# Null.hack PSG TOC #index #draft v0.4 # Null.hack Character Creation ## Hello world Welcome to Null.hack. +++ ## How to make your character You can find a character sheet at the back of the book, or you can download one [here](http://nullhacker.com). Additionally, you can download the [Null.hack Companion App](!!) and creating your character there. Finally, you can create an analog character on pen and paper by following along with the ### Steps below. ### Step 1. Select your Frame The are three basic frames in Null.hack: * Natural: Natally-born human with all their beautiful imperfections. * Android: Are a terrifying and exciting addition to any community. They tend to unnerve others with their cold inhumanity. * Sleeve: Custom built to your specifications. ### Step 2. Record Stats Characters have four Stats: Strength, Speed, Intellect, and Combat, representing how well they act under extreme pressure. * Natural: For each Stat roll 2 ten-sided dice (2d10), add them together, then add 25. * Androids: Assign each of the values 15, 35, 35, and 70 to a Stat. * Sleeves: Take 125 points and divide them up amongst your Stats. ### Step 3. Record Saves Characters have four Saves: Sanity, Fear, Body, and Grid representing how resistant they are to danger and trauma. * Natural: For each Save roll 2 ten-sided dice (2d10), add them together, then add 10. * Androids: Sanity (20), Fear (80), Body (20), and Grid (5). * Sleeves: Take 75 points and divide them up amongst your Saves. ### Step 4. Record Health Characters gain a Wound whenever their Health reaches zero. If they suffer more Wounds than their maximum, they die. Maximum Wounds: * Natural: 2 Wounds. * Androids: 3 Wounds. * Sleeves: 50% chance to have 4 Wounds or 1. Maximum Health: * Natural: Roll 1 ten-sided die then add 10. * Androids: Maximum Health is 15. * Sleeves: Roll 2 ten-sided dice. ### Step 5. Gain Stress Each character carries a certain amount of Stress which tracks how likely they are to reach a breaking point. * Natural: Minimum Stress = 2. Current Stress = 1d5+2. * Androids: Minimum Stress = 2. Current Stress = 2. * Sleeves: Minimum Stress = 3. Current Stress = 3. ### Step 6. Note Trauma Response Each class deals with Stress and Panic differently, which comes into play later in the game. Mark your Trauma Response for future reference. * Natural: Whenever someone within Close Range gains Stress, you can gain it instead +1. * Androids: Fear Saves made by anyone within Close Range are at Disadvantage. * Sleeves: You have Advantage on Panic Checks. ### Step 7. Draw Contacts & Skills Character’s `Contacts` represent important relationships in their lives. Take a deck of Tarot cards and separate out the 22 Major Arcana cards from the 56 Minor Arcana cards. Set aside the Minor Arcana deck for now. * Natural get 3 Contacts. * Sleeves get 2 Contacts. * Androids get 1 Contact. For each Contact draw three Major Arcana cards: * The first card tells you who the Contact is. * The second card tells you the nature of your relationship. * The third card tells you a skill you acquired through the relationship. Each Contact starts with a 2d10+30 Loyalty Save, which measures how willing the Contact is to help your character out when it would cost the Contact personally. > [W]: The cards are open to interpretation and are there to help you flesh out your character. Wardens should curate the list of possible Contacts to best fit their campaign and the kinds of people the players will interact with. If any players else draw the same Contact, then they have a mutual relationship with the same Contact. > [W]: This ties the world together and grounds everyone into the same community. When you prep your campaign, pull all these contacts from your players and give them all addresses. Put them in your Allied & Enemies page in your Campaign Notebook so that you can develop them as the game continues. Keep the relationships local. The game works best if players start with contacts on their block. People they’re likely to run into and who will be in each others' business. ### Step 8. Advance your Skills. * Natural: Get 2 Expert Skills or 1 Expert Skill and 1 Master Skill. They must have a pre-requisite skill for any Skill they take. * Androids: Get the Language, Computers, and Mathematics skills and 1 Expert Skill. * Sleeves: Draw 3 random Skills from the Minor Arcana deck. They ignore pre-requisite skills (which leaves them with a gap in their memory). If for any reason you gain a skill you already have, you may instead take an expert or master skill for which that skill is a pre-requisite. ### Step 9. Draw Loadout. Your character’s Loadout represents