cyborgs are built to be cybernetic beasts
They begin play with a single Streetware Augment witha Strain of 1
bull Construct Cyborgs add +2 to recover from being Shaken
donrsquot suffer wound modifiers and are immune to poisonand disease Cyborgs cannot heal naturally To heal a
Cyborg requires the Repair skill which is used like theHealing skill only with no ldquoGolden Hourrdquo
bull EMP Shielding Cyborgs have 2 points of Armor when
attacked by an EMP weapon
bull EMP Vulnerability Cyborgs suffer full damage from EMP
bull Metallic Alloy The fully metall ic hide of a cyborg providesresistance to small arms fire They have +2 Armor
bull Outsider Most people are naturally put off by someonewho has opted to have all traces of their humanity
removed to be placed in a cold metal war machine They
suffer minus2 to Charisma when dealing with non-cyborgs
bull Specialized Diet Cyborgs cannot digest normal food and
require special food filled with nutrients to keep theirbrains healthy This raises their lifestyle costs by 1000credits
bull Tactile Dimming The Cyborgrsquos body isnrsquot as sensitive as
a human body Cyborgs suffer a minus2 to tasks where finemanipulation of objects is important Picking a lock or
performing surgery could be two examples Shootingand Fighting are usually unaffected
HUMAN
Nicknames Norms Homo-sapiens Earthlings Plain Jane
Baseline average normal mdash these words always described
you You prefer to think of yourself as adaptable versatileor unique You were born to human parents who eitherwouldnrsquot or couldnrsquot pay for genetic enhancement Youdidnrsquot go for that ldquoHybr idizationrdquo craze Yoursquore happy beingwho you are and you donrsquot need some scientists muckingaround with your genetics Really do they even know whatthe consequences of all that meddling will have on thepopulation in a hundred years No yoursquoll play it cool and
just be human
MAKING HUMANS
Despite all the choices and new races running around ordi-nary homo-sapiens still dominate the planet Humans are
tough adaptable creatures who face adversity head onWhile they may not have some of the distinct advantages
of their enhanced peers humans get by through being moreadaptable
bull Adaptability Humans start with one extra Edge
HUMAN 20
Nicknames Coded Eli tist Eugenic Gen-Xyrsquoer Neo-HumansSavant
You were born with the best genes money can buy Yourparents went to a design house early in your motherrsquosfirst trimester and began a series of genetic treatmentsdesigned to give you every chance at living a life theynever had Your DNA cocktail might include mental traitsfrom some of the greatest minds of the past 60 yearsAlternately you might have some kind of artistic or athleticability In any case yoursquore better than most people aroundyou in some ways and you know it Itrsquos not your faultthough Yoursquore just built that way
MAKING HUMAN 20
bull Advanced Ability You begin play with one attribute at d6
bull Arrogant Human 20s are known for their huge egos
Whether itrsquos nature or nurture is still up for debate Theyhave the Arrogant Hindrance If you choose an Archetype
that already has the Arrogant Hindrance choose another
RACESCYBORG 991251 HUMAN 20
a
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p
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RACESThe following races are available for play in Interface Zero 20
Most people are born into the world flesh-and-bloodbabies with mothers and fathers You were bornon an assembly line your parents faceless roboticsengineers who designed you in some research facilityYour body is composed of lightweight yetdurable polymers with plastic and fiber-opticwiring connecting to microscopic receptorsthroughout your framework
You see through digital lenses and hear viamicrophones on each side of your head Yourvoice is a pleasant if somewhat monotonesound piped through a speaker crafted to
resemble a mouth Your brain is a softball-sized digital network consisting of billionsof nanomachines which perform countlesscomputations every second in order to simulatean organic mdash human mdash thinking process
