The Matrix

= The Matrix =

Matrix 101

 * 1) The Matrix refers to a virtual plane parallel to our own, like the astral. Where the astral is populated by spirits and the auras of living beings, however, the Matrix is populated by the icons of wireless devices and user icons called personas. When you access the Matrix in Augmented Reality (advanced), it allows you to see the iconography associated with all people (personas), places (hosts), and devices (device icons) in your physical line of sight, and even uses overlays to place them onto the correct positions in your field of view if you're using vision devices or have a Direct Neural Interface to your commlink. A special feature of the Matrix is that if you look up, you can see a night sky full of the icons of all hosts that are publicly accessible, no matter where in the world you are, and accessing these is as easy as reaching for one. The less special feature of the Matrix is that there are so many icons that want attention that they can create areas we call Spam Zones where getting anything done in the Matrix can be as difficult as connecting where the Matrix is grainy and poorly connected to our plane; we call this Noise.
 * 2) Device: This term refers to an icon that represents a device. Device icons do not perform Matrix Actions, but instead exist to provide information and access to the physical device they represent. The Matrix requires all device icons to take a form suggestive of the functionality of that device.
 * 3) Host: This term refers to an icon that represents a virtual world, almost like a metaplane (though significantly smaller scale and usually bound by the normal Matrix rules). These exist for different functions, but most are intended as workspaces for employees or markets for services and goods. A Host has no physical location, but stores and offices will frequently have an icon of their host present over their building for marketing purposes.
 * 4) Persona: This term refers to a user icon in the Matrix. When accessing the Matrix, a persona allows you to take Matrix Actions and defines the Matrix Attributes and Matrix Condition Monitor that will be used for anything that happens while wireless. Next, you determine your Interface Mode. In any Interface Mode, you are able to relocate your persona to any other location in the world at the beginning of your Action Phase (you may select a destination with coordinates, a prior location, or a direction and distance to travel). Keep in mind that this does not make you harder to spot (you can still be spotted at your persona device location, and anybody who has already spotted you can still see your icon).
 * 5) Interface Modes: Each of these modes has different tech requirements, benefits, and drawbacks associated with their use.
 * 6) Augmented Reality (Basic): The most 'distant' form of access, this refers to users who must hold their commlink, watch the screen, and manipulate it manually. Viewing information and using commands in this way is too cumbersome for professionals, but some stubborn holdouts remain. While not holding and using your commlink, you are unable to access the Matrix. You roll your physical initiative, but interacting with anybody not in your contacts list is unintuitive and may necessitate Matrix Searches or Perceptions.
 * 7) Augmented Reality (Advanced): Modern users are equipped with a method of receiving audio and visual feedback, as well as response-aids to improve your interaction convenience. If you have a Direct Neural Interface (trodes, trode patch, datajack, or biolink) to your commlink, you can use mentally use Matrix Actions, no taps required, and you receive audio/visual sensory overlays in the style you prefer without needing other devices. If you have some kind of vision device (helmet / mask / glasses / contacts), your persona can display visual information using it; the same applies to audio devices like earbuds or helmets. You can use AR gloves or nails to interact with virtual haptic interfaces your persona device generates, instead of needing to pull your commlink out to issue commands (requires 1 hand free!).
 * 8) Virtual Reality: Power users can sit themselves down and dive fully into the Matrix, like a projecting magician dives into the Astral. While in Virtual Reality, you experience the full range of sensations you would normally experience in your body, and have fluid control over your persona, as if it was really you. You roll your Matrix Initiative while in VR, but are vulnerable to biofeedback damage, which is resisted with Willpower + Firewall. If you are disconnected from the Matrix while in VR, you suffer dumpshock, which is 6 Biofeedback and the disorientation condition for 10 - Willpower minutes. You are able to spot any icons within line of sight from your persona location, but remember that you can be spotted as well! Physical objects block your line of sight, and if they are not wireless active, they appear like low res gray shapes instead of their visual appearance. Virtual Reality comes in two flavors, described below.
 * 9) Cold Simulation (Cold-Sim): The 'safe' and legal Virtual Reality access mode, this requires any standard sim module to use. Your Matrix Initiative in Cold-Sim is 3d6 + Intuition + Data Processing, and all biofeedback damage you take goes to your Stun condition monitor.
 * 10) Hot Simulation (Hot-Sim): The hacker's choice, this mode requires an illegal hot-sim module. Your Matrix Initiative is 4d6 + Intuition + Data Processing, and all biofeedback damage you take goes to your Physical condition monitor. In addition, you gain a +2 bonus to all Matrix Actions.
 * 11) Personal Area Networks: A major component of using the Matrix for most consumers is to access extra functionality on gear. That makes this gear vulnerable to hackers, which is why it belongs in a Personal Area Network (PAN). A PAN is a cluster of devices slaved to a single master persona device (up to Persona Device Rating x 3 slaved devices). This has the twofold benefit of first folding all of the device icons into a single PAN icon, making the devices less readily visible (note that weapon icons never fold in, though they can be part of a PAN, and devices that are physically distant from the master also do not fold in), then allowing the devices to use the ratings of the master when making Matrix Defense Tests in the place of any lesser rating they have. Slaved devices also receive any Noise Reduction the master is currently running. The sole drawback to the PAN is that if a mark is hacked onto a slaved device, the hacker also gets a mark on the master.
