New Inhabit Arts

by

agzaiM werdnA





War Driving (Basic Ability)

Over the past decade, the prevelance of wireless networks has become astounding. In any major city's downtown, you're more likely to be inside a computer network than not. Just standing there, on the street, billions of bytes can be wizzing past you're head through the open airwaves. All you need to access them is a wireless card in your labtop or PC.

So naturally it wasn't long before hackers among the Quick developed ways of exploiting these networks. And a couple of them were paying too much attention to the computers in their hands than the automobiles headed their way. Hence, War Driving was born.

With this ability, the Artificer is able to locate a wireless network. It appears to them as a very faint aura, often oozing out of a building like a giant ameba.

System: The player who wishes to use War Driving rolls Perception + Inhabit (difficulty is the Shroud rating). Scoring successes doesn't necessarily mean the Wraith will find a wireless network, but failing guarantees they won't. The judgment of whether there are networks up and running in the Wraith's area is left up to the Storyteller.

A note to wise Storytellers: Unless the player using war driving is in a particularly run down area of the city or in the middle of nowhere, there is probably a network around. They're most common around office buildings and college campusses, but wireless networks have been known to pop up around public parks, private suburban homes, and even fast food restaurants.

Once a network is located, a Wraith can Ride The Electron Highway at a difficulty of 9, and can often produce results similar to the Argos art of Flicker, jumping from one place in the network to another. Wireless networks are also a godsend whenever a sudden maelstrom strikes.

 

Denial of Service (*)

Similar to Surge, but far less destructive, and far more annoying. By simply passing her hand through a wire, the wraith is able to stop the flow of electrons (or in the case of fiber optic cable, light) through that cable. With this art, a Wraith can stop a printer from receiving instructions (even though it is clearly on), disconnect a phone call, or even temporarily stop power or phone service to a building.

System: The player rolls Wits + Inhabit against the difficulties listed below. Each success allows a wraith to stop the flow of electrons/photons through the cable for one turn. Once finished, the flow will resume right where it left off, whether the device/person on the other end is still willing to receive them is a different matter. If she stops the flow for too long, the wire may begin to overheat, and melt as a result.

5 - Output cables to devices (like a printer cable / RCA cable / speaker wire).
6 - Telephone cord.
7 - Power cord, telephone line.
8 - Fiber optic cables.
9 - Power line.
10 - Trans-Attlantic cable.

 

 

Packet Loss (***), I-M (*****)

Like Denial of Service, only now the Wraith can change any data being sent over the cable. With Packet Loss, the Wraith can only change data already being sent. For instance, changing a market analisys report to indicate a company will experience substantial gains instead of phenominal third quarter losses.

With I-M, the Wraith can send any data she chooses, even if there isn't any data being transmitted at the time. Although, unless the wraith is familiar with the data type being sent, what may arrive is garbage. If the Storyteller deems it necessary, he may require the player to make rolls against knowledges. After all, if all you know is TCP-IP, you won't necessarilly be able to use IPX.

Unlike Hi Mom, Packet Loss and I-M change the information, not just the image on a screen. It can be used for typewrites, fax machines, telephones,

System: Packet loss requires two pathos, and if the information violates the Dictum Mortuum, one point of temporary angst, and otherwise behaves like Denial of Service. I-M is the same, except it costs 3 pathos, 3 willpower, and gives the wraith two temporary angst.

 

 

Paralax ( Inhabit ***** Moliate *** )

With this ability, a Wraith can literally be in two places at once. Physically dividing his corpus into two or more parts while inside a computer network, these parts can then be transmitted to many different places simultaneously.

System: Paralaxing is extremely taxing on the wraith using this ability. After an initial success of Inhabit + Moliate (difficulty 7) and the expenditure of a willpower point, the Wraith can divide their corpus into as many parts as success, no greater than their permanent Corpus. Each part, or avatar, can have any number of corpus points, just so long as each other part has at least one point of temporary Corpus.

Each avatar must then successfully Ride the Electron Highway to its intended destination. Once arrived, the avatar can behave just like any normal Wraith until it is recalled. For every scene that a Wraith is split into avatars, the player must roll Intelligence + Inhabit (difficulty 8) for each avatar. A failure means that avatar is instantly recalled, while a botch means you gain three temporary Angst, given by the glee your Shadow feels after gaining control of that avatar. The avatar is recalled at the end of the scene, and the Storyteller and Shadow Guide are strongly encouraged to keep that avatar's actions secret.

An avatar can not move farther than "its number of corpus" meters from where it emerged from the electron highway. Any corpus lost by individual avatars translates directly into temporary angst, so if an avatar loses three points of corpus while away, when the Wraith is reunited with all of his avatars, he will have an additional three angst to deal with. If an avatar is destroyed, it is considered recalled. Any points of anything used or lost while paralaxing are gone for good, while any points of anything gained that go beyond the maximum evaporate once the wraith is whole again.

When an avatar is recalled, it must again Ride the Electron Highway to any other avatar, where the two combine. A failure on this role means the avatar gets lost, and will lose a corpus point per turn until it can successfully Ride back. A botch can jolt other avatars into being recalled, and can even send the Wraith into a harrowing.


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