Clon01 GM ToolsShadow of the Beanstalk

• Success ★ — Needed to succeed. After cancel, net ≥1 Success = the check works. Extra leftover Success make the result bigger (more damage, more healing, more info).
• Advantage ▲ — Side effect in your favor. Does not flip fail→success. Spend after you know if you succeeded. Cancels 1-for-1 with Threat.
• Triumph ◎ — One Success plus a special that cannot be canceled. The Success part can still be canceled — you can fail and still spend the Triumph.
• Failure ✶ — Cancels one Success. Extra leftover Failure does not make a “worse fail” by itself — Threat / Despair do that.
• Threat ▼ — Side effect against you. Does not flip success→fail. GM spends leftovers. Cancels 1-for-1 with Advantage.
• Despair ╳ — One Failure plus a special that cannot be canceled. You can succeed and still suffer the Despair.

• Roll when the outcome is uncertain and it would change the scene. Walking down a hall or buying a soda is not a check.
• The GM names the skill (or characteristic if you are unskilled) and the difficulty. Players do not pick their own difficulty.
• Unskilled still works: you roll the linked characteristic as Ability dice only (no yellow). That is a legal check, just weaker.
• Opposed checks (social, sneaking past a guard, haggling): the opponent’s relevant characteristic + skill become Difficulty / Challenge dice instead of a set rank.

1. Start with green Ability dice equal to the higher of the characteristic or the skill ranks.
2. Upgrade that many greens to yellow Proficiency as the lower of the two. Example: Intellect 3 + Computers 1 → 1 yellow + 2 green.
3. Add purple Difficulty for the task rank (Easy 1, Average 2, Hard 3, Daunting 4, Formidable 5). Simple is zero purple.
4. Upgrade purple to red Challenge when an opponent is trained against you, or the GM spends a Story Point, or a rule says “upgrade difficulty.”
5. Add blue Boost / black Setback for the situation (cover, tools, darkness, rush). These do not change the printed difficulty rank.

• Failure cancels Success one-for-one. Leftover Success (≥1) = the check succeeds. Zero leftover Success = it fails. Extra leftover Failure does not make a “worse fail” by itself.
• Threat cancels Advantage one-for-one. Leftover Advantage or leftover Threat is spent as side effects after you know success or failure.
• Triumph counts as one Success plus a special effect that cannot be canceled. The Success part can still be canceled by Failure — you can fail and still have a Triumph to spend.
• Despair counts as one Failure plus a special effect that cannot be canceled. The Failure part can still be canceled by Success — you can succeed and still have a Despair.
• Triumph and Despair do not cancel each other. Both can happen on the same roll.

• Net 1 Success: you did the thing, barely. The door opens. The shot hits. The lie is believed. That is enough.
• Each extra leftover Success after the first makes a printed result bigger when the book says so: +1 damage on a hit; +1 wound on Medicine; +1 strain on the end-of-encounter Cool/Discipline check; +1 override strength on Break Ice. If the book does not say, extra Success is not a second rule.
• A wash (0 Success after cancel) is a clean miss — the attempt does not happen, or it happens and does not work. It is not automatically a catastrophe. Catastrophe is leftover Threat / Despair.

Advantage (and Triumph)

• Advantage is “something extra goes your way,” even on a failed check. It does not add damage by itself (unless a quality or the GM says so).
• Typical spends: recover 1 strain; give an ally a Boost; spot a useful detail; take a free maneuver; activate a weapon quality; trigger a Crit (if you hit and dealt wounds, at the weapon’s Crit cost).
• On a failed check, leftover Advantage is still spent — you miss the lock but notice the camera’s blind spot; you fail to convince the clerk but they still like you enough to name who can help.
• The player usually spends their own Advantage / Triumph. See Roll spends for the printed menus (combat, social, Network). Inventing a spend that fits the scene is legal if the table agrees.

Printed menus: Roll spends (combat, social, Network, Quickhacking).

Threat (and Despair)

• Threat is “something extra goes wrong,” even on a successful check. You hit, and the gun jams after. You pick the lock, and the alarm LED starts blinking.
• Typical spends (GM): the actor suffers 1 strain; lose cover / a prior maneuver; give the next enemy a Boost; drop something; take longer; upgrade the next check against you.
• Despair is a super-Threat that also counted as a Failure symbol: out of ammo, a tool breaks one step, the sysop is now looking at you, someone important walks in.
• The GM spends leftover Threat / Despair on PC checks. Players should still suggest cinematic spends.

Success + Advantage. You do it, and the scene tilts your way. Spend the Advantage. Extra Success still apply (more damage, more healing, more info).

Success + Threat. You do it, and it costs you. The hit lands, then the GM spends Threat. This is the most common “yes, but…” at the table.

Failure + Advantage. You do not do the thing, but you still get something. A consolation, a new lead, recovered strain, a free maneuver to get clear.

Failure + Threat. It does not work, and the situation gets worse. Miss plus strain, heat, a dropped gun, a witness. Despair on top of this is when the story really turns.

Computers (Hacking) vs Average (2 purple). Pool after dice: 3 Success, 2 Failure, 4 Advantage, 1 Threat, 1 Triumph.

1. Triumph = 1 extra Success that also stays as a special. Raw Success is now 4. Failure 2 cancels two of them → net 2 Success. The hack works, and it works well (the extra Success is “more so”).
2. Advantage 4 vs Threat 1 → net 3 Advantage, plus the uncanceled Triumph effect.
3. Spend: maybe activate a quality / Thorough Override if this were ice, recover a strain, and use Triumph to hide the intrusion or break a second lock — whatever the Network / scene menu allows.
4. If those 2 Failure had instead canceled all Success including the Triumph’s Success, the hack would fail — but you would still spend the Triumph on a consolation (you bounce, and you still grab one file name).

• First decide Success or Failure (leftover Success ≥ 1). Then spend leftover Advantage / Threat. Those two tracks are independent — you can fail and still spend Advantage.
• On PC checks: the player usually spends Advantage and Triumph; the GM spends Threat and Despair (unless a rule says otherwise).
• Tables are common options, not exhaustive lists. Weapon qualities, talents, and ice programs may add more spends. Inventing a spend that fits the scene is expected.
• A Triumph can almost always substitute for any Advantage cost on these tables (and vice versa for Despair ↔ Threat), and often does more on the Triumph / Despair rows.
• See After the roll for cancel order, extra Success, and a worked example.

• Initiative is a Simple (–) check (no purple unless the GM adds Setback). Each PC rolls Cool if they were ready, or Vigilance if they were surprised. If you are unsure, default to Vigilance (Core p.95). NPCs can share one pool or roll notables separately.
• Rank leftover Success from highest to lowest. If two checks tie on Success, the one with more leftover Advantage ranks higher. If a PC and an NPC are still tied, the PC ranks higher. A fail (0 Success) still gets a slot — it just goes later. Players assign PC slots to whoever has not acted yet on their side.
• On a turn: 1 action + 1 maneuver. You may suffer 2 strain for a second maneuver (max two maneuvers).
• Incidentals (drop an item, speak a line) are free at GM discretion.

Maneuver. Either: +1 Boost on the next combat check (two consecutive Aim maneuvers = 2 Boost), or called shot (see Aim). Benefit is lost if you move, take another maneuver/action, or suffer wounds past soak before the attack.

Help an engaged ally: they gain □ on their next check.

+1 melee defense until end of next turn; add ■ to combat checks while active.

Open doors, take cover (+1 ranged defense typically), flip switches, etc.

Draw, ready, load, or stow gear (some weapons need Prepare).

Mount or dismount a vehicle/animal (may cost more if difficult).

Change range band relative to a target/object (engaged ↔ short, short ↔ medium, etc. per table).

Become prone or stand from prone.

Spend maneuvers for Prepare quality weapons/items.

Roll the weapon’s skill (Brawl, Melee, Ranged (Light), Ranged (Heavy), or Gunnery). Hit: damage = weapon damage + leftover Success, then subtract soak. Each extra Success is +1 damage. Advantage / Threat: Roll spends → Combat.

Take a second maneuver instead of an action. No roll.

Any other skill as your action (patch someone, jack in, pick a lock). Use that skill’s card under Skills for Success / Advantage / fail.

Some talents/abilities require an action to activate. The talent text is the roll — if it names a check, use that skill’s card.

• Soak reduces wound (or strain, for stun) damage by its rating (minimum 0 damage after soak unless effects say otherwise).
• Soak = Brawn + armor soak + other bonuses (talents, cyber, etc.).
• Melee / Ranged defense upgrade the difficulty of incoming attacks of that type (Core default).
• Cover typically grants +1 ranged defense.
• Apply soak separately to each hit if one attack produces multiple hits.

• On a successful combat check: damage dealt = weapon damage + net Success symbols.
• Target subtracts soak; leftover becomes wounds (or strain if Stun Damage / pure strain effect).
• If leftover is 0 or less, no wounds — armor and toughness absorbed the blow.
• Exceeding wound threshold incapacitates and inflicts a Critical — full flow under Harm & Healing → Getting wounded.

• On a successful attack that dealt damage past soak, spend Advantage equal to the weapon’s Crit rating (or a Triumph) to inflict a Critical Injury.
• If enough Advantage to trigger the Crit rating more than once, roll once and add +10 for each extra trigger.
• Roll d100 + 10 per existing Critical Injury still affecting the target (+ Vicious, talents, etc.).
• Exceeding wound threshold also inflicts one Critical immediately (no Advantage needed).
• Criticals persist until treated (Medicine / rest). See Getting wounded + Critical Injury Table.

• Chapter 2 of SotB is titled Equipment and Vehicles. The book prints broad profiles (commuter hopper, hopperbike, groundcar…) plus a named example in a sidebar — not every make on the street.
• Hoppers (skyhoppers) replaced wheeled cars as everyday personal transport in New Angeles. Mid-altitude hovercraft: short-duration hydrogen fuel cell, electromagnetic hoverfoil rotors.
• Most hoppers are autonomous. A passenger names a pad; the AI flies there. Physical controls exist for emergencies or fun. Inside New Angeles they are linked to Traffic Control — flying on manual means tickets and fines if you get caught.
• Groundcars and trucks still clog undercity roads. Mass cargo trucks are automated; lighter trucks and cheap cars stay with the poor and tradespeople.
• Control skill is on the profile: Driving for ground vehicles, Piloting for hoppers and dropships, Operating for the big orbital and starship frames.
• Catalog prices are list price in ₡. A starting PC with leftover package cash is not buying a hopper. A hopperbike (₡8,000) or Caballero (₡5,000) is the street-level buy.

• Core says some games keep vehicles abstract (no extra rules). Use this chapter when hoppers, dropships, or starships matter — chases, collisions, hull trauma, mounted guns.
• Vehicle combat is not a second game. Same structured play as personal combat (initiative, one action + one maneuver, second maneuver costs strain). Extra maneuvers and actions sit on top.
• A vehicle benefits from only one Pilot Only action per round. It also gets one Pilot Only maneuver; a second Pilot Only maneuver costs 2 system strain (and the single pilot still pays 2 personal strain, or downgrades an action, as usual). Two pilots can each spend a Pilot Only maneuver — the vehicle pays the extra system strain, the second pilot does not.

At the start or end of the pilot’s turn, the vehicle must move that many range bands. Speed 1+ also applies the extra effects.

• Vehicles are bigger and faster, and their guns hit harder. Planetary scale is personal scale expanded.
• Armor, hull trauma, and vehicle-weapon damage: 1 point = 10 personal-scale points. A hopper armor 1 soaks 10 personal damage. A personal rifle needs 10 damage past everything to inflict 1 hull trauma.
• Strategic is a sixth range band beyond Extreme — Formidable (5 purple) to shoot. People cannot interact at that range without tech. Most vehicle guns stop at Long or Extreme; missiles and artillery often reach Strategic.
• Personal Scale quality on a vehicle weapon (door guns, APC grenade launcher) means that weapon uses personal-scale numbers, not ×10.
• Personal weapons must exceed a starship’s armor before they can inflict a Critical Hit.
• A planetary-scale hit on a person usually blows past wound threshold. The GM may add +50 to the Critical Injury roll.
• In space, keep the same range-band names but stretch the distances (Core sidebar).

• Brakes: Cannot Decelerate. The craft can still coast or stop by hitting something.
• Defenses: Defense becomes 0.
• Hull: Armor becomes 0.
• Navigation: Handling becomes −3 (unless already lower).
• Propulsion: Cannot Accelerate. Current speed drops by 1 each round, minimum 0.
• Weapons: That weapon cannot be used (Item Maintenance, Core p.89).
• Repairing a component is a Mechanics check — often the Critical Hit severity, otherwise Average or Hard at the GM’s discretion.

