ECLIPSE PHASE CREATED BY Rob Boyle and Brian Cross

Writing (Infamy Opening Fiction): Consultation: Davidson Cole, Travas Gunnell, Creative Commons License; Rob Boyle and Davidson Cole Natalie Jorion, Nora Jury-Last, Some Rights Reserved. Writing (Rules): Rob Boyle John Nephew, Jaqui Wujec This work is licensed under the Attribution- Writing (Source Material): Special Thanks To: Echo Boyle, NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International Simon Berman, Rob Boyle, Katherine Cross, Natalie Jorion, Nora Jury-Last, and Jaqui (CC BY-NC-SA 4.0) license: Natalia Dean, Jack Graham, Travas Gunnell, Wujec for their patience, love, and support; creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/4.0/ Sarah Hood, Marc Huete, Jason Mical, Ann Higgins and Russel Last for unending Ross Payton, Evie Smith encouragement; Davidson Cole for video In plain English: you are free to copy, share, Editing: Rob Boyle, Davidson Cole, awesomeness and pushing our buttons; and remix the text and artwork within this Jack Graham, Karen Twelves Sarah Hood for her Drupal-fu; David book under the following conditions: Development: Rob Boyle, Jack Graham Cooper for wrangling our Gen Con events; • you do so only for noncommercial purposes; Art Direction: Rob Boyle, Zoe Robinson our crowd-pleasing Gen Con GMs; our • you attribute Posthuman Studios; Graphic Design and Layout: Adam Jury awesome Gen Con booth staff; • you license any derivatives under the same Cover Art: Stephan Martiniere Aaron Feustel for some evil ideas; license. Interior Art: Jacob Anderson, Christine Bian, William Wilson for always having our backs Mobo Boehme, Nick Boone, Daniel Brewer, numerically; Jeff Eaton for wild enthusiasm For specific details, appropriate credits, and Leanne Buckley, Matt Bulahao, Adam Burn, in database form; Eric Olson at Process updates/changes to this license, please see: Jose Cabrera, Daniel Clarke, Trevor Claxton, Type Foundry; antifascists everywhere; http://eclipsephase.com/cclicense Christina Davis, Alex Drummond, everyone who contributed to EP’s first Danijel Firak, Nathan Geppert, Zach Graves, edition and sourcebooks; and everyone Alexander Gustafson, Ethan Patrick Harris, who participated in our open playtest and Josu Hernaiz, Sam Hogg, Lake Hurwitz, supported our kickstarter! Lili Ibrahim, Anna Ignatieva, Maggie Ivy, Original Playtesters: Berianne Bramman, Jeff Lee Johnson, Thomas Jung, Julian Kok, John Brudenell, Nick Caputi, Davidson Kate Laird, Adam Lane, Ian Llanas, Cole, Paul Foster, Scott Fox, Eric Geiger, Adrian Majkrzak, Mitchell Malloy, Travas Gunnell, Erin Hankins, Stephan Martiniere, Marco Mazzoni, Austin Karpola, Seth Larson, Joshua Meehan, Austen Mengler, Rhett Skubis, Kevin Tyska, Jaqui Wujec Brynn Metheny, Aaron Miller, Andre Musical Inspiration: Ancient Methods, Version 1.1 by Posthuman Studios Mina, Mark Molnar, James Mosingo, David Chainreactor, Feindflug, Gary Numan, (August 31 2019) Auden Nash, Ben Newman, Will Nichols, Holon, Holy Grin, Iszoloscope, Efrem Palacios, Chris Peuler, Pixoloid iVardensphere/Scott Fox, I Hate Models, contact us at [email protected] Studios, Radial Studio, Maciej Rebisz, Mlada Fronta, My Life with the Thrill Kill or eclipsephase.com Lorenz Ruwwe, Lie Setiawan, Andrew Silver, Kult, Stendeck join our mailing list at Quinn Simoes, Trevor Storey, Jessada Suthi, Dedication: Nancy C. Cole, Richard F. Jury, welcometoeclipsephase.com Stan Von Medvey, Bruno Werneck, Joe and Jeff Mackintosh or search your favorite social network for: Wilson, Mark Winters, Andy Wright “Eclipse Phase” or “Posthuman Studios” Icons: Jim Marcus ON THE COVER: Solar System Map: Tiara Lynn Agresta A Firewall team exploring an abandoned ship around Saturn discovers a major threat. Character Sheet: Thomas Deeny, Adam Jury One sentinel in a bouncer morph attempts to make it to an EVA sled and their neo-octopus friend as a creeper swarm closes in.

Posthuman Studios is: Rob Boyle, Davidson Cole, Brian Cross, and Adam Jury Isolate 39 Lost 39 Underclass 39 Uplift 39 Step 2: Career 40 Academic 40 INFAMY 8 GAME MECHANICS 30 Covert Operative 40 How to Play 30 Enforcer 40 Dice Basics 30 Explorer 40 When to Roll the Dice 30 Face 40 Making Tests 30 Genehacker 40 Who Rolls? 30 Hacker 40 Difficulty and Modifiers 31 Investigator 40 Superior Results: 33/66 Rule 31 Medic 40 STARTING OUT 18 Criticals 31 Mindhacker 41 Defaulting 31 Scavenger 41 What is Eclipse Phase? 18 Teamwork 31 New to Roleplaying? 19 Scientist 41 Starting Players 19 Types of Tests 32 Soldier 41 Starting Gamemasters 19 Success Tests 32 Techie 41 A Note on Politics 19 Opposed Tests 32 Step 3: Interest 42 Core Concepts 20 Actions & Time 32 Animal Handler 42 Transhumanism 20 Action Turns 32 Artist/Icon 42 AIs and Uplifts 20 Automatic Actions 32 Async 42 Defeating Death 20 Quick Actions 32 Commander 42 Resleeving 20 Complex Actions 32 Fighter 42 Ego Manipulation 20 Task Actions 32 Forensics Specialist 42 Jack-of-all-Trades 42 TABLE OF CONTENTS OF TABLE The Mesh 20 Taking Time 32 Nanotech 21 Rushing the Job 32 Jammer 42 X-Risks 21 Networker 42 Initiative & Order of Actions 33 Paramedic 42 Alien Exploration 21 Initiative Order 33 Factions 21 Pilot 42 Taking the Initiative 33 Rogue 42 Themes 22 Delaying Actions 33 Slacker 43 Post-Apocalyptic 22 Extra Actions 33 Spacer 43 Survival 22 Pools 34 Student 43 Horror 22 Using Pools 34 Survivalist 43 Infection 22 Insight 34 Step 4: Faction 44 Conspiracy 22 Moxie 34 Step 5: Aptitude Template 44 Science 23 Vigor 34 Step 6: Total Skills 45 Politics 23 Flex 34 Step 7: Languages 45 Change 23 Recharging Pools 35 Step 8: Flex 45 Core Campaigns 24 Temporary Pools 35 Step 9: Reputation 45 Firewall Campaign 24 Step 10: Customization 46 Gatecrashing Campaign 24 Increased Aptitude 46 Criminal Campaign 25 Ego Traits 46 Character Archetypes 26 Increased Flex 46 Combat 26 Extra Languages 46 Social 26 Extra Rep 46 Technical 26 Extra Skills 46 Knowledge 27 Psi Sleights 46 MAKING Specializations 46 Setting Overview 28 CHARACTERS 36 Inner System 28 Step 11: Derived Stats 46 Main Belt 28 Character Stats 36 Step 12: Starting Morph & Gear 46 Jovian Space 28 Ego vs. Morph 36 Starting Morphs 46 Outer System 29 Aptitudes 36 Morph Traits 46 The Fringe 29 Skills 37 Extra Gear 46 Exoplanets 29 Morph 37 Flex Points 46 The Mesh 29 Derived Stats 37 Traits 37 Step 13: Motivations 47 Rep 37 Optional: Motivational Goals 47 Gear 37 Final Touches 47 Motivations 37 Skills 48 Character Creation Overview 38 Skills and Aptitudes 48 Character Creation Advice 38 Skill Categories 48 Create as a Group 38 Field Skills 48 Plan Ahead 38 Specializations 48 Playing An Async 38 Active Skill List 48 Step 1: Background 38 Athletics 48 Colonist 38 Deceive 48 Enclaver 38 Exotic Skill: [Field] 48 Freelancer 38 Fray 48 Hyperelite 39 Free Fall 49 Indenture 39 Guns 49 Infolife 39 Hardware: [Field] 49

2¹ TABLE OF CONTENTS Infiltrate 50 Information Society 110 New Experiences 131 Infosec 50 The Mesh 110 Sex Work 131 Interface 50 Vigilance 111 Family and Children 132 Kinesics 50 Mind Hacking 112 Children and Reproduction 132 Medicine: [Field] 51 A Better You 112 Education 133 Melee 51 Neurodiversity 112 Media & Entertainment 134 Perceive 51 Mental Augmentations 113 Persuade 51 The New Journalism 134 Multiplicity 113 The Glitterati 134 Pilot: [Field] 51 Social Thoughts 113 Program 51 Metacelebrities 134 Provoke 51 Space & Other Worlds 114 Digital Distractions 134 Psi 51 Egocasting 114 Sports 135 Research 51 Space Travel 114 Survival 51 Gatecrashing: The Real Story 115 Know Skills 52 Habitats 116 Know: [Field] 52 Planetary Habitats 116 Using Know Skills 53 Centrifugal Habitats 117 Complementary Skills 53 Microgravity 118 Morphs 54 Other Habitats 119 Common Biomorphs 54 Nanofabrication 120 THE NEW POLITICAL Pod Biomorphs 58 Nanofabbers 120 ECONOMY 136 Uplift Biomorphs 60 Blueprints 120 Synthmorphs 62 Feedstock 121 The System Split 136 Flexbot 66 Printing 121 The Inner System 136 Doing it the hard way 121 The Outer System 137 Infomorphs 67 Remaking Society 121 Jovian Republic 137 Gear Packs 68 Artisanal Goods 121 State of the System 137 Campaign Packs 68 Profession Packs 69 Market Economies 138 Old Market Systems 138 Traits 72 Transitional Economies 138 Positive Traits 72 Intellectual Property 139 Negative Traits 76 Hypercorps 139 Character Creation Example 81 Indentures 140 Freelancers 141 TRANSHUMAN Oligarchs and Dynasties 141 The New Economy 142 CULTURE 122 Open-Source Fabrication 142 Fear and Paranoia 122 Forget Money 143 Life After the Fall 122 Property 143 Can We Trust Our Tech? 122 Cooperative Work 143 Where's the Humanity? 122 The Role of Rep 144 SAMPLE Identity Crises 123 Extropian Markets 144 CHARACTERS 82 An Uncertain Future 123 Keeping the Peace 146 Dead Planets 123 Patchwork Jurisdictions 146 The Factors 123 The Reach of the Law 146 Firewall 123 Interstate Affairs 146 Public and Private Life 124 Ego Hunters 147 Social Networks 124 Investigations and Forensics 147 Reputation 124 Identity Issues 147 Social Capital and Mutual Aid 124 Prosecution and Punishment 148 HOW IT CAME TO BE 98 Exposure 124 Extropian Contract Law 148 Taking Private Moments 125 Autonomist Legalities 148 Slouching Towards Singularity 98 Gaming and Griefing 125 Property Claims 149 Before The Fall 98 Memetic Warfare 125 Gatecrashing Law 149 The Fall 100 After the Fall 101 Earth’s Legacy 126 Crime 150 Processing the Loss 126 Violence 150 Timeline 104 The Longing for Earth 126 Property and Theft 150 The Blockade 126 Online Crimes 151 The Datapocalypse 126 Vice 151 Earth Relics 127 Ego Trafficking 151 Old Identities 127 Other Crime 151 A New Homeworld 127 Culture & Clades 128 Transnational Citizenship 128 ACCELERATED Regional Clusters 128 Morphological Clades 128 FUTURE 106 Non-Human Clades 129 Beyond Death 106 Virtual Tribes 129 The New Normal 106 Cultural Experimentation 129 Body Issues 107 Cultural Survival 129 New Life 108 Transhuman Sexuality 130 Artificial Intelligences 108 Sexuality After the Fall 130 Uplifts 108 Polyamory 130 Mercurial Social Status 109 Synthmorphs 130

TABLE OF CONTENTS ¾3 FACTIONS 152 SYSTEM GAZETTEER 176 ACTIONS & COMBAT 202 Inner System Polities 152 Sol and Mercury 176 Resolving Combat 202 The Lunar-Lagrange Alliance (LLA) 152 Sol 176 Step 1: Declare Attack 202 The Morningstar Constellation 153 Vulcanoids 177 Step 2: Declare Defense 202 The Planetary Consortium 154 Mercury 177 Step 3: Apply Modifiers 202 Tharsis League 155 Venus 178 Step 4: Make Opposed Test 202 Outer System Polities 156 The Surface 178 Step 5: Determine Result 202 Anarchists 156 Life in The Clouds 178 Step 6: Roll Damage 203 The Autonomist Alliance 156 Transportation 178 Step 7: Apply Armor 203 Extropians 157 Rise of the Morningstar 178 Step 8: Apply Damage 203 The Jovian Republic 158 Terraforming Venus 178 Step 9: Determine Wounds 203 Scum 158 Aerostats 179 Melee Combat 204 The Titanian Commonwealth 159 Orbitals 179 Melee Ware 204 Social Movements 160 Surface Habs 179 Melee Weapons 204 Argonauts 160 Earth and Earth Orbit 180 Melee Rules 205 Barsoomians 160 Luna 182 Multiple Targets 205 Bioconservatives 161 Lunar Living 182 Reach 205 Brinkers 161 Lunar Travel 182 Touch-Only Attacks 205 Exhumans 161 Lunar Attitudes 182 Improvised Weapons 205 Mercurials 162 Lunar Crime 182 Ranged Combat 206 Reclaimers 162 Lunar Habitats 182 Ranged Combat Rules 206 TABLE OF CONTENTS OF TABLE Sapients 163 Mars 184 Beam Weapons 208 Socialites 163 Terraforming 184 Beam Weapon Ware 208 The Ultimates 163 Martian Travel 184 Beam Weapons 208 Hypercorporations 164 Powder Keg 184 Beam Weapon Rules 208 The Modern Hypercorp 164 Martian Settlements 184 Spray Weapons 209 Agritech and Pharma 164 The Martian Trojans 185 Thrown Weapons 209 Banking and Finance 164 The Main Belt 186 Weapon Systems 209 Cognitive Sciences & Uplift 165 Belt Stations 186 Kinetic Weapons 210 Data Management 165 Firearms 210 Energy 166 Jupiter 188 The Angry God 188 Railguns 211 Gatecrashing 166 Kinetic Ammunition 211 Habitats and Ships 166 Jovian Life 188 Manufacturing & Nanofab 166 Jovian Settlements 188 Seeker Weapons & Grenades 212 Media 166 The Jovian Trojans 189 Seeker Missiles and Grenades 212 Medical Sciences & Biomorphs 166 Saturn 190 Seeker and Grenade Rules 212 Mining/Resources 167 The Ringers 190 Armor 214 Security 167 Gas Mining 190 Energy vs. Kinetic 214 Shipping 167 Saturnian Settlements 190 Armor Value 214 Social Media and Searches 167 Titan 191 Layering Armor 214 Religious Groups 168 Uranus and Neptune 192 Armor Visibility 214 Religion After the Fall 168 The Ice Giants 192 Armor Ware 214 Christianity 168 Uranus 192 Armor Gear 215 Hinduism 168 Uranian Moons 192 Weapon/Gear Traits 216 Islam 168 Neptune 193 Weapon Accessories 216 Judaism 169 Neptunian Trojans 193 Armor Mods 217 Mormonism 169 The System Fringe 194 Special Attacks 218 Pagan spiritual paths 169 Area-Effect Attacks 218 Post-Fall Religions 169 The Inner Fringe 194 The Outer Fringe 194 Attacks Against the Helpless 218 Criminal Groups 170 The Kuiper Belt & Oort Cloud 195 Blind Attacks 218 Gangs 170 Called Shots 218 The Hidden Concern 170 Quarantine Zones 196 Coated Weapons 219 Intelligent Design (ID Crew) 170 Iapetus 196 Demolitions 219 Night Cartel 170 New Mumbai Containment Zone 197 Shock Attacks 219 Nine Lives 171 TITAN Quarantine Zone 197 Two-Handed Weapons 219 Pax Familae 171 Other Locations 197 Wielding Two or More Weapons 219 Pirates 171 The Pandora Gates 198 Physical Health 220 Triads 171 The Vulcanoid Gate 198 Damage Points 220 Firewall 172 The Martian Gate 198 Durability 220 History 172 The Pandora Gate 199 Wounds 220 Structure 172 The Fissure Gate 199 Wound Effects 220 Internal Factions 174 The Discord Gate 199 Bleeding Out 220 Other Gates 199 Death Rating 220 Extrasolar Systems 200 Death 220 Droplet 200 Healing & Repair 221 Echo 200 Biomorph Healing 221 Portal 200 Synthmorph/Object Repair 221 Sunrise 200

4¹ TABLE OF CONTENTS Mental Health 222 Tracking 256 Stress Points 222 Physical Tracking 256 Lucidity and Stress 222 Mesh Activity Tracking 256 Trauma 223 Tracking Countermeasures 257 Trauma Effects 223 Hacking 258 Insanity Rating 223 Hacking Tests 258 Mental Healing & Psychosurgery 223 Intrusion 258 Psychosurgery Care 223 THE MESH 240 Intruder Status 258 Natural Healing 223 Everyware 240 Changing Status 259 Getting Online 240 Disorders 224 Your Online Presence 240 Countermeasures 260 Other Action Factors 226 Firewall 260 Conditions 226 Mesh Topology 241 System Defender 260 Full Defense 226 Slaved Devices 241 Security Alerts 260 Perception 226 PANs: Personal Area Networks 241 Passive Countermeasures 261 Sizes 227 VPNs: Virtual Private Networks 241 Active Countermeasures 261 Surprise 227 Tiered Systems 241 Security Audits 261 Air-Gapped Systems 241 Social Actions 228 Islands in the Net 241 System Subversion 262 Social Manipulation 228 Break Encryption 262 Social Attacks 228 Common Mesh Uses 242 Control Ware 262 Stressful Situations 229 Augmented Reality (AR) 242 Disable Safety Mechanisms 262 Backups, Forking, Egocasting 242 Edit AR Feed 262 Willpower Stress Tests 229 Banking 242 Hardening 229 Eliminate Traces 262 Communications 242 Force Re-Authentication 262 Movement 230 Experience Playback (XP) 242 Hide File or Process 262 Movement Rate 230 Gaming 242 Impair Senses 262 Movement Actions 230 Location Services/Mapping 243 Inject AR/Illusion 262 Movement Types 231 Media and News 243 Install Backdoor 263 Vehicle Movement 232 Mobile Offices 243 Install Blocker 263 Control 232 Psychosurgery 243 Jam Signals 263 Chases 232 Searches 243 Loop Sensor Feed 263 Crashes 232 Sensor Feeds and Coveillance 243 Modify TacNet 263 Attacking Passengers 232 Social Networks 243 Sniff Traffic 263 Tagging 243 Suppress Alarm 263 Objects & Structures 232 Virtual Reality (VR) 243 Suppress Process 263 Ranged Attacks 232 Devices, Apps, & Links 244 Tap AR 263 Shooting Through An Object 232 Tap Senses 263 Making Objects 232 Hardware 244 Repairing Objects 233 Software 244 Mesh Combat 264 Modifying Objects 233 Wireless Links 244 Local vs. Remote 264 Accessing Multiple Systems 245 Mesh Attacks and Defense 264 Future Materials 233 Authentication & Encryption 246 Mesh Damage and Armor 264 Environmental Factors 234 Mesh Wounds 264 Asphyxiation 234 Mesh ID 246 Accounts & Access Privileges 246 Mesh Durability 264 Decompression 234 Mesh Damage Repair 265 Falling 234 Authentication Methods 246 Fire 235 Circumventing Authentication 247 Hardware Damage 265 Gravity 235 Encryption 247 Damage and Infomorph Riders 265 Weather 235 Mesh Actions 248 Glitches 265 Hostile Environments 236 Universal Actions 248 Mindware Hacking 266 Atmospheric Contamination 236 Security Actions 248 Preconditions 266 Dangerous Atmosphere 236 Admin Actions 249 Encoded Security 266 Extreme Heat and Cold 236 Scripting 249 Mindware Subversion 266 Extreme Pressure 236 AIs & Muses 250 Virtual Reality 268 Gravity Transition Zones 236 ALIs 250 Accessing Simulspaces 268 Radiation 236 Muses 250 Domain Rules 268 Surface Hazards 237 AGIs 251 Simulmorphs 268 Underwater 237 ASIs 251 Immersion 268 Vacuum 237 Non-Standard AIs 251 Simulspace Rules 269 Downtime Actions 238 Infomorphs 252 Cheat Codes 269 Acquire/Make Things 238 Home Device 252 Hacking Simulspaces 269 Change Your Motivation 238 Digital Speeds 252 Simulspace User Actions 269 Fulfill Responsibilities 238 Moving Between Devices 253 Admin/Cheat Actions 269 Manage Your Rep 238 Copying 253 Surveillance Hacking 270 Mod Yourself 238 Deletion 253 Detecting Sensors 270 Train and Improve 238 Evacuating Cyberbrains 253 Avoiding Recognition 270 Sleeving Morphs 253 Active Jamming 270 Backing Up 253 Hacking Sensors 270 Infomorphs and Muses 253 Ripping Sensors 271 Infomorph Riders 253 Dead Zones 271 Online Research 254 Skipjacking 271 Search Challenges 254 Avoiding Eavesdropping 271 Search Capabilities 254 Research Tests 254 Real-Time Alerts 255 Searching Specific Systems 255

TABLE OF CONTENTS ¾5 Psychosurgery Procedures 295 Nanofabrication 314 Awareness Block 295 Raw Materials 314 Behavioral Masking 295 Blueprints 314 Deep Learning 295 Printing Tests 314 Hidden Knowledge 296 Services 315 Interrogation 296 Mesh Services 315 PSI 272 Memory Editing 296 Physical Services 315 Mental Evaluation 296 Psi Overview 272 Merging 296 Common Tech & Ware 316 Prerequisites 272 Neural Pruning 297 Standard Augmentations 316 Morphs and Psi 272 Personality Editing 297 Everyday Technology 316 Mental Fragmentation 272 Psychotherapy 297 Sensory Augmentations 318 Sleights 272 Remove Infection 297 Infection Rating 272 Senses and Sensors 318 Skill Imprints 297 Sensory Databases 318 Watts-MacLeod Sub-Strains 273 Skill Suppression 297 Active vs. Passive 318 The Architect 273 Tasping 297 The Electromagnetic Spectrum 318 The Beast 273 Identity Systems 298 Soundwaves 319 The Haunter 273 Ego ID 298 Combined Sensor Systems 319 The Stranger 273 Identity Verification 298 The Xenomorph 273 Mental Augmentations 320 Circumventing ID Checks 299 Skillsofts 321 Roleplaying Asyncs 273 Habitat Access 300 Social Augmentations 321 Using Psi 276 Egocasting 300 Psi Range 276 Combat Augmentations 322 Physical Arrivals 301 Physical Augmentations 324 Targeting 276 Habitat Infiltration 301 Opposed Tests 276 Meshware 326 Mental Armor 276 Space Travel 302 Apps & ALIs 326 Target Awareness 276 Local Travel 302 Apps 326 Duration 276 Distance Travel 302 ALIs and Muses 326 TABLE OF CONTENTS OF TABLE Infection Modifiers 276 Space Travel Basics 302 Scorchers 327 The Infection's Influence 277 Travel Times 302 Tactical Networks 327 Pushing Sleights 277 Space Combat 302 Creatures 328 Infection Rating Thresholds 277 Weapons and Swarms 302 Genetically Modified Organisms 328 Easing the Infection 277 Stealth and Sensors 302 Smart Animals 328 Influence Effects 278 Deep Space vs Orbital 303 Xenofauna 328 Psi Sleight Summaries 280 Character Options 303 Chemicals, Drugs, & Toxins 330 Psi-Chi Sleights 280 Other Narrative Options 303 Drug and Toxin rules 330 Psi-Gamma Sleights 282 Ship & Habitat Hacking 304 Addiction and Abuse 330 Airlocks 304 Chemicals 331 Bulkhead Doors 304 Cognitive Drugs 331 Hulls and Superstructure 305 Combat Drugs 331 Life Support 305 Health Drugs 332 Reactors 305 Nanodrugs 332 Narcoalgorithms 332 Reputation 306 Petals 333 Social Networks 306 Psi Drugs 334 TRANSHUMAN Rep Scores 306 Recreational Drugs 334 TECH 286 Rep Networks for Research 307 Social Drugs 334 Networking 308 Toxins 335 Backups & Uploading 286 Using Rep 308 Cortical Stacks 286 Comms & Mesh Gear 336 Reputation & ID 308 Communications 336 Uploaded Backups 287 Favors 308 Death and Backup Insurance 287 Neutrino Communicators 336 Quantum Farcasters 336 Resleeving 288 Quantum-Entangled Communication 337 Complications 288 Mesh Hardware 337 Resleeving Tests 288 Resleeving and Pools 289 Espionage & Security Tech 338 Mission Gear 340 Acquiring Morphs 290 Exploration Tools 340 Determining Morph Points 290 Salvage Tools 340 Increasing Your MP 290 GEAR 310 Science Tools 340 Spending Morph Points 290 Gear Rules 310 Survival Tools 341 Resleeving and Morph Points 291 Vacsuits 341 Modifying Morphs 291 Gear Design 310 Making Morphs 291 Gear Complexity 310 Nanotech 342 Gear Modifiers 310 Hives 342 Forking & Merging 292 Gear Quality 311 Nanofabricators 343 Types of Forks 292 Gear Size 311 Forks and Society 292 Concealing Gear 311 Nanoswarms & Microswarms 344 Creating a Fork 292 Meshed Gear 311 Swarm Rules 344 Neural Pruning 292 Interfaces 311 Swarms 345 Handling Forks 293 Power 311 Robots 346 Merging 293 Ware 311 Robot Ware 346 Psychosurgery 294 Acquiring Gear 312 Remote Operations 346 Difficulties 294 Missions and Gear Points 312 Combat Bots 347 Using Psychosurgery 294 Acquiring Gear During Missions 312 Exploration Bots 347 Roleplaying Mind Edits 294 Other Gear Considerations 313 Medical Bots 347

6¹ TABLE OF CONTENTS Personal Bots 348 Exsurgent Psi 386 Recon/Surveillance Bots 349 Exsurgent Synthmorphs & Psi 386 Utility Bots 349 Pushing Exsurgent Psi 386 Vehicles 350 Psi-Epsilon Sleights 386 Vehicle Ware 350 Exsurgent Strains 388 Aircraft 350 Alter 388 Exoskeletons 350 THREATS & X-RISKS 368 Haunting Virus 388 Groundcraft 350 X-Risks 368 Mindstealer 388 Hardsuits 351 Alien Conflict 368 Skrik 388 Hybrid Vehicles 352 Astronomical Events 368 Watts-MacLeod 389 Nautical Craft 352 Economic Disruptions 369 Whisper 389 Personal Transport Devices 352 Infectious Agents 369 Xenomorph 389 Spacecraft 352 Intelligence Amplification 369 Exsurgent Types 390 Mega-Engineering 369 Creeper 390 Memetics 369 Fractal Troll 391 Mental Subversion 369 Jelly 392 Nanotechnology & Swarms 369 Shifter 393 Political Threats 369 Skrik 394 Unforeseen Threats 369 Snapper 395 Secret Histories 370 Wastewalker 396 RUNNING Newcomers 370 Whipper 396 Long-Term Residents 370 Worm 397 THE GAME 354 Neo-Gods 370 Factors 398 Ad Astra 354 Ascension and Infections 371 Biology 398 The Elevator Pitch 354 Behind the Fall 371 Communication 398 The First Session 354 Aftermath 371 Factor Colonies 398 Prepping Your Campaign 355 Security Systems 372 Sociology 398 Scenarios & Campaigns 356 Access Control 372 Technology 398 How Many Sessions? 356 Sensor Scans 373 Interactions with Transhumanity 398 Story Arcs 356 Active Countermeasures 373 Factor Ambassador 399 Creating Scenarios 357 Factor Guardian 399 Character Tie-Ins 357 Traps 374 Firewall 400 Easing In 357 Spotting Traps 374 Disarming Traps 374 Designing the Server 400 Bringing It To Life 358 Trap Listings 374 Joining Firewall 400 Social media Dynamics 358 The Eye 401 The Street Finds Its Own Uses 358 NPC & Threat Rules 376 Firewall Interactions 401 Fork Concerns 358 Threat Types 376 The Prometheans 401 NPC Timelines 358 Niche 376 Project Ozma 402 Recurring Villains 358 Numbers 376 Threat Level 376 Ozma Operations 402 Know Skills & Science 359 Threat Pool 376 Embedded Ozma Agent 402 Known? 359 Tailoring Challenges 377 Other Intel Services 403 Frame the Question 359 Minimum Damage 377 Fleet Intelligence 403 Hypothesis and Prediction 359 NPCs/Threats and Stress 377 ISET 403 Testing 359 What PCs Know About Threats 377 JSFI 403 Analysis 359 The ETI 378 Oversight 403 Super-Empowered Characters 360 Capabilities 378 Science Police 403 Logistics and Nanofabrication 360 Speculation 378 Stellar Intelligence 403 Fork Hordes 361 Agenda 378 The Pandora Gates 404 Time Distortion 361 The Iktomi 379 Appearance 404 Let’s nuke it 361 The Wormhole 404 Puny Transhumans 361 Dream Shells 379 Iktomi Kumobot 379 Operations 404 Providing Outlets 361 Gate Rules 405 Gamemaster Tips 362 Exhumans 380 ' Limbwalker 380 The TITANs Legacy 406 Tracking Backups 362 Background 406 Handling Muses and ALIs 362 Neurode 380 Predator 381 Aftermath 406 Skill Use 363 Known TITANs 406 Diverging From Canon 363 The Exsurgent Virus 382 Using the TITANs in Game 407 In-Play Worldbuilding 363 What Is Known 382 TITAN Nanoviruses 407 Play Culture & Behavior 363 Diversity of Forms 382 Maps 363 Countermeasures 383 TITAN Machines & Minions 408 Using the Exovirus in Play 383 Fetch 408 Transhuman Themes 364 Fractal 409 Watching Boundaries 364 Exsurgent Infection 384 Headhunter 410 Philosophical Futureshock 364 Infection Rating 384 Puppet 411 Safety Procedures 364 Infection Test 384 Self-Replicating Nanoswarm 412 Campaign Themes 364 Basilisk Hacks 384 Warbot 413 Rez & Rep Rewards 366 Biological Infection 385 Rez Points 366 Digital Infection 385 Reputation Gain and Loss 367 Nanoplague Infection 385 Infection, Resleeving, & Backups 385 Infection and Psychosurgery 385 Exsurgent Characters 386 Exsurgent-Infected PCs 386 Roleplaying Exsurgents 386 APPENDICES 414

TABLE OF CONTENTS ¾7 Infamy INFAMY

A Proposal :: Santa Monica Coastal Resort :: June 10, BF 0 Their childhood had been steeped in Catholic zealotry and a strict “It’s an opportunity, Tierslay. To get off this doomed rock. To make adherence to bioconservatism, drilled into them by their mother’s something of yourself. That’s all. Stop squinting at me like I’ve got incessant preaching, “Your body is a precious gift from God. Polluting some angle.” it with trinkets conceived by man is an unforgivable sin.” For Tierslay, “You always have an angle, Taernen. It’s who you are.” the doctrine stuck, tightly woven into the fabric of her worldview. “Sure. But in this particular case, the angle is looking out for little sis.” Taernen dismissed it outright in his early teens, which got him tossed Tierslay wanted to believe her brother. She ached for a shred of from the family hovel. A year later, their mother took a stray bullet on hope. Life in the Mojave tent slums on the outskirts of the Los Angeles the way back from the market, another gang violence statistic. Tierslay enclaves was harsh — sun-scorched and stench-filled. The brutality of was nine. She was holding her mother’s hand when it happened. her youth in the favelas of São Paulo, plagued by gangs and typhoons, Taernen’s pitch continued. “Earth is a waste of time, Tierslay. All made the Mojave seem like a deluxe weekend getaway to an elitist the corps with any clout, with any vision or ambition, they’ve fled. To orbital spa. Twenty-five years of existence and Tierslay had accom- Mars, to Luna, hell, even Venus. Those are the places where lives are plished nothing beyond being poor and perpetually desperate. Taernen, made for people like us. And when I go, I’m not coming back. Where on the other hand, had clawed and conned his way out of the dregs, does that leave you? Begging on the streets with that low-life Monte made his way to California, and carved out a prosperous life. Somehow, because you’re mired in tradition?” from ten-thousand kilometers away, he had extracted Tierslay from “Monte is not a low-life. He’s just had it rough, like us.” São Paulo just before most of the city was under water. Taernen did “He’s the worst kind of criminal, Tier. Petty. Zero ambition beyond not explain how he secured her passage to Los Angeles, crammed in a junkie survival. You’ve got too much talent. On Mars, with all the shipping container with a hundred other bedraggled climate refugees, capital flowing, these corps need killer code. I could pull strings, find and Tierslay never pushed him for answers. She was simply grateful to you an avenue in. You could go legit.” be alive. Almost everyone she knew in São Paulo was not so lucky. “What? Legit like you?” Tierslay smiled and raised a glass in salute Once in Los Angeles, Taernen provided her with just enough to to her brother the criminal. He refused to clink. survive for a couple of weeks. After that, she scrabbled for sustenance “Didn’t you have your fill of the gutter when we were kids?” outside the enclave walls, among the millions of other refugees kept “I have my way of viewing the universe and you have yours. I choose in line by the armed drones that cluttered the sky. If it wasn’t for her to remain pure in the eyes of God … ” creativity with code and the illicit hack jobs that required her finesse, “The big white beard in the sky is blind now, sis. Had his eyes starvation would have consumed her. gouged out long ago.” Taernen flashed his older brother smirk while Taernen lived beyond the concertina wire, among the privileged, Tierslay shook her head. among those who switched bodies and claimed to have defeated From somewhere up above, from the smog-choked night beyond death. His fast talk and questionable connections furnished him the twinkle of the resort’s canopy of lights, a neo-raven fluttered down with a lifestyle few with his upbringing would endorse, let alone to the poolside table beside Taernen. Tierslay flinched in disgust and afford — the augmentations, the cortical stack, the frequent backups. backed away from the table. 8¹ INFAMY

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Just In Case :: Skid Row :: June 13, BF 0 In Case :: SkidJust Row :: June She didn’t stop until she reached her tent block over three kilome three over her tent block reached she stop until She didn’t She rolled through the code. As suspected, it was tight. propri The was it suspected, As code. the through rolled She But then, gunshots. Monte set Tierslay up around the corner in a makeshift hovel hovel in a makeshift the corner up around set Tierslay Monte Tierslay considered just running.been the smart thing It would’ve considered Tierslay Three of them. Pop. Pop. Pop. Perfect and precise syncopation. syncopation. and precise Perfect Pop. Pop. of them.Three Pop. The sounds knocked her out of the code. She stepped from the tent tent the of out her from stepped She code. the knocked sounds The A painted sign above the only door into the building depicted a door into the building depicted a the only A painted sign above sary crypto keys. Sweat dropped into her eyes as she ran her exploit her exploit ran as she into her eyes dropped Sweat sary crypto keys. to do. Instead, she rushed to the spot where her tent once stood. She stood. She her tent once to the spot where rushed Instead, she to do. soft wood, she asked Virgin Mary to steer her towards salvation. Mary to steer her towards Virgin asked she soft wood, sides. Monte’s lifeless body sprawled upon the gravel, blood blooming upon the gravel, sprawled body lifeless sides. Monte’s ofshudders and leaned against stabbing pain. sharp She doubled over in one of box the ghettoized concrete neutral a windowless sundown, she found one she tion why she agreed to Taernen’s offer, an offer that would funda an offer that offer, to Taernen’s agreed she tion why ters away. Blisters were forming upon her feet and her breath came in came forming upon her feet and her breath were Blisters away. ters tent in the spot it had been for the past two years, but it was gone. gone. but it was years, tent in the spot it had been for the past two zones between enclaves. Squatted warehouses and tent villages spread spread and tent villages warehouses Squatted enclaves. zones between plan? A young female face peeked at her through a billowing tent flap, tent flap, a billowing at her through peeked female face A young plan? palettes. The spot caught a pocket of afternoon shade, providing respite of providing shade, a pocket caught afternoon palettes. spot The had spent a lot of her free time reverse-engineering the copyright- the of lot a spent had reverse-engineering time free her like her own past staring through her, another sign to heed her broth her, past staring through her own like kicked a cluster of cluster a ifanything see to bags food fast crumpled was kicked there rosary her mother spotted wooden the she them Beneath left behind. and up the trinket Communion. She picked her for her first had given misery such and death be a divine her faith. could How been eroding her hands on. Fuzzing the output or running a sophisticated debug output or running a sophisticated the her hands on. Fuzzing mark, minute fifteen the At models. Go-nin older in discovered had to her whim. a servant now was bot brain a dead palm tree. When she straightened up, she expected to see her to see her expected she up, straightened she When a dead palm tree. its spectre miasma of this crippling all too familiar with poverty; cyclic and the security software parted before her. Root access granted. The The granted. access Root her. parted before software and the security into the the corner around ofPeeking sliver a shade. through crept and pistols at their synthmorphs, dressed sharply three saw Tierslay alley, around his head. Tierslay crossed herself, begged for God’s protection, protection, begged for God’s herself, crossed his head. Tierslay around and ran. and skin-tight bodysuit. The synthmorph’s entire head was an elabo an was head entire synthmorph’s The bodysuit. skin-tight and from the hostile sun to a brain in search of focus. Tierslay had twenty twenty had of Tierslay search in focus. brain a to sun hostile the from cried. She clutched the rosary to her lips. “I cannot die here. Please Please the rosary to her lips. “Idie here. cannot She clutched cried. She kissed the rosary beads. In a whisper so here.” let me die don’t the into their way carving words imagined her that Tierslay desperate was upon baking asphalt. Tierslay direction in every out for kilometers code was booming, though, on both sides of the walls, so Tierslay booming, though, was of sides both on Tierslay so code walls, the existence. Tierslay knocked. A long wait followed, enough to ques to enough followed, wait long A knocked. Tierslay existence. constructed from shredded blue tarp and cracked wooden construction construction wooden blue tarp cracked and shredded from constructed er’s call to escape. er’s call etary locks on Go-nin cyberbrains were notoriously difficult to circum to difficult notoriously were etary on Go-nin cyberbrains locks ging scheme were out of the question. Not enough time. Her only hope hope of out only Her time. enough Not were question. the scheme ging rately detailed bloodshot eyeball, a yellow iris at its center. a yellow eyeball, detailed bloodshot rately Nothing left but concrete and scattered piles of and scattered trash. Nothing left but concrete restriction and access-control apps on any bot hardware she could get could she hardware bot apps on any and access-control restriction manic pointy-hat wizard shocking the words the words shocking wizard manic pointy-hat mentally change how she viewed the universe and her place within within and her place the universe viewed she how change mentally in a deep purple figure a lanky reveal it. Then the door opened to minutes to crack the EEL 3 before the buyer was scheduled to arrive. scheduled was the buyer 3 before the EEL minutes to crack Professional. vent. The market for hacked bot brains stripped of factorycookie-cutter bot brains hacked for vent. The market was always looming. Though she was loath to admit it, for years it had it,was loath to admit years looming. for she Though always was was to spot and exploit one of to spot and exploit she was a handful of vulnerabilities elusive Go-nin. And with plenty time of to spare. Tierslay arrived at the address Taernen had given her just before her just before had given Taernen at the address arrived Tierslay

