Hacker

With the advent of computer technology and its complete proliferation through society came the rise of a new market - and with it, those who would exploit it. When every confidential piece of information, every storage of wealth, every happy memory is stored online, those who can break through their security systems are widely viewed as the most dangerous and powerful individuals on the planet. Hackers will often find themselves on both sides of the firewall - black hats, who specialise in infiltrating any system, and white hats, who work to stop them. This is not a battle of good and evil - some black hats will break into company databases to leak damning information, and some white hats are just in it for the exorbitant money those companies will dish out to prevent that from happening, regardless of the harm the company they defend is causing. Whichever path you take, however, your skills in cracking code are second to none.

Hacker's Paradigm

When you choose this archetype at 3rd level, you gain proficiency with Hacking Tools, and your proficiency bonus is doubled for any check you make with it. In addition, you select a hacking ideal you wish to emulate: the black hat or the white hat. Black hats are hackers, often called crackers, who illegally access systems (often, but not always, with malicious intent), while white hats are hackers who access systems to identify weaknesses in their defences and protect them from black hats.

Black Hat. You gain proficiency in either Deception or Stealth (your choice).

White Hat. You gain proficiency in either Deception or Insight (your choice).

Your choices also determine benefits later in this subclass.

Hack the Weave

Also at 3rd level, you gain an innate understanding of the ways in which modern technology connects to ancient arcana. You have a number Hacking points equal to half your Rogue level (rounded up). You regain all spent Hacking points when you finish a long rest. With these points, you can cast certain spells dependent on your Hacker’s Paradigm, shown below. To do so, you must have Hacking Tools on hand. When you cast one of these spells, you expend a number of Hacking points equal to the spell’s level.

Starting at 3rd level, you can only expend 1 Hacking point when casting a spell with this feature. This number increases by 1 when you reach 7th level (2 points), 13th level (3 points), and 17th level (4 points). In addition, you can spend additional Hacking points to increase the level of a spell you cast in this way. The spell’s level increases by 1 for each additional Hacking point you used.

Finally, you can cast one of these spells as a ritual if that spell has the ritual tag and you have the spell prepared. You must have Hacking Tools on hand for the entire duration of the spell’s casting.

Black Hat Spells

Hacking Points	Hacker Spells
1	Illusory Script, Remote Access (MM)
2	Arcane Hacking (MM), Digital Phantom (MM)
3	Haywire (MM)
4	System Backdoor (MM)

 

White Hat Spells

Hacking Points	Hacker Spells
1	Alarm, Identify
2	Arcane Lock, Arcanist's Magic Aura
3	Sending
4	Conjure Knowbot (MM)

Cunning Hack

Starting at 9th level, you can use the bonus action granted by your Cunning Action to take use Hacking Tools that you are holding.

Avid Researcher

By 13th level, you know exactly where to find any information you will ever need. Whenever you are about to make an Intelligence check to recall information, you can choose to spend at least 1 minute scouring the interent for additional information before you make it, granting yourself advantage on that check.

Paradigm Shift

When you reach 13th level, you gain additional benefits determined by your Paradigm.

Black Hat: Expert Saboteur. Whenever you are successful in a hacking attempt, you can expend 1 to 3 Hacking points to perform a sabotage. When you do so, you can choose a number of the following benefits equal to the number of points you expended:

• You can deal damage to the target of your hack equal to your Sneak Attack. A construct or other mechanical creature affected by this must also make a Constitution saving throw (DC 8 + your proficiency bonus + your Intelligence modifier) or become incapacitated until the end of their next turn.
• If the target of your hack was a system with storage, you can also choose one item within that storage to permanently delete.
• You and your allies have advantage on any Dexterity (Stealth) and Intelligence (Hacking Tools) checks you make to avoid detection within the targeted system and from cameras and other detection tools connected to that system.

White Hat: Honeypot. You can expend 3 Hacking points and spend 1 hour to create a honeypot within a database, network, or system. When you create a honeypot, make an Intelligence (Hacking Tools) check. If a creature is required to make a saving throw against an effect caused by your honeypot, the DC equal your check. Honeypots allow white hats to log hacking attempts and research the perpetrators. A honeypot grants the following benefits to that system:

• You can choose one item within a database or network to guard from deletion. That item cannot be deleted unless the hacker manages to beat your honeypot DC with a contested Intelligence (Hacking Tools) check.
• The hacker must make a Wisdom (Insight) check contested against your honeypot DC to determine that a honeypot is in place. On a failed check, you instantly receive a notification alerting you of a hack attempt against that honeypot.
• You have advantage on Wisdom (Insight) checks to discover how the hack occurred, from where, with what tools, and by whom.