their notable possessions. * Draw a card from the Major Arcana deck for your Gear. * Draw a card from the Minor Arcana deck for your Wardrobe. * Shuffle the decks together and draw your Lucky Card. Your Gear Your gear represents your most valuable and important possessions. Characters in Null.hack don’t start with much. Your Wardrobe A wardrobe is enough outfits for a few days worth of clothes in a particular style. People may react differently to you based on your wardrobe, and it will be difficult to access certain parts in the city without the right fit. * You can exchange your wardrobe for up to two wardrobes cheaper than yours. They cannot be exchanged for credits. Your Lucky Card Your Lucky Card is a random Tarot Card. It doesn't directly translate to anything in game at first, but it can give you insight into who your character is. The Lucky Card could define their personality in some way, or it could have been a gift from a friend, or even just a piece of trash they found on the street. It's up to you. ### Step 10. Starting Credits and Salary. Roll 2d10 and multiply it by 10 to find out how many Credits your character starts with. Additionally, each character starts with a different monthly salary: * Natural get a monthly Salary based on their Skills. * 100cr/month for every Trained Skill. * 250cr/month for every Expert Skill. * 400cr/month for every Master Skill. * Androids get a Salary of 250cr/month. * Sleeves get the same Salary as Natural, but 50% is deducted monthly until they pay back their Gestation Debt (1d5x100,000cr). ### Finishing Details Record your character's name and pronouns and set their Net Worth to zero (0). You are now ready to play your first session of Null.hack. Good luck. +++ # Basic Rules ## Safety Instructions Null.hack is a challenging game. Expect: * Characters to die. Play smart. Make the most of your time. * Violence. Avoid it at all costs. If you’re fighting, you’re losing. * Stacked odds. Rolls are punishing in Null.hack. * Difficult choices. ### How to be a good player * Pay attention. Stay focused on the fictional world. It helps everyone have a fun and immersive experience. * Create a safe play environment. It’s your responsibility to make sure you’re not making anyone at the table uncomfortable with your words and actions (both in and out of character) and to speak up if you feel unsafe or annoyed or if you notice anyone else might be uncomfortable. +++ ## Stat Checks Whenever you want to do something and the price for failure is high, roll 1d100 and attempt to roll lower than your most relevant Stat. This is called a Stat Check. If you roll less than your Stat you succeed. Otherwise, you fail and gain 1 Stress. A roll of 90-99 is always a failure. ### Your Stats You have four main Stats which represent your abilities when acting under extreme pressure: * Strength: Holding airlocks closed, carrying fallen comrades, climbing, pushing, jumping. * Speed: Getting out of the cargo bay before the blast doors close, acting before someone (or something) else, running away. * Intellect: Recalling your training and experience under duress, thinking through difficult problems, inventing or fixing things. * Combat: Fighting for your life. ## Saves In order to avoid certain dangers or trauma, you roll 1d100 lower than your most relevant Save. This is called a Save. If you roll less than your Save you succeed. Otherwise you fail, and gain 1 Stress. A roll of 90-99 is always a failure. ### Your Saves You have four Saves which represent your ability to withstand different kinds of trauma: * Sanity: Rationalize logical inconsistencies in the universe, make sense out of chaos, detect illusions and mimicry, cope with Stress. * Fear: Maintain a level head while struggling with fear, loneliness, depression, and other emotional surges. * Body: Employ quick reflexes and resist hunger, disease, or organisms that might try and invade your insides. ## Modifying Stat Checks & Saves There are three things that can modify the outcome of a Stat Check or Save: Advantage & Disadvantage, Critical Successes & Failures, and Skills. ### Advantage & Disadvantage Whenever you are making a roll of any kind (Stat Check, Save, Panic Check, Damage, etc.) and the character has a situational advantage (like assistance from someone else), roll twice and take the best result. When at a situational disadvantage (like poor weather or bad visibility), roll twice and take the worst result. Advantage is notated with [+], Disadvantage with [-] (e.g., Body Save [+] means make a Body Save with Advantage). If a character has both Advantage and Disadvantage, they cancel each other out. ### Critical