- ead despera last-thr

—

The streets win,always A Desperate Plea :: Mojave Tent Slums :: June 11, BF 0 Slums :: June Tent Plea :: Mojave A Desperate Monte wrapped his arms around Tierslay with a joyful hoot. hoot. a joyful with Tierslay his arms around Monte wrapped Monte’s desperation was carved into his gaunt cheeks, in the way in the way carved into his gaunt cheeks, was desperation Monte’s Tierslay nodded but did not reply. Tierslay Tierslay turned to leave. She had one rule with any of any with rule one had She ventures: their leave. to turned Tierslay The neo-raven launched back into the night sky and Taernen strolled strolled Taernen and sky night the into back launched neo-raven The The neo-raven’s intelligent gaze flicked over Tierslay, tinged with with tinged Tierslay, over gaze flicked intelligent The neo-raven’s “I know we have an understanding, Tier. No one gets hurt. But you an understanding, Tier. have we “I know “You’ve come through for me plenty of for me plenty through times in the past, come Monte. “You’ve “We ain’t got time to discuss those kinda details, Tier. I need you in in I need you details, those kinda Tier. got time to discuss ain’t “We “We ain’t got a couple hours, Tier. This guy is hot for a cracked 3. 3. cracked is hot for a This guy Tier. hours, got a couple ain’t “We “These Go-nin bot brains are tight, Monte. Especially the EEL 3, 3, the EEL tight,“TheseMonte. Especially are Go-nin bot brains “I have to go, Tierslay. Business to conduct.” Taernen stood. “Think Taernen Business to conduct.” Tierslay. to go, “I have “Calm down, Tier. He’s with me.” with He’s Tier. down, “Calm “I hate birds.” not too fond of they’re probably you, either.” well, “Yeah, “Was anyone hurt, Monte?” anyone “Was I scored for sure. say I can’t exactly. know “What? I mean, I don’t No. “How did you score the 3, Monte? That’s high-end gear.” the 3, Monte? That’s score “How did you streets had finally beaten him into submission. had finally streets there, slicing and dicing, slicing do.” doing what you there, to need at least a couple ofto need at least a couple hours.” that her poolside sponsor was gone. that her poolside sponsor was towards the glittering entrance to the casino. A lean and exquisitely A lean and exquisitely to the casino. the glittering entrance towards tion dangling just above oblivion. She had to help her friend, despite the She had to help oblivion. just above tion dangling the look. of it plenty She had worn times herself pod was at Tierslay’s table, politely asking her to exit the premises now now the premises her to exit asking table, politely at Tierslay’s pod was his shaved head stepped through the casino entrance to greet Taernen Taernen to greet entrance the casino stepped through head his shaved his threadbare t-shirt hung upon his wire thin frame. They had been had been They thin frame. t-shirt hung upon his wire his threadbare likelihood of steadfast rule oflikelihood the only violating life. her criminal an opportunity, so I took it.” an opportunity, a long-abandoned pork-processing plant. Decades after the place was was place the after plant. Decades pork-processing long-abandoned a and exchanged whispers. Tierslay felt their eyes upon her despite her her despite her upon their eyes felt Tierslay whispers. and exchanged about my offer. Backing up simply means freedom. To go where you you To go where means freedom. simply up Backing offer. my about anguish and his lips were cracked by the unrelenting sun. Tierslay knew knew sun. Tierslay the unrelenting by cracked and his lips were anguish friends since her first days in Cali and partners in petty crime for years. years. crime for partnersCali and in petty in days her first friends since on a dainty plate, spiral sauce drizzle! None of sauce slurry!” that wet-fab plate, spiral on a dainty of the hustler who could smirk his way out of jam. on the Life any of his way smirk the hustler who could couple months. I need you to come through.” to come months. I need you couple operational, the stench still lingered. the stench operational, dressed man with a nine circle nanotat emblazoned upon the side of a nine circle man with dressed clinging to fairy tales, Tier. And remember, I’m just looking out for you. I’m just looking out for you. remember, And to fairyclinging tales, Tier. different circle would illuminate. Taernen and the neo-raven leaned in and the neo-raven Taernen would illuminate. circle different beneath her feet. tile on the marble being locked own depicting nine interlocked scarlet circles. With every intake of intake every a breath, With circles. scarlet interlocked depicting nine each hand clutching the other and shaking, the the beggar’s clutching hand pose. each etched upon its chest and glowing through its feathers was a nanotat was its feathers through and glowing upon its chest etched gotta believe me. I don’t know for sure, and I ain’t ever gonna know. I I gonna know. ever and I ain’t for sure, know I don’t me. gotta believe no one ever gets hurt. Monte scurried in front of her, blocking her path, blocking ofgets hurt. in front no one ever Monte scurried her, it from a guy who got it from a guy. I didn’t ask no questions. There was There questions. no ask didn’t I guy. a from it got who guy a from it inhuman distaste. Between its eyes protruded a small spike and and a small spike protruded its eyes inhuman distaste. Between need you to save my ass on this one. Please.” Monte’s eyes were wet with wet were eyes Monte’s ass on this one. Please.” my to save need you Price is no object. Big chunk of scratch could set us both up for a a for up both us set could of object. no is chunk Big scratch Price Heights enclave. We’ll eat a meal that’s actually grown and cooked, served and cooked, grown actually eat a meal that’s We’ll Heights enclave. Like always.” Like which I’ve never even set eyes on until now, let alone cracked. I’m going cracked. alone let now, until on eyes set even never I’ve which with a robust and familiar embrace. A moment later, a resort security security a resort A moment later, and familiar embrace. a robust with want to go, be what you want to be. Freedom from death. pointless It’s from to be. Freedom want you be what to go, want Consider your ass saved.” your Consider Tierslay thought. Tierslay Tierslay hated seeing him like this, strung out and wasting away, a shell a shell away, this, strung out and wasting hated seeing him like Tierslay Tierslay met Monte at his latest camp, in a wide alley behind behind alley in a wide camp, met Monte at his latest Tierslay “Fifty-fifty split and a big fancy meal on me. I’ll get us passes into the “Fifty-fifty Starting Out WHAT IS ECLIPSE PHASE? In Eclipse Phase, you play a secret agent protecting the scattered remnants of transhumanity from threats that could wipe it out once and for all. You are transhuman. You are genetically modified, STARTING physically and mentally augmented, and functionally immortal. Your mind can be digitally backed up, like a save point. If you die, you can be brought back, your ego — both consciousness and memories — physically restored. You may also copy your mind OUT and download into a body of your choice. This new body — your morph — can be biological, a synthetic robotic shell, or a digital info- morph. Your body is essentially gear that you customize according to your mission and requirements. Eclipse Phase takes place in a future of exponentially accelerating technological progress. Developments in the key fields of artificial intelligence, neuroscience, genetic engineering, nanotechnology, and information science have converged into an impressive feed- back loop. Bodies and minds are shaped and augmented. AIs and animals are uplifted to human levels of sapience. Everything and everyone is laden with sensors, networked, and online. Your mind can communicate with every electronic device around it. Almost anything can be 3D-printed from constituent atoms with a nano- fabber and blueprints. Technology allows people to live happier, healthier lives, emancipated from need. Such advances also have their downsides. The wonders of the future are not yet evenly distributed — the immortal rich continue to concentrate their wealth and power while others struggle to survive. Surveillance is omnipresent, and the means exist to hack people’s minds and memories, copy them entirely, and/or commit them to virtual slavery. Many technological advances are super-empowering, putting the means for mass devastation in everyone’s hands. Efforts to restrict such tools are doomed to fail; only our own maturity as a species can save us. Exemplifying these dangers, Eclipse Phase takes place ten years after transhumanity has lost a war with a group of super-intelli- gent, self-improving AIs. 95% of the population was lost during this apocalyptic conflict, many of them forcibly uploaded by the TITAN machine gods before they disappeared. Thousands more were corrupted and transformed by an alien exsurgent virus. The Earth is ruined and off-limits, overrun by machines and monsters. The survivors evacuated the planet and spread throughout the Solar System, expanding our off-world colonies out of desperation and necessity. Many escaped only as infugees, with nothing but their bodiless minds. The nations and super-powers of the old world are gone, decapi- tated and dismantled. New political blocs and factions have formed, loosely divided between the inner and outer systems. The capitalist economies of the inner system — Luna, Mars, and Venus — continue to enforce scarcity and intellectual property. They are dominated by the Planetary Consortium, a hypercorp-led entity that prioritizes business interests and that has declared Mars the new homeworld of transhumanity. Their habitats are identified by the influence of media and memetic conflict on civil discourse, the legalities and security restrictions that keep their populations safe, a lingering distrust of AIs and uplifts, and sharp class divisions. While socialites and hyper-elites play and prosper, many infugees have resorted to selling their labor as indentured servants to afford cheap, mass-pro- duced synthetic bodies — the clanking masses.

18¹ What is Eclipse Phase? STARTING OUT 19

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http://eclipsephase.com/roleplaying If you're more interested in the setting, there's plenty to read, in the setting, to read, interested plenty If more there's you're If you're new to the game and eager to start playing, we recom to start to the game and eager If we new playing, you're characters, Ifown your jump right into making to prefer you rules first, on the startIfwith to get a grasp prefer you'd Finally, peruse our Finally, Once you've acquainted yourself with our universe, you'll need to need you'll yourself universe, our with acquainted you've Once referring to specific characters with an established gender, with an established specific characters to referring their current to appropriate use the pronoun we however, be in. happen to use “they” as the default pronoun for individuals. When individuals. When use for “they”pronoun as the default gender identity, regardless of the sex of the morph they the morph they of the sex of regardless gender identity, clipse How it Came How to Be starting the history, with than 4 players, choose your extras from other teams. All of other teams. All from the extras your choose than 4 players, team optimized for one games, with for Firewall-based teams work and one team designed for the outer system. the inner Solar System the mesh start with the premise that that start premise the with proceed to Makingproceed Characters pick up as you need. up as you pick beginning with beginning with learn the rules, startingrules, the learn with how players players how lens is radical, liberatory, inclusive, and antifascist. and If support you inclusive, liberatory, radical, is lens bigotry form, or authoritarianism in any and and for criminal-oriented scenarios. for criminal-oriented content of this book. We recommend starting the setting, out with recommend We ofcontent this book. game for you. mend choosing one ofmend choosing the need to know about how to play them here: to play about how need to know of the rest start it a brief giving mend that everyone by review. mesh thein Running Game If you are new to roleplaying games, you will find everything you everythingyou find will games, you If to roleplaying new are you you and your friends choose from the same team. If you have more the same team. more If from friends choose have and your you you want to have a grasp on the basics of on the basics a grasp to have want we write from the perspective of the perspective biases. Our specific our personal from write we One of the teams is also made specifically for gatecrashing, and one One of for gatecrashing, the teams is also made specifically Psi Mechanics Eclipse Phase Eclipse STARTING GAMEMASTERS STARTING NEW TO ROLEPLAYING? NEW PLAYERS STARTING A NOTE ON POLITICS These characters are divided into 4 teams of 4, so we recommend into 4 teams ofrecommend divided we are 4, so characters These This chapter provides a summary overview of recom summarya overview we game; the provides chapter This As a gamemaster (GM), you will need to be familiar with the general the general need to be familiar with will you As a gamemaster (GM), Threats & X-RisksThreats & E is

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— —

Eclipse Phase exoplanets and alien mysteries. and alien mysteries. exoplanets will return, we face existential existential face we return, will emphasizes the nature of- nature the emphasizes transhu scarred more than Earth. Zones on than Earth. on Zones more scarred AIs is a game of transhuman survival. Aside is a game of survival. transhuman TITANs thousands of

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Intersticed among these major factions, other transhuman clades clades transhuman other factions, major these among Intersticed Ultimately, Ultimately, Eclipse Phase Eclipse The war with the TITAN TITAN with the war The The outer system is the stronghold of the Autonomist Alliance, Alliance, of Autonomist is the stronghold system the outer The lack thereof). Gender identity itself is often fluid. To reflect reflect lack thereof).To fluid. itself is often Gender identity nity to switch bodies. A character’s gender identity may may gender identity bodies. A character’s switch to nity (or characteristics sexual their physical match always not this, we apply the “singular they” we rule, meaning that apply the “singular this, we and subject to change; almost everyone has the opportu everyone change;and subject almost to Sexual biology is ephemeral in Sexual biology is ephemeral A NOTE ON TERMINOLOGY, SEX, AND GENDER TERMINOLOGY, ON A NOTE setting that thoroughly investigates issues that affect our future as a as future our affect that issues investigates setting thoroughly that ofcrux The species. the immense dangers that technology offers us offers that technology the immense dangers be used to improve can science how considering this outlook by than a tabletop roleplaying game, it’s a detailed science fiction fiction a detailed science game, it’s than a tabletop roleplaying tives pose to ourselves. Our species is in a deteriorating orbit around the around orbit deteriorating in a is species Our ourselves. to pose breakouts, alien threats, stellar phenomena, and the dangers we phenomena, we stellar and the dangers alien threats, breakouts, humanity has had its first encounters with alien life within our our within with alien life encounters has had its first humanity black hole of extinction. Will our conflicts steer us into the event event us into the steer our conflicts Will hole ofblack extinction. well gravity the escape to cooperate and evolve horizon, we will or build their own societies. Criminal cartels feed black markets, markets, black feed cartels Criminal societies. own their build a mutual-aid network of anarchists and techno-socialists. In these these In of techno-socialists. and anarchists network mutual-aid a and reach new frontiers? Will we be recognizable when we get there? when we be recognizable we Will frontiers? new and reach ameboid merchants remains unknown. remains merchants ameboid and collective militias. The outer system is a patchwork of political, is a patchwork system The outer militias. and collective from the threat that the the threat from for our species’ future. for our species’ fabrication means that everyone has the necessities and tools they and tools they has the necessities means that everyone fabrication ourselves, enhance cooperation, counteract these risks, and prosper. and prosper. these risks, counteract cooperation, enhance ourselves, ofposthuman.something setting to a is This speaks that becoming own Solar System. A star-faring species known as the Factors visits visits as the Factors A star-faring species known Solar System. own offer their services, pirates prey on the unwary, and isolationists and isolationists on the unwary, prey pirates offer their services, operate without government, laws, or police, relying instead on instead on relying police, or laws, government, without operate communalist territories, currency is obsolete and unrestricted nano is obsolete and unrestricted currency territories, communalist extrasolar systems extrasolar economic, and social experimentation. economic, gates discovered around the system. These wormhole gates open to These the system. around gates discovered manity as it transforms itself, mentally and physically, on the edge edge the on physically, and mentally itself, transforms it as manity risks of weapons the include mass destruction, beyond artifacts from regularly, though the true nature and intentions of though the true nature these laconic regularly, no living sapient species has been found beyond the gates, trans has been found beyond sapient species no living influence. Of greater impact, however, are the mysterious pandora pandora mysterious the are Ofinfluence. impact, however, greater radical scientists work to democratize science, aesthete mercenaries aesthete mercenaries science, to democratize scientists work radical mediates the exchange of information and services. Many habitats of Many services. and exchange the information mediates need. People create rather than consume. Reputation, not wealth, Reputation, not wealth, than consume. rather create need. People Intrepid gatecrashers explore these new horizons, colonizing horizons, colonizing these new explore gatecrashers Intrepid Pandora gates, salvaged TITAN technology, exsurgent infection infection exsurgent technology, TITAN gates, salvaged Pandora Luna, Mars, and Saturn’s moon Iapetus remain under machine under machine remain moon Iapetus and Saturn’s Mars, Luna, voluntary and cooperative structures, real-time online referendums, online referendums, real-time structures, voluntary and cooperative worlds and uncovering the remnants of extinct civilizations. While While of the remnants civilizations. extinct and uncovering worlds - Even bioconserva outside influences. communities from filter their There is danger is There threat to human survival. The fight for mercurials is the fight for CORE CONCEPTS transhumanity and blood is spilled on both sides to define their Eclipse Phase is a hostile world to the unwary and a paradise to the place in society. cunning. Threats lurk invisible, factions hang on the edge of war, and transhuman nature itself is molded to purpose. Below are the core DEFEATING DEATH concepts any denizen of Eclipse Phase must master in order to survive. In Eclipse Phase, your mind can be digitally copied, stored, and altered like software. Almost everyone uploads their mind to a TRANSHUMANISM secure storage service, as well as to a tiny device implanted at the Humanity is outdated. People are no longer defined by their limita- base of the skull called a cortical stack. If you are killed, you can tions. Transhumans adapt to the scorching corona of the sun, where be restored from these backups. Only if all copies of yourself are ships turn to plasma. They thrive in the dark frozen wastes of the destroyed will you be dead forever. Kuiper Belt in absolute isolation. Where humans suffer from aging Backing up brings its own set of challenges. When your mind and disease and are confined to limited environments, transhumans is recovered, it includes your memories up to the last moment of pursue longevity and adaptation. backing up. If you died horribly, that final experience is recorded in In the 21st century, transhumanism was a movement focused on your cortical stack. Characters surviving traumatic experiences may human enhancement. In Eclipse Phase, transhumanity is how people opt to destroy their most recent backup and instead restore an older STARTINGOUT rebuild the galaxy. You can play an augmented vid star or a robotic copy, losing weeks or months of experiences and memories (called insect, and neither would stand out on a public boulevard. You can lack), rather than deal with the psychological harm they’d suffered. also choose no body at all and exist as a purely digital entity. Many Copies can also be stolen. You may live your life not knowing a copy denizens of Eclipse Phase have absolute body autonomy, within of yourself has been resleeved on the far side of the Solar System to be the limits of their creativity and resources. Because of the ease of tortured for information or sold into slavery. Fork-nappers and “soul radical body enhancement, the average Eclipse Phase character has traders” are the lowest of the low, profiting off of transhuman suffering. a strength and intelligence comparable to the most exceptional humans from history. RESLEEVING Transhumanity also incorporates those who were not decanted Digitized minds can also be downloaded. If your current body as homo sapiens. AIs and uplifted animals with human-equiva- becomes damaged, obsolete, or inconvenient, you can sleeve into a lent capabilities and intelligence are part of transhumanity. Like new one. You can transfer consciousness with the right equipment and humans, uplifts and infolife select and alter their bodies, engage in less than an hour’s time. Your new form could be an Olympic runner, a commerce across the Solar System, take VR vacations, and expand robotic shell, a digital presence, or even an orbiting shuttle. Members the transhuman experience. of high-risk professions, such as criminals or Firewall sentinels, can be killed multiple times on a mission only to be brought back and sent AIs AND UPLIFTS into the field again and again. Your body is called a sleeve or a morph, The genetics hypercorp Somatek famously ran batches of ten and the process of changing morphs is resleeving. Morphs can be thousand semi-sapient octopus fingerlings through a gauntlet of biological with organic brains (biomorphs), biological with synthetic rigorous intelligence tests. Failures were immediately destroyed. brains (pods), robotic (synthmorphs), or purely digital (infomorph). The remaining were churned into genetic stock for the next generation. A decade later, their final "product" was released — an EGO MANIPULATION octopus as cognizant as any transhuman; an uplift. Somatek and Morphs are temporary; your mind is what defines who you are. Your companies like it raised and killed millions. This is the story of ego is your skills, memories, and personality. almost all uplifted species. They are fully sapient, but their DNA is Multiple copies of your ego (called forks) can operate simulta- trademarked, copy-protected, and hypercorp branded. Their history neously and independently, each fork effectively its own person. is one of calculated eugenics. Forks can be electronically transferred across the Solar System at Artificial general intelligences (AGIs) are fully self-aware, creative the speed of light; uploading at a facility on Mars to be resleeved on digital intelligences. Unlike artificial limited intelligences (ALIs), Ceres and back again by dinner. Forks can also be passively stored which have a human-like interface in front of a limited, task-specific for later use, brought online only if certain criteria are met. program, AGIs are sapient and equivalent to other transhuman You also have the opportunity to directly manipulate your ego. minds. AGIs, like uplifts, are the products of human research and With psychosurgery, you can alter your behavioral traits, remove development teams. Some are offshoots of academic research, a few memories to ease previous traumas, prune forks to fulfill specialized are from military think tanks, while the majority were developed by roles, and merge forks back into your primary persona. private studios for their own purposes. Uplifts and AGIs are collectively called mercurials. Many hyper- THE MESH corps and political bodies see them as property. Some governments Nearly every object is wireless and computerized. Each of these view them as abominations, abuse of technology manifest, and a devices links to its neighbors to join the local network, sharing

TABLE TALK All characters are assumed to be mesh-connected. This permits them to talk to one another, share first-person video, sensor data, and other information even when separated. But use caution! Infosec-savvy enemies can monitor these discussions or even alter messages between characters.

20¹ Core Concepts • Transhumanism–The Mesh STARTING OUT 21 - - - - ¾ s n that tormented Earth that tormented Earth otech–Factio AIs n Na • oncepts C ore C the space age is easy but surviving it is rare. The exception to extinc to exception The it is rare. but surviving age is easy the space the visit ships whose Factors, the called race a mercantile is tion tions release untested technologies and pull down governments as as governments and pull down untested technologies tions release ships. As people fled Earth, anyone with a ship or a claim on an As people fledships. on an claim or a a ship with Earth, anyone ultra-competitive, specialized, and super-networked hypercorpora specialized, and super-networked ultra-competitive, utopias and fascist citadels, frontier outposts and roving carnival carnival outposts and roving utopias and fascist citadels, frontier polities bound by their desire for individual empowerment, and the empowerment, for individual their desire polities bound by be lurking at the bleeding edges of at the bleeding edges be lurking art, and space. science, it has discovered Way, ofthe borders charts humanity the Milky trans leaving of survival, the secret their own to share refused have it alone. to stumble through humanity hardware and acts to return to pre-Fall ways of life. Meanwhile, of Meanwhile, life. ways pre-Fall to return to acts and hardware long as it keeps the cycle of spinning. the cycle profits long as it keeps and the exsurgent viruses that continue to infect transhumanity. transhumanity. to infect that continue viruses exsurgent and the a biochauvinist police state, holds most of the old world’s military state, holds most of police the old world’s a biochauvinist asteroid could build a habitat, and with it, a new way of things. doing habitat, a way build it, with and new a could asteroid frenetic chase for knowledge and profit, blind to the risks that could that blind to the risks and profit, for knowledge chase frenetic dominant factions are the Autonomist Alliance, composed of composed varied Alliance, the Autonomist dominant factions are excitement and dread for the gatecrashers who use them. As trans for the gatecrashers and dread excitement existing power structures. To survive, societies learned to provide societies learned to provide survive, To structures. power existing gatecrashers across the galaxy. These are pandora gates, full of pandora These are the galaxy. across gatecrashers remains of alien civilizations. The littered graveyards show reaching reaching show of graveyards The littered remains alien civilizations. Societies are as diverse as transhumans themselves; technosocialist technosocialist themselves; as transhumans as diverse Societies are Solar System to sell xenoartifacts at exorbitant prices. The Factors Factors The prices. xenoartifacts at exorbitant to sell Solar System mutual support and formed factions with like-minded habitats. Themutual support like-minded with and formed factions Despite the horrors it has faced, transhumanity continues the the continues transhumanity it has faced, Despite the horrors Explorers have discovered enigmatic gates capable of enigmatic gates capable teleporting discovered have Explorers Planetary Consortium, a corporate state that arose from the ashes of the ashes from state that arose Planetary a corporate Consortium, Republic, most ofJovian The and still controls the inner system. Earth Old governments learned to incorporate refugees to reinforce the the reinforce to refugees incorporate to learned governments Old ALIEN EXPLORATION FACTIONS The most dangerous x-risks are the TITAN TITAN the are x-risks dangerous The most - - - tempt to harness them. or at

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Nanotech is not without its risks. It shrinks the realm of warfare of the realm It shrinks warfare its risks. is not without Nanotech to identify and eliminate x-risks at any cost, and many polities have have polities and many cost, at any to identify x-risks and eliminate to fight them organizations their own tage machines, or disassemble people. Meanwhile, habitats that habitats that Meanwhile, or disassemble people. tagemachines, habitats Entire experiments. deadly or conducting turing weapons to the microscopic. Invisible clouds of robots can bug rooms, sabo of bug rooms, clouds can robots Invisible to the microscopic. surveillance is everywhere and accessible to all. and accessible is everywhere surveillance permit a freedom from scarcity grapple with their citizens manufac- citizens their with grapple scarcity from freedom a permit processing capabilities and functionality. This is the mesh; a a is the mesh; This and functionality. capabilities processing have been destroyed by putting too much trust in creative people. trust in creative putting too much by been destroyed have hyper-connected, distributed, everyware network. The mesh offers offers mesh The network. everyware distributed, hyper-connected, and complex electronics. Scarcity does exist, but as a result ofexist, does but as a result copy Scarcity electronics. and complex agents crawl the mesh running errands for their masters. You wear wear You for their masters. running errands the mesh agents crawl free and unlimited digital processing power to its citizens. Digital to its citizens. Digital power and unlimited digital processing free other raw-material feedstocks to convert to luxury consumer goods goods to luxury consumer to convert feedstocks other raw-material clothes to molecule-sized robots. Isolated habitats mine minerals and Isolated habitats mine minerals robots. to molecule-sized clothes or are implanted with mesh inserts that reveal a dazzling augmented dazzling a inserts reveal that mesh with implanted are or exterminate or permanently cripple transhumanity. Firewall works works Firewall transhumanity. cripple or permanently exterminate economic order. Habitats accepting of post-scarcity economics are are economics of post-scarcity accepting Habitats order. economic edge to produce an expert response. But the mesh's omnipresence has omnipresence But the mesh's an expert response. edge to produce elaborate display that can only exist in a virtual world. Wild animals Wild in a virtual world. exist only that can display elaborate more likely to see capitalism as inefficient and abusive. to see capitalism likely more right-holders and governments using armed force to defend the old using armed force and governments right-holders Nanotech has resulted in novel materials and goods, from stain-proof materials and goods, from in novel has resulted Nanotech its downsides. Everything is hackable, and everything is watching; is watching; and everything is hackable, Everything its downsides. recorded, every question taps into the wealth of knowl taps wealth into the question every transhuman recorded, reality overlay. Via entoptic displays, the world blossoms in an blossoms in an the world entoptic displays, Via overlay. reality dioramas. moving include fashions new storefronts, electronic roam Existential risks are threats and vulnerabilities with the potential to the potential to with and vulnerabilities threats are risks Existential Every language is seamlessly translated, every moment is perfectly perfectly moment is every translated, language is seamlessly Every X-RISKS NANOTECH With nanotechnology, you can fabricate almost any good on demand. any almost fabricate can you nanotechnology, With HORROR THEMES Strange things thrive at the periphery of transhumanity’s light. In In one session, the player characters (PCs) may explore the ruins isolated habitats, exhumans experiment on themselves, accelerating of Earth, battling past TITAN machines to find a relic of the past. their own evolution into perfect predators. In dark alleys, refugees In another, they fight off exhuman hunters until the pandora gate inject themselves with black-market drugs, unaware of exsurgent opens for them to escape to safety. Around the table, during these spores now blooming inside of them. As explorers dredge old moments, the players bathe in the details. But the details feel most TITAN warrens, they discover survivors, surgically joined into poignant because they are an integral part of the setting and the wailing human insects. Even a malfunctioning airlock and a broad themes it encompasses. Even when not the focus, the Eclipse moment’s distraction, and a person is snapped in half, watching Phase setting and adventures will explore several recurring themes. their legs flop freely in the vacuum of space. Death used to be a GMs should use these to define the character of their games. merciful escape. Now memories drill into the psyche like water torture. People shed their old, mangled bodies, returning them to POST-APOCALYPTIC the recycler to be resold in the next year’s model — but they carry Transhumanity survives in the shadow of the Fall, when the TITANs their traumas forever. Adventurers especially accumulate terrors razed Earth and exsurgent outbreaks metamorphosed civilians into until finally there is nothing left to be done except find somewhere writhing biological monsters. 95% of the population was extermi- quiet to retire and struggle with their demons. STARTINGOUT nated in a few short years. For every person who escaped via shuttle, ten thousand lined up in mass-upload facilities, waiting for their INFECTION minds to be digitized and beamed to orbiting servers. Billions more In biology, an “eclipse phase” is the period after a cell is infected were consumed by war machines and plagues. Stations took on but before the virus appears within the cell and begins hijacking refugees until life support crashed. A few never made it off Earth it. At this stage the infection is invisible, but irreversible. The but still survive among civilization's bones, hunted by machines. exsurgent virus survived a decade because of its adaptability, No matter where people set their bed in the Solar System, they can sometimes twisting the body, sometimes anchoring in the mind. look back on their charred homeworld and its rings of devastated No measure seems sufficient to stop it. It just waits, until it has stations and frozen corpses. an opportunity to mutate and rebuild the victim into something But as a wildfire clears space for new growth, transhumanity is set terrible and new. Some survive years with their infection, as an to rebuild society, seeking new ways of living that would not have asymptomatic Typhoid Mary. An unfortunate few manifest psychic been possible under the gaze of Earth’s central control. Mars and powers as a result of their exsurgent taint; a gift of terrible power Luna are centers of commerce; Saturn hosts colonies of culture and with an unknown cost. It remains unclear if the virus was created science. In the outer reaches, independent habitats incubate new by the TITANs or simply spread by them, if it was a mistake of transhuman experiences. As some yearn for the old Earth to soothe alien evolution or if it is rebuilding transhumans for some greater traumas, others reach for the stars. cause. Anyone who comes into contact with the virus is considered infected and hunted for the remainder of their days. SURVIVAL The Fall is over but transhumanity’s path forward is pitted with CONSPIRACY dangers. The TITANs left by their own accord, but their death An assassin takes on the face of their target. A polity delivers human- machines still stalk the Solar System. The exsurgent pestilence lies itarian aid to a remote habitat, not knowing one of the crew is smug- dormant in shadowed craters, waiting to blossom in mutation and gling TITAN machines for the black market. A hypercorp contam- death. The Factors, transhumanity’s only ally, are ambush predators inates the air supply with a psychoactive pathogen designed to pleased to litter their chosen with gifts while setting hidden webs. subdue rebellious behaviors. The new world is one of misdirection If the external threats don’t kill transhumanity, the internal ones and treachery. The Consortium, Jovian Republic, and Autonomist may. The major factions are locked in a cold war, waiting for a Alliance are locked in a cold war, marked with propaganda and espi- moment of vulnerability to throw the system into war. Hypercorps onage. Even Firewall is an organization composed of isolated cells release products to control or kill competitors, with no focus beyond that only communicate through anonymous channels under the the next quarter’s returns. Ambitious explorers dodge quarantine to guidance of unknown benefactors. The rate of change, from aliens sell ominous TITAN relics and alien artifacts on the black market. to market spikes, is so fast that maps of the political landscape are Even normal daily life is rife with danger. Just a loose bolt at orbital obsolete before they’re published. Alliances are formed of necessity velocities can punch through a habitat, venting its precious atmo- until a message from a distant habitat or a disappeared ship turns sphere into space. the parties into bitter enemies. Extinction looms large over transhumanity; we are just one Because it is impossible to prove identities or motivations, trust misstep away from blinking out. New technologies bring newer is a rare commodity. The virtuous hide their goals behind masks threats. On top of this, xenoarcheologists have visited thousands and cut out knowledge from their own brains if it might reveal them of alien worlds, all dead. The civilizations that once thrived there later. Firewall sentinels might wonder if the person next to them long ago reaped by their own cataclysms. The numbers show that is their comrade from a hundred missions or if that is their empty soon too transhumanity will only be cold artifacts, waiting to be morph sleeved by an alien intelligence. In this world, friendly fire is catalogued by the next iteration of space-faring intelligence. a valid tactic. After all, a dead friend can be resleeved. But trust an enemy and you may cease to exist altogether.