• Minor (glancing): each vehicle suffers one Critical Hit. Subtract defense × 10 from the d100. 0 or less = canceled.
• Major (head-on): each vehicle suffers one Critical Hit. Subtract defense × 5. 0 or less = canceled.
• The GM may let a huge vehicle ignore a tiny one. Big vehicles have a harder time missing terrain.
• If nobody is steering, the vehicle still moves at the end of the round — the GM places it and decides what it hits.

• Hull trauma is lasting. Needs facilities, money, and time. Core guideline: ₡100 per 1 hull trauma (adjust for parts and reputation). Light damage (up to a quarter of hull threshold) is days; worse is weeks or months.
• Emergency repairs (hull already over threshold): Hard Mechanics. [Success] puts hull at 1 below threshold, but defenses, hull, navigation, and weapons stay compromised until a real repair.
• System strain: Damage Control in a fight, or 1 point per full day without taking more.
• Damage Control (not Pilot Only): Mechanics, difficulty from Table III.2–16. [Success] removes 1 system strain or 1 hull trauma per leftover [Success]. System strain may be repaired many times per encounter. Hull trauma: only one Damage Control attempt per encounter. The GM decides if the crew can even reach the damage (a fighter jock cannot climb out to patch a wing).
• Repairing a Critical Hit uses the severity listed on Table III.2–19. Those checks may be retried until it is fixed.

• Accelerate (Pilot Only · any silhouette · any speed) — Increase current speed by one or more, up to max. The vehicle suffers system strain equal to the increase minus 1 (minimum 0).
• Decelerate (Pilot Only · any silhouette · speed 1+) — Decrease current speed by one or more, minimum 0. System strain = decrease minus 1 (minimum 0).
• Evade (Pilot Only · silhouette 0–4 · speed 3+) — Once per round. Until the start of the pilot’s next turn, upgrade the difficulty of all attacks against the vehicle and by characters in it.
• Brace for Impact (Pilot Only · any silhouette · any speed) — Once per round. Until the start of the next turn: when the vehicle takes damage, it may suffer system strain up to its silhouette to reduce that damage (minimum 0). Same for a Critical Hit — reduce the result by 10 per point of strain (0 cancels it).
• Reposition (Pilot Only · any silhouette · speed 1+) — Move one range band. Small shifts: obstacles, close or open a chase, nudge in the environment.
• Mount / Dismount (Personal maneuver (Core I.6)) — Get on or off a vehicle or animal. May cost more if it is awkward. Let’s Ride makes it an incidental once per round.

• Dangerous Driving (Pilot Only · any silhouette · speed 1+) — Sharp turns, threading obstacles, anything that ignores safety. Piloting (or Driving / Operating) vs difficulty equal to silhouette, then modified by current speed. [Failure]: the GM places the vehicle — at least off course, at worst a collision. Use the same check in narrative scenes when someone tries a foolhardy trick.
• Gain the Advantage (Pilot Only · silhouette 1–4 · speed 4+) — Dogfight. Pick one enemy vehicle; Driving or Piloting vs Table III.2–18 (relative speeds). [Success]: upgrade ability twice on your combat checks against them, and upgrade difficulty twice on theirs against you. They can try to cancel it next turn at +1 difficulty.
• Perform a Combat Check with Vehicle Weapons (Not Pilot Only · any) — Same as a personal combat check, plus: each vehicle weapon fires at most once per round; target must be in the fire arc; Strategic range is Formidable; apply silhouette size difference (Core p.109); most damage is planetary scale; soak with vehicle armor. Personal weapons must exceed starship armor before they can crit it.
• Damage Control (Not Pilot Only) — See Repairs. Mechanics vs Table III.2–16.
• Blanket Barrage (Not Pilot Only · silhouette 5+ · speed 0–3) — At least two weapons of one type sharing an arc. Average Gunnery. Those weapons fire this round. Until the end of the next turn, silhouette 4 or smaller attackers upgrade difficulty once, plus once per 2 [Advantage]. 2 [Threat]: they take an automatic hit at half that weapon’s base damage. [Despair]: a full-damage automatic hit.
• Concentrated Barrage (Not Pilot Only · silhouette 5+ · speed 0–3 · target silhouette 5+) — At least two weapons of one type sharing an arc. One combat check as vehicle weapons. Spend [Advantage] once to add damage equal to the number of guns to one hit.

Gain the Advantage difficulty (Table III.2–18)

Passengers who are not flying or shooting. Not every action fits every craft.

Roll d100. Collision modifiers: minus defense × 10 (minor) or × 5 (major). Speed 3–4 adds +20; speed 5 adds +40 on collision crits.

• Small-vehicle fights (tanks, fighters, hoppers) are abstract: the pilot has one vehicle maneuver and one vehicle action (or two maneuvers) on their turn. Describe the pass, then roll.
• Capital-class ships still get one vehicle maneuver and one vehicle action. Extra crew take personal turns to man guns, sensors, and damage control. Do not track hundreds of NPC slots — only the people who matter this scene.
• Mixed infantry and vehicles: people on foot use normal personal combat. They are harder to hit (smaller silhouette). They hit vehicles easily and struggle to hurt them. Size-difference rules (Core p.109) apply.
• This site tracks hull / strain on the character’s vehicle card. It is not a full chase assistant — no auto-resolution of Accelerate or collisions.

• Combat has a clear start (Initiative) and end (everyone is down). Social scenes do not. Core still treats them as encounters so once-per-encounter talents refresh and everyone recovers strain when the scene ends (Core p.117–118).
• Typical goals: lowest price, talk past a guard, flip a mercenary crew, change a mayor’s mind. One huge goal (peace between two empires) should be several encounters.
• Start when the party first meets the people they came to talk to. End when the goal is done, or failed so badly it cannot happen.
• A new encounter can also start when the party leaves a location, time skips, or they finish with a person or group.
• Once someone throws a punch, talk is over — combat checks and weapons do not inflict this social strain (Core p.123).

• Most chats stay fully narrative: people speak when it makes sense. No Initiative, no counting maneuvers.
• Use rounds only for long or crowded scenes (peace talks, a ball, many PCs and NPCs). Buying a used hopper does not need this.
• In those rounds: no Initiative. Each character acts once per round, when it fits the story. Passing is allowed.
• On a turn: one ability that costs an action, and one that costs a maneuver. A skill check replaces the action.
• Do not track meters walked or how many dances. A round might be a few minutes or an hour — GM call.

A deal they already want. If you offer something the other side is fully happy with, no check. Paying list price is the shop example. A clever argument can still skip the dice; the GM may give Boost for good roleplaying instead (Core p.122).

One opposed check (simple goals). Recommended for a price, a lie about where your friends went, or charming one guard. Success = you get it. Failure = you do not. Extra Success is not a printed “more yes” table here — leftover Advantage / Threat use the social spend list.

Strain track (complex goals). One check is not enough. You wear them down with arguments, threats, or relentless flattery. Current strain is the score. Push to a compromise, or all the way to capitulation.

• One person: almost always an opposed check (Core p.25, Table I.3–2). Written “opposed Charm versus Cool,” etc.
• Build your pool as usual (characteristic + skill → Ability / Proficiency). Then build the difficulty the same way from the target’s opposing characteristic + skill — that many purple, upgraded to red by the lower of the two.
• The GM can pick a different opposing skill if the scene demands it. The table is the baseline.
• A crowd uses a set difficulty (Table I.7–1), not one person’s Cool. It should not be easier than talking to one person.
• If the crowd is unlikely to listen, add Setback or spend a Story Point to upgrade difficulty.
• You still have to say what your character actually does. “Charm check” is not enough — “I compliment their independence” is.

The table starts at Average. Influencing a group should not be easier than influencing one person.

• Anyone can spend their action on an appropriate social skill to inflict strain (talents may add other ways).
• Success: the target suffers 1 strain, plus 1 strain per leftover Success (Core p.123). Soak does not reduce this — soak is for combat hits.
• Failure: you suffer 2 strain. The attempt still happened.
• The skill must match the approach. Charm cannot be a threat; Coercion cannot be sincere flattery.
• Rivals and minion groups have no strain threshold. Social strain goes on their wound threshold. If you take them past it they capitulate — they do not drop dead (Core p.122).
• Nemeses and PCs use strain threshold, same as stun strain in a fight.

• When the target’s current strain is greater than half their strain threshold, they will compromise.
• They offer part of your goal and want something back. It should be better than they would have given with no pressure, but not against their core principles. GM has final say on the offer.
• PCs may treat “over half ST” as a roleplaying cue to offer a deal. They are not forced to compromise the way NPCs are (Core p.122).

• When the target exceeds their strain threshold, they give in: they take your terms, surrender, or treat you as a true ally — whatever the goal was.
• This is not mind control. The GM can still refuse a goal nobody would agree to.
• If you (a PC) exceed your own strain threshold, you fail the goal. You might walk away, or the GM may have you concede one of their goals instead.

• A “critical remark” is the social Crit: a brutal point, argument, or insult.
• On a social check, spend 1 Triumph or 4 Advantage to inflict 5 strain on the target (Core p.123 sidebar).
• Say what the remark was and why it landed. This is on top of any strain the check already dealt if it succeeded.

• When the encounter ends, each player makes a Simple (–) Cool or Discipline check. Each leftover Success recovers 1 strain (Core p.117). Same check as after a fight.
• A night’s rest generally clears remaining strain. Advantage on other checks can still recover 1 strain during the scene (social spend table).

• Working with their Strength or Flaw: add 1 Boost to your next social check against them.
• Working with their Desire or Fear: add 2 Boost. Those two run a lot of choices, so they hit harder.
• Working against Strength or Flaw (you rubbed it the wrong way, often because you do not know it): add 1 Setback.
• Working against Desire or Fear: add 2 Setback.
• “Working with” means you actually reference that facet in what you say or do — not a free die for knowing the word on their sheet.

• Preferred: spend leftover Advantage / Triumph on the social spend table (2 Advantage = Strength or Flaw; 3 = Desire or Fear; 1 Triumph = any one facet, GM approval).
• Optional study: opposed Perception versus Cool (they keep a neutral face). Success = learn one Motivation facet. You are staring at them — it is obvious. Once or twice per encounter, and only once per target (Core p.124).
• Minions: skip Motivations. Anyone whose inner life matters should not be a minion.
• Walk-ons: Strength and Flaw only. Improvise if someone spends Advantage. Save all four facets for recurring NPCs.

Printed spends: Roll spends → Social.

Every adversary has three separate ratings. Each is a rough measure of how much they “cost” against a party in that kind of scene — an average of how hard they hit and how hard they are to drop or sway in that arena.

Floor: each axis is at least 1 when the EPG construction process finishes (never 0 on a finished profile).

• C3 · S1 · G1 — fight problem, not a talker. Typical street muscle / patrol.
• C1 · S4 · G2 — social heavyweight; avoid solving them with guns alone (or expect fallout).
• C2 · S2 · G4 — utility / tech / medic style; threatens scenes that are not pure combat.
• C4 · S3 · G2 — multi-axis threat (lieutenant or boss material). Expensive if you stack several of these.

Compare axes that match the scene. For a firefight, sum the enemies’ C values. For a negotiation, sum S. General is for “can they keep up with chases, repairs, Network runs?”

The Expanded Player’s Guide builds adversaries from packages. Each package you pick (characteristic array, skill packages, talents, special abilities, equipment array, etc.) adds a small delta to C, S, and/or G. At the end you raise any axis still below 1 up to 1.

• Characteristic array — e.g. “Skilled Warrior” already bumps combat.
• Skill packages — Soldier / Sniper raise C; Politician / Crime Boss raise S; Hacker / Doctor raise G.
• Talents & abilities — Field Commander, Adversary 2, Ruinous Repartee, etc. each add their listed deltas.
• Equipment arrays — heavy guns and armor raise combat; social kit can raise social.

In this tool, catalog adversaries may show estimated C/S/G (from skills/talents tags) or package-built values from the Adversary designer / Quick generator. Treat them as guidance for encounter budgeting, not a physics engine.

Minion power levels assume 3 members. Group of 2 or solo: −1 combat and social (min 1). Group of 5+: +1 combat and social.

When you add a minion card to the live table, default group size is often 3 — that matches how the printed power level was meant to be read. A lone minion is weaker than their listed C/S.

• Not soak, WT, or ST (those are separate stats on the card).
• Not “roll this many difficulty dice.”
• Not a guarantee of a fair fight — player creativity, terrain, and luck still dominate.
• Not the same as minion / rival / nemesis tier. Tier is the rules shell; C/S/G is scene budget.

1. Know roughly how much session XP the PCs have earned in total this campaign (not counting starting archetype XP).
2. Look up the row for that XP band and your party size → that number is the encounter challenge rating (CR).
3. Pick adversaries so the sum of their Combat powers (for a fight) or Social powers (for a talk scene) is about that CR — not wildly above.
4. Count each minion group as one adversary for “how many opponents,” even though power assumes ~3 bodies.