Successes & Failures Whenever you roll doubles (e.g., 00, 66) on a Stat Check or Save, you have rolled a Critical. If the roll is a success, it is now a Critical Success and something very good happens. If it is a failure, it is now a Critical Failure and something bad happens, and furthermore you must make a Panic Check. A roll of 00 is always a Critical Success and a roll of 99 is always a Critical Failure. ## Skills If a character has a Skill that is relevant to the task at hand, you can add the Skill’s bonus to the Stat or Save before making your roll (giving you a higher number to roll under). ## Stress Stress represents the physical, mental, and emotional strain on a character. The more Stress your character has, the more likely they are to Panic when something terrible occurs. ### How do I gain Stress? Your character gains 1 Stress every time you fail a Stat Check or Save. Additionally certain locations or entities can automatically give you Stress just by interacting with them (or in some cases, witnessing them at all). Your character’s minimum Stress starts at 2. The maximum Stress your character can have is 20. Every point of Stress taken over 20 reduces your character’s most relevant Stat or Save. > SeeDowntime for more details about recovering Stat and Save loss. ### How do I relieve Stress? Your character relieves Stress by resting in a safe place and making a Rest Save using your worst Save. If you succeed, reduce your character’s Stress by the ones digit rolled (e.g., if you rolled 24 under your worst Save of 30, reduce your Stress by 4). If you fail, you gain 1 Stress instead. Players can gain Advantage on their Rest Save by participating in consensual sex, recreational drug use, a night of heavy drinking, prayer, or any other suitable leisure activity. Unsafe locations may incur Disadvantage on Rest Saves at the Warden’s discretion. Stress is typically not relieved during cryosleep. Finally, if you have more time, you can take Shore Leave and convert your Stress into improved Saves. #### Sex Get everyone at the table’s consent before dealing with sex in your game. Set clear boundaries for what is acceptable, and check in regularly in case anything changes. ## Panic Stress, Damage, and emotional wear and tear eventually bring characters to their breaking point. When that happens, there’s a chance they Panic. You determine this by making a Panic Check. ## What is a Panic Check? A Panic Check determines whether the character can keep their cool under extreme pressure. To make a Panic Check, roll the Panic Die (1d20) and attempt to roll greater than your current Stress. If you roll less than or equal to your current Stress you fail, and you look up your result on the Panic Table. ## When do you make Panic Checks? You must make a Panic Check anytime you roll a Critical Failure on a Stat Check or Save. Additionally, the Warden may call for a Panic Check at any other appropriate time, including, but not limited to: * Watching another crewmember die. * Witnessing more than 1 crewmember Panic at the same time. * Whenever your Ship rolls a Critical Failure, everyone on board makes a Panic Check. * Encountering a strange and horrifying entity for the first time. * When all hope is lost and death feels certain. * Whenever you, the player, want. ## Conditions Some results of the Panic Table are so severe that they leave a lasting impression on you. These are called Conditions, and they affect you until you are able to treat them. ### Panic Checks & Agency Be sure to go over the Panic Table and remove any results that don’t fit with your group. Remember: roleplaying Panic is not an excuse to make someone else uncomfortable. As usual, check in regularly. # Violent Encounters Violent encounters work much the same as any other encounter in Null.hack: The Warden describes the situation and the players say what they want to do. The Warden then says what the possible consequences for failure are and describes what (if any) rolls are required. The players commit to their actions and then everything is resolved at once. ## How are violent encounters resolved? Traditionally, the way it works is that whatever the enemy wants to do will happen unless the players intervene. This means typically the players make most of the rolls. For example, if an enemy is going to attack one of the players, then it will automatically succeed unless the player dodges out of the way or hurts it or otherwise changes the situation. Basically, what the warden is doing is describing the potential consequences for inaction. This keeps pressure on the players. We tend to call this “player facing