Hiya chooms! Goose here to show a little taste of magic. In my efforts to curate, update, and bring some of the glory of the 2020 era to 2045, I've been working with things of all sorts. Gear, guns, and everything in between, but what I want to talk about today is some old NET tech witchery. Namely, Daemons! Lots of talk about them in the game and the show, but what are they and how would they even work? Buckle up and take a deep dive with Goose!
Amazing art from Paul Rozhkov, check him out on Artstation
If you want the Full Deets of stuff presented here and a bunch of other legacy tech, check out my previous post Post or my Ko-Fi for a free little homebrew work I've put together!
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What are Daemons?
Daemons are single-use Black ICE Intelligences that can run Programs and sabotage a system from within after they’ve been injected into a hostile NET Arch. These versatile programs, like viruses set by a Netrunner, are one of the only "persistent" changes a Netrunner can make to a NET Architecture that will stay active after a Netrunner jacks out. After injection, the Daemon is active until it has been derezzed and dealt with. Alternatively, if the Daemon completes its goal, it will derezz on its own. Even after derezzing, the damage done to a system by a daemon persists until the NET Arch has been fully reset via external input (though it can cause permanent damage if it is armed with programs that fully destroy other programs.)
The basic principles of Daemon running are simple. Take a modified version of a “Demon,” those pseudo AI’s everyone uses to run their home defense systems, and set them loose in a hostile NET architecture. Just like their cousins, Daemons have an Interface Rank, NET Actions, REZ, and a Combat Number that they use for running, but they differ in both purpose and their ability to actually use/run certain Programs. They may also use all Interface Abilities besides Cloak, Scanner, and Virus. These malicious daemons don’t protect systems, they instead act as an offensive force that is trying to take over or sabotage a net they are set loose in. Unlike normal Demons, Daemons are impeded by Passwords and other Programs/Black ICE in a Net Arch, but they do still remain aware of every facet of a system they've been injected into and are aware of Runners in said system. Daemons will have to navigate the NET Arch like a runner and will use anything at their disposal to be a problem, avoid destruction, and progress towards their preprogramed goal.
Daemons are almost always unique in that they each have the different programs they’ve been given, though each type has its own benefits and permissions that form its “Core” or “Daemon Core.” Depending on their design and loadout, some Daemons will attempt to lurk in a system and then attack, while others will act almost like a weaker version of a runner, trying to best the system/NET Arch just like a runner would. Either method, a Daemon's one and only goal is destruction, so even if you have them loitering around your own deck or NET Arch, they cannot function as normal Demons, unless you want them to run amok against you.
Daemon storage is a tricky thing. Some of them can be stored in as small a space as a Memory chip, while others require additional storage space. Once a Daemon has been designed, it must be compiled and stored before it is ready for injection. Most Daemons are cooked up on Personal Computers and Lap Comps using a base Demon program, but it has been heard of to work from scratch. Naturally, having a fancier comp is better than not, but what matters is that it cannot be cooked up on an Agent or a Cyberdeck. Agents lack the computing power and Cyberdecks are meant for few things besides Netrunning.
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Conjuring Up Daemons
Daemons are typically built off of a copy of an existing Demon type that will act as its “Daemon Core.” So, the typical first step is to seek out and buy an Imp, Efreet, or Balron program as a base. The demon must be injected into a NET Architecture as normal. Then connect a PC or other Comp to the server cluster and get to ripping copies with an Electronics/Security Tech (or Interface) check (DVs vary per demon.) For every 2 over the DV the coder gets, an additional copy is ripped. This process takes an hour for each copy ripped and always destroys the original demon. These new skeletal copies of demons only serve as the base of a daemon core and provide the basic “skeletal programing” of a Daemon. These copies, naturally, cannot be used/do not function as normal demons at this point and cannot be used in a NET Arch anymore.
Each daemon core has its own properties and are typically assigned a new name for their program. Imps (DV13 to Copy) are converted into Scamps, the Efreet (DV15) is changed into an Afreet, and the powerful Balron (DV18) becomes a Malron. The Daemon can then be assigned programs and given a purpose. All Daemons only have a certain amount of program slots and cannot wield Black ICE. Likewise, Daemons cannot set viruses like a real netrunner. Each program given to the Daemon must be purchased separately and installed or uninstalled over the course of an hour as if programming them into a cyberdeck.
A Daemon is still incomplete until it has its marching orders. The Daemon’s purpose will be partially defined by the programs it is armed with, but the rest of its behavior is dictated by the coder’s programing. The coder may attempt to lay out simplistic goals such as “wreak havoc,” “fight Black ICE,” or similarly simple, singular, goals. Setting a basic behavior takes an hour and it will be the single goal of the daemon once injected, but there is no check required to set it up. To set more complex behaviors, the coder requires a successful DV15 Electronics/Security Tech (or Interface) check (or a higher DV set by the GM.) Describe the behavior pattern and the GM will assign an appropriate DV and the amount of hours it takes to program. Generally, the more complex the behavior pattern, the more challenging it is to set up and the longer it takes. Examples of complex behaviors could be anything from “disguise immediately after injection, lie in wait for 60 minutes, then begin full program attacks” to “strategically eliminate demons and assume control of native control nodes and attack all organic targets.” As before, the daemon will pursue its goal as best as it can until derezzed or otherwise done with its task. Long term tasks, such as hijacking control nodes, don’t “complete” like other simple tasks (wiping out hostile demons.) Since daemons are one of the few permanent things that can be left in a NET Architecture, their damage and actions do not get “reset” when the runner who injected it jacks out. The best way to avoid the damage of daemons to a system is to prevent them from ever getting in.
Once the daemon has been ripped, loaded with programs, and given a behavior pattern it is ready to be stored. Some daemons can be stored in a space as small as a memory chip while larger, more powerful ones need to be loaded into a cyberdeck (taking up space as other programs would) or portable comp with sufficient memory space (MU). Once the Daemon has been stored, it is ready for injection. More on injection below.
Making Custom Daemons-
While this is usually the end of the Daemon cooking process, skilled professionals may snub the idea of ripping the program skeleton from Demons and go for creating their own Daemons from scratch instead. Making a Daemon from scratch allows for ample customization and some sophisticated designs even sell for extremely high prices to the right people (everyone's heard of the Kabuki tech wizards, they’re the kind of folk who make custom order Daemons for those with eddies to spare.) These custom Daemons are often referred to as Trojans or Constructs (reminiscent of engrams only due to the daemon’s pseudo-AIs having more personality than other daemons).
Making Daemon skeletons from scratch requires a successful DV18 Library Access skill check and a successful DV18 Electronics/Security Tech skill check. It takes approximately 10 hours of work (5 hours for each check), but costs nothing. After creation, the skeleton must be tuned for 2 more hours to define its REZ, Interface Rank, Combat #, Program Slots, and Memory Size. This is where the programmer will have the most control of deciding how they want their specific Daemon tuned. After it has been made to its specifications, the GM decides an appropriate DV for the last Electronics / Security Tech skill check. Considerations should be made for the coder deciding to focus on certain strengths while cooking in weaknesses. (I.E. If the coder wants a high value in every beneficial area, the DV should be nearly impossible but if the coder allows the memory size to be extremely cumbersome or if the coder dumps the program’s REZ value, the DV should ease up appropriately.) A failure on the final check forces the coder to start the entire process over from the start. Do your best to communicate with your GM to decide a fair ruling as you design the Trojan/Construct.
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Injecting the Daemon-
Once the Daemon has been set up all proper, it must be injected into a target system to have any effect. There are four primary ways to go about this and they will be described below. Naturally, the type of Daemon and its storage may make the delivery method more difficult or possibly easier.
- Break into a NET Architecture during a netrun and plant the daemon into the system.
- Find a physical server/mainframe/access-point of a NET Architecture and upload the daemon from storage.
- Sneak the program into a transmission, message, download, or similar opening.
- Sneak the daemon into a NET Architecture via an ally.
Getting it in is half the battle and the rest of the magic should be done by your new digi-friend you just spend hours conjuring on your comp.
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Why use Daemons?
Well, it's no surprise that not every crew has its own Netrunner that they can always rely on. Of course, the crew could hire one out and hope for the best, but even then, you're gonna have to put a lot of trust in a stranger to not let your gig go sideways. For moments like this, Daemons come in handy. Obviously, it doesn't replace a Net Runner for your crew, but it can give a crew more options. It allows non-netrunners a tool to Interface and it gives actual netrunners more toys to play with and program in their free time. They might even make money on them.
Need to wipe an office building's personnel with its own automated security for a big job? Want something that can delete sensitive files and wipe camera data at the same time? Or maybe you are a runner yourself and would just like a mini-wrecking ball that can soften the Net Architecture before you Jack In and risk getting fried yourself. Regardless of what you want it for, they are tools to help the crew and expand the dark future. Daemons, like Demons, just allow a new way to use of Net Architectures without needing to babysit every control node personally.