Hacking, another take, as a general skill Options

[notsleeping]

So being unexpectedly and temporarily homeless (but with a wi-fi connection, a nice computer, and all the trappings of modern luxury), I've got nothing to do but not sleep and write things. As always, I'm well aware that what follows probably isn't a good idea, but hey, ideas are free and no one's ever died from an idea. At least not literally.

Hacking
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The core of much of science fiction, hacking doesn't seem too out of place in Tears of Polaris. At least, I hope not. There's already been a thread posted about this as a technomage skill, but I had a weird idea I wanted to try out as a general skill. So, here goes...

CODE

DataLink      Attempt to achieve a data link with a sentient android or mechanical being
Assess        Examine source code
Acquire       Memorize a bit of source code
Release       Forget source code
Deletion      Delete key characteristics of a mind
Insertion     Insert code into a mind
Application   Take source code and apply it to yourself

SharedKey     Talk to allies in cypher
Padlock       Lock access to minds
CrackLock     Remove padlocks
Backdoor      Leave a treasure for yourself
TrueHash      Compare the authenticity of two binaries
Bestow        Give one of your loyal companions to another

RealTime      Perform hacks with lightning speed
Deadlock      Logical minds are easily stopped
Spoofing      Some beings will take orders from just about anyone
Corruption    Not all information is true
Paste         Rewrite an entire mind with your own
Copy          Put an entire mind into your own

Sniffing      Attune your implants to eavesdrop
Dictionary    Find out what their shared key is
Integration   Integrate yourself with machine

DataLink:
Syntax: DATALINK <mob>
DATALINK ORDER <mob> TO <skill>
You attempt to form a direct data link between your neural implants (or psychic mind) and the program of a mechanical being. The process will take a long time, and as long as the data link is continuing but not complete, the mechanical being will attack you as a hostile. Upon successful datalinking, your mental prowess (maximum mana) will be reduced by an amount concomitant to the size of the program, and you are able to control the mechanical being in whatever fashion you want.

Assess:
Syntax: DATALINK ASSESS <datalinked mob|code>
Once a being has been datalinked, you can assess its program to see what skills it contains. You may also assess the entire source code of a mechanical being, should you happen to possess one, to analyze its skills.

Acquire:
Syntax: MIND ACQUIRE <datalinked mob|code> <skill>
You store an algorithm from the program into your own memory. You may apply this algorithm to future programs, but as long as it is in your head, your mental prowess will be reduced by an amount concomitant to the difficulty of the algorithm.

Release:
Syntax: MIND RELEASE <skill>
You release an algorithm you have stored in your memory. The part of your mind that was dedicated to the algorithm is now free for other uses.

Delete:
Syntax: DATALINK DELETE <datalinked mob|code> <skill>
You delete an algorithm from a program. Some of your mental prowess used to sustain the datalink is returned to you. Useful for destroying suicidal and self-destructive tendencies in some mechanical beings.

Insertion:
Syntax: DATALINK INSERT <datalinked mob|code> <skill>
You retrieve an algorithm from memory and insert it into the code of your datalinked mechanical being. Part of your mental prowess goes to maintaining the weightier datalink. The algorithm is not lost.

Application:
Syntax: MIND APPLY <skill>
You apply an algorithm to your own neural implants, and gain a skill that your datalinked companions have.
(I.e., if one of your companions is a farmer who knows how to DIG, you now know how to DIG as well)
The plasiticity of your mind is limited by its organic nature, and you can only apply one skill at a time. In addition, some skills may not be applicable (e.g., you may learn to build walls from a construction robot, but you cannot learn how to fly from a kite droid)

Shared Key:
Syntax: MIND CREATE KEY (may be used multiple times to create new keys)
MIND DELETE KEY (drops encryption all together)
Your implants generate a special key for use by those on your ally list. Whenever you send tells, it will be encoded and appear as gibberish to the uneducated hacker.

Padlock:
Syntax: DATALINK PADLOCK <datalinked mob>
You secure a tight electronic lock on the program of a datalinked companion so that only you can edit its contents.

CrackLock:
Syntax: DATALINK CRACKLOCK <mob>
Given enough time spent in silent computation, your implants will compute the key to the padlock of someone's companion and break it. No one will know that you have broken the padlock.

Backdoor:
Syntax: DATALINK BACKDOOR <datalinked mob>
You insert a backdoor into the code of the datalinked companion, allowing you to secretly have full access to its program regardless of any padlocks on the compantion.