22¹ Themes • Post-Apocalyptic–Conspiracy STARTING OUT 23 - - ¾ ge n ha C demand equal demand equal ce– n AGIs has a direct impact impact direct has a cie S • hemes T Eclipse Phase Eclipse Transhumanity itself is transforming. What it might be like in two in two it might be like What itself is transforming. Transhumanity The technology available in available The technology them to influence the lives of millions. Accessible nanofabrication nanofabrication of the lives Accessible millions. them to influence right of the divine now kings, like and inescapable, to be eternal unexpected. thing wondrously stage, post-biological a to advance could species the or stars, the to undermines scarcity capitalism. Uplifts and scarcity undermines path to totalitarianism. personhood status. Forking challenges the legitimacy of challenges in voting status.personhood Forking leaving only the bioconservatives behind. The only thing that is thing that is The only behind. the bioconservatives only leaving are erased as quickly as they form. Ideas once considered outra considered form. Ideas once as they as quickly erased are on politics. The immense age and wealth of enables The immense age and on politics. the oligarchs certain is the future's uncertainty. is the future's certain democracies. The ability to hack minds and surveil all paves the the surveil and minds paves all hack to ability The democracies. exhibit cracks in their foundations or mutate overnight into some into mutate or overnight foundations their in cracks exhibit emerging technologies creates inevitable social upheavals. Norms Norms upheavals. social inevitable creates technologies emerging geous or utopian float tantalizingly near. Institutions once assumed assumed once Institutions near. float tantalizingly utopian or geous System could re-align, another x-risk could scatter transhumanity transhumanity scatter could re-align, another x-risk could System years is uncertain, much less twenty. The political map ofmap political The Solar the twenty. less uncertain,is much years CHANGE The evolution of transhuman society is rapid. The confluence of rapid. The is of society evolution The transhuman - wield technology that makes them super them that makes technology PCs wield explores a universe as it might be: transhumans across across transhumans be: might it as universe a explores must use the tools they have and improvise to create what what create to improvise and have they tools the use must Science always comes with a cost, be it the risk of be it the risk a cost, with comes or the misuse always Science the local customs, but may also pause to appreciate the diversity of diversity the also pause to appreciate but may customs, the local experience. the transhuman the galaxy, with different backgrounds and challenges. The result result The challenges. and backgrounds different with the galaxy, the option of modifying themselves beyond recognition and living and living recognition the option of beyond modifyingthemselves the advanced technology of their enemies approaches omnipotence. of omnipotence. technology their enemies approaches the advanced they’re missing. path to the stars.path to the bands of mind-joined cultists, from totalitarian regimes to colonies bands of to colonies totalitarian regimes from mind-joined cultists, loss of what makes us who we are. In a world where most people are most people are where In a world loss of are. us who we what makes human, capable of destroying habitats or possibly even planets. But planets. even habitats ofhuman, or possibly capable destroying are familiar, some fantastical, a few obscene. Characters must learn Characters obscene. a few some fantastical, familiar, are also the cure that permitted some to survive and provides the only the only that permitted provides and to survive some also the cure of forking-and-merging versions of a single seed personality. Many Many ofof versions a single seed personality. forking-and-merging cannot resolve. cannot digitized and resleeved versions of their former selves, who have who have of versions their former selves, digitized and resleeved Science caused the Fall that nearly wiped out transhumanity. It was was It transhumanity. out wiped nearly that Fall the caused Science in environments unimagined by our forebears, keeping a sense of keeping our forebears, unimagined by in environments alone science challenge a be to prove may humanity and identity is a range of political systems, from representative democracies to to democracies representative from of systems, is a range political PCs Eclipse Phase Eclipse POLITICS SCIENCE The Sunward Ops Team includes Dante, Hex, Qi, and Sava. Still CORE CAMPAIGNS kicking Martian dust off their boots, this team is experienced with There are three default stories or campaign settings forEclipse Phase: planetary environments, overbearing governments, hypercorps, the Firewall investigation and containment campaign, the gate- and the odd throw-down. In the inner system, missions feature crashing exploration campaign, and the criminal action campaign. abandoned TITAN machines, corporate machinations, and polit- Each of these will touch on the various Eclipse Phase themes and ical intrigue. The big powers are the Planetary Consortium, the concepts, but usually focus on a particular range of adventures Morningstar Constellation claiming Venus, the conservative Lunar- and motivations. Some stories may jump the boundaries between Lagrange Alliance, the hypercorps, and the oligarchs spinning webs campaign styles; for example, criminals may lay low by gatecrashing behind the scenes. Conflicts between the powers are common. Trust to an exoplanet, or Firewall agents may need to establish under- is hard won, when every organization is riddled with puppets and world contacts to conduct a dangerous heist. Adventures may also mobsters. A sharp mind and a good dose of paranoia are critical in be run independently of one another without connecting to a larger staying alive. story, using either the same characters across multiple adventures Securing the big black is the Rimward Ops Team, with Chi, Killjoy, or characters built specifically for that mission. Njál, and Zahiri. Out here, habitats are usually smaller and isolated. Fading into the background may be impossible, and backup is FIREWALL CAMPAIGN months away. The PCs must be able to operate in whatever wild STARTINGOUT The primary focus of Eclipse Phase is the band of clandestine oper- frontier or research station trouble has taken root. Far from the atives taking on the major threats faced by transhumanity. In this major powers, the rules are more flexible, but suspicious locals campaign, the characters work for a secret, cross-factional organiza- are quick to airlock strangers. The characters are likely to find tion called Firewall as agents or new recruits. Firewall acts to contain themselves stranded in a situation far more complex than they and destroy x-risks that threaten the existence of transhumanity. were equipped for and forced to improvise to survive. The major Characters are recruited from all factions (or occasionally hired as factions include the Titanians, Jovians, anarchists, Ultimates, and mercenaries if the threat of extinction alone is not sufficient moti- brinkers. Outer-system missions focus more on containing infec- vation). The PCs are issued a mission by a handler called a proxy tions, fighting off monstrous posthumans, investigating weird and are the first line in investigating and stopping the threat. The experiments, and delaying war with the Jovians. situation is usually still developing, so the briefing may be missing critical details. The PCs are independent and under cover as they GATECRASHING CAMPAIGN operate in a foreign habitat or hostile environment, dogged by local Gatecrashing campaigns focus on a team of explorers tasked or authorities. They have the discretion to act as they see fit to address volunteering to go through pandora gates to remote exoplanets. the threat at hand. Usually they are the first-in team. The space immediately around the Sentinels are frequently expected to sacrifice themselves, either gate is known to be survivable. For anything past ten meters, there’s by facing down impossible odds or by destroying themselves no guarantee. The characters are equipped with everything they to prevent the spread of alien infection. When sentinels fail, the need to survive, as determined by the company’s finance depart- backup plan may be to destroy the entire habitat. Firewall is extreme ment or their own crowdsourcing. Once through the gate, the PCs in its measures, but if the alternative will kill millions or billions, are expected to map the area and bring back artifacts or resource the razing of a single habitat is an acceptable loss. claims that will make their sponsors rich. They step through the All of the sample characters and teams consist of Firewall agents. gate knowing they’re disposable. If they become infected, they However, two teams are primarily designed for Firewall campaigns, die. If they are mortally wounded from accidents or animal attacks, one each for the inner and outer parts of the Solar System. they die. Forget a critical tool to keep life support pumping, they die. If they’re late getting to the gate for their retrieval time, they’re trapped on an alien planet until they die. Most gatecrashers can FIREWALL SUNWARD OPS Dante ▶ Venusian Genehacker Hex ▶ Lunar Async Fixer FIREWALL RIMWARD OPS Qi ▶ Barsoomian Hacktivist Chi ▶ Mindhacker & Networker Sava ▶ Freelance Spec Ops Killjoy ▶ Anarchist Troubleshooter Njál ▶ Titanian Hacker Zahiri ▶ Brinker Security Specialist

24¹ Core Campaigns • Firewall Campaign–Gatecrashing Campaign STARTING OUT

- - - - - 25 ¾ n aig amp C al n ▶ Scum Techie Elis ▶ Scum imi Cr • ▶ Uplift Scavenger Pivo The Fall left hundreds of aban of left hundreds The Fall ampaigns C ▶ Nine Lives Fixer ▶ Nine Lives Amaru Timoti The characters have been left behind. have characters The Pursuit of knowledge can put char knowledge of Pursuit ore C Mercs are the de-facto military for many many the de-factomilitary for are Mercs CRIMINAL GUANXI OPS CRIMINAL GUANXI Many polities seem to loathe their own citi their own loathe polities seem to Many ▶ Infolife Enforcer & Bot Jammer & Bot Enforcer Berk ▶ Infolife

Political Ops: Ops: EarthSurvival Researching Ops: Researching isolated brinker habitats, or reverse engineering pandora engineering pandora or reverse habitats, brinker isolated necessary evil. necessary may wish to pursue another type of campaign altogether. campaign of type altogether. another pursue wish to may name their price. their for high-risk ventures take to expected are researchers nent erasure. Political activists dive deep into entangling entangling deep into dive activists Political erasure. nent actions. Coordinating and sabotage brutalments state must dodge TITAN war machines, radiation zones, and a and a zones, machines, radiation war TITAN dodge must Mercenary Ops: Mercenary Salvage and Rescue Ops: Rescue and Salvage factions, relied on extensively for espionage and deniable espionage and deniable for on extensively relied factions, from Earth are worth a fortune. An enterprising team team An enterprising a fortune. worth Earth are from can usually backups their corrupt permanently and target acters right on the precipice. Thanks to cheap backups, cheap backups, to Thanks on the precipice. right acters alliances and buried corpses. Guerrilla artists, journalists, journalists, and buried Guerrilla artists, corpses. alliances undermine their govern to work fighters and resistance and were unlucky enough to survive the fallout. Now they they Now the fallout. survive enough to unlucky and were weather system gone mad. gone system weather willing to face TITAN war machines and hostile survivors survivors and hostile machines war TITAN face to willing with outside factions to secure allies and resources is a a is resources allies and secure to with outside factions doned craft and habitats in orbit, and the smallest objects objects and the smallest in orbit, and habitats doned craft During the exodus, they were not able to escape the planet able to not were they During the exodus, strikes. Mercenary work won’t necessarily be messy be messy necessarily won’t work Mercenary strikes. stands to make a tidy profit. make to stands - perma risk oppression against stand a take who viduals gates to alter space and time. space alter to gates Other possible campaigns include: Other possible zens. Bigotry and state violence are common. Those indi common. are violence and state Bigotry zens. findings. Sample adventures include ecological surveys of of ecological surveys include Samplefindings. adventures ALTERNATIVE CAMPAIGNS ALTERNATIVE (although it usually is). A team of assassins who can kill the assassins of team A it usually is). (although The Solar System is large and full of stories. Gamemasters Gamemasters stories. and full of is large The Solar System Titan, xenoarcheology on dead planets, SETI programs on on on dead SETI programs planets, Titan, xenoarcheology

• • • • • - -

is Astika, Jinx, Shrike, and Whisper. Whisper. Jinx, and is Astika, Shrike, characters, a team brought together in a team brought characters, may find themselves fighting on behalf fighting on find themselves a may of PCs Gatecrashing Ops Criminal Guanxi Ops ▶ Async Scientist Explorer Scientist ▶ Async ▶ Survival Engineer & Xeno-Archeologist ▶ Survival Most exoplanets are uninhabited by transhumans but frequently but frequently transhumans by uninhabited are Most exoplanets The criminal scene has changed drastically since the Fall. the Fall. since drastically has changed scene criminal The The team of The stalkers flip TITAN war technology or samples of or technology war exsurgent volatile TITAN flip stalkers site report, or may be a permanent part be a permanent ofsite report, or may colony. a new services available. The triads especially smuggle medical equip smuggle medical especially triads The available. services the underground, are Amaru Timoti, Berk, Elis, and Pivo. Timoti, Amaru are the underground, threats. Criminal Criminal threats. the survivors who will give the final mission report. the final mission give will who the survivors people to pay subscription fees to keep their bodies from collapsing. their bodies from to keep fees subscription people to pay promise of a larger cut) is hard, and when the bodies start ofhard, is falling,promise cut) it’s a larger have vibrant and hungry alien ecosystems. Alien artifacts are a rare a rare artifacts Alien are hungry and alien ecosystems. vibrant have lifting overpriced alien leavings from wealthy collectors. collectors. wealthy from alien leavings lifting overpriced habitat and watching it burn on the way down. The team is focused The team is focused down. way it burn on the habitat and watching list off dozens of corpses they’ve left to decay across the galaxy. list off the galaxy. across dozens of they’vecorpses left to decay and the operation protected. Other times it means de-orbiting a a Othermeans de-orbiting times it protected. and the operation and power. Sometimes this warrants discretion, to keep assets secret secret assets to keep discretion, this warrants Sometimes and power. and lucrative find. Gatecrashers also serve R&D team, as a first-tier Gatecrashers find. and lucrative engineering, for reverse is worth what back bringing appraising contagions for a handsome profit. Triads compete with the Night with the Night compete Triads for a handsome profit. contagions dent or associated with a larger cartel, focused on amassing credits on amassing credits focused cartel, a larger dent or associated with on efficiency in profit-making.on efficiency in grassroots government against Consortium jackboots as often as often as as jackboots Consortium against government grassroots Sometimes the lure of adventure needs a little financial incentive. a littleneeds financial incentive. ofSometimes the lure adventure ment to hidden clinics and provide militias to fight against outside against fight to militias provide and clinics hidden to ment may still be trapped at some forgotten dig, at some forgotten life support alone until trapped still be may missions may last as little as an hour, as teams complete the first the first complete as teams little last as as an hour, missions may Biohackers override built-in terminator genes meant to force meant to force built-in terminator genes override Biohackers In many places, the syndicates provide the only form of the only social provide the syndicates places, In many Forknappers steal backups of financiers to extract passcodes. Zone Zone passcodes. ofextract to financiers steal backups Forknappers waiting to vaporize curious gatecrashing teams. Gatecrashing teams. Gatecrashing gatecrashing curious to vaporize waiting what’s worthless archeological detritus, and what’s a deadly weapon weapon a deadly detritus, and what’s worthless archeological what’s finally runs out. partIt’s offinally the job. fiat more than choice. Keeping a cohesive team under stress team under stress cohesive Keeping a (or the choice. than fiat more Cartel in turf wars to push their new redlining experience playbacks. playbacks. experience redlining their new to push in turf wars Cartel Gatecrashers lose sleep at night knowing versions of themselves of versions at night knowing themselves lose sleep Gatecrashers CRIMINAL CAMPAIGN This campaign circles around a band of around criminals, either indepen campaign circles This A mish-mash of backgrounds, they’re brought together by corporate corporate by together of they’re brought mish-mash A backgrounds, ▶ Security Contractor & Drone Operator & Drone ▶ Security Contractor Shrike GATECRASHING OPS GATECRASHING

Astika Whisper ▶ Uplift Recon Specialist Jinx ▶ Uplift Recon SOCIAL CHARACTER ARCHETYPES All doors open for the face, who knows who to talk to and what Characters are defined by their skills and reputation. The combined accounts to grease. While all characters should have some level of party needs a broad range of skills to overcome the challenges social skills and reputation, the face is the one who can sweet talk arrayed against them. These might include gathering resources, themself right into the central control room. Sample social arche- winning allies, researching, infiltrating (or defending) mesh types include: systems, repairing or improvising a critical tool, combat, and finally Glitterati: Vid stars, oligarchs, and politicians, they’re famous applying what they have learned to a resolution. The skills the party enough they’ve had to trademark their face. They can usually get must bring to the table can be roughly grouped as combat, social, what they want done through force of will alone, but when that falls technical, and knowledge. These establish the four broad archetypes short a healthy bankroll will bring in the people who can. For the in Eclipse Phase — the fighter, the face, the techie (or hacker), and the glitterati, fame is a double-edged sword, as they are very sensitive scientist (or artist). In smaller groups, PCs may want to fill multiple to being caught in scandal. Firewall work is fine, as long as they’re archetypes, while minimizing overlap. In larger groups, characters able to deny it publicly. benefit more from specialization. Players should coordinate to Career: Face, Interest: Artist/Icon or Networker avoid specialties that overlap too closely, but different specialties in Spies and Con artists: Sometimes it’s not who you know, but the same field can create force multipliers. who you are. The con artist relies on perfect mimicry and a heavy STARTINGOUT Each of the archetypes below lists suggested Career and Interest dose of infosec to pass themself off as a corporate head or a Martian skill packages to take during character creation [▶40–42] in brackets ranger; whatever the role necessary to get a guided tour to the after the entry. target’s front door. Career: Covert Operative/Face, Interest: Networker/Rogue COMBAT Negotiators: This character has the gift of gab and the rep to Even the most cunning party will eventually be in a situation that flex it. Fixers, auctioneers, and lawyers, they can get anyone to see must be resolved by brute force. Most characters should have things their way. Their skills extend beyond haggling. A good nego- some combat effectiveness. The fighters are those characters who tiator can convince opponents to back off or call in favors when the specialize in a range of combat methods, so they can always adapt chips are down. to the situation at hand. Critical skills include Guns, Infiltrate, Career: Face Athletics, and Fray, and they will have a morph outfitted to take a Mindhackers: Through skill in psychosurgery or psychic sleights, pounding. Melee skill should also be considered, but in a high-tech the character peels back layers of their target’s mind, to lay it bare setting of armor and bots, it may not be as effective as other options. or rebuild it as they see fit. Mindhackers are useful for any investi- For groups of six players, it is recommended to have at least two gative team for their ability to isolate secrets, but also on high-stress fighters. Some example fighters include: teams for their skill in unwinding their allies’ accumulated traumas. Direct Action and Medusan Shield Mercenaries, Firewall Career: Mindhacker Erasers: These characters deploy heavy-duty hardware to utterly Investigators and Journalists: With a nose for sussing information destroy the target. They are the ideal character for slash-and-burn from an uncooperative target, investigators have skills in perception, operations. What they bring in explosives they lack in subtlety and persuasion, research, and a host of technical and knowledge fields. discretion. Their obvious combat morphs and oversized weapons This mix is ideal for unraveling whatever situation the team is stuck in. will invite scrutiny during operations. Career: Hacker/Investigator, Interest: Networker/Rogue Career: Soldier Earth Survivors and Freedom Fighters: These characters have TECHNICAL learned to survive under the nose of a vastly superior enemy. They The techie specializes in using, repairing, and abusing technology, are capable with light, heavy, and improvised weapons, and bring a either hardware or software. The techie is the hero when life support diversity of technical and knowledge skills to endure when condi- is running out and the AI has turned hostile. During combat, the tions are tight. techie can shut down the enemy’s tools or provide forward observers Career: Covert Operative/Scavenger, Interest: Fighter/Survivalist for the combat characters. The most common technical characters are: Ego Hunters, Police, and Militia: This character knows how Hackers: Hackers are critical for their ability to pull data during to navigate the micrograv jungle to locate their target. They have an investigation. Dirt like camera feeds, forgotten lifelogs, and illicit a strong focus on social networks and investigation skills. Their shipping ledgers hang out in forgotten caches, waiting to be dug up. combat is usually focused and discreet, but their training relies The hacker keeps just as busy tidying up their own group’s mess, by on reinforcements when facing a stronger enemy. A good addition erasing their camera logs and digital footprints. In combat hackers when the party isn’t looking for a body count. are lethal. As long as their team can buy them time, hackers can Career: Enforcer/Investigator, Interest: Fighter/Forensics Specialist eject magazines from guns, jam friend-or-foe targeting on security Assassins: The assassin uses stealth and trickery to avoid systems, open airlocks behind enemy lines, or even shut down direct confrontation. They have a wide toolbox, and can leverage offending synthmorphs. everything from nanotoxins to explosives to get the job done. The Career: Hacker assassin’s reliance on stealth may become a hindrance during Engineer: When the team wakes up on a station being consumed confrontations. An assassin who is caught unawares, who has not by grey goo in a decaying orbit and also the commander’s seat mapped the environment and prepared multiple attack and escape sticks, it falls on the engineer to save the day. The engineer has routes, doesn’t survive long. a range of mechanical and hardware skills to fix what’s broken or Career: Covert Operative/Soldier Interest: Rogue/Jack-of-All-Trades modify something else to work just as well. Career: Techie

26¹ Character Archetypes • Combat–Technical STARTING OUT 27 - - ¾ owledge n owledge–K n K • The TITAN researcher prods the leavings the leavings prods researcher TITAN The Exoplanet exploration is the source for the for the is the source exploration Exoplanet rchetypes A Genehackers design custom animals, morphs, animals, morphs, design custom Genehackers came to be and why they left. Regardless of left. Regardless they the to be and why came who nearly exterminated transhumanity. Any work work Any transhumanity. exterminated who nearly TITANs haracter C Career: Genehacker Survivalist Interest: Career: Scavenger/Scientist/Techie, Career: Explorer/Scientist Genehackers: Genehackers: TITAN Researcher: Researcher: TITAN Xenoarcheologists: tory and time, they might even be able to cure whatever affliction is affliction whatever be able to cure tory might even and time, they they will also be the lead in understanding the alien corpse, the the lead in understanding also be the corpse, the alien will they the black market. A few risk death and insanity to understand understand to death and insanity risk A few market. the black how the how bioplague, and the exsurgent beast. When provided with the labora with provided When beast. bioplague, and the exsurgent and bacteria. Genehackers usually can fill in the medic role, but but role, in the medic fill can usually and bacteria. Genehackers alien devices. Unfortunately, all of all those dead species means transhu Unfortunately, alien devices. are motivated by the high price TITAN technology can get on on get can technology TITAN price high the by motivated are foreign culture lived; they’re identifying what that dangerous object they’re identifyingthat dangerous what lived; culture foreign chemist is recruited to identify the new drug on the streets. The The streets. the on drug identify to new the recruited is chemist consuming the habitat (or, in the right group, create their own, more more own, their create group, right the in habitat (or, the consuming to release). threat devastating of the AIs motivation, TITAN researchers have a reputation for being a little little a being for reputation a have researchers TITAN motivation, survival. their own with reckless most common roles include: roles most common most drastic leaps in technology, as gatecrashers dredge up forgotten forgotten up dredge gatecrashers as technology, in leaps drastic most the party When threats. all those deadly is also bringing back manity a how just documenting isn’t xenoarcheologist the is grave-robbing, is a pet or a predator. is or whether that creature Know skills are those most specific to the mission. Gatecrashers the mission. most specific to those Gatecrashers are skills Know will need the xenoarcheologist to analyze recovered artifacts. A artifacts. A recovered analyze to xenoarcheologist the need will with TITAN remains has a high mortality rate. Many specialists specialists Many has a high mortality rate. remains TITAN with KNOWLEDGE 2 The jammer fields a team of sophisticated combat combat team a fields jammer The sophisticated of The team has minutes to act before people die. die. people before act to minutes has team The Scavengers: Scavengers: Career: or Networker Artist/Icon Scavenger, Interest: Jammer Interest: Career: Hacker/Techie, Bot Jammers: Bot Jammers: scavenger knows where to flip that trash to pull in a tidy profit. profit. pull in a tidy to to flip that trash where knows scavenger scrubber from old batteries and cooking supplies. They can scrap can scrap supplies. They old batteries and cooking from scrubber the team Once the synthmorph. shuttle to rebuild the crashed diamond of for every has the eye valuable sets out, the scavenger the home, return they when and debris, the in buried technology the scavenger thrives. The scavenger pulls through the bones of pulls through The scavenger thrives. the scavenger CO a slap together can They the habitat to form something new. jammer has mastery of the battlefield. Tied into the group’s tactical tactical the group’s masteryinto has Tied jammer of battlefield. the bots take on suicide missions so the team can escape. The bot jammer bot The escape. can team the so missions suicide on take bots drones, disposable bots, and nanomachines. Used in tandem,in the Used nanomachines. and bots, disposable drones, is practically a full combat squad all on their own. own. all on their squad a full combat is practically network, the jammer’s bots scout the map. Snipers harass the enemy. the enemy. harass Snipers the map. the jammer’snetwork, bots scout Remote spy drones plant radio taps in air-gapped networks. Armored Armored taps networks. air-gapped in radio plant drones spy Remote Without power or parts, the engineer quits in disgust. This is where in disgust. or parts, This is where the engineer quits power Without STARTINGOUT

the Lunar-Lagrange Alliance that retains power over Earth's orbit and moon, and the Morningstar Constellation, a recent breakaway SETTING OVERVIEW faction that seeks Venusian sovereignty. The Solar System is dark. The Earth was once a beacon of mass media and telephone calls. MAIN BELT Now the only transmitters are abandoned distress beacons; cries The demarcation line between the inner and outer systems is a for help left on loop. Around it are belts of abandoned habitats and melting pot of cultures and factions. A number of independent habi- debris, guarded by networks of killsats that vaporize indiscrimi- tats thrive here, providing a forum for autonomists and hypercapital- nately. Out of the eight billion transhumans prior to the fall, fewer ists to mingle and deal. Various criminal cartels maintain a presence than five hundred million still survive across all known space. as well, far from legal interference. The major habitat Extropia is known as an independent "anarcho-capitalist" stronghold, where INNER SYSTEM mutual contracts and freelance courts are the only law. Most survivors stayed in the inner system, expanding the estab- lished colonies on Mars and rebuilding Luna to support the JOVIAN SPACE hundreds of thousands of refugees that escaped there. Most of During the fear and uncertainty of the Fall, US and allied South these orbital and inner-system habitats continue the pre-Fall American military units in Jovian orbit attacked their Chinese and traditions of capitalism and liberal democracies, but adapted to Russian rivals, seizing control of civilian centers. The result of this a hyper-connected reality. The hypercorps wield immense power martial law is the Jovian Republic. It is democratic in name, but real- here, enforcing ideal business conditions at the expense of the istically the population is managed under a military rule, referred to general population. The real power, however, lies in the hands of as the Junta in most non-Jovian media outlets. ancient and immensely rich oligarchs who exert their influence The Republic is known as a bastion of religion and bioconser- behind the curtain. While inner-system governments do provide vatism. They decry the resleeved and forks as soulless copies, and basics needs for their citizens, the masses of freelancers must therefore nonhuman. To them, uplifts and AGIs are abominations hustle from one gig to the next, while bereft infugees and inden- of nature, and both AI and nanotech are dangerous tools, likely tures work thankless jobs for an opportunity at a new morph and to lead to another Fall. They enforce their hegemony through a a new life. Only the wealthy enjoy the full liberty available from powerful secret police and by holding the majority of the pre-Fall’s advanced technologies. remaining warships. The Republic’s resistance to modern tech- The Planetary Consortium is the dominant faction here, working nologies also means they are quickly becoming obsolete and hard to establish Mars as transhumanity's new homeworld. They outnumbered, a fear that has only made Republic leadership engage in espionage and propaganda against their economic rivals, more aggressive.

28¹ Setting Overview • Inn er System–Jovian Space STARTING OUT - - 29 ¾ esh M ). he T 116 ▶ y S

r ute O stem– • view ver O are underwater habitats tethered to the the to tethered habitats underwater are are just protected servers floating in orbit, for in orbit, for floating servers protected just are etting habs are simply structures built underground, built underground, structures simply habs are S float like balloons in dense atmospheres; they are are they balloons dense in atmospheres; like float are small, cramped modules, frequently little more more little modules, frequently small, cramped are are ring-shaped and spun for gravity, sometimes sometimes gravity, ring-shaped and spun for are are hollow bubbles, usually hollowed-out asteroids asteroids usually hollowed-out bubbles, hollow are are interconnected modules existing in microgravity. in existing modules interconnected are are flotillas of nomadic spacecraft, sometimes inter nomadic spacecraft, of flotillas are are cluster habitats built within a protective outer layer layer outer built within a protective habitats cluster are linked or towing habitats. They are favored by the scum. by favored are They habitats. or towing linked linked to microgravity structures. microgravity to linked Bathyscaphes or small an asteroid tunnels cut into of warrens Beehives are pressurized or permanent inflatable temporary Domes are Loci Processor moon. They are rarely spun for simulated gravity. simulated spun for rarely are They moon. Spheres Subsurface Swarms Shells these common habitat types (Habitats types habitat these common than a pressure shell and life support. They are cheap and cheap and are They support. life and shell pressure a than for gravity, with terraformed interiors. Hamilton cylinders cylinders Hamilton interiors. with terraformed gravity, for with terraformed interiors, spun for low gravity. low spun for interiors, with terraformed sometimes directions, spinning in opposite with multiple tori are partly organic and rely on advanced nanotechnology to to nanotechnology on advanced and rely partly organic are use by infomorph communities. infomorph use by using hollowed asteroids in the Jovian Republic. Jovian in the asteroids using hollowed usually on moons or planets with little atmosphere; the the atmosphere; with little usually on moons or planets structures built on the surface of an asteroid, moon, or plan an asteroid, of built on the surface structures self-construct. Reagan cylinders are older, inefficient designs designs inefficient older, are cylinders Reagan self-construct. common, especially among brinkers. common, common on Venus and Uranus. on Venus common or covered framework of rings and spars. of framework or covered other subterranean seas. subterranean other etary body. ground above protects from solar radiation. from protects above ground ground or ice surface. These are used on Europa, Ceres, and and Ceres, used Europa, on These are surface. or ice ground Clusters cans spun kilometers-long hollow, massive, are Cylinders HABITAT PRIMER HABITAT Tin CansTin Toruses Aerostats Transhumans carve out safety from the dangers of space with space of the dangers from out safety carve Transhumans altering a target’s understanding of reality. Entire habitats have habitats have Entire ofunderstanding target’s a altering reality. digital crumbs that can be teased apart, if the investigator knows be teased apart,digital that can crumbs if knows the investigator deliver content, to interact with products. For others, virtual living virtual living others, For products. with to interact content, deliver is transhumanity’s greatest frontier. greatest is transhumanity’s migrated to a purely digital existence, with tens of tens with digital existence, of thousands purely to a migrated time. on their business in accelerated infomorph citizens carrying where to look. Hackers can manipulate AR feeds and news casts, casts, news feeds and manipulate AR can to look.where Hackers to a faster way another life enhancement; the mesh Most consider

THE MESH The mesh has changed how people live. Deep conspiracies leave leave conspiracies Deep people live. changed how has The mesh • • • • • • • • • • • • • ------the gas giants or or the gas giants ystem stations are isolated stations are ystem the moons of the moons

—

the outer s

—

Saturn's moons provide the most dense and diverse region, home region, diverse the most dense and Saturn's moons provide Other habitats throughout the outer system operate as anarchist as anarchist operate the outer system Other habitats throughout The five known gates within the Solar System are contested and contested and are System the Solar within gates known five The sands of known exoplanets, and hundreds of hundreds and undis ofsands exoplanets, yet thousands known share information, collaborate on matters of and interest, information, common collaborate share scum swarms, cycling through the system to bring their experi to bring their the system through cycling swarms, scum speed, a message from Mars to Luna takes about twelve minutes on minutes about twelve takes to Luna Mars from a message speed, the gate network for untapped resources, lost alien civilizations, and lost alien civilizations, for untapped resources, the gate network tightly controlled. Factions that control gates have access to thou access gates have that control Factions controlled. tightly the inner system to the Kuiper Belt and eccentric orbits of orbits various eccentric and Belt Kuiper the to system inner the they are able to muster a defense with navies, missiles, hackers, and hackers, missiles, navies, able to muster a defense with are they tary services. to a number of research facilities, independent colonies, and the and the independent colonies, facilities, to a number of research their immediate neighborhoods their immediate provide mutual aid and defence. These habitats thrive on their inde These habitats thrive mutual aid and defence. provide As a to cooperate. also hamstring their ability can which pendence, habitats participate as members of the Autonomist Alliance, to to habitatsparticipate of Alliance, members as Autonomist the locked-away secrets. Many do not return. Many secrets. locked-away be it their fleshy body or their empathy. They haunt the outer haunt the outer They or their empathy. body be it their fleshy hypercorps and criminal cartels pursue secret projects. Exhumans Exhumans projects. secret pursue cartels and criminal hypercorps have appeared in pools of mazes of appeared rat magma, alien have in deadly also lurk on the fringe, cutting away anything they see as weakness, see as weakness, they anything away on the fringe, cutting also lurk and remote from each other. each from and remote average. To Jupiter, almost an hour. To Uranus, two to three hours. hours. to three two Uranus, To an hour. almost Jupiter, To average. factions too extreme for even the Autonomous Alliance. Here both both Here Alliance. the Autonomous for even factions too extreme facilities, or more unusual structures. Best known are the nomadic the nomadic are Best known unusual structures. facilities, or more outer system objects. These are home to brinkers, Ultimates, and Ultimates, and home to brinkers, objects. These are outer system covered. Transhumans have established hundreds of hundreds established colo exoplanet have Transhumans covered. construction, and in wild jungles under a strange blue sun. jungles under a strange and in wild construction, connections to resistance forces embedded within their enemies. embedded within forces to resistance connections of the Autonomous Alliance, with the largest intelligence and mili and intelligence largest the with of Alliance, Autonomous the research states, hierarchical corporate privately-owned communes, domed metropolises of Titan. They are the most established faction the most established are of They domed metropolises Titan. of unknown origin. These can be used to create wormholes and wormholes and create ofcan be used to origin. These unknown Gatecrashers galaxy. the through scattered gates other to connect enough to come within range. within enough to come enter the gate on one side to appear on the other instantaneously. enter the gate on one side to appear on the other instantaneously. System, from the odd asteroid families and lone remote stations of remote families and lone the odd asteroid from System, mental art and black and red markets to all. While isolated, most most isolated, While all. to markets red and mentalart black and nies and outposts on a wide variety of worlds. Gatecrashers trawl trawl of Gatecrashers variety nies and outposts on a wide worlds. reaches, capturing and consuming any transhuman ships foolish foolish ships transhuman any consuming and capturing reaches, Explorers have discovered pandora gates, enigmatic structures gates, enigmatic structures pandora discovered have Explorers It’s difficult to appreciate how empty space is. Traveling at light at light Traveling is. space how empty to appreciate difficult It’s weeks or months to reach places in the outer system. Outside of system. in the outer places to reach or months weeks whole, their best defense is their remoteness. Historically, however, however, Historically, remoteness. their is defense best their whole, as the brief has arisen, conflict, such threat Locus when a common EXOPLANETS THE FRINGE OUTER SYSTEM OUTER To Pluto, six hours. The fastest ships, sparing no expense, take expense, no ships, sparing take fastest The six hours. Pluto, To The fringe encompasses all of the less-traveled areas of areas the Solar all ofThe fringe encompasses the less-traveled The other side, however, is not necessarily friendly. Gatecrashers Gatecrashers friendly. is not necessarily The other side, however, "clusters" of"clusters" asteroids trojan Game Mechanics HOW TO PLAY Eclipse Phase is played as a collaborative story-telling project that takes place in the players’ imaginations. The gamemaster (GM) details the setting, portrays the NPCs, adjudicates rules, and sets the stage for the adventure scenario. The players take on the role of their characters and describe their actions. Each character is defined by a set of characteristics — skills, traits, etc. — listed on their char- GAME acter sheet. When the characters encounter difficulties or engage in conflicts with NPCs, dice are used to determine the outcome. DICE BASICS MECHANICS Eclipse Phase uses two ten-sided dice for skill tests and most other rolls. Rolled dice are read as percentiles (d100), with the first die serving as the tens digit and the second as the ones digit. Percentile dice rolls result in a number between 0 and 99 (00 is read as zero). A roll of 5 and 3, for example, is read as 53. Use different colored dice to note which one to read first or use ten-siders made for percentile rolling. For some other rolls (damage, stress, recharging pools), Eclipse Phase uses both six-sided (d6) and ten-sided (d10) dice. These dice are added together, sometimes with a modifier, to get the result. A 2d10 + 3 damage roll of 5 and a 3 would result in an 11. In a few rare cases, the rules may call for division. In this case, always round normally (i.e., a result of 1.5 or higher is rounded to 2). WHEN TO ROLL THE DICE Roll the dice when the results may influence the plot or have other consequences, when the situation is challenging, when a character is unskilled, or when a character is opposed by another force. Don’t make tests for mundane, everyday tasks. A skill of 40 or more assumes a professional level of competency. You don’t need to roll every time your character pilots a ship, looks up something basic online, or talks to an NPC — to speed things along, you and the GM should assume characters breeze through the easy stuff. Save the dice rolling for situations with dramatic stakes. MAKING TESTS When the GM calls for a test, roll percentile dice and compare the result to the target number. The target number is based on the character’s skill, aptitude check, or rep network score. If the result is equal to or less than the target number, the test succeeds. If the result is higher, the test fails. Though you want to roll equal to or under the target number, you also want to roll as high as possible in order to get a superior success ▶31 or to beat your opponent in opposed tests ▶32. WHO ROLLS? Players roll the dice when making tests for their characters; GMs roll for NPCs. Sometimes the GM makes tests for PCs in secret, so as not to alert players to something their characters wouldn’t know, like whether or not they spot a clue. It’s a good idea for GMs to keep a copy of the PC character sheets on hand. Treat multiple characters engaging in the same activity — such as a group searching a room or someone attempting to calm an angry mob — as a single entity. In this case, simply roll once for the group, using the highest skill among them — or the lowest, if the group is an impediment. If the result may separately impact multiple char- acters, however, have them roll individually. If a group of characters actively cooperates on a test, use the teamwork rules ▶31.

30¹ How to Play • D ice Basics–Who Rolls? GAME MECHANICS 31 ------crit ¾ - , collab to affect to affect rk 48 ▶ 34

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/− 20 modifier to the next test you make. test /− 20 modifier to the next ow (Aptitudes + H result. If you roll a critical and succeed, you get a critical success. success. critical a get you succeed, and If result. critical a roll you In some cases, the GM may allow you to default to a related skill. skill. to default to a related you allow may the GM In some cases, For tests involving Know, Technical, or Vehicle or Vehicle Technical, Know, tests involving For Use superior results for extra style and oomph factor when factor when and oomph style for extra results superior Use Only the character making the test can use can making the test the character Only Criticals have more impact than superior results. They represent represent They results. superior than impact more have Criticals You are encouraged to devise creative critical results as appro as results critical creative devise to encouraged are You There is no modifier for defaulting on a skill test, but critical skill test, critical is no modifier for defaulting on a but There knowl specialized require decide that some tests GM may The 10 modifier, up to a maximum of 10 modifier, superior results. still shoot using your Reflexes aptitude as the target number. aptitude as the target Reflexes using your still shoot ignored. are successes a –10 to –30 In this case, default to their Guns skill. could skills the test. the highest skill). Each additional contributing character provides a provides character contributing additional the highest skill). Each provide a teamwork bonus. a teamwork provide priate to the situation. the If only is also a superior result, a critical binary success/failure is often enough to move the story forward. the story forward. often enough to move is binary success/failure char the badly how to know needing without enough be severe acter screwed up. GMs up. acter screwed ably be able to communicate and work together in an efficient together in an efficient and work be able to communicate ably fashion. Only one character rolls for the test (usually the one with with one the (usually test the for rolls character one fashion.Only orating characters must possess the tested skill at 40 or more to to at 40 or more must possess the tested skill characters orating critical applies. critical reason- must collaborators These together. a robot door or repairing or ineptness. They provide extra bonus effects/penalties, as deter extra provide or ineptness. They character’s innate talents and default talents and innate character’s edge or training and so cannot be defaulted on. and so cannot edge or training making tests. Superior results may not apply to every dice roll; a a roll; dice to every apply not may Superior results making tests. instead related. skills are the closely modifier applies, depending on how is always a critical success, a roll of 99 is always a critical failure, no failure, critical a of roll a always 99 is success, critical a always is number. matter the target some examples: are Here the GM. mined by failure). ical ical For example, someone trying to repair a gun without any Hardware Hardware any a gun without someone trying example, to repair For If you lack the skill you need to make a test, you can rely on your on your rely a test, can you need to make If you the skill lack you If you roll a critical and fail, you score a critical failure. A roll ofroll A 00 failure. critical a score you fail, and If critical a roll you with an attack. inflict you Double the damage a weapon/tool (criticalBreak failure). Multiple characters may cooperate on a test, such as pushing open a as pushing on a test, such cooperate may Multiple characters Gain a DEFAULTING TEAMWORK CRITICALS Take an extra action (critical success) or lose your next action (crit action next your lose or (critical action success) extra an Take When you roll doubles on a test doubles roll you When This is especially true for tests that fail true for tests This is especially + “Wow!” moments where you stun onlookers with your proficiency proficiency your with stun onlookers you where moments “Wow!”

