d20 Future: computer viruses

[Morrandir]

My group's starting up a homebrewed d20 future game, and I'm playing as an android. Since that makes me immune to disease, my DM and I have decided to simply put in viruses that I can catch. We have a couple, but need more, so if you would be so kind as to post some ideas...

Here's what we've got:

The Taco Virus (t.cra.bat): Causes recipient android to head to nearest taco-vending area and spend every available credit on them.

Forced HAL emulator (HAL.exe): Android, when next in control of a craft, commandeers it, and begins to subtly put the crew into mortal peril.

Ye Olde Wyrme (2bornot2b.spc): Android speaks in Shakespearean. When not actively engaged in conversation, will begin reciting the entire works.

Reflector (mirror.act): All actions are mirror of intended ones (i.e., move left leg, due to virus, right leg moves.)


And here we get stumped. Some, as you can see, are really... well, idiotic. He's putting them in where they'll actually be threatening. Others are quite serious, regardless of where I might catch them.

What we need in terms of format is a full name, followed by a filename (You can make up extensions, we just need something to refer to it to, to keep the other party members confused as to what's going on), then finally, the function of the virus.

[Closet_Skeleton]

Things viruses can damage.

1. Targeting systems, impose an attack penalty over time.
2. Memory. Penalties to knowledge checks. If you DM's really cruel loss of feats.
3. Motivators. Dexterity penalties. Movement speed penalties.
4. Vision. Spot check penalites. If DM is really cruel illusion effects.
5. Logic circuits. Confusion effect, paralysis effect, etc.

Viruses could be caught from interface terminals if you're the kind of android who likes to plug into things where he doesn't belong.

If you DM wants androids to be vulnerable to computer viruses he should also have a way for them to recover. This could be an ability of the android to recover damaged data or an ally repairing you.

[Altair_the_Vexed]

Good ideas.

I think it'd be cool to have some non-specific viruses that attack mental stats in the way most organic diseases in the game attack physical stats. They could model in almost exactly the same way (incubation time, intital damage, secondary damage, etc). Maybe you'd also have "poisons" - you know, very fast acting viruses.
Rather than the delivery mode of these diseases and poisons being "injested" or whatever, they could be "interface". As robots don't have to make Fortitude saves, perhaps you could make "Firewall" saves to avoid viruses (with the "Firewall" save bonus being equal to the character class Fort save + WIS modifier).

You might also look at the d20 3.5 version of the Star Wars RPG - it has droid "diseases", like rust, dust or grit, 'droid rot' and disrepair. If you have a copy, or access to a copy of the rule book, that's on page 364. Forum rules and copyright law mean I can't post any more details here.

EDITED: more ideas!

[Morrandir]

Yeah, we've set up an alternate save system for me. Change will to Firewall and fort to Antivirus. Pretty much the same things, just appropriate for me

[MusScribe]

Maybe even some non-virus errors?

For example:
Worms (with a variety of effects) - Whenever you interface with another system, there's a chance it can spread itself to that system.

My thought (feel free to alter): When you first connect to another system, you each make a Firewall save. If either is successful, the worm doesn't pass (yours blocks it from leaving, theirs blocks it from entering). In addition, when you make a check with a DC of at least 15 it picks up on the use of resources, and will force the Firewall saves again.

Then, it could add on other effects to it that come attached.

Maybe a virus that installs a backdoor to the android's systems. Once it infects, it has a chance (DC based on the virus) to be picked up with a successful Antivirus Save and can then be taken care of fairly easily (again, depending on the virus). When someone that knows of the backdoor program (in particular, the original creator of it) connects to his interface, it provides a significant penalty to the android's save (generally Firewall).