rolls,” though the Warden will often still roll things like Damage, or Death Saves, etc. It doesn’t have to work this way. The Warden may opt to have enemies roll under their combat stats like a player would do. This can create a kind of swingy combat, where both sides “miss” a lot. So it’s usually preferable to keep to player facing rolls unless you can think of a good way to escalate the combat if the enemy misses. Maybe the enemy is just a bunch of mooks with trigger happy fingers and bad aim, maybe then it makes more sense. The way we’re going to change monster stats in Null.hack is to move them to cause disadvantage to players for certain things. # Social Encounters ## Contractors & Contacts ## Your Network * Your Network is the total amount of contacts you have. These are people that can help you and relationships you can maintain. Everyone else is effectively a stranger. You just can’t maintain those relationships. And while they may be cordial. They’re effectively acquaintances. * You can increase your Network increase with downtime. ## Loyalty Save for help and favors * When you make a new Contact, roll 2d10 for their Loyalty Save. * Modified by advantage or disadvantage. * When you need something from them that requires something of them (either a resource or something that puts you above them) they make a Loyalty Save. * Critical Success: they do what you want and Loyalty increases. * 1 for a minor favor. * 1d5 for a regular favor. * 1d10 for a major favor. * 2d10 for a life saving favor. * Success: they do what you want. * Failure: they refuse to do what you want without further concessions. * Critical failure: they refuse to do what you want under any circumstances, further you must make a Panic Check and their loyalty save decreases. * 1 for a minor favor. * 1d5 for a regular favor. * 1d10 for a major favor. * 2d10 for a life saving favor. * You can improve loyalty saves by spending downtime with them and converting Stress into an improved loyalty save. * See Null.hack Downtime * Relationships based on aid can only be improved once per month. * Rejecting aid requires a loyalty save. On a failure the loyalty save decreases by the amount you would have gained (so if you have a loyalty of 24, and someone asks you for a major favor and you turn them down and fail the save, you decrease their save by 1d10). ``` Wes: there’s a lot you can do here. Players can put more on the line by risking a “bigger favor,” but with the possibility that they’ll lose more on a failure. ``` Convincing someone, making arguments, etc. Convincing someone of something works the same way, they roll a loyalty save to see if they are willing to take your word for it. However, you can improve your odds through leverage. * As always, some arguments won’t require a roll. However, sometimes it just makes sense to use the loyalty save anyway to see if the other character will whine or moan or otherwise be difficult before listening. * In some urgent cases this could be the difference between life and death. * You can add an applicable skill to the loyalty save where appropriate. * When you fail, you learn what the other person wants. Critical fail, the situation gets much worse as normal. Devolving into a fight or argument or real hurt, whether you see it or not. > ### Example: Losing an argument > Warden: Okay so why don’t you roll his Loyalty save. He’s got a loyalty of 36, since he’s a pretty close friend. > Phil: oof. Critical fail. > Warden: He gets quiet. It’s clear you’ve said something that’s offended him. > Phil: I immediately apologize. > Warden: He waves you off, “I’m fine,” he says. He’s going to lose 2d10 loyalty. And you need to make a Panic Check. > Phil: I’m pretty stressed out. Fail. > Warden: what did you roll? > Phil: Ten. Doomed. I feel doomed. > Warden: Yeah, this conversation really seems to have taken it out of both of you. He’s lost 14 loyalty and maybe you’re questioning a bit whether the relationship is even worth it if you can’t communicate about this kind of thing? > Phil: No, I don’t think that far. I think my guy just thinks talking is never worth it. Better to just shoot all my problems. > Warden: Perfect. Disguises and cons Most people will believe your disguise given that it’s good enough. Otherwise it’s an instinct check from the NPC to see if they see through it. * Very rarely will someone attack you if they fail the check. Instead they’ll gradually escalate. Asking for more identification or for clarification about your story. Or eventually calling in a check (maybe a grid save) etc. # Virtual Encounters ## Networks A NETWORK is an interconnected system made up of a series