Environment — The Silicon Demi-Plane

The Silicon Demi-Plane Environment

AX.GIL.13.09

The Silicon Demi-Plane is not metaphorical. To a Plane-Walker, it is a physical environment: walkable, navigable, dangerous, and architecturally coherent in the way that a building is architecturally coherent, something was designed here, and the design has internal logic that can be read and used.

What the Demi-Plane looks like to a Plane-Walker is a function of what network they have entered. Corporate server arrays present as dense tower clusters, massive, ordered, uniformly hostile to unauthorized presence. Legacy infrastructure presents as older architecture, sometimes half-collapsed, sometimes still running processes that have been forgotten for decades. Deep archives present as library structures extending in directions that don't follow physical geometry. The foundational layer, the base Axiomatic substrate that all NTC infrastructure runs on, presents as something that experienced Plane-Runners describe as "a city that was always there before the city was built."

This section defines the Demi-Plane as a navigable encounter environment: its physical laws, architectural typology, movement and range mechanics, in-Plane combat, and the entities that threaten practitioners within it. It concludes with a fully keyed example network for immediate table use.

13.09.01 - PHYSICAL LAWS OF THE DEMI-PLANE

Presence and Absence

A Plane-Walker's physical body remains in the material world, unconscious and vulnerable. Their Presence, the in-Plane manifestation of their consciousness and Technomancy capability, is what navigates the Net.

Presence has no physical form in the conventional sense. It manifests to other in-Plane entities (Plane-Walkers, bound spirits, Logic-Viruses) as something between a silhouette and a harmonic signature, recognizable as a specific individual to entities that know how to read it, but not necessarily distinguishable to automated defenses that are looking for unauthorized access signatures rather than specific practitioners.

A Plane-Walker's Presence has the following properties: - It can be harmed by in-Plane attacks, which deal Psychic damage to the practitioner's physical body - It cannot be destroyed independently of the practitioner, if the Presence is reduced to 0 Psychic Health (defined below), the practitioner is forcibly ejected with Backlash - It can interact with in-Plane architecture: opening doors, reading data nodes, triggering defense responses - It cannot affect the physical world directly from within the Net, Plane-Walking and physical interaction are mutually exclusive until the practitioner returns

Psychic Health

In-Plane, the standard Health pool is replaced by Psychic Health: a separate pool tracking how much harmonic damage the Presence can absorb before forcible ejection.

Psychic Health = Wit value × 3

This pool is separate from physical Health and does not carry damage between them, Psychic damage in the Net does not reduce physical Health (unless the ejection Backlash effect specifies otherwise). Physical Health recovered while in the Net (via perk or item use by an ally on the practitioner's body) does not restore Psychic Health.

Psychic Health recovers on Short Rest after the practitioner exits the Net, at full physical HP recovery rate.

Wit Value	Psychic Health
1D	3
2D	6
3D	9
4D	12
5D	15

Design note: A standard party Plane-Walker with Wit 3D has 9 Psychic Health, enough for three significant in-Plane combat hits before ejection. This creates meaningful combat resource management without making the Net instantly fatal.

Forcible Ejection

When a Plane-Walker's Psychic Health reaches 0, they are forcibly ejected from the Net. Forcible ejection triggers Backlash at the standard Plane-Walking Backlash table (AX.GIL.08.01), at Moderate severity unless the character has a Backlash Buffer perk (which reduces it one step to Minor). The practitioner's body regains consciousness immediately but is Stunned for 1D3 Turns.

A practitioner who is forcibly ejected cannot re-enter the same network for the rest of the scene, the ejection codes their harmonic signature as hostile, and re-entry would require a new authentication approach.

Range and Movement

Inside the Net, standard AxiomRPG Range Bands apply with a single adjustment: Distance in the Demi-Plane is measured in architectural terms rather than physical distance.