Optional modifiers (EPG): party mostly armed with damage 8+ weapons; heavy armor on most PCs; multiple multi-hit builds; or a single adversary vs 3+ PCs — each can raise the CR budget by 1.

Example: 4 PCs with ~80 earned XP → CR about 10. A C4 rival + a C3 minion group + a C2 minion group ≈ 9 — in the ballpark.

• Majority of PCs have weapon damage 8+ → +1 combat CR
• Majority of PCs have armor +2 soak or def 2+ → +1 combat CR
• At least two PCs can multi-hit → +1 combat CR
• Only one adversary vs ≥3 PCs → +1 all encounters

1. You are incapacitated — unconscious / out of the fight. No turns, no actions, no maneuvers until you are patched under your WT.
2. You immediately take one Critical Injury. Roll d100 on the Critical Injury table. Add +10 for every Critical Injury you already had that is still untreated.
3. Keep writing the wound total even past WT (up to twice your WT). Example: WT 14, you are at 19 wounds — you need to heal at least 6 wounds before you wake up.
4. Going over WT does not automatically mean dead. Dead only happens if the Critical result (or the story) says so.

You stay down until wounds are reduced so they no longer exceed WT. A slap-patch / painkiller mid-fight can do that if it heals enough. Medicine first aid can too. Then you can stand up next turn — but the Critical Injury is still on you until someone treats that separately.

• Slap-patch / painkiller: a maneuver, engaged with the target (you can treat yourself). First one used on you heals 5 wounds, next heals 4, then 3, 2, 1. Sixth does nothing until you rest / reset. Painkillers never heal a Critical. If wounds go back under WT, you are conscious again.
• Medicine can also first-aid wounds (once per patient per encounter). How the check works is on the Medicine skill.
• Overnight rest: 1 wound back per full night’s sleep (when you can actually rest).
• Remember: waking up ≠ curing the Critical. The Critical stays until Medicine (or a week of rest + Resilience) treats that injury.

• Someone hits you → damage = weapon damage + their net Success.
• Subtract your soak. Leftover = wounds you suffer (write them on the card).
• If leftover is 0, you take no wounds this hit.
• Optional: the attacker can also spend Advantage equal to the weapon’s Crit rating (or a Triumph) to give you a Critical Injury on top — only if they actually dealt wounds past soak. That is separate from the free Critical you get when you drop from exceeding WT.

• You are also incapacitated (out cold / useless) until strain is under your strain threshold.
• You do not get a free Critical Injury just for exceeding strain.
• When the encounter ends (combat or social — Core p.117), each player makes a Simple (–) Cool or Discipline check. Each leftover Success recovers 1 strain. A good night’s rest generally removes all remaining strain. Slap-patches do not fix strain.

• Minion or rival over WT → defeated (usually dead or out; GM can say knocked out if it fits).
• Minion groups: when the group’s wounds pass WT, one minion dies and the group’s wound count resets; the rest keep fighting.
• Nemesis: same as a PC — drops, takes a Critical, can be patched.

A character who exceeds their wound threshold is incapacitated and suffers a Critical Injury. Critical Injuries can kill outright or leave lasting effects until treated.

• See Critical Injury table and healing rules.

Add ■ (Setback) to all checks the character makes.

• Duration is usually a number of rounds set by the effect (e.g. Disorient quality).

Within arm's reach of another character or object (range band).

• Engaged with an opponent is required for melee / brawl attacks.
• Ranged attacks while engaged with an enemy increase difficulty (and may risk hitting allies).

Narrative state usually granted by Stealth checks and environment.

• Attacking from concealment often upgrades the difficulty of opponents' Perception or Vigilance checks to spot you; first attack may gain Boost or treat target as unaware per GM.

Cannot perform maneuvers (including those granted by spending Advantage or other effects that provide free maneuvers).

• Can still perform actions.

Wound threshold or strain threshold exceeded (or other effect).

• Incapacitated characters cannot perform actions or maneuvers until healed/recovered as appropriate.
• Exceeding wound threshold also inflicts a Critical Injury.

Lying on the ground.

• Melee attacks targeting a prone character gain □ (Boost).
• Ranged attacks targeting a prone character add ■ (Setback).
• Prone characters add ■ to melee combat checks.
• Dropping prone is a maneuver; standing is a maneuver.

Cannot perform actions (including downtime actions), but can still perform maneuvers.

• Often inflicted by Concussive weapons or other effects for a set number of rounds.

• Slap-patches / painkillers: no check. One maneuver, engaged (or yourself). First use on you heals 5 wounds, then 4, 3, 2, 1. A sixth does nothing until you get a long rest and the count resets. Painkillers never heal a Critical. If that brings you under WT, you wake up.
• Natural rest: no check. After a full night’s sleep you heal 1 wound.
• Medicine can treat wounds as a first-aid action (once per patient per encounter). How many wounds, the difficulty, and what Advantage does are on the Medicine skill.
• Mechanics is the equivalent for bioroids / machines (see Android notes).

• End of an encounter (combat or social — Core p.117): each player makes a Simple (–) Cool or Discipline check. Each leftover Success recovers 1 strain. Pick either skill; talents may swap in another (One with Nature → Survival in the wilderness; some SotB talents use Resilience).
• A good night’s rest generally removes all remaining strain. No check.
• During a scene you may spend leftover Advantage on a check to recover 1 strain (the usual 1-Advantage spend — see Roll spends). A successful Medicine first-aid check also heals strain equal to leftover Advantage on that check.
• On your turn you may suffer 2 strain to buy a second maneuver (still max two maneuvers).
• Slap-patches do not heal strain unless an item text says they do.

• A Critical stays on you until treated — even after its short “this round” effect ends.
• Each untreated Critical adds +10 to the next Critical roll.
• Medicine can clear one Critical (difficulty = that injury’s severity; one try per Critical per week). Details on the Medicine skill.
• After a full week of rest you may instead attempt a Resilience check vs that same severity. Success: that Critical is gone. Failure: the Critical stays, but you still heal 1 wound. A Triumph on that rest check heals one additional Critical.

• Bioroids / machines often use Mechanics instead of Medicine and recover via downtime self-repair (see archetype).
• They still drop when over WT and still take Criticals unless a special rule says otherwise.

• Every catalog item has a short profile: what it is, how much it costs, how hard it is to find, and how awkward it is to carry.
• Weapons and armor also have combat stats (skill, damage, Crit, range, soak/defense, qualities).
• Most non-combat gear does not need a unique combat rule — it either makes a task possible, or is “the right tool for the job.”

• Soak on armor adds to Brawn for your soak value (damage reduction).
• Defense (melee / ranged) makes you harder to hit (upgrades difficulty of incoming attacks of that type, per Core).
• Worn armor usually counts less toward encumbrance than when carried (Core: worn armor encumbrance is reduced by 3, minimum 0).
• Some powered armor or space suits change encumbrance when unpowered — read the item entry.

• Encumbrance is an abstract measure of weight + bulk. It is not kilograms.
• Encumbrance threshold = 5 + Brawn (effective Brawn, including cyber that raises Brawn).
• Add up the encumbrance of items you are carrying / wearing (after worn-armor reduction). Stashed items (home, locker, not on this outing) do not count. Backpacks and some gear raise your threshold.

• If total encumbrance exceeds your threshold, you are encumbered: add 1 Setback to all Brawn and Agility checks for each point over the threshold.
• If you exceed the threshold by more than your Brawn, you also lose your free maneuver each turn (you can still buy maneuvers with strain / Advantage as usual).
• Dropping or stowing gear is a maneuver (Manage Gear); free hands and smart packing matter.

• Backpack (Core example): +4 encumbrance threshold while worn.
• SotB packs / load-bearing gear often +2 to +5 threshold — check the item.
• A knife is typically Enc 1; a rifle Enc 3–4; heavy armor higher when carried, lower when worn.

• Rarity is a 0–10 score: how hard the item is to find at a reasonable price, not how “legendary” it is.
• Catalog rarity is the baseline. The GM adjusts for location (corporate Midtown vs. disenfrancisto market vs. Heinlein dock).
• Rarity 0–2 = street-level common. 3–5 = specialty shops. 6–7 = hard to source. 8–10 = military, prototype, or one-of-a-kind.

• Buying common goods can be narrative (no roll) when the shop obviously stocks them.
• When it matters: legal purchase / haggle → Negotiation; illegal or black-market → Streetwise (Core black-market rules).
• Base difficulty to find or source an item scales with rarity (see table). GM may upgrade/downgrade for contacts, time pressure, or neighborhood.
• Failing the check usually means the item is not available here right now — not that it never exists.
• Advantage / Triumph on shopping can mean a discount, a lead on a better model, or a freer contact. Threat / Despair can mean a markup, a sting, or heat.

Legal shop: Negotiation. Black market / (R): Streetwise. How those checks work is on the skill.

• List price is a fair open-market starting point in ₡ (New Angeles credits).
• Location modifiers (Table I.5–2) change rarity, not a second price table.
• Selling (Core p.83): success generally gets one-quarter of list; 2 leftover Success → half; 3+ leftover Success → three-quarters.

• SotB marks restricted gear with (R) next to the price. It is illegal for ordinary citizens without a special permit.
• Restricted items cannot be chosen as free starting gear at character creation (SotB). Buy them later if you accept the risk.
• Buying or selling restricted gear is black-market activity → Streetwise (see Core black-market sidebar).
• Openly carrying restricted weapons/armor draws NAPD, prisec, and corp security attention. Concealment, permits, and fake IDs are narrative tools — not free passes.
• Getting caught can mean confiscation, fines, arrest, or worse depending on the district and who you offended.

• Gear wears out. Despair on a relevant check is the classic trigger to damage an item one step (jam, crack, short, bent frame).
• The GM may also damage gear from narrative events (explosion, fire, EMP, being run over by a hopper).
• Damage steps (least → worst): undamaged → minor → moderate → major. Beyond major, the item is destroyed or needs full rebuild (GM).

• Each Despair (or scripted hit) typically moves the item one step worse.
• Some weapon qualities or adversary abilities explicitly “damage the weapon one step” (SotB mass drivers, etc.).
• Bioroids / machines may use Mechanics for self-repair the same way organics use Medicine — see archetype notes.

• Repair uses Mechanics (or an appropriate craft skill if the GM prefers for low-tech settings).
• Time: about 1–2 hours per difficulty rank of the repair. Rushing (less time) → +1 difficulty. No proper tools → +1 difficulty. Both stack.
• Cost of parts / shop fees: 25% of list price (minor), 50% (moderate), 100% (major). If you do the work yourself, reduce cost by 10% per Advantage on the repair check.
• Failing a repair check can leave the item as-is, waste the parts cost, or (with Despair) make things worse — GM call.

Table I.5–4: Repairing Gear (Genesys Core).

The repair check is Mechanics (or Computers (Sysops) for Network programs). How Success / Advantage / fail work is on that skill.

• Do not track every bullet for ordinary firearms. One combat check can represent a careful single shot or a short burst.
• Preferred rule: spend Despair (or Threat spends the table agrees on) to run dry / jam — then a maneuver to reload or clear.
• Exception: Limited Ammo quality (grenades, rockets, one-shot launchers). Those track charges explicitly.
• SotB caseless ammo is the default for most slugthrowers; specialty loads are narrative unless a quality says otherwise.

• If gear makes an impossible task possible (binoculars at long range, a torch in the dark, a PAD for Network), no extra bonus is required — the check can simply happen.
• If gear only helps a task you could already attempt, GM and player may add Boost to the pool (“right tool for the job”).
• Unique item entries can override this with their own rules (bonus dice, reduced difficulty, once-per-session effects).

• “Painkiller” is the Core generic name for slap-patches, stims, auto-injectors, healing potions — consumable wound relief.
• Administering a painkiller is a maneuver; you must be engaged with the target (you can treat yourself). First use on a character heals 5 wounds; second heals 4; third 3; fourth 2; fifth 1; sixth and later have no effect until the “saturation” resets (typically a long rest / GM call). Painkillers never heal Critical Injuries.
• Painkillers do not heal Critical Injuries and do not remove the incapacitated state by themselves unless wounds are brought back under the threshold.
• SotB medical kits and slap-patches may note extra rules; when silent, use this Core pattern.

Add Boost dice equal to the rating to attack checks with this weapon.

Increase difficulty by 1. On success, may spend 2 Advantage to hit an additional target within range (or the same target again), dealing the same damage. May trigger multiple times.

Spend 2 Advantage to deal damage equal to the Blast rating to all other characters engaged with the original target. On a miss, may spend 3 Advantage to still trigger Blast at the target's location.

