Anyone connecting to the Grid, whether remotely or immersed, is represented by an avatar or “shadow.” Even operators of grid-deaf systems are represented by shadows when they are encountered by gridrunners accessing their systems physically.

Every user must have a shadow to interact with any portion of the Grid. A shadow takes the form of a three-dimensional interactive model that cannot overlap with any other object in the Grid—that is, it occupies its own virtual space. More than just a reflection of its user’s personality, a shadow is a collection of allocated memory that can transfer the user’s personal programs from site to site.

Shadows also represent their users in shadow combat, and any attacks made against an avatar actually represent attacks on the hardware and software of the user’s computer.

Shadows can take many forms and have many functions, and many are quite sophisticated, but even an amateur Grid user can put together a unique shadow within a matter of moments. All grid-capable computer hardware comes with a selection of default avatars that can be used on the fly, but the typical Grid user creates her own custom shadow.

If a shadow is destroyed, the user must create another one from scratch, re-designing its appearance, re-installing software, etc. This can take from a few minutes to hours or even days.

Every avatar is linked to a particular user and system. A floating, formless shadow that drifts from domain to domain and cannot be touched might prove quite useful to some-one with subterfuge on her mind, but no such shadows can exist, rumors and legends not-withstanding. This restriction is built into all of the software and hardware that makes the Grid work.

No “typical” shadow exists—a user may represent himself with anything from a stick figure to a Roman gladiator to a Ray Harryhausen skeleton. Lovable cartoon characters are quite popular, as are heroic figures such as wizards and valkyries. Most Grid users prefer to design their own custom avatars as unique personal statements. Others (particularly wealthy users with plenty of money to spend) pay professional avatar designers hefty sums of money to create shadow that cannot be duplicated—the virtual equivalent of hiring a personal tailor or fashion designer to forge a unique “look.” A massive tool-set is available for the creation of avatars, so Grid users have almost boundless resources available for creating avatar designs.

Avatar size is generally limited to the Grid equivalent of a Medium-size character, since collision problems could occur with giant shadows in small node spaces. Most Grid domains have programs that detect and dispel inappropriately sized shadows, although talented hackers can sometimes modify their avatars’ sizes for short periods of time before their handiwork is detected and scrapped. Otherwise, the Grid imposes few limitations on avatar appearances, and the virtual community tends to encourage creativity. The scope and quality of the shadow’s customization sets the amount of time (from a free action to days) and Computer Use DC (from 2 to 45) to perform it. There is no penalty for failing a roll other than having to start again.

Note that changing a shadow’s appearance can prevent an observer from recognizing it, but has no effect on traces or spikes and so on. Trying to disguise one shadow to look like another requires the same time as it would have taken to design it and a Computer Use check equal to the original DC +5.

Besides representing its operator on the Grid, a shadow also has the ability to store soft-ware. Whenever a user installs a program, she must store it in her avatar’s available active memory or it cannot be used on the Grid. Avatars can typically hold up to ten blocks of avail-able memory, regardless of the specific VR software and hardware in use. Some special abilities and gadgets can improve this number.

If the avatar doesn’t have enough avail-able memory blocks to run the desired program, the user must delete other programs to create enough space for the new one. Each program has a standard memory cost, which indicates the number of memory blocks required to run it. The program author chooses an object to represent the program on the Grid during the design process, and the shadow wears, holds, or carries that object from node to node as long as it has the program in its memory.

An shadow has its own statistics block, which replaces that of the user on the Grid. The shadow statistics block is pared down to include only those values relevant to operating on the Grid.

The statistics presented here are the typical base values for shadows. Hardware, software, feats, class abilities and other factors can modify these numbers.

Challenge Rating (CR): A shadow’s CR is equal to its user’s character level.

HD/hp: A shadow has as many Hit Dice (d6) as its user has character levels. It has maximum hit points for each Hit Die and gains bonus hit points equal to its user’s ranks in the Computer Use skill rather than adding points based on its Constitution score. For example, the Hit Dice entry for the shadow of a 4th-level Smart hero with 7 ranks in Computer Use is 4d6+7 HD, and it has 31 hit points.

A shadow that is reduced to 0 hit points is destroyed and cannot be reused.

Massive Damage Threshold (Mas): A typical shadow’s massive damage threshold equals its user’s Intelligence score. If a shadow takes damage in excess of its massive damage threshold from a single attack, its user must succeed on a DC 20 Fortitude save or the shadow dissolves and the user is instantly dis-connected as if Dropped (see Game Over, Man!, below). Disconnection does not destroy the wounded shadow, and it is usually ready as soon as its user gets back online.

Initiative (Init): The avatar’s initiative modifier equals its user’s Intelligence modifier.

Speed (Spd): A shadow has a base speed determined by the Grid Interface De-vice through which its operator connects to the Grid. See to the GID’s table, above.

Defense: A shadow’s Defense equals the Base Defense imparted by + its user’s class bonus to Defense + its user’s Intelligence modifier + any applicable software modifiers. Touch attacks against the shadow ignore armor software modifiers but not deflection soft-ware modifiers. A flat-footed avatar loses its user’s Intelligence bonus to Defense.

Base Attack Bonus (BAB): An shadow’s base attack bonus equals its user’s ranks in the Computer Use skill.

Attacks (Atk): The shadow gains multiple attacks per round at the same rate as characters in the physical world would (an extra attack when its base attack bonus reaches 6, 11, and 16).

Fighting Space (FS): An avatar has a fighting space of 5 feet by 5 feet. Reach: An avatar has a reach of 5 feet.

Special Qualities (SQ): A shadow may have special qualities imparted by either special software or its user.

Allegiances (AL): Shadows have allegiances just as normal characters do. Even an autonomous piece of software (such as an agent) always owes allegiance to an individual, a group, or a particular domain or node.

Saves (SV): A shadow has the same base save bonuses as its user. Apply the user’s Intelligence modifier instead of his Constitution, Dexterity, or Wisdom modifier to the avatar’s base Fortitude, Reflex, and Will saving throws.

Abilities: A shadow does not have ability scores. Any actions that aren’t normally re-solved using skill checks are resolved with Computer Use checks instead.

Skills: Shadows don’t have skills of their own. Whenever an avatar must make a skill check, its user makes the check on its behalf.

Since a shadow’s effectiveness in the virtual world is determined mostly by its user’s computer skills, a Computer Use check is used to resolve all skill checks except Bluff, Concentration, Decipher Script, Diplomacy, Gamble, Gather Information, Intimidate, Investigate, Knowledge (all skills), Research, and Sense Motive.

For example, suppose Brandon’s shadow needs to make a Hide check to avoid detection in a node. Instead of making a Hide check, Brandon makes a Computer Use check, since hiding his avatar requires some digital legerdemain on his part. Later, Brandon’s shadow at-tempts to bluff its way past a node guardian. Since bluffing requires Brandon to use his own wits instead of his computer skills, he makes a Bluff check on his shadow’s behalf, just as he would if he were personally involved.

Languages: A shadow reads, writes, and speaks the same languages as its user does.

Software: Grid software installed in the shadow’s memory is listed in this en-try. The memory cost of each piece of software is given in parentheses.

Available Memory Blocks: The typical shadow has ten memory blocks, but each piece of installed VR software uses up one or more of these blocks, depending on its memory cost. The number of unused memory blocks is noted in this entry.