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Communications
Wireless communicators have Signal and Sensitivity scores. The difficulty of receiving a transmission is the range score between the transmitter and receiver minus the Signal score of the transmitter minus the Sensitivity score of the receiver.
- Comm Wormhole Link: A plug-in adapter that fits in most phones, containing one end of a comm wormhole. The other end typically connects to a base station for access to the planet-wide network. An alternative is a secure phone-to-phone link that connects to only one other device, or to a local network, for greater data security. Comm wormholes allow communication over any range, are not affected by interference, and broadcast no signals that can be intercepted. It is illegal to cross to another world with a comm wormhole end, or to possess a comm wormhole that connects to another world.
Mass: 1 g
Price: $4 - Phone: A short-range radio that can connect to a cellular network, wireless network, or satellite or statite station, and can make direct short-range connections with other phones.
Power: 0.1 W standby, 4 W max transmitting
Duration: 1.2 Ms (15 days) on standby, 40 ks (12 hours) continuous transmission at maximum power.
Signal: +24
Sensitivity: +7
Mass: 0.1 kg
Price: $15 - Cellular Station: A local communications node. Usually stationary, but can be vehicle-borne.
Power: 400 W
Signal: +31
Sensitivity: +16
Mass: 10 kg
Price: $1 k - Network Subscription: Subscription to the world's communication network and information web, covering both broadcast and wormhole links.
Price: $1 per megasecond (12 days) - Regional Station: A wide-area communications node for low-orbit satellites, stratospheric balloons, or drone stations to provide coverage to the horizon.
Power: 10 kW
Signal: +36
Sensitivity: +21
Mass: 250 kg
Price: $25 k
Computer Processors
Computers are rated by their Compute scores, an aggregate score combining aspects of the computer's raw speed, parallelization, memory, and qubit register size.
A computer can run software in a timely fashion whose Compute scores when ⊕-ed together do not exceed the computer's Compute score.
If it tries to run more software than this the computer will run much slower, no longer being able to keep up with the software demands.
While this can be acceptable for some applications, it should be avoided for any software designed to run in real-time (and can be aggravating even when this isn't the case).
- Hand Computer: A handheld computer similar to a modern smartphone. It includes all the capabilities of a phone, allowing it to wirelessly send and receive data from the network (as well as making and receiving voice and video calls). It has a built-in basic camera, magnetometer, accelerometer, clock, microphone, and speaker. A hand computer forms a control hub of personal equipment, routing information from devices to HUDs and other displays and allowing automatic control of networked devices. AI with deep learning algorithms coordinates programs and functions and interfaces with the user, as well as providing augmented reality displays if the user is equipped with an HUD-capable device. The AI coordinator will access the web to answer questions ("Were's the nearest pizza joint?") or query specialty programs not stored locally ("What's the safest path down this scree slope?"). While not strong AI (it can't think like a person, and has no personal initiative), it can significantly augment a person's natural capabilities. Nevertheless, most people primarily use their computers for making phone calls, sending messages, playing games, and browsing the web. The operating system comes standard with a web browser, office tools (spreadsheet, word processor with transcription, email and calendar organizer, and so forth), navigation software, object recognition, natural language processing, calculator, photo organizing and viewing software, and music organizing and playing software. Input and display is primitively using a holographic touchscreen on its front and voice recognition and response, but more commonly through an HUD and haptic web.
Power: 2 W
Duration: 1 Ms (12 days)
Compute: +3
Mass: 0.15 kg
Price: $30 - Laptop Computer: A portable computer that can handle more intensive computations than a hand comp. It has the same basic built-in capabilities and operating system, but is larger and its primitive input is via a much larger holographic touchscreen and keyboard, as well as natural voice communication.
Power: 15 W
Duration: 250 ks (3 days)
Compute: +7
Mass: 1.5 kg
Price: $60 - Desktop Computer: A computer capable of some dedicated number crunching, and with bigger and more convenient native interfaces. It has the same basic built-in capabilities and operating system as a hand comp, but runs faster and can hold more programs in memory.
Power: 50 W
Compute: +8
Mass: 8 kg
Price: $100 - Upgrades: The basic computers listed are the low-end models of each class. True technophiles will want systems with state-of-the-art processors and memory.