Ignore 1 point of soak for each rating when dealing damage (vehicle scale: ignore 10 soak per rating).

Quickhack house rule. Duration effects from the attack (such as Burn) last a number of additional rounds equal to the rating.

Spend 2 Advantage to make the target suffer weapon damage (ignoring soak) at the start of their turn for a number of rounds equal to the rating. May be extinguished as an action.

Spend 2 Advantage to stagger the target for a number of rounds equal to the rating.

This quality appears on some setting gear; see item text. (SotB / Android items may use specialized qualities.)

Must have Brawn equal to or greater than rating or suffer Setback equal to the difference on checks with the item.

Increase melee defense by the rating while the item is wielded/worn as appropriate.

Increase ranged defense by the rating while the item is wielded/worn as appropriate.

Spend 2 Advantage to disorient the target for rounds equal to the rating (add Setback to the target's checks).

Spend 2 Advantage to immobilize the target for rounds equal to the rating. Target may attempt a Hard Athletics check as an action to break free early.

Quickhack house rule. When this character is targeted by a Quickhack (or similar intrusion), the attacker adds Setback equal to the rating to their check.

On a miss, may spend 2 Advantage to make the weapon attack again at the end of the round with Ability dice equal to rating (and no other dice).

Add Setback dice equal to the rating to attack checks with this weapon.

Generate automatic Threat on checks using the item; reduce base damage or soak by 1 as appropriate (see Core for full effects).

Damage is dealt as system strain to vehicles/droids rather than hull trauma / wounds, as appropriate to the target.

Spend Advantage equal to the target's silhouette (minimum 1) to knock the target prone.

May be used a number of times equal to rating before needing a maneuver to reload.

Spend 2 Advantage to hit again with the weapon, up to a number of additional times equal to rating.

Ignore soak equal to the rating when dealing damage.

Requires a number of preparation maneuvers equal to rating before it can be used.

Quickhack house rule. Spend Advantage equal to the rating (default 2 if unrated) to recover 1 strain. Common on efficient cyberdecks (RR).

After use, cannot be used again for a number of rounds equal to rating.

Quickhack house rule (cyberdecks). When the attacker makes a Quickhack that does not alert the target, add Boost to the check.

Spend 2 Advantage to inflict strain equal to the rating (ignoring soak).

Attacks deal strain damage instead of wounds (still reduced by soak).

Spend Advantage to damage an item the target is wielding (1 Advantage per step on the item damage track).

Generate automatic Advantage on checks using the item; improve damage or soak by 1 as appropriate.

On a hit, the target is immobilized and may be pulled/held; silhouette limits apply per rating (vehicle-scale quality).

Must have Agility equal to or greater than rating or suffer Setback equal to the difference on checks with the item.

Add the rating to the Critical Injury result roll when a critical is triggered with this weapon.

• Award the same XP to every PC who participated; Genesys expects the party to advance together.
• Adjust for table pace: some GMs use 10 XP for one-shots or very short scenes, or 20–25 as a fixed house default.
• Optional small bonuses (e.g. +5) for outstanding roleplaying or completing a major story arc — keep bonuses modest so the table stays roughly even.
• Story rewards that are not XP: credits, gear, favors/debt, corporate access, clone/bioroid legal status, Network credentials — handle narratively or as gear on the sheet.

• Shadow of the Beanstalk does not replace the Core XP award; use Genesys session XP and layer setting rewards (corp favors, black-market gear, ICE, contacts).
• Chargen debt/favors (Step 6) is separate from session rewards — that is starting XP or starting credits only.

• Credits and gear — add as free or paid equipment on the Gear step / sheet glossary.
• Favors and debt — Motivation & Favors / debt fields; call in as story hooks.
• Reputation / access — narrative, or notes (NAPD clearances, corp badges, runner handles).
• Training montages — if you award a free skill rank as a story prize, add the rank and note it as free (GM tools: free equip mode for gear; skill ranks still edit manually).

• Buy ranks one at a time; you cannot skip ranks.
• Career skill (listed on your career): cost to buy the next rank = rank × 5 XP (rank 1 costs 5, rank 2 costs 10, … rank 5 costs 25).
• Non-career skill: cost to buy the next rank = rank × 5 + 5 XP (rank 1 costs 10, rank 2 costs 15, …).
• Free ranks from archetype or career free picks do not cost XP; they set a floor. Further ranks above the free floor cost as normal.
• Dice pool: proficiency (yellow) = min(characteristic, ranks); ability (green) = |characteristic − ranks|.

• Talent cost = that purchase’s tier × 5 XP (Tier 1 = 5, Tier 2 = 10, … Tier 5 = 25).
• Ranked talents (Core p.72): the first purchase sits at the printed tier. Each extra rank is a new purchase in the next higher tier (cost goes up) and occupies that higher-tier slot. If it is already Tier 5, further ranks stay Tier 5.
• Pyramid (Core p.72): after each purchase you must have more talents in the next-lowest tier than in the current one. Two Tier 1 talents allow a single Tier 2; four Tier 1 allow three Tier 2, two Tier 3, and one Tier 4. Tier 1 is unlimited.
• In this app: ranked talents reappear on later tier filters (Take / Have). The next rank needs the previous rank, and the pyramid is checked when you Take.

• During character creation only: cost to raise a characteristic from current to current+1 = new rating × 10 XP (2→3 costs 30, 3→4 costs 40, 4→5 costs 50).
• Cap at 5 for player characters unless a talent/ability says otherwise.
• After character creation, do not buy characteristics with session XP unless the GM allows a house rule or the character purchases Dedication (or similar).
• Cybernetics / g-mods that raise characteristics are not XP spends — they are gear effects (and do not raise Wound/Strain thresholds after chargen; soak still tracks current Brawn).

1. End of session: GM announces XP (usually 20). Note it for each character.
2. In Android GM Tools: open the character → Edit → Motivation step → increase Earned XP (xp_bonus) by the award → Save.
3. If the character is finalized (Active): spend available XP on skill ranks (Skills step) and talents (Talents step). Characteristics stay locked.
4. If still a Draft: you may still adjust chargen spends; Finalize when ready for play.
5. Sheet live preview / sheet XP chips show XP spent vs total (start + debt XP + earned).
6. Optional: write what the XP was for in Notes (e.g. “Session 4 — Beanstalk heist +20”).

See also Character forge (Earned XP field) and the live XP chips on the character sheet.

Climb, jump, swim, force doors — raw physical feats (Brawn).

Covers running, jumping, swimming, climbing, lifting, and other feats of strength and endurance that are not purely combat. Broad “physical excellence” skill instead of separate climb/swim/run skills.

Use if… Climbing a wall or Beanpod strut; forcing a door; swimming a channel; outrunning pursuers in open ground.

Not if… Fine balance or acrobatics (Coordination); enduring poison or disease (Resilience); stealthy movement (Stealth).

Stay composed; recover strain; initiative when ready (Presence).

Composure under pressure: staying calm when charmed or flattered, and keeping a polite or professional face. Also one of the two skills used to recover strain at the end of an encounter (Core p.117). Often used for initiative when the character is prepared and waiting for trouble.

Use if… Recovering strain at the end of an encounter; resisting Charm / flattery; keeping composure in a social setting; initiative when coolly ready for a fight.

Not if… Resisting fear or interrogation (Discipline); passive awareness of ambush (Vigilance).

Balance, acrobatics, squeeze through (Agility).

Balance, acrobatics, tumbling, squeezing through tight spaces, and catching yourself when you fall. Complements Athletics with precision movement rather than raw power.

Use if… Walking a narrow beam; diving through a window; landing after a fall; slipping cuffs with flexibility.

Not if… Raw strength tasks (Athletics); hiding from sight (Stealth).

Resist fear/coercion; recover strain (Willpower).

Mental fortitude: resisting fear, interrogation, orders you refuse, and other psychological pressure. The usual opposed skill against Coercion and Leadership. Also one of the two skills used to recover strain at the end of an encounter (Core p.117).

Use if… Recovering strain at the end of an encounter; facing fear; resisting threats or torture; disobeying an order under pressure.

Not if… Staying charmingly composed under flattery (Cool); noticing a lie (Vigilance).

Ground vehicles and hoppers (Agility).

Operating ground vehicles and hoppers under stress — chases, bad weather, damaged systems. Routine daily driving usually needs no check.

Use if… High-speed chase; landing a hopper on a tight pad; driving while under fire.

Not if… Aircraft/spacecraft (Piloting); huge industrial machinery (Operating).

Repair devices, vehicles, bioroids (Intellect).

Repairing and modifying machines: vehicles, weapons, electronics, and bioroid hardware. Requires tools (portable toolkit avoids tool penalties).

Use if… Fixing a hopper, PAD, weapon, or bioroid chassis; jury-rigging a system.

Not if… Healing organics (Medicine); writing/breaking software (Computers skills).

Treat wounds, criticals, slap-patches (Intellect).

Diagnosing and treating organic injury and illness. Used to heal wounds and Critical Injuries; difficulty scales with severity. Kits and slap-patches interact with this skill’s checks.

Use if… Field trauma care; surgery; treating disease or toxins medically.

Not if… Repairing bioroids (Mechanics / repair patches); pure endurance of poison (Resilience).

Large industrial systems (Intellect).

Running large or complex systems: industrial machinery, factory lines, beanpod systems, capital-scale equipment — bigger than personal tools, different from Driving/Piloting.

Use if… Running a foundry console; operating dock cranes; piloting industrial plant systems.

Not if… Personal vehicles (Driving/Piloting); hacking a server (Computers).

Notice details while searching (Cunning).

Active searching and noticing details when you are deliberately looking — crime scenes, hidden compartments, oddities in a room.

Use if… Searching a room; examining a body or terminal; spotting a hidden object while investigating.

Not if… Passive ambush awareness (Vigilance); tracking in the wild (Survival).

Aircraft and spacecraft (Agility).

Flying aircraft and spacecraft under stress. Plotting a theoretical course may use Knowledge (Science); actually flying it is Piloting (or Operating for some large systems).

Use if… Atmospheric dogfight; docking under pressure; emergency re-entry.

Not if… Ground hoppers and cars (Driving); pure navigation math (Knowledge Science).

Endure toxins, disease, harsh environments (Brawn).

Physical toughness: resisting poison, disease, harsh environments, exhaustion, and some drug aftereffects. Also used for g-mod assimilation checks in SotB.

Use if… Resisting toxin or vacuum exposure; pushing through fatigue; g-mod installation checks.

Not if… Mental fear (Discipline); treating injuries (Medicine).

Pick locks, palm items, security (Cunning).

Sleight of hand, lockpicking (mechanical or with tools), planting or lifting objects, and physical security bypass that is not pure Stealth.

Use if… Picking a mechanical lock; palming a chip; planting a bug; defeating a latch.

Not if… Electronic intrusion without tools (Computers Hacking); pure hiding (Stealth).

Hide, sneak, avoid notice (Agility).

Moving and remaining unseen or unheard — shadowing, infiltration, and concealment.

Use if… Sneaking past guards; hiding in shadows; following someone unnoticed.

Not if… Blending into a crowd socially (Streetwise/Deception); lockpicking (Skulduggery).

Contacts, black markets, undercity (Cunning).

Knowing how the street works: black markets, gangs, who to ask, and how to get illegal goods or information without formal channels.

Use if… Finding a street doc; learning gang turf; buying restricted gear under the table.

Not if… Formal law or corp structure (Knowledge Society); Net etiquette (Knowledge The Net).

Wilderness and harsh environments (Cunning).

Tracking, foraging, navigating without maps, and living in hostile natural environments — also scent/track work when enhanced senses apply.

Use if… Finding water offworld; tracking someone through ruins; enduring the wilds.

Not if… Urban contacts (Streetwise); pure physical endurance (Resilience).

Passive awareness; often initiative (Willpower).

Passive awareness and readiness — noticing threats without actively searching. Common initiative skill when surprised. Also the usual opposed skill against Deception (spotting lies).

Use if… Ambush awareness; noticing a tail; sensing something wrong in a room; initiative when unprepared.

Not if… Careful active search (Perception); social composure (Cool).

Persuade through likability (Presence).

Flattery, likability, performance, and sincere persuasion. Opposed by Cool. Not for lies (Deception), threats (Coercion), or formal command (Leadership).

Use if… Winning someone over; seduction; stage performance; making yourself look good to a crowd.

Not if… Lying or omission (Deception); threats (Coercion); orders from authority (Leadership).

Threaten and intimidate (Willpower).

Threats, intimidation, interrogation, and force of fear. Opposed by Discipline. Can end fights without bloodshed — or escalate them.

Use if… Issuing threats; interrogating a prisoner; implied violence (hand on a gun).

