Social operative might charm or deceive with words and body language, a tech specialist weaponizes the infosphere itself. A sudden proximity alert on a guard's wrist comm. A maintenance override that locks a door—just long enough to slip past. A vidscreen flicker that draws every eye in the room. These are the tools of the digital diverter.
Guild infiltrators, Rift scavengers, and corporate saboteurs all employ Digital Diversion as standard operating procedure. On crowded stations where every surface has a screen and every citizen carries a comm unit, the ability to manipulate attention through technology is as valuable as any weapon.
Digital Diversion is a level 1 general skill feat that lets Computers-trained characters create tactical distractions using digital devices instead of social trickery. Whether it's a sudden comm unit ping, a warning alarm on an equipment display, or a cascading system alert, characters with this feat can use their technical savvy to misdirect enemies and gain combat advantages.
This feat expands the Create a Diversion action beyond Deception, making it accessible to tech-focused characters who invest in Intelligence over Charisma.
Digital Diversion Feat 1
Source Player Core pg. 218
Prerequisites: trained in Computers
Requirements You are holding or wearing a hacking toolkit and have a free hand.
Whether it's a sudden comm unit ping or a warning alarm on an equipment display, you can Create a Diversion by using Computers instead of Deception on an adjacent target carrying, wearing, or wielding a tech item.
Applications
Digital Diversion enables a wide range of tactical and narrative uses in the Starfall Galaxy:
Combat Situations:
Flanking Setup: Trigger an alarm behind an enemy to make them turn, granting your ally a flanking position.
Escape Tactics: Flash a false alert on multiple screens to draw pursuit away from your escape route.
Ambush Preparation: Use equipment displays to distract guards while your team moves into position.
Infiltration Scenarios:
Guard Misdirection: Send a false priority message to a guard's comm unit, pulling them away from their post.
Crowd Control: Trigger multiple public terminals or displays to create chaos and slip through unnoticed.
Security Bypass: Create a localized alert that forces security to investigate a different area.
Non-Combat Uses:
Social Engineering: Use technical distractions to interrupt conversations or redirect attention during negotiations.
Investigation: Create diversions to gain access to restricted terminals or draw witnesses away from crime scenes.
Rift Exploration: Manipulate salvaged tech to distract or confuse automated defenses or semi-sentient systems.
Adventure Hooks
The False Alarm: A rival operative uses Digital Diversion to frame the party for a security breach. The PCs must prove their innocence while tracking down the real culprit.
Station Lockdown: During a critical infiltration, the party's tech specialist must use Digital Diversion repeatedly to keep security forces chasing false alerts while the team completes their mission.
Rift Salvage Deception: An ancient alien construct responds to digital signals. The party must use Digital Diversion to manipulate its attention patterns and avoid triggering its defenses.
Guild Exam: A Chronologists Guild test requires candidates to infiltrate a secured archive using only Digital Diversion and social stealth—no violence permitted.
Running Digital Diversion in Play
Allow creative use of environmental tech: public terminals, vidscreens, comm units, security panels, and starship displays all qualify as valid targets.
Consider the density of technology in your scene. Urban megacities and space stations offer more opportunities than frontier outposts or wilderness areas.
Digital Diversion creates mental distractions, not physical obstacles. It can draw attention but doesn't create cover or block movement.
Enemies with high Will saves or tech-resistant traits (constructs, AI, heavily augmented soldiers) may be harder to distract with digital tricks.
Digital Diversion transforms the Create a Diversion action into a tech-focused combat and infiltration tool, letting Computers-trained characters leverage their Intelligence to gain tactical advantages. When paired with Phreaker and other Computers feats, it becomes a cornerstone of improvised, adaptive playstyles that thrive in Starfall's tech-saturated environments.
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