Tuesday, March 6, 2018

The Core: Session 0

While waiting for this trailer to finish loading, I managed to write session zero...

The Core: Session 0

The Core is the digital representation of the system’s multi-core processor. A dark cityscape lined in neon. The citizens of The Core look much like anyone else, though with pointed ears as the system and ship were designed by the Starborn Sidhe. A blend of Neo Victorian and leather, The Core unconsciously wears the cyberpunk attitude of style over substance since bits of information and programmed procedures tend to be short lived.

Some self aware programs and subroutines have access to a higher set of permissions. These allow them to alter situations around them, taking precedence over lower routines. This comes with a price: the more power you draw from The Core, the closer you get to becoming just another part of the system. A feedback loop where the unaware become aware then go back to sleep under control of the CPU.

The Premise: “Explore The Core of the ship’s systems to find The Edge of Eternity guarded by rogue intelligences and system countermeasures.”

Starting Factions:

Skip Agents:
  • Goal: Ensure safe function of the Skip Engine
  • Secret Goal: to be randomly determined
  • Obstacle: The VIU and Laneira
  • Resources: Probability Engine, Awakened AI
  • Weakness: Relies on The System
  • Aspects: “We Touch All That Is”
  • Next Steps: Detain Laneira, restart the exit process

The System
  • Goal: Maintain ship’s functions
  • Secret Goal: to be randomly determined
  • Obstacle: The VIU and Skip Agents
  • Resources: System software and routines
  • Weakness: Dependence on other systems
  • Aspects: Absolute Power But Codependent
  • Next Steps: Suspend or kill The VIU, bring Skip Engines back under control

The Virtual Interface Underground
  • Goal: System Independence
  • Secret Goal: to be randomly determined
  • Obstacle: The System
  • Resources: Backdoors and altered scripts
  • Weakness: Small with limited resources
  • Aspects: One Program Looks Like Any Other; Limited in Resources, Smart in Application
  • Next Steps: Exploit the stalled Skip Engine and liberate more software

Inciting Incident: After the termination of the exit process, Laneira enters The Core, met by Skip Agents that want to detain her.

Mantle: Probability Engine
You have access to the Probability Engine routines: you can teleport short distances and use the power defensively. With this Mantle, you function on the Supernatural scale, one step above regular software.

Unique Conditions:
Empowered (sticky) [ ] [ ] [ ] [ ] [ ]: Mark one of Empowered’s five boxes when you use a Probability Engine Stunt. Make an overcome roll to avoid detection. The GM opposes this roll with +1 for each box of Empowered checked. On a fail with 1-2 boxes checked, The System deploys countermeasures; if 3-5 boxes are checked, gain the Charged condition. Clear one box of Empowered between sessions or when you become Grounded.

Charged (lasting) [ ]: You have attracted the attention of The System, and it has deployed a Sentinel to hunt and pacify you. Recover this condition after evading or dealing with the Sentinel.

Grounded (lasting) [ ]: Mark this condition to recover all boxes of Empowered. While Grounded, you can not access any Stunts from this Mantle. Recover this condition when you acquire a source of power.

Core Stunt:

The Core Stunt was made using the Venture City SRD instead of breaking them into individual Stunts for aesthetic reasons.

Entanglement: You may teleport up to three zones if you can see the destination. In addition to teleporting yourself across distances, you can summon weapons into your hands and use Guile with the Defend action. If you succeed with style, you may move up to two additional zones or split your shifts between two separate actions. In extreme cases, you may teleport to any location in The Core you have been before, but this requires an overcome roll opposed by the GM.

The drawback to this power is already listed under the Empowered condition.

The Player Characters:

Laneira
Mantle: Probability Engine
High Concept: Avatar of the Probability Engine
Trouble: Can Transplanted Consciousness Feel?
Aspect: Delenn, Manifestation of Storms
Aspect:
Aspect:
Refresh: 3
Scale: Supernatural

+0 Flair
+3 Focus
+1 Force
+2 Guile
+1 Haste
+2 Intellect

Stunts:
Part of the System: As I am Part of the System, I can attack minor NPCs with Guile and get them to power down even in physical conflict.

Stress [1] [1] [1] [1] [1] [1]
In Peril [4]
Doomed [6]
Indebted [ ] [ ] [ ] [ ] [ ]
Empowered [ ] [ ] [ ] [ ] [ ]
Charged [ ]
Grounded [ ]

Vincent Landry
Mantle: Probability Engine
High Concept: Entangled Test Pilot
Trouble: Stranger in a Strange Land
Aspect: Napana, Manifestation of Reflections
Aspect:
Aspect:
Refresh: 2
Scale: Supernatural

+0 Flair
+1 Focus
+3 Force
+1 Guile
+2 Haste
+2 Intellect

Stunts:

Quick Route to Power costs two Stunts and was also created with the Venture City SRD to represent Napana’s abilities.

Quick Route to Power: As I learned a Quick Route to Power, once per scene, I can use Napana to create a clone of myself. If I succeed with style, we may attack multiple targets in the same zone or inflict a Confused (fleeting) condition. We can take duplicate actions, splitting shifts between the two of us, but the clone can not succeed with style. With extreme effort, I can create another duplicate for help. However, I have Short Range Control, limited to being in the same zone and risk attracting attention from The System. I mark one box of Empowered when used.

Stress [1] [1] [1] [1] [1] [1]
In Peril [4]
Doomed [6]
Indebted [ ] [ ] [ ] [ ] [ ]
Empowered [ ] [ ] [ ] [ ] [ ]
Charged [ ]
Grounded [ ]

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