of NODES. Networks can be big and sprawling with dozens of nodes, or they can be small and simple, with only a couple of nodes of note. ## Nodes A node can represent a modems, hub, printer, computer, personal digital assistant, electronically controlled utility, or any other virtual software or connected device. Each node is defined by its FUNCTION, SECURITY, and RESPONSE. ## Function FUNCTION is a simple description of what the node does. Several examples include: * ACCESS POINT: grants entry to the Network. * DATA STORAGE: contains valuable information (e.g., mission paydata, facility maps, storage manifests, user lists, camera recordings, etc.). * ROUTER: allows communication to pass through this mode to other nodes connected to it: From a hacking perspective, controlling a router could allow a hacker to reconfigure network paths to avoid more secure nodes in a network. * FIREWALL: A high Security and/or high Response Node designed to hinder hacking attemps. * INFRASTRUCTURE/HARDPOINT CONTROL: grants control of connected location's infrastructure (e.g., airlocks, ventilation, doors, lights, cameras, engines, reactor, life support, weapons, etc.). * UPLINK/RELAY/BRIDGE: connects one network to one (or more) separate networks. * TERMINAL: physical interface (e.g., a personal computer) which allows the user to access its own contents and connect to the network. ## Security A node's SECURITY represents how difficult its defenses are to penetrate. There are four levels: * UNSECURED NODES are open for ányone to use. They have no password protection or security of any kind. * SECURED NODES require a Hacking Check to gain access to its contents. * HARDENED NODES are heavily fortified and require a Hacking [-] Check to defeat. * ENCRYPTED NODES cannot be hacked with a Hacking Check. Instead they require the PRIVATE ENCYPTION KEY (PEK) of a user who has access to the network. PEKs can be acquired through theft, interrogation, social engineering, or hacking a lower security node (like the target's personal computer) which contains the PEK. These four levels allow you to quickly establish how hard the hack will be and communicate that, the hack eso the Know eat they're up egainst. ## Response A network's RESPONSE measures how severe the reaction is from any network admins, operators, automated security features, overseer AIs, etc. safeguarding the network. RESPONSE is rated from Null (no roll required) to +5 (a rapid and severe response). Whenever a hacker fails their Hacking Check, roll on the RESPONSE TABLE and add the Network's Response. ## Response Table [1d10] 00. Warning message. Network's RESPONSE +1. 01. Device is remotely powered off. 02. USER ACCOUNT locked out for 1d10 hours. 03. Security member dispatched to investigate. Arrives in 1d10 rounds. 04. Network creates "dummy" directories for the Hacker to search while a security team is sent to investigate. 05. The network and all linked networks are locked down for 1d10 hours. 06. This network and all linked networks increase security level by 1. 07. All linked networks increase. RESPONSE +1 08. Facility blackout. All non-essential electronics powered down: 09. TACTICAL RESPONSE TEAM deployed on Seek & Destroy mission. Arrives, heavily armed, in 1d5 rounds. Other examples of Responses include: * DENIAL OF SERVICE: NetSec blocks connections from the hacker's connected hardware by flooding the connection with garbage making future hacking attempts slower. * BACK HACK: NetSec attempts to control/destroy the terminal/deck/etc. being used in the attack. * MALWARE ATTACK: NetSec uses a virus to disable the hacker's hardware for some time. * POWER OVERLOAD: NetSec pushes excessive voltage to the hacker's hardware. * IDENTITY TRACE: NetSec attempts to obtain identifying information about the hacker. * NETWORK TRACE: NetSec attempts to locate the physical location hacker. ## User Accounts Instead of directly Hacking a network, crewmembers can gain access to a USER ACCOUNT by obtaining (through theft, intimidation, or otherwise) a user's credentials (e.g., password, ID, badge, PEK, etc.). While having direct access to a User's Account circumvents the need for a Hacking Check, each account is limited in its PERMISSIONS. Here are some examples: * GUEST ACCOUNTS have very limited permissions, usually only accessing the intranet (if there is one), company directories, or online help. * EMPLOYEE ACCOUNTS grant permissions over anything in the employee's job description. > FOR EXAMPLE: an engineer on a ship may have permission to access the engineering network, and therefore be able to control the ship's thrusters from their terminal. Employees