The Intersect (Yes, the One from Chuck)

     The Intersect was developed as a joint CIA/NSA project in the aftermath of the September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks, when the intelligence community was directed to improve cooperation and information sharing between agencies. The CIA and NSA recognized that the primary challenge was no longer the collection of information, but the ability to analyze the enormous volume of available intelligence and identify connections that individual agencies had failed to recognize.

     The solution was the Intersect: a computer system capable of consolidating massive intelligence databases and encoding the information into the subconscious mind of a compatible human subject. Rather than providing information through a traditional computer interface, the Intersect allowed a user to access stored information through subconscious recognition, producing brief "flashes" triggered by relevant sensory input.
     The chief architect of the Intersect program was Dr. Stephen Bartowski, whose earlier research into human-computer integration provided the foundation for the technology. Additional designers included Dr. Howard Busgang and Dr. Jonas Zarnow.
     Unknown to most government officials, Bartowski's work on the Intersect had begun more than a decade earlier. In 1991, he developed the first prototype Intersect as a theoretical experiment to determine whether the human brain could safely store and retrieve massive digital data matrices. The prototype demonstrated that a human mind could act as a biological storage medium, but the limitations of human cognition made practical deployment impossible.
     Following 9/11, Bartowski's research was revived and expanded into an intelligence application. The original goal of creating a human-computer interface was transformed into a national security program capable of creating living intelligence databases.
     However, after discovering the government's intended use of the technology — including plans to deploy Intersect-compatible operatives as controlled intelligence assets — Bartowski became concerned that the program had moved beyond its original purpose. He disappeared, taking critical research and components of the Intersect project with him.
     Due to the classified nature of the project and concerns regarding unauthorized access to sensitive intelligence technology, the Intersect remained compartmentalized within CIA/NSA channels rather than being transferred to broader intelligence organizations.
     The GM determines when an Intersect flash occurs and what information is revealed. The Intersect does not provide answers automatically; it provides relevant stored information triggered by sensory input.

Intersect Flash (Optional Rule)
     The GM may trigger an Intersect flash whenever the character encounters a person, location, object, or event connected to stored information. The flash should provide useful information, but may be incomplete, out of context, or require interpretation.

Intersect Compatible (General)
Prereq: Int 13+, Wis 13+, Base Will save +5
Benefit: The user gains access to information stored within the Intersect.  The user will have “flashes” that impart information stored in the Intersect.
     Additionally, the user can substitute an Intersect check (d20 + Intelligence modifier +2 Intersect bonus) for any of the following skills: Computer Use, Decipher Script, Disable Device, or Open Lock. Other skills can also be substituted at the GM’s discretion
     Special: If someone without this feat attempts to “upload” the Intersect information into their subconscious, they must make a Will save (DC20). If the check is successful, they are rendered unconscious for 1d8 hours but suffer no other ill effects. If the saving throw fails, they must attempt two additional saving throws (both DC20). These saves are made in order. Failure of the second Will save results in insanity; failure of the Fortitude save results in death.
     These saving throws only apply to unauthorized attempts to upload Intersect data. Compatible users selected for the program automatically bypass this risk.
     Special: Long-term use of the Intersect can cause mental deterioration. The user must make one saving throw per month (Will DC10 +1/previous attempts). A failed check causes nightmares, resulting in fatigue until the next successful save. A second consecutive failure results in Exhaustion, and a third consecutive failure causes brain damage (a permanent loss of 2 Intelligence).  This side effect can be overcome through use of an Intersect Governor.
     Special: The Intersect occupies a significant amount of subconscious processing ability. A character cannot have both the Intersect and another implanted neural enhancement without GM approval.
     Special: The members of Stephen “Orion” Bartowski’s family gain this feat for free.

Intersect 2.0 Compatible (General)
Prereq: Intersect Compatible
Benefit: As Intersect Compatible although the bonus for Intersect checks increases to +4. Additionally, the Intersect grants physical abilities for a limited period of time. This allows the user, as a Swift Action, to make use of any skill or feat, untrained, for 5 rounds + Intelligence modifier rounds (max. 15). If a feat has prerequisites, the user gains temporary access to those feats as well, unless the feat requires physical characteristics the user does not possess.
     Special: Installation of Intersect 2.0 requires an existing Intersect Compatible user. Unauthorized attempts to install Intersect 2.0 into a non-compatible subject are treated as an unauthorized Intersect upload attempt.
     Special: The instability inherent in Intersect 2.0 increases the risk of mental deterioration as described under Intersect Compatible.