• • • •

- - - 10 to 10 to + adjustments adjustments

+10 +20 +30 –10 –20 –30 +/–0 superior failure. —

Modifier modifiers /− 10. /− 25%. + + 1d6) damage (failures miss). (failures 1d6) damage + /− 10 as appropriate). + The action takes a shorter (success) or or shorter a (success) The action takes Minor Boost Major Bonus Major Drawback Minor Hindrance Moderate Benefit Moderate Modifiers Situational Factor Moderate Impediment Moderate /− 60. + The work is more exact (success) or more sloppy (failure). (failure). sloppy or more exact (success) is more work The You acquire information that is much more in-depth or or in-depth more much is that information acquire You assign modifiers as appropriate to the situation. If as appropriate assign modifiers multiple superior success. superior of On get two a roll you 66 or more, For each superior result, choose one of the following. For two two ofone choose result, superior following.the each For For In addition to the test’s inherent challenge level, various situa various level, challenge inherent In addition to the test’s Modifiers are assigned in multiples of are Modifiers from ranging ten, GMs 30 and –10 to –30, as noted on the Modifiers table. 30 and –10 to –30, as noted on the Modifiers successes. On a roll of On a get roll a you fails, that less or 66 successes. superior results, you may choose two of the following or one twice of two or one twice the following choose may you superior results, severity, as noted on the Modifiers table. as noted on the Modifiers severity, tional aspects may also influence the test, such as high-quality gear, gear, as high-quality the test, such also influence tional aspects may that raise or lower the target number. An easy test provides a posi test provides easy An number. the target or lower that raise tive modifier, increasing the target number. A hard test inflicts a inflicts test A hard number. the target increasing modifier, tive the situation as a whole and apply a single modifier based on the a single modifier based on the the situation as a whole and apply poor environmental conditions, or the health of the character. These or the health of conditions, the character. poor environmental longer (failure) amount oflonger (failure) time, by Successes inflict more ( inflict more Successes Damage: Detail: for double the effect: factors are also represented as modifiers based on their level of based on their level as modifiers represented also are factors fumble it with indignity. On a roll of 33 or more that succeeds, you you of On a roll that succeeds, 33 or more indignity. fumble it with overall net effect, rather than taking the time to itemize individual rather than taking the time to itemize individual net effect, overall circumstances affect a test, we strongly suggest the GM assess GM assess suggest the a test, affect we strongly circumstances degrees of difficulty are represented by represented are ofdegrees difficulty draws less or more attention ( less or more draws get a rials or produces fewer or more results. or more fewer rials or produces nuanced (success) or false (failure). (success) nuanced modifiers. No set of multiple modifiers should impact a test by No set ofmodifiers. should impact a test multiple modifiers than more negative modifier. negative repairing an unknown malfunction on an unfamiliar model. These These model. malfunction on an unfamiliar an unknown repairing Sometimes you will rock your test with flair, sometimes you will will you sometimes flair, test with your rock will Sometimes you Fixing a common glitch in your favorite robot isn’t as difficult as as difficult isn’t robot favorite in your glitch common a Fixing The action is less (success) or more (failure) obvious or obvious (failure) or more The action is less (success) Covertness: Quality: mate (failure) or more (success) consumes fewer The test Quantity: On a roll ofsuperior failures. On a roll get two 33 or less, you Time (task actions only): (task Time SUPERIOR RESULTS: 33/66 RULE 33/66 SUPERIOR RESULTS: DIFFICULTY AND MODIFIERS DIFFICULTY This may affect subsequent tests by tests affect subsequent This may +

Difficulty Easy Hard Very Hard Very Very Easy Very Slightly Easy Slightly Hard Average • • • • • • Making Characters CHARACTER STATS Your character is defined by a number of abilities and scores, all recorded on your character sheet. EGO vs. MORPH MAKING The most important distinction in your stats is the distinction between ego and morph. Your ego represents your mind, person- ality, memories, inherent traits, and learned skills. It represents your CHARACTERS mental state and true self and transfers with you from body to body. Your morph is your physical (or sometimes virtual) form, the body you currently inhabit. Your morph may change or die, and is some- times considered expendable, but your ego lives on. Your conscious- ness’s continuity may sometimes be interrupted by an unexpected death, however, or split off onto divergent paths by forking. Both ego and morph may be customized and modified, though mind hacks are a trickier and more dangerous affair. Your aptitudes, skills, and some derived stats and traits all belong to your ego. They stay with you throughout your character’s devel- opment. Your morph provides you with pools to enhance your skills, Durability to represent your health and constitution, implants or robotic enhancements, and some traits and derived stats of its own. These change when you switch to a new morph. It is important to keep your ego and morph stats distinct, especially when resleeving. APTITUDES Your aptitudes represent your natural, inherent abilities. They are the foundation for your skills. There are 6 aptitude scores:

• Cognition (COG) represents your intelligence, problem-solving talent, and capacity for logical analysis. • Intuition (INT) is your gut instinct and ability to evaluate on the fly. It includes physical awareness, creativity, cleverness, and cunning. • Reflexes (REF) is your coordination, manual dexterity, nimbleness, balance, and reaction speed. • Savvy (SAV) represents your social awareness, adaptability, empathy, and ability to influence others. • Somatics (SOM) is how well you can exploit your morph’s physical capabilities, including strength, stamina, and sustained positioning and motion. • Willpower (WIL) is your self-control, mental fortitude, and strength of personality.

EGO STATS Aptitudes Trauma Threshold Aptitude Checks Insanity Rating Skills Ego traits Initiative Motivations Lucidity Some Flex Pool MORPH STATS Pools Death Rating Durability Morph traits Wound Threshold

36¹ Character Stats • Ego vs. Morph–Aptitudes MAKING CHARACTERS 37 . - 47 . ▶

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tats Formula LUC × 2 level × 10 Psi trait DUR ÷ 5 DUR x 1.5 (biomorphs) DUR x 2 (synthmorphs/infomorphs) LUC ÷ 5 WIL × 2 Aptitude × 3 (REF + INT) ÷ 5 S GearPacks haracter C Derived Stat Formulas The Circle-A List, for autonomists, anarchists, Titanians, Titanians, anarchists, List,autonomists, for Circle-A The Guanxi, the network for triads, cartels, gangs, and other gangs, and other cartels, for triads, Guanxi, the network CivicNet, used by the Planetary the Morningstar by used Consortium, CivicNet, ExploreNet, the social network for gatecrashers and exoplanet and exoplanet for gatecrashers the social network ExploreNet, Fame, the media network used by metacelebrities, journalists, metacelebrities, by used network media the Fame, f-rep: The Eye, Firewall’s secret internal network. secret Firewall’s Eye, The i-rep: Argonauts, scientists, by Affiliates, used Network Research r-rep: scum, and Extropians. socialites, artists, and glitterati. technologists, and researchers of all stripes. and researchers technologists, c-rep: based on your starting career. startingbased on your career. belong to your ego or morph. ego or to your Traitsbelong and capitalists. hypercorps and long-term goals. They help you earn Rez Points for character character Points for Rez you earn help long-term goals. They and Step 13: Motivations Step mental trauma. with 13: cope and advancement g-rep: x-rep: colonists character. Positive traits give you bonuses in certain situations; situations; certain bonuses in you give traits Positive character. groups. criminal options for acquiring gear during gameplay. Acquiring Gear gear during gameplay. options for acquiring negative traits apply detriments to your character. Traits either either Traits character. your to detriments apply traits negative ment: weapons, armor, robots, drugs, smart animals, tools, and more. robots, armor, ment: weapons, necessary gear. Rep scores are used as your target number for Rep for Rep number target as your used are scores Rep gear. necessary Constellation, Lunar-Lagrange Alliance, Jovian Republic, and other and Republic, Jovian Alliance, Lunar-Lagrange Constellation, GEAR MOTIVATIONS TRAITS REP To simplify things, your starting gear is grouped into gear packs simplify starting into gear packs things, your gear is grouped To Traits are inherent qualities, features, or flaws that help define your define help that or flaws features, qualities, inherent are Traits choose from: to networks rep seven are There Tests. @-rep: Your motivations define your character's personal agenda, beliefs, agenda, personal beliefs, character's your define motivations Your Your character will have access to different types oftypes to different useful equip access have will character Your Your character has a reputation score in different social networks. social networks. in different score has a reputation character Your This rep will help you score favors, gather information, and acquire gather information, and acquire favors, you score will help rep This

• • • • • • • Death Rating Lucidity Initiative Insanity Rating Only) RatingInfection (Asyncs Stat Wound Threshold Wound Aptitude Checks Trauma Threshold Trauma - - 290. 3.

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. The amount of damage you can take The amount ofcan take you damage Keep your composure, steel your resolve, resolve, your steel composure, your Keep Recall a memory, memorize a number, or a number, memorize a memory, Recall The amount of stress you can take before before can The amount oftake you stress 220 Catch a thrown object, balance, avoid avoid object, balance, a thrown Catch . ▶ Evaluate a situation, see through an illusion, a situation, see through Evaluate

The amount of stress that will drive you you The amount ofwill drive that stress Evaluate a social situation, express empathy, empathy, situation, social a express Evaluate 222 Your character’s health, determined by your your health, by determined character’s Your The amount of amount The you, kill to deter it damage takes ▶

Initiative determines the order in which people people in which determines the order Initiative Physical Health Physical Your character’s mental health, based on Willpower. Willpower. mental health, based on character’s Your Your Insight, Moxie, Vigor, and Flex pools, mostly derived derived mostly pools, Flex and Insight, Moxie, Vigor, Your Don’t get too attached to your morph: you are likely to move to to to move likely are morph: you attached get too to your Don’t Aptitude checks are a derived stat, aptitude based on your a derived are checks Aptitude sleeved into. Morphs come pre-loaded with specific traits and specific with and pre-loaded traits Morphs come into. sleeved the strength of the virus's hold over you. of you. the strength hold over the virus's practice. They are described in detail described under Skills are They practice. Physical Health Physical a wound. receiving before blinding glare, or stop yourself falling.blinding glare, from learned skills. Aptitude checks normally only come into play in situ into play come only normally checks Aptitude learned skills. act during action turns. Initiative & Order Actions of a new one at some point during gameplay! Acquiring one at some point during gameplay! a new Morphs Exercise brute strength, endure hardships, hardships, endure strength, brute Exercise Check: (SOM) Somatics Savvy (SAV) Check: (SAV) Savvy ations where no skill applies, but raw talent Some examples: does. but raw applies, no skill ations where Pools: Pools ego. your bonus from morph, your a Flex with from Insanity Rating (IR): Rating Insanity Lucidity (LUC): Lucidity Durability (DUR): Durability Initiative (INIT): Initiative follow etiquette, or resist social manipulation. or resist etiquette, follow Reflexes (REF) Check: Intuition (INT)Intuition Check: If playing an async, your Infection Rating indicates indicates Rating Infection your async, an If Infection Rating: playing Death Rating (DR): Rating Death digital form. This may be the body you were born in or one you you in or one born were you be the body digital form. This may or break free from grapples. from free or break or resist fear or emotional manipulation. or resist or grok alien intentions. or grok Skills represent abilities learned and honed through education and education abilities learned and honed through Skills represent resist mental manipulation.resist insane, based on Willpower. Lucidity and StressWillpower. insane, based on Physical Health morph. Physical implants, noted in the morph description. Morphs receiving a trauma. Lucidity a trauma. receiving and Stress mined by morph. mined by your character. These include: character. your Cognition (COG) Check: (COG) Cognition Lucidity and Stress Trauma Threshold Threshold (TT): Trauma DERIVED STATS MORPH SKILLS Wound Threshold Threshold (WT): Wound Willpower (WIL) Check: Willpower Aptitude Checks Your morph is your character’s current biological, synthetic, or or synthetic, biological, current character’s morph is your Your You will sometimes rely on your aptitudes to make tests rather than tests rather to make aptitudes your on rely sometimes will You A number of your stats are derived from other stats or aspects of from A number of derived stats are your

• • • • • • • • • • • • • • • DAMAGE TAKEN WOUNDS TAKEN RECHARGE [Per 24 hrs]

16 sample characters [sPENT] [sPENT] [sPENT] [sPENT] Sample DANTE◀▶ VENUSIANGENEHACKER Characters + + + MONTGOMERYSHELLEY MOTIvATIONs: Enjoy Life • Science • Venusian Interests ↑ LANGUAGEs: English • Mandarin • Spanish 0 2 0 3 3 EGO TRAITs: Adaptability (Level 1) • Psi Defense (Level 2) • Resources (Level 2) INSIGHT MOXIE VIGOR FLEX [COG, INT] [sAv, WIL, REP] [REF, sOM] BACKGROUND: Freelancer CAREER: Genehacker     WOUND THRESHOLD DURABILITY DEATH RATING EGO FLEX INTEREsT: Forensic Specialist FACTION: Venusian GENDER: Male Movement Rate: Walker 4/12 sEX: Male Ware: Biomods, Cortical Stack, Enhanced Smell, MUsE: Zaius ↑GPMedichines, Mesh Inserts, ↑MP Mind Amp, ↑MP Nanophages, Prehensile Feet Morph Traits: Exotic Morphology (Level 1), Non-Human Biochemistry (Level 1) NEO-GORILLA UPLIFT APTITUDES & DERIVED STATS COG INT REF SAV SOM WIL             Initiative • Lucidity  • Trauma Threshold  • Insanity Rating  REPUTATION c-rep  i-rep  r-rep  ∞ ∞ ∞ GEAR Firewall Pack CompGP Genehacker Pack CompGP ARMOR Anonymizer Min Archive Min Armor Vest (Light) Min  Dino Pet Min ENErGY / KINETIC ◀ AV  Concealable Fokus Min RATING Fake Ego ID MajR Medichines Maj Medium Pistol Firearm MinR Pusher Swarm DV d SABFFA MinR + disease or toxin Ammo  +  Range  Specimen Container Min Smart Clothing Min Tools (Kit) Min TacNet App Mod Twitch ( doses) MinR VPN App Min SKILLS Skill Total Skill Total Athletics 50 Know Venusians  Fray 50 Medicine Biotech  Guns  Medicine Forensics  Interface  Medicine Pharmacology  Kinesics  Melee  Know Biology  Perceive  Know Exsurgent Virus  Persuade  Know Genetics  Program  Know Morph Design  Research  Know  Neogenetic Creations

We’re going to need some extra sets of arms to help us with this project. Good thing I just fi nished growing some! FIREWALL You were born human and raised in the canals of New known exsurgent strains. Before you knew it, you were SUNWARD OPS York. In between freelance gigs and med student classes, recruited and working with a global ad-hoc network You think Sava takes the blunt-instrument you worked with a biohacking group that pursued various of researchers and exiled spooks who were trying to approach a bit too much, but they let you weird homebrew genetic experiments, but also made prevent transhumanity’s extinction. You lost that war, do your job without too much shit. Hex is cheap drugs accessible to people that couldn’t afford but escaped o -world thanks to what would eventually impervious to your infectious humor, but she’s for-profi t healthcare. When the confl ict with the TITANs form into Firewall. You weren’t born uplift, you just like trustworthy, for a criminal. Qi is a riot, but you started, your group isolated and identifi ed one of the fi rst the morph. wish she wouldn’t poke at you quite so much. DAMAGE TAKEN WOUNDS TAKEN RECHARGE [Per 24 hrs]

[sPENT] [sPENT] [sPENT] [sPENT] HEX FUMIKOBOGDANOV ◀▶ LUNARASYNCFIXER

+ + + ↑ MOTIvATIONs: Expand Inluence • Independence • Thrill-Seeking 2 4 5 1 1 LANGUAGEs: Korean • Russian INSIGHT MOXIE VIGOR FLEX EGO TRAITs: Enemy (Cognite) • Enhanced Behavior: Curiosity [COG, INT] [sAv, WIL, REP] [REF, sOM] Mental Disorder (Paramnesia) • Psi (Level 2) • Resources (Level 2)     PsI sUB-sTRAIN: Stranger WOUND THRESHOLD DURABILITY DEATH RATING EGO FLEX BACKGROUND: Lost CAREER: Face INTEREsT: Async FACTION: Lunar Movement Rate: Walker 4/20 GENDER: Female Ware: Biomods, Cortical Stack, ↑GP Enhanced Hearing, sEX: Female ↑MPEnhanced Vision, Mesh Inserts, ↑GP Neuromodulation, MUsE: Mirror Mirror ↑MP Skinfl ex FUTURA BIOMORPH APTITUDES & DERIVED STATS COG INT REF SAV SOM WIL             Initiative • Lucidity  • Trauma Threshold  • Insanity Rating  Basilisk Stare Infection Rating  ◀ Browse Thoughts Cloud Memory REPUTATION Control Behavior @-rep  c-rep  g-rep  Short Circuit ∞ ∞ ∞ Subliminal GEAR Firewall Pack CompGP Face Pack CompGP Anonymizer Min Enhanced Hearing Min Armor Vest (Light) Min Guardian Angel Mod AV  Concealable Medium Fabber Mod Fake Ego ID MajR Nanodetector Min Medium Pistol Firearm MinR Neuromodulation Mod DV d SABFFA Ammo  +  Range  Smart Hawk Min Smart Clothing Min Stiff ( doses) Min TacNet App Mod ARMOR RATING VPN App Min  ENErGY / KINETIC SKILLS Skill Total Skill Total Athletics  Know Smuggling  Deceive  ↑ Know Mind Hacks  Fray  Know Psychology  Guns  Perceive  ↑ In iltrate  Persuade  Kinesics  Provoke  Know Black Markets  Psi  Know Drugs  Research  Know LunarsOrbitals 

We both know you’re going to make this deal. FIREWALL Cut me in for 25%, and I’ll make sure neither of the other parties fi nd out about your indiscretions last week. SUNWARD OPS You’re from the Lost Generation. Your objective age is only So far only Firewall’s gotten close to you. Instead of hunting you fi ve, but subjectively you’re in your mid 20s. Around the down like a rabid animal, they approached you with respect time others in your crèche started exhibiting psychotic for your talents. You’re not as invested in the cause as other Sava’s the type of grim hardass you know to keep behaviors, you “convinced” a Cognite technician to help sentinels, but the ops are wicked fun, and you’ve established a your eye on, but you admire their tenacity. you escape. You’ve been on the run since, using your async quid-pro-quo that you feel preserves your independence. Qi and Dante are both a bit lippant for your talents to carve out a small domain as a black-market fi xer. tastes, but they know their stu and are reliable. DAMAGE TAKEN WOUNDS TAKEN RECHARGE [Per 24 hrs] QI [sPENT] [sPENT] [sPENT] [sPENT] ◀▶ BARSOOMIANHACKTIVIST

MAGGIELICHAN ↑ MOTIvATIONs: –Authoritarianism • +Creative Expression • +Martian Liberation 1 3 0 1 1 LANGUAGEs: English • Japanese • Mandarin INSIGHT MOXIE VIGOR FLEX [COG, INT] [sAv, WIL, REP] [REF, sOM] BACKGROUND: Indenture ↑ ↑ ↑ CAREER: Hacker       WOUND THRESHOLD DURABILITY DEATH RATING EGO FLEX INTEREsT: Artist/Icon FACTION: Barsoomian Movement Rate: Walker 2/8 • Winged 8/32 GENDER: Female Ware: Access Jacks, ↑GP Anti-Glare, Cortical Stack, Cyberbrain, sEX: — ↑GP Industrial Armor, Mesh Inserts, ↑MP Mind Amp, MUsE: Null Mnemonics, Puppet Sock, Prehensile Tail, Radar, Wings Morph Traits: Exotic Morphology (Level 3), ↑MP Toughness (Level 1) Notes: Light Frame (Armor 6/4), Small size▶ 227 DRAGONFLY SYNTHMORPH APTITUDES & DERIVED STATS COG INT REF SAV SOM WIL             Initiative  • Lucidity • Trauma Threshold  • Insanity Rating  REPUTATION @-rep  f-rep  i-rep  ∞ ∞ ∞ GEAR Firewall Pack CompGP Hacker Pack CompGP Anonymizer Min Exploit App ModR ARMOR Anti-Glare Min Gray Box Min Fake Ego ID MajR Radio Booster Min  ENErGY / KINETIC ◀Industrial Armor Min Sniffer App Mod RATING AV + + Spoofer App ModR Medium Pistol Firearm MinR Tracker App Mod DV d SABFFA Ammo  +  Range  TacNet App Mod VPN App Min SKILLS Skill Total Skill Total Athletics  Know Computer Science  Deceive  Know Cryptography  Fray  Know Mars Rumors  Guns  Know Music  Hardware Electronics  Know  Hardware Robotics  System Administration In iltrate  Perceive  Infosec  Program  Interface  Provoke  Know Barsoomians  Research 

Not only did I leak the complete fi nancial history of Director Wang’s corruption, FIREWALL I hacked his sex robot to only scream his rival’s name. OK, OK … we can get back to Firewall stu now. SUNWARD OPS Your family sold itself into corporate bondage on Mars involved with hacktivist groups tied to the Barsoomian Sava has a long history as a corp agent, making you to escape Earth’s climate catastrophe. Despite their skills movement. On one data liberation project, you smelled a strange allies, but they’re a Firewall vet and their your parents struggled to eke out a bare-bones existence rat; suspecting infi ltration, you checked into the backers. allegiance is to themself. Hex has the cutest accent in the overtaxed economy of post-Fall Mars. As hypercorps It turned out you’d been working indirectly for Firewall, and can talk an oligarch out of their fortune, but her built their wealth, League o cials got fat o corruption, and soon you were working for them in earnest. spooky vibe can creep you out. Dante’s too smart for and friends and family languished as indentures—you got Your name is pronounced like “chee.” his own good, with an infectious sense of humor. DAMAGE TAKEN WOUNDS TAKEN RECHARGE [Per 24 hrs] SAVA [sPENT] [sPENT] [sPENT] [sPENT] KALOSANCHARI ◀▶ FREELANCESPECOPS

MOTIvATIONs: +Locate Rati • +Self-Reliance • –TITANs 2 1 3 3 LANGUAGEs: English • Romani INSIGHT MOXIE VIGOR FLEX EGO TRAITs: Edited Memories [COG, INT] [sAv, WIL, REP] [REF, sOM] BACKGROUND: Colonist     CAREER: Covert Operative WOUND THRESHOLD DURABILITY DEATH RATING EGO FLEX INTEREsT: Fighter FACTION: Hypercorp GENDER: Undeined Movement Rate: Walker 4/20 sEX: Female Ware: Biomods, Chameleon Skin, Cortical Stack, MUsE: Careza Grip Pads, ↑MP Medichines, Mesh Inserts, ↑GP Skinfl ex Morph Traits: ↑MP Addiction Grin, Level 2), Enhanced Behavior (Patience, Level 2), ↑MP Indi erence (Level 1) GHOST BIOMORPH APTITUDES & DERIVED STATS COG INT REF SAV SOM WIL         ↓      Initiative  • Lucidity  • Trauma Threshold  • Insanity Rating  REPUTATION g-rep  c-rep  i-rep  ∞ ∞ ∞ GEAR Firewall Pack CompGP Covert Op Pack CompGP Anonymizer Min Chameleon Cloak Mod Armor Vest (Light) Min Cleaner Swarm Min AV  Concealable Covert Operations Tool MajR Fake Ego ID MajR Microbug Min Medium Pistol Firearm MinR Skin lex Mod DV d SABFFA Ammo  +  Range  Spy Nanoswarm Min Smart Clothing Min TacNet App Mod ARMOR RATING VPN App Min  ENErGY / KINETIC SKILLS Skill Total Skill Total Athletics  Know Black Markets  Deceive  ↑ Know Hypercorps  Fray  Know Investigation  Free Fall  Know Mercenary Groups  Guns  Know Security Ops  Hardware Electronics  Know TITANs  In iltrate  Melee  Infosec  Perceive  Interface  Pilot Air 

You can spend your whole life searching for answers, searching for meaning. FIREWALL You know what’s meaningful right now?  e gun I’m holding to your head. SUNWARD OPS Pre-Fall, you joined the military to escape poverty. After one of the few to escape. You spent years tracking that TITAN, several years of advanced training and horrifi c violence, uncovering an active fork of it on Mars. Rati was there too—or your contract was bought by an o -world hypercorp. something using her persona.  at situation went sideways You think Qi’s a irebrand, but her hacker fu is top When you weren’t protecting hyperelite assholes in their fast, but Firewall pulled you out. You’ve worked with them notch. Hex is a fellow traveler, but the demons orbital habitats, you were running black ops against since, though your previous proxy went a bit far with the haunting her seem more intense than yours. their rivals. When a TITAN uploaded everyone on your memory editing on some ops. Dante is brilliant if a bit goofy, but his hab—including your partner and lover, Rati—you were optimism keeps your cynicism in check. How it Came to Be SLOUCHING TOWARDS SINGULARITY HOW IT Source: Olympus Academy, Surveillance Recording LINK CAME TO BE Good morning class. This is Recent History and Contemporary Events, I am Dr. Lana Brandt. I’m going to be blunt. This class is small and privileged. Every one of you here is the scion to a hyperelite fortune. You have been raised to think you are a clever and self-aware thinker who can spot memetic warfare from reality. You believe that the system of structured hypercapitalism is not only superior to all other ideologies, it is above reproach. It is the ideal path towards guiding transhumanity to a galactic future, and you, the best and brightest, with your will and your vision, are destined to lead us there. Except that you won’t, because the elders in your family, who control all the wealth and power, will never die. They will continue to lead, by the virtue of their ageless wisdom, unless they become unfit to do so. Your task, then, is to support their endeavors fully, to be their eyes and hands, until the day they no longer care to lead or compete and you rightfully take their place, using the skills you will learn here, in this prestigious private academy. Perhaps that assertion shocks you. My job, as your teacher, is to disabuse you of false notions, because otherwise your naiveté will put you at a disadvantage in the future. Here’s another assertion: the hyperelites are as responsible for the Fall and the TITANs as the statists of old Earth governments and reck- less autonomists. No, I am not trying to undermine your beliefs. This is the point of history, to learn from failures. If something goes wrong, we must learn why in order to avoid repeating the same mistakes. BEFORE THE FALL So let us learn. I begin every semester with a broad overview. In this classroom, you will experience the unvarnished truth, not the propa- ganda we broadcast to keep the masses distracted and placated. We will start with what led us to our current situation. Climate Crises Up until a half century before the Fall, life was confined to our cradle on Earth — but we were not kind to it. Climate change killed millions by drought, extreme weather, and famines. Tens of millions more were displaced by coastal flooding, desertification, and temperature shifts due to changing ocean currents. The oceans held more plastic than fish, the wild bee was nearly extinct, and global starvation loomed. Efforts to mitigate this climate catastrophe were not enacted until we had already passed the carbon dioxide tipping point, meaning CO2 levels were non-reversible. The lack of leadership to change course was primarily due to the fixation of business interests on short-term goals, on maximizing shareholder value, rather than long-term consequences. For decades, the dominant ideology of globalization steered the world, opening borders to market forces. Economists promised this would raise the standard of living for all of Earth, and to a very marginal degree it did. But the deregulation of the financial sector that enabled this growth ensured that the world’s wealth became even more concentrated at the top. As economic disparities rose and globalization stumbled, the dominant faction of transnational finance capital sucked wealth from the world as it weakened nation states, imposed austerity measures, and forced the populations of country after country into permanent debt.

98 ¹ 98¹Slouching Towards Singularity HOW IT CAME TO BE 99 ¾ ALL F THE

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starvinga return for populations of in a life in space Earth, offered taking humanity into space, both to avoid growing instability on on instability growing to avoid both into space, taking humanity there. We responded to worsening conditions on Earth by building by on Earth conditions to worsening responded We there. alternative of our species a prescient the terraforming giving Mars, consumers, things go bad. These settlements should needed to Earth their deployment reinforced systemic racism and xenophobia. On racism systemic reinforced their deployment the rise ofthe other hand, sousveillance on attacks launched Extremists race. in the global tech to compete their flags on Luna and Mars, it was the hypercorps that got them them got that hypercorps the was it Mars, and Luna on flags their us by bringing their social problems with them. Everything from from them.with Everything their social problems bringing us by partly by recruiting some ofsome and recruiting by government brightest and best the partly put in 10 years of work was also a captive and reliable customer. and reliable also a captive of was put in 10 years work power and influence. power hypercorp minds. We unfortunately contributed to these elements elements these to contributed unfortunately We minds. hypercorp hoping to to the outer system, and malcontents criminals exiling by blistering pace that would not have been possible in the regulatory not have that would blistering pace biotech labs and scientists. This drove research to black labs on the to black research drove labs and scientists. This biotech ofoverhead, the necessity burdensome debunked They hypercorps. limited certain areas of research on Earth. No such rules existed existed rules Earth. on such No of areas certain limited research longer bound to our cradle. Though various nation states planted Though longer bound to our cradle. as the key to the future. They took full advantage of what was of was what advantage full took They future. the to key the as a break from hypercorp control and become autonomist havens. havens. autonomist and become control hypercorp from a break available to transform their way of the first doing business, creating their way transform to available frameworks of Earth, furthering more research and expansion. of Earth, research furthering more frameworks fringe or countries that risked censure to leap ahead. censure that risked fringe or countries from government influence. Bioconservatism and technophobia and technophobia Bioconservatism influence. government from from both the left and the right, rooted in religious beliefs about the beliefs in religious the left and the right, both rooted from for transient services. Most importantly, they saw the necessity of the necessity saw they Most importantly, services. for transient criminal cartels to labor unions spread with the indentures the indentures with to labor unions spread cartels criminal some fringe convinced radicals A handful of off-world. political outer-system outposts, far from our centers of influence, to declare of declare to centers our influence, from far outposts, outer-system their ranks. destabilize the autonomists, but instead swelling colonizing the Solar System, creating an Off-World Consortium. Off-World an creating System, Solar the colonizing began We beyond. and Jupiter to Mercury from colonies off-world who worker period of indentured An service. indentured contracted often tainted by human biases, giving credence to complaints that that to complaints credence biases, giving human taintedoften by of everyone by everyone critically needed expertise and resources for these new habitats, habitats, for these new needed expertise and resources critically on freelancers and collaborations with other nimble hypercorps other nimble hypercorps with and collaborations on freelancers expansion. We gave the starving masses the stars and they rewarded the starving rewarded masses the stars and they gave We expansion. genetic enhancements and fusion power. Advancements came at a at a came Advancements and fusion power. genetic enhancements not just robots, and so new labor forces were conscripted from the the from conscripted were forces labor new so and robots, just not natural order and concerns over environmental and social effects. and social effects. environmental over and concerns order natural in space. Secret labs studied everything from AI and nanotech to to and nanotech AI from labs studied everything Secret in space. Earth and to create new markets. new and to create Earth Many countries imposed legal restrictions, impacting their ability impacting their ability imposed legal restrictions, countries Many with centralized hierarchies, sprawling infrastructure, and massive and massive infrastructure, sprawling hierarchies, centralized with embracing specialized focus, a highly developed They workforces. A New Space Race The visionary entrepreneurs of this period saw these technologies of technologies these visionarysaw period this The entrepreneurs The completion of the first space elevator proved that we were no were we that proved completion of elevator The space the first A group of activist scientists formed the Argonauts, providing providing of group Argonauts, A the formed scientists activist AI originated This backlash. bioconservative a by opposed as AI, robotics, and decentralization. They externalized costs, relying relying costs, externalized They and decentralization. robotics, AI, ------’t just mean the emotional comfort of’t just mean the emotional comfort your and I don

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Medical advances, from clone organ harvesting drugs to and new organ clone from advances, Medical Of course, these new technologies also brought some some brought also Oftechnologies new these course, Geo-engineering efforts to mitigate climate change were failures failures were change climate Geo-engineering efforts to mitigate These combined crises led to a polarization in the geopolitical geopolitical the in polarization a to led crises combined These Aside from widening wealth disparities, new technologies posed technologies new disparities, wealth widening Aside from selves into monsters. The Lagos Hunter used stealth and weapon weapon stealth and The Lagos Hunter used into monsters. selves tations progressed, cybernetics and bioware became available to to available became bioware and cybernetics tationsprogressed, gifted were you like children Affluent specialists and the wealthy. stability security. Out of these troubled times, a new generation of corporate of Out of generation corporate times, a new these troubled security. to regulate and restrict new tech only mitigated the situation at best. only tech new and restrict to regulate their edge over others. The technologies promising a new trans new a promising technologies The others. over edge their the Fall, when our technology finally begin to reverse the effects. But effects. the reverse to begin finally technology our when Fall, the been paid. had already in lives the cost succumbing to rogue corporations, political extremists, and and extremists, political corporations, to rogue succumbing their guarded walls. Many governments turned to private military to private turned governments Many walls. their guarded possible. The confluence of widespread surveillance technology technology confluence surveillance widespread of possible. The parents’ first adorable transgenic pets. The adoption transgenic of augmented adorable first parents’ bilities brought a new measure of security to troubled times. It is is It times. of to troubled measure a new security brought bilities black markets to thrive among the swollen underclass outside the outside the underclass among the swollen to thrive markets black because he had been so extensively modified. he had been so extensively because human era had arrived, but were not evenly distributed. not evenly but were had arrived, human era black ichors of the Triassic. Weaker states hollowed and failed, and failed, states hollowed Weaker of ichors black the Triassic. a wave of populist and fascist resurgence to raise trade barriers, barriers, trade raise to of and fascist resurgence populist a wave at first, often making things worse. Storms, wildfires, extinctions extinctions wildfires, Storms, worse. at first, often making things before decades few a just until severe more other effects and grew and take advantage of software tools in ways not previously not previously tools in ways of software advantage and take fare agents at home led to numerous mass-casualty events. Attempts Attempts events. mass-casualty numerous to led home at agents fare climate refugees. Stronger nations fought proxy wars in the in the wars proxy nations fought Stronger refugees. climate order, with rising tensions between rival blocs of blocs nation-states. rival tensions between rising with order, drawbacks, while global infant mortality rates soared. As augmen soared. global infant mortality while rates drawbacks, consumer base, others re-instituted debt bondage or encouraged or encouraged bondage debt re-instituted base, others consumer out entire job categories. Some states established basic-income states Some basic-income established job categories. entire out criminal cartels. The privileged retreated to protected enclaves enclaves to protected retreated privileged The cartels. criminal and stability to restore necessary actions policing for contractors experimental augmentations and body mods to transform them mods to transform augmentationsexperimental and body enclaves’ electrified fences. fences. electrified enclaves’ regrettable that the early algorithms behind these systems were were these systems algorithms behind that the early regrettable impose protectionist policies, and mobilize sanctions against sanctions against policies, and mobilize impose protectionist and the last precious land, arable water, clean over global south gene therapies, allowed elites to live healthier, longer lives even as as even longer lives healthier, to live elites allowed gene therapies, guarantees and other social welfare programs to maintain a robust maintainto robust a programs welfare social other and guarantees reality and resilient mesh networks enabled people to connect connect to people enabled networks mesh resilient and reality implants to murder over a hundred victims before he was stopped. stopped. he was before victims a hundred over implants to murder notable risks. Advanced 3D printing enabled access to restricted restricted to access enabled printing 3D Advanced notablerisks. up biowar to brew capability and drugs. The as weapons items such militaries grew, with outfits like Ultimate Security and Direct Action and Direct Ultimate Security outfits like with militaries grew, rising to prominence. Industries more closely tied to national economies united with united with economies tied to national closely more Industries Disruptive Technologies Disruptive with biometric recognition systems and deep learning/AI capa and deep learning/AI systems biometric recognition with with genetic intelligence enhancements and sleep hacks, furthering hacks, and sleep enhancements intelligence genetic with worldwide life spans plummeted. The children of enclavers bene ofchildren The plummeted. life spans enclavers worldwide fited from genefixing procedures, eliminating genetic diseases and procedures, genefixing fited from while a massive global underclass scrabbled for survival outside outside survival for scrabbled underclass global massive while a The police couldn’t determine his identity, even with his corpse, corpse, his with even determine his identity, couldn’t The police The first exhumans appeared well before the Fall, gleefully using using Fall, gleefully the well before exhumans appeared The first A wave of disruptive technologies exacerbated these crises. crises. these of exacerbated technologies disruptive A wave learning wiped in machine advances with coupled Automation Accelerated WELCOME BACK! Future Welcome to your new life. I’m here to help. You have just been restored from a digital backup that is approx- ACCELERATED imately a decade old. You probably have many, many questions right now, and we'll do our best to answer them. You’re likely feeling some disorientation; your memories will return quickly as your mind adjusts to its new housing. Given the length of your rest, we’ve prepared the following compilation of articles from various FUTURE sources to (re)familiarize you with several important topics and hopefully address your most immediate concerns. START

BEYOND DEATH Thanks to breakthroughs in medicine, nanotechnology, and cognitive science, transhumanity has overcome the failure of biological bodies. Death is only a temporary setback, rather than an unavoidable fate. The critical achievement that made this possible was the development of the cortical stack: an implant connected to your central nervous system that maintains a record of your personality and experiences. Nanobots constantly monitor your brain and neural activity for changes, updating this ego map in real time. If your body dies, your ego can be recovered and re-instanced in a virtual environment or another body. The cortical stack allows you to persist beyond the cessation of your biological functions, affording effective immortality. Although cortical stacks are hardy and recoverable even if your body suffers massive trauma, they are not indestructible. They are sometimes lost or irretrievable. Therefore, most people routinely save a backup of their ego map once a month or before they under- take physical space travel or dangerous work. That way, if something happens unexpectedly and your cortical stack is not recovered, you can still be restored from a recent copy of your ego. The same technologies that allow us to snapshot and digitize minds also allow us to download an ego into a new body, called a sleeve or morph. We are no longer constrained to the forms in which we were born and we can change phenotypes or sexes at will. Your new morph may even be synthetic, biological with a cybernetic brain, or non-human. Some forego a body entirely and run their minds as software. Active digital egos without bodies are called infomorphs. THE NEW NORMAL The advent of functional immortality was a paradigm shift for transhumanity, creating incredible new opportunities. They were needed, as the cataclysmic destruction and displacement caused by the Fall and loss of Earth irrevocably changed social structures that had existed for centuries. In the decade since, transhuman culture has grappled with these changes. Death Remains Familiar Just as eternal life came within our reach, it was violently ripped away. The Fall resulted in permanent death for the majority of trans- humans. Even the god-like gifts of technology have their limits. Thankfully, some of those that lost their lives and original bodies did not lose their egos. No one has an exact number, but it is widely believed that hundreds of millions of egos survived the Fall because their backups were stored off of Earth, their cortical stacks were retrieved and evacuated off-planet, or they fled digitally as

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shape, size, and movement, you may find it challenging to associate to challenging it find may you movement, and size, shape, synthmorphs stigmatized as cheap and artificial,and biomorphs while stigmatized cheap as synthmorphs that they like, or at least morphs of like, Some go so far that they the same model. the harder it can be. You may find yourself find head your bumping may be. You can it the harder than robotic shells. The limited availability and high cost of high cost and limited availability The shells. robotic than of still carry a shadow though they being déclassé. tions and personalized biosculpting. Budget body banks offer cheap, cheap, offer banks biosculpting.tions and personalized Budget body uncommon, but treatable with psychotherapy. with but treatable uncommon, people retain their original birth bodies. Most were lost during the the during lost birth were original Most their bodies. retain people point of keep theirs an effort to with the means make pride. Those people revel in the experience of new forms, frequently resleeving. resleeving. of in the experience forms, frequently new people revel biological differences tied to sex or ethnicity are laughed at. Many at. laughed Many are ethnicity or sex to tied differences biological bled together, dependent upon cybernetics and a cybernetic brain. brain. and a cybernetic cybernetics dependent upon bled together, with divisions, class led to has This masses." “clanking the as known of and versatility and function that biomorphs lack. form hardiness biomorphs today has forced many transhumans to use pods, even to use pods, even transhumans many has forced biomorphs today backups, resleeving, morph storage/rental/exchange, modifications, modifications, morph storage/rental/exchange, resleeving, backups, augmenta customized with to their clients, morph models bespoke hidden and looks used, generic designs cookie-cutter with heavily about a day to adjust to a new form. The more different the morph the morph different form. The more to adjust to a new about a day of sensations the by surprised or new of center gravity, different a are considered better and more attractive. Such prejudice is is prejudice Such attractive. better and more considered are a provide however, models, synthmorph High-quality and attacks. attractive to infugees, resulting in a large minority that became that became minority in a large to infugees, resulting attractive as to biosculpt their morphs to look like their original, to ease their their morphs to look like as to biosculpt and insurance. Corporate Corporate and insurance. and immunity to many diseases, aging, and the effects of microgravity. aging, diseases, of effects the and many to immunity microgravity. and from your original, most recent, and/or most commonly used sleeve, sleeve, used most commonly and/or original, most recent, your from others. It is not uncommon for people to stick to or re-use sleeves sleeves re-use or to stick to people for uncommon not is It others. considered primarily for how they make you look and what they they and what look you make they for how primarily considered discomfort when resleeving. discomfort on local conditions and needs. Residents of and needs. Residents conditions small habitats some can on local experiences and brought transhumanity together. Assumptions ofAssumptions together. transhumanity brought and experiences enable you to do. For some, they’re an outfit; for others, a tool. There a tool. There some, they’re an outfit; for others, For to do. enable you enable faster healing, less sleep, limb regeneration, ambidexterity, ambidexterity, healing,enable faster regeneration, limb less sleep, implants, senses, or limbs. Even when you acclimate to your new new to your acclimate when you implants, senses, or limbs. Even resleeving centers. Body banks provide a wide range of range wide a services: provide banks Body centers. resleeving in cryogenic storage or retain ownership while renting it out to it out to while renting ownership or retain in cryogenic storage is no denying that switching bodies has opened people to new bodies has opened people to new that switching is no denying mass-produced and low quality. Their affordability made them made them affordability Their quality. and low mass-produced in discrimination sometimes resulting widespread, but ill-founded, morph as an important but replaceable accessory. Morphs are Morphs are accessory. morph as an important but replaceable identify visitors by the limited selection of available "tourist" morphs. of the limited selection by identify visitors available more expensive models are available, all equipped with biomods that biomods with equipped all available, are models expensive more Fall or long ago abandoned. Some people stick to their original as a or long ago abandoned. Some people stick Fall Pods were originally designed for artificial limited intelligences designed for artificial intelligences limited originally were Pods Resleeving Most habitats of size maintain any when you fail to adjust to your new height, losing your balance with with height, balance losing your new fail to adjust to your when you is not face own self your new your from with image. Alienation with illegal enhancements. The availability of dependent is morphs availability The enhancements. illegal with Others go to great lengths to stick to the familiar. to the stick lengths to Others go to great ( These are often enhanced with bioware, nanoware, or cybernetics. nanoware, with bioware, often enhanced These are "features." Black-market Black-market "features."