Not if… Authority-backed orders (Leadership); hard bargains with exchange (Negotiation).

Lie, bluff, forge (Cunning).

Lies, misleading truths, disguises, and clever omission. Opposed by Vigilance. Even “technically true” tricks still fall under Deception.

Use if… Lying; wearing a disguise; omitting key facts to mislead.

Not if… Sincere persuasion (Charm); threats (Coercion).

Command allies, bolster morale (Presence).

Command, rally, and inspire through rank, station, or force of personality. Opposed by Discipline. Covers battlefield orders and political crowd work.

Use if… Rallying allies from fear; leading troops; ordering subordinates under stress.

Not if… Empty threats without authority (Coercion); equal bargaining (Negotiation).

Bargains, deals, prices (Presence).

Bargaining and exchange: getting more while giving less, always with something offered both ways. Opposed by Negotiation. Not for pure threats or free favors.

Use if… Haggling price; selling goods; brokering a deal or treaty.

Not if… Getting something for nothing (other social skills); giving pure orders (Leadership).

Unarmed combat (Brawn).

Unarmed strikes, grappling, and natural weapons (including some g-mod claws/fangs when used in a fight).

Use if… Fistfights; subduing someone; using cat claws or tooth buds in combat.

Not if… Hand weapons (Melee); firearms (Ranged).

Heavy weapons and mounts (Agility).

Heavy weapons, vehicle mounts, and crew-served or support systems that are not personal longarms.

Use if… Vehicle-mounted guns; heavy support weapons; fixed emplacements.

Not if… Personal rifles (Ranged Heavy); pistols (Ranged Light).

Hand weapons (Brawn).

Close combat with handheld weapons — monoblades, bats, knives, katanas, and similar.

Use if… Fighting with a melee weapon while engaged.

Not if… Unarmed (Brawl); thrown or fired weapons (Ranged).

Rifles, carbines, shotguns (Agility).

Two-handed personal firearms: rifles, carbines, shotguns, and similar longarms.

Use if… Rifle fire; shotgun work; most personal longarms.

Not if… Pistols (Ranged Light); vehicle/support mounts (Gunnery).

Pistols, SMGs, grenades (Agility).

One-handed and light ranged weapons: pistols, SMGs, thrown grenades, and similar sidearms.

Use if… Shooting a pistol or SMG; tossing a grenade; grapnel launchers that use this skill.

Not if… Longarms and heavy support (Ranged Heavy / Gunnery).

Hard science and biotech (Intellect).

Book smarts: scientific disciplines, mathematics, and how old and new technologies work — fusion, clones, bioroids, the Beanstalk, biotech. School and lab knowledge, not hands-on repair.

Use if… Recall a chemical formula; name a lunar crater; calculate orbital trajectory math; know material strength of buckyweave rope.

Not if… Fixing a fuel cell (Mechanics); flying the course (Operating/Piloting); Fed jurisdiction trivia (Knowledge Society).

Culture, corps, law, history (Intellect).

How societies work (economics, sociology, law) plus local New Angeles / Heinlein culture: districts, plaza vs undercity, celebrities, transit times, corps, and organized crime at a knowledge level.

Use if… Facts about New Angeles; solid legal argument; Loonie attitudes toward NAPD; stock-market manipulation tells; which orgcrime outfits matter.

Not if… Finding the nearest station on the street (Streetwise); Net etiquette (Knowledge The Net); gang block-by-block turf (Streetwise).

Net architecture and digital culture (Intellect).

Understanding the Network as a place: ice dangers, subservers, Shadow Net chatspaces, corp hosts, and digital legends. Knowing about the Net is not the same as breaking ice.

Use if… Which Shadow Net space to recruit a runner; dangers of a piece of ice; which corp hosts a server; rumors of god ice or ghost runners.

Not if… Breaking ice (Computers Hacking); repairing/activating programs (Computers Sysops); pop culture off the Net (Knowledge Society).

Intrusion, icebreakers, Net crime (Intellect).

Offensive and destructive computer use: intrusion, codebreaking, running on servers, breaking ice, destroying programs, opening electronic locks via code. Replaces Core “Computers” for attack work in Android.

Use if… Enter a secured server; shut down ice; open an electronic lock electronically; destroy a program.

Not if… Reactivate or repair programs (Sysops); mechanical locks (Skulduggery); backtrace an intruder (Sysops).

Defend systems, admin, ICE ops (Intellect).

Defensive and constructive computer work: defending systems, activating ice, building programs, repairing code, and tracing runners. Every serious sysop and many programmers need this skill.

Use if… Backtrace a runner; activate ice/countermeasures; repair a damaged program; create a new program.

Not if… Destroy or deactivate a program (Hacking); recall Net lore (Knowledge The Net); crack encryption as intrusion (Hacking).

When making a knowledge skill check, may instead spend currency equal to 50× difficulty to automatically succeed with one uncanceled [Success] (GM may forbid sensitive info).

Once per encounter, add automatic [Threat] [Threat] to another character’s social skill check.

When you take this talent, your character gains Knowl - edge (Society) or Negotiation as a career skill. In addition, once per session, your character may collect a small favor from any other member of a single corporation (chosen when you take this talent), even if they do not owe your character a favor.

When your character selects this talent they choose one icebreaker or piece of ice that they own. If they choose an icebreaker, whenever they use that icebreaker to override ice, they add [Advantage] to the results. If they choose a piece of ice, whenever someone else attempts to override it, they add [Threat] to the results.

After your character makes a Charm check, they may suffer 1 strain use this talent to cancel [Threat] equal to your character’s ranks in Customer Service Experience.

When your character selects this talent they choose one computer (such as a rig, PAD, or spinal modem) that they own. The amount of ice or icebreakers (your character's choice) that they can have on that computer is increased by 1 per rank of Custom Rig. (This may be a mix of ice and icebreakers, as long as the combined total increase does not exceed your character's ranks in Custom Rig). If your character loses their affected computer, they may choose a new computer to be affected by this talent.

Once per session, your character may use this talent to produce a small but narratively useful item from their pockets, backpack, or similar receptacle (it turns out the item had been there the whole time). Your GM has final say as to what items can be produced with Deep Pockets, but generally the item should cost less than 100 credits and have an encumbrance of 0 or 1.

When defending a computer system (or when someone hacks a computer you own/programmed), add [Setback] [Setback] to opponent’s checks. If you have access during the intrusion, you are automatically aware.

Before healing strain at end of encounter, if strain is more than half threshold, heal 2 additional strain.

When you take this talent, your character gains Streetwise or Survival (your choice) as a career skill. In addition, once per session, your character may collect a small favor from any other disenfrancisto, even if they do not owe your character a favor.

Add [Boost] to melee combat checks while engaged with a single opponent; add [Setback] while engaged with three or more.

Reduce any Critical Injury result suffered by 10 per rank, to a minimum of 01.

Remove up to [Setback] [Setback] from checks to find food, water, or shelter; such checks take half the normal time.

When you take this talent, your character gains one Knowledge skill (of your choice) as a career skill. In addition, once per session, your character may collect a small favor from a member of an institute of higher learning, even if they do not owe your character a favor.

Each rank increases strain threshold by one.

Once per round, ranged combat check vs non-vehicle target: on success halve damage (before soak) and immobilize target until end of its next turn.

Once per round while driving or piloting a vehicle, your character may use this talent to increase or decrease its speed by 1, to a minimum of 0 or a maximum of the vehicle’s max speed.

The first time during an encounter that your character draws a Melee weapon, increase the weapon's damage by 2 for the remainder of the turn.

Once per round on your turn, stand from prone/seated as an incidental.

Select one skill (two additional skills each later purchase); remove [Setback] [Setback] from checks with those skills. Cannot select combat or magic skills.

Your character adds the Stun quality to their Brawl com - bat checks, with a rating equal to two plus your character’s ranks in Coordination (this does not stack with other instances of the Stun quality).

Once per session, when looking to purchase a legally available item, reduce rarity by 1 per rank of Know Somebody.

Once per round on your turn, mount or dismount a vehicle or animal, or move from one position to another on a vehicle, as an incidental.

If your character has access to the Network, they may use this talent to upgrade the ability of the next Knowledge check they make during their turn twice and the difficulty of that check once. Your GM must spend a [Despair] to have your character learn some seemingly relevant and believable information that turns out to be completely (and possibly maliciously) false.

When in wilderness, may make Simple Resilience check instead of Discipline or Cool to recover strain at end of encounter.

When hit by a melee combat check, suffer 3 strain to reduce damage by 2 plus ranks in Parry (to min 0). Must be wielding a Melee weapon.

When making a social skill check in polite/high society, may suffer strain up to ranks to add equal [Advantage].

Once per round on your turn, draw or holster an easily accessible weapon or item as an incidental.

If you have a cyberdeck, you can attack with it using the Computers (Hacking) skill (Quickhack action; opposed by the target's Computers (Sysops); requires LoS and a target Neuroport). You may forego dealing damage so the attack neither harms nor alerts the target (obvious effects and [Threat] spends can still reveal the intrusion).

Add [Boost] per rank to combat checks against targets that have not yet acted this encounter.

Suffer strain up to ranks to add equal [Success] to initiative checks.

When your character makes a Mechanics check to repair system strain or hull trauma on a vehicle, they repair one additional system strain or hull trauma per rank of Resourceful Mechanic.

Once per encounter, heal strain equal to ranks in Second Wind.

When your character disorients or knocks their target prone while making a Brawl combat check, they may use this talent to cause the target to suffer wounds equal to your character’s ranks in Skulduggery.

When making a Medicine check to help heal wounds, target heals 1 additional wound per rank of Surgeon.

Do not suffer usual penalties for moving through difficult terrain.

Each rank increases wound threshold by two.

When you take this talent, your character gains Melee or Skulduggery (your choice) as a career skill. In addition, once per session, your character may collect a small favor from a member of a single orgcrime group (chosen when you take this talent), even if they do not owe your character a favor.

When you take this talent, your character gains Athletics, Mechanics, or Operating (your choice) as a career skill. In addition, once per session, your character may collect a small favor from a member of Humanity Labor or Human First, even if they do not owe your character a favor.

Other characters add [Setback] to any checks made to find or identify you in a crowd.

When you take this talent, your character gains Ranged (Heavy) or Resilience as a career skill. In addition, once per session, your character may collect a small favor from a current or former member of a single country's military (chosen when you take this talent), even if they do not owe your character a favor.

When you take this talent, your character gains Perception or Ranged (Light) as a career skill. In addition, once per session, your character may collect a small favor from a current or former member of the NAPD or New Angeles city government, even if they do not owe your character a favor.

Your character may spend [Advantage] [Advantage] from a Coercion or Deception check to use this talent to upgrade the ability of a single ally’s subsequent social skill check a number of times equal to your character’s ranks in Bad Cop. The check must target the same character as your character’s initial check, and it must take place during the same encounter. Only one character may affect a check with this talent.

Once per encounter, until the end of the encounter or until incapacitated, add 1 [Success] and 2 [Advantage] to all melee combat checks. Opponents add 1 [Success] to combat checks targeting this character. While berserk, cannot make ranged combat checks. At the end of the encounter (or when incapacitated), suffer 6 strain.

Your character’s encumbrance threshold is 10 plus their Brawn, instead of 5 plus their Brawn. Your character reduces the Cumbersome rating of any weapon they carry by 1, to a minimum of 3.

When your character performs the activate program maneuver (page 132) in a hacking encounter, they can choose not to deactivate one other active icebreaker. They may have two icebreakers active at once.

Before making a Medicine check, your character may use this talent to add [Success] equal to their ranks in Combat Med - icine to the results. After the check is resolved, the target suffers 2 strain for each rank your character has in Com - bat Medicine.

Once per turn, choose allies up to ranks in Coordinated Assault within short range; each adds [Advantage] to next combat check this turn.

Once per session, make opposed Negotiation vs Discipline targeting one character within short range; on success they are disoriented for rounds equal to net [Success].

Before a Piloting check, may add [Threat] equal to ranks and also add [Success] equal to ranks.

Once per round, suffer strain up to ranks; upgrade difficulty of melee combat checks targeting you that many times until next turn.

Must have Defensive Sysops. When opponent fails to hack a system you are defending/own, they suffer strain equal to your Intellect; you may spend [Threat] [Threat] from their check to stagger them for one round.

You may spend a Story Point to use this talent to have your character heal system strain on a vehicle they are currently driving, piloting, or operating equal to their ranks in Driving, Piloting, or Operating (choose the skill used to direct the vehicle).

May decrease difficulty of next combined combat check (two-weapon fighting) by one.

Your character may spend [Advantage] [Advantage] from a Charm or Negotiation check to use this talent to upgrade the ability of a single ally’s subsequent social skill check a number of times equal to your character’s ranks in Good Cop. The check must target the same character as your character’s initial check, and it must take place during the same encounter. Only one character may affect a check with this talent.