You are artificially intelligent Your capacity forrational critical thinking and decision-makingequals mdash and in many cases exceeds mdash that ofany human being on the planet Yet a waffle ironprobably has more rights than you do Moreoverat some point you have been (and technically stillare) owned perhaps by an individual but more likelyby a megaconglomorate mdash your parent companyThe tasks you performed for the megacorp varieddepending on your design specs but they mighthave included security manual labor combat and
strangely enough even prostitution
But that was then
At some point in your history you experiencedsomething The incident sparked a computation processwithin your neural network best described as an epiphanyPerhaps you saw a human being die or witnessed a couplekissing Or perhaps you were the victim of vio lence at thehands of a human being angered by your presence insociety The event led to a series of internal processes andsubroutines more commonly known as questions Thesewerenrsquot rational system queries based on clearly definedparameters but nebulous ones for which you were unableto formulate an appropriate response
ldquoIf that woman is smiling why are her eyes filled with tearsrdquo
ldquoWhat does it mean to be deadrdquo
ldquoWhat does it mean to hate or loverdquo
The experience altered your programming on a fundamentallevel The dictums of your creators no longer seemedrelevant when compared to your newfound imperative toanswer the questions you had so you left Now you makeyour way in the world just as any other person does mdash atleast you try to at any rate The world wasnrsquot made for youYou were built for it And even though you no longer serveyour masters you are still a machine an outsider look ingat life through glass eyes
MAKING ANDROIDS
All androids regardless of their function share a few fun-damental design characteristics Androids can purchase
cyberware just as anyone else can and suffer from Strain
bull Construct Androids add +2 to recover from being Shaken
donrsquot suffer wound modifiers and are immune to poisonand disease Androids cannot heal naturally To heal an
android requires the Repair skill mdash which is used like theHealing skill only with no ldquoGolden Hourrdquo
bull Dual Processors Androids start with a d6 in Smarts
bull EMP Vulnerability Androids suffer full damage from EMPWeapons
bull Metal Brain Androids canrsquot take Arcane Back-
ground (Psionics)
bull Metallic Alloy The fully metallic hide of an
android provides resistance to small arms fire
They have +2 Armor
bull Outsider Organic races often mistrust or mis-
understand androids They subtract 2 from their
Charisma when dealing with races other thantheir own
bull Primary Protocol Androids begin with a free
d6 in one skill representing their core operat-ing system
bull Recharge Androids need electricity to func-tion If the android canrsquot access an electrical
outlet of some sort at least once per day he
suffers a level of Fatigue each day until hersquosincapacitated The day after that he goes ldquooff-
linerdquo and must be reactivated with a Repairroll and a four-hour charge This replaces the
androidrsquos need for food or water
bull Unnatural Psionics both beneficial and det-rimental suffer a minus2 penalty to affect androids
This has no effect on damaging powers whichaffect them normally
It was easy to make the decision Yoursquod get a new metalbody that works better than the original You wouldnrsquot haveto spend your familyrsquos money on more expensive surgeriesto keep your failing body alive but that decision didnrsquot comewithout a cost Yoursquod lose the ability to feel the abil ity topick up your son without worrying about crushing himYoursquod lose the feel of your wifersquos body when you made loveto her If you canrsquot feel anything arenrsquot you already dead
In the end you chose to become a cyborg to have your
brain encased in metal Most days it doesnrsquot make muchdifference You come home to an empty house your sonand wife long gone Maybe theyrsquod have stayed if yoursquodonly kept your hearthellip
MAKING CYBORGS
Little is more frightening in batt le than a cyborg Theyrsquore not
much more than an organic brain in an androidrsquos body Cyborgscome in humanoid form simply for ease of transition to the
new body The majority of cyborgs work for their respectivegovernments or powerful corporations who can afford the
procedure for trusted personnel However more and morecyborgs are beginning to find their way to the private sector