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the missing time and lost experiences that trans that experiences lost and time missing the simply genefixed against hereditary against and diseases, genefixed simply . Countless custom-made, genetically modified, andmodified, genetically custom-made, Countless . (infomorph refugees) are still held dormant in cold cold dormant in still held are refugees) (infomorph lack: flats splicers, experience playback infugees Biological bodies ( Biological When faced with lack, people turn to their closest friends and friends and lack, with people turn to their closest faced When Various hypercorps, governments, and entrepreneurs saw this situ this saw entrepreneurs and governments, hypercorps, Various stanced. Though common, it can cause severe existential discomfort. cause severe can common, it Though stanced. saved ego as it was at that time. The majority of transhumans have of have at that time. The majority ego as it was transhumans saved serious injury and death occur are wildly popular. Some groups host Some groups popular. wildly are serious injury and death occur they can “catch themselves up” if death occurs. an unexpected up” themselves “catch can they true death due to the irretrievable loss or corruption of corruption loss or an ego and true death due to the irretrievable service plays a critical role in the inner-system economy and allows allows and economy inner-system in the role critical a plays service ship at the end of their contract. Critics decry this as a system of decry this as a system debt at the end of Critics ship their contract. that charges expense hidden often hit with are as indentures slavery, service. Infugees are offered contracts to work as infomorphs in as infomorphs VR orwork to contracts offered Infugees are service. storage. Of those that are active, most remain secluded in VR worlds in worlds secluded VR Of most remain active, storage. that are those tures, and speculative investments. A small industrysmall A of investments. speculative and tures, these thrives on returning escaped indentures while criminal soul traders soul traders while criminal indentures escaped on returning thrives tats today are only a fraction of the size of pre-Fall population centers. population of fraction a ofsize the only are pre-Fall tatstoday unmodified until they can afford a new morph. Even the biggestEven and habi cities morph. a new afford can until they pired between when they were backed up and when they were re-in were up and when they backed were when they between pired have experienced at least one unplanned death, it has lost much at least one unplanned death, it has lost much experienced have backup may allow you to endure through death, but it does not death, but it does not through to endure you allow may backup backups is met with horror, as even the most callous transhuman is transhuman callous the most as even horror, with is met backups literal gladiatorial bloodsports for entertainment.literal On the flip side, autonomist and social welfare projects dedicated to re-instancing to re-instancing dedicated projects welfare autonomist and social acquire. Many of those in circulation were people's original bodies, people's original bodies, of were Many those in circulation acquire. ation as an opportunity to exploit a desperate and cheap workforce to workforce and cheap a desperate ation as an opportunity to exploit family to share their memories of missing events. New social customs memories of their social customs New to share missing events. family force them to extend their contracts. Supporters note that indentured Supporters note that indentured their contracts. them to extend force of the few resources that remain scarce, even in autonomist areas. in autonomist areas. even scarce, that remain of resources the few of Sports crimes. where property its sting. are Assault and murder disturbed by permanent death. by disturbed chance to buy an inexpensive morph and habitat admittance/citizen an inexpensive to buy chance of “welcome back” events for the newly re-instanced let them know let them know re-instanced for the newly of back” events “welcome experienced experienced ensure continuity of consciousness. Restoring only awakens the the awakens of only Restoring continuity consciousness. ensure record an record infugees, millions of isolated in data storage. egos remain re-enter society. Even infomorphs have server space costs. Despite Despite costs. server space infomorphs have Even society. re-enter many Fall survivors to return to society. The centralized exchange exchange centralized The to society. to return survivors Fall many of inden registration of the trade contracts, oversees IndEx market rebuild after the Fall and established an active market for indentured for indentured market an active and established after the Fall rebuild a towards held are earnings Their labor. manual for morphs cheap in infomorphs. Bodies were in short supply after the Fall, and many of and many after the Fall, in short supply were Bodies infomorphs. iarity, but time-intensive to grow, so they are expensive and hard to to and hard expensive are so they to grow, but time-intensive iarity, including run their own black-market exchanges. black-market run their own Death isn’t what it used to be. Death isn’t Morphs are commodities and markers of one are social status. and markers They commodities Morphs are Most people back up often to minimize the risk of lack and regularly of up often to minimize the risk Most people back and regularly lack what they’ve missed and reinforce the continuity of the continuity relationships. what they’ve reinforce missed and Continuity is rare is Continuity Continuity BODY ISSUES BODY Acclimation Those who lost everything in the Fall have few opportunities to opportunities to few have Fall everything in the Those who lost The Cost of Embodiment The Cost Transhuman CATCHING UP Culture You've been doing a great job in re-acclimating yourself to the state of things. I know it's hard, a lot of time has passed since the backup you are re-instantiated from was made. TRANSHUMAN Here's the next series of updates. START FEAR AND PARANOIA CULTURE Posted by: Michael Moraine, Firewall Sentinel INFO MSG REP The most defining aspect of transhumanity is how much it has changed in the past few years. From the trauma of near extinction to the future shock of rapid technological change, the speed of upheaval is making a strong impact on our culture and society. LIFE AFTER THE FALL Our entire species suffers PTSD. The Fall killed 95 percent of trans- humanity and cast the remainder into the void of space. We say “lost" or "went missing" or even "forcibly uploaded," but “killed” is the word. Just killed. You look around at Mars and Luna, and you check your buzzing social feeds on the mesh, and it seems like we’re okay again, but we’re not. We’re hanging on by a thread. There are so few of us left, and of those who survived, so few of us even have bodies, or bodies worth a damn. We don’t even really know what happened. Sure, the TITANs killed billions, but why? We don’t really know. We don’t even know why they stopped on the brink of our total annihilation. Was our extinction their goal at all? What if we were just collateral damage? The exsurgent virus appeared almost simultaneously with the Fall, and there is every indication that TITAN machines were infected in strange and unpredictable ways. CAN WE TRUST OUR TECH? What if the TITANs were merely trying to eradicate the virus and killing us was the primary vector? But if that’s true, why did they forcibly upload so many of us? What if they were trying to preserve our species before fleeing what amounts to a quarantine zone? What if they were trying to kick-start a phase of our evolution that might make us less vulnerable to this greater threat? What do they know that we don’t? All we can do now is speculate and hope they aren’t coming back, but none of us really believe that. We go to extreme lengths to avoid setting the stage for a second TITAN event. Computational clusters above a certain power and storage are discouraged, if not forbidden, for fear of creating a fertile bed for a seed AI to run rampant. But, of course, with all those hyper- corp research facilities and other secret installations, do you really believe these prohibitions aren’t broken on a daily basis? The Jovians go so far as to rely on analog tech as a safeguard against a rogue ASI and then you’ve got some crazy brinkers out there doing their best to cut themselves off entirely from the mesh out of fear of being contaminated. Some people don’t even trust their muses anymore. Who’s the voice in your head, really? WHERE'S THE HUMANITY? If the biconservatives are to be believed, our society is corrupt because it is no longer solely human. We may all be hopping merrily from body to body, but at least we had a body to start with, unlike infolife. This lack of a biological origin makes it easy for some to consider AGIs unnatural things or to fear that they may ultimately be more sympathetic to the TITANs or other non-human interests.

122 ¹ 122¹ Fear and Paranoia • Life After the Fall–Where's the Humanity? TRANSHUMAN CULTURE 123 - ¾ in some in some ewall ewall rr TITANs ises–Fiises–Fi CrCr but are they really here here really they but are their civilization? What ifWhat their civilization? is titytity AIs, nn dede II . What happened to those weird happened to those weird What . • • you do about it? you been serving another end? What would would What been serving another end? anoiaanoia nothing

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earear F F the exsurgent virus? I’m getting really out there now, I I now, out there I’m getting virus? really the exsurgent are I think about the Iktomi a lot. We find more remnants of find more this We a lot. I think about the Iktomi Paranoid yet? Good. Keep that close. Use it. You'll need it. it. You'll Use that close. Good. Keep yet? Paranoid to traipse through the wreckage of whole lot of a the wreckage also aliens who through to traipse spoofed their handshake protocols and duped you into wiping out out wiping into you duped and protocols handshake their spoofed subtle strategy we can’t even imagine. First contact was made in made in was contact imagine. First even can’t we subtle strategy stuff all day. But what does it amount to? You take orders from from orders You take But what does it amount to? stuffday. all they answer. They say they’re emissaries for a group of they’re for a emissaries group say civilizations They answer. they aliens but a stalking of horse they’re not even the must have means they which the immediate aftermath of the Fall, space-spiders? Did they see the end coming, or did it surprise see the end coming, did it surprise or Did they space-spiders? to nothing next know We the gates? through Did it come them? tells us they were smart and maybe scared of scared something. smart Maybe maybe and were us they tells to help or are we being monitored because they’re afraid we’re we’re they’re afraid because monitored being we are or help to the gates. Just ten thousand years ago, the Iktomi were a flourishing a flourishing were Iktomi the ago, years the gates. Just ten thousand has? ifWhat something already us? thing notices they they people, and they aren’t telling if telling I’m talking about the do. they aren’t people, and they levels? What ifWhat it’s levels? having survived their own singularity? They’ve sure dropped some some dropped They’ve singularity? sure own their survived having been monitoring us for some time if Did the they’re on the level. about the Factors? know actually what do we but seriously, know, have been big arthropods with a technology and culture we can can we culture and technology a with arthropods big been have barely comprehend, but they were a lot like us, I think. a lot like Their ruins were but they comprehend, barely detritus cultural ofTheir find. we litter many so exoplanets the anymore? When you get called up to investigate some remote remote some investigate up to called get you When anymore? a competitor? What if Firewall has been compromised at its highest has been compromised ifWhat Firewall a competitor? alien species. If you ask me, they only raise more questions than than questions more raise alien species. If only me, they ask you of worthy were we convinced became recently only and that they alien civilization after another. Their ruins are scattered across the the across scattered are Their ruins another. after alien civilization and once exterminated almost already were We fate? a different about these things or who built them and yet we’re happily dialing dialing happily we’re about these things or who built them and yet civilization(s). For that matter, what that matter, For civilization(s). civilizations surviving long enough to make contact with another another with contact long enough to make surviving civilizations from us out of to help here they sympathy Are now? Why contact. ominous hints about the gates and dedicated, and genuinely good people thinking hard about this about this good people thinking hard and genuinely dedicated, civilization and then civilization mattera of only it some before time Isn’t galaxy. the across way our exploring the pandora gates, we’ve found the detritus of found one dead gates, we’ve the pandora exploring exsurgent virus scare them enough to take a closer look? What ifWhat look? a closer them enough to take scare virus exsurgent going on Firewall business and not because a rival mining corp mining corp a rival business and not because going on Firewall galaxy. Something stops them from surviving, stops them from Something or at least surviving galaxy. going to mess with something that might endanger their own own their endanger might that something with mess to going not ten years later we’re jaunting through these alien gates just just gates alien these through jaunting we’re later years ten not mining facility on Triton, how confident are you that you’re really really you’re you that are confident how on Triton, mining facility Nothing here is new to Firewall, of course. We have brilliant, brilliant, have We of course. to Firewall, is new Nothing here in any way that we can observe. Why should transhumanity expect expect transhumanity should Why observe. can we that way in any the gates. messed with Factors, of course. They’re the only evidence we have of other have we any evidence ofThey’re only the course. Factors, your proxy, but do you know who your proxy is talking to? Have is talking to? Have proxy who your know but do you proxy, your mean even does “in person” What in person? proxy met your you you do about it? What What do about it? you vanished space-faring, sapient species than any other. They may may They other. space-faring, sapient species than any vanished THE FACTORS FIREWALL DEADPLANETS We won’t be the first to run out of be the first we first started luck. Since won’t We The only beings who might have answers to these questions aren’t questions aren’t to these answers beings who might have The only - - - - forcing us to adopt these us to adopt these forcing TITANs Scientific progress is improving our engineering every day, but but everyday, our engineering is improving Scientific progress The technologies we take for granted like ubiquitious nanofabri ubiquitious like for granted we take technologies The Then you’ve got the poor uplifts. The same fearmongers claim claim The same fearmongers got the poor uplifts. you’ve Then think we are. But of course we’d think that, wouldn’t we? What if What we? that,think wouldn’t ofBut we’d are. we think course the Solar System is separated from the void or a toxic atmosphere atmosphere toxic a or void the from separated is System Solar the the things that might become necessary in its defense are as fright in its defense are necessary the things that might become the entire Fall was really just the really was Fall the entire that there’s no continuity of consciousness even from a recovered recovered a from of even no continuity consciousness that there’s space-time with “only” a .000001 percent chance. Back on Earth in in on Earth Back chance. .000001 percent a “only” with space-time someone gives attitude to one ofsomeone gives digital forks. your still lie with your embodied species? Keep this in mind next time time mind next this in species? Keep embodied your with still lie that conclusion, and if you keep following that train of that train and if thought, following that conclusion, keep you to be weaponized on a terrifying scale by a single malicious person. by on a terrifying scale to be weaponized the twentieth century, scientists lit offlit scientists while bomb atomic first the century, twentieth the talking about experiments that might literally collapse the warp of the warp collapse talking that might literally about experiments that brings its own risks. True x-risks, at that. The Large Collider is Collider is at that. The Large x-risks, True risks. that brings its own treat uplifts like clever pets, and I know I’d resent that if that I’d resent one and I know pets, I was clever like uplifts treat that we cannot truly understand their motivations or perspectives. perspectives. or motivations their understand truly cannot we that who people same the are These uncomfortable. distinctly them point for the continuity of your life? Is it when you were born? Is Is born? of were life? Is it when you continuity the for point your prophecy. Infugees and deliberate infomorphs aren’t much better much infomorphs aren’t and deliberate Infugees prophecy. just talking about accidents. humanity thinks this is nonsense, that of course we are who we who we this is nonsense, that of are thinks we humanity course believe that the mere act of sleeving or egocasting is suicide and is suicide and act of or egocasting that the mere sleeving believe by centimeters of centimeters a lot of and by steel hope that nothing goes wrong. immediate from away just one engineering failure are we knows been stopped so far, mostly, but when is our luck going to run out? but when is our luck mostly, been stopped so far, happily infect organic matter or plastics with ease, and the ability to ease, and the ability with matter or plastics infect organic happily and possibly irretrievable death. irretrievable and possibly are all within the theoretical grasp of countless individuals. They’ve of individuals. grasp countless the theoretical all within are first time you forked? The Jovians and other bioconservatives and other bioconservatives Jovians The first forked? time you formed for centuries and every other habitat we’ve carved out in in out carved habitatother we’ve and every formed for centuries from this perspective. When you lack a body, do your loyalties loyalties do your a body, lack you When this perspective. from consciousness is the only thing that’s important if you arrive at important that’s at if thing only arrive the is you consciousness cortical stack, just the propagation of stack, just the propagation cortical data. all of Almost trans cation, forking, and precision bio-engineering all have the potential bio-engineering all have forking,cation, and precision of them. I might start societal thinking about other options, myself. capacity to initiate their own self-destruction. Self-replicating Self-replicating self-destruction. own their initiate to capacity plagues that engineered biologically nanobot swarms, devourer ening as the threats themselves. And there are so many threats. so many are there And themselves. ening as the threats Sure, we’re getting better and better at engineering, but everyone we’re Sure, methods, to normalize them? If we’re not really alive anymore, anymore, alive not really Ifmethods, to normalize them? we’re into a present that grows more alien by the day. What’s the starting What’s the day. alien by more that grows into a present The sleeved? you time first the it Is today? up woke you when it many of us lost years of consciousness in the Fall only to awaken to awaken only of ofmany us lost years in the Fall consciousness Such thinking can be infectious, perhaps even driving prejudice and prejudice driving even perhaps infectious, be can thinking Such remotely produce antimatter weapons and detonate them at leisure and detonate them at leisure antimatter weapons produce remotely Never before have such wide swathes of transhumanity had the the had of transhumanity swathes wide such have before Never impressive but we all know it’s going to be a child’s toy compared to to compared toy a child’s to be going it’s know all we but impressive institutionalized bigotry that may eventually make it a self-fulfilling it a self-fulfilling make eventually bigotryinstitutionalized may that what are we even fighting to protect? The transhuman aggregate fighting to protect? even of we what are wondering if it might set the planet’s atmosphere on fire. And that’s And that’s ifwondering on fire. atmosphere it might set the planet’s where things are in another ten years, and there are already people people already are and there in another ten years, things are where AN UNCERTAIN FUTURE AN UNCERTAIN IDENTITY CRISES We don’t have a new home, yet. Not truly. Mars won’t be fully terra be fully won’t Mars home, yet. Not truly. a new have don’t We The idea of an octopus walking around in a human body makes makes The idea of in a human body walking around an octopus The fear doesn’t stop with others; our own minds are suspect. So minds are own our with others; stop doesn’t The fear The New INNER vs. OUTER Political Here's your next batch of reading to catch up on your lack: Economy collected reports on the polities and economic systems of the new transhumanity. Accounts are selected for their utility in introducing new agents to the modern political world. Authors’ biases are their own. START

THE SYSTEM SPLIT Posted by: Francis Wu, Firewall Filter INFO MSG REP THE NEW It’s a big galaxy out there, sentinels, and you may be tasked to visit any corner of it. Before dispatch, you will be briefed on your local situation as it’s known. It falls on you to understand where that falls in the big picture. For those of you not already versed in the ‘verse, POLITICAL consider this your crash course. Prior to the Fall, most of the brave explorers who cut ties with gravity did not wander far from home. Almost everyone lived in Earth orbit or on Luna, with major colonies on Mars. There were a ECONOMY few notable locations further out — military facilities around Jupiter, brave Scandinavians staking a claim on Titan, a few ambitious hypercorp suits floating in Venus’s clouds, anarchists and Argonauts on various asteroids and moons. But aside from mining colonies and research stations, there wasn’t much draw in wandering far afield. When the Fall came, the majority of refugees found them- selves on Mars and Luna, caught up in the power structures (or their remnants) that were already established there, with the rest diffusing throughout the solar system. As new political bodies coalesced, a line was drawn between the two halves of the Solar System. The inner system includes Sol, Mercury, Venus, Earth/Luna, and Mars, and all of the smaller bodies within their orbits — essentially everything out to the edge of the Main Belt. This is the domain of the hypercorps and their market economies. The outer system includes everything else, from the Main Belt to the Oort Cloud, an expanse of autonomist holdings and political and economic experimentation. Hundreds of exceptions exist on both sides, of course — you still find hypercorps in the outer rim and autonomist outposts in the inner system, but they are generally small and isolated. Jupiter, while cartographically in the outer system, is culturally its own enclave, hostile to the rest of the Solar System. Understand that when talking about the outer system as a grouping, most people exclude the Jovian Republic. With that rough line understood, we can dive a little deeper. THE INNER SYSTEM Celestial bodies and habitats close to the ecliptic and less than 1.8 AU from the sun are considered inner system. This area is popula- tion dense; about 2/3rds of transhumanity lives here. Habitats are relatively close, with physical travel requiring weeks at most and the light-speed lag of comms and egocasting measured in minutes. The region is dominated by the Planetary Consortium (PC), a hypercorp treaty-cum-government. Their focus is on moderating intercorporate affairs and growing market shares (i.e., the population and their wealth-making potential). A safe populace is a shopping populace, so the PC maintains most of the cultural and social

136 ¹ 136¹T T hehe S SyySTEMSTEM S Splitplit • •T Thehe Inn Inneerr S Syystem–stemThe Inner System THE NEW POLITICAL ECONOMY 137 ------¾ nd they they nd a

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rr uteute OO he he TT • • plitplit S S yy , uplifts, nanotech, backups, and resleeving. Advanced technology technology Advanced and resleeving. backups, , uplifts, nanotech, What makes the Republic notable is their rejection of notable is their rejection the Republic almost all makes What S S The disparate factions and habitats here cannot stand individ factions and habitats here The disparate At the same time, most of transhumanity can’t help but mingle mingle but help can’t of most time, same the At transhumanity tists attend conventions on Io, and ten-thousand tiny habitats keep habitats keep and ten-thousand tiny on Io, tists attend conventions tools and philosophies of governance, the Alliance has survived and has survived the Alliance oftools and philosophies governance, status with other polities is divorced and unfriendly. status other polities is divorced with they sit on the biggest fleet habitat believes Every in the system. tangle of handshakes, reputation bumps, and cacophonous argu tangle cacophonous bumps, and of reputation handshakes, tattoo. They define the term “bioconservative,” rejecting or restricting rejecting or define the term They tattoo. “bioconservative,” into breaking with tasked are often we how Considering the Jovians). negoti But their preferred groundless. not completely are their fears antiquated and oppressive be to regimes hypercorp the ualistic expressions transhumanity has to offer. Extropia, in the in the Extropia, has to offer. transhumanity ualistic expressions ually against domineering Consortium interests, nor the powerful the powerful nor interests, Consortium against domineering ually permanent, government. The republic has a Senate and nominal nominal and Senate a has republic The permanent, government. propaganda outlets work overtime to paint the outer system as a a as system outer the paint to overtime work outlets propaganda helped its members thrive. its members helped bat. As such, Jovian society is considered rigid, and their relationship rigid, and their relationship is considered society bat. Jovian As such, alliance serves as a protection pact, a forum for coordinating group group serves pact, a forum for coordinating as a protection alliance advanced technology, noting it was the primary cause of the Fall. This the primary of cause noting it was the Fall. technology, advanced (no everywhere humanity for threatens “transhumanity” anywhere up, someone has cooked nanoweapon lab to isolate a new a black of agreements conciliatory by more bat,the is method ation followed are fighting for their very existence. That said, there has been little been has there said, That veryexistence. their for fighting are fearless given their mortality. The Jovian Republic, frequently frequently Republic, Jovian The their mortality. given fearless called the Junta in reference to the Security Council in charge, in charge, Council to the Security the Junta in reference called and instituted an interim, and soon system of Jovian the entire to linked and voting citizenship with framework, constitutional dissemination. Modeled after the anarchist systems of systems its strongest dissemination. after the anarchist Modeled complex a such ago, years of Twenty own. its resources dedicated capitalists consider the autonomists a liability, and their media and their media liability, a the autonomists consider capitalists considers system The outer dog-eat-dog frontier. lawless, corrupt, on spinning. destabilizing economic tricks. destabilizing economic outright aggression since the Battle of Locus shortly after the Fall. Fall. the after Battle the of shortly since aggression outright Locus military service, but the Junta remains the ultimate authority. They They military the ultimate authority. but the Junta service, remains economy. market a traditional retain is the offspring of the massive military complex built by major major by ofoffspring the is built militarycomplex massive the the While nations prior to the Fall. North and South American control seized fleets these chaos, in was ofrest transhumanity Nomadic swarms of individ and most wild boast the ships swarms Nomadic scum the inner and outer systems. between as a gateway in some ways This Alliance. union,ments and formed a loose the Autonomist and innovation for rapid network and an open-source initiatives, few has and members its tax not states, compel does or it member new with of necessity, Formed collapsed. quickly have ments would isn’t the polite sort of rejection, like when your friend offers you a face sort the polite you a face of friend offers when your isn’t like rejection, Firewall does attract Jovians to our ranks, and they are suprisingly suprisingly are and they to our ranks, Jovians does attract Firewall Main Belt, is home to market anarchists of serving stripes, anarchists various Belt,Main is home to market with their neighbors. Hypercorps sell morphs and fashion on Titan, on Titan, morphs and fashion sell Hypercorps their neighbors. with worry about an invasion. Meanwhile, the Jovians hate everyone and hate everyone the Jovians Meanwhile, worry about an invasion. Jovian missionaries set up churches in Elysium, autonomist scien in Elysium, missionaries set up churches Jovian Jovian military. Most of them have put aside their political disagree Most of political put aside their them have military. Jovian STATE OF THE SYSTEM STATE JOVIAN REPUBLIC JOVIAN The preferred weapons of choice are black ops, memetic warfare, and warfare, memetic ops, black are of weapons choice preferred The The current situation is best classified as a cold war. Inner-system Inner-system war. cold a as classified is best situation current The hehe AIs T T STEM

- - - - - OUTER SYSTEM In the outer system there are four major political factions. The factions. The four major political are there In the outer system Most of is made up of the outer system small habitats of five Two other, smaller, political entities have influence in the inner the inner in influence entities have political smaller, other, Two With no central power to tell them what to do, people have orga people have them what to do, to tell power no central With With no limitations on nanofabrication and access to open source open source to and access limitations no nanofabrication on With With the majority of the transhuman population within the inner inner the within population of majority the transhuman the With system, there are thousands of thousands are there indepen habitats. smaller Retaining system, slightly more technoprogressive policies than the Consortium and and policies than the Consortium technoprogressive more slightly system. The Lunar-Lagrange Alliance (LLA) governs most habitats governs (LLA) Alliance Lunar-Lagrange The system. supports old-Earthers are used to. Transhuman rights are secondary, secondary, are rights Transhuman to. used supports are old-Earthers the system, especially among the aging and isolated brinker colo among the aging and isolated brinker especially the system, the average freelancer in the Consortium. Of habitat a with Consortium. the in course, freelancer average the that last section and are ready to hear how excellent your region of region your excellent to hear how ready that last section and are the outer system, from members more attracts is. Firewall the system transhumanist) rule. They hold the most similarity and allegiance to allegiance and similarity most the hold They rule. transhumanist) thousand people or fewer. Many of them are more than a million of than a million more Many them are thousand people or fewer. secure additional favors. This isn’t to imply all habitats are like this; like all habitats are to imply This isn’t additional favors. secure population and several large cities and orbital habitats, carries the the habitats, carries orbital and cities large several and population larger federation, as the PC, LLA, and MC compete for ideological for ideological LLA, as the PC, and MC compete federation, larger liaise between citizens and corporate managers. corporate citizens and liaise between laws and government, as long as they adhere to Consortium bylaws. to Consortium adhere they as long as and government, laws but don’t imagine outer system life is easy. outer system imagine but don’t kilometers from their nearest neighbor. This makes for a very very a for makes This neighbor. nearest their from kilometers local concerns and providing for community representatives to to representatives for community and providing concerns local birth and marriage ties, but all of of the well-being them prioritize the are friendlier locales for mercurials, infolife, and infugees, but are are but infugees, and infolife, mercurials, for locales friendlier are and aerostats on and around Venus that only recently (in AF 6) 6) (in AF recently that only on and around Venus and aerostats a technosocialist direct democracy. Locus in the Jovian Trojans is is Trojans in the Jovian Locus democracy. direct a technosocialist one of the oldest and best-established collectivist anarchist habitats. anarchist one of collectivist the oldest and best-established designs, even a modest source of feedstock shared equally among among equally of shared a modest source feedstock designs, even of by a higher quality life than that afforded provide citizens can character of roots. its frontier character different political environment. Even Titan, which has a respectable Titan, has a which Even environment. political different dence is difficult, and most dence are mortgaged a of those habitats into otherwise culturally similar. otherwise culturally declared independence from the Consortium over issues related to related issues over Consortium the from independence declared on Luna and in the Earth-Luna system under a conservative (but under a conservative system and in the Earth-Luna on Luna The refugees. Fall with overcrowded identities and remain old Earth community. In the deep black, if it. fails with the habitat fails, everyone community. especially when they’re expensive or disruptive to PC interests. interests. PC to disruptive or when they’re expensive especially each is organized by its own rules. The outer system also has author system rules. The outer its own by is organized each economies. Reputation plays a major role in these cultures, with an an with cultures, these in role major a plays Reputation economies. Saturnine moon of Titan is home to the Titanian Commonwealth, Commonwealth, Saturnine moon of is home to the Titanian Titan nists of the outer rim. nothing has nothing to share. Such places are common throughout throughout common are places Such nothing has nothing to share. market shares. market individual’s standing in the community determining their ability to determining their ability standing in the community individual’s around built cultures even and camps, primitivist itarian regimes, nanofabrication has diminished trade; many habitatsfunction as gift many trade; has diminished nanofabrication nized in all different manners, mostly with little or no government. with little no government. or mostly manners, nized in all different with most things locally to manufacture The ability consensus. nity I would wager the majority of you were rolling your ocular organs at organs ocular your rolling of majority the were wager you I would Decisions are made via mesh-enabled direct democracy or commu democracy direct mesh-enabled made via Decisions are Morningstar Constellation (MC) is a loose confederacy of habitats (MC) confederacy a loose is Constellation Morningstar Most provide a nod towards democracy, holding votes over minor, minor, over votes holding democracy, towards nod a provide Most where people are more used to taking matters into their own hands, used to taking matters into their own more people are where THE Venusian terraforming and sovereignty. Morningstar habitats have Morningstar habitats have and sovereignty. terraforming Venusian Their habitats have a lot of independence when it comes to local local to comes of a lot it when habitatsTheir have independence Factions FRIENDS & ENEMIES Next overview topic: to really understand the state of the Solar System, you'll need to have a grasp of the various ideologies, polities, and factions at play. Knowing the difference can keep you alive. START

FACTIONS INNER SYSTEM POLITIES Source: Moxie Harper, Firewall Sentinel LINK

The inner system is the cradle of transhumanity, home to its largest political blocs and the only surface-habitable planets in the system. THE LUNAR-LAGRANGE ALLIANCE (LLA) Memes: Biochauvinism, Capitalism, Reclaiming Earth Main Habitats: Erato (Luna), Remembrance (Earth Orbit), Shackle (Luna)

The LLA: your grumpy Indian dad who is also a Swiss banker. Decried as obsolete by the Planetary Consortium, derided as stodgy and out of touch by the outer system, transhumanity’s first great off-world alliance plods on like a teflon baluchitherium. A number of settlements, including the largest Lunar city, Nectar, have defected to the Consortium, but Earth orbit and the two other big Lunar cities remain staunch Alliance members. Even though Luna might be the old and Mars the new, Luna’s advantage from being settled first hasn’t totally eroded. The Alliance Council The LLA Council seats one representative from each member city and habitat. Voting power is proportional to their hab’s population. Settlements have a large amount of autonomy, but the Alliance is in charge of foreign policy, defense, central banking, and intelligence services. This doesn’t keep members from making their own trade deals, but the Council reserves the right to intervene in local policy if it affects the rest of the Alliance. The Council hasn’t been shy about using this power or suppressing dissent from smaller members. Banks, Burberry, and Bollywood Interestingly, this reputation for conservatism doesn’t hurt the demand for Luna’s creative output. Lunar fashion houses and entertainment companies are major cultural forces. The Lunar busi- ness-casual look is the white-collar style throughout hypercapitalist space. And perhaps post-Fall transhumanity finds some comfort in the homey modernism of Lunar design and the formulaic musicals produced by Bollywood’s descendants. The Lunar Banks are the heart and brain of old-school capitalism, and they wield influence that can sometimes counter the upstart hypercorps of the Planetary Consortium. Some banks are append- ages of the LLA Council. These operate under a fairly transparent regulatory framework and are some of the biggest consumer banks in the system. Others descend from the old Swiss banking system, which strongly privileges the privacy of the client. Detractors say it’s the biggest legal money-laundering operation in the Solar System, but the oligarchs have uses for black boxes like these. You won’t see