Other characters add [Threat] to social skill checks targeting your character.

Allies within short range add [Boost] to Perception and Vigilance checks. Allies engaged add [Boost] [Boost].

When you make a Quickhack attack, you may spend [Advantage] [Advantage] (or the cost listed by your deck) to add the Knockdown quality to the attack.

Make an Average Leadership check; each [Success] one ally within short range heals 1 strain; may spend [Advantage] to heal 1 additional strain on one affected ally.

When constructing new items or modifying existing ones, add [Boost] per rank of Inventor to checks.

When dealing damage with a combat check, spend one Story Point to add damage equal to ranks in the combat skill used.

When your character successfully traces another charac - ter during a Network encounter, your character gains one additional trace.

When you make a Quickhack attack, you may spend [Advantage] [Advantage] so attacks against the target gain Accurate 2 for 2 rounds (systems glitch open; allies land easier hits).

When you make a Quickhack attack, you may spend [Advantage] [Advantage] to add the Burn 3 quality to the attack.

Once per round, your character may suffer 1 strain to use this talent and move to any location within short range. This includes locations that are vertically distant or have no easy access route, but there must be an object to move across or path to move along. Your GM may rule some locations cannot be reached (such as ones behind locked doors or walls).

If your character knows an opponent’s Flaw or Fear motivation, when your character inflicts strain on that opponent using a social skill, the opponent suffers 3 additional strain.

You may spend a Story Point to use this talent to have your character temporarily repair one damaged item they are engaged with. For a number of rounds equal to your character's ranks in Mechanics, the item may be used without penalty (see page 89 of the GeneSyS Core Rulebook), even if it is unusable. When the effect ends, the item is damaged one additional step; if it was already suffering from major damage, it is destroyed and cannot be repaired.

Make Average Coercion check; each [Success] one enemy within short range suffers 1 strain; spend [Advantage] to inflict 1 additional strain on one affected.

When you make a Quickhack attack, you may spend [Advantage] [Advantage] to add the Concussive 1 quality to the attack.

Once per round, suffer strain up to ranks; upgrade difficulty of ranged combat checks targeting you that many times until next turn.

When you make a Quickhack attack, you may spend [Advantage] [Advantage] to add the Disorient 3 quality to the attack.

Your character does not treat any Ranged (Heavy) weapons as restricted (R). This also means your character can carry a Ranged (Heavy) weapon that normally would be restricted in public without being arrested. However, they can still be arrested for using such a weapon in an unlawful manner.

When performing a combat check with a Ranged (Heavy) weapon, if your character did not perform a maneuver to ready or stow a weapon or item during this turn, they add [Advantage] to the results.

When performing a combat check with a Ranged (Light) weapon, if your character has nothing in their other hand, they add [Advantage] to the results.

Once per session, you may spend one Story Point to use this talent to let your character learn if a character of your choice is in New Angeles, and if so, what district. At your GM’s discretion, the information may take up to an hour to come back to your character.

Gain a beast or drone companion (silhouette limited by ranks). Companion acts on your turn. In SotB, typically used for drones.

Your character may use this talent before making a check to use any knowledge skill and Intellect instead of the skill and characteristic the check would normally require. Your character may use this talent a number of times per session equal to their ranks in Applied Research. When your character uses this talent, you should explain how their mastery of knowledge lets them accomplish this task. In addition, your GM may rule that a particular knowledge skill makes the most sense in a given situation, and require your character to use that specific knowl - edge skill.

Your character may use this talent to become disoriented for the remainder of the encounter. At the beginning of each of your character’s turns, if they are still disoriented due to this talent, they heal 2 strain.

When piloting a vehicle and hit by a combat check, suffer 3 system strain to reduce damage by 2 plus ranks in Piloting.

Once per round, your character may suffer a number of strain no greater than their ranks in Body Guard to use this talent. Choose one ally engaged with your character, until the end of your character's next turn, upgrade the difficulty of all combat checks targeting that ally a number of times equal to the strain suffered.

When you make a Quickhack attack, you may spend [Advantage] [Advantage] to add the Blast quality. Blast damage equals this Quickhack's damage (base + [Success], if you applied damage). Decks with Contagion +1 grant or improve this effect per quality notes.

Before a Computers (Hacking) check, may add [Success] [Success] [Threat] [Threat]. [Threat] [Threat] may identify your style (SotB Net table).

When targeted by a combat check, suffer strain up to ranks to upgrade difficulty of the check that many times.

Once per session, you may spend a Story Point to use this talent after your character suffers a Critical Injury but before the result is rolled. Their opponent must roll two results, and you select which applies to your character.

Ignore penalties for long/extreme range due to distance when making Ranged combat checks (see Core).

Make Average Leadership check; each [Success] one ally may immediately suffer 1 strain to perform one maneuver.

When an opponent auto-fires, spend [Triumph] from their check to cause them to run out of ammo.

Make Hard Piloting check to increase a vehicle’s top speed by 1 for rounds equal to Cunning.

When using a weapon with Blast, may spend [Advantage] to ignore the effects of cover when resolving Blast.

When your character makes a check to recover from strain at the end of an encounter (as described on page 117 of the GeneSyS Core Rulebook), your character may make a Simple (–) Resilience check instead of Discipline or Cool. If your character does so, they heal 1 strain per [Success] and 1 wound per [Advantage].

When targeted by a social skill check or fear effect, spend one Story Point to ignore effects of the check.

Before performing a combat check using a weapon with the Auto-fire quality, your character may use this talent to use the Auto-fire quality without increasing the difficulty of the combat check. If they do so, each time they trigger an additional hit during the attack, they suffer 2 strain.

When your character is targeted by a social skill check they may use this talent to spend [Threat] [Threat] [Threat] or [Despair] to reduce any strain the check inflicts by a number equal to their ranks in Charm. If they do so, the character who targeted them suffers an amount of strain equal to the amount of strain reduced.

When you make a Quickhack attack, you may spend [Advantage] [Advantage] to create a small sensory illusion that forces the target to perform a Movement maneuver (direction chosen by you, within reason; GM vetoes impossible paths).

While armed with a Melee weapon, your character may use this talent to make an Average ( ◆ ◆) Melee check. If successful, your character may force one engaged target to either drop one weapon they are holding or move up to one range band in a direction of your choosing. If your character forces a named rival or nemesis into dangerous terrain (or off a ledge or cliff) using this talent, your GM can spend a Story Point to allow them to catch themselves at the edge and fall prone instead.

When you make a Quickhack attack, you may spend [Advantage] [Advantage] so the target forgets one failed check they made against you (or your allies) in the previous round (GM adjudicating what is forgotten in scene terms).

Once per session, reroll any one skill check.

While accessing a system using a brain-machine interface (BMI), your character may use this talent to make an opposed Computers (Hacking) versus Computers (Sysops) check tar - geting one other character on the system that they are aware of. The target suffers 1 strain per [Success], and if they are using a BMI, they also suffer 1 wound per [Success].

At the start of your character’s turn, you may spend one Story Point to use this talent to allow your character to perform a move maneuver as an incidental. (This does not count against the limit of two maneuvers per turn.) If you use this talent, your character can only perform one addi - tional move maneuver during this turn.

When a character uses a painkiller (or slap-patch per setting), they heal 1 additional wound per rank.

Must have Parry. When you Parry a hit that generated [Despair] or [Threat] [Threat] [Threat], after attack resolves you may hit the attacker once with the parrying weapon dealing base damage.

Must have Scathing Tirade. Affected targets are also disoriented for the remainder of the encounter.

When you make a Quickhack attack, you may spend [Advantage] [Advantage] to add Ensnare 3. Breaking free is opposed with Discipline instead of Athletics.

Once per session, your character may use this talent to make a Hard ( ◆ ◆ ◆) Computers (Sysops) check. If they succeed, once before the end of the encounter, you may spend a Story Point to force one character in the encounter to make a Daunting ( ◆ ◆ ◆ ◆) Vigilance check as an incidental. If they fail, they are staggered until the end of their next turn, plus one additional turn per [Threat] [Threat].

If your character does not make a combat check during their turn, they use this talent to target one character (or minion group) within long range. That character must upgrade the difficulty of any ranged combat checks they make once until the end of your character’s next turn. Your charac - ter may choose to affect one additional character for each additional rank of Suppressing Fire. Your character must be holding a ranged weapon to use this talent. Your GM can also rule that your character can’t use this talent if they have no line of fire or range to the target.

Your character may use this talent to make an opposed Brawl versus Resilience check targeting one engaged opponent. If the check succeeds, the target is knocked prone and is immobilized until the end of your character’s next turn. If the target is a minion or rival, your character can spend [Triumph] to incapacitate (but not kill) the target instead.

Your character must have purchased the Undercity Contacts talent to benefit from this talent. When you use Under - city Contacts, you may choose to spend two Story Points instead of one. If you do, your character learns the target's specific location.

Once per session, you may spend two Story Points to use this talent to have one NPC in the current encounter owe your character a favor. If the favor is not resolved by the end of the encounter, it is forgotten. It’s up to you and your GM to determine exactly why the NPC owes your character a favor.

After making a successful break ice action, your character may suffer 3 strain to use this talent. If they do, they may perform a second override ice action on the same system as an incidental.

Make Hard Charm or Deception check targeting all enemies within short range; on success they cannot attack you until end of your next turn (combat/other actions may break).

When you make a Quickhack attack, you may spend [Advantage] [Advantage] to add the Sunder quality, but only against cyberware items the target has equipped or installed.

After a successful ranged combat check, spend [Triumph] to change the Critical Injury result to any legal result of your choice.

Each rank increases melee and ranged defense by 1.

Increase defense of vehicle you pilot by 1 per rank.

Once per session, your character may use this talent to make a Hard ( ◆ ◆ ◆) Perception check while present at a crime scene. If they succeed, they identify all prominent physical characteristics of one person who was at the crime scene when the crime was committed (as long as the crime was committed in the past 48 hours). This could include a person's height, weight, body type, clothing, and if they are human or not. Your character may identify all the physi - cal characteristics of one additional person present at the crime scene per additional [Success].

Each rank increases soak by 1.

Must have Field Commander. On success, one ally may spend 1 strain to perform an action instead of a maneuver.

Once per session, make Hard Mechanics check to restore one damaged item to full function until end of encounter.

Must have Inspiring Rhetoric. Affected allies also add [Boost] to their next skill check.

Must have Inspiring Rhetoric (Improved). Suffer 1 strain to use Inspiring Rhetoric as a maneuver instead of an action.

While driving or piloting a vehicle, your character may use this talent to select one other vehicle within medium range and make an opposed Driving or Piloting versus Driving or Piloting check (depending on whether your character and their opponent pilot are using Driving or Piloting to control their vehicle) targeting the other vehicle’s driver or pilot. If successful, roll twice on Table III.2–19: Critical Hit Result , on page 230 of the GeneSyS Core Rulebook. Choose one Critical Hit result to apply to your character’s vehicle, and the other to apply to the other vehicle. You may spend [Triumph] to add +20 to one Criti - cal Hit result. Your GM may spend [Despair] to add +20 to both Critical Hit results.

While using cybernetics/powered armor, make Hard Resilience check; on success increase one cybernetic’s benefits (see Core) until end of encounter; [Despair]/[Threat] may damage cybernetics.

When you make a Quickhack attack, you may spend [Advantage] [Advantage] so the target may ignore the ongoing effect of one Critical Injury at the cost of 1 strain at the start of each of their turns while the override lasts (ends when they stop paying strain or the encounter ends).

Your character must have purchased the Parkour! talent to benefit from this talent. Once per round, when using the Parkour! talent, your character may suffer 4 strain instead of 1 strain to move to any location within medium range instead of within short range. All other restrictions of Parkour! apply to this movement.

Once per encounter, after another character makes a social skill check, your character may use this talent to make an Average ( ◆ ◆) Vigilance check. If successful, you may add a number of [Success] or [Advantage] (your choice) equal to your charac - ter’s ranks in Charm to the other character’s check. If your character fails, your character suffers 3 strain. ANIMAL COMPANION? Although the name of the talent on page 77 of the GeneSyS Core Rulebook is "Animal Companion," the description does note that the companion could just as easily be a drone. In Shadow of the BeanStalk, this talent should be used to operate drones (but can still be used with a pet animal with your GM's permission).

Must have Scathing Tirade (Improved). Suffer 1 strain to use Scathing Tirade as a maneuver.

When you make a Quickhack attack, you may spend [Advantage] [Advantage] to add the Stun 2 quality.

