Security Beastiary

General questions, debates, and rants about RPGs

Moderator: Moderators

Post Reply
User avatar
virgil
King
Posts: 6339
Joined: Fri Mar 07, 2008 7:54 pm

Security Beastiary

Post by virgil »

I am beginning a new campaign for Shadowrun (SR4, EotM), and this time I'm going to try to indulge in an idea that's been percolating in my head for some time: formalizing the security used in each facility. It's not quite the same as CR, but it's nominally a helpful idea to have a set of pre-made and ready-to-use templates that can get minor adjustments for any particular quirks for the facility.

My first step will be getting an idea for describing the facility itself. As every company and facility handles their security differently, giving variation on its types of security with obvious strengths and weaknesses. It was tempting to use a star-notation in honour of GTA, but I like the idea of a Japanese inspired grading system better. For each grade, not only do the number of units go up, but so do their quality. The examples of each Grade are intended to be typical, with wiggle room - a single patrol guard is C Grade, but if that single guard is a Red Samurai, the entire grade is raised to B. Contrariwise, stuffing your facility to the gills with mooks is nominally an S-Grade maneuver, but the whole thing becomes B if you make them all mall cops (on-site SWAT are given lethal rounds and armored vests).

The response & matrix security are still uncertain, and I welcome suggestions for what each of the grades should look like.

Facility Security Ratings, Personnel
  • S - Two per room minimum, heavy cyber or adept, on-site SWAT
    A - Sec armor, 2 per major location
    B - Armored guard w/SMG & assault rifle on alarm, 1 per major region
    C - Plain-clothed mall security (lethal weapon?)
    F - None
Facility Security Ratings, Mechanization
  • S - Mobile drone per room, dedicated elite rigger, all guards given training
    A - Mobile drones on patrol and in sensitive region, on-site rigger
    B - Tracked patrol drones, off-site rigger for maintenance
    C - Mid-grade maglocks on gates & doors tied to authorized personnel
    F - None
Facility Security Ratings, Magic
  • S - Fully warded, aspected, fiberoptic network, On-site high mage w/assistant, paracritter or spirit in each room
    A - Paracritters, major region w/wards, biomatter walls, patrolling spirit(s) w/on-site mage
    B - Ward on sensitive region, critters, single paracritter, on-call mage
    C - Astral sensitive guard
    F - None
Facility Security Ratings, Matrix
  • S - Dedicated white hat, Black ice on every PAN, off-site decker observation, Faraday isolation
    A -
    B -
    C - ICE installed on central PAN, off-site contract decker for maintenance
    F - None
Facility Security Ratings, Sensors
  • S - Monitored multi-spectrum cameras, two-factor authorization per door
    A - Interior sensors, biomonitors on personnel
    B - Perimeter cameras w/nightvision, motion sensor @ obvious points, and landscaping, sealed windows
    C - Visual camera on standard entryway(s)
    F - None
Facility Security Ratings, Response
  • S - Spirit-assisted VTOL assault squad, response time in 2min of alarm; forensics searches for 6 hours
    A -
    B -
    C - Local Lone Star contract, response time on scale of 20min; forensics is a rating 3 that makes a report an hour later
    F - None, either Z-Zone or too off-the-books to permit additional eyes
Come see Sprockets & Serials
How do you confuse a barbarian?
Put a greatsword a maul and a greataxe in a room and ask them to take their pick
EXPLOSIVE RUNES!
Trill
Knight
Posts: 398
Joined: Fri May 26, 2017 11:47 am

Post by Trill »

Maybe for Matrix
S - Dedicated White hat (average pool of 15, DR 6+, most important programs at highest useful rating or slightly below), Black ICE on every PAN, Faraday Isolation of major Servers, Connection switches on most rooms (so that the hacker can be shunted off the system and needs to move to another room), off-site decker observation, Faraday isolation, multiple Halberstam babies
A - Grey ICE on every PAN, Black ICE on central PAN, on-site decker (average pool of 12, DR 6) for maintenance and defense, separated servers with physical connection switches (so that areas are shut off from another unless you open the fiberoptic connection between them), Directional Retransmitters in every larger room, maybe one Halberstam baby
B - White ICE on every PAN, Grey ICE on central PAN, on-site decker (average pool of 9, DR 4) for maintenance, hidden/sealed servers (so that you can't easily find them in person), Directional Retransmitters on central area (lobby?)
C - White ICE on central PAN, off-site decker (average pool of 9, DR 4) for maintenance
F - None

And for Response Time
S - Spirit assisted VTOL assault squad, response time ~2 min, forensics are rating 6 that searches for 6 hours including astral scans and spirit assisted search
A - Firewatch or similar contract, response time ~5 min, forensics are rating 5, search for 4 hours, look for DNA or blood samples, maybe look for astral signature
B - KE or similar contract, response time ~10 min, forensics are rating 3, look for 2 hours, maybe a magician there
C - LS or similar, response time ~20 min, forensics are rating 3, look for 1 hour
F - none
User avatar
Whipstitch
Prince
Posts: 3660
Joined: Fri Apr 29, 2011 10:23 pm

Post by Whipstitch »

A fortifications rating to note architectural quirks might be handy too. You know, bollards, security barriers, hideous death traps. The fun stuff.
bears fall, everyone dies
Trill
Knight
Posts: 398
Joined: Fri May 26, 2017 11:47 am

Post by Trill »

Hmm, what about this
Facility Security Ratings, Structure
S - Z-Zone, hardened walls, bunker, big steel shutters/door, every door has anti-tamper at highest rating and electro-shocker built in, fireproof, fire protection system with separate flame retardant tanks, bulletproof doors and windows (if any), UV-Cleaned small ventilation shafts, caltrop/spike deployment
A - Armored/Reinforced walls, fire sealant doors, fire protection system with big water reservoir, many doors have anti-tamper 3 with some having 4, medium sized ventilation shafts with UV lights, extendible barrier elements, reinforced polarized windows
B - Heavy material walls, smoke control door, fire extinguishers at most places with a central fire control system with moderate water supply, some doors might have AT 3 but for most it'll be AT 1, normal but polarizable windows, normal ventilation shafts with one or two UV lights
C - Normal walls, you are lucky if you have even normal fire extinguishers (or at least a bucket of sand), if the doors have anti-tamper at all it's most likely going to be AT 1, natural ventilation shafts, barriers are what you have at hand, windows are normal windows but don't test their stability
F - Mud house, slum buildings, the biggest problem is deciding what hole you want enter through
Post Reply