- Hand Computers
- Compute +4: Price +$10
- Compute +5: Price +$20
- Compute +6: Price +$30
- Compute +7: Price +$50
- Laptop Computers
- Compute +8: Price +$20
- Compute +9: Price +$50
- Compute +10: Price +$100
- Compute +11: Price +$150
- Compute +12: Price +$250
- Desktop Computers
- Compute +9: Price +$20
- Compute +10: Price +$50
- Compute +11: Price +$100
- Compute +12: Price +$150
- Compute +13: Price +$250
- Compute +14: Price +$350
Interfaces
- Earbuds: Small wireless speakers that fit into the user's ears.
Price: $1 - Haptic Projector: Projects the feeling of touch over a distance, allowing feedback for gesture controls.
Mass: 0.5 kg
Price: $40 - Haptic Web: A mesh worn over the hands that gives the computer a kinesthetic sense of the mesh's position and provides tactile feedback to the user. Larger versions are available that cover more of the body.
Mass: 0.1 kg
Price: $8 - Holographic Screen: A panel that produces three-dimensional images by controlling the amplitude and phase of the emitted light, to fully reconstruct the light's wave front. It can produce fully 3-D seeming images behind the screen, or images that appear to float in front of the screen to anyone whose line of sight to the screen passes through the image. Holographic screens can be made as thin as a sheet of paper, can be flexible so they can be bent or rolled up, and can be curved to fit on irregular surfaces.
Mass: 0.5 kg
Price: $8 + $10 per square meter - HUD: A HUD, or Heads Up Display, is a set of goggles or other eyewear that projects 3-D images in front of the user's eyes. It can sense where the eyes are looking for eye-motion control. The display is transparent where it is not producing an image. Often included as part of other eyewear.
Mass: 0.1 kg
Price: $8 - Image Projector: Projects a 3-D image into free air that is not restricted by line of sight to a screen. The image is obviously artificial, appearing as a ghostly glowing shape. The projection itself comes from beams emmenating from a projector, requiring line of sight from the projector.
Mass: 1 kg
Price: $30 - Inertial Simulator: Mainly used for gaming and immersive virtual reality, an inertial simulator uses a low-gradient and highly penetrating affector field to uniformly push, pull, or turn the matter within its enclosed volume. This can create the illusion of changing speed and direction or of different gravity levels, or mask actual accelerations from perception.
Mass: 10 kg
Price: $30 per cubic meter, per g-force - Odoricator: Simulates smells, from complex bouquets to pungeant perfumes and subtle aromas.
Mass: 0.1 kg
Price: $5 - Speakers: Provides high-quality sound to the room the speakers are in.
Mass: 0.3 kg
Price: $6 - Soli-Projector: A soli-projector uses affectors to produce a three-dimensional, seemingly solid tactile and visible apparition or group of apparitions within a volume. If used with an odoricator, it can even simulate taste and smells associated with the surface.
Mass: 1 kg
Price: $15 per cubic meter
Software
HumanTech computers, GummiTech computers, and computers using designs from the Sacred Library all use different operating systems and software protocols. There are emulators and interfaces available to allow computers from one tech-line to execute programs from another; however, GummiTech and Library computers cannot perform the quantum computations that Human computers often rely on, and HumanTech computers are not as massively parallel as those of the Gummis - as an approximation, assume that running sophisticated software on the computer of a different tech line gives an effective +7 to the program's speed (simple programs, not relying on massive paralellization or quantum computation, do not suffer this problem, but they are usually sufficiently fast that this would not be an issue in any case). Some traditional Tzachiists consider it somewhere between irreverence to heresy to run an emulator or interface for other species' software on Library-design computers.
- Cyber Security: A variety of software suites used to analyze threats to a computer system or network, stop suspect communication, shut down compromised systems, and remove infected software. The software contests any hacker's tasks against protected systems and networks with its program score, and gives its bonus to sapient operators of the software monitoring and defending the protected information systems.
Defending a computer system is a contest of the Hack skill of the security specialist who configured or is monitoring the system security plus the bonus of his cyber security software, or the effective skill of the security software, against the Hack skill of the attacker plus the bonuses of his malware software or the effective skill of the attacker's software.
