Pseudonyms

In many countries – including the present-day United States – it is legal to use a false name for privacy as long as you do not attempt to defraud or interfere with public records. You can rent an apartment as “Mr. Smith,” paying cash, without problems. But you can’t get a driver’s license, etc., legally. This sort of “weak identity” costs no points, and is popular with rock stars and actors (who often use a “stage name”), writers (in the form of a nom de plume), and traveling royalty. 

  

Temporary Identities

Anyone can have a hasty or low quality Alternate Identity (p. 39). While useful, such a false identity will eventually be noticed and eliminated (and the user sought after!). This kind of identity is not considered an advantage, and costs no points; buy it with cash. A standard Temporary Identity is guaranteed to be good for one week. At the end of that week, the GM rolls 3d. On a roll of 8 or less, the authorities have discovered the false records. Otherwise, the identity holds up for another week and the process repeats itself, but the “discovery roll” is at a cumulative +1 for every week past the first (9 or less at the end of the second week, 10 or less at the end of the third week, and so on).

The price of a Temporary Identity is negotiable, and depends on your contacts, skills, and the setting. The cheaper the identity, the more frequently the GM will roll – a really cheap one might only be good for a day, with rolls every day! More expensive identities, lasting longer or starting at a lower number, might also be available.

Someone who is Zeroed (p. 100) can use a Temporary Identity.

  

Alternate Identity vs. Secret Identity

A Secret Identity (p. 153) isn’t the same as an Alternate Identity (p. 39). If there are no false records to back up a Secret Identity, it doesn’t count as an Alternate Identity. And if you use an Alternate Identity only to hold a secret bank account (for instance), and never try to “live” that persona, it isn’t a Secret Identity.

  

Alternate Identity Advantage [B039]

5 or 15 points per identity

You have multiple, seemingly legal identities. Each time you purchase this trait, your fingerprints (or other biometrics used to verify identity in your world) are registered under another name, and you have an extra set of identity documents (birth certificate, licenses, passport, etc.) good enough to pass close inspection. These identities may also have valid credit cards and bank accounts, but you must supply the money – additional wealth is not included in the package! If an intelligence or law-enforcement agency attempts to identify you with no clue as to your name – for instance, using biometrics or photoanalysis – there is an equal chance for each of your identities to come up. The search will stop . . . unless they have reason to believe you are a ringer. If the search continues, your other  identities will eventually surface, and you will be unmasked. Once a government agency determines who you really are, your Alternate Identities are lost for good. 

There are two types of Alternate Identity: 

  

Legal

Some spies and undercover policemen – and even supers, in settings where they are backed by the government – may have a legal Alternate Identity. This requires at least 10 points in Legal Enforcement Powers, Legal Immunity, Police Rank, Security Clearance, etc.; the GM sets the precise prerequisites. If a super has official permission to conceal his original name (e.g., to protect his family) and to hold property in his “super” name, then that is a legal Alternate Identity combined with a Secret Identity (see p. 153). 5 points. 

  

Illegal

A criminal or foreign agent may have an illegal Alternate Identity. This has the advantage of being completely unknown when you first start out, and of course it cannot be revoked by the government. On the other hand, should it ever be discovered, you will face a stiff fine, a jail sentence, or execution, depending on the time and place. 15 points.

  

Secret Identity Disadvantage [B153]

Variable

A Secret Identity is a special kind of Secret (qv): it is another persona that you use for deeds that you don’t want connected with your “public” self. Only your closest family and friends know, and you are willing to go to great lengths to keep your privacy. This is a disadvantage because it limits your behavior. It is difficult (and often illegal) to maintain a Secret Identity.

The GM will roll to see whether your Secret Identity factors into a game session, just as for any Secret. If it does, this usually takes the form of someone who threatens to expose your real identity. Anyone with Status 3 or higher gets an extra -10 points for a Secret Identity, because of the attention the media and public pay to his every move, but the GM will introduce a challenge to his identity on a roll of 7 or less instead of the usual 6 or less. A Secret Identity otherwise works just like any other Secret, its point value depending on the severity of the consequences should it be exposed.