[Psyberpunk] Black ICE as Cyberpsi abilities

[Varyon]

Originally Posted by Prince Charon

OK, but how much should 'Accessibility (only on the net)' cost? Pricing is the thing that I most frequently find myself unsure about with new limitations. My current thinking is 'somewhere between 20% and 40%,' but I'd like a clearer answer than this.

It depends on how often it would be useful in your campaign. There are guidelines for Accessibility in Powers and Power Ups 8: Limitations, where you basically look up roughly what percentage of the time you estimate the ability will be available (or percentage of potential targets it will work on), and then assign the corresponding Limitation value; the only one I know off the top of my head is that being available ~50% of the time is worth -20%.

[Pursuivant]

Originally Posted by Varyon

It depends on how often it would be useful in your campaign.

But err towards stinginess with Accessibility limitations, since players who take powers with Accessibility limitations WILL find ways to get around them. As a guess, -20% seems fair for "Only on the Net" in a Cyberpunk campaign for a power which will primarily appeal to characters who spend most of their time on the Net.

A cyber-shaman who can just touch a computer and send a "cyberspirit" through the net to attack foes would have much less of an Accessibility Limitation ("Must make contact with some part of a contiguous computer network").

[Pursuivant]

Your sample powers look good and well-balanced.

I agree with the idea of "range" being based on "nodes" or similar distances within the net. Functionally, they act as hexes.

The same thing holds for "command phases" vs. regular turns. Increased damage rates aren't enhancements if everyone is accelerated by the same amount.

If you want RAW rules, Black Ice (actually, the Flatline Program) from GURPS 3E Cyberpunk is nasty.

It does 3d HP/phase (~1/10 sec.), bypassing DR & striking the victim's Brain until they can jack out (requires DX roll or similar & might do damage if you just yank out cables).

It can be blocked or fooled using certain Programs (effectively a QC of defender's Computer Operations or defending program's skill vs. Flatline program skill).

Even toned down, that makes for a very pricey attack:

Flatline (305 points): Innate Attack (12d toxic (48 points base cost), Enhancements: Cosmic (Bypasses DR), +300%; Cyclic (3 cycles), +300%; No Signature, +20%. Limitations: Accessibility (Only vs. living cyberspace users who are jacked into the net), -40%; Ergokinesis, -10%; Melee Attack (C), -30%; Resistible (QC of attacker's IQ vs. defender's DX-based Computer Operations skill), -5%. Features: All damage is to victim's brain (4x damage modifier factored in). Damage rate is based on speed of combat in cyberspace. Fuse or similar program can substitute their skill for defender's skill. Range is based on locations in cyberspace, not real space.)

It would cost 26 points per level as a leveled trait.

There are many other types of Black Ice, including versions which give the defender Epilepsy or Reprogrammable (via Brain Hacking skill or equivalent) or which allow Possession by a Ghostcomp program. Base them on Affliction, but since these sorts of programs must win the Quick Contest 3 times before the victim jacks out, treat them as Secondary effects.