[SR5] Matrix rules summary

Opti has a neat flowchart for Matrix actions here.

Anything in curly braces {{{ }}} is a house rule. Usually the original rule or an explanation as to why is
listed right after it.

Everything in the Matrix is an icon

o Rules prevent icons from not resembling their actual identity (e.g. must look like a person,
or a file)
o Matrix appears by default as a "black flatland under a black sky"
o Typically displays one icon per PAN
But will still display dangerous devices on that network separately
Terminology
o Hosts are a "self-contained place in the Matrix... [with] no physical location, as they exist
purely in the Matrix cloud"
o Everything in the matrix is one of these six things: persona, device, PAN, file, host, or a
mark
o Datastream visibility is filtered out by default but can be shown (but are useless without
snooping)
o Personas are usually based on a commlink, cyberdeck, rigged vehicle/drone, or
technomancer
o Devices represent electronic devices (such as cars, music players, maglocks, etc.).
Typically they do something in the physical world
o Files are a collection of data, or possibly a collection of files (a "folder")
o Marks (matrix authentication recognition key) "keeps track of which personas have
access to which devices, files hosts, and other personas"
o Grids are a Matrix Service Provider
All public and global grids are accessible at any time
Local grids are only accessible if you are physically in the area
Hopping between grids is still confined to what is available in your area
Grid by lifestyle:
Low or lower = public grid
Middle = local grid
High = global grid (pick a Big Ten megacorp as provider)
Luxury = any grid you want
o Commlinks are a "combination computer, smartphone, media player, passport, wallet,
credit card, Matrix browser, chip reader, GPS navigator, digital camera, and portable
gaming device"
Data Processing and Firewall are = commlink's Device Rating
o Cyberdecks (p. 227)
about the size of a small tablet or notebook
built-in sim module
o Direct Neural Interface is required for VR
This can come from trodes or having an implanted
(datajacks|commlink|cyberdeck)
Matrix Attributes
o Attack, Sleaze, Data Processing, Firewall
Matrix Condition Monitor
o Every device in the Matrix has health = 8 + (Device Rating / 2)
o Damage is resisted by Device Rating + Firewall
o No wound modifiers (except Technomancers since they take Stun damage)
o Filling the Matrix damage track "dumps" you
o Repairing device Matrix damage requires:
toolkit
an hour of work
 Hardware + Logic [Mental] test (every hit repairs one box or cuts future repair
session times in half)
Device is not usable during the repair process
Critical glitches permanently break the device
IC and sprites also take matrix damage but cannot be repaired
o Biofeedback damage
Resisted by Willpower + Firewall
Stun if cold-cim, Physical if hot-sim
Dumpshock
o If you disconnect from the Matrix while in VR without going to AR first, you get
dumpshock
o 6S or 6P depending on cold/hot sim
o Resisted as normal Biofeedback (but if you got dumped due to a bricked deck you don't
get Firewall to help resist)
o You also suffer 2 to all actions for (10 - Willpower) minutes
Link-locked
o Any persona (includes agent, techno, sprite) can be link-locked
o When locked, you cannot use Switch Interface mode, Enter/Exit Host, or Reboot actions
on your device
o You can escape with a successful Jack Out (p. 240) action but you still suffer dumpshock
o Typically falling unconscious during VR will switch you to AR automatically, but link-lock
prevents this
IC will keep attacking you even when unconscious
User Modes
o AR
Can be used without falling into a trance
-2 to Perception tests in physical space
o Cold-sim VR
All physical senses blocked (as if asleep)
Initiative is Data Processing + Intuition + 3d6
Biofeedback damage is Stun
o Hot-sim VR
All physical senses blocked (as if asleep)
Initiative is Data Processing + Intuition + 4d6
Biofeedback damage is Physical
+2 to all Matrix actions
Noise
o Caused by distance, nearby electronics, natural/artificial dampening, cosmic background
radiation, etc.
o Spam zones has huge Matrix traffic and everything is slowed
o Static zones have electromagnetic blockage (tunnels, sewers, deep in a steel building) or
are far away from civilization (deserts, north pole, in the middle of the ocean)
o Noise penalty = distance + situational - noise reduction
Penalty never applied to defense or resistance tests
o Distance table (p.231):
Direct connection = 0
0 - 100m = 0
.1 - 1.0km = 1
1.01 - 10km = 3
10.01 - 100km = 5
> 100.01km = 8
o Situational modifier table:
Faraday cage = no signal
Salt water = 1 per cm
Fresh water = 1 per 10cm
Dense foliage = 1 per 5m
 Metal-laced earth or wall = 1 per 5m
Wireless negation (wallpaper or paint) = Rating
Spam or Static zone = Rating
1 = City downtown | Abandoned building
2 = Sprawl downtown | Abandoned neighborhood, barrens
3 = Major event or advertising blitz | Rural area, abandoned underground
area, heavy rain/snow
4 = Commercial area in a city | Wilderness, severe storm
5 = Commercial area in a sprawl | Remote place with satellite access
only
6 = Massive gathering or widespread emergency | Remote enclosed
place (cave, desert ruin)
{{{For Spam and Static Zones, take the worst of the target and the source. If the
target is in a 4 noise spam zone and the source is in a 2 Static zone, they both
have 4 noise to interact with each other.}}}
Illegal Actions
o Failed Attack deals 1 damage per net defense hit (UNRESISTABLE)
o Failed Sleaze puts a mark on you and informs host, who launches IC
Overwatch score
o Accumulates whenever you perform an illegal action
o Rebooting clears your marks and score
o Each hit on a defense test (regardless of test success or failure) adds to the score
o Every {{{5 + 3d6}}} minutes from the first tally, it increases another 2D6 (rolled in secret
by the DM)
Rules-as-written: 15 minutes
o If outside a host or when leaving a host with score 40+, convergence occurs
You get hit with 12 DV Matrix damage (resist normally)
forced to reboot (dumpshock applied if in VR)
This even applies to technomancers
physical location reported to owner of the grid and your current host
o Can use the Check Overwatch Score action or Baby Monitor program to check your
score
DM should not tell player how many hits the defense is getting
PANs & WANs
o Can slave (Device Rating x 3) devices to your commlink or deck
o Whenever slaves defend, they can use master's firewall or their own rating for the test
o Marks on slaves apply to master as well
o In reverse, if you fail a sleaze on a slaved device only its owner marks you, not the
master as well
o WANs can slave unlimited devices
Being inside a host that has a WAN makes you "directly connected" to all devices
in the WAN
o Only devices can be slaves/masters/part of a PAN (not personas, files, etc.)
o When directly connected to a device: (p. 358-359)
