Originally developed as a random table for Blue Planet, this is a generic random table for any cyberpunk or sci-fi setting.
Terminology can obviously differ between game worlds.
In Blue Planet, it's body comp, in Shadowrun it's a deck, in Starfinder it's just computer, and so on; adjust as necessary.
When performing a computer check against an unknown system, roll on this table.
The target system is the computer you are trying to hack into. Your computer is the player's computer, and it assumed that they must use it to access the target system.
- The computer dumps a bunch of information directly into your short term memory. You gain a +1 bonus on your next skill check.
- Your personal computer is mistakenly assigned as the remote output for the target system's logger. You receive cryptic status reports from this computer daily.
- The last 3 days of photos and videos on your drone or computer are overwritten with cat photos from the target system. If you don't possess surveillance material, then you now have a few gigabytes of cat photos on your computer. Either way, there is a 50% chance that one of the photos reveals something meaningful to the campaign.
- You accidentally transfer a new Augmented Reality plugin from the target system to your own computer. You get annoying (and usually incorrect) AR data in your field of vision until you can deactivate the "feature".
- You get confused as you hack, and lock yourself out of your own computer for 24 hours (or, if you don't rigorously track time in your game, for the rest of the game session).
- A glitch randomly swaps all the phone numbers of your contacts such that when you call or text one person, there is a 50% chance that it goes to someone registered to the target system.
- You have a new entry in your contact book. This person is an ex-employee whose account was never deleted from the target system, and has 1d4 pieces of useful information about the current campaign.
- You hack a nearby AR system such that your are identified as friendly to the next AR user you meet who would otherwise treat you as an enemy. Common sense prevails; if the person is very familiar with you or if you are acting suspiciously, this doesn't fool them for long.
- The target system takes revenge on you by having a wide selection of offensive or threatening items or videos (GM's choice) to a random person from your contacts, with a gift receipt bearing your name and a wink emoji.
- The target system scrambles your personal GPS. The next time you navigate to any location, your computer glitches and takes you somewhere else (GM's choice).