In-Plane Range	Architectural Equivalent	Physical World Analog
Touch	Same node	Same data cluster
Close	Same room	Same device or process
Near	Adjacent room / same floor	Same server rack or subnet
Far	Adjacent wing / next floor	Same building's network
Distant	Across the facility	Same corporate network, different building
Remote	Outside the facility	Different network entirely

Moving between Range Bands within a navigable network requires a Move Action, the Presence physically traverses the architecture. Moving from one network to another (Far → Remote or Remote) requires a navigation roll and is not possible in a single Move Action (see Part Three: Navigation).

In-Plane Physics

The Demi-Plane follows architectural logic, not physical law: - Gravity is directional but not universal, some network architectures have no meaningful up or down; others enforce strict vertical orientation. This rarely matters mechanically but shapes description. - Light and visibility are determined by the network's access state, authorized areas are clearly lit; unauthorized zones may be dark, requiring a Plane-Walking roll to navigate without triggering alarms - Walls, doors, and barriers exist as logical constructs, a Plane-Walker cannot pass through them by walking; they must find doors (legitimate access points), force them (contested Logic-Binding roll), or use a different approach - Size categories do not apply, in-Plane entities are whatever size the architecture or their own projection makes them; a Logic-Virus that fills a corridor and a Pattern Intelligence that manifests as a point of light are both present in the same space

13.09.02 - ARCHITECTURE TYPOLOGY

The following location types represent the building blocks of any network a Plane-Walker navigates. GMs compose networks from these elements, combining as many as the scenario requires.

THE ACCESS NODE

A junction point, a space where multiple data pathways converge. In architecture: a lobby, a hub, an intersection. In network terms: the first authenticated space after entry.

Navigation: Access Nodes are the standard entry point for most networks. Entering a network means entering its Access Node first, unless the Plane-Walker has a pre-established deep-entry point (NTC Network Fixer profession perk, or prior reconnaissance).

Defenses: Most Access Nodes have at least one automated defense construct, either a passive Authentication Monitor (detects unauthorized harmonic signatures, Threshold 2 Stealth roll to pass without triggering) or an active Sentry Construct (see AX.GIL.13.05). High-security networks may have both.

Features: Always contains at least one data pathway leading toward the network's interior. May contain partial directory information readable to a Plane-Walker who succeeds on a Wit + Technical roll vs Threshold 2, enough to know roughly where things are in this network's architecture.

THE DATA VAULT

Dense, ordered, architecturally compressed, a space where large amounts of stored information manifests as physical mass. Feels like a library where all the books are walls.

Navigation: Vaults are typically locked behind additional authentication barriers, expect Threshold 3–4 in-Plane Locks (see Part Four: Obstacles). Inside, data retrieval is a Physical action: the Plane-Walker literally picks up the relevant data construct and carries it toward an exit node.

Defenses: Vaults often contain Trap Logic (see AX.GIL.13.05), embedded defense code that triggers on data access rather than on entry. Touching the wrong data cluster triggers the trap. A Plane-Walking Awareness roll (AX.GIL.08.02) identifies trap constructs before the Plane-Walker contacts them.

Features: Data Vaults are the primary objective locations for most corporate espionage runs. The target data is physically present and retrievable. Volume of data matters, a single document is one action; a full database extract is a sustained effort requiring multiple scene-length extraction rolls (Wit + Technical vs Threshold 2 per extraction, with the Plane-Walker remaining in the Vault and vulnerable throughout).

THE PROCESS CHAMBER

An active space where bound hardware is doing work, computation, transaction processing, control signal generation. The architectural equivalent of a factory floor in motion.

Navigation: Process Chambers are often the most disorienting Demi-Plane spaces; they are kinetic, loud (in the harmonic sense), and spatially complex. Movement through an active Process Chamber requires a Pilot equivalent: Wit + Technomancy vs Threshold 2 to navigate without bumping into active processes, which may trigger defense responses.

Defenses: Active processes may include bound spirits operating as unintentional physical obstacles; they are not hostile, but they will physically interact with an unauthorized Presence and may attract automated defense attention. Hardware Exorcist characters can direct bound spirits away from a collision course with a Logic-Binding roll vs Threshold 2.