     Special: The members of Stephen “Orion” Bartowski’s family gain this feat for free.

Laptop Intersect Compatible (General)
Prereq: Int 13+, Wis 13+, Must either be selected for Project Greta by General Beckman or have access to Orion’s laptop
Benefit: As Intersect 2.0 Compatible. Additionally, this version of the Intersect was modified by Eleanor Bartowski-Woodcomb and seems to be free of the detrimental effects of the Intersect and Intersect 2.0 so no Intersect Governor is required.

Intersect Governor: This device appears to be a wristwatch. It emits regular, nearly imperceptible electrical pulses that regulate the detrimental effects of the Intersect. The Governor does not "fix" the Intersect. It prevents the brain from entering a feedback loop.
     While wearing the Intersect Governor, the user does not need to make the monthly Will save, suffers no loss of Intelligence, and allows for safe use of Intersect 2.0 capabilities.
     If it is removed or damaged, the monthly Will saves resume as normal. If the Governor is destroyed or disabled, the user immediately knows that the device has stopped functioning.

Intersect Suppression Device: This handheld device features a specialized digital display that emits a high-frequency, flashing blue data stream. It targets the visual receptors of an Intersect user to jam their subconscious neural link.

• Activation: Activating the device and presenting the screen is a Standard Action. The wielder must choose a specific target within a 30-foot line of sight.
• The Gaze Attack: An Intersect user targeted by the device must immediately attempt a Will Saving Throw (DC 16) to resist the mental static.
• Maintaining the Stream: The wielder can spend a Move Action on subsequent turns to keep the device active and aimed at the same target. The target must repeat the saving throw at the start of each of their turns for as long as the device is maintained and they have line of sight.

An Intersect user aware of the device can attempt to mitigate its effects on their turn by choosing one of the following defensive postures:

• Avert Eyes: The user focuses on the wielder's body rather than the screen. This grants a +4 bonus on the Will saving throw against the gaze. However, the wielder gains Concealment (20% miss chance) against the user's attacks.
• Shut Eyes / Blindfold: The user completely closes their eyes or blocks their vision. They are immune to the suppression device. However, the user is treated as having the Blinded condition relative to the environment and combatants.
• A successful Will save does not end the attack; the user must continue making saves each round while the device remains active.

Effects of Failure (Suppressed State)

If the Intersect user fails the Will saving throw, the subconscious data stream becomes corrupted, causing the following conditions for 1d4+1 rounds after the device is turned off or broken out of line of sight:

• Physical Lockout: The user cannot activate Intersect 2.0 physical skills or combat feats. Any currently active physical flashes instantly terminate.
• Degraded Flashes: The user loses their +2 or +4 Intersect check bonus. If the GM triggers a narrative flash, the user only receives highly fragmented, out-of-context, or purely instinctual information (e.g., recognizing a target is dangerous, but not why).

Intersect Neural Lockout (Severe Suppression)

If an Intersect user is exposed to a specialized Intersect suppression device and suffers a catastrophic failure (such as failing the Will save by 5 or more, or being exposed continuously for more than 3 rounds), the Intersect enters a permanent Neural Lockout.

• The Lockout Condition: The user loses all access to Intersect checks and Intersect 2.0 physical combat flashes indefinitely. They are reduced to a standard character block, experiencing only severe headaches when encountering deep sensory triggers.
• Natural Recovery: The human brain cannot naturally purge the corruption. The lockout persists indefinitely until a technological override is achieved.

     A user may voluntarily suppress the Intersect to prevent unwanted flashes or protect sensitive information stored within the system.

Intersect Overload Cartridge: This device was created by the CIA as an emergency countermeasure to destroy the Intersect 2.0 computer via a power overload. Once activated, the cartridge forces the Intersect mainframe into an irreversible feedback cascade, destroying the stored data and rendering the system unusable.