Mitigate or remove the off-grid penalty from losing Kadiss connection.
Off-Grid Adaptation -- known on the Rim as "Running Dark" -- is the trained
ability to function without the Kadiss neural network. Most registered Core citizens
are born connected: Kadiss overlays navigation, social feeds, medical
telemetry, and a thousand small corrections nobody notices until they stop.
When that connection is lost (renounced, throttled, cut as sanction, or
hardware failure), the disorientation is physical -- nausea, spatial
confusion, phantom sensory gaps. Rim-born and unconnected individuals
develop this skill naturally; Core citizens must learn it the hard way.
In the verse, Running Dark is a survival skill on the frontier, a mark
of independence, and sometimes a punishment.
Rules Reference
Field
Value
Armor Check Penalty
false
Key Ability
WIS
Trained Only
false
Untrained Use
Suffer full off-grid disorientation penalty (-2 mental/Perception). No mitigation.
Key Ability
WIS
Notes
Special: Each rank reduces the off-grid disorientation penalty by 1 (minimum 0 at
2 ranks). Characters with 5+ ranks are considered fully acclimatised and
suffer no penalty regardless of Kadiss state. Characters born on the Rim
or raised unconnected start with 1 rank for free at character creation.
Special: Each rank reduces the off-grid disorientation penalty by 1 (minimum 0 at
2 ranks). Characters with 5+ ranks are considered fully acclimatised and
suffer no penalty regardless of Kadiss state. Characters born on the Rim
or raised unconnected start with 1 rank for free at character creation.
Untrained: Suffer full off-grid disorientation penalty (-2 on mental and Perception
checks) when Kadiss connection is lost. No mitigation. Untrained
characters are dependent on the network and cannot function without it.
Descriptors
dc: 10
Field
Value
dc
10
task
Resist disorientation after sudden Kadiss disconnect
dc: 15
Field
Value
dc
15
task
Function at full mental capacity while Running Dark
dc: 18
Field
Value
dc
18
task
Navigate social/technical systems without Kadiss access
dc: 20
Field
Value
dc
20
task
Guide an untrained ally through disorientation
dc: 25
Field
Value
dc
25
task
Operate in a dead-zone with no Kadiss infrastructure
dc: 30
Field
Value
dc
30
task
Thrive permanently off-grid with no degradation
Synergy
bonus: 2
Field
Value
bonus
2
from
Survival
threshold
5
bonus: 2
Field
Value
bonus
2
from
Perception
threshold
5
Synergies
bonus: 2
Field
Value
bonus
2
ranks
5
skill
Survival
bonus: 2
Field
Value
bonus
2
ranks
5
skill
Perception
bonus: +1 Will saves, helps resist disorientation effects
Field
Value
bonus
+1 Will saves, helps resist disorientation effects
feat
Iron Will
Uses
application: Resist disorientation after sudden Kadiss disconnect
Field
Value
application
Resist disorientation after sudden Kadiss disconnect
dc
10
failure
Full disorientation; -2 on mental/Perception checks.
success
Disorientation shaken off; -1 penalty instead of -2.
application: Function at full mental capacity while Running Dark
Field
Value
application
Function at full mental capacity while Running Dark
dc
15
failure
Residual disorientation; -1 on complex mental tasks.
success
No penalty; mental operations normal.
application: Navigate social/technical systems without Kadiss access
Field
Value
application
Navigate social/technical systems without Kadiss access
dc
18
failure
Systems require Kadiss; must find alternative or fail.
success
Systems navigated manually; no Kadiss dependency.
application: Guide an untrained ally through disorientation
Field
Value
application
Guide an untrained ally through disorientation
dc
20
failure
Ally remains disoriented; guidance ineffective.
success
Ally's disorientation reduced by 1 step.
application: Operate in a dead-zone with no Kadiss infrastructure
Field
Value
application
Operate in a dead-zone with no Kadiss infrastructure
dc
25
failure
Capabilities reduced; -1 on all checks in dead-zone.
success
Full capability maintained; no degradation.
application: Thrive permanently off-grid with no degradation
Field
Value
application
Thrive permanently off-grid with no degradation
dc
30
failure
Not yet acclimatised; continue to suffer partial penalties.
success
Fully acclimatised; no penalty ever, regardless of Kadiss state.