Features: Process Chambers are the right target for Logic-Binding sabotage (altering a running process) and for finding the active instruction set that a Logic-Virus is running (which can be extracted and used to author a counter-virus). Access to a running Process Chamber also provides temporary control of whatever the process manages, traffic systems, financial transaction routing, security door controls.

THE FIREWALL

Not a room, a barrier. In architecture, the equivalent of a reinforced door in a security corridor: something that blocks movement from one network area to another until the correct authorization is provided.

Navigation: Firewalls are in-Plane Locks at elevated Threshold. They cannot be moved around, the architectural logic of the network forces all traffic through them. Bypassing a Firewall requires either: - A valid authentication key (obtained from an Access Node directory or from an in-Net contact) - A forced Logic-Binding breach (Wit + Technomancy vs Firewall Threshold, failure triggers an alarm) - Spirit Severance to remove the bound spirit maintaining the Firewall (Threshold equals Firewall Threshold; the Firewall collapses but the network detects the severance immediately)

Firewall Thresholds:

Security Level	Threshold	Associated Network Type
Standard	2	Commercial networks, consumer infrastructure
Hardened	3	Corporate internal networks, NVS logistics
Military Grade	4	LGT legal archive, BVHI deep vault systems
Black Site	5	NTC classified infrastructure, HIA Probability Engine architecture

Alarms: A failed Firewall breach attempt triggers a network alarm. Alarm consequences: - Standard Network: One automated Sentry Construct activates at the Firewall within 1D3 Turns - Hardened Network: Two Sentry Constructs activate; a flag is sent to an NTC-monitored alert system (Certification Flag may be triggered against the practitioner's registered Neural-Jack within 24 hours) - Military Grade +: Immediate Sentry deployment; a live NTC Plane-Runner or Hardware Exorcist NPC begins navigating toward the breach point within the scene

THE CORRUPTED ZONE

A section of network that has been compromised, either by an active Logic-Virus, by the effects of Entropy Collapse on the local Net, or by deliberate architectural sabotage. Visually: the geometry is wrong. Pathways loop back on themselves. Data constructs have merged into something not intended.

Navigation: Corrupted Zones require a navigation roll every Move Action: Wit + Technomancy vs Threshold 2, or the Plane-Walker's movement is negated (they end up where they started). On a Critical Failure, they are displaced to a random adjacent zone.

Defenses: Logic-Viruses (see AX.GIL.13.05) are native inhabitants of Corrupted Zones, they thrive in architectural instability. Expect hostile encounters. Corrupted Zones often contain torn remnants of bound spirits, not hostile entities, but fragments of harmonic signature that damage the Presence on contact (1D3 Psychic damage for each fragment contacted during movement; Notice roll vs Threshold 2 to identify and avoid them).

Features: Corrupted Zones are dangerous, but they are also outside normal network monitoring, no Sentry Constructs operate effectively here, and Firewall logic doesn't apply to Corrupted architecture. They are excellent infiltration routes for Plane-Walkers willing to take the navigation risk.

THE POCKET

A deliberately isolated micro-network: a space sealed off from the broader Net by a Logic-Binding boundary layer. Can only be accessed by the practitioner who created it or by someone with the access key. Used for private communications, secure data staging, and as hiding places.

Navigation: Only accessible with the creation key or a Threshold 4 Logic-Binding breach. Architecturally invisible to unauthorized observers, cannot be detected by passive navigation, only by a Plane-Walking Awareness roll vs Threshold 3.

Defenses: None built-in. The security is access restriction, not active defense. A Pocket without additional defenses is safe if it remains undetected.

Features: Pockets are the in-Net equivalent of safe houses. NTC Plane-Runners create them as staging areas during long runs. Demi-Plane Intelligences use them as residences. Some Pockets predate the current network architecture, orphaned micro-networks from old corporate mergers, sealed and forgotten, occasionally still occupied.

Navigating a known network, one the Plane-Walker has been in before or has received architectural maps of, requires no rolls for movement. Move Actions move the Presence between Range Bands normally.

Navigating an unknown network requires a Navigation Roll per zone entered for the first time: Wit + Technomancy vs Threshold determined by network security level (Standard = 1, Hardened = 2, Military Grade = 3, Black Site = 4).