When your character is targeted by a combat check while in an urban environment, you may spend one Story Point to use this talent before the dice pool is rolled. If you do so, your character's opponent removes all ■ added to the check, and instead adds an equal number of [Failure] to the results.

Your character must have purchased the You Owe Me One talent to benefit from this talent. Once per session, you may spend two Story Points to use You Owe Me One to have one NPC in the current encounter owe your character a big favor instead of a favor. If the big favor is not resolved by the end of the encounter, it is forgotten.

Each rank increases one characteristic by 1 (max 5). Separate characteristics per rank.

Your character may control two drones or minion groups of drones no larger than your character's Willpower (either via the rules found on page 233 or via the Animal Com - panion talent, found on page 77 of the GeneSyS Core Rulebook). Your character resolves each drone’s (or minion group's) turn individually, choosing the order in which they activate.

When you make a Quickhack attack, you may spend [Advantage] [Advantage] to change one detail in the target's memory. Resolve Computers (Hacking) opposed by their Discipline for the rewrite (or let the original Quickhack check cover both if the GM agrees).

As long as they have some sort of access point to the Net - work, your character may use this talent to make a Hard ( ◆ ◆ ◆) Computers (Hacking) check. If they succeed, they may select one drone, vehicle, or piece of equipment involved in the current encounter and dictate its actions until the start of your character’s next turn. Alternatively, your character can select someone with cybernetic implants or who is wearing powered armor or an exosuit and manipulate it until the beginning of your character’s next turn. This must be approved by your GM but could include shutting off cybereyes, directing the movements of cyberlimbs, or causing an exosuit to eject its occupant. Your character may spend [Advantage] [Advantage] [Advantage] on the check to extend the effects for one additional round, or t

Once per encounter, when you would be incapacitated by exceeding wound/strain threshold, spend one Story Point to ignore that and stay at threshold instead.

Once per round, suffer 2 strain to decrease difficulty of next check with a chosen skill by 1.

Once per session, your character may use this talent to make a Hard ( ◆ ◆ ◆) Discipline check . If they succeed, they reveal that whatever terrible circumstances they cur - rently find themselves in are all part of a brilliant plan that they established at an earlier point. They then choose one non-nemesis adversary in the encounter and reveal them to be a close friend or ally who has positioned themselves to help your character at this exact moment. The details of which character turns out to be an ally depend on the type of encounter and your GM’s approval. However, the ally could also have done their work before - hand, such as loading a squadron of drones with blank ammunition, shutting down power to a security system, or planting a tracer in an opponent’s vehicle.

Must have Overcharge. May use Overcharge as a maneuver; also improve benefits further per Core.

When you make a Quickhack attack, you may spend [Advantage] [Advantage] to take control of the target's actions and maneuvers on its next turn (you choose what it does within the limits of its body and the scene; body-jacking is rarely subtle).

Make Hard Charm or Coercion check targeting one character within medium range; on success target suffers wounds equal to strain suffered from the check (social damage becomes physical).

When you make a Quickhack attack, you may spend [Advantage] [Advantage] so the target falls unconscious. At the start of each of their turns they may attempt Discipline opposed by your Computers (Hacking) to regain consciousness. Anyone may wake them with an action or by dealing them damage.

When making a combat check with a laser or maser weapon, your character may use this talent to spend [Advantage] to inflict one additional hit with this weapon, dealing base damage plus damage equal to the total number of [Success] scored on the check. This hit may target the original target or another target within short range of the original target.

Once per session your character may make an Average ( ◆ ◆) Knowledge (Net) check during a Network encounter. If you succeed, your character knows the names, strengths, and other qualities of all ice (active or deactivated) on one system that you currently have access to, as well as all other characters (sysops and runners) that cur - rently are accessing that system. Your character may spend [Advantage] [Advantage] [Advantage] or [Triumph] from this check (whether or not they succeeded) to add [Success] to all Computer checks involving that system that they make for the remainder of the encounter.

• Genesys Core prices gear (weapons, armor, kits) and repair parts. It does not list living expenses, hired labor, or professional fees.
• Core buying is: list price + rarity check (Negotiation for legal, Streetwise for black market). Haggling is a social check, not a second price table.
• When the party hires a person — a street doc, a driver, a lawyer, a runner — use SotB favors (below). Paying cash is just “they refused a favor and want the credit-band instead.”

• A favor is any service one character does for another that matters enough to remember. Watching a dog, cracking a PAD, hiding a clone, calling off a patrol.
• Equal trade is free: “you do this for me, I do something of the same size for you.” No check if both agree.
• Track only important favors. Skip coffee and tube-lev fares. Suggested cap: each PC owes + is owed no more than six favors at once.
• The GM may always say an NPC wants cash (or something else) instead of an IOU.
• Faction write-ups have their own example favors. Those override the generic table when they clash (a street gang may treat a killing as regular, not big).

Little time, little risk, cheap stuff.

• Watch pets or dependents for a day.
• Give someone an item worth ₡100 or less.
• Loan a vehicle for a couple of hours.
• Give a ride anywhere in New Angeles.
• Help clean an apartment / loan tools.

If they want cash: Book yardstick: give someone an item worth ₡100 or less (Table 2–1). Not a printed service menu.

Real work, real risk, or a few days of someone’s life.

• Watch dependents for several days to a week.
• Give someone an item worth ₡1,000 or less.
• Loan a vehicle for a few days.
• Give a ride to somewhere in North or South America.
• Loan a legal weapon.
• Save someone from a bar fight.

If they want cash: Book yardstick: give someone an item worth ₡1,000 or less (Table 2–1). Not a printed service menu.

People remember this for years. Danger, crime, or a life.

• Watch dependents and agree to defend them against real danger.
• Give someone an item worth over ₡1,000.
• Loan a vehicle knowing it may never come back (or may be wrecked).
• Give a ride to anywhere on Earth.
• Loan an illegal weapon.
• Save someone’s life.
• Kill a person for someone else.

If they want cash: Book yardstick: give someone an item worth over ₡1,000 (Table 2–1). Not a printed service menu.

• Equal size, both willing: no check. Mark the old IOU paid and (if they asked for something new) write the new one.
• Trading up (you are owed small, you ask for regular or big): opposed Charm vs their Cool. Success = they do the bigger thing and the debt is paid. Failure = they refuse; they still owe the original size.
• Stringing them along (you are owed big, you take a smaller favor and want them to still owe the big one): opposed Coercion vs their Discipline. Success = they do the small thing and still owe the original. Failure = the small thing pays the whole debt.
• On a failed unequal trade, the GM may spend 4 Threat or 1 Despair to have the target get angry and wipe the debt entirely.
• Tiny favors (coffee, a day-pass): do not track. If a player keeps dunning people for those, the GM may add Setback to later checks with that person.

• Optional. Pick one faction. You owe them one uncollected favor (GM names who). That is a plot hook, not a second debt tracker.
• Small favor owed → start with +₡100 of gear.
• Regular favor owed → +₡500 of gear or +10 starting XP.
• Big favor owed → +₡1,500 of gear or +20 starting XP.
• You only take one of these at chargen. More favors happen in play.

• Belonging to a faction is narrative (cop → NAPD, lab tech → Jinteki). No extra XP cost.
• Once per session, spend a Story Point: someone in your faction does a small or regular favor for you.
• Once per session, the GM may spend a Story Point: someone in your faction asks you for a small or regular favor, due by the end of the session.
• Refuse too often and you get cut off — fired, blacklisted, jumped. GM call.

• Ask two questions: (1) How big is the job on Table 2–1? (2) Will they take a favor, or do they want credits?
• If they take a favor, that is the price. If they want cash, the GM names a number — the book does not print a cab / clinic / lawyer menu. Table 2–1’s ₡100 / ₡1,000 lines are “give someone an item worth…”, not labor rates. Haggling a named cash price is Negotiation (or Streetwise if it is illegal).
• Repairing an item the PCs already own is not a favor — use Core repair (25% / 50% / 100% of list for minor / moderate / major). A hired mechanic doing that job is still that cash, or a regular favor if you skip the invoice.

• Core never prints living expenses or professional fees. SotB never prints a cab / clinic / lawyer price list. Table 2–1’s ₡100 / ₡1,000 / over ₡1,000 lines are “give someone an item worth…” — size examples, not a shop menu.
• The bodega owner trading food for runner software is the book’s example of equal-favor trade (no check).
• Paying list price for a catalog item is still just buying gear — rarity and (R) rules on the Gear page. Favors start when a person does work.

• These rules sit on Genesys structured play (Core p.95): rounds, turns, actions, maneuvers. You can also drop a simple run into narrative time.
• If the runner is jacked in while the others shoot or talk, keep one Initiative order (Core p.96). The runner spends their turn on Network actions and maneuvers; everyone else drives, shoots, or talks.
• Anyone trying to break into a system is a runner. Anyone actively protecting it is a sysop. The encounter is a run.
• You need a link (usually wireless; some hosts are cable- or terminal-only) and a computer (PAD, portable rig, or big rig). A BMI is not a computer — it plugs into one.
• There is no printed “Jack Out” action. You stop taking Network actions. Lockout boots you. Strain, wounds, and dump-shock are the fail lines on ice (especially code gates and black sentries), not a separate Resilience check unless that ice says so.

• The runner’s goal is to access a system and tell it to do something: a door, a building’s seccams, a corp intranet, a hopper, a fridge.
• A system is whatever the GM says it is, with a difficulty from Table 3–1 (innate security). That check is Access System.
• A sub-system is one job on that host (cameras, alarms, one account, the self-destruct). Sub-systems have no extra access difficulty. Ice may sit on them. You “move” between them with Attempt Access.
• After a successful Access System you know which sub-systems exist. The GM may hide some (the book’s example: a self-destruct that just looks like “heavily iced, unknown”).
• You are not walking. Attention jumps at the speed of thought. Attempt Access is an incidental (the Network version of Move). It does not do the job — Enact Command does, even for “just read this file.”

That difficulty is the host’s innate security. Ice on a sub-system is a separate Average Break Ice check, not a harder Access.

• A character needs a link to the system. In SotB that is usually a wireless receiver.
• Some systems have no wireless and only take a cable, a plug, or a terminal in a secure room. All systems have some way in.
• A Reader (ID/cred) can serve as a link into a system. Smartspecs are a HUD, not a computer.

• A computer can be partitioned into as many sub-systems as you want. Each piece of ice protects one sub-system (Great Wall is the printed exception: up to three).
• What a fridge or door can actually do is limited by its hardware. Access is not god-mode — see Limits to a run (SotB p.125).
• Damaged programs and systems use Core Table I.5–4 (item maintenance). The penalty hits every check on that host (override, trace, lockout). Repair is Computers (Sysops), not Mechanics.

• A BMI (or skulljack / spinal modem) is not a computer. Plug it into a PAD or rig.
• Go deep or go shallow as a maneuver. While deep you may only take Network actions and maneuvers (no real-world ones). You may take a second Network maneuver each turn without spending strain.
• While linked, Knowledge skills get +1 (cyber skill cap still applies). Spinal modem never disconnects — always traceable / targetable.
• Activate the icebreaker before you Attempt Access. Encountering ice forces Break Ice immediately; you cannot Activate Program at that moment unless a talent makes it an incidental.

Once you have a direct link, this is the way in. Difficulty is the host’s innate security (Table 3–1), not the ice sitting on a sub-system.

Average Computers (Hacking). If the check succeeds, override strength = leftover Success + the active icebreaker’s strength (if that breaker affects this ice type). That total must exceed the ice’s program strength. Ice stays down until the end of your next turn unless Table 3–2 says longer.

There is no runner “Analyze Ice” action. When you encounter ice you automatically learn its name, strength, and type (SotB p.128) before you must Break Ice. A sysop who does not yet know there is an intruder uses Sweep.

Knowing someone is in the system is not enough. Trace User is how you learn where the run is coming from. Each success is one trace (see Table 3–3). Max four traces — further traces do not add information or further reduce Lockout.

Once you know the runner is there, you can give them the boot. Traces make this much easier.

Sow destruction. Systems are robust and often self-repairing, so this is hard. A sysop who has already located the runner with Trace User can point this at the runner’s own computer.

This is how you do the job after you are in: loop footage, open doors, download data, reset a drone’s targeting. One command per maneuver. If the job is too complex, the GM may require two or more Enact Command maneuvers. You can only do this after a successful Access System, and only on a sub-system you currently reach (ice already broken or none). No check — Table 3–2 Quick Commands can grant an extra one as an incidental.

Activate or reactivate ice and icebreakers, plus programs that are neither. Think of it as drawing and readying a weapon; in cyberspace the weapons are ice and icebreakers. If a sysop brings ice back up, the runner cannot reach those sub-systems until they break it again. If a runner activates an icebreaker, all of their other icebreakers deactivate. One icebreaker active at a time.