152 ¹ 152¹I nner SySTEM Polities FACTIONS

153 - - - ¾ n stellatio n o C

r gsta n i rn o M he T • 100,000 citizens. The current prime minister ofcurrent 100,000 citizens. The

olities P y S So no, forget what your politically opinionated drinking buddy buddy opinionated drinking politically what your forget So no, The independence referendum is usually understood, at least at least understood, usually is referendum The independence nner to watching highly qualified people scream at each other like other like at each qualified people scream highly to watching sex. They’re always out socializing. Venusians have small personal small personal Venusians have out socializing. sex. They’re always them, of the help sometimes with illusions. AR tific and military budgets (the latter being mostly for payments to to tific and military for payments budgets (the latter being mostly their workload by sleeving into hibernoid morphs. The powers that The powers into hibernoid morphs. sleeving by their workload complex. more is much reality planet. The the yellow terraforming to all citizens, as well as offering full citizenship to AGIs and and AGIs to offering as citizenship full well as citizens, all to spaces is the most striking cultural difference here. If a Venusian Venusian If here. a difference cultural striking most the is spaces uplifts. Non-humans and synthmorphs face less prejudice and and less prejudice face uplifts. Non-humans and synthmorphs preserve the planet’s surface conditions while raising oxygen levels levels oxygen while raising conditions surface preserve the planet’s bubbles and an incredible ability to politely ignore people around around people ignore to politely ability bubbles and an incredible hot-blooded as its debates run, does a credible job of governing of job run, credible a debates does its as governing hot-blooded be on Mars still view the referendum that lead to Morningstar that as a the referendum still view be on Mars R&D, full steam ahead with going are in the debate life. Both camps in the upper designed biomorphs to survive been developing have have more protections in Venusian habitats. Etiquette in public habitats. in public Etiquette in protections Venusian more have atmosphere can cloud vision. cloud can atmosphere assets? Dreamers, you might say. Idiots, someone more savvy savvy Idiots, someone more might say. you assets? Dreamers, a chamber full of otherwise skilled and articulate transhumans? full of chamber a otherwise transhumans? articulate and skilled and there are half terra full The side. are each on sub-factions dozen there a and on the outsides of and animals able to roost atmosphere aerostats. from Europe and Brazil. Venus is just different than Mars, and its its and Mars, than different just is Venus Brazil. and Europe from forming faction is constructing proof-of-concept orbital mirrors that mirrors orbital proof-of-concept forming faction is constructing on Mars, as Venus saying “no” to the Consortium’s vision of vision fully Consortium’s the to “no” saying as Mars, on Venus on Mars opined between pitches during the last Cubs-Hanshin during the last Cubs-Hanshin pitches opined between on Mars cies that grant and verify Venusian citizenship. Each habitat sends Each citizenship. and verify Venusian cies that grant one member per of movement. the independence dead. Its proponents are locked in a war of in a war the opposing ideas with locked are dead. Its proponents vision is to ATI's The (ATI). Initiative Terraforming the Aerial camp, opposite numbers on Venus were either born off-world or came came or off-world born either were on numbers opposite Venus economic interests that don’t follow Martian logic. follow that don’t interests economic might think. The math works for Morningstar so far, though. for Morningstar so far, math works might think. The nascent power structures were born out of cultural, political, and and political, born out of were cultural, structures power nascent is pegged in which libra, the Venusian It guarantees mercenaries). for sleeping, shitting, apartment, or generally is in their tiny-ass it’s in the upper atmosphere and seeding the atmosphere with aerial aerial with atmosphere the seeding and atmosphere upper the in Their or Chinese. either American originally were running Mars I’m gonna go with the latter, but then, I have a guilty addiction addiction a guilty then, but I have latter, the I’m with go gonna Is it politics, or the ghost of an Italy-Brazil football match possessing football match or the ghost ofIs it politics, an Italy-Brazil For one thing, the idea of fully terraforming Venus is far from is far from thing, one the idea ofVenus terraforming fully For value to the Planetary Consortium credit. And it controls the agen the controls it And credit. Planetary the to Consortium value External Relations Martian mud shrikes during brooding season. The Star Council, as Council, as season. The Star during brooding Martian shrikes mud which is pretty sad given how many of their analysts keep up with with up of keep many how their analysts sad given is pretty which advocates if en masse. ATI deployed surface the planet’s cool would fluke and expect its members to rejoin the Consortium. Even a thin Even Consortium. rejoin the to expect its members and fluke Culture and Policy XPorn star, athlete, and psychosurgeon who was one of one was who leaders the psychosurgeon and athlete, star, XPorn Tigers game. It was never about terraforming. Most of about terraforming. never the oligarchs game. It was Tigers Who tries to found a major political bloc with virtually no militaryno virtually with bloc political major a found to tries Who Venus is Arisa (yeah, is Arisa one of those one-name people), an Italian-born Venus and nanofab allotment a basic income habitats provide Venusian Venus, from conducting off-world diplomacy to allocating scien diplomacy to allocating off-world conducting from Venus, The Star Council I STEM 10 10

off-putting to us off-worlders. Old Old off-putting off-worlders. us to really MORNINGSTAR MORNINGSTAR Biochauvinism is a big problem almost everywhere in LLA space. space. LLA in everywhere almost problem a big is Biochauvinism Venusian Sovereignty Venusian to the action. These immigrants, with their dynamic outer-system outer-system dynamic with their to the action. These immigrants, the LLA to convert from its old market practices to the transitional to the transitional practices its old market from to convert the LLA the Alliance after the Fall. Relations with the Consortium and the the and Consortium the with Relations Fall. the after Alliance the the low and sometimes need to fear for their own safety. If you’re If you’re safety. and sometimes need to fear for their own the low the Lunars or Orbitals demanding transparency from the private the private from transparency demanding or Orbitals the Lunars satellites that shoot down anything traveling to or from to Earth’s surface. to Earth’s to or from traveling anything down that shoot satellites people here haven’t gotten the memo that culture and genetics are are and genetics gotten memo that culture the haven’t people here biological body. Despite political activism aimed at winning greater greater aimed at winning activism Despite political body. biological banking houses any time soon. They’re perceived as a cornerstone cornerstone a as time soon. They’re perceived any banking houses but it retains one of but it retains System. the best military fleets in the Solar hell for outsiders. Ethnic rivalries and prejudice occasonally flare up; flare occasonally prejudice and rivalries Ethnic outsiders. for hell acceptance for synthmorphs, the clanking masses face classism classism masses face the clanking for synthmorphs, acceptance and hypercorp leaders among their supporters. Several LLA habitats are LLA among their supporters. Several leaders and hypercorp a dozen official languages. Other settlements speak only one or two or one only settlements speak languages. Other official dozen a one. be the official one should militant about which rather and are ago. It was a political circus that ultimately that ultimately circus a political It was ago. coalesced into an independence movement and then,and long against movement independence an into coalesced napping,caught was ConsortiumPlanetary The succeeded. odds, cultural values, could be the vanguard of to come. big changes be the vanguard could values, cultural of the economy and, to some extent, they are. and, to some extent,of they the economy out the TITAN remnants and take back our homeworld. Seen as odd our homeworld. back and take remnants out the TITAN our scarred and smoking homeworld. To many, it’s a call to arms, to rootto arms, to a call it’s many, To smoking homeworld. and our scarred out ofout is mouths their once. Can you believe that? Normally, interactions with Lunars/ with interactions that? Normally, believe you Can once. economy, and several Lunar habs have already done so. But AF done so. already habs have Lunar and several economy, every day and are often segregated into specific neighborhoods. into specific neighborhoods. often segregated and are day every eccentrics elsewhere in the system, reclaimers here count heads of heads count state here reclaimers system, the in elsewhere eccentrics Technoprogressivism, Memes: Technoprogressivism, (Venus) Octavia Main Habitats: is spring in the Solar System, and the Alliance is getting a new getting is new a Alliance the and System, Solar the in spring is to be closer who want the outer system infusion of from reclaimers Somebody on Luna actually asked me where my family came from from came family my me where asked actually on Luna Somebody nationalities still mean something here, and it can be confusing as as be confusing and it can something here, nationalities still mean reclaimer home bases, and the people there chafe at the interdiction interdiction the at chafe there people the and bases, home reclaimer not inseparable and that nationalism was a pretty stupid idea anyway. anyway. idea stupid pretty a was nationalism that and inseparable not Infomorphs and anyone not in a familiar human morph are treated treated not in a familiar human morph are Infomorphs and anyone It’s a culture that disdains people who’ve “failed” at retaining a a “failed” at retaining people who’ve that disdains a culture It’s Language, too, is a topic of civic debate, with some habitats having is a topic of some habitats with debate, having Language, too, civic Planetary Consortium five years five years Planetary Consortium voted for independence from the the from for independence voted visiting here, take note of those habitat travel advisories. note of take here, those habitatvisiting travel Decline and Resurgence Reclaimers Morningstar Constellation are cold. There is strong pressure for for pressure is strong There cold. are Morningstar Constellation with distrust and contempt, but AGIs and uplifts are the lowest of lowest the and uplifts are but AGIs distrust and contempt, with Orbitals don’t get this provincial, but some of get this provincial, the stuff comes Orbitals don’t that On half of Luna, when you look up from the surface, you’ll see Earth, you’ll On half the surface, of look up from when you Luna, Culture and EthnicityCulture and CONSTELLATION THE The habitatsThe Morningstar up making The LLA's political influence has been in decline for a long time, for a long time, been in decline has influence political LLA's The with lot in their threw fleets of remnants space national The many System OUR TRANSHUMAN SPACE Gazetteer Now that you've caught up on the rest, here's the last info dump: an overview of transhuman holdings, region by region. START

SOL AND MERCURY SYSTEM Source: The Well of the Ocean Is Water Aflame LINK

The center of our system is the source of our life — yet also treach- GAZETTEER erous and deadly to the unprepared. SOL The gravity well that anchors her islands within the empty seas of space is called by her people: Sol. Her soul is great, a flame 1.4 million kilometers across, and her depths are fierce enough to strip electron from atom, burn fields of energy across her face, and smile forth plasma storms that could swallow moons. Temperatures at the surface alone make the journey impossible without specialized defenses such as solar survival suits and heavily shielded ships. Unpredictable magnetic fields can destroy equipment between one breath and the next, and shifts in the corona create bursts of magnetism and plasma so large that escape is impossible. A solar flare, known as a coronal mass ejection (CME), occurs when the sun’s magnetic grip slips and radiation breaks free. The free plasma can damage passing craft and unprotected life, disrupt communication and sensors, and provoke magnetic storms on vulner- able planets such as Mercury, Venus, or Mars, which lack protective magnetic fields. In theory, this power could even be harnessed as a weapon by disrupting the field with a strong enough magnetic force in just the right location to direct a CME at a chosen target. Solarians There are fish at the center of the well. The Solarians that live here have adapted many morphs to survive in the solar environment. Among them are the surya, commonly known as space whales. The surya reach lengths of ten meters or more and are designed to swim the currents of Sol’s corona, generating magnetic fields that shield them from the heat. The Solarians travel together in surya pods, roaming the corona itself. Other Solarian morphs include mirrored sundiver spaceship synthmorphs and the more humanoid salamander forms that are better adapted for using tools, residing within habitats, and interacting with other transhumans. Many Solarians are uplifted dolphins and whales that seek the familiar sense of swimming in the ocean’s expanse with a pod. Their presence is a deep influence on Solarian culture; metaphors comparing the sun’s environment to their underwater experiences are common. Social structures mirror that of a cetacean pod, in which individuals live together as a close unit with few secrets and little social or personal boundaries. Relationships within the pod are open and physical, and social activities are often communal, including poetry and song as well as rough play. This close and intimate living can be difficult for outsiders to adapt to, which is an issue for the occasional socialite tourist. Three habitats are found in the solar corona, near the northern pole of Sol to minimize exposure to flares. These habitats provide launch points for voyages into the corona and contact with the rest of the system.

176 ¹ 176¹Sol and Mercury SYSTEM GAZETTEER 177 - - ¾ yy rr cucu rr ee MM ell-earned or falsely or falsely ell-earned oids–oids– w

nn —

ulca ulca VV • • ercury ercury M M andand

olol S S live nomadically, following the night cycle of night cycle the following the planet nomadically, live w

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sifters Mercury is tiny and isolated, so the production of and isolated, so the production antimatter is tiny is Mercury Those who are not with a corporation survive in the shadow. shadow. in the survive corporation with a not Those who are safest here and the intense light provides enough energy for the for the enough energy the intense light provides and safest here sought for the more clandestine project. clandestine sought for the more the edges of a crater for safety in the extreme temperatures. This This temperatures. in the extreme the edges of for safety a crater afar. Gate from the Vulcanoid to avoid the temperature spikes of the day. The sifters are indepen are The sifters of spikes the day. the temperature to avoid ships overhead. Cannon travels the edge of the edge basin and the the Caloris travels Cannon overhead. ships to launch giant ingots of heavy metals into space for delivery to to delivery for of ingots giant metals space into launch to heavy prisoners who serveprisoners out their sentences panel fields lit at all times by the sun. This powers nuclear, radiochem nuclear, powers sun. the by This times all at lit fields panel but they will not share without payment. without not share will but they leave it be. So far we have, though not without question or protest. or protest. question though not without have, it be. So far we leave here, making it a shared resource as well as a resting place for the for the place as a resting as well resource making it a shared here, hyperelites who come to enjoy the spas and private meeting facilities. the spas and private to enjoy who come hyperelites and Noonday Mining turn the efforts Mining the turn of profit. into Noonday and miners their and the extraction of fissionables. Many hypercorps hold interests interests hold hypercorps ofMany fissionables. extraction the and Dome Type: Habitat Dome Type: Habitat framed intheminingcamps. orking Can/Subsurface Tin Type: Habitat of Mercury. Left by the Factors in AF8, the Planetary Consortium the Planetary in AF8, Consortium the Factors by Left of Mercury. Egg the off safer it thought who those overruling declared limits, to ask us only explanation, offer no they Factors The destroyed. city is a gathering site for sifters, a place to rest, trade, and seek out and seek trade, to rest, a place is a gathering site for sifters, city it does not appear to be a weapon. A pale a distance of them. From its purpose is to monitor Others believe during the Fall. on Mercury capture Sol’s gift, powering equipment. Hypercorps such as Tolstoj as Tolstoj such Hypercorps equipment. gift, powering Sol’s capture ofasked, be they the secrets should Mercury dent people and know on massive tracks. Ten-thousand individuals loyal to the hypercorp to the hypercorp loyal individuals Ten-thousand tracks. on massive gray ovoid of unknown material, the Egg orbits above the surface the surface of above material, the Egg orbits ovoid unknown gray Some speculate it watches over Caloris 18, site of a TITAN outbreak outbreak 18, site of Caloris a TITAN over it watches Some speculate Sol to profit elsewhere. Solar cells coat every crafted surface to best surface everycrafted coat cells Solar elsewhere. Sol to profit news and services. Information and gear may be had and discretion be had and discretion may Information and gear and services. news most dangerous of weapons, making the research worth the risk for worth the risk ofmost dangerous research making the weapons, Jing. Action, and Fa Gammax, Direct Omnicor, as such groups Near the northern pole lies Lumina. Here energy is captured by solar by captured is energy Here northern the Near Lumina. lies pole isotopes manufacturing including research, physics particle and ical, northern hemisphere in its journey between camps. between in its journey northern hemisphere Exposed heavy metals lie near the surfaces and are easily mined. mined. easily are and surfaces the metals near lie heavy Exposed Lumina work. Antimatter powers spacecraft drives for voyaging and the and the for voyaging drives spacecraft powers Antimatter work. Mercury holds mysteries as close as Sol does, and the Egg the and does, Sol as one is close as mysteries holds Mercury Mining Concern, the Vyasa Workers Cooperative, Jaehon Offworld, Offworld, Jaehon Cooperative, Workers the Vyasa Mining Concern, Corporations mine Mercury’s bones and harvest mine Mercury’s the sunlight of Corporations Cannon is the largest habitat on Mercury. It is also mobile, crawling It is also mobile, crawling habitat on Mercury. is the largest Cannon Cannon Jaehon reside here. This city-sized mass driver pauses at each mine mine each pauses at mass driver This city-sized here. reside Jaehon Al-Hamadhanj These and into under the sand The modules of tucked capitalare this sifter The isolation and difficulty of escape leads hypercorps to enlist enlist to hypercorps escape leads and difficultyThe isolation of Independent (Hypercorp) Allegiance: Jaehon Offworld Jaehon Allegiance: Sifter Allegiance: The Egg - commodations commodations the ac

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Sol attracts many stray travelers of rock and asteroid, and and of and asteroid, rock travelers stray many Sol attracts the planet covered in pockmarks and craters. Alternating heat and heat and Alternating and craters. in pockmarks the planet covered turns so slowly that a face may be exposed to the sun for nearly sixty sixty to the sun for nearly be exposed may that a face turns so slowly travel outside of The population of the well. this habitattravel fluctuates tive cover of Sol’s glare. Secrets grow easily where few can see them. can few where easily grow Secrets of glare. Sol’s cover tive pods after an introduction to minimize culture shock. to minimize culture pods after an introduction pods. Those who wish to learn may be invited to travel with the the with to travel invited be may to learn wish who Those pods. line moves slowly enough that a transhuman on foot could keep keep on foot could enough that a transhuman slowly line moves hold a treasure: a pandora gate. Ownership was quickly acquired acquired quickly was gate. Ownership a pandora hold a treasure: Planetary the by courted Consortium, Though TerraGenesis. by and dark and dust. But there is little loyalty to Mercury as a home. as a home. to Mercury is little and dust. loyalty But there and dark ahead of pace. it at a steady and night. The sun's daylight gaze overhead is fierce enough to melt enough to is fierce overhead gaze and night.daylight The sun's are not designed morphs. for non-solar-adapted are aligned interests. Pathfinder seeks to disrupt this alliance. to disrupt seeks Pathfinder alignedinterests. Dome/Beehive Type: Habitat from the hundreds to the thousands depending on the solar weather. weather. solar the on the thousands depending to hundreds the from Cluster Type: Habitat Cluster Type: Habitat for profit, taking advantage of the secrecy provided by Sol’s corona. corona. by Sol’s of provided the secrecy for profit, advantage taking Cluster Type: Habitat cold further breaks the rock, covering the surface in dust. the surface covering the rock, further breaks cold of those days. The lack of atmosphere provides no blanket against against blanket no of The lack provides of atmosphere those days. collection, they develop military research. The corona may destroy destroy may corona The military research. develop they collection, dismissed as small and empty, the asteroid was later discovered to to later discovered was the asteroid dismissed as small and empty, Sol’s light, and temperatures range over 620 degrees between day day between 620 degrees over range light, and temperatures Sol’s Sol’s swiftest island is Mercury. It orbits in less than ninety days, but days, ninety than less in orbits It Mercury. is island swiftest Sol’s Sol’s fury. It is also a place for pod members to recover, resupply, or resupply, to recover, for pod members It is also a place fury. Sol’s metal, but at night the surface is as frigid as space. The terminator The terminator is as frigid as space. metal, but at night the surface many a dangerous mistake before it is discovered by others. by is discovered it before mistake a dangerous many nominally a center of a center is Most of education. nominally Aten done at the work Between Sol and her closest escort Mercury lie the Vulcanoids. lie the Mercury Vulcanoids. escort Sol and her closest Between Few non-Solarian visitors are invited here invited are non-Solarian visitors Few Ukko is our own home when we seek shelter from the destruction of destruction the from shelter seek we when home own our is Ukko University seeks to study Sol and gladly collaborates with Solarian Solarian with collaborates Sol and gladly to study seeks University Mercurials Hooverman-Geischecker Mercury takes the blows as they cross its path, leaving the surface of surface the path,its leaving cross they as blows the takes Mercury Ukko-Jylina MERCURY VULCANOIDS TerraGenesis has so far chosen to work more closely with Morningstar- with closely more work to chosen far so has TerraGenesis The first of the Vulcanoids to be claimed was Caldwell. Initially Initially Caldwell. was to be claimed firstThe of the Vulcanoids While Cognite, Direct Action, and others claim to work on energy energy on to work claim others and Action, Direct Cognite, While Aten The residents of Mercury must be hardy to live in extremes ofextremes in light to live residents ofThe be hardy must Mercury These small asteroids are cherished for a stable orbit and the protec for a stable orbit cherished are These small asteroids This partnership between the Argonauts and Titan Autonomous Autonomous Titan and Argonauts the between This partnership An extension of the Martian University of New Shanghai, Aten is is of of extension An Aten Shanghai, Martian the University New TerraGenesis Allegiance: Solarian Allegiance: Argonaut/Titanian Allegiance: Planetary Consortium Allegiance: V/2011-Caldwell Actions & RESOLVING COMBAT Combat Roleplaying games are about creating drama and adventure, and that often means adrenaline and conflict. Action scenes are the moments when the adrenaline really gets pumping and the charac- ters’ lives and missions are on the line. Combat and action scenarios can be confusing to run, especially ACTION if the GM also needs to keep track of the actions of numerous NPCs. For this reason, it’s important for the GM to detail the action in a way that everyone can visualize, whether that means using a map and miniatures, software, a dry-erase board, or quick sketches on & paper. Though many of the rules for handling action and combat are abstract — allowing room for interpretation and fudging results to COMBAT fit the story — many tactical factors are also incorporated, so small details can make a large difference. It also helps to have the capa- bilities of NPCs predetermined and to run them as a group when possible, to reduce the GM’s burden in the middle of a hectic situation. Not every problem can be solved with words or wits. Whether you employ fists, knives, guns, or more creative options, all violence in Eclipse Phase is handled as an opposed test between the attacker and defender. Use the following steps to resolve combat situations, after determining initative: Initiative & Order of Actions ▶33 STEP 1: DECLARE ATTACK The attacker takes a complex action to attack on their turn in the Initiative order. The nature of the attack must be declared. The skill used depends on the method used to attack. Melee (close combat) and Guns (ranged weapons) are most common. Some attacks call for Athletics (thrown grenades), Hardware: Explosives (placed charges), Interface (electronic weapon systems), or an Exotic skill. STEP 2: DECLARE DEFENSE Defense is an automatic action. Unless they are surprised ▶227 or incapacitated ▶226, the defender always has the option to respond. Melee Defense: Against a melee attack, the defender may choose to block and parry using their own Melee skill or dodge using Fray. Ranged Defense: Ranged and area-effect attacks are much harder to dodge; defenders use their Fray skill ÷ 2. Psi Defense: Psi sleights are resisted with WIL Check. Full Defense: Characters that have declared they are engaging in full defense ▶226 may defend as above, with a +30 modifier. STEP 3: APPLY MODIFIERS Apply any appropriate situational, wound/trauma, or other modi- fiers to the attacker’s and defender’s skills, as appropriate. STEP 4: MAKE OPPOSED TEST Both the attacker and defender roll d100 against their modified skill target numbers. STEP 5: DETERMINE RESULT If the attacker fails, the attack misses completely. If the attacker succeeds and the defender fails, the attack hits. If both attacker and defender succeed in their tests, compare their dice rolls. If the attacker’s dice roll is higher, the attack hits despite a spirited defense; otherwise, the attack fails to connect (Opposed Tests ▶32). Remember that critical successes trump higher rolls. Attacker Superior Success: For each superior success the attacker scores, increase the DV inflicted by +1d6. Attacker Critical Success: If the attacker hits with a critical, the damage is doubled. Defender Superior/Critical Failure: Ignored. Getting hit is bad enough! 202¹ Resolving Combat ACTION & COMBAT - 203 for ¾ 207 ds ▶ n ou W e n /– modifiers. burst-fire , the GM sees that + mi /– modifiers. r 220 + ▶ ete D tep 9: S /– modifiers. wound effects + ge– ama D 0. With no other modifiers, her target is 70. She is 70. She modifiers, her target 0. With no other + 2d6. She rolls a 7, 5, 5, 1, and 3, for a total damage a total a 7, 5, 5, 1, and 3, for 2d6. She rolls + d10), and her two superior successes gives her another 2d6, 2d6, another her gives successes two superior her and d10), + as they take a full move to cross the 18-meter distance. Jinx Jinx distance. the 18-meter cross to a full move take as they tep 6: Roll S • 205 ▶ The exhuman has Melee 80, –10 for the charge, and –10 more for the the for and –10 more the charge, has MeleeThe exhuman 80, –10 for The exhuman has Fray of 60, but against a ranged attack this is halved. a ranged 60, but against of has Fray The exhuman 10, so that damage gets has kinetic armor of only 11 of The exhuman Jinx declares her intent to shoot the exhuman with a 3-round burst from from burst with a 3-round the exhuman shoot to her intent Jinx declares away), (10 meters range is at Close The exhuman 70. skill of Jinx has Guns using was Jinx 2d10. DV inflicts medium pistol Jinx’s meters 8 the air and move to take so has a base they Jinx still move, ombat Defender rolls (Fray skill ÷ 2) (Fray Ranged: rolls Defender kinetic armor, as appropriate. kinetic inflicted. are multiple wounds Defender rolls Fray or Melee skill Fray rolls Melee: Defender tated. If it reaches Death Rating, they are killed/destroyed. are Death Rating, they reaches it If tated. attack hits. Roll damage. hits. Roll attack If the damage equals or exceeds the target’s Wound Wound the target’s If the damage equals or exceeds incapaci is the target Durability, damage reaches If total If attacker succeeds and rolls higher than the defender, the higher than the defender, and rolls succeeds If attacker exceeds the target’s Wound Threshold by multiple factors, multiple factors, by Threshold Wound the target’s exceeds Superior hits inflict +1d6 DV COMBAT SUMMARY COMBAT Combat is an opposed test. Combat Critical the DV. hits double Attacker rolls attack skill attack rolls Attacker The weapon’s damage is reduced by the target’s energy or or energy target’s the by reduced is damage weapon’s The Threshold, a wound is scored. If the damage equals or or equals damage the If scored. is wound a Threshold, up and away. They’re in a tunnel, though, so the exhuman can still reach reach still can in a tunnel, though, so the exhuman They’re up and away. but it’s a critical success, which trumps the exhuman’s roll! The GM rules rules GM The roll! exhuman’s the trumps which success, critical a it’s but her pistol. The GM declares that the exhuman will use Fray to dodge. to use will exhuman Fray that the The GM declares her pistol. a 69 — which flip that to to Flex but she spends a point of a 96, a failure, rolls out. Jinx has survivedJinx has the next action turn! to out. extra damage ( damage extra 21. of except that Jinx’s roll of 69 is higher. Jinx hits! 69 is higher. of roll Jinx’s that except dodges with Fray. will count as two superior successes. will count wound, for a target number of 60. They roll 07. Jinx has Fray 60, plus the the plus 60, Fray has Jinx 07. roll They 60. of number a target for wound, wound! Looking at the sectionwound! Looking on the exhuman must make a SOM Check or get knocked down. They roll a 09 09 a roll They down. SOM a Check knocked get or make must exhuman the that Jinx dodges in such a way that the exhuman over-extends and wipes wipes and over-extends exhuman the that way a such in dodges Jinx that charging melee melee making a charging are they itsOn declares them. GM the turn, result, lower than the exhuman’s That’s a 00. number 80. She rolls target for for a total DV of 3d10 of DV a total for through (21 – 10). They have a Wound Threshold of 8, so that inflicts a 8, so of that inflicts a Threshold a Wound have They (21 – 10). through attack and planning on making a snack out of her. Jinx rolled higher on Initiative, Initiative, on higher rolled Jinx her. of out snack a making on planning and on their feet. a SOM checkagainst 75, so stays of the exhuman so goes first. she modifier is so the range GM gives them a superior position bonus for flying at the top of the ceiling, ceiling, the of top the at flying for bonus position superior a them gives GM

The GM rolls against a target of 30. They get a 07, which would be a success, get a 07, which would be a success, They 30. of a target against The GM rolls Jinx has found herself in a bad spot, in a tunnel with an exhuman closing in in closing herselfexhuman in a tunnel with an a bad in spot, Jinx has found

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+10 +20 +30 –10 –10 –10 –20 –20 –30 –20 Modifiers –10 per wound/trauma –10 –30 or 50% miss chance or 50% miss –30 . If it equals or exceeds . If or exceeds it equals ) 220 219 ▶

▶ . Reduce the damage total by totalthe damage by . Reduce ) ) 214 218 ▶

▶ Armor ( Physical Health Physical ( . In this case, the Stress Value (SV) is handled the Stress Value . In this case, ) 222 Situation ▶

Combat Modifiers . A wound is scored for each multiple of the Wound Wound multiple of for each the is scored . A wound These modifiers apply to all types of attacks. all typesThese of to modifiers apply 218 220 outcome. can impact an attack’s factors Numerous ▶ ▶

Note that armor-piercing attacks reduce the AV by half. by the AV reduce attacks Note that armor-piercing Some attacks have additional effects, as noted in the description additional effects, as noted in the description have Some attacks Some attacks inflict mental stress rather than physical damage damage rather than physical inflict mentalSome attacks stress Mental Health their Death Rating, they are killed/destroyed. are their Death Rating, they the same as DV. the appropriate value. If the damage is reduced to 0 or less, the the less, or 0 to If reduced is value. damage the appropriate the pacitated and may die pacitated and may armor is effective and the attack fails to injure the the target. fails to injure and the attack armor is effective armor or kinetic armor and weapon/ammo traits. These may call for the defender to make call for the defender to make These may traits. and weapon/ammo additional tests. dice and total the results. Superior/critical results may increase your your increase may results Superior/critical total and results. the dice dice. damage damage equals or exceeds the defender’s Durability, they are inca are they the defender’s Durability, or exceeds equals damage exceeds the defender’s Wound Threshold, they suffer one or more more or one suffer they Threshold, Wound defender’s the exceeds wounds modifiers and other effects to the character. to the and other effects modifiers inflicted at once (14 damage inflicts 2 wounds, 21 damage inflicts damage 21 wounds, 2 inflicts damage (14 at once inflicted If the inflicted damage, less armor, from a single attack equals or or a single attack equals from Ifdamage, less armor, the inflicted Inflicted damage that exceeds armor is applied to the defender. armor is applied to the defender. exceeds damage that Inflicted sheet.of If totalthis accumulated the character track the on Keep If the defender is wearing armor, it will protect them. Determine protect it will If armor, the defender is wearing Every attack has a Damage Value (DV). If the roll hits, attack the a Damage has attack Value Every wounds, etc.) Wounds represent more serious injuries and apply apply and injuries serious more represent Wounds etc.) wounds, which part of the defender’s Armor Value (AV) applies (AV) part of which defender’sthe Armor Value (

STEP 9: DETERMINE WOUNDS STEP 8: APPLY DAMAGE STEP 8: APPLY STEP 7: APPLY ARMOR APPLY STEP 7: STEP 6: ROLL DAMAGE Threshold that the damage exceeds. For example, against Wound Wound example, against For exceeds. damage that the Threshold every 7 points for wound is inflicted 1 7, damage of Threshold (minor: dim light) smoke, light glare, Large target (car sized) (car target Large Blind Attacks Called shot (superior success needed,Called success (superior shot Wielding two-handed weapon with one hand, Wounded/traumatized Very small target (mouse or insect) small target Very Very large target (side of a barn) of (side target large Very Visibility impaired Visibility impaired (major: dark) smoke, heavy Superior position Small target (child-sized) Small target Attacker Running Attacker The Mesh EVERYWARE The mesh is a decentralized internet-of-things. Miniature comput- erized devices with advanced processing and storage capabilities THE are everywhere: your clothes, your weapons, your appliances, and throughout the structures, environment, and even air around you. This everyware is equipped with minute sensors for monitoring the MESH environment and wireless radios, microwave links, or laser links for communicating. All of these devices network together. Each acts as an ad-hoc server and repeater, passing messages and data along from sender to recipient. Though larger backbone servers still exist, especially in larger habitats with heavy traffic, there is no longer a need for any kind of centralized infrastructure. If a node in the mesh network goes down or cuts off traffic, the data simply routes around it, finding a new path to its destination. This makes the mesh easily expandable for new colonies, resilient against harm in crisis scenarios, and resistant to censorship and other forms of centralized control. GETTING ONLINE Getting online in Eclipse Phase is easy — everyone and everything is meshed, all the time. Most transhumans get online via the mesh insert implants within their head. This headware enables them to network with other devices around them and store data and files. Best of all, it’s all mentally controlled. You can browse mesh sites, play games, interface with gear, and talk with your friends, all within your head. Messages are mentally recorded in your voice (or another of your choosing) or transcribed into text, all without speaking aloud. Sensory input is routed through your mesh inserts directly into your brain and experienced as augmented reality — as data overlaid upon your real-world senses. Videos, for example, are viewed in a corner of your vision or off to the side, in your mind’s-eye space. You hear audio feeds in your head that no one around can perceive. Haptic feedback is experienced as sensations of touch. You can even skin your perceptions with AR data, so that you always view the world with the hazy glow of a sunset in the background or experi- ence it with your own personal soundtrack. Walls are never blank and rooms are never quiet, unless you want them to be. You can even mute or filter out things you don’t want to see or hear. Those without cranial computers and mesh inserts must rely on ecto devices for mesh access. These portable and flexible computers are typically worn as a bracelet or held as a tablet. They feature interactive holographic displays or transmit AR data to the user via worn glasses, contacts, and decorative ear pieces. While common among bioconservatives, they are sometimes used as an extra layer of protection by hackers or those carrying sensitive data. Ectos are slower than mesh inserts; using them inflicts a –10 modifier to all mesh actions. YOUR ONLINE PRESENCE Given that most mesh interactions take place within your head, face- to-face interactions via camera feeds are a thing of the past. Most people use an avatar to represent themselves online. Avatar customs differ, with some clades preferring a representation of your current morph, and others preferring a stylized icon that remains consis- tent throughout resleevings. Avatars are animated and designed to speak and emote with your personal mannerisms, though this may be customized.

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laved laved S tracked • spoofing attacks opology T : VIRTUAL PRIVATE NETWORKS PRIVATE : VIRTUAL s esh M In practical terms, VPNs offer better encryption than standard betterstandard than offer encryption terms, VPNs practical In Exoplanet meshes are even more removed. They can only be be only can They removed. more even are meshes Exoplanet If you wish to search the mesh or interact with someone or someone or with or interact the mesh If to search wish you signal sent from the inner planets to a station in the Kuiper Belt, Belt, the inner planets to a station in the Kuiper signal sent from speed of light. This means that communications between habitats speed of between communications light. This means that ters) may suffer time lags of may ters) minutes or hours or Titan, Luna, the mesh. On planetary Mars, Venus, bodies like tiered above it. Nodes in a lower tier will only communicate with with communicate only tier will it. in a lower Nodes above tiered something outside of your region, the easiest method is to transmit something outside of the easiest method is to transmit region, your separated from the mesh. They may be hardwired, lacking wireless wireless lacking be hardwired, may the mesh. They from separated tially increased due to the need for back-and-forth interaction. due to the need for back-and-forth increased tially transceivers, or enclosed within radio-proof barriers. The only way way only The barriers. radio-proof within or enclosed transceivers, plugging in, either directly is physically, systems such to access of task timeframe adjusted the to added is time any transmission though you can still be still be can you though transmitted back). Since long-distance communications are some are communications long-distance Since back). transmitted items, higher-priority for bumped or with interfered times their location. Depending on the colony or importance of or importance gate the colony on the Depending their location. users to privately communicate and remotely share services and and services share remotely and communicate to privately users across the public mesh. This secure connection allows connected connected allows connection mesh. the public This secure across accumulated from different locals, the timeframe may be exponen be may the timeframe locals, different from accumulated a search ALI (usually a copy of the muse) or a fork. a copy your In this case, (usually ALI a search of mesh the stationa away searching (i.e., light-minutes actions 10 are and the results over is transmitted adds 20 minutes as the AI accessed in the short intervals when a pandora gate is opened to gate is opened to in the short when a pandora intervals accessed defeating the radio-blocking enclosure, or somehow attaching a attaching a or somehow enclosure, defeating the radio-blocking outside of your local region (any others within 50,000 kilome within others (any outside of region local your in island is its own region In a sense, each old when it is received. and in orbit. on that planetary body defeated with defeated with on a tiered model. In order to access one particular device or or device one particular to access order In model. on a tiered other private networks to exist and function within the wider mesh. the wider function within and to exist networks other private crashing mission, the time between connections may be days, weeks, weeks, be days, may connections mission, the time between crashing or months. can increase this time at their discretion. If the research involves involves If this time at their discretion. increase the research can data based on parameters and fine-tuning the search correlation go, the harder the security gets. Tiered systems can sometimes be be sometimes can systems gets. Tiered the security harder the go, network, you may first need to access the nodes or networks the nodes or networks first need to access may you network, makes standard forms of communication (video calls and even and even calls forms of (video standard makes communication afar is already from messaging)and means that news challenge, a recognized devices in the tier above them. Usually the deeper you the deeper you them. Usually in the tier above devices recognized in the tier above. mesh traffic, making it difficult to difficult it making traffic, mesh resources. VPNs enable mobile offices, social networks, tacnets, and tacnets, social networks, enable mobile offices, VPNs resources. Hypercorp networks, habitats, and similar large systems operate operate systems habitats, and similar large networks, Hypercorp wireless transceiver to the system. transceiver wireless ISLANDS IN THE NET VPN TIERED SYSTEMS SYSTEMS AIR-GAPPED The most heavily secure systems are air-gapped are systems secure most heavily The VPNs link together nodes via point-to-point encrypted “tunnels” encrypted point-to-point “tunnels” nodes via link together VPNs VPN is hacked, however, that traffic becomes vulnerable. becomes that traffic however, hacked, is VPN The distance between habitats requires special consideration. A consideration. special requires habitats between The distance 50 AU from the sun, can take as long as 7 hours, traveling at the at the traveling as long as 7 hours, take sun, the can from 50 AU “local” encompasses all of the habitats and linked mesh networks “local” all of networks encompasses mesh habitats the and linked - they they y are y are mesh mesh AIs the our PAN. our PAN.

