Sample Stat Blocks

In the simple computer example, an aeon stone taken from a defeated guard can be used to control security in an Azlanti prison. In the lower-level complex computer example, the PCs need to learn about Zo!'s unannounced show, either by hacking into the Zo! media server directly or by trying to steal his comm unit to get the information using his personal device. In the higher-level complex computer example, the PCs are trying to identify a contact using data from an AbadarCorp server.

Additional Rewards

While the hacking subsystem enhances an existing adventure, countermeasures can provide fertile ground for future encounters and threats, which makes hacking riskier than most subsystems. With greater risk comes greater reward! You can even use the hacking subsystem to supplement a character's income. Depending on the ethics of your party and the nature of the target, hackers could potentially drain funds from a credstick plugged into a hacked device, route funds from an account into a burner credstick, steal or counterfeit credentials, or transfer proprietary vidgame items onto their own devices. Information found on a computer could be extremely valuable to the right client, and might contain corporate secrets, evidence of a crime, secret magic rituals or crafting formulas, or military intelligence. You should give hints to your players when they discover these additional rewards that someone might find them valuable; perhaps allow them to Recall Knowledge checks on the spot, knowing that even if they fail, they might run into an interested contact in the future. If you're worried that these leads might slow down the game, you can make it more obvious by including the price and contact information of a potential buyer in another file on the computer.