Note that either the attacker or defender could potentially be a computer running the Hack skill program.
- The first step of any cyber security suite is making sure that software is up-to-date and any known vulnerabilities are patched. An unpatched vulnerability can allow an attacker a back door into your system. The attacker must scan for a vulnerability, roll for an attack and on a success a vulnerability is found that can be exploited. The defender gets a +5 bonus on this roll – most vulnerabilities are patched shortly after being found – although the referee may rule that the bonus does not apply to a plot-specific just-discovered vulnerability, and secret vulnerabilities may either not warrant the defender's bonus or may allow automatic penetration.
If the defender fails, the attacker gets access to the computer and can install malware.
If the attacker succeeds by 4 or more, he gains root access. Otherwise, he gains only ordinary user access.
- If an attacker does not have a back door, he can attempt to trick a user into installing malware for him. A cyber security suite will scan incoming data (email, web sites, downloaded files, scripts) for known malware, and flag it as suspect. The data can still be opened, but this will trigger any malware it has.
Any malware introduced at this point has the permissions of the account of the user who opened the infected data.
Again, newly developed malware that has not been made public will make it past this filter, but this requires the attacker to either develop his own code or have exceptional access to the code of black development teams.
- If an attacker has physical access to a computer, he has a significant advantage. He can make an attempt to access the system directly with a -4 penalty to the defender, and success grants superuser privileges.
- Once an attacker has access, he can try to establish superuser access. The defender has a +3 bonus to resist this attack.
- Network traffic analysis and process monitoring can be used to detect suspicious activity. Similarly, periodic scans and audits can be made to detect introduced malware. Every megasecond (12 days), the defender gets a chance to detect any installed malware. The defender has a +2 bonus if the malware is actually doing anything.
- If the attacker has superuser access, he can attempt to disable these defense routines. If successful, his malware will not be caught unless the defender specifically goes looking for it – although the defender is likely to be tipped off if he notices his cyber security programs are not working.
- If malware is detected, the defender can audit log files to obtain clues as to the source of the malware.
- Once installed malware has been detected, removing it requires a contest of the defender against the hacker – unless the defender is willing to wipe the system ("burn and rebuild") and start anew or from an uninfected backup in which case success is automatic.
The field of cyber security is rapidly moving, New vulnerabilities are being found and patched, new techniques are being developed for defeating attackers, and the crackers keep getting better tools that you need to learn about in order to stop them. It is assumed that if you pay the basic price you are keeping up with the advances in the field and any additional upgrades are included in your basic cost of living. If for some reason you cannot have up-to-date cyber security software, decrease the effective skill and skill bonus by 1 after 5 megaseconds (2 months), and by another 1 after every additional 50 megaseconds (a year and a half).
The lowest level of cyber security software is automatically included on all operating systems from the time of installation.
This cyber security software runs in the background at a low level or uses basic algorithmic search routines, using up negligible amounts of a computer's memory and speed.
Higher grade systems use advanced pattern recognition routines that use up considerably more processing power – but this can be worth it when it is your system on the line!
| Program Score | Skill Bonus | Compute | Price | | -3 | +0 | Neg. | Free | | +0 | +1 | +2 | $20 | | +1 | +2 | +3 | $100 | | +2 | +3 | +4 | $200 |
- Device Interface: Software for devices that interface with an HUD or computer are included with the price of the device, and can be installed automatically. Any interface with significant memory or speed requirements will be listed in the device description.
- Dynamic Camouflage: Anybody can download and use a camouflage pattern on a full body (or nearly full body) chameleon suit (see the clothing section for details) to apply a -1 modifier to be noticed if the pattern is appropriate to the environment. A dynamic camouflage program can automatically select appropriate patterns from an extensive library, fading one into another to match existing conditions and surroundings. The more advanced versions can even generate new patterns on the fly to optimize your concealment to the local micro-environment, and can move the patterns opposite to your own motion to hide your movement. Apply the camouflage score to any attempt to visually detect anyone wearing the clothes. This software can only work if it is synched to cameras. The basic version only requires one camera, others require at least three pointing in different directions.
| Camouflage | Compute | Price | | -1 | +0 | Free | | -2 | +4 | $20 | | -3 | +5 | $100 |
- Electronic Forgery: These are codes that let you mimic the digital format of information stored on identi-cards, cash cards, and other supposedly secure forms of information authentication, as well as overcoming encryption and authentication protocols. Since it is common to check card data against a central official database, a forger will usually either attempt to impersonate a real person with valid credentials, or use malware (see below) to either hack the database or the accepting party's connection.