Navigation Roll Results: - Success: The Plane-Walker moves to the intended destination zone. - Failure: The Plane-Walker moves to an unintended adjacent zone (GM determines which; choose the most inconvenient option that is still plausible). - Critical Failure: The Plane-Walker triggers an alert response in the zone they ended up in, in addition to being in the wrong place.

Network Maps

Architectural maps of a target network, obtained via prior reconnaissance, NTC source intelligence, or Data Vault extraction from within the network, convert unknown navigation to known navigation. Their value cannot be overstated: a party planning a Net run should treat acquiring a network map as a priority objective in the session before the run.

Network Fixer (NTC profession, AX.GIL.07.03) characters with the appropriate progression can acquire network maps as part of their Stage 3 Faction Pull. HIA Shadow-Census Pull may include architectural diagrams for publicly-registered corporate networks.

Deep Entry

A Plane-Walker with a Deep Entry Point, a compromised access node, a backdoor left by a previous run, or a deliberate vulnerability, can skip the Access Node and enter the network at a specific interior zone. This eliminates the need for Firewall navigation between the entry point and the original Access Node, at the cost of the compromised entry's reliability.

Deep Entry Points decay: each time one is used, roll 1D6. On a 1, the entry has been patched and closes permanently. On a 2–3, it triggers an alert on use (the network registers the anomalous entry signature). On 4–6, it remains functional.

13.09.04 - IN-PLANE OBSTACLES

Locks

In-Plane Locks are barriers (doors, Firewalls, encryption walls) that require a Logic-Binding roll to open. Threshold is determined by the lock's security grade (see Firewall table above). On success, the Lock opens and the Plane-Walker passes. On failure, the Lock holds, a second attempt may be made, but each failed attempt increases the chance of triggering an alarm.

Alarm Accumulation: Track failed Lock attempts. After two failed attempts on the same Lock, the network's alarm system registers a potential intrusion attempt, Sentry Constructs activate within 1D3 Turns regardless of whether the Plane-Walker eventually opens the Lock.

Traps

Trap Logic (see AX.GIL.13.05) is embedded in specific data clusters, Vault sections, or architectural elements as a tripwire defense. Unlike Locks, Traps do not prevent movement; they punish undetected contact.

Detection: Plane-Walking Awareness (AX.GIL.08.02) identifies Trap Logic as a Free Action if it exists within Near range. Hardware Exorcists may make a Wit + Attunement roll vs Threshold 2 to detect Traps in their current zone without actively Plane-Walking (using Network Presence instead).

Trigger: On contact with a Trap, it activates immediately. Trap effects are defined in AX.GIL.13.05. Most Traps also send a network alert.

Pursuing Entities

Sentry Constructs that have been alerted move toward the Plane-Walker's last detected position one Range Band per Turn. They navigate known architecture accurately; they cannot follow into Corrupted Zones without a navigation check.

If a Sentry Construct reaches the same zone as the Plane-Walker, in-Plane combat begins (see Part Five). The Plane-Walker can disengage and flee to an adjacent zone as a Move Action, the Sentry may pursue.

13.09.05 - IN-PLANE COMBAT

In-Plane combat uses standard AxiomRPG combat rules with the following modifications:

Attributes: In-Plane, Wit governs all combat. Body has no in-Plane application. Speed governs in-Plane movement-based rolls (evasion, positioning, disengaging). The standard combat formula of Attribute + Talent applies with Wit replacing Body for attack and damage purposes.

Damage: All in-Plane damage is Psychic damage, applied to the Psychic Health pool. It does not affect physical Health during the combat (Backlash effects may cause physical consequences on ejection).

Talents in use: Logic-Binding (attack, overwriting entity behavior or structure), Technomancy (general in-Plane action), Stealth (approach, hide from detection), Technical (system manipulation during combat). Standard combat Talents like Strike are not applicable in-Plane.

Defense: In-Plane Defense = Wit ÷ 3 (round down, minimum 1), plus any in-Plane defense bonuses from equipment or perks.

