Datarunning is treated like spellcasting — programs execute through the Mesh and produce real-world effects. A datarunner in combat is not sidelined. They’re crashing turrets, blinding cameras, and overloading enemy chrome.
How It Works
A datarunner needs a Neural Interface (cyberware) and a deck (hardware). Programs are loaded onto the deck before a mission. During combat or exploration, deploying a program costs 2 AP and resolves using 2d10 + Mind + Hacking vs TN. Programs affect IoT-connected devices in the physical world — security systems, cyberware, vehicles, infrastructure.
Starter Programs
Spike — Direct attack on a device. Overloads circuits, crashes systems. TN: target’s security rating. Damage: 2d6 to electronic targets.
Ghost — Makes the runner invisible to surveillance systems for 3 rounds. TN 12. Detection attempts against you auto-fail.
Lockpick — Opens electronic locks and bypasses security doors. TN: lock rating (typically 11–17). Faster than physical hacking.
Scan — Reveals all connected devices within 50 meters. TN 10. Shows security cameras, active cyberware, Mesh nodes, and hidden electronics.
Shield — Creates a digital barrier that protects against incoming programs. TN 12. Adds +3 to defense against digital attacks for 3 rounds.
Scramble — Disrupts communications in an area. TN 14. Jams comms, disables coordination between enemies, blocks distress signals.
The Four Layers
Most datarunning happens in the functional Mesh. But skilled runners can dive deeper:
The Mesh — Standard operations. Programs work normally. This is where commerce, communication, and most hacking happens.
The Wake — Memory-purgatory. Programs work unpredictably. Echoes of the dead interfere with operations. Divers encounter memories that aren’t their own.
The Forge Below — Digital hell. Programs may be corrupted. Recursive loops trap the unwary. Something down here is building.
The Radiant Span — Rumored digital heaven. No confirmed access. Signals from here are warm, impossibly old, and may be a trap.
Book Expansion: Signal & Spirit: The Mesh Layers (87,000+ words) contains the complete datarunning system — dozens of programs, layer-specific mechanics, Wake diving rules, Forge Below encounters, program crafting, and the tools to make every dive matter.
Continue Exploring
Learn: The Mesh & Its Layers — The world your runner dives into
Rules: Combat — How programs integrate with physical fights
Rules: Cyberware & Humanity — Neural Interface required
Read: Fields of Rabbit — Lost in the Mesh