Electronic ID documents are designed to be very hard to forge. It takes a lot of computing power to get something even partway acceptable. Expect any forging attempt to take a long time.
Merely owning forgery software is not illegal in the Verge Republic, but using it to impersonate documents or money certainly is with penalties of imprisonment and heavy fines. If no one catches you using the software, you're still likely to get extra police attention and/or harassment. In Gummi Space merely being caught with this software you will face loss of reputation (which will greatly limit your ability to get anyone else to cooperate with you or do business with you), and actually using it may get a public safety committee posse after you to compel reparations to any injured parties, and to make sure you never do it again. In the Zox Hierate, mere possession of software of this nature is evidence of criminality, execution or internment in slave labor camps is likely to follow.
| Skill Bonus | Compute | Price | | +0 | +53 | $50 | | +1 | +60 | $500 |
- Malware: A modular collection of worms, viruses, rootkits, Trojan horses, backdoor scripts, and evasion codes and subroutines. This is the basic equipment of those trying to break into computers and electronic databases.
Would-be hackers who don't know what they are doing can run the scripts using the software's effective skill. More experienced hackers use the software to assist their efforts, and get the bonus to their own skill appropriate to the quality of the software.
Although malware rapidly becomes obsolete, it is assumed that if you pay the basic price you are keeping up with the advances in the field and any additional upgrades are included in your basic cost of living. If for some reason you cannot have up-to-date intrusion software, decrease the effective skill and skill bonus by 1 after 5 megaseconds (2 months), and by another 1 after every additional 50 megaseconds (a year and a half).
| Effective Skill | Skill Bonus | Compute | Price | | -3 | +0 | 7 | Free | | +0 | +2 | 10 | $20 | | +1 | +3 | 11 | $100 | | +2 | +4 | 12 | $1000 |
- Expert System: An expert system is a program that assembles and correlates available information to make a decision or recommendation on a given field of knowledge.
This gives the computer the equivalent of the Know skill.
It must specialize in a given field.
In addition, it can assist a sapient expert in the field.
If the sapient is working in a field in which relates to the expert system's specialization, it gives a bonus to tasks based on Smarts associated with that field.
For example, a physician trying to diagnose an unusual disease could get a bonus to his Heal skill if he can query an expert system specializing in medical diagnosis.
| Effective Skill | Skill Bonus | Compute | Price | | -3 | +0 | +0 | Free | | +0 | +1 | +3 | $20 | | +1 | +2 | +4 | $100 | | +2 | +3 | +5 | $200 | | +3 | +3 | +6 | $500 | | +4 | +3 | +7 | $1000 |
- Gunshot Locator: When run on a computer with an active microphone, it will compute the direction of any projectile weapon or disruptor fire (except for thrown weapons and primitive projectile weapons like bows and spears). If the computer is hooked up to a camera or other visual sensors, it will find the direction of laser fire in frequency bands detectable by the camera. If two or more sensors are synched to the same computer, or two or more computers are networked, it will also return the range and location of the gunfire.
These functions require a skill roll, either the Program Score of the program or the Use Gear (Sensors) skill of a character with a bonus for the program quality against a DC of the signature of the weapon minus the range penalty of the distance of closest approach of the shot trajectory.
| Program Score | Skill Bonus | Compute | Price | | -3 | +0 | 0 | Free | | +0 | +1 | 1 | $1 | | +1 | +2 | 2 | $5 | | +2 | +3 | 3 | $50 |
- Navigator: Stores, downloads, and displays maps. If GPS is available, it will show the user's location and bearing on the map. Otherwise, if starting from a known location, it can use the computer's built-in accelerometer to generate a dead reckoning estimate of the current location. It can use the computer's built-in magnetometer to display a compass rose, and display GPS or estimated coordinates. It can query on-line databases for information such as the location of local businesses, names of streets, local landmarks, and so on.