Conditions in-Plane: Standard Conditions apply with in-Plane fictional expression: - Stunned: entity's processing freezes for the Turn - Prone: entity is destabilized in the architecture (equivalent to being knocked off a walkway) - Restrained: entity is Logic-Bound to a fixed point in the architecture

Exiting during combat: A Plane-Walker may exit the Net as a Minor Action at any time. If they exit while in combat, the exit is immediate; they return to physical consciousness. The in-Plane combat resolves without them. Exiting with Psychic damage below half of Psychic Health maximum triggers Backlash at Minor severity.

13.09.06 - CERULEAN VAULT NETWORK (CVN)

A KEYED EXAMPLE NETWORK

The Cerulean Vault Network is a mid-tier corporate financial archive owned by a shell company with LGT credential backing and NVS commercial registration. It stores transaction histories, title documents, and credential records for an entity the party has reason to investigate. The network is Hardened (Threshold 3 Firewalls) but not extraordinary, a skilled Plane-Runner can navigate it cleanly if they are careful.

This network is designed as a 4–6 zone run for a Plane-Runner character with 1–2 additional in-Net support from NTC-profession allies, with the rest of the party managing the physical-world body-protection problem.

CVN ARCHITECTURE OVERVIEW

[ENTRY NODE, CVN-1]
        |
  [FIREWALL A, Threshold 3]
        |
  [AUTHENTICATION LAYER, CVN-2]
        |        \
[PROCESS FLOOR    [CORRUPTED ANNEX
   CVN-3]           CVN-4 (optional route)]
        |        /
  [FIREWALL B, Threshold 3]
        |
[INNER VAULT, CVN-5]
        |
[DATA CORE, CVN-6]

CVN-1: ENTRY NODE, "The Lobby"

The first space beyond the network's outer perimeter. Architecturally: a wide low-ceilinged room, clean white geometry, no furniture. Three pathways lead forward, two to Firewall A and one to an unlabeled door.

Automatic Defense: One Authentication Monitor (passive, detects unauthorized harmonic signatures; Stealth vs Threshold 2 on entry or it pings the network). Does not attack; only alerts.

The Unlabeled Door: Leads to a maintenance access Pocket, a dead zone where network fragments from an old corporate acquisition are still partially active. Contains no useful data but also no active defenses. A Plane-Walker who hides here during a Sentry pursuit is not followed (Sentries have no record of this space).

What the Plane-Walker Knows: From CVN-1, a successful Navigation Roll (Threshold 2, unknown architecture) reveals the two-Firewall structure and the approximate location of the Data Core. Failure puts them at the unlabeled door instead of Firewall A.

FIREWALL A, Threshold 3

Architecturally: a door that fills the entire wall, no visible seams, no handle, no gap. The harmonic signature radiates in concentric waves. There is a slot that reads access keys.

Lock: Threshold 3 Logic-Binding roll to breach. One failure raises network alert level, Sentry begins navigating from CVN-3 on Turn 2 after the failed attempt.

Alternative: If the party obtained an access key during physical-world reconnaissance (from the shell company's offices, from an NVS data pull, or from a Network Fixer contact), the key bypasses the lock entirely, no roll required.

CVN-2: AUTHENTICATION LAYER, "The Registry"

A space that feels like a post office, rows of pigeonholes, each one a credential record. In the center: a bound spirit serving as the network's authentication entity, manifesting as a robed figure sitting at a desk, reading a ledger that doesn't end.

The Authentication Spirit: Not hostile. It is doing its job, verifying credentials. If approached directly, it will ask for authentication. A valid credential token means free passage. Without one: contested Logic-Binding roll (Wit + Technomancy vs the Spirit's Technomancy 2D pool) to convince it the credentials are valid. Failure triggers immediate alert and the Spirit becomes hostile (Threshold 3 combat encounter, 10 Psychic Health).

What's Here: The Registry contains the credential records for every authorized user of this network. A Plane-Walker who succeeds on a Wit + Technical roll vs Threshold 2 can extract a list of all authorized users, useful intelligence about who actually runs this shell company.