typically have access to emails, maps, details about projects, and other company sensitive information and files. * ADMIN ACCOUNTS oversee several employees, and have access to everything they can access. Admins can be managers, team leaders, IT personel, or officers on a ship. * SUPER USER ACCOUNTS grants "root" access to everything on the network, and often on several other connected networks. > FOR EXAMPLE: A Super User account on a ship would have access to all the ship's networks: utilities, weapons, navigation, employee data... everything. Super User accounts are a hacker's dream, and often highly guarded or encrypted. However, if your hacker obtains root access to a system, let them go wild, they've earned it. User accounts can be used in a lot of interesting ways. For example: * An employee badge might open up all doors on the first few levels of a space station, and then be used to login to a terminal that connects to the station's security network. * Some networks or devices may not have any user accounts associated with them at all. They can only be hacked manually. * And of course having access to a specific User Account might provide opportunities to hack Networks unreachable through other means. Think of User Accounts as a way to engage crewmembers without the Hacking Skill in the actual work of hacking a network. # Vehicle Encounters So basically, drivers can be assumed to be competent at driving or piloting a vehicle provided they have the training. You handle this like any other encounter, where if there’s an issue the player makes some kind of check or save and the Warden interprets the results. The difference here is vehicular wounds. Vehicles take damage as per normal, and whenever they gain a Wound the apply the result on the table below to all passengers. ### Vehicular Wound Table 00. Flesh Wound: Body Save or 1d5 DMG. 01. Minor injury: Body Save or Blunt Force Wound. 02. Minor injury: Body Save or Blunt Force Wound. 03. Minor injury: Body Save or Blunt Force Wound [-]. 04. Minor injury: Body Save or Blunt Force Wound [-]. 05. Major injury: Body Save [-] or Blunt Force Wound, Bleed +1. 06. Major injury: Body Save [-] or Blunt Force Wound, Bleed +2. 07. Lethal injury: Body Save [-] or Blunt Force Wound [-], Bleed +3. 08. Lethal injury: Body Save [-] or Blunt Force Wound [-], Bleed +4. 09. Fatal injury: Death Save. If a vehicle ever takes more than its maximum number of Wound, roll on the Crash Table below. ### Crash Table 00. Vehicle stops working, but safely stops. Requires repairs (2d10 minutes with a successful check). 01. Wreck: All inside make a Body Save or be knocked unconscious. 02. Wreck: All inside make a Body Save or be knocked unconscious. 03. Major wreck: All inside make a Death Save. 04. Major wreck: All inside make a Death Save. 05. You have died. Roll up a new character. 06. You have died. Roll up a new character. 07. You have died. Roll up a new character. 08. You have died. Roll up a new character. 09. You have died. Roll up a new character. # Travel Encounters ## Addresses Every location in Null.hack has an `address`. Addresses tell you where the location as, its `security rating` and a few other helpful details. The address is a statline for a location. Addresses work like this: `District-block-building-floor-security` * District: Number * Block: Letter * Building (or Street): Name * Floor: F+number (F13, B1, etc.) * Security Rating: .0 to .9 ``` For example: 13.5 is District 13, with a security rating of 5. 5MM Terrazo Street F3.6 is District 5, block MM on Terrazo Street, Floor 3, Security Rating 6. ``` ## Security Ratings Every address has a security level rated 0 (total anarchy) to 9 (martial law). When traveling through blocks there’s a 10% chance of an encounter. If there’s an encounter roll 1d10 equal to or over the security rating for a deadly encounter. Otherwise, roll a city encounter. Additionally there’s a 10% chance for a weekly event. And usually there is a monthly event. Ride share 2d10 minutes to arrival. + or - 1d10 for how remote or busy the area is. Bikes etc walking 5 blocks an hour 7. Travel Encounters * Navigating the city 8. Downtime * Skill Training * Community Building * Rest & Recovery * Short Term Recovery * Long Term Recovery * Re-sleeving * Cybermods & Slickware * Crafting 9. Data Library * Appendix A: Gear * Weapons * Armor * Clothing * Equipment * Drugs and Alcohol * Appendix B: Cybermods * Appendix C: Slickware * Appendix D: Vehicles * Personal transportation * Private transportation * Public Transportation * Commercial transportation * Military Transportation * Appendix E: Housing * Appendix F: Contractors