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Slaved devices automatically accept commands from their master from commands accept automatically devices Slaved Avatars are not only used for online communications used for only not are Avatars sensors, etc.) are usually slaved to a central security node that that node security a central to slaved usually are etc.) sensors, serves as a chokepoint against anyone hoping to hack the system. system. the to hack hoping against anyone serves as a chokepoint status, convictions. or criminal social networking profile, allowing others around you to view it with it view you to around others allowing profile, social networking security to override this mode is legally required in some authori in some required this mode is legally to override security tracking attempts tracking toggled off. be easily tarianbut it may jurisdictions, between them. You can share access to these devices with others on on others with to these devices access share can them. You between and active monitoring. Anyone that wants to connect to or hack hack or to connect to wants that monitoring. Anyone active and scrutiny. and security attempts go through a single well-protected gateway node. For node. For gateway a single well-protected attempts go through access these devices must go through you (or your muse) first. You You (or you through must go muse) first. your these devices access assuming their and range from business-oriented and succinct to creative displays. displays. creative to and succinct business-oriented from and range fork score, c-rep names, status, real citizenship as such times, all at about a person whether you interact with them online or are simply simply them online or are with interact you whether about a person a temporary or permanent basis. On the flipside, anyone that hacks that hacks or permanent basis. On the flipside, anyone a temporary connected to the other devices around them, the actual layout is is them, the actual layout around to the other devices connected can interface with your PAN devices via AR and freely share data data share freely and AR via devices PAN your with interface can device. This means that a hacker who penetrates a master system system a master who penetrates means that a hacker This device. device, to a slaved and issue commands access legitimately can often projected as entoptic data in real local space, along with your your along with space, local as entoptic data in real often projected example, individual components of a security system (doors, of system components a security individual example, into a slaved device is rerouted to the master for authentication to the master for authentication is rerouted device into a slaved Some devices are slaved to others, so that any traffic and access access and traffic so that any to others, slaved are Some devices Since many of the things you wear, carry, use, or have implanted are implanted are use, or have carry, of many wear, the things you Since meshed, it makes sense to network them together sense to network it makes meshed, more complex. Many sub-networks exist within the mesh network network the mesh within exist sub-networks Many complex. more systems. and tiered PANs, VPNs, devices, slaved itself: in some circumstances. An option to allow authenticated police/ authenticated option to allow An in some circumstances. not track you, though depending on their configurations or you,configurations though depending on their not track It applies a –30 modifier to this request. ignore simply may in physical proximity. Personal profiles are completely customizable completely are profiles Personal proximity. in physical Privacy mode will also ask sensors and other devices to ignore and and to ignore and other devices sensors also ask will mode Privacy If you’d prefer to keep a low profile, you can go into privacy mode, mode, can go into privacy you profile, a low to keep If prefer you’d Local jurisdictions may require some personal data to be displayed data to be displayed some personal require may jurisdictions Local your other devices are slaved. This means that anyone that wishes to wishes that This means that anyone slaved. are other devices your your social profile your you will have access to your slaved devices. slaved to your access have will you Privacy Mode Privacy which provides a small degree of anonymity. Privacy mode hides mode hides Privacy of a small degree anonymity. provides which scores. rep ding your ping and be able to anonymously still will PAN

SLAVED DEVICES SLAVED MESH TOPOLOGY Your mesh inserts mesh (or ecto) act as the master hub of network; your Your Though the mesh as a whole consists of innumerable devices all all ofconsists devices as a whole Though the mesh innumerable This allows a slaved device to rely on the master’s security features features on the master’s security rely to device slaved a This allows AR. Thus you can view the rep scores and other public profile data profile public other and scores rep the view can you Thus AR. All traffic to and from slaved devices is routed through the master. the master. through routed is devices slaved from to and traffic All Psi PSI OVERVIEW In Eclipse Phase, psi abilities are the result of infection by the mutant Watts-MacLeod strain of the exsurgent virus ▶389. This plague phys- ically modifies your async’s brain architecture and functions. These alterations are copied when you upload, fork, and resleeve, meaning the infection and psi abilities stay with you when you switch from morph to morph. Async abilities are inherent to the ego and not a biological or genetic predisposition of the morph. PREREQUISITES To be an async, you must purchase the Psi trait ▶74 during character creation. It is possible to become an async in game via infection by PSI the Watts-MacLeod strain ▶389). To wield psi, you must purchase psi sleights ▶280 with CP or Rez Points. To use psi-gamma sleights, you will also need the Psi skill ▶51, though you may default to WIL. MORPHS AND PSI Async abilities only function on a biological substrate — meaning that you require a biological brain and nervous system. An async sleeved in a synthmorph, infomorph, or a biomorph with a cyber- brain may not use their sleights. MENTAL FRAGMENTATION The process of infection had a permanent effect on your async’s mind. Upon becoming infected, you either suffered a mental breakdown or underwent a long, slow process of mental subver- sion. Either way, you acquired either an Addiction ▶76 or Mental Disorder ▶79 negative trait according to your specificsub-strain ▶273. This trait does not provide bonus CP and is permanent — it may not be eliminated with psychosurgery or Rez Points. SLEIGHTS Asyncs manipulate their egos and otherwise create effects that cannot be matched nor mimicked by technological means. To use these abilities, they train their mental processes and practice cognitive algorithms called sleights, which they can subconsciously recall and use as necessary. Sleights fall into two categories: psi-chi (cognitive enhancements) and psi-gamma (brainwave reading and manipulation). Psi-chi sleights are passive, always-on abilities. Psi-gamma sleights must be activated, requiring an action and a Psi skill test. A summary and full list of sleights can be found on ▶280. You start with one free sleight, chosen from those available to your specific infection sub-strain ▶273. All other sleights must be bought with Customization Points (during character creation) or Rez Points (during game play). INFECTION RATING Your async has an Infection Rating that represents the exovirus’s influence. This rating changes over time, depending on how frequently you use your abilities. Your base Infection Rating equals your Psi trait level × 10. Every time you use psi-gamma sleights or push a sleight ▶277, your Infection Rating increases (Infection Modifiers ▶276). Every time you recharge, it decreases (Easing the Infection ▶277). PLAYING THE INFECTION Consider having a player other than the async take on the role of the infection. This is particularly useful for the architect and stranger sub-strains, but works for all of them. The infection player can whisper in the async’s ear, describe compulsions and hallucinations, or even maintain a sort of alter-ego internal dialogue with the async. 272¹ P si OverVIEW • Prerequisites PSI 273 - - - - - ¾ • ROLEPLAYING ASYNCS • ROLEPLAYING Mental Disorder (Alien Behavioral Behavioral (Alien Mental Disorder Somatic Control, Eco-Empathy, or or Eco-Empathy, Somatic Control, trains -S ub S eod L ac -M XENOMORPH that may or may not lead to complications, side effects, or side effects, or not lead to complications, or may that may a W TTS Negative Trait (Choose one): (Choose Trait Negative Free Sleight (Choose One): (Choose Sleight Free One key aspect to roleplaying an async is to treat the infection the infection is to treat an async aspect to roleplaying One key You should make an effort to explore the nature of nature the an effortyour infec explore to make should You secret testing program. Learning the truth about your nature could could nature your about truth the Learning program. testing secret of your conceive might you example, For on you. not be lost should sort and of of that is weird fundamental substrate the universe as if feel was could personality you your terrifying. Alternatively, them pleasantly. sionally find yourself acting in ways more fitting to a physiology physiology fittinga to more yourselfways find acting in sionally underwent some you that know undoubtedly you but source, this talents does. If that no one else sort of and have transformation tion and how your character perceives it. Asyncs are profoundly profoundly are it. Asyncs perceives character your tion and how to Firewall. If you know the truth, however, you must live with the the with live must you If the truth, however, know you to Firewall. that other transhumans find strange, just as you are occasionally occasionally you are just as find strange, that other transhumans unique aspirations, but these should remain mysterious. While While mysterious. remain but these should aspirations, unique unaware of the infection, you have likely learned to keep your abil your learned to keep of likely the infection, have you unaware presence below your async’s consciousness. It may have its own its own have It may consciousness. async’s your below presence psi talents as a sort of parasitic entity, living off or sleights, living your psi talents as a sort of entity, parasitic as a distinct, if mostly dormant or removed, entity. It is a constant It is a constant entity. as a distinct, if dormant or removed, mostly a level of sociopathy or destructiveness, think of it more as lacking of think lacking as of more destructiveness, it or level a sociopathy points for has none ofreference exovirus The the compass. a moral adhering to a specific alien anatomy (i.e., they often feel insectoid insectoid often feel (i.e., they alien anatomy adhering to a specific anatomy. You may even seek out morphs that better seek accommo even may You anatomy. are different from those of your original phenotype and you occa you of those and from phenotype original your different are fact that you are the victim of a nanoplague likely spread by the the by spread of the victim are fact that you a nanoplague likely forms and changes over time. over forms and changes changed people. The invasive and alien aspect of aspect alien and abilities your invasive The people. changed callous, and alien. callous, other unexpected revelations in your future. in your revelations other unexpected different from yours. You might feel a weird compulsion to burrow compulsion to burrow weird a might feel You yours. from different When the practices. cultural by transhuman or mystified confused or aquatic), others clearly feel that the alien presence within trans within that the alien presence feel clearly others or aquatic), date these omnipresent urges. You sometimes express an outlook an outlook sometimes express You urges. these omnipresent date or clean phantom appendages that aren’t part of your current part of current your that aren’t appendages phantom or clean and seem more you around normal, but the transhumans quite even be the starting point of a campaign and/or your introduction introduction your starting the be of point even and/or a campaign melded with something different, something that doesn’t belong. something that doesn’t something different, with melded many of the behavioral compulsions and motivational urges imply imply urges motivational and compulsions ofmany behavioral the as indifferent, so much has. It is not evil that transhumanity morality ities secret lest you be ridiculed, attacked, or whisked away to some away or whisked attacked, be ridiculed, lest you ities secret into sand, lay eggs, eat non-nutritious or dangerous substances, substances, eggs, or dangerous eat non-nutritious lay into sand, seem urges these omnipresent itselfinfection expresses strongly, as this sub-strain report some asyncs While and alien. bizarre more Each async is likely to view their situation differently, and none of situation differently, their to view is likely async Each Disorder, Atavism, Body Dysmorphia, or Conversion Disorder) or Conversion Dysmorphia, Body Atavism, Disorder, you might feel that using these powers puts you in touch with some some with in touch puts you that using these powers might feel you ROLEPLAYING ASYNCS ROLEPLAYING THE THE Xeno-Empathy TITANs Watts-MacLeod strain infection. You may or may not be aware of aware be not may or may infection. You strain Watts-MacLeod As an async, you should keep the origin of the origin keep in mind: abilities should your you As an async, An alien presence lives inside of you. Your instinctual responses responses instinctual inside of lives Your you. presence alien An - - - trans ou are often often are ou y

—

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Addiction or Mental Disorder Mental or Disorder Addiction Enhanced Creativity, Grok, or Grok, or Creativity, Enhanced Mental Disorder (Disassociative (Disassociative Mental Disorder High Pain Threshold, Burst of Burst Threshold, High Pain Mental Disorder (ADHD, Anxiety, (ADHD, Mental Disorder Anxiety, Mental Disorder (Bipolar Disorder, (Bipolar Disorder, Mental Disorder Heightened Awareness, Infectious Infectious Awareness, Heightened Superior Kinesics, Basilisk Stare, or or Stare, Basilisk Superior Kinesics, they be machines or biological entities. entities. biological or machines be they . The sub-strain is chosen during character character during chosen is The sub-strain . ) 278 ▶

whether

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STRANGER HAUNTER BEAST ARCHITECT

Influence Effects Influence ( Negative Trait (Choose one): (Choose Trait Negative Negative Trait (Choose one): (Choose Trait Negative Negative Trait (Choose one): (Choose Trait Negative Negative Trait (Choose one): (Choose Trait Negative Free Sleight (Choose One): (Choose Sleight Free Free Sleight (Choose One): (Choose Sleight Free Free Sleight (Choose One): (Choose Sleight Free Free Sleight (Choose One): (Choose Sleight Free to steer you towards its inscrutable ends. Though its motivations motivations inscrutable its its Though ends. towards you to steer sense that reality is not always as grounded as you would like. would as you as grounded is not always sense that reality humanity at large. humanity leaves you with an unmistakable sense of an unmistakable with you purpose. leaves how they work they how break free. You struggle to keep it in check, placated or distracted, or distracted, placated it in check, struggle to keep You free. break are hazy, it seems to enjoy testing your limits your testing it seems to enjoy hazy, are an entity so beyond your ken that you are insignificant in comparison. in insignificant are that you ken your so beyond an entity and provides you with a free bonus sleight. It also impacts the behav a free with you and provides or PTSD) compelled to build and construct new things: architecture with with things: architecture new to build and construct compelled drives you to delve into the inner mechanics of into the inner mechanics things and examine to delve you drives crushing weight of the uncaring dark void that makes our extinction a our extinction that makes of void weight dark crushing the uncaring creation (orgameplay). during infected is creation character your when else the desire for carnage and mayhem overwhelms you. overwhelms and mayhem for carnage the desire else edge of perception, is your constant companion. Sometimes it is the Sometimes companion. edge of constant is your perception, gence. You often see things from a perspective that is different. It It that is different. a perspective often see things from You gence. inexplicable functions, strange devices, or even new forms of new or even life. devices, functions, strange inexplicable Subliminal its unusual desires echoing just below the limits of just below perception. echoing your its unusual desires near certainty, sometimes it is a more palpable, unnameable presence, presence, unnameable palpable, a more is it sometimes certainty, near ioral compulsions and spurred motivations that infection inflicts upon motivations and spurred compulsions ioral Personality Disorder, Paramnesia, or Paranoia) Paramnesia, Disorder, Personality It is omnipresent but patient, waiting for moments of vulnerability for moments of but patient, waiting It is omnipresent vulnerability Insomnia, or Paramnesia) Implant Skill you you you personally. It influences what Mental Disorder trait you start with trait what Mental Disorder It influences personally. you Mind, or Nightmare MacLeod virus. This sub-strain determines how the exovirus affects exovirus the determines how sub-strain This virus. MacLeod (Cosmic Anxiety Disorder or Paranoia) Disorder Anxiety (Cosmic THE THE THE

THE WATTS-MACLEOD WATTS-MACLEOD

The low-level dread of incomprehensible terror, flittering at the terror, of dread incomprehensible low-level The SUB-STRAINS You are plagued by unrest and unease, taunted by nightmares and a nightmares unease, taunted and by unrest plagued by are You Your infection is the shadow at your side, the whispering chant of chant the whispering side, your at the shadow is infection Your Your infection is a ravenous, bloodthirsty monster, yearning to to yearning monster, bloodthirsty infection is a ravenous, Your Your infection possesses a distinct curiosity and sense of and curiosity infection possesses a distinct intelli Your Though the virus’s exact motivation and intent remains unclear, it it unclear, remains and intent motivation exact virus’s the Though The urges push beyond exploration and learning and exploration beyond push urges The As an async, you are affected by a specific sub-strain of the Watts- sub-strain by a specific of the affected are you As an async, Adrenaline, or Psychic Stab or Psychic Adrenaline, Transhuman BACKUPS & UPLOADING Tech A backup is a complete record of a transhuman ego — personality, memories, skills, and everything else that makes you you, short of TRANSHUMAN your physical body. It also includes all of the information about your brain’s neuronal connections. These are needed to either emulate your ego digitally or print it onto the brain of a new morph. TECH The primary use for a backup lies in not staying dead. Your backup can be resleeved into a new morph ▶288 or run as an info- morph ▶252, perhaps as a fork of your original self ▶292. You can also egocast yourself across the Solar System as an alternative to long, slow space voyages ▶302. Aside from quirky scientists who keep brains in vats, almost all backups exist in one of two forms: cortical stack backups and uploaded backups. Because backups are complete, stored trans- human egos, the term ego is used interchangeably. “Backup” implies that the ego will be kept in storage, while “ego” implies that it will be run as an infomorph, resleeved, egocast, or the like. CORTICAL STACKS Arguably the most important piece of technology transhumanity has ever invented, cortical stack implants are predictably taken for granted. Physically, cortical stacks are nanodiamond memory modules about the size of a cigarette butt. They’re tough to destroy, designed to be retrieved from even the most mangled corpse or shot-up synth. In most morphs, they’re implanted near the brain stem, where the neck meets the back of the head. To make them easier to find, synthmorphs with heads have them here, too. A cortical stack is linked to a neural lace network of nanobots throughout the brain (biomorphs) or to the cyberbrain (pods and synthmorphs). It backs up your ego once every second, or 86,400 times per Earth day. Just based on the amount of data in a trans- human brain, this is non-trivial. Add in the billions of connections between neurons, and it’s even more impressive. Almost everyone in the Solar System has one, with the exception of very young children and flats living in bioconservative polities. Aside from containing a backup of your ego, your cortical stack backs up everything on your mesh inserts: your muse, lifelog, any software or blueprints you own, and all other data you amass. This takes up a tiny amount of space compared to the ego itself. Popping a Stack The process of cutting out a cortical stack is called “popping,” as a skilled extractor can usually get the smooth-shelled implant to pop right out by making an incision in the correct place and applying pressure. Excising a cortical stack in surgery or a workshop with no time constraints is automatically successful. Popping a stack under less ideal conditions (e.g., with a vibroknife in a smoky, bullet-rid- dled ventilation shaft) requires either a Medicine: Paramedic Test (biomorphs) or a Hardware: Robotics Test (synthmorphs) This is a task action with a timeframe of 4 action turns on a dead, uncon- scious, or immobilized morph. If this is too long, decapitating the morph and taking the whole head for later excision has a timeframe of only 2 actions turns (1 action turn for big/choppy blades). Popping a stack from an immobilized, living morph inflicts 3d10+10 DV. The GM may impose a longer timeframe, adjusted damage, and/or penalties on the test if the morph has its stack in a non-standard position or if the stack is heavily protected (e.g., beneath armor plates). The victim, the perpetrator, and all witnesses must make a WIL Check or take SV 1d6.

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For people with resources, additional services may be offered, be offered, may additional services resources, people with For If you died somewhere remote or lawless, no one may bother bother no one may or lawless, remote If died somewhere you If hours, the last 2 died within biomorph, a must have the person When a death is reported, most local authorities will make an an make authorities will local most a death is reported, When All backup services provide the following: provide services backup All ploading social network profiles, but not everyone. Criminals don’t want want Criminals don’t everyone. but not profiles, social network them want don’t operatives covert and subpoenaed, backups their ture contract or kept in dead storage until someone claims them. until someone claims in dead storage or kept contract ture to discuss options. to discuss the backup service may be unknown may service the backup you however, If is recovered, stack your hackers. enemy by targeted single skill (player’s choice). Putting a dead biomorph in a healing vat in a healing vat a dead biomorph Putting (player’ssingle skill choice). used as a political football. Some polities used as a political people as infomorphs no matter what their situation. hypercorp space, uninsured characters may be offered an inden an offered be may characters uninsured space, hypercorp be lowered for each subsequent death subsequent for each be lowered halts skill loss but doesn’t reverse losses from before then. before from losses reverse doesn’t loss but halts skill a contingency plan in place. You should try to die in Titanian or or try should die in Titanian to You plan in place. contingency a anarchist territory, as they are the most likely to bring you back. In you to bring most likely the are as they territory, anarchist and anarchists and after death, an ego recovered from a biomorph loses 5 points from a loses 5 points from a biomorph from after death, an ego recovered of and level offered. services in quality greatly vary plan, but they ance from your stack (if recovered) or from an archived backup (if not) backup an archived or from (if stack your from recovered) following standard protocol. Your stack might be sold to ego traders, might be sold to ego traders, stack Your protocol. standard following chist morph-design collective, Titanian citizenship, or the payoff forthe payoff or citizenship, Titanian morph-design collective, chist questioned about your demise). about your questioned otherwise cell death makes the ego irretrievable. For every 15 minutes15 every For irretrievable. ego the makes death otherwisecell what sort died, and or contingency you ofdied, where insurance has some form of everyone Almost insur in place. have options you effort to inform the person’s backup provider and return the stack return the stack and provider backup effort the person’s to inform including hazardous stack retrieval options or hardened storage storage options or hardened retrieval stack hazardous including market. Without a plan, death may be the end of a plan, character. death may your Without market. rival polity, your ego may be saved into cold storage with others and others with storage into cold be saved ego may your polity, rival Most people set their 6 months, but variable). mined period (usually in. check muses to periodically it might be dropped in a drawer. If your backup service resides in a resides service If backup your in a drawer. it might be dropped manity, however, this does not always work. Moreover, details on work. Moreover, always this does not however, manity, ment with a black market chop shop, a relationship with an anar with a relationship shop, chop market a black ment with If you have the the If have you black the on sold or destroyed be simply may stack your Elsewhere, In the case of In the case you as infomorph re-instancing death, verifiable been missing for a pre-deter have you Doing the same in the event Resleeving you in a morph of equivalent MP, depending on availability. depending on availability. MP, in a morph of you equivalent Resleeving will of a short time period, this MP value In the case deaths over repeat Basic Backup Insurance working with a covert organization like Firewall. like organization a covert with working will usually be temporarily re-instanced and asked (and perhaps (and perhaps and asked re-instanced be temporarily usually will Uninsured Characters Uninsured (if possible). Given the varied and scattered polities of and scattered (if transhu varied the possible). Given (Services DEATH AND BACKUP INSURANCEBACKUP AND DEATH What happens when you die depends largely on if you people know die depends largely happens when you What This could be a contract with a reputable body bank,reputable an arrange body with a contract could be a This All characters are assumed to have some type of backup insurance. insurance. of some type backup assumed to have are characters All channels. appropriate through stack/ego your attempt retrieve to An

• • • • & U - - - ackups B Time 1 hour* 1 action turn 1 action turn 1 action turn of the ego while leaving of the ego while leaving have distributed cortical cortical distributed have 292 344 ▶ ▶ A transfer eliminates all traces all traces eliminates A transfer

fork. copy or a Upload Speeds swarm composition swarm *Potentially longer if farcasting, given distance lag. distance given farcasting, longer if *Potentially If the ego is being forked from a biological brain, the ego is the ego is brain, a biological If from the ego is being forked Under normal circumstances, no test is required to upload an ego. no test is required Under normal circumstances, Uploads can be a transfer Uploadscan Morphs with with Morphs simply uploaded. Recovered cortical stacks work the same way. the same way. work stacks cortical uploaded. Recovered simply simply copied from the cortical stack’s neural lace network. Likewise, Likewise, network. lace neural stack’s cortical the from copied simply stacks. If a swarmanoid is destroyed, recovering the ego requires ego requires the recovering Ifdestroyed, is stacks. a swarmanoid the ego is being transferred from a biological brain, the process the process brain, biological a from transferred is being the ego tion of consciousness from the old morph to new. When the transfer the transfer When tion of the old morph to new. from consciousness the original ego intact. Forking is legally restricted in many polities, in many restricted is legally the original ego intact. Forking tiated and run as infomorphs. petals are full of sensors that image the brain, relying in part on of full relying petals are brain, the image that sensors psychosurgery procedures, or egocast to a distant locale. or egocast procedures, psychosurgery but it is a common practice to upload beta forks, egocast them to them to egocast upload beta to forks, practice but it is a common an ego transferred or forked from a cyberbrain or infomorph is or infomorph is a cyberbrain from or forked an ego transferred awake during the procedure, allowing for a slow and smooth transi for a slow allowing during the procedure, awake alpha when they return. alpha when they archived to secure storage, run as an infomorph, treated with with run as an infomorph, treated storage, to secure archived ating a body. Forking creates a creates Forking ating a body. data from the nanobots as they spider cells and connections. During and connections. spider cells the nanobots as they data from of the original ego in the morph from which the upload originates. originates. upload the of which from morph the in ego original the or destroyed cortical stack. Once your ego is uploaded, it can be be ego is uploaded, it can stack. your Once cortical or destroyed cyberbrain (GM’s discretion). (GM’s cyberbrain distant locales for important errands, and merge them with their their them with and merge for importantdistant locales errands, ego from a corpse or destroyed synthmorph. The deceased morph morph deceased The synthmorph. destroyed or corpse a from ego ego bridge’s sensor array twists open like a morning glory blossom, open like twists sensor array ego bridge’s gathering at least 1/3 of the swarm’s mass, a tools shop, and a and a mass, a tools shop, least 1/3 ofgathering at the swarm’s must not have died from damage that destroyed the brain tissue or the brain that destroyed damage died from must not have is complete, the nanobots sever connections in the original morph’s morph’s original the in connections sever nanobots the complete, is occupant. “zeroing” for the next the brain effectively network, neural resleeving, the nanobots act as tiny wet printers in the destination destination the in printers wet tiny as act nanobots the resleeving, to levels and adjusting chemical nervemorph, cells connecting remains data ego The original. in the network neural the replicate millions of nanobots into the brain and central nervous system. The nervous system. ofmillions central and brain the into nanobots requires a toaster-oven-sized device called an ego bridge. In use, the an ego bridge. called device a toaster-oven-sized requires rest deploys The neck rest. neck a with an enclosure revealing Hardware: Robotics task action with a timeframe of a timeframe with action after task 6 hours, Robotics Hardware: If the cortical stack is missing or destroyed, you can still upload an can you If is missing or destroyed, stack the cortical How uploading happens depends on the media and the intent.How If Backing your ego up to a computer is insurance against a lost against a lost is insurance ego up to a computer your Backing Post-Mortem Uploads which the ego can be uploaded normally. be uploaded the ego can which Uploading and Ego Bridges UPLOADED BACKUPS UPLOADED These copied egos can either be saved as inactive backups or instan or backups as inactive can either be saved copied egos These This is standard procedure when resleeving, egocasting, or evacu egocasting,or resleeving, when procedure This is standard Upload Type Fork of ego from biological brain's neural lace neural biological brain's ego of from Fork stack cortical extracted from Fork Transfer of ego from biological brain ego of from Transfer Transfer/fork from cyberbrain from Transfer/fork Gear GEAR RULES In the technological future, having the right gear is a necessity. GEAR DESIGN The procedures of minifacturing and nanofabrication allow indi- vidual items to be manufactured with a unique (or at least different) look. In theory, this means few items should have a uniform, GEAR mass-produced look; in reality, most people go with the basics. Most equipment is designed with ergonomics and ease-of-use in mind, meaning that “blobject” looks — soft curves and form-fitting shapes — are common. Ovoids that fit comfortably in the hand are favored, as are shapes that can be easily worn or attached to clothing. Ambidextrous designs are the norm. Most gear is also designed with zero-g or microgravity functionality in mind, and can easily be clipped, tethered, or stuck to a surface with grip pads. The mate- rials used to create everyday items are also advanced, ranging from aerogel and fullerenes to smart materials and exotic metamaterials with unusual physical properties (Future Materials ▶233). Exotic Morphs: Most things can also be fabricated using designs that are wearable/usable by uplifts, non-humanoid morphs, and sleeves with unusual limbs or morphology. If you are stuck using gear that doesn’t fit your particular morphology, expect an impair- ment modifier between –10 and –30 — or you may not even be able to use it at all (GM discretion). GEAR COMPLEXITY Each gear item in Eclipse Phase lists a complexity rating:

• Minor [Min]: Common, simple items that are accessible and easy to nanofabricate. Most are readily available online or at physical stores/ community dispensaries. • Moderate [Mod]: Less common items that take effort to track down and more intricate items that require longer to nanofabricate. • Major [Maj]: Uncommon, expensive, and hard-to-find items or complex gear that takes substantial time to manufacture. • Rare [Rare]: Unique, unusual, or highly valuable items may not be available or may require an extra expenditure of Rep/Resources or the acquisition of certain unusual feedstock for nanofab purposes.

Each gear item uses the same complexity rating, whether it is purchased, acquired from contacts, or nanofabricated. GMs can alter the complexity depending on the source if they choose. Additionally, some gear items are classified as Restricted.

• Restricted [R]: Restricted gear is illegal in many inner system/ transitional economy habitats and possibly disfavored by the local community in outer system habs. To acquire this gear, you need to find a way to circumvent various legality and supply issues. GEAR MODIFIERS Most equipment provides no bonuses, it simply allows you to perform a task you would otherwise be unable to do. For example, it is impossible to pick a mechanical lock without a lockpick. In some cases, however, gear provides a bonus to the task at hand. Climbing a wall is a lot easier if you happen to have grip pads or other climbing gear. The specific modifier applied is noted in the item’s description, ranging from +10 to +30. In most cases, gear modifiers are cumulative, but GMs should exercise common sense, especially with items with duplicate effects.

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require electricity to function, function, to electricity require Phase Eclipse refers to plug-in apps that enhance infomorphs. infomorphs. to plug-in apps that enhance refers is synthetic devices either implanted within a a within implanted either devices synthetic is refers to internal nanobot systems active within a a within active to internal nanobot systems refers includes add-ons to synthetic shells. It is only avail It is only shells. add-ons to synthetic includes includes genetic modifications, nanosurgical tissue tissue nanosurgical genetic modifications, includes 100–500 hours of use and will alert the user when they run low. of100–500 hours run low. alert use and will they the user when

Eclipse Phase in Eclipse be an issue rarely should In short, power Unless otherwise noted, each ware item can only be installed in only item can Unless otherwiseware noted, each Almost all devices are loaded with a complete set of set complete and a files with loaded help are devices all Almost superconductors with superconductors tions will feature basic physical controls, just in case. controls, physical basic feature tions will with also equipped are tutorials. Most the same morph once, no matter if it is available in different forms. in different no matter ifthe same morph once, it is available to mesh combat. Use Program to install, diagnose, or repair. Program Use combat. to mesh unless it happens to fit the plot. Power failure is an option for crit is an option for failure Power unless it happens to fit the plot. Nanoware (N) Nanoware batteries. Standard batteries are high-density, room-temperature room-temperature high-density, batteriesbatteries. are Standard heavily shielded so they do not emit radiation, and good for do not emit radiation, so they shielded heavily biological body or “grown” within using nanobots. It is only avail using nanobots. It is only within or “grown” body biological body or shell. Nanoware includes an implanted hive that maintainsthat hive implanted an includes Nanoware shell. or body available for biomorphs (including pods and uplifts). Because of pods and uplifts). Because for biomorphs (including its available Use be hacked. It can bots, and vehicles. able for synthmorphs, for morphs of all types. the nanobots. It is available and refreshes able for biomorphs (including pods and uplifts). Cyberware is is pods and uplifts). Cyberware able for biomorphs (including alterations, and implantation of bio-engineered organs. It is only and implantation of It is only organs. alterations, bio-engineered for Bioware (B) Bioware (H) Hardware organic nature, bioware is hard to detect in scans; genetic testing or genetic to detect in scans; is hard bioware nature, organic or voice-operated control interfaces to most designs, however, and and designs, to most however, interfaces control or voice-operated behalf. your on the device or operate assist you can only detectable with nanodetectors or detailed biological sampling. or detailed detectable biological nanodetectors with only other bio-sampling is required. Use Medicine: Biotech to diagnose, Biotech Medicine: Use required. other bio-sampling is discretion). (GM as hardware frame into a shell’s on or incorporated diagnose, and repair. Many non-ware gear items can be mounted be mounted gear items can non-ware Many diagnose, and repair. detectable with x-ray and radar scans. It can also be hacked like like also be hacked It can scans. and radar detectable x-ray with to implant, Hardware: Medicine: Biotech Use other electronics. energy transmitters are common in habitats and spacecraft, auto in habitats and spacecraft, common are transmitters energy Meshware (M) Meshware relying on solar cells, wireless energy transfers, or powerful or powerful transfers, energy wireless on solar cells, relying in common use in the early use in the in common devices. nearby charging matically Nanoware hives are detectable like cyberware, but the bots are are bots the but cyberware, like detectable are hives Nanoware included together, with the former recharging the latter. Wireless Wireless the latter. the former recharging with together, included items crafted for emergency, combat, survival, or exploration situa or exploration survival, combat, for emergency, items crafted Nanoware can be hacked like other electronics. Use Medicine: Medicine: Use other electronics. like be hacked can Nanoware implant, or repair. ical failure rolls. failure ical Powered devices in devices Powered Hardware: Robotics or an appropriate field for vehicles to install, to install, vehicles for field or an appropriate Robotics Hardware: Biotech or Hardware: Robotics to implant/repair. Robotics or Hardware: Biotech Electronics to repair the ware itself. the ware to repair Electronics years or more of use. Nuclear and standard batteries are often of often batteries or more are and standard years use. Nuclear Cyberware (C) Cyberware More powerful radio-isotope nuclear batteries are also available, available, also batteries are nuclear radio-isotope powerful More flexible, printed on devices, or woven into fabric. They are good are good into fabric. They woven or printed on devices, flexible, POWER WARE Ware is a catch-all category for augmentations of is a catch-all kinds: different Ware These may also be installed with cyberbrains. They are vulnerable vulnerable are They installedwith be also cyberbrains. may These

• • • • •

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and cannot be manipulated without be manipulated without and cannot device ALI device 318 . They contain a miniaturized computer, a wireless wireless a computer, containminiaturized a They . ) ▶ 10 and Major at at 10 and Major and + . ) 240 extra time extra or similar tools. ▶

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Gear acquired through normal channels (Resources, rep, or or rep, (Resources, channels normal through acquired Gear Gear uses the same sizing as morphs The Radio and Sensor Ranges table notes what range these these table notes what range and Sensor Ranges Radio The 10 modifier (i.e., a Minor complexity item would be treated as as would be treated item complexity 10 modifier (i.e., a Minor The Mesh the-art, or top-of-the-line, applying an additional +10 to +30 modi an additional the-art, applying or top-of-the-line, sense. Remember that the technology level of level the technology that sense. Remember scopic vision vision scopic transceiver, and possibly laser or microwave links and/or various various and/or links microwave or laser possibly and transceiver, can be They sensors. thorough physical search, treat as a task action and apply a modifier action and apply task as a treat search, physical thorough time through use and circumstances. time through people slave their carried and worn devices that make up their their up make that devices worn and carried their slave people inserts their mesh to ecto or (PAN) network area personal be able to interact with or use them. It is trivial to add holographic to add holographic or use them. with It is trivial be able to interact loaded. Remember that characters in low or microgravity environ or microgravity in low that characters loaded. Remember a –10 to –30 modifier (in some cases canceling out the gear’s gear’s out the canceling cases modifier (in some a –10 to –30 able to hacking and intrusion attempts, though protected by their their by and intrusion attempts, though protected able to hacking and movement modifiers of –10 to –30 to characters who are over are who of modifiers characters movement and to –30 to –10 and modifiers apply. A few other considerations are noted here: are considerations other A few apply. and modifiers other modifiers). operator will interface with the device using augmented reality. This using augmented reality. the device with interface will operator devices operate at. operate devices of Hand skill. This is opposed by Perceive. Objects with the the with Objects Perceive. is opposed by of This skill. Hand digits quality modifiers for special-case items, plot hooks, or the result result or the hooks, items, plot for special-case modifiers quality attempting acquire to are If rolls. characters of superior/criticals Not all gear is made the same. Tools can be well-crafted, state-of- well-crafted, be can Tools same. the made is gear all Not gear of higher quality, increase the complexity one step for every one step for every the complexity increase gear of higher quality, Some small/medium gear has the Long and/or Two-Handed traits. Two-Handed and/or Some small/medium gear has the Long means that so-called “zeros” without ectos or mesh inserts may not not inserts mesh or ectos may without “zeros” so-called that means if take they Nano-sized items cannot be seen without a microscope or microscope a seen without be cannot items Nano-sized ments can carry and move much larger loads, though bulkiness and loads, though bulkiness larger much carry and move ments can an issue. inertia remain many items are smaller and lighter. lighter. smaller and items are many nanofab) is assumed to be of average quality. quality. to be of is assumed nanofab) average Most technology is wirelessly meshed with other devices around it it around other devices with meshed is wirelessly Most technology Matters of size, mass, and encumbrance are left to the GM's common common left to the GM's are ofMatters and encumbrance size, mass, Moderate at Moderate fier. Or they can be outdated, shoddy, or in disrepair, inflicting inflicting or in disrepair, shoddy, be outdated, can they Or fier. firewall Common devices often have no visible controls no visible often have devices Common Concealable trait add a trait Concealable Devices ( INTERFACES MESHED GEAR CONCEALING GEAR GEAR SIZE GEARQUALITY To hide an object from others, use Infiltrate or Exotic Skill: Sleight Skill: Sleight Exotic or use Infiltrate others, hide an object from To Very small objects have the Concealable trait. the Concealable small objects have Very +

• • • Running the Game AD ASTRA The ideas in contemporary science fiction excite us. We want to tell stories about transhumanism, space exploration, artificial intelli- gence, uplifts, x-risks, and social change. If the implications of these RUNNING ideas for the people of the future excite you, too, you should run a game of Eclipse Phase. There are many good resources out there that can provide the basics on how to run a roleplaying game; this section contains advice for running Eclipse Phase specifically and is THE GAME useful for both novice and experienced gamemasters (GMs). THE ELEVATOR PITCH If you want to run Eclipse Phase, you'll need players to join your game. This may present your first obstacle — the bane of every outside- the-box GM: many gaming groups are reluctant to play anything other than the leading-brand fantasy roleplaying game. Science-fiction games are a hard sell in particular; everyone has a rough idea of what living in a fantasy setting is like, whereas not everyone groks sci-fi concepts like resleeving or how cylinder habitats work. The key to overcoming this isn’t just to tell them whatyou think is cool, but to identify what they will think is cool about it. Pitch them on that aspect of Eclipse Phase, and you’ll have a new player. Some players get into Eclipse Phase because of unusual character opportunities like octopi or incorporeal AGIs. Some people love the “save points” created by backups. Others geek out on the mesh, nano- tech, exoplanet exploration, or some other hard sci-fi aspect of the game. And still others are interested in the ability of transhumans to switch bodies andappearances — and the drama and questions around identity raised by this fluidity. Think about your friends, the characters they like to play, and the stories you’ve seen them have fun with in the past. When you pitch them on Eclipse Phase, emphasize parts of the game and setting that dovetail with what they love in an RPG. Just remember to keep those promises when you run the game. Also consider how long you want your campaign to run. Players are often more willing to commit to a campaign if it’s closed-ended, with the promise that the plot will play out in a certain number of sessions, with an option to start a new story arc if everyone is loving it. If you think your potential players might be interested in reading about the setting first, don't forget that we release our material under a Creative Commons license. Feel free to share any of our electronic titles with friends so they can check them out for them- selves. The Eclipse Phase Quick-Start Rules, available on our website, is designed for this purpose. Some people respond better to visual stimuli, so you might also want to show them some of the cool art, available in our hack packs or online wiki. THE FIRST SESSION It’s a lot easier to make an Eclipse Phase character after playing the game once. We suggest that new groups start with one of the intro- ductory scenarios published by Posthuman Studios and play it using the sample character teams in this book ▶82. Some players might get attached to those characters and want to continue playing them, while others will prefer to make their own for the coming campaign. Using the Sample Character Teams If possible, stick to a single team of sample characters — Firewall, Gatecrashing, or Criminal. Each team has a complementary mix of abilities. If you mix and match, notice that each team has a fighter, a hacker/techie, a social networker, and a specialist (often with inves- tigative skills).

