Corruption

Every Character will have some amount of Corruption, so don't be concerned that your brand new Character will go Feral any time soon, unless you're going really crazy with your Character's IRIS. Specifically, this includes any bonuses to your Character's Traits, Augs or Skills you enhance your Character with. As you play, any further Trait ranks, Skill ranks and Augs you buy will also increase Corruption, so be cautious with your choices. Weapons, Armor, Equipment and Extensions have no impact on Corruption.

• Characters begin with 0 Corruption
• Each CP (Character Point) spent on Skills, Traits or Augs increases Corruption by the same amount. This includes the increased cost of buying rank 6+ for Skills and Traits.
• For example, spending 4 CP on a rank 4 Skill, 7 CP on rank 6 Trait and 5 CP on an Aug would lead to an increase of 16 Corruption. (4 + 7 + 5 = 11)
• In circumstances of extreme stress, your Corruption can “Trigger” as the IRIS attempts to influence you in your vulnerable state. When this happens, the Director will always offer you a choice, though this may not be obvious at the time. Whatever course of action you chose to take becomes exaggerated and extreme, but you have a powerful urge to cast aside normal restraint and continue anyway.
  • This begins a continuous Endurance test, making a roll each round and adding up the cumulative score. When your Endurance score exceeds your Corruption Level, the Corruption Breaks, returning your Character to normal. Until the Corruption Breaks, you make a choice each round with your actions.
  • Obeying Corruption gives you a bonus to your actions for 1 round or 1 minute, but your Corruption increases by 1 each time you do so.
  • Embracing Corruption doubles the normal bonus, but increases Corruption by 2 each round
  • Resisting Corruption by taking alternative action inflicts a penalty on all your actions for a round, but grants a bonus to your Endurance test and prevents your Corruption from increasing that round.

In certain circumstances, such as emotionally charged events or extreme danger, your Corruption may be “triggered” as the IRIS attempts to influence you in your vulnerable state.

• When, where and how often Corruption triggers is entirely at the Director's discretion, provided there is reasonable cause, as described in the Corruption Table below. Whenever Corruption triggers, the Director may make secret tests for each affected Character to see if or when Corruption Breaks. As a general rule, Characters who have already succumbed to corruption once or twice in a given session should probably be allowed to avoid further instances without testing.
• The Director is not obligated to make Players aware that Corruption has triggered. They may simply face Players with a given situation and ask how their Characters respond. Your decisions determine what form your Corruption takes. Don't be careless.

Corruption exaggerates the Character's natural responses. Most actions you can take will fall into one of three categories, which in turn decides how Corruption will manifest. This continues until the Corruption Breaks:

• Caution: Trying to avoid the situation, taking cautious actions or putting off any concrete action.
  • Corrupted into Paranoia: The Character experiences extreme fear and can only think of distancing themselves from the situation.

• Opportunism: Using the situation to benefit yourself. This can include resolving the situation, but in a selfish way.
  • Corrupted into Avarice: The Character maximizes their own benefit, even if this means directly harming others in the process.

• Resolution: Approaching the issue directly, looking for an expedient solution or focusing on the greater objective.
  • Corrupted into Fixation: The Character takes undue risks and makes excessive sacrifices in pursuing the most direct solution possible.

Each round your Character is affected by Corruption, you or the Director begins by making an Endurance roll. These scores are added cumulatively until the total equals or beats the Character's corruption level, at which point the Corruption ends. Until then, you have to deal with the effects of Corruption on your Character. Generally, your actions decide what happens without you needing to explicitly “select” one option:

• Obey Corruption: You take action which continues on the path of your current Corruption. This gives bonuses to your actions for 1 round or 1 minute, but raises your Corruption by 1 each time you do so.
• Embrace Corruption: You actively abandon yourself to the Corruption, consumed by fear, drunk with greed, blinded by obsession. This gives double bonuses to your actions for 1 round or 1 minute, but raises your Corruption by 2 each round until Corruption Breaks on its own. This choice cannot be revoked once committed to.
• Resist Corruption: You take action which defies the will of your IRIS. This can include inaction. This gives bonuses to your Endurance test for the round, but inflicts penalties on any other actions you take. Your Corruption will not increase during rounds you Resist.