Printed on the BMI (SotB p.98) and skulljack, not in the action list. Go deep as a maneuver: until you go shallow, only Network actions and maneuvers, and a second Network maneuver each turn without spending strain. Activate the breaker first — encountering ice eats your action.

Barrier. Electronic wall. Strong and efficient. Failure usually just blocks the sub-system. Typical examples: Ice Wall, Fire Wall, Great Wall, Hadrian’s Wall, Heimdall 1.0.

Sentry. Does not keep you out by itself. Spots you and alerts a sysop; some destroy software or attack the runner / BMI. Typical: Sentinel, Hawk’s Eye, Archer, Shinobi, Janus 1.0.

Code Gate. Auth / puzzle ice. Failure often boots you from the whole system (you must Access System again). Typical: Authenticator, Enigma.

• Before you hit it, you know a portion is protected and that ice is there. You do not know what the ice is unless you have met it before or spent Triumph (Scouting Ahead) to learn it.
• Choose one protected portion and Attempt Access. You only encounter ice if you can spend the Break Ice action this turn — otherwise wait.
• 1. You learn the ice’s identity, strength, and type.
• 2. You must immediately Break Ice. You cannot Activate Program now (unless a talent makes it an incidental). Active icebreakers still apply.
• 3. If override strength exceeds the ice’s program strength, the ice deactivates until the end of your next turn. Some ice has extra “when broken” rules.
• 4. If strength is equal or less (or the check fails), the ice stays up and its fail line fires.
• 5. The encounter is over. Many pieces of ice block the sub-system; some only hurt you. If nothing is blocking, you now have that portion and may Enact Command.
• Most of the time you cannot back out. Once you decide to encounter ice, you break it or you take the hit (SotB p.132).

• Some partitions have stacked ice. Encounter one piece at a time, in the order the GM mapped.
• Overridden ice typically stays down until the end of your next turn. Two layers: break the first this turn, wait, Attempt Access again next turn, break the second, and you usually still get at least one Enact Command before the first wall comes back up.
• Talents that let you Break Ice more than once in a turn are extremely valuable. Teams of runners can split the work: one breaks, another Enacts.
• Great Wall (and similar) can sit in front of several sub-systems. You encounter it from either side; once it is down you can reach any of those sub-systems until it reactivates.

• Override strength must exceed ice program strength (after a successful Average Computers (Hacking) check). Equal is not enough.
• One active icebreaker adds its override strength if it can affect that ice type. Wrong type = no bonus.
• Threat / Despair on ice often traces, damages icebreakers, deals strain / wounds, or escalates — see each program.
• Damaged programs use the gear damage track. Repair with Computers (Sysops), not Mechanics.

• Spot. Sweep if you do not know anyone is there. Sentry ice and Major Alert (3 Threat on the runner) also tell you.
• Trace. Opposed Sysops vs Hacking. Stack traces (Table 3–3) so Lockout becomes possible and you learn where they sit in the real world.
• Boot. Lockout. Formidable, −1 per trace, minimum Easy. They can come back; disguise the sig or eat +2 on Access.
• Punish (optional). After a trace: Burn their rig, send NAPD / prisec to the address, or invade their personal system. BMI users can take that damage in the brain.
• Harden. Activate Program to bring ice back up. Some ice has its own maneuvers (Hadrian’s Wall: sysop maneuver to raise strength to 10 until end of next turn).

• A sysop can successfully trace a user up to four times. Additional traces do not reveal more and do not further reduce Lockout.
• Traces also come from ice (Hawk’s Eye fail / Threat) and from Table 3–2: sysop 3 Advantage or Triumph “Successful Trace,” or runner Despair “Successful Trace.”
• Blurred Sig (runner Triumph) cancels one successful trace. Cover Tracks (2 Advantage) adds Setback to the sysop’s next Trace User this encounter. I Know You! (2 Threat on the runner) makes the next successful Trace User count as one extra trace.
• Wrong Person (sysop Despair) does not cancel the trace. One crucial identity detail is wrong, so a smash-the-door team hits the wrong apartment.

• The book’s Haas Arcology security server (SotB p.127) is the worked map.
• 1. Access System — here a Hard Computers (Hacking) check — to get onto the security server.
• 2. You now see sub-systems (doors, 24-hour footage, …) and that they are iced, but not which ice.
• 3. Some sub-systems have no ice (emergency lights). Attempt Access, then Enact Command — lights on or off.
• 4. Iced sub-systems: Attempt Access encounters the ice; Break Ice (with an active icebreaker if you have one).
• 5. Stacked ice: break the first (it stays down until the end of your next turn), wait a turn, Attempt Access again, break the next.
• 6. One ice (Great Wall) can sit in front of several sub-systems. Disable it and both are open until it comes back.
• 7. The GM can hide a sub-system’s purpose (Lab A-08.b self-destruct) and only say “unknown, two layers of ice.”

• Use this when the runner needs one job during someone else’s scene: hijack a cargo hopper, trip a fire alarm, kill one seccam, unlock one door. Aim for one turn of structured play, or one to five minutes of narrative time.
• 1. Name the single task.
• 2. Set difficulty from Table 3–1 (closest system).
• 3. If a human sysop is watching, upgrade difficulty once (twice if they are really good).
• 4. Add Setback for each piece of ice on the system. Add Boost for every icebreaker the runner has access to.
• 5. One Computers (Hacking) check. Success = the task. Failure = not. Spend leftover Advantage / Threat from Table 3–2, simplified if you want (Despair can just mean the sysop knows who and where).
• In structured play this costs a maneuver to access the system and an action for the check.

• Pick the system from Table 3–1. Decide what it actually does and which commands the PCs will want.
• Map sub-systems. Put ice on the important ones. Stack ice on the prize. Hide a sub-system if it is a secret.
• Decide whether a flesh-and-blood sysop is on duty. If they are, they Sweep, Trace, Lockout, and Activate ice on their turns.
• Keep the rest of the party on the same Initiative if they are kicking the door in parallel.

• Keep runs paced: one key system goal per scene unless the mission is a pure netrun.
• Pair digital stakes with physical security (guards, cameras, the runner’s body in a coffin hotel). Traces exist so the meat-world can answer.
• Full ICE and icebreaker lists are on this page and under Equipment → Network software.
• Advantage / Threat spends during runs: Rules → Roll spends → Network (SotB Table 3–2).
• Quickhacking (house rules) is a separate LoS Neuroport attack — see Rules → Quickhacking. It does not break ICE or replace Access System / Break Ice.

Effects: On fail: sysops notified; one of the runner’s icebreakers is destroyed. Archer deactivates until end of runner’s next turn.

Rules: Threat Threat Threat: damage one icebreaker two steps. Despair: destroy one icebreaker instead.

Effects: On fail: lose access to entire system; must Access System again.

Rules: None.

Effects: On fail: lose access to entire system; must Access System again.

Rules: Before breaking, runner must spend a maneuver studying it.

Effects: On fail to break: cannot access the protected sub-system (no further effects).

Rules: None.

Effects: On fail: cannot access protected sub-system(s).

Rules: Up to three sub-systems may be protected by this ice.

Effects: On fail: cannot access the protected sub-system.

Rules: Sysop may spend a maneuver to reinforce: strength becomes 10 until end of sysop’s next turn.

Effects: On fail: sysops notified; provides one successful trace to sysops this encounter. Deactivates until end of runner’s next turn.

Rules: Threat Threat: also provides one successful trace.

Effects: On fail: cannot access the protected sub-system.

Rules: Runner may spend a maneuver to interact: reduce strength by 1 until end of next round. Add Threat per previous encounter with Heimdall this encounter.

Effects: On fail: cannot access the protected sub-system.

Rules: None. Common base for custom ice.

Effects: On fail: destroy the runner’s rig/computer system (kick out). If on BMI: automatic Head Ringer Critical (escalates if already suffering prior Janus crits — see SotB).

Rules: Each Threat: 2 strain (or 1 strain + 1 wound on BMI).

Effects: On fail: suffer 2 strain. Deactivates until end of runner’s next turn.

Rules: Annoying spam / marketing compulsion (narrative).

Effects: On fail: sysops notified. Deactivates until end of runner’s next turn.

Rules: None.

Effects: On fail: runner suffers 6 strain; one icebreaker damaged one step. Shinobi moves to protect a different sub-system if able.

Rules: Each Threat: 2 strain.

Effects: On fail: lose access to entire system; must Access System again.

Rules: On fail: add Failure Failure to further attempts against this ice until end of encounter.

Effects: On fail: lose access to entire system; must Access System again.

Rules: May pay a fee (usually 5–50 credits) to automatically succeed on the break check.

Effects: On fail: lose access to entire system; must Access System again.

Rules: Each Threat: 1 strain (or 1 wound on BMI).

While active, may spend Advantage Advantage to identify one unidentified ice on the system. Too large for a PAD — host on a rig or larger.

None. Classic brute-force barrier breaker.

While active, spend Advantage Advantage from a break-ice check to reduce that ice’s strength by 1 (min 1) until end of encounter.

After using Crypsis to break ice, must spend a maneuver or Crypsis is damaged one step. Too large for a PAD — rig or larger only.

After attempting to break ice with Faerie, it deactivates and may not be used again this encounter.

Once per encounter: spend a Story Point to succeed without a check. Once per encounter: GM may spend a Story Point to add Despair to the check.

Straightforward sentry choke / logic puzzles (see SotB).

While active, spend Advantage Advantage to raise override strength to 4 until end of following turn.

When a runner uses Remora to break sentries or code gates, the runner may spend Advantage Advantage Advantage or Triumph to avoid suffering any of the effects from failing to override the ice. (This does not apply to anything that might happen due to the ice’s additional rules.)

When Sagittarius A* successfully overrides ice, it destroys that ice. When used to break ice, the runner must spend Advantage or Triumph to destroy another piece of active ice on the system, and the GM must spend Threat or Despair to destroy one other icebreaker on the runner’s rig. If no other active ice remains, the runner must spend Advantage or Triumph to destroy the system instead (ends the Network encounter; catastrophic side effects per GM).

After successfully breaking a piece of ice, the runner may spend Advantage to stop that ice from being reactivated for the remainder of the encounter.

While Yog.0 is active, after making a break-ice check the runner may spend Advantage Advantage Advantage or Triumph to override the targeted code gate (even if override strength does not exceed program strength).

• Quickhacking is a short-range, LoS neural attack against a target’s Neuroport — not a full Network run against a system.
• Standard Network intrusion (Access System, Break Ice, Enact Command) still uses SotB rules and icebreakers.
• Any computer used as a quickhack tool is called a Cyberdeck here (PAD, portable rig, PC, or implant chip).

• Target has a Neuroport (or equivalent neural interface). Other computer attacks use standard hacking / Network rules.
• Attacker has a Cyberdeck (handheld or implanted).
• Attacker has the Tier 1 talent Quickhack.
• Attacker has Line of Sight (LoS) to the target.
• Implanted cyberdecks require the Cyberdeck Port option on the user’s Neuroport (₡500).

• Action: Quickhack — opposed Computers (Hacking) vs the target’s Computers (Sysops).
• Cyberdecks have combat profiles like weapons (damage, Crit, range, qualities). On a successful attack, add uncanceled Success to base damage as usual.
• Advantage may activate the spends table below and/or Quickhack talent effects. Unless a talent lists another cost, talent effects cost Advantage Advantage (2) to activate.
• Cyberdeck damage is optional (attacker chooses). If they apply damage, the target is aware of the attack. If they forego damage, the target only notices via Threat spends or if the effect is obvious (e.g. Burst into flames, body control).
• Once the target knows they are being hacked, they may identify the attacker as a Maneuver (no check) unless Cover Tracks or similar hid the source.

• RAM Recovery (RR X): spend X Advantage to recover 1 strain (default X = 2 if unrated).
• Stealth: when the attacker quickhacks without alerting the target, add Boost to the check.
• Buffer X: effects with duration (e.g. Burn) last +X rounds.
• Firewall X: attackers targeting this user add Setback per rating to their checks against this user.
• Quality “+1” (e.g. Contagion +1): either grants that named talent effect at rating 1 if the attack lacks it, or increases an existing matching talent/effect by +1.
• If a cyberdeck lists a talent name with a number, it contributes that many free Advantage toward activating that talent’s effect.

Full tables under Dice & Checks → Roll spends → Quickhacking.

• Keep Quickhacks as combat-tempo neural tricks; long datasteals still belong on the Network with ICE.
• Not every NPC needs a strong Sysops pool — many civilians are soft targets once you have LoS and a deck.
• Obvious effects (Puppet, System Reset, Overheat) burn stealth even if the attacker foregoes damage.
• Cleaning a Permanent Back Door is a good Computers (Sysops) / specialist downtime beat.