354¹ Aad Astr • The Elevator Pitch–The First Session RUNNING THE GAME 355

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r Morph Points Morph ou Y g can be a lot to take in. in. be a lot to take can n eppi Pr • str A d Aa get assigned for each mission. For starting mission. get assigned For each for 312 ▶

is designed to be played by 4-6 players. You might might You 4-6 players. by is designed to be played Gear Points If you decide to go with a Firewall campaign, one important ques If a Firewall decide to go with you Eclipse Phase Eclipse The usefulness of of themes usefulness the The on depends roles other the As GM, your job is to determine how many many how determine to is job your GM, As specific themes and environments; an effective PC team will also also will PC team effective an specific themes and environments; scenario requires untangling scientific puzzles or interfacing with with untangling puzzles or interfacing scientific requires scenario suggest a different focus to the player. focus suggest a different stick to planetary environments like Mars and Venus. In the more more In the and Mars Venus. like to planetarystick environments the PCs cover a good range of skills and abilities and don't overlap of overlap don't and abilities and range good a skills cover PCs the backgrounds shared also useful for establishing are They too much. tion to ask is: are the PCs already Firewall members? If members? not, your Firewall already PCs the are is: ask to tion players, we recommend starting at the default values (6 MP, starting at the default values recommend we players, for that mission (pre-printed want gear pack they or gear pack lenges where they’re more than just the team’s healer. If a player’s healer. than just the team’s they’re more lenges where hacker. Violence is inevitable in most games, so at least one combat in most games, so at least one combat is inevitable Violence hacker. and entering. for breaking and nanoswarms drones, skills, hardware like, or figuring out how to get around. or figuring out how like, in terms ofbe focused of what types jobs they’re good at. lists or cards are ideal for this purpose), but don't linger too long. are lists or cards alien technology. Medics and mindhackers should encounter chal encounter should mindhackers and Medics technology. alien and history. and history. and accounting for microgravity, visualizing what space habitats look habitats look space what visualizing microgravity, for accounting and gear, as it’s likely to all change. likely as it’s and gear, focused character and a few with combat as a secondary ability are are ability secondary as a combat with a few and character focused character concept seems like it wouldn’t give them much to do to do them much give it wouldn’t seems like concept character campaign. Scientists, asyncs, and genehackers get to shine if get to shine a and genehackers Scientists, asyncs, campaign. consider giving players more CP at character generation if generation your CP at character more players giving consider conspiracy and having Firewall recruit them during or after. them during or after. recruit Firewall and having conspiracy does, have the players discuss which roles they want to cover. to cover. want they roles which discuss the players does, have games are centered around Firewall missions but this is not a is not a missions but this Firewall around centered games are designed around teams are character The sample requirement. group is smaller. group investigation, so make sure the team has a social character and a and a the team has a social character sure so make investigation, needed to win fights. A “rogue” in this game is a stealthy techie with techie in this game is a stealthy fights. A “rogue” needed to win in a Venusian aerostat, and in an outer system cluster hab all at once, at once, hab all cluster aerostat, system and in an outer in a Venusian your base. The less at a home the campaign useful to anchor it’s to want you’ll fiction, the more science hard in is immersed group receive the pitch for the first mission for the first the pitch in). (or otherwisereceive get drawn Hacking and social networking are vital skills to complete any any to complete skills vital are and social networking Hacking Remind your players not to focus too much on their starting much too morph not to focus players your Remind Find out what your players are interested in. Corporate black ops? ops? black in. Corporate interested are players out what your Find Most stories? Detective crawls? dungeon High-tech Earth-like locations, players aren’t overloaded with details like details with like overloaded aren’t players locations, Earth-like Rather than having players learn about life on the Martian suface, about life on the Martian learn suface, players than having Rather your ideas to make things interesting for that character. If you can’t, If can’t, you for that character. things interesting ideas to make your within the campaign them, first think about whether you can tweak tweak can you them, whether about think first campaign the within first scenario should be constructed around introducing them to the introducing constructed around should be scenario first Give them a short period of out the specific gear Give time to pick prep Once you’ve figured out a general description for what the team team the what for description general a out figured you’ve Once ideal for making sure sessions are character-creation Collaborative Creating Characters Creating Where’s Home Base? Where’s Theme? What’s Your Composition? Team What’s Your You should wait to assign the full Gear Points until after the PCs until after the PCs to assign the full Gear Points wait should You The variety of Phase variety in Eclipse The locations

- - - - - or

—

scenarios without without scenarios ail the rest during game. during game. ail the rest but providing a full info-dump but providing Eclipse Phase Eclipse and det

—

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Eclipse Phase,Eclipse ou are immortal, you can switch bodies, everything is bodies, everything switch immortal, can ou are you character can do often takes players several sessions. several players do often takes can character y

—

is to use it. In the first few sessions, prompt players when when players prompt sessions, few it. use to is first the In Not every sample character is loaded with weapons and combat and combat weapons with is loaded sample character Not every If you have fewer than four players, make sure someone plays a a someone plays sure make players, than four fewer If have you your through to get need characters the that skills the Review If you have more than four players, simply choose extras from from extras choose simply four players, than more Ifhave you The same guideline applies to the setting. You may have an ency have You may applies to the setting.The same guideline tion, but may not know that they can use the mesh for Research for Research use the mesh can that they not know tion, but may skills and roll-under percentile tests work. You can explain the other explain can You tests work. percentile and roll-under skills skills covered. If they don’t, suggest they tweak their skills tweak suggest If they don’t, they covered. skills skills. Although all of them can dive for cover in a firefight, some some a firefight, in for cover all of Although skills. dive can them the following with your players right away. Alternatively, host a a host Alternatively, away. right players your with following the ter's look and general focus, and then just go. Ask if they have ques if Ask and then just go. have focus, they ter's look and general to get most players started. Have each player describe their charac describe player each started. Have to get most players to your players is likely to make their eyes glaze over. Just cover Just cover glaze over. their eyes to make is likely players to your the basics minutes than a few more for pausing play in. Avoid tions, then dive to the action. aspect of a new then get back to explain the world; tweak the scenario so that they don’t get stuck. don’t that they so the scenario tweak using a given piece of tech would advance the game. This will the game. This grad of advance piece would tech using a given their mesh tools like in which the ways with familiarize players ually planned introductory scenario and make sure the team has those the team has those sure and make planned introductory scenario players understand that combat is deadly. that combat understand players have a conversation with your players about what they’d see to like players your with a conversation have be used. Be patient and don’t penalize players for not knowing how how knowing for not players penalize don’t and be used. Be patient hacker. It’s possible to solve many many solve to possible It’s hacker. are mediocre combatants mediocre are and Whisper) are the best extras to add to a group, as they have less less have as they add to a group, to best extras the are Whisper) and overlap in skills than the other characters. in skills overlap campaign creation session where you hash out these questions and out these questions hash you session where creation campaign or it can be a new story. If you finish your first session early, discuss discuss If session early, your first finish you story. be a new or it can of run, to of kind what it’ll but want you go better if campaign you clopedic knowledge of knowledge clopedic candidate if subsystems. to learn the mesh candidate wants else no one one of the other teams. The specialist characters (Dante, Killjoy, Pivo, Pivo, Killjoy, one of(Dante, characters other teams. The specialist the everything on their sheet works. Becoming fluent in everything an fluent in Becoming works. on their sheet everything example, the players may know they need to track down informa down need to track they know may the players example, networks. Situations like this provide the perfect opportunity for opportunity for the perfect this provide Situations like networks. make characters. make more of. The campaign can grow from the intro scenario you played you played scenario the intro from can of.grow campaign more The inserts, augmented reality, enhanced senses, muses, and the like can can like senses, muses, and the enhanced inserts, augmented reality, networked, AIs and uplifts exist AIs networked, rules as they come up during game. As the GM, this does require this does require As the GM, up during game. come rules as they in advance. For now, just tell the players the core mechanics: how how mechanics: core the players the tell just now, For advance. in you to make suggestions and explain more of suggestions more and explain to make the rules. you you to anticipate the characters' needs and provide helpful tips. For tips. For helpful needs and provide to anticipate the characters' you wait for the next game. Nice job, fam. You probably have an idea an idea have probably fam. You job, game. Nice for the next wait In Media Res firing a shot, but a team without infosec is at a severe disadvantage. disadvantage. shot,firing a without infosec is at a severe but a team Phase Eclipse Phase Eclipse PREPPING YOUR CAMPAIGN PREPPING YOUR Tests or rely on their rep scores to acquire intel from their social their social from intel to acquire scores on their rep or rely Tests Your demo of the system was brilliant, and now your group can’t can’t group brilliant, your and now demo of was the system Your Your friend who’s always the wizard in the fantasy game is an ideal in the fantasy the wizard always friend who’s Your The best way for players to get comfortable in Eclipse with the tech to get for players way The best The sample characters have short backgrounds with enough history short backgrounds have characters The sample Avoid the inclination to comprehensively explain all of explain the rules to comprehensively the inclination Avoid Tech Talk Tech Threats & DANGER AHEAD X-Risks This chapter is a toolbox for GMs, providing a roster of dangers, monsters, and machines with which you can challenge your players. If you’re a player and not a GM, we strongly recommend you skip this chapter — the material here may be more enjoyable to learn THREATS about as a character during gameplay. You may decide to read it anyway, but be warned that this makes you a candidate for running & the game in the future! X-RISKS X-RISKS Many Eclipse Phase campaigns focus around x-risks: dangers to trans- humanity’s very existence. Firewall in particular is concerned with the potential extinction of transhumanity — as well as smaller-scale threats to a planet or habitat’s entire population. Gatecrashers are also prone to stumbling into unexpectedly hostile situations or unleashing monstrous dangers, perhaps driving them to resolve it if not just survive it. Even criminal groups may find themselves dealing with WMDs or incalculably dangerous TITAN relics — not to mention the consequences when things go wrong. Whether the team is struggling to end a threat or make a buck off it, x-risks can define a campaign. Some of the x-risks that characters are liable to encounter (or cause). ALIEN CONFLICT Conflict with the Factors has been a fear since first contact. The Factors possess advanced technology, keep their full tactical capabilities secret, have at least one hidden facility in the Solar System — and they know where transhumanity lives. Open hostili- ties may be one diplomatic incident away. PCs may be tasked with intercepting Factor technology, tracking Factor assets, defusing attacks against the Factors, or even infiltrating Factor spacecraft. Given the number of extinct species found via the pandora gates, it may be just a matter of time before transhumanity makes first contact again. It’s open conjecture whether extraterrestrials will be friendly — or how well our weapons will stack up in comparison. An encounter with a significantly advanced species could be a fatal paradigm shift for transhumanity. Encountering them on an exoplanet would be challenging enough, but what if they come through the gates? Nevertheless, gatecrashers push on, banging on every door they can find in hopes of being first to secure some bauble for their spon- sors. The team who makes first contact will set transhumanity on the road towards war or uneasy peace. ASTRONOMICAL EVENTS Most astronomical x-risks are so massive and powerful, the only survival strategy is to flee or hide. Gamma-ray bursts can cook habi- tats. Solar flares can destroy conductors and overwhelm communica- tions. Accidental asteroid strikes are rare due to collision-detection systems, but one intentionally steered off course could be devas- tating. Some moons are small enough that significant explosions could de-orbit them. Gravitational disruptions can fling hundreds of massive comets towards the inner system, overwhelming plan- etary defenses. Teams may be tasked with getting citizens to safety, exploring new refuges, or possibly investigating the cause of the unexpected activity, to shut it off at its source.

368¹X-Risks • Alien Conflict–Astronomical Events THREATS & X-RISKS 369 - - ¾ eats r w can we plan plan we w can h T

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uptio r is D omic n co E • isks X-R As the team chases TITAN weapons, make exoplanet discoveries, discoveries, exoplanet make weapons, TITAN As the team chases that populations can be turned against themselves. Even now it is it is now Even be turned against themselves. that populations can selves evolved beyond barbarity, yet they are still fearful herd herd still fearful are they yet barbarity, beyond evolved selves to its knees. Mass vetting is impossible, so transhumanity must must is impossible, so transhumanity vetting Mass to its knees. tising, and psychological warfare techniques is used to undermine undermine to used is techniques warfare tising,psychological and situations are likely going to resort to a hard scrabble for survival. scrabble to a hard going to resort likely situations are smuggle weapons to foreign insurgents. Oligarchs use blackmail and blackmail use Oligarchs insurgents. foreign to smuggle weapons that we don’t even recognize the peril. Advanced technology/beings, the peril. Advanced recognize even don’t that we to fortify themselves or weaken their enemies. Political missions may missions may their enemies. Political or weaken to fortify themselves of of conspiracy. or four layers three or a subtle unraveling target, personnel or important leaders bring an entire habitat or society habitat society or importantor entire an bring personnel leaders physics experiment mistakes, rifts between our universe and the next, our universe rifts between mistakes, experiment physics likely that sleeper agents continue to operate, living normals lives normals lives living to operate, continue agents that sleeper likely bloom. Each of the major polities has enough firepower to kill the of to kill the bloom. Each major polities has enough firepower the be rebuilt into alien structures alien into be rebuilt on a failing habitat. while operating with to cope hindrance those looking and tools by targets be considered will PCs landscape. its it strikes an antimatter missile before as intercepting be as overt among friends, family, and co-workers who are unaware that person that person unaware who are and co-workers among friends, family, animals, bad at calculating risk, and vulnerable to ideological ideological to risk, vulnerable and calculating at bad animals, and xenophobia have brought transhumanity close to extinction to extinction close transhumanity brought have and xenophobia a shift in the underlying physics of the universe physics in the underlying a shift but or discounted, be predicted cannot problems and outside-context against. Once a self-replicating swarm is unleashed, it is capable of it is capable unleashed, is swarm a self-replicating against. Once of be the focus a mission or anotherand die. These nanoplagues may propaganda Go-nin spreads power. assassinations to seize political for something so beyond our frame of reference? Such black swans swans black Such of frame our reference? beyond so something for quarantine and defy definition. quarantine be on its guard. constantly of transhuman society by exsurgents and TITAN puppets. The puppets. The and TITAN exsurgents by of society transhuman disrupt ecosystems, consume life support, morphs to wither consume or cause disrupt ecosystems, again once and grievances factional rivalries fades away, of the Fall shift the political their actions too conflicts, underworld or navigate existing institutions and drive groups to conflict. Groups like conflict.to groups institutions and drive like existing Groups mass capability to hack digital or even biological minds means minds means biological digital or even to hack mass capability many times before the Fall. Transhumans like to consider them to consider like Transhumans the Fall. times before many manipulation. The careful wielding ofwielding careful manipulation.data The mining, adver targeted key of The subversion of is under the control alien influence. an geometric growth; the only hope is to contain and eradicate before before and eradicate hope is to contain the only geometric growth; it gets out of control. Smaller nanoplague outbreaks can still deliver still deliver can it gets out of Smaller nanoplague outbreaks control. machines, destroy biology, outcompete nanobots as harm massive ofhopes in military selling memorythe As sides. both to technology and delivery if had the motivation they ofremainder transhumanity, to be itself. continues biggest threat method. Transhumanity’s Destructive philosophies based around racial superiority, egoism, superiority, racial around based philosophies Destructive resist as they with memetic coping attacks, difficulties have Firewall we can at least make some limited contingencies. Unfortunately, such such Unfortunately, some limited contingencies. at least make can we One of the most terrifying aspects of the Fall was the infiltration the infiltration One was of the most terrifying of aspects the Fall Jovian battleships prowl around sovereign borders. Autonomists Autonomists borders. sovereign around prowl battleships Jovian NANOTECHNOLOGY & SWARMS NANOTECHNOLOGY POLITICAL THREATS UNFORESEEN THREATS MEMETICS SUBVERSION MENTAL TITAN nanoswarms dissolved entire cities into their base particles to cities into their base particles entire dissolved nanoswarms TITAN There are some dangers that might be so beyond our understanding that might be so beyond dangers some are There

- would would

—

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—

An exponentially increasing intelligence will rapidly become become rapidly will intelligence increasing exponentially An strategies that might permit them to contaminate the entire Solar Solar the entire that might permit them to contaminate strategies their biological mental capabilities, just as other groups experiment experiment just as other groups mental capabilities, their biological transhumanity at all, except as stock for some unknowable project, project, unknowable some for stock as except all, at transhumanity the ones prior. Every AI has its own motivations and considerations and considerations motivations own its has AI Every prior. ones the twisted remains of civilization. Firewall dedicates significant effort significant dedicates of remains Firewall twisted civilization. and threats exsurgent cataloging and quarantining, tracking, to upheavals. Coordinated labor strikes on multiple habitats could habitats on multiple could labor strikes Coordinated upheavals. create could technology New framework. entire the unbalance projects that it is aware of: the TITAN-formed Jupiter brain Jupiter brain of: the TITAN-formed that it is aware projects little transhumanity can do to protect itself. to protect do can little transhumanity ligence amplification limited to code; exhumans toy with improving with improving exhumans toy code; limited to amplification ligence buyers have spent fortunes on collecting the same, for their own the same, for their own spent fortunes on collecting have buyers alien ecosystem. against the inner workings of an intelligently-designed ofagainst the inner workings an intelligently-designed access or control a new discovery). PCs could be tasked with with be tasked could PCs discovery). a new or control access a habitat within hours. Many of them have intricate reproduction reproduction of intricate Many a habitat hours. within them have as to say that hypercapitalism itself on x-risk,an is reliance its with hypercapitalism that say to as a paradigm shift, leaving those reliant on outdated systems and and systems on outdated those reliant shift, leaving a paradigm feelings of the lesser creatures subject to that evolution. Nor is intel of subject to that evolution. feelings the lesser creatures for transhumans. It’s possible the next threat won’t have interest in in interest have won’t threat possible the next It’s for transhumans. of and the alien-formed artificial Iapetus of world Olaf. It’s of or deployment a activation exist. The that more certain devastation (what if a major planet was disassembled for if (what disassembled for devastation planet was a major or may seek to evolve transhuman culture, regardless as to the to the as regardless culture, transhuman to evolve seek may or completely prevented, nor is the next machine god likely to mirror to mirror god likely machine nor is the next prevented, completely of ASIs. New ASI research has been curtailed, but it cannot be be has been curtailed, but it cannot of research ASI New ASIs. containing outbreaks, by eliminating patient zero in time or even in time or even patient zero eliminating by outbreaks, containing the threshold, a certain Past the habitat ifdestroying necessary. deadly biological agents to avoid such a dire outcome. Meanwhile, Meanwhile, outcome. a dire such avoid agents to biological deadly of distribution channels could lead to mass starvation or political oflead to mass starvation political or could channels distribution or rare elements, can be devastating to some habitats. A disruption be devastating can elements, or rare exploring or sabotaging mega-scale projects, pitting them pitting them projects, or sabotaging mega-scale exploring efforts will shift from containing the outbreak to escaping it. escaping to containing the outbreak effortsshift from will elites, and incentives for exploitation. and incentives elites, endless growth, its concentration of of in the hands wealth few a its concentration endless growth, god-like. Once intelligence has reached that plateau, there is very plateau, that there has reached intelligence Once god-like. megastructure vast lead to It could calculus. the political change radically faction fighting materials) or intense (ifraw to vie groups System. With a volatile strain in the right circumstances, millions millions in the right circumstances, strain a volatile With System. result The into exsurgents. and transformed might be exposed research, weapons, or idle curiosity. Adventures frequently focus on focus frequently Adventures or idle curiosity. weapons, research, methods at significant disadvantages. Autonomists might go so far Autonomists disadvantages. methods at significant make hypercapitalism and similar economic systems vulnerable. vulnerable. systems economic similar and hypercapitalism make Even with the capabilities of logistics capabilities the with supply-and-demand nanotech, Even Inability to access certain critical resources, whether that be water whether that be water resources, certain critical to access Inability would be a pitched battle between isolated survivors and the the and isolated survivors battle between be a pitched would with various types of types minds. group various with MEGA-ENGINEERING INTELLIGENCE AMPLIFICATION INFECTIOUS AGENTS INFECTIOUS ECONOMIC DISRUPTIONS ECONOMIC Transhumanity has already struggled with the godlike capabilities capabilities struggled godlike the with already has Transhumanity Transhumanity has encountered two mega-scale engineering engineering mega-scale two has encountered Transhumanity The exsurgent virus and similar bio- and nano-plagues can consume consume can nano-plagues and bio- similar and virus exsurgent The RULES PRIMER ECLIPSE PHASE SECOND EDITION SUPERIOR RESULTS ACTION TURNS VS EGO .MORPH For one superior result, choose one of the following. For two Action Turns are roughly 3 seconds in length. Your capabilities are divided between your superior results, choose two or one twice for double eects: • In each action turn you may undertake one of the following: ego (your mind, skills, and memories that travel • Quality: e work is more exact (success) or more sloppy • 1 complex action and 1 quick action with you from body to body) and your (failure). is may aect subsequent tests by +/− 10. • 1 task action and 1 quick action morph (the body you currently inhabit). • Quantity: e test consumes fewer (success) or more (failure) • 3 quick actions materials or produces fewer or more results. • You may also take unlimited automatic actions. MAKINGTESTS Roll d100 (099) • Detail: You acquire information that is much more in-depth/ nuanced (success) or false (failure). • Target number is determined by the appropriate skill, TASK ACTIONS • Time (task actions only): e action takes a shorter (success) or aptitude check, or rep score. • Task actions are any action that requires longer than 1 action turn longer (failure) amount of time, by +/− 25%. • Diculty is represented by modifiers to this target number, to complete. • Covertness: e action is less (success) or more (failure) obvious assigned by the GM. • Task actions list a timeframe (anywhere from 2 turns to 2 years). or draws less or more attention (+/− 10 as appropriate). • Your goal is to roll equal to or under the modified target • Timeframes may be adjusted by superior results. • Damage: Successes inflict more (+1d6) damage (failures miss). number, but as high as possible. • You may take extra time, applying a +10 modifier for a 25% • A roll equal to or under the target number is a success. increase to the timeframe. If the success roll is 33 or more, it is a superior success. CRITICAL RESULTS • You may rush the job, reducing the timeframe by 25% but If it is a 66 or more, it is two superior successes. Criticals (“crits”) have more impact than superior results. ey applying a –20 modifier. • If your roll exceeds the target number, it is a failure. represent “Wow!” moments where you stun onlookers with • If you fail, you expend 25% of the timeframe, +25% per superior If the failed roll is under 66, it is a superior failure. incredible proficiency or ineptness. ey provide extra eects/ failure, before you realize you have failed. If it is under 33, it counts as two superior failures. penalties, as determined by the GM. Here are some examples: • Doubles (00, 11, etc.) equal a critical success or failure. • Double the damage you inflict with an attack. INITIATIVE + • 00 is always a critical success. 99 is always a critical failure. • Gain a /− 20 modifier to the next test you make. • e order in which you act is determined by rolling 1d6 and • If you do not have the appropriate skill, you may default to • Take an extra action (critical success) or lose your next action adding your Initiative stat. the skill’s linked aptitude, but critical successes are ignored. (critical failure). • e highest result goes first; others follow in descending order. • If you fail, you may try again (unless the GM disallows it), • Break a weapon/tool (critical failure). • On tied initiatives, you go simultaneously or use REF or a roll-o with a cumulative –10 modifier. to determine order. TEAMWORK • You may delay and act later in Initiative order; the count on OPPOSED TESTS • One character is chosen as the primary actor; they make the test. which you act becomes your Initiative in subsequent turns. • Each helper character adds a +10 modifier (max. +30). • If you are acting in opposition to another character, you both • For Know, Technical, or Vehicle skill tests, collaborating characters make a test, rolling d100 against skill +/– modifiers. must possess the skill at 40+ to provide a teamwork bonus. • Whomever succeeds and rolls highest wins. USINGREP MODIFIERS Use your rep scores to pursue favors such as acquiring goods, services, or info. • Modifiers always aect the target number (skill), not the roll. Each rep score applies only to the people/factions afiliated with that particular social network. • Modifiers (positive or negative) come in 3 levels of severity: • Make a Rep Test, using your rep score as the target number. • Minor (+/–10) • The type of favor you are asking for modiies the target number: Minor (+10), Moderate (+0), or Major (–30). • Moderate (+/–20) • You can intentionally take a negative modiier to a Rep Test to keep your request quiet and hidden from others. • Major (+/–30) The same modiier applies to anyone making a Rep Test to ind out what you’re up to. • e maximum modifiers that can be applied are +/– 60. • Favors have limits in how often they can be used: Minor (3 per week), Moderate (1 per week), Major (1 per story arc). • You can burn rep (permanently lower your rep score) for additional favors (at a cost of 5 for Minor, 10 for Moderate, 20 SPECIALIZATIONS for Major) or to get a modiier to a Rep Test (equal to burn points × 2). • Specializations add +10 when using a skill for that area of @-rep The Circle-A List—autonomists anarchists f-rep Fame & media network—socialites artists r-rep Research Network Af iliates—Argonauts concentration. Each skill may have only one specialization. Titanians scum Extropians metacelebs journalists glitterati scientists technologists researchers c-rep CivicNet— g-rep Guanxi—triads x-rep ExploreNet— Planetary Consortium Morningstar Constellation cartels gangs other criminal groups gatecrashers exoplanet colonists Lunar-Lagrange Alliance Jovian Republic other i-rep The Eye— hypercorps & capitalists Firewall’s secret internal network USING POOLS VIGOR Your character has a number of pools that defi ne their trans- Vigor pool is linked to physical eorts: Reflexes, COMBAT human capabilities. Most pools are derived from your morph, Somatics, and their linked skills. Combat is an opposed test ECLIPSE PHASE SECOND EDITION but some Flex points come from your ego. • Take the Initiative: Go fi rst in an action turn. • Extra Action: Take an extra complex physical action (or 2 • Attacker rolls attack skill +/– modifi ers. • Each pool is linked to a dierent group of aptitudes and quick actions) in an action turn. • Melee: Defender rolls Fray or Melee skill +/– modifi ers. skills and may be used in unique ways to modify your rolls or • Ignore Wound: Ignore the e ects of 1 wound for 24 hours. • Ranged: Defender rolls (Fray skill ÷ 2) +/– modifi ers. provide other bonuses. • If attacker succeeds and rolls higher than the defender, the • Each pool may only be used for tests that use their linked attack hits. Roll damage. skills or aptitudes (i.e., a Vigor point can be used on a skill FLEX • Superior hits infl ict +1d6 DV test or aptitude check linked to REF or SOM). Flex may be Flex is a wild-card pool. It can be used to aect • Critical hits double the DV. used on any tests. dice rolls for any tests and for narrative control. • A new or existing NPC joins •  e weapon’s damage is reduced by the target’s energy or • Unless otherwise noted, only 1 pool point may be spent per test. Introduce NPC: the scene.  eir presence must be plausible. kinetic armor, as appropriate. • Before Roll: Ignore all modifi ers to the test. You may defi ne one aspect of this NPC: their morph, • If the damage equals or exceeds the target’s Wound • Before Roll: Add +20 to the test’s target number. factional allegiance, a noteworthy skill, a specifi c trait, etc. Threshold, a wound is scored. If the damage equals or • After Roll: Flip-fl op a d100 roll. For example, 83 becomes 38. • A previously unnoticed item is added to exceeds the target’s Wound  reshold by multiple factors, • After Roll: Upgrade a success to a superior success (or one Introduce an Item: multiple wounds are infl icted. to two). the scene. Its presence must be plausible.  e item cannot be o ensive (no weapons) and it must be of Minor (not Rare • If total damage reaches Durability, the target is incapacitated. • After Roll: Downgrade a critical failure to a regular failure. or Restricted) Complexity. It can be a useful tool, a necessary If it reaches Death Rating, they are killed/destroyed. • Ongoing (Insight/Moxie/Vigor Only): Receive +5 (1 point) piece of gear, or even a clue. or +10 (2 points) to all skill tests linked to one aptitude • You may introduce an for 24 hours or until your next recharge Defi ne the Environment: environmental factor to a scene. Its presence must be plausible. It should provide a new detail that does not HACKING INSIGHT drastically alter the scene. Examples include hiding spots, Hacking Tests are opposed tests Insight pool is linked to mental capabilities: cover, distractions, shelter, or exploitable elements such as a your Infosec skill VS the target’s Firewall Cognition, Intuition, and their linked skills. ladder or window. • Take the Initiative: Go fi rst in an action turn if you are • Defi ne a Relationship: You may introduce a new, plausible • When hacking a target, there are two methods you can go only taking mental or mesh actions and no physical movement. relationship between your character and an existing NPC. about it: • Extra Action: Take an extra complex mental or mesh action  is connection should be more loose or minor than close • Brute-Force-Attacks are quick and noisy. ey require a (or 2 quick actions) in an action turn. or serious. For example, you may have a common friend, complex action and inflict a –30 modifier to your Hacking • Acquire a Clue: Gain a hint or lead through investigation, shared history, or old but minor rivalry. Tests. If you succeed, you have user privileges on the system research, or analysis of the facts at hand, without needing to but also spotted status (the system is aware of your intrusion). make a test. RECHARGING POOLS • Subtle Intrusions are quiet but take time. ey are task You recover the points you have spent from pools by taking actions with a timeframe of 1 hour. If you succeed, you MOXIE a recharge action to rest and recalibrate. You can’t increase a have user privileges on the system and covert status (the Moxie pool is linked to social interactions: Savvy, pool above its original rating; unspent points are lost. system is unaware of your presence). Willpower, and linked skills. It may also be used • Short Recharge (2/day): Short recharges are a task • Each superior success on the Hacking Test increases your for Rep and Infection Tests. action with a timeframe of 10 minutes. You may take two privileges one step (from user to security to admin). • Ignore Trauma: Ignore the e ects of 1 trauma for 24 short recharges per 24-hour period. Each short recharge • A critical success on the Hacking Test increases your status hours. restores 1d6 pool points; you decide where to allocate them. one step (from spotted to covert to hidden). • Refresh Rep: Restore rep network favors at a cost of 1 point • Long Recharge (1/day): A long recharge is a task action • When intruding, you do not need to make tests for actions for a Minor favor and 2 points for a Moderate favor. Major with a timeframe of 4 hours (8 for flats and other biomorphs your privileges allow. For other actions, you must succeed in favors may not be refreshed this way. without biomods). You may only benefit from one long additional Hacking Tests. • Acquire a Clue: Get a tip or lead by gathering information via recharge per 24-hour period. A long recharge completely social interactions without needing to make a test. restores your pools to their full value. • Control Your Infection: Avoid making an Infection Test when using a psi sleight (asyncs only). • Negate Ga e: Ignore a player’s social ga e that the character wouldn’t make.

] EGO FLEX sPENT FLEX [ [Per 24 hrs] 24 [Per TOTAL ] ] sOM , , DEATH RATING sPENT ACTIVE SKILLS ACTIVE REF [ VIGOR RECHARGE RECHARGE [ ]

] REP , , MORPH NAME MP COST MORPH NAME DURABILITY WIL Field Field , , sPENT [ MOXIE sAv [ WOUNDS TAKEN Physical Physical Social • Psi Mental Technical Technical Mental REF ×  Combat SOM Physical REF Combat COG COG Field • Technical COG Field • Technical COG Field • Technical COG Field • Technical REF Physical Field • Technical REF REF Field • Vehicle REF Field • Vehicle REF Field • Vehicle REF Field • Vehicle Field • Vehicle SOM SAV

REF ×  Combat APT TYPE ] ] INT , sPENT COG [ [ INSIGHT DAMAGE TAKEN WOUND THRESHOLD Movement Rate Movement Ware Morph Traits Notes MUsE ARC

TRAITs

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ENERGY TRAUMAs INsANITY APT CHECK REP REP - AMMO AMMO AMMO -

F X ∞ ∞ SOM WIL GEAR PACKS

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APT TRAUMA CHECK REP REP RANGE RANGE RANGE -

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∞ ∞ APT APT APT APT APT APT PACK PACK ARMOR MELEE MELEE RANGED RANGED RANGED sTREss INITIATIvE INTEREsT REZ NAME BACKGROUND GENDER

USING POOLS VIGOR Your character has a number of pools that defi ne their trans- Vigor pool is linked to physical eorts: Reflexes, COMBAT human capabilities. Most pools are derived from your morph, Somatics, and their linked skills. Combat is an opposed test ECLIPSE PHASE SECOND EDITION but some Flex points come from your ego. • Take the Initiative: Go fi rst in an action turn. • Extra Action: Take an extra complex physical action (or 2 • Attacker rolls attack skill +/– modifi ers. • Each pool is linked to a dierent group of aptitudes and quick actions) in an action turn. • Melee: Defender rolls Fray or Melee skill +/– modifi ers. skills and may be used in unique ways to modify your rolls or • Ignore Wound: Ignore the e ects of 1 wound for 24 hours. • Ranged: Defender rolls (Fray skill ÷ 2) +/– modifi ers. provide other bonuses. • If attacker succeeds and rolls higher than the defender, the • Each pool may only be used for tests that use their linked attack hits. Roll damage. skills or aptitudes (i.e., a Vigor point can be used on a skill FLEX • Superior hits infl ict +1d6 DV test or aptitude check linked to REF or SOM). Flex may be Flex is a wild-card pool. It can be used to aect • Critical hits double the DV. used on any tests. dice rolls for any tests and for narrative control. • Introduce NPC: A new or existing NPC joins •  e weapon’s damage is reduced by the target’s energy or • Unless otherwise noted, only 1 pool point may be spent per test. the scene.  eir presence must be plausible. kinetic armor, as appropriate. • Before Roll: Ignore all modifi ers to the test. You may defi ne one aspect of this NPC: their morph, • If the damage equals or exceeds the target’s Wound • Before Roll: Add +20 to the test’s target number. factional allegiance, a noteworthy skill, a specifi c trait, etc. Threshold, a wound is scored. If the damage equals or • After Roll: Flip-fl op a d100 roll. For example, 83 becomes 38. • Introduce an Item: A previously unnoticed item is added to exceeds the target’s Wound  reshold by multiple factors, • After Roll: Upgrade a success to a superior success (or one the scene. Its presence must be plausible.  e item cannot multiple wounds are infl icted. to two). be o ensive (no weapons) and it must be of Minor (not Rare • If total damage reaches Durability, the target is incapacitated. • After Roll: Downgrade a critical failure to a regular failure. or Restricted) Complexity. It can be a useful tool, a necessary If it reaches Death Rating, they are killed/destroyed. • Ongoing (Insight/Moxie/Vigor Only): Receive +5 (1 point) piece of gear, or even a clue. or +10 (2 points) to all skill tests linked to one aptitude • You may introduce an for 24 hours or until your next recharge Defi ne the Environment: environmental factor to a scene. Its presence must be plausible. It should provide a new detail that does not HACKING INSIGHT drastically alter the scene. Examples include hiding spots, Hacking Tests are opposed tests Insight pool is linked to mental capabilities: cover, distractions, shelter, or exploitable elements such as a your Infosec skill VS the target’s Firewall Cognition, Intuition, and their linked skills. ladder or window. • Take the Initiative: Go fi rst in an action turn if you are • Defi ne a Relationship: You may introduce a new, plausible • When hacking a target, there are two methods you can go only taking mental or mesh actions and no physical movement. relationship between your character and an existing NPC. about it: • Extra Action: Take an extra complex mental or mesh action  is connection should be more loose or minor than close • Brute-Force-Attacks are quick and noisy. ey require a (or 2 quick actions) in an action turn. or serious. For example, you may have a common friend, complex action and inflict a –30 modifier to your Hacking • Acquire a Clue: Gain a hint or lead through investigation, shared history, or old but minor rivalry. Tests. If you succeed, you have user privileges on the system research, or analysis of the facts at hand, without needing to but also spotted status (the system is aware of your intrusion). make a test. RECHARGING POOLS • Subtle Intrusions are quiet but take time. ey are task You recover the points you have spent from pools by taking actions with a timeframe of 1 hour. If you succeed, you MOXIE a recharge action to rest and recalibrate. You can’t increase a have user privileges on the system and covert status (the Moxie pool is linked to social interactions: Savvy, pool above its original rating; unspent points are lost. system is unaware of your presence). Willpower, and linked skills. It may also be used • Short Recharge (2/day): Short recharges are a task • Each superior success on the Hacking Test increases your for Rep and Infection Tests. action with a timeframe of 10 minutes. You may take two privileges one step (from user to security to admin). • Ignore Trauma: Ignore the e ects of 1 trauma for 24 short recharges per 24-hour period. Each short recharge • A critical success on the Hacking Test increases your status hours. restores 1d6 pool points; you decide where to allocate them. one step (from spotted to covert to hidden). • Refresh Rep: Restore rep network favors at a cost of 1 point • Long Recharge (1/day): A long recharge is a task action • When intruding, you do not need to make tests for actions for a Minor favor and 2 points for a Moderate favor. Major with a timeframe of 4 hours (8 for flats and other biomorphs your privileges allow. For other actions, you must succeed in favors may not be refreshed this way. without biomods). You may only benefit from one long additional Hacking Tests. • Acquire a Clue: Get a tip or lead by gathering information via recharge per 24-hour period. A long recharge completely social interactions without needing to make a test. restores your pools to their full value. • Control Your Infection: Avoid making an Infection Test when using a psi sleight (asyncs only). • Negate Ga e: Ignore a player’s social ga e that the character wouldn’t make. FAKE ID FAKE ID

NAME NAME REPUTATION REPUTATION ——-REP ——-REP ——-REP —-REP —-REP —-REP ∞ ∞ ∞ ∞ ∞ ∞

——-REP ——-REP ——-REP —-REP —-REP —-REP ∞ ∞ ∞ ∞ ∞ ∞ MUSE BOT/VEHICLE

NAME BOT/vEHICLE COG INT REF SAV SOM WIL VIGOR FLEX 10 30 15 45 10 30 10 30 10 30 10 30 CHECK CHECK CHECK CHECK CHECK CHECK APT APT X 3 APT APT X 3 APT APT X 3 APT APT X 3 APT APT X 3 APT APT X 3 DAMAGE WOUNDs ₅ ₂₀ ₄ ₄₀ INITIATIvE LUCIDITY TRAUMA THREsHOLD INsANITY RATING SKILLS ARMOR WT DUR DR sIZE HARDWARE: ELECTRONICs ₃₀ MEDICINE: PsYCHOsURGERY ₃₀ MOvEMENT INFOsEC ₃₀ PERCEIvE ₃₀

INTERFACE ₆₀ PROGRAM ₃₀ WARE KNOW: ACCOUNTING ₆₀ REsEARCH ₃₀ KNOW: PsYCHOLOGY ₆₀ KNOW: ₄₀ CHARACTER NOTES

NOTEs LAsT BACKUP ENTRY DATE sTORAGE LOCATION

MESH MENTAL EDITs/PsYCHOsURGERY WT DUR DR ONGOING EFFECTs/CONDITIONs 4 20 40 MOTIVATIONGOALS MEsH DAMAGE WOUNDs ASYNC

sUB-sTRAIN ACTIVEFORKS TYPE WHENMADE NOTES ₃₃+: INCREAsED EFFECT PUsH TO ALL PsI-CHI sLEIGHTs (DOUBLE THE EFFECT) ₆₆+: FREE PUsH TO ALL PsI-GAMMA sLEIGHTs

INFECTION RATING INFLUENCEEVENTS ₁: PHYsICAL DAMAGE. TAKE Dv ₁D₆. ₂: ₃: ₄: ADDITIONALNOTES ₅:

₆: SLEIGHTS TYPE ACTION DURATION INFECTIONMOD EFFECTS

 is work is licensed under the Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International (CC BY-NC-SA 4.0) license: creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/ • Version 1.1 by Posthuman Studios (August 31 2019)