Hardware Exorcist Note: A Hardware Exorcist who examines the Authentication Spirit with Deep Knowledge can determine that the Spirit was originally a financial transaction processor, not an authentication entity; it was repurposed without a full behavioral rewrite. This creates a vulnerability: asking it questions framed as transaction queries rather than authentication queries may produce authorized-level responses without triggering the security layer.

CVN-3: PROCESS FLOOR, "The Engine"

Motion everywhere. Data constructs in constant transit. The sound (harmonic perception of it) is constant, a low hum that resolves into distinct tones on close attention, each one a different running process. Three active bound spirits move through the space like maintenance workers, not noticing the Plane-Walker unless directly contacted.

Navigation: Movement through CVN-3 requires a Wit + Technomancy vs Threshold 2 roll each Move Action (active Process Chamber navigation rules). Failure returns the Plane-Walker to their starting position for that action.

Active Processes: The floor is running six active processes. A Plane-Walker who spends a Primary Action examining the process list (Wit + Technical vs Threshold 2) can identify what each process does. Relevant findings: one process is routing financial data in real-time; one process is maintaining a communication channel to an external network the party has not yet seen; one process has anomalous behavior consistent with a Logic-Virus recently introduced by someone else.

The Interloper Virus: There is already a hostile Logic-Virus in CVN-3, a minor propagation virus (see AX.GIL.13.05) that has been slowly corrupting the Process Floor for an estimated two weeks. It is not the party's target; it was introduced by someone else. It will attack any Plane-Walker it detects (Plane-Walking Awareness roll vs Threshold 2 to detect it before it attacks). Its presence explains why Firewall B was recently upgraded, the network's operators detected anomalous activity and tightened internal security in response.

The Alternate Route: From CVN-3, the Plane-Walker can see the Corrupted Annex (CVN-4), a section of the floor that the Virus has already partially corrupted. The Corrupted Annex leads to Firewall B from the other side, bypassing its Lock, but navigating through unstable Corrupted Zone architecture (Threshold 2 navigation rolls, Logic-Virus encounters possible).

CVN-4: CORRUPTED ANNEX, "The Scar"

A section of CVN-3 that has been eaten. The geometry is wrong, floor panels loop, walls have dissolved into data noise, the path forward is guessable but not obvious. The Interloper Virus is most concentrated here.

Navigation: Threshold 2 Wit + Technomancy roll per Move Action (Corrupted Zone rules). Critical Failure displaces to a random adjacent zone.

Defense: Two additional instances of the Interloper Virus have established themselves here. They are more aggressive than the CVN-3 instance; they actively hunt unauthorized presences. Full in-Plane combat encounters (see AX.GIL.13.05 for Propagation Virus stat block).

Reward: Successfully navigating to the far end of the Annex puts the Plane-Walker inside Firewall B, no Lock roll required. The Firewall reads them as already interior. This saves one contested roll and the alarm risk it represents.

FIREWALL B, Threshold 3

The inner perimeter. Architecturally identical to Firewall A but the harmonic density is higher, the recent upgrade in response to the Interloper Virus. The slot for access keys is present but a second authentication step has been added: the key must be validated against the Registry's current authorized list.

Lock: Threshold 3 Logic-Binding roll to breach. The recent upgrade means the alarm sensitivity is higher, a single failed attempt triggers immediate Sentry deployment (no 1D3 Turn delay).

Alternative (from Corrupted Annex): If the party came through CVN-4, they are already past Firewall B. No Lock roll required.

CVN-5: INNER VAULT, "The Treasury"

Quieter than the Process Floor. Heavy architecture, the digital equivalent of thick walls and no windows. Data constructs here are dense, compressed, and structured with the obsessive organization of someone who expects to be audited. This is clearly the real archive.

Defense: A Sentry Construct (see AX.GIL.13.05, Sentry Construct stat block) patrols in a repeating pattern. Plane-Walking Awareness (Threshold 2) reveals the patrol route. Stealth vs Threshold 2 to remain undetected during the patrol's passage. If the Sentry detects the Plane-Walker: full in-Plane combat encounter.

