I wrote some stuff before about hacking in Cyberpunk TTRPGs. Let’s expand on that a little bit!
Image: Unsplash
Building upon the idea of ‘quickhacks’, inspired by Cyberpunk 2077 and Ghost in the Shell:
Roll under or equal to your WIL, but above the target’s Firewall + Hack Difficulty.
You can also use a HCK or TCH attribute (Hack or Tech) and keep Willpower separate.
We’re leaving Firewalls as-is:
- Consumer-grade Firewall: 1
- Professional-grade Firewall: 2
- Military-grade Firewall: 3
But let’s add some freeform options for Hack Difficulty. Let’s set 4 levels of difficulty: Easy, Medium, Hard and Very Hard. The player describes what effect they would like to see, the Warden sets the difficulty.
| Difficulty | Self-damage | Damage |
|---|---|---|
| 1 (Easy) | d2 | d4 |
| 2 (Medium) | d4 | d6 |
| 3 (Hard) | d6 | d8 |
| 4 (Very Hard) | d8 | d10 |
The table above describes the damage the player takes to their HCK/TCH/WIL stat if their attempt fails. The Damage column describes how much damage the player deals, if directly attempting to deal damage.
For examples of non-damaging effects, see the following references:
Easy (1)
- Temporary Audio Distortion: For a few seconds, the target hears overwhelming static or echoing voices, causing confusion but no lasting harm.
- Flickering Lights: Cause lights in the vicinity to flicker rapidly, creating a brief distraction that can be used to cover movements or actions.
- Minor Visual Disturbance: Overlay translucent images or text in a target’s vision, slightly obscuring their sight but not enough to impair.
Medium (2)
- Disrupt Communications: Temporarily jam or spoof communications between the target and their allies, causing misinformation or silence for a critical moment.
- False Alarms: Trigger alarms or alerts in other systems (e.g., nearby doors, vehicles) to create diversions or draw security away from an area.
- Manipulate Sensors: Make sensors (temperature, pressure, etc.) report false readings, leading to confusion or misdirected responses from security systems.
Hard (3)
- Override Cybernetic Limb Control: Gain temporary, jerky control over an opponent’s cybernetic limb, causing them to drop items, miss shots, or stumble.
- Hijack Surveillance: Take control of cameras or drones, using them to spy or feed false information to opponents without them knowing the true source.
- Traffic Manipulation: Control street lights or traffic systems to create blockades, diversions, or ensure a getaway path is clear of obstacles.
Very Hard (4)
- Complete Sensory Deprivation: Temporarily block all sensory input, leaving the target blind, deaf, and numb to touch, disorienting them severely.
- Memory Falsification: Plant false memories or sensory experiences in a target’s mind, making them believe in events that never happened or perceive allies as threats.
- System-Wide Blackout: Cause a total shutdown of electronic systems in a large area, including lights, security systems, and all forms of communication, creating chaos.