 * 12) Marks: These are discreet 'sub-icons' that can be placed on any device, host, or persona icon by an owner, a hacker, or a persona granted permission. They indicate a level of authorized access with which certain actions can be taken on the icon. You may have up to three marks on an icon; they are only visible to a persona specifically checking for marks on that icon. Marks can be 'followed' back to you by a persona with the Trackback extended action, or identified as yours by a persona that has seen your persona. Marks are removed when you or the icon reboot.
 * 13) Noise: Noise is a composite effect consisting of two components. The first component, Area Noise, refers to Noise a device must get through to connect to the Matrix at all. The second component, Noise due to Distance, refers to Noise generated by acting across long distances in the Matrix.
 * 14) Area Noise: Any device in an area with a Noise Rating greater than the Device Rating after Noise Reduction effects is disconnected from the Matrix immediately, and cannot connect again until it overcomes this. Area Noise is additive with Noise due to Distance when determining the Noise penalty to a Matrix Action (use the higher Area Noise of the persona using the action or the target of the action, but not both). Area Noise is always determined based on device location, not persona location.
 * 15) Noise due to Distance: This takes the distance between you and the target and applies a penalty to Matrix Actions based on which category that distance falls under. Each distance of the set "your physical body to your interface device", "your interface device to your persona device", "your persona device to your persona location", and "your persona location to the target location" are added together to find your total distance. Note that this means if your persona is in Shanghai and your body is in Seattle, somebody in Shanghai can hack you with very little Noise even though you are taking a significant penalty to hack them.
 * 16) Directly connected 0 (a Direct Connection is one between your persona device and the target device. This can be done either with a datacable or most Hosts, and applies regardless of distance)
 * 17) Up to 100 meters: 0
 * 18) 101-1,000 meters (1 km): 1
 * 1,001-10,000 meters (10 km): 3
 * 1) 10,001-100,000 meters (100 km): 5
 * 2) Greater than 100 km: 8
 * 3) Matrix Perception: This action refers to three different ways of 'seeing' in the Matrix, with different functions.
 * 4) Matrix Perception (automatic): This non-action is your default view of the Matrix when you access it. It includes an icon for each persona, PAN, and device in your line of sight (devices under clothing or armor count as within line of sight, but vehicles and larger objects block your view), as well as the host icons lining the sky. It does not show the contents of PANs, files, or icons Running Silent. This works the same way in a Host.
 * 5) Matrix Perception (Spot): This Complex Action 'spots' every icon in your line of sight. It opens PAN icons so you can see every slaved device, checks personas for file icons, and attempts to unveil icons that are Running Silent. The test is Computer + Intuition [Data Processing] vs Logic + Sleaze; icons Running Silent roll individually to resist your one roll, adding one hit automatically for each 100 meters (round down) from your persona location they are, in order to avoid being spotted. If you use this action in a Host, all icons Directly Connected to you are considered to be within your line of sight, even if the Host's world is filled with walls. For each hit you get on this test, you may identify one icon of those spotted that you want.
 * 6) Matrix Perception (Analyze): This Complex Action assesses an icon you have spotted for any details you want. For each hit you get on this Computer + Intuition [Data Processing] Simple test, you can find out one detail. Details available are listed below.
 * 7) Any rating of the icon (Attack, Sleaze, Data Processing, Firewall, Device, Databomb, Protection)
 * 8) The icon commcode
 * 9) The icon type (Persona / Device / File / Host) if the icon is running Wrapper. If the icon is a Device Icon running Wrapper, this reveals the function of the device as well.
 * 10) The icon's Matrix Condition Monitor status
 * 11) The marks on the icon (if you have seen the persona a mark belongs to, this also identifies that persona) and, if applicable, the icon's master. If this points at an icon that is Running Silent, you will need to take a Matrix Perception (Spot) action to spot that icon.
 * 12) The icon's last Matrix Action (or edit date, if a file)
 * 13) If the icon is a master, the icon's slaved devices. If this points at icon(s) Running Silent, you will need to take a Matrix Perception (Spot) action to spot the icon(s).
 * 14) Running Silent: This is a mode that allows an icon to remain unspotted, even in plain sight. As a Simple Action, the icon can switch to or from Running Silent (any device, persona, or host can do this). While Running Silent, an icon resists attempts to spot it with Logic + Sleaze, but takes a -2 penalty to all Matrix Actions.
 * 15) Matrix Search: This special action has a duration assigned based on the type of information you are trying to locate. If the information searched is within a host or protected, the search points to the icon holding the information. If that icon is running silent, a Matrix Perception (spot) test must be succeeded on, or your search is over. You may divide the duration necessary by your net hits if the duration is measured in a real time increment, to a minimum of 1 Combat Turn.
 * 16) An Icon for which you have a commcode: Threshold 1, 1 Complex Action
 * 17) General Knowledge or Public: Threshold 1, 1 minute
 * 18) Limited Interest or Not Publicized: Threshold 3, 30 minutes
 * 19) Hidden or Actively Hunted and Erased: Threshold 6, 12 hours
 * 20) Searching a Host for Information: Threshold Host Rating / 2, 1 minute