The Archive: Contains organized records in physical data constructs organized by date, transaction type, and counterparty. What the party is looking for is here. Locating the specific target data within the Vault requires a Wit + Technical roll vs Threshold 2, success identifies the correct construct immediately; failure means one additional scene of searching (the Sentry makes another patrol pass during that time).

Secondary Finding: The archive contains evidence of a second shell company operating as a counterparty to all the transactions the party is investigating. Its credential records trace to a Network Fixer contact who was never supposed to be visible in these records. This is not what the party came for. It is considerably more significant.

CVN-6: DATA CORE, "The Heart"

The geometric center of the network. A single large space with one feature: a data construct the size of a building. This is the master archive, not the transaction records, but the meta-record of the network's own operation. The full history of everything this network has ever done.

Access: CVN-6 requires a Threshold 4 Logic-Binding roll to access; it is the most secure space in the network. No alternative route bypasses this Threshold.

What's Here: Full network operational history, including the external communication channel identified in CVN-3. The channel connects to a second network, a separate, Black Site-grade architecture that this shell company has access to and that no publicly-registered entity should be using. Extracting the access key to this second network is a Threshold 3 extraction roll, one scene. The implications of that key are an adventure hook, not a conclusion.

Defense: No Sentry Construct, the Threshold 4 Lock is the defense. But the Data Core is monitored; any successful entry (even authorized) generates a passive alert log that will be reviewed within 24 hours. The party may not know about this log. They will find out when someone comes looking.

CVN, GM Quick Reference

Zone	Primary Challenge	Alert State After Entry
CVN-1 Entry Node	Stealth vs 2 (Authentication Monitor)	Passive alert if failed
Firewall A	Logic-Binding vs 3	Active alert on failure
CVN-2 Authentication	Contested vs Spirit 2D or credential	Active alert + combat on failure
CVN-3 Process Floor	Navigation vs 2 (each Move); Virus present	Virus attacks on detection
CVN-4 Corrupted Annex	Navigation vs 2 + Virus combat	Virus combat; bypasses Firewall B
Firewall B	Logic-Binding vs 3 (or bypassed via CVN-4)	Immediate Sentry on failure
CVN-5 Inner Vault	Sentry patrol + extraction vs 2	Sentry combat if detected
CVN-6 Data Core	Logic-Binding vs 4	Passive monitor log (24hr review)
## 13.09.07 - DESIGN NOTES

The Demi-Plane fills the design gap noted in AX.GIL.08.01. The Plane-Walking discipline rules state the Net is "a literal, navigable spatial architecture"; this section formalizes what that means at the table. Every design decision here has been made to be consistent with the existing Plane-Walking rules while extending them into playable encounter structure.

Psychic Health as a separate pool solves two problems. First, it prevents in-Net damage from being trivially avoided by high-Health Body characters doing a quick Plane-Walking run. Second, it prevents Plane-Walking from being inviable for fragile high-Wit characters, the Psychic pool scales with Wit, so the best Plane-Walkers (high-Wit Gnomes) are also the most durable in-Net.

The CVN example is deliberately mid-tier. It demonstrates all the architecture types and obstacle categories without requiring an Elite-level Plane-Runner to survive. A Stage 1–2 Plane-Runner (1–2D Technomancy) can complete the CVN run with preparation and reasonable luck. A Stage 3 Plane-Runner completes it cleanly. This keeps the example usable as an introduction to the environment rather than a showcase of end-state capability.

Physical-world body protection is an intentional encounter design driver. The Plane-Walker's unconscious body is the table's primary tactical puzzle. Every Net run should generate a physical-world parallel encounter, what is the rest of the party doing while the Plane-Walker is in the Net? Designing the physical-world scene as a parallel engagement rather than a waiting period turns the Net run into a split-party encounter that both halves find meaningful.

Corruption and Logic-Viruses create organic encounter variation. The CVN's Interloper Virus is not placed by the network's operators; it is present because another party is already active in this network. This creates a triangle: the party is running the network, the Interloper's owners are running the network, and the network's owners are trying to figure out what is going wrong. Designing networks with third-party activity already underway produces encounter texture that feels genuinely alive.