Matrix Actions

Once you've gotten into a system- what do you do with it?

Here are some basic actions. Most actions take an hour base time, with multiple successes decreasing this.

Back Door: This is an attempt to establish an easy entry point for you in the future. You risk someone else finding your back door and disbaling it (or waiting for you to come back through), but in general it can provide you a TN bonus to re-hacking a system or bypassing a trap. The back door itself has a -2 penalty to digital stealth to be discovered. Your own digital stealth to avoid being discovered is unchanged. However, if the door is discovered, you take a -5 penalty to digital stealth next time you use it. (If not, however, you can immediately bypass traps and get a +4 bonus to hacking checks and digital stealth).

Steal Info: The most common use is to search for info read it. Each success grants you access to several documents. If you're just viewing the file, you get a +1 bonus to digital stealth, as this is fairly "easy".

Copy Info: Once info is seen, files may wish to be copied. Most copying does 10 Mp / round. Take a -1 penalty per file copied to digital stealth as they notice the transactions. Also, if you are discovered, during the copying they get a -2 bonus on all TNs to discover who/where you are, by where the file is going.

Modify Info: Perhaps you wish to delete files or implant false ones, or modify existing files. Once you've gotten the doucment, modification depends on the extent of the changes, deleting usually takes 1 round per doucment, some documents take 2-3 rounds if very large. This has no penalties to digital stealth.

Leave Virus: Perhaps you wish to leave a program behind to destroy or modify the function of the system. The base time for this is 10 minutes, modified by successes. While the virus will probably be detected relatively soon, your digital stealth will determine how well you've covered your tracks. (Though they might trace you via the virus program itself, discussed seperately under programs.)

Activate System: Some computer systems control traffic light, fire alarms, maglocks, etc. Perhaps you wish to control these things. This may include transfering money in a bank system. Generally speaking, each round you may manipualte one thing (not each phase), meaning change one (or all at once) street lights, or unlock one maglock, etc. This is easy to see (since the changes tell people to look for you). Every turn you stay connected doing something, your digital stealth gets a -1 penalty.

Shut Down: Perhaps you wish to shut down the whole system (or just a part of it-like the alarms). This is harder to do and generally requires 30 minutes (modified by successes). This is also very easy to detect. If you stay in the system, you will automatically be seen, but if you immediately disconnect, your digital stealth represents how well you've covered your tracks.

Search for/Disable/Combat Traps: Discussed under matrix security.

Communicate: Perhaps you want to be in the system to communicate with another decker in teh system. This is as fast as regular conversation. You cannot "hide" while doing this.

Monitor: An advanced form of steal info, this involves monitering conversations (such as police dispatch, etc) or other data (cameras, chat room conversations, etc) actively to learn info. Once hacked into the system, you see things in real-time. This has no modifications to digital stealth.