Way points can be set, and the user's path tracked and displayed (to make for convenient back-tracking). If used with an AI assistant interface, it can even remember where events happened ("Computer, show me on the map where I left my car"). It can use optical recognition to refine its map position to correct for dead reckoning errors or, if an initial location is not available, to use sensor information to try to search for the current location (up to using navigational cues such as magnetic north from the built-in magnetometer, the sun's position in the sky, clock or GPS time, and, at night, the location of the stars).
If no map of an area is available, the software will create one based on the user's movements and sensor data. This program is usually included with the computer's bundled software and does not have to be purchased separately.
The speed and memory requirements are negligible (although stored maps might take up a fair amount of disk space, if not RAM).
- Perception: This program uses advanced image recognition algorithms to identify objects combined with computer learning to detect off-normal events.
This gives the computer an Awareness attribute.
Identification is made from any sensor linked to the computer via its device interface program.
Identified objects can be indicated on an HUD.
Objects which have been detected can be identified by the computer's image recognition software, assuming that the computer has experience with the object or can locate it with a database search (either local or over the web).
The software can perform a threat analysis to categorize the likely risk of detected objects, based on behavior and the identification of the object.
If used with a guided or homing round and if the computer is also running a targeting program, it gives its Awareness score plus Spot Skill bonus to for a user to lock on with the round; weapons autonomously operated by the computer automatically lock on if the computer is also running targeting software.
| Awareness | Bonus | Compute | Price | | -2 | +0 | +5 | Free | | -1 | +0 | +6 | $100 | | +0 | +1 | +7 | $200 | | +1 | +2 | +8 | $500 | | +2 | +3 | +9 | $1500 |
- Personal Assistant: An AI utility that takes commands from an authorized user (typically via voice or touchscreen or haptic input, but more esoteric means such as stylus and lip reading are also available) to control networked devices, take notes, set appointments, send messages, and the like. If queried, it will search internal databases, the web, news feeds, and other information sources available to it for relevant information. If web access is available, this is may turn up a link to an expert system capable of answering the question. Treat this as a task for the Assistant program based on its effective Research skill, with the nature of the question giving the difficulty of the task. If the search turns up a free relevant expert system, the assistant will typically query the expert system for an answer. All computers come bundled with a basic personal assistant as part of the package. More sophisticated assistant programs are also available, which can also give a sapient user a bonus on his own Research skill if desired, instead of using the assistant's skill.
| Effective Skill | Skill Bonus | Compute | Price | | -2 | +0 | +0 | Free | | -1 | +1 | +2 | $15 | | +0 | +1 | +3 | $20 | | +1 | +2 | +4 | $40 | | +2 | +3 | +5 | $70 | | +3 | +3 | +6 | $100 | | +4 | +3 | +7 | $150 |
- Personality Simulator: This program gives a computer the ability to seem like a person, complete with quirks, mannerisms, patterns of speech, idiosyncracies, unique voice and avatar, and preferential ways of doing things. The more sophisticated the simulator, the more it can seem like a real person.
This is not actually a simulation of a person's mind state; the computer does not really understand what it is saying.
Rather, it draws upon learned experiences from a dataset to give replies that the person it is conversing with expects to hear.
Over enough time, it is likely to display give-away behavior; if you are paying close enough attention you can catch it talking about things that don't make sense or are inconsistent, or raise red flags as common tricks a personality simulator AI will use to fool people into accepting them.
If a sapient does not know it is interacting with a computer, roll a contested task of the sapient's Awareness against the simulator's effective skill. People who have not had much experience with personality simulation (such as those from primitive cultures, insular cults, regressed worlds, or areas with poor contact with civilization) may have a penalty on their Awareness check at the referee's discretion … generally -5 for no experience or -2 for minimal experience.
Despite not really being aware of itself, personality simulators can be used as an interface with other programs to transmit and receive information. It will tell the user things in a conversational manner, and accept input via normal conversation.
