Interface

Interface is the mysterious science that is practiced by The Shadowmen. Interface is jealously guarded by the Shades. While stories of Shade hit squads lurking in the shadows to whack non-Shrouded cyborgs who seem to be able to use the Application are probably just that, stories, with The Shadowmen you never can tell. The Shadowmen are not foolish; they makes their strange science available “on loan” if the narot has something to gain.

Nanon who leave The Shadowmen for other narots invariably take their knowledge with them, but find it all but impossible to increase it. A character must have at least one dot of Narot Status (The Shadowmen) in order to learn Interface. A player who takes at least one dot worth of that Merit at character creation may spend one of his character’s three Application dots on Interface if he wishes. Any time a player wants to increase his character’s Interface score, the cyborg must still have at least one dot of Narot Status (The Shadowmen) to do so.

Cost:  Uses of Interface always cost one Nanos point. Nanos is critical to the use of the Application as it bridges the gap between the reality of The Flesh and the reality of The Machine.

Like Menander, Interface does not have the same linear progression that other Applications do. A character’s mastery dictates the highest level of routines that he may learn.

Routines are bought with experience points. For example, a character with two dots of Interface can know an unlimited number of level-one and level-two routines (provided the experience points are paid to learn each), but he may not learn any level-three Interface routines until his base Interface dots are increased to 3. Each time a character acquires a dot of Interface (including at character creation), he gains a routine of that level at no additional cost. More routines may be acquired with experience points. Other Cyborg books offer Interface routines, and players and Storytellers are encouraged to create their own using those presented here as models.

Interface demands a certain degree of subservience to The Machine. While The Machine may or may not bare ill will to mankind, it is none-the-less just a machine. It is emotionless and cold. Every time a Nanon performs an Interface routine it invites more and more of The Machine into his mind. A character’s dots in this Application, subtracted from 10, is the maximum to which his Anthropos may rise. For example, the Adonis Sheila possesses Interface at level three. Her maximum Anthropos is therefore 7. If a character increases his Interface score higher than his Anthropos would normally allow, his Anthropos immediately drops to the appropriate level and the player makes a Anthropos draw to see if the character acquires a derangement in the process of heightening his scientific knowledge. (See pp. XX-XX for more on Anthropos draws and derangements.)

Draw:  Intelligence + Science + Interface.

<p style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt;text-align: justify;text-indent:.25in;line-height:normal"><span style="font-family:"TimesNewRoman","serif"">Action: <span style="font-family:"TimesNewRoman","serif""> Extended. The number of successes required to activate a routine is equal to the level of the routine (so a level-three routine requires three successes to enact). Each draw represents one turn of routine procedure. Note also that each point of damage incurred in a turn is a penalty to the next procedure draw made for the character, in addition to any wound penalties suffered.

<p style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt;text-align: justify;text-indent:.25in;line-height:normal"><span style="font-family:"TimesNewRoman","serif"">If a character fails to complete the ritual in time (such as by being incapacitated before accumulating enough successes) or decides to cancel the routine before garnering enough successes to activate it, the effect simply fails. Any Nanos expenditures made are not recovered, however.

<p style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt;text-align: justify;text-indent:.25in;line-height:normal"><span style="font-family:"TimesNewRoman","serif"">Draw Results 

<p style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt;text-align: justify;text-indent:.25in;line-height:normal"><span style="font-family:"TimesNewRoman","serif"">Failure: <span style="font-family:"TimesNewRoman","serif""> The routine fails entirely, but not dangerously. Nanos are consumed as normal, but the routine has no effect.

<p style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt;text-align: justify;text-indent:.25in;line-height:normal"><span style="font-family:"TimesNewRoman","serif"">Success: <span style="font-family:"TimesNewRoman","serif""> The routine takes place as described.

<p style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt;text-align: justify;text-indent:.25in;line-height:normal"><span style="font-family:"TimesNewRoman","serif"">In many cases, extra successes are their own reward, causing additional damage or conferring extra duration or capacity.

<p style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt;text-align: justify;text-indent:.25in;line-height:normal"><span style="font-family:"TimesNewRoman","serif"">Suggested Modifiers 

<p style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt;text-align: justify;line-height:normal"><span style="font-family:"TimesNewRoman","serif"">Modifier Situation <span style="font-family:"TimesNewRoman","serif"">

<p style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt;text-align: justify;line-height:normal"><span style="font-family:"TimesNewRoman","serif"">— The character is unaffected by

<p style="margin-top:0in;margin-right:0in;margin-bottom:0in; margin-left:1.0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt;text-align:justify;line-height:normal"><span style="font-family:"TimesNewRoman","serif"">threats or distractions.

<p style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt;text-align: justify;line-height:normal"><span style="font-family:"TimesNewRoman","serif"">-1 to -3 The character is rushed or

<p style="margin-top:0in;margin-right:0in;margin-bottom:0in; margin-left:1.0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt;text-align:justify;line-height:normal"><span style="font-family:"TimesNewRoman","serif"">distracted, such as by perfoming a routine in combat or while trapped in a burning building. This penalty is cumulative with multiple distractions (such as by performing a routine in combat during a hurricane). Successes gained on a meditation roll for the night (see p. 51 of the World of Darkness Rulebook) offset interruption penalties on a one-for-one basis