Help with psi-cyber advantages

[moonsquares]

Hola. I'm starting a new GURPS campaign (my first 4th ed--yay!), and have a player who wants to play a character who can mentally interface with and control computers. The problem I'm running into is trying to decide which advantages would be necessary, which would be useful, and which would completely overpower the character and make him like unto a god.

For example, when dealing with Mind Reading vs Mind Probe, which is necessary to see what is stored in the hard drive of a computer--or would the character need both (with the cyber only mod, natch)? And would Mind Control allow him to bypass all security? And if the computer is networked, would Mind Control allow control over the other computers on the network? What about over the internet?

The cyber only mod is obviously the way to go, but as I have some idea how the human mind works (although my ex would disagree...) but no real way to determine how a mind controlled Amiga would act, I wanted to throw the question out and get some opinions. I am also of course striving for game balance....it's a conspiracy game, so how many points do I charge for someone who can mentally dominate security systems and suck the baddie's secret plan right out of his palm pilot? (Yes, it's a conspiracy game with supers et al....gotta love that "Universal" bit)

Thanks for any suggestions!

[Woodman]

I think i little bit from the tech perspective might help you.

1. Any security can be bypassed, its just a matter of knowig how and how much effort you put in it, so in game terms i would just assign modifiers to access secured systems.

2. Keep in mind that even if he gets the data he might not be able to understand it (read crytography) or he might be seeing the data all the time but not realising it (read steganography)

3. Networks normaly dont make several computers like one, but offer communication between them, so if he crontrolls an amiga with an acustic coupling device he can make the amiga get information via internet, but i would require electronic operation/computer for that, because he basicaly subtitutes the amiga for an input device.
If he should be able to send his powers via the line, i would require new rolls for evry computer and impose penalties for each node used (evry computer between him and the target). This way he wont be sitting at home comfortable in an armchair and just uncover all conspiracies via the internet. (just do some traceroutes on servers you usually use to get a feel of how many nodes there are)

4. Just getting the info from the villans pda seems lame, require contact for the ability to work, steeling the pda to get info wont be so easy.

[Not another shrubbery]

Originally Posted by moonsquares

For example, when dealing with Mind Reading vs Mind Probe, which is necessary to see what is stored in the hard drive of a computer--or would the character need both (with the cyber only mod, natch)? And would Mind Control allow him to bypass all security? And if the computer is networked, would Mind Control allow control over the other computers on the network? What about over the internet?

Mind Reading should suffice for most simple, unprotected computers... Mind Probe would likely be needed for complex, secure ones. Successful use of cyber-MC probably will allow you to bypass most security [that is native to the controlled computer]. Network connections (between computers) could be interpreted as being in the spirit of "see or touch", but normal range penalties should still apply.

[Pomphis]

Originally Posted by Not another shrubbery

Mind Reading should suffice for most simple, unprotected computers... Mind Probe would likely be needed for complex, secure ones. .

Wouldn´t the distinction be rather:

Mind Reading to learn just what the computer is doing right now and getting information as it is being processed,

Mind Probe to get stored information, including from programs which are not running at the moment ?

Eg: to read a pdf when Acrobat Reader is running Mind Reading, but Mind Probe when it isn´t.

[Not another shrubbery]

That is certainly a valid interpretation, and probably the best translation of the normal ads to their "cyber-" versions, though I would think that rulings would tend to be campaign specific.

[Fabricati]

Oh, and stay away from Compartmentalized Mind/Possession.

That combo would make him like unto a god of computers.

[moonsquares]

Thanks for all the advice, great stuff here, just what i needed :-)

Essentially, though, the problem I am running into is the one that is shown here: there are several interpretations for the use of each advantage. I am leaning towards the mind-reading to follow what a computer is doing at the time, but this isn't all that useful, although a clever player could work with a computer sans monitor using this ability (or see what the person next door is using, or...hm, actually fairly useful). Mind Probe is then for the digging for the info, and Mind Control is for the making it do things without I/O device such as keyboard or mouse (or possibly even software, if he's got good enough skill in programming).