A given simulator will have a specific personality that it has "learned". The simulator can learn additional personalities: a "template" personality is downloaded (which can have specific trait biases that shape the subsequent evolution of the personality as it grows), this starts with an effective skill of -3. If the program is more sophisticated than this, the effective skill will increase by +1 every megasecond (12 days).
A simulator can load any one known personality into memory at a time. If multiple instances of the simulator are running on a given computer, each can have a different personality and they can interact.
Simulators can be taught to simulate a specific person as one of their learned personalities. This requires a large learning dataset of that person's habits and mannerisms – either through direct interaction for a prolonged time or through a period of extended surveillance.
The basic -2 effective skill personality is plenty for most people – not everyone wants their computer to get moody, despondent, snarky, short tempered, or hormonal.
In game terms, computers have the traits Neurological Limitation: Anempathic and Neurological Limitation: Non-Self-Aware, with a Charisma score of -4.
A personality simulator doesn't actually change either of these traits, but does allow the computer to fake it. The maximum Charisma score of a simulated personality is the effective skill of the program (the Charisma score can be lower, if the computer is simulating a less likeable personality).
| Effective Skill | Compute | Price | | -2 | +4 | Free | | -1 | +5 | $15 | | +0 | +6 | $20 | | +1 | +7 | $100 | | +2 | +8 | $1000 |
- Skill: Computers can run programs that can simulate the effect of a number of mental and perceptual skills (for physical skills, see the section on robots).
Skills that are available include
- Bamboozle*
- Blow Up: can be aided by a demolitions expert system.
- Boat**
- Crew**
- Deceive*
- Design: computers are not very good at creativity. Design skill allows a computer to optimize a concept originally conceived by a sapient, but not to come up with the idea in the first place. Sometimes, however, this optimization veers off into very unexpected territory.
Allow a design program to give a sapient a bonus to his design skill checks equivalent to an expert system of the same skill level.
- Disguise
- Drive**
- Etiquette*
- Fix and Build
- Hack: a hack program can be used to defend the computer it is running on, providing an active defense against malware as well as social engineering and phishing attempts directed at its users through channels it can monitor (such as email).
- Heal
- Hide and Search
- Intimidate*
- Live Off the Land
- Negotiate*
- Open Lock
- Organize
- Perform? While computers are not good at true creativity, they can fake it. They can put together derivative performances with this skill, but their original creations tend to be … unusual. Performances that require interpersonal interaction, like storytelling or improv, only work through a personality simulator and, as usual, cannot exceed skill level +0.
- Pilot**
- Profession: may require a personality simulator for many tasks.
- Read Intent
- Recon
- Schmooze*
- Science: again, the caveat on creativity applies. A computer may know a lot about science, it can run large numerical analyses of data, but coming up with the right questions to ask can be challenging.
- Scrounge
- Seduce*: note that some methods of seduction may require the appropriate anatomically realistic robot body.
- Sleight of Hand
- Sleuth: some components of Sleuth require a personality simulator. For example, interviewing witnesses or attempting to guess a suspect's next move. These applications of the skill cannot exceed skill level +0.
- Sneak
- Spot
- Tactics
- Use Gear: gear directly controlled by a computer through a device interface uses the computer's Coordination or Awareness rather than Smarts, and automatically has a +0 skill level for free.
- Wrangle*
* Only works through a personality simulator, and only up to a maximum skill level of +0.
** If the computer is operating the vehicle as a robotic body, it does not need the vehicle control skill. That is already accounted for in the control software that comes with the robot hardware and operating system.
Note that
- Know is already available for cheaper through an expert system.
- Navigate is already available for cheaper with navigator software.
- Research is already available for cheaper with personal assistant software.
- Shoot is already available for cheaper with the targeting program.
- Speak Language is already available for cheaper with the translator program.
| Skill Level | Compute | Price | | -2 | +3 | $30 | | -1 | +4 | $50 | | +0 | +5 | $100 | | +1 | +6 | $300 | | +2 | +7 | $1000 |
- Tactical Coordination: Software for controlling multiple robots and coordinating sapient ground forces. This aids sapients using the program (or the computer itself, if it has the tactics skill program) in Smarts or Awareness tasks related to tactical decisions or situational awareness.
| Skill Bonus | Compute | Price | | +1 | +0 | $100 |
- Targeting:
This is software that calculates the trajectory of fired shots, predicts the likely position of targets when the shot arrives, and finds firing solutions.