bull Augmented Cyborgs are built to be cybernetic beasts
They begin play with a single Streetware Augment witha Strain of 1
bull Construct Cyborgs add +2 to recover from being Shaken
donrsquot suffer wound modifiers and are immune to poisonand disease Cyborgs cannot heal naturally To heal a
Cyborg requires the Repair skill which is used like theHealing skill only with no ldquoGolden Hourrdquo
bull EMP Shielding Cyborgs have 2 points of Armor when
attacked by an EMP weapon
bull EMP Vulnerability Cyborgs suffer full damage from EMP
bull Metallic Alloy The fully metall ic hide of a cyborg providesresistance to small arms fire They have +2 Armor
bull Outsider Most people are naturally put off by someonewho has opted to have all traces of their humanity
removed to be placed in a cold metal war machine They
suffer minus2 to Charisma when dealing with non-cyborgs
bull Specialized Diet Cyborgs cannot digest normal food and
require special food filled with nutrients to keep theirbrains healthy This raises their lifestyle costs by 1000credits
bull Tactile Dimming The Cyborgrsquos body isnrsquot as sensitive as
a human body Cyborgs suffer a minus2 to tasks where finemanipulation of objects is important Picking a lock or
performing surgery could be two examples Shootingand Fighting are usually unaffected
HUMAN
Nicknames Norms Homo-sapiens Earthlings Plain Jane
Baseline average normal mdash these words always described
you You prefer to think of yourself as adaptable versatileor unique You were born to human parents who eitherwouldnrsquot or couldnrsquot pay for genetic enhancement Youdidnrsquot go for that ldquoHybr idizationrdquo craze Yoursquore happy beingwho you are and you donrsquot need some scientists muckingaround with your genetics Really do they even know whatthe consequences of all that meddling will have on thepopulation in a hundred years No yoursquoll play it cool and
just be human
MAKING HUMANS
Despite all the choices and new races running around ordi-nary homo-sapiens still dominate the planet Humans are
tough adaptable creatures who face adversity head onWhile they may not have some of the distinct advantages
of their enhanced peers humans get by through being moreadaptable
bull Adaptability Humans start with one extra Edge
HUMAN 20
Nicknames Coded Eli tist Eugenic Gen-Xyrsquoer Neo-HumansSavant
You were born with the best genes money can buy Yourparents went to a design house early in your motherrsquosfirst trimester and began a series of genetic treatmentsdesigned to give you every chance at living a life theynever had Your DNA cocktail might include mental traitsfrom some of the greatest minds of the past 60 yearsAlternately you might have some kind of artistic or athleticability In any case yoursquore better than most people aroundyou in some ways and you know it Itrsquos not your faultthough Yoursquore just built that way
MAKING HUMAN 20
bull Advanced Ability You begin play with one attribute at d6
bull Arrogant Human 20s are known for their huge egos
Whether itrsquos nature or nurture is still up for debate Theyhave the Arrogant Hindrance If you choose an Archetype
that already has the Arrogant Hindrance choose another
RACESCYBORG 991251 HUMAN 20
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made illegal in most countries However bioroids marked witha matrix barcode genetically grafted to their skin somewhere
(the shoulder or back of the neck are standard placements) are
still allowed in many countries (most notably Japan who preferbioroids over simulacra because of their relative longevity)
bull EMP Vulnerability Bioroids suffer full damage from EMPweapons
bull Dual Processors Bioroids start with a d6 in Smarts
bull Marked or Secret At character creation the player needsto decide whether his bioroid is marked or not If he is
marked he gains the Outsider Hindrance suffering a minus2
Charisma penalty with people who view bioroids with sus-picion or as ldquojust a machinerdquo Unmarked bioroids have the
Secret (Major) Hindrance Unmarked bioroids are illegaland can be arrested or executed if theyrsquore discovered
bull Primary Protocol Bioroids begin with a free d6 in one
skill representing their core operating system
bull Unnatural Psionics both beneficial and detrimental
suffer a minus2 penalty to affect bioroids This has no effect
