comStar Firewall alert - PhaseThrough

experience, induced by unfiltered exposure to pure Resonance, by
which the technomancer transcends himself to gain a new level
of advancement, leading to a “digital evolution” and a spiritual
revelation. This process, often referred to as “recoding,” enables
technomancers to gain access to the deeper layers of the Matrix
to spawn echoes.
Since submersion is part of the individual’s unveiling of the
code and personal transformation, it is an intimate process that is
influenced by the character’s own views and beliefs. The character’s
perception of the Matrix, reflected by his chosen stream (p. 136)
or paragon (p. 149), should be taken into account by gamemasters
and players developing their own “rite of crossing.” A technoshaman
might go on a pilgrimage to virtual landscapes and nodes he
feels connected with; a dronomancer might need to start from a
“jumped-in” view of a vehicle or drone; a sourceror might prepare
meticulously to open a back door with a gate-like ritual; or an info
savant might dowse over a pile of code. Rites vary enormously,
depending on stream-specific beliefs and attunements to different
aspects of the Matrix.
Except for the basic time and effort required to undergo
submersion tasks (see below), the gamemaster is free to adjust the
time spent and the submersion event involved to suit the character
and the flavor of her campaign. As the Resonance cyberspace is beyond
the sense of time, characters could even experience a whole
virtual life during a submersion.
If the player desires, the submersion may include a submersion
task (p. 141). These tasks are specific challenges of will and
ability to which the character willingly submits in order to prove
himself worthy of submersion.
The paragon of a technomancer, should he follow one, may
also play an important part during the submersion session, the
preparing task, or both, though exactly what that role is should be
tailored to the particular character and the nature of the crossing
rite or submersion task he chooses.
While the group’s style of gaming may determine how much
attention is devoted to submersion sessions, it provides a unique
roleplaying and story opportunity that should be emphasized.
SUBMerSion taSkS
Characters who want to perform a submersion may prepare
for it with a task that “tunes” them by challenging their focus and
ability. This can be an intrusion in a highly secured node on the
fly, cybercombat against a coded mayhem, or creating a new piece
of code.
Undergoing a task for submersion reduces the normal
Karma cost of submersion by 20 percent (rounded up). Only
one task is possible per submersion. The character must choose
the task before undergoing submersion (or the task must take
place 24 hours before the submersion session starts). The
technomancer cannot “save up” tasks except for the great hack
(p. 142). If the character passes the task he is able to undergo
submersion with reduced costs. It he fails, he can either retry
(without losing karma) until he succeeds, or pay the full price
for the submersion.
Since submersion is a fairly new phenomenon, only a few
tasks have so far been discovered by the techomancer community,
though more are suspected to show up in the future as technomancers
continue pursuing the ways toward digital ascension.
Unwired
Simon Wentworth (order #1132857) 9
141
technoMancers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .