Hacker-type characters

[Buddha the DM]

What classes, skills, feats, talents, etc would you all recommend for making a hacker-type character?

Please list sources of where all the classes, skills, feats, talents, etc come from.

Edit: There is no level restriction or source material restriction. I am just curious as to how you'd all make this kind of character.

 

[Buddha the DM]

I have created z3r0 0n3 using materials that I have access to.


z3r0 0n3: Human Male Smart Hero 7/Mage 5; CR 12; Medium Humanoid; HD 7d6+14 (Smart) plus 5d6+10 (Mage); hp 96; Mas 14; Init +2; Spd 30 ft; Defense 17 (+2 Dex, +5 Class), Touch 17, Flat-Footed 15; BAB +5; Grap +6; Atk +6 melee (1d3+1, Unarmed Strike); Full Atk +6 melee (1d3+1, Unarmed Strike) or +6 melee (by weapon) or +7 ranged (by weapon); FS 5 ft x 5 ft; Reach 5 ft; SA -; SQ Brew Potion, Scribe Scrolls, Scribe Tattoo, Spell Mastery (Crash & Burn, Degauss, Hard Copy, Relay Text, Secret Pocket), Summon Familiar; AL x, x, x; SV Fort +5, Ref +5, Will +11; AP 12; Rep +5; Wealth +23; Str 13, Dex 15, Con 14, Int 20, Wis 16, Cha 18.

Occupation: Academic (Bonus Class Skills: Computer Use +1, Decipher Script +1, Knowledge [Technology] +1)

Skills: Bluff +5 (1), Computer Use +30 (15), Concentration +9 (7), Craft (Chemical) +12 (7), Craft (Electronic) +12 (7), Craft (Mechanical) +12 (7), Decipher Script +22 (15), Demolitions +12 (7), Diplomacy +5 (1), Disable Device +15 (9), Drive +3 (1), Forgery +14 (7), Gather Information +9 (5), Investigate +17 (10), Knowledge (Arcane Lore) +19 (12), Knowledge (Popular Culture) +11 (6), Knowledge (Technology) +20 (12), Profession +10 (7), Read/Write Aramaic, Read/Write English, Read/Write Greek, Read/Write Japanese, Repair +16 (9), Research +14 (7), Search +14 (7), Sense Motive +7 (2), Sleight of Hand +4 (2), Speak Ancient Greek, Speak Aramaic, Speak English, Speak Greek, Speak Japanese, Spellcraft +13 (8), Spot +5 (2).

Feats: Attentive, Cryptophile, Educated (Knowledge [Arcane Lore & Technology]), Gearhead, Hacker, Hacker Alias, Jack of All Trades, Meticulous, Run, Studious

Talents (Smart Hero): Backdoor, Savant (Computer Use), Trace, Virus.

Mage Spells Known: 0- All; 1st- Change Self, Clean, Degauss, Hard Copy, Mage Armor, Magic Missile, Magic Weapon, Mask Metal, Power Device, Trace Purge; 2nd- Arcane Lock, Burglar's Buddy, Camera Shy, Crash & Burn, Darkvision, Dataread, Enhance Ability, Knock, Locate Object, Machine Invisibility, Magic Message, Relay Text, Resist Energy; 3rd- Dispel Magic, Electromagnetic Pulse, Greater Magic Weapon, Haste, Improved Arcane Lock, Nondetection, Secret Pocket, Shutdown, Slow, Tongues.

Mage Spells Prepared (4/5/3/2; Base DC = 15 + Spell Level): 0- Haywire, Magic ID, Mending, Message; 1st- Clean, Degauss, Hard Copy, Power Device, Trace Purge; 2nd- Crash & Burn, Dataread, Relay Text; 3rd- Electromagnetic Pulse, Shutdown.

z3r0 0n3 was created with material found in the d20 Modern RPG, Urban Arcana Campaign Setting, d20 Menace Manual, and Dungeon 103/Polyhedron 162. Skills are listed Total Bonus (Ranks), for example: Computer Use +30 (15).

 

[RodneyThompson]

Glad to see someone making use of the stuff I wrote in Polyhedron. I really thought the lack of talent trees for hackers was an odd omission from the core book (thought I notice you're not making use of the tree). Looks cool otherwise.

 

[Iscariot]

I am playing a Hacker type character now, though he is more techie in general.

He is a smart hero/3, field scientist/1, techno-mage/1

If you don't have it, I would suggest picking up Urban Arcana...the tech advanced classes in there are pretty good. And the techno-mages rock.

I was not as impressed with the Shadowjack as I thought I would be. Their abilities each level are not as impressive as even the Smart Hero

 

[Iscariot]

Glad to see someone making use of the stuff I wrote in Polyhedron. I really thought the lack of talent trees for hackers was an odd omission from the core book (thought I notice you're not making use of the tree). Looks cool otherwise.

I haven't seen that article yet, though it sounds VERY nice. What issue of Poly was it in? I have to go pick it up now!

I am trying to convince my GM to allow some stuff from Spycraft in there. It's a very underrated game in my opinion...

 

[RodneyThompson]

Dungeon 103/Polyhedron 162, I believe. It may not be on newsstands just yet, but subscribers have it.

 

[Buddha the DM]

Yeah I'm using the Hacker Talent Tree from Dungeon 103/Polyhedron 163 (which I have seen on the newstands where I am at), because it does a lot of what I wanted so I wouldn't have to take levels in the Shadowjack AdC just to get the same abilities.

Quote from Iscariot:

If you don't have it, I would suggest picking up Urban Arcana...the tech advanced classes in there are pretty good. And the techno-mages rock.

If you had read a little more carefully the first time I said:

Quote from Me:
z3r0 0n3 was created with material found in the d20 Modern RPG, Urban Arcana Campaign Setting, d20 Menace Manual, and Dungeon 103/Polyhedron 162. Skills are listed Total Bonus (Ranks), for example: Computer Use +30 (15).

 

[Iscariot]

If you had read a little more carefully the first time I said:

Yeah, yeah...it's late and I just spent 12 hours poring over more servers than should be legal for one company. *chuckles* I stand corrected.

 

[dream66_]

I liked the article in poly, but the talent tree didn't sit well with me, These things arn't so rare that only a few with the talent can do them... so I make all the options on that talent tree into things anyone can do with a computer use check

 

[RodneyThompson]

I can see that, and it's obviously the way we do it in Spycraft. However, I felt that many of the other talents in the various talent trees were inappropriate for hackers, so that was one incentive to give them something of their own. Also, as a former SysAdmin, I'd say anyone who's capable of doing those things on the hacker talent tree has at least a couple of levels in the Smart Hero class. It takes a while to learn how to do all those things, not to mention understanding how networks/the internet works, learning a programming language (though I'll admit picking up PERL is pretty easy), figuring out how not to get busted, learning security exploits, etc.

I can see it going either way. But glad you liked the article! Erik Mona's art staff really brought the characters to life, I thought.