you can target a device on a network independently without being on the host
the device cannot use the host rating in tests
Grids
o Targets must always be on a grid
Megacorps would be on their global grid
Smaller companies and wealthier people would be on the local or private grid
Lower class people/organizations would be on the public grid
o Matrix actions against a target on a different grid have a -2 penalty (including trying to
grid jump!)
o Changing grids requires either Grid-Hop (if you have access) or Brute Force/Hack on the
Fly
Penalties only apply when you're outside of a host
 o The public grid has a -2 penalty always, even in a host (on a public grid)
Typical Device Ratings
o 1 = General appliances, public terminals, entertainment systems
o 2 = Standard personal electronics, basic cyberware, vehicles, drones, weapons,
residential security devices
o 3 = Security vehicles, alphaware, corporate security devices
o 4 = High-end devices, betaware, military vehicles and security devices
o 5 = Deltaware, credsticks, black-ops vehicles and security devices
o 6 = Billion-nuyen experimental devices, space craft
Matrix Spotting Table
o Not running silent
< 100m = Automatic
100+ m = Simple Computer + Intuition [Data Processing]
a host (any distance) = automatic
o Running silent
Must first check if there are any silent icons in the vicinity (within 100m or in the
same host)
Opposed Computer + Intuition [Data Processing] vs. Logic + Sleaze (1 net hit =
detect)
If there are multiple silent running icons, you roll once against a random one
{{{If you know "a feature" of an icon running silent (e.g. the last one who
attacked you), you can look for a specific one}}}
Matrix Perception
o Autospot anything within 100m that is not running silent
o Spotting beyond 100m or any silent device requires a test (see Matrix Spotting Table)
o Any marked icon is always visible
o Any spotted icon will stay visible even if it starts running silent
Icon can use the Hide action or reboot/jack out
o If you are running silent you have a -2 modifier to all Matrix actions
o Sample things you can perceive per hit:
Spot a target
The most recent edit date of a file.
The number of boxes of Matrix damage on the targets Condition Monitor.
The presence of a data bomb on a file.
The programs being run by a persona.
The targets device rating.
The targets commode.
The rating of one of the targets Matrix attributes.
The type of icon (host, persona, device, file), if it is using a non-standard (or even
illegal) look.
Whether a file is protected, and at what rating.
The grid a persona, device, or host is using.
If youre out on the grid, whether there is an icon running silent within 100
meters.
If youre in a host, whether there is an icon running silent in the host.
If you know at least one feature of an icon running silent, you can spot the icon
(Running Silent, below).
The last Matrix action an icon performed, and when.
The marks on an icon, but not their owners.
Running Silent
o Switching to silent running is a Simple Action
o -2 to all Matrix Actions while running silent
o See "Matrix Spotting Table->Running silent" for spotting rules
o Any owner can set a Matrix object to silent running
Noticing Hackers
o A successful Attack or a failed Sleaze will result in detection
 o IC may be launched (only if in a host)
Recognition Keys (marks)
o Marks are individualized to their owner
o Icons can invite other icons for 1-3 marks (Invite Mark action)
o Otherwise, Brute Force and Hack on the Fly are the only other options
o Marks are invisible to everyone but the mark owner, but can be spotted with Matrix
Perception
o All marks you have and are on you are removed when you reboot
o Marks can never be given or transferred
Owners
o Every device, persona, host, and file has an owner.
o Each Matrix object can only have one owner.
o "For all intents and purposes, owning an icon is the same as having four marks on it."
(p.236)
o Owning a device and being its owner are not necessarily the same (e.g. if you steal
someone else's commlink)
o Matrix Ownership is registered with the device and the grids
o Ownership can be transferred (if you are the owner) in a ~1 minute process
o You can illegally change a device's owner with:
Hardware toolkit
Extended Hardware + Logic [Mental] (24, 1 hour)
Glitch results in an alert sent out to the authorities
Note that changing a file's ownership can be done with Edit File to copy, then
delete original
Personas and hosts can never have ownership changed
Matrix Teamwork Tests
o {{{There is no specific ruling on how teamwork should work on Matrix actions, so all of the
below is a house rule}}}
When trying to assist another on a Matrix action, they both must be in the same
host (if any)
If they are on different grids, the normal "different grid" penalty applies
Both characters accrue overwatch score from the action
Add 1 to OS for both characters for each hit on the teamwork test
Programs
o Come in Common and Hacking types (Hacking programs are illegal)
o Cannot duplicate programs on the deck
o Only provides benefit while the program is running
o Programs appear as icons connected to your persona
Agents
o Autonomous programs rated from 1-6
o Take up one program slot on your deck
o Can use programs running on the same device as them
o Use the Matrix attributes of the device they run on (e.g. your cyberdeck)
o Use their own rating for other attributes (e.g. Mental)
o Intelligence is equivalent to Pilot Programs (p. 269) of the same rating
o Attacks on the agent are attacks on you
o Agents can run independently of you and have their own persona when doing so
Hosts (p.246)
o No physical spot, but could be tethered to one (e.g. clubs, stores)
o Entering a host requires going through the actual host icon
o Always on a specific grid, but once inside the originating grid is irrelevant
o Can run IC
Patrol IC behavior and host security levels
o Have file archives that hold files that aren't in use, cannot be hacked
o Hosts have a Host Rating (HR)
Attack, Sleaze, Data Processing, Firewall
 Ratings are typically (HR + 3), (HR + 2), (HR + 1), (HR)
IC have the same ratings as their host
o Host Convergence
Overwatch Score accumulates while inside the host
When convergence occurs, host gets three marks on you and deploys IC
Leaving a host after convergence results in immediately grid convergence
(should just jack out)
o Intrusion Countermeasures (IC)
{{{Data Processing + Host Rating + 4D6}}}
Rules-as-written is (Initiative = Data Processing + Intuition + 4D6)
Hosts can launch one IC per turn, at the START of the turn
Hosts typically have Patrol IC running all the time
Hosts can run # of ICs equal to their Rating
Hosts are capped to only one per type of IC at a time
IC condition monitor = 8 + (Host Rating / 2) (p.228)
IC resist attacks with Device Rating + Firewall
IC attacks are:
(Host Rating) * 2 [Attack]
Complex Action
Note that failed attacks damage the IC as normal