These can then be displayed on a screen or HUD, or fed to integral device control servomotors.
The net result is that a targeting program gives a bonus to hit with the Shoot skill and the weapon's Aim score.
In addition, the shot takes no penalty for the Speed attribute of the attack (although Speed benefits the defense roll of the target normally).
In order to gain a benefit, the user must be able to get feedback from the program in real time as she is aiming the weapon – for sapient shooters using hand-held weapons this usually means they must be using a HUD.
There are additional benefits if the targeting software is directly fed to a robot control system for a beam pointer.
The base Aim of the beam pointer becomes the Focus score of the laser, which is still further increased by the targeting software bonus.
The target still gets a defense roll as usual.
In addition, if a robot, vehicle, installation, or other piece of equipment has more than one turret or arm with a mounted weapon, the computer can run multiple instances of the targeting program to operate the weapons independently. Each turret or weaponized arm requires its own targeting program instance, and no turret or arm can benefit from more than one instance. On the robot or vehicle's turn, each targeting program can take Shoot actions without taking penalties from the other program's actions nor that of the main vehicle or robot.
The free version of this program is just the usual +1 that all ranged weapons get when interfaced with a HUD.
| Skill Bonus | Aim Bonus | Compute | Price | | +1 | +0 | +0 | Free | | +1 | +1 | +2 | $100 | | +1 | +2 | +3 | $300 |
- Task: Computers often have a very limited understanding of the world, reflected in a low Awareness and Smarts. Nonetheless, specific, focused training can be used to help a computer perform a specific type of job.
This involves simple activities that a sapient would do automatically, but could flummox a naive computer.
When performing duties under a task program's scope, it uses the task program's score in place of Awareness or Smarts if the task program's score is higher. These tasks are usually too simple to require a skill, but if a skill is warranted for completion of the task it adds its score to the task's score rather than that of the usual attribute. In essence, for these specific trained tasks, the attribute is set to the task score.
If the computer has an attribute score that is higher than its task score, it will use the attribute score instead.
For example, a computer running a gardening robot could use a task (gardening) program to help it pick out weeds from desirable plants, understand that bushes were overgrown and needed to be trimmed, decide how best to mow a lawn, and decide if plants need water or fetrilizer.
Another example would be a security computer running facial recognition software on everyone that walks through a door to see if any of them match a criminal database.
This computer would use a task (watch) program instead of its Awareness when rolling to see if a suspected thief could walk through undetected.
| Task Score | Compute | Price | | -1 | +4 | $50 | | +0 | +5 | $100 | | +1 | +6 | $300 | | +2 | +7 | $1000 |
- Translator: Translates between any languages in its database. It can translate either spoken or written languages, and can auto-detect languages that cannot be identified by the user. Comes with a database of many commonly spoken languages (typically English, Mandarin, Spanish, Arabic, Hooning, Mantspeak, Sequential, Lithuanian, Sahaptin, Salishan, Palauan, Cantonese, Bengali, Wroeng, Hokkien, Dhivehi, Pijin, Marshallese, Gilbertese, Tuvaluan, and Halia). Additional languages can usually be downloaded for free - but note that rare or unknown languages may not be available.
| Language Skill | Compute | Price | | -1 | +3 | Free | | +0 | +4 | $20 | | +1 | +5 | $100 |
- Universal Translator: This is translator software that can learn new languages and add them to its database. Learning the equivalent of one Built Point of skill with a language takes an hour of continuous exposure to the spoken language for a language closely related to one in its database (e.g. Latin to Italian), five hours for a language in the same general language group (e.g. Germanic languages if English is known), ten hours if the language is in the same super-group (e.g. Indo-European languages if English is known), and twenty hours for a language completely unrelated to any currently in the database. Competence-level translation takes the same amount of time once familiarity is achieved, and mastery level 1 takes twice as long once competence is achieved.
| Language Skill | Compute | Price | | +1 | +9 | $200 |
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