It was easy to make the decision Yoursquod get a new metalbody that works better than the original You wouldnrsquot haveto spend your familyrsquos money on more expensive surgeriesto keep your failing body alive but that decision didnrsquot comewithout a cost Yoursquod lose the ability to feel the abil ity topick up your son without worrying about crushing himYoursquod lose the feel of your wifersquos body when you made loveto her If you canrsquot feel anything arenrsquot you already dead
In the end you chose to become a cyborg to have your
brain encased in metal Most days it doesnrsquot make muchdifference You come home to an empty house your sonand wife long gone Maybe theyrsquod have stayed if yoursquodonly kept your hearthellip
MAKING CYBORGS
Little is more frightening in batt le than a cyborg Theyrsquore not
much more than an organic brain in an androidrsquos body Cyborgscome in humanoid form simply for ease of transition to the
new body The majority of cyborgs work for their respectivegovernments or powerful corporations who can afford the
procedure for trusted personnel However more and morecyborgs are beginning to find their way to the private sector
bull Augmented Cyborgs are built to be cybernetic beasts
They begin play with a single Streetware Augment witha Strain of 1
bull Construct Cyborgs add +2 to recover from being Shaken
donrsquot suffer wound modifiers and are immune to poisonand disease Cyborgs cannot heal naturally To heal a
Cyborg requires the Repair skill which is used like theHealing skill only with no ldquoGolden Hourrdquo
bull EMP Shielding Cyborgs have 2 points of Armor when
attacked by an EMP weapon
bull EMP Vulnerability Cyborgs suffer full damage from EMP
bull Metallic Alloy The fully metall ic hide of a cyborg providesresistance to small arms fire They have +2 Armor
bull Outsider Most people are naturally put off by someonewho has opted to have all traces of their humanity
removed to be placed in a cold metal war machine They
suffer minus2 to Charisma when dealing with non-cyborgs
bull Specialized Diet Cyborgs cannot digest normal food and
require special food filled with nutrients to keep theirbrains healthy This raises their lifestyle costs by 1000credits
bull Tactile Dimming The Cyborgrsquos body isnrsquot as sensitive as
a human body Cyborgs suffer a minus2 to tasks where finemanipulation of objects is important Picking a lock or
performing surgery could be two examples Shootingand Fighting are usually unaffected
HUMAN
Nicknames Norms Homo-sapiens Earthlings Plain Jane
Baseline average normal mdash these words always described
you You prefer to think of yourself as adaptable versatileor unique You were born to human parents who eitherwouldnrsquot or couldnrsquot pay for genetic enhancement Youdidnrsquot go for that ldquoHybr idizationrdquo craze Yoursquore happy beingwho you are and you donrsquot need some scientists muckingaround with your genetics Really do they even know whatthe consequences of all that meddling will have on thepopulation in a hundred years No yoursquoll play it cool and
just be human
MAKING HUMANS
Despite all the choices and new races running around ordi-nary homo-sapiens still dominate the planet Humans are
tough adaptable creatures who face adversity head onWhile they may not have some of the distinct advantages
of their enhanced peers humans get by through being moreadaptable
bull Adaptability Humans start with one extra Edge
HUMAN 20
Nicknames Coded Eli tist Eugenic Gen-Xyrsquoer Neo-HumansSavant
You were born with the best genes money can buy Yourparents went to a design house early in your motherrsquosfirst trimester and began a series of genetic treatmentsdesigned to give you every chance at living a life theynever had Your DNA cocktail might include mental traitsfrom some of the greatest minds of the past 60 yearsAlternately you might have some kind of artistic or athleticability In any case yoursquore better than most people aroundyou in some ways and you know it Itrsquos not your faultthough Yoursquore just built that way
MAKING HUMAN 20
bull Advanced Ability You begin play with one attribute at d6
bull Arrogant Human 20s are known for their huge egos
Whether itrsquos nature or nurture is still up for debate Theyhave the Arrogant Hindrance If you choose an Archetype
that already has the Arrogant Hindrance choose another