This leads to a total of 50 points for a character who can moniter computers in use through walls or sans monitors (Mind Reading cyber only), deep-scan for info on the local drives (Mind Probe cyber only), and operate them without the use of keyboard/mouse, even running spur-of-the-moment programs they can envision in their head (possibly with a quick check of their computer programming skill) (Mind Control cyber only). A little high, IMHO, unless the Mind Control lets him run programs regardless of local security (IE, without the necessary passwords). SInce he can pull most of those out with Mind Probe, this sounds reasonable.

Any final thoughts? Any good advantages i missed?

[moonsquares]

Originally Posted by Woodman

1. Any security can be bypassed, its just a matter of knowig how and how much effort you put in it, so in game terms i would just assign modifiers to access secured systems.

Makes sense.

Originally Posted by Woodman

2. Keep in mind that even if he gets the data he might not be able to understand it (read crytography) or he might be seeing the data all the time but not realising it (read steganography)

An EXCELLENT reason to involve other players! "I got the info. It appears to be a big bunch of dots or something..." "Oh, that's the Higgs-Allen Binary code, let me see it"

Originally Posted by Woodman

3. Networks normaly dont make several computers like one, but offer communication between them, so if he crontrolls an amiga with an acustic coupling device he can make the amiga get information via internet, but i would require electronic operation/computer for that, because he basicaly subtitutes the amiga for an input device.
If he should be able to send his powers via the line, i would require new rolls for evry computer and impose penalties for each node used (evry computer between him and the target). This way he wont be sitting at home comfortable in an armchair and just uncover all conspiracies via the internet. (just do some traceroutes on servers you usually use to get a feel of how many nodes there are)

Hmmm.....lots of ways to go here. I think I would actually go with imposing range penalties to the computer that he actually wants to scan/control, putting most of them out of his range.

Originally Posted by Woodman

4. Just getting the info from the villans pda seems lame, require contact for the ability to work, steeling the pda to get info wont be so easy.

It does seem a bit lame, but honestly, that's what he's paying for. I am going to have to craft the campaign to avoid big problems, or forbid the ability, which I don't want to do....

Thanks for the input!

[moonsquares]

Originally Posted by Fabricati

Oh, and stay away from Compartmentalized Mind/Possession.

That combo would make him like unto a god of computers.

Yes. Yes it would.

*Shudder*

[Captain-Captain]

Originally Posted by moonsquares

Hola. I'm starting a new GURPS campaign (my first 4th ed--yay!), and have a player who wants to play a character who can mentally interface with and control computers. The problem I'm running into is trying to decide which advantages would be necessary, which would be useful, and which would completely overpower the character and make him like unto a god.

For example, when dealing with Mind Reading vs Mind Probe, which is necessary to see what is stored in the hard drive of a computer--or would the character need both (with the cyber only mod, natch)? And would Mind Control allow him to bypass all security? And if the computer is networked, would Mind Control allow control over the other computers on the network? What about over the internet?

The cyber only mod is obviously the way to go, but as I have some idea how the human mind works (although my ex would disagree...) but no real way to determine how a mind controlled Amiga would act, I wanted to throw the question out and get some opinions. I am also of course striving for game balance....it's a conspiracy game, so how many points do I charge for someone who can mentally dominate security systems and suck the baddie's secret plan right out of his palm pilot? (Yes, it's a conspiracy game with supers et al....gotta love that "Universal" bit)

Thanks for any suggestions!

Go to the 3rd edition book Psionics and look at the Cyberpsi power group.

Basically you are a Cyberpunk decker who does not need a deck. You still have to make programming and hacking skill checks, but you get a big bonus for being 'inside'.

Also note the penalties if countermeasures defeat the cyberpsi... very risky.