TrueHash:
Syntax: DATALINK TRUEHASH CREATE <datalinked mob|code>
DATALINK TRUEHASH COMPARE <datalinked mob|code> <hash>
A truehash captures the essence of any data and has a miniscule memory requirement. A simple comparison between a hash and a datalinked program or a piece of code will reveal whether they are the same, or different. This is one way to detect a backdoor. (The truehash of two identical programs, will be different if one secretly has a backdoor)

Bestow:
Syntax: DATALINK BESTOW <datalinked mob> TO <player>
This transfers a datalinked companion to a fellow friend. However, the datalink is lost and the recipient can only use the companion for his skills.

RealTime:
Prerequisite: DataLink
Passive ability.
You are now able to analyze and change code for mechanical beings in real-time, rather than waiting for the datalink to finish. However, to have complete control for the being, datalink must be accomplished.

Deadlock:
Syntax: DATALINK DEADLOCK <mob>
A deadlock is a command paradox, a recursively dependent order which a logical program can never fulfill. By wrapping this malicious code around the target program, the mechanical mind will be paralyzed until it is discovered and deleted by its owner.

Spoofing:
Syntax: MIND SPOOF <mob> TO <skill>
If you have obtained a shared key for a certain player, you send commands to one of his datalinked companions pretending to be him.

Corruption:
Syntax: MIND CORRUPT <player> WITH <skill> TO <skill>
If both skills have been used before, you may swap them without knowing the player's secret key, and the commands which he gives his mechanical companions will be swapped in the middle of transmission.

Paste:
Syntax: MIND PASTE <mob> WITH <code>
If you have the knowledge of an entire mechanical mind in your implants, you may completely replace the contents of a mechanical being's program with the program in your mind, resulting in a mechanical being that is utterly controlled by you with the exact mental contents of the program you pasted in. You may do so only if the program has a backdoor for you, or if it is not deadlocked or padlocked.

Copy:
Syntax: MIND COPY <datalinked mob>
You perform the strenuous task of memorizing the entire source code of a mechanical being's mind, and if you are successful, you will have a copy of its code in memory for pasting, truehash comparison, or seveal other things. Note that a mind copy is much more than a summary of a mind's skills, although a mind copy does contain information about these skills can be edited just like a datalinked companion.

Sniffing:
Syntax: SNIFF
You invoke the ancient call of the promiscuous mode and attune your mind to the conversations around you, hearing everything and anything that goes on between minds.

Dictionary:
Syntax: BUILD DICTIONARY
Once you begin building a dictionary and start statistical analysis of the conversations you overhear with sniffing, you will discover the shared key used in the conversations after some time. The time it takes to build a dictionary is quite long, and is dependent on the relative levels of your dictionary ability and their shared key generation ability.

Integration:
Syntax: INTEGRATE WITH <datalinked mob>
RETURN TO BODY
In a special laboratory, you may completely integrate your physical brain with that of a datalinked companion, leaving your physical body behind, a mindless shell. In your new form you may travel the lands as a mechanical being, and others will perceive you as such. Be warned, however, that any attempts by the curious to datalink with you will result in failure, and you cannot refuse a direct order given to you, no matter who it is. It is wise to delete the self-destruct algorithm before embarking on such an endeavour. If you wish to return to your normal physical form, you will have to return to the laboratory in order to return to your body.


So, in short: according to this skill, hacking in the future will involve taming, ents, and spying! And yes, I didn't expect the skill to end up this way either. Apologies for the strangeness, and the shortness as well. I ran out of ideas after the 20th skill or so. Note that unlike Taming in other IRE muds, the actual skills that the pets can have aren't considered to be a part of the skill, since I figure there's probably going to a be a bajillion of them, and there's no point in wasting credits to learn one specific skill when you can learn the metaskill of adding and subtracting skills from your pets.

The reason why I think hacking fits as a general skill, as it is now, is because it allows anyone to train robots and the essential industrial backbone of any posthuman society. But then again, it can just as well be the skill of some assassin class, given its sneaky tendencies (although sneaking by disguising yourself as a Dalek probably wasn't what futuristic assassins had in mind when they signed up).

And to wrap it up, here's a few tidbits to settle some questions: the skill makes two basic assumptions (which may very well be false!),

1. People in ToP will have implants or psychic doohickeys that constitute a scientific, and therefore hackable, entry to their minds
2. Everyone's gonna have a comedic robot sidekick. That way you can INTEGRATE WITH R2D2 and listen in on juicy gossip without being called out for spying.

There's also no limit on the number of datalinked droid-pets you can have. However, since each pet reduces max mana, you can only have so many before you become quite mentally ill.

This post has been edited by notsleeping: Aug 28 2008, 05:20 AM