Matrix Actions

Brute Force
o attack and add a mark
Change Icon
Check Overwatch Score
Control Device
Crack File
Crash Program
Data Spike (Complex Action)
o Cybercombat + Logic [Attack] v. Intuition + Firewall
o Matrix Damage = Attack + 1/net hit + 2/mark
o If you are Data Spiking an icon you are the owner of, that counts as 4 marks (+8 DV)
Disarm Data Bomb
Edit File
o Can be used to protect files
Enter/Exit Host
Erase Mark
Erase Matrix Signature
Full Matrix Defense
Grid Hop
Hack on the Fly
o Stealth add a mark
Hide
Invite Mark
Jack Out
Jam Signals
Jump Into Rigged Device
Matrix Perception
o Analyze an object or vicinity
Matrix Search
o Search matrix for info
 o Can be public info, or private info on this host
o Info:
General = 1 (1 minute)
Limited = 3 (30 mins)
Hidden = 6 (12 hours)
o Modifiers:
-1 intricate or specialized
-2 obscure
-2 on another grid
Reboot Device
o if mark = 3, reboot device (specify delay to start back up 0-infinite)
o only works on devices
o Doesn't work on link-locked
Send Message
Set Data Bomb
Snoop
o if mark >=1, intercept traffic to and from target
Spoof Command
o if mark >=1, send a command
o only works on devices and agents
Switch Interface mode
Trace Icon
o Find physical location of device or persona if mark >= 1
o Doesn't work on hosts or IC (no physical presence)