Femme Fatale

	NetrunnerDB - Decks with this card
Runner	Criminal ●○○○○
	Core # 25 (x2)

1

: Break sentry subroutine.
2

: +1 strength.

When you install Femme Fatale, choose an installed piece of ice. When you encounter that ice, you may pay 1

per subroutine on that ice to bypass it.

Femme Fatale is a strong Criminal Killer that allows the Runner to bypass a piece of ice in addition to breaking subroutines on Sentry ice.

Femme Fatale has four abilities.

Triggered Ability - Paid
Cost	:	Effect
1	:	Break 1 subroutine on a piece of Killer ice

Triggered Ability - Paid
Cost	:	Effect
2	:	Give Femme Fatale +1 strength

Triggered Ability - Conditional
Trigger	→	Effect
Runner installs Femme Fatale	→	Runner chooses a piece of ice

Triggered Ability - Conditional
Trigger	→	Effect
Runner encounters the chosen piece of ice	→	Runner may bypass it by spending 1 for each subroutine on that ice

Clarifications[]

Basics[]

Although you pay one credit per subroutine, you get to bypass not just those subroutines but the whole of the chosen piece of ice, including its on encounter abilities. This means that by spending a single credit, you can bypass Data Raven without taking a tag, or Tollbooth without paying three credits. Significantly, you can instead bypass Komainu without paying any credits, as its on encounter ability doesn't get a chance to create its subroutines.

FAQ[]

Page 5, Column 2, Paragraph(s) 2-4, FAQ
Femme Fatale does not need to match the strength of a piece of ice in order to bypass it. The Runner can spend the credit from Cyberfeeder to pay for the bypass ability. If Femme Fatale is uninstalled, the Runner cannot bypass the ice chosen by the Femme Fatale when it was installed; the ability is no longer active since the card is no longer active. Even if that copy of Femme Fatale is re-installed, it is treated as a 'new' copy and cannot bypass anything other than the ice chosen when it was just installed.

Related FAQs[]

FAQ 1.1.28 - triggering Femme Fatale's bypass ability is considered using Femme Fatale
FAQ 1.5.33 - Femme Fatale has two conditional abilities like Security Testing
FAQ 1.5.34 - if the Runner uses Femme Fatale to bypass a Komainu after encountering a Chum, s/he takes 3 net damage

Related Rulings[]

The Runner must pay 1 to bypass a Komainu after encountering a Sensei.^[1]^:Ruling

Trivia[]

The spider tattoo in the artwork is a reference to Black Widow - the name of the card from the original Netrunner TCG that Femme Fatale was based on.

Sources[]

↑ Sensei's Added Subroutine Location and Timing Ruling
Suppose the runner encounters Sensei and does not break the subroutine, and then encounters Ice Wall, which has been chosen as the target of Femme Fatale. Does it cost 1 credit to bypass Ice Wall with Femme Fatale (because these are simultaneous conditional abilities, and the runner may trigger Femme Fatale before Ice Wall gains a subroutine), or 2 credits (because 'for the remainder of this run, each piece of ice encountered except Sensei gains "End the run" after all its other subroutines' is a constant ability)? If the previous answer is 2 credits, then suppose instead the runner encounters Sensei and does not break the subroutine, and then encounters Komainu. Does the end-the-run subroutine come first, because it is already present, as the first subroutine, when Komainu gains its net damage subroutines, or last, because Sensei says the end-the-run is after all other subroutines? Or something else entirely?
The Sensei is creating a constant ability that gives each piece of ice an additional subroutine. So when you initially encounter the Ice Wall, it costs 2 credits to use Femme Fatale in order to bypass it. With the Komainu, the subroutine will be by itself, unless the Runner has cards in hand. If the Runner has cards in hand, then the subroutine drops to the last position as soon as the Komainu gains its subroutines.

[1] Sensei's Added Subroutine Location and Timing Ruling
Suppose the runner encounters Sensei and does not break the subroutine, and then encounters Ice Wall, which has been chosen as the target of Femme Fatale. Does it cost 1 credit to bypass Ice Wall with Femme Fatale (because these are simultaneous conditional abilities, and the runner may trigger Femme Fatale before Ice Wall gains a subroutine), or 2 credits (because 'for the remainder of this run, each piece of ice encountered except Sensei gains "End the run" after all its other subroutines' is a constant ability)? If the previous answer is 2 credits, then suppose instead the runner encounters Sensei and does not break the subroutine, and then encounters Komainu. Does the end-the-run subroutine come first, because it is already present, as the first subroutine, when Komainu gains its net damage subroutines, or last, because Sensei says the end-the-run is after all other subroutines? Or something else entirely?
The Sensei is creating a constant ability that gives each piece of ice an additional subroutine. So when you initially encounter the Ice Wall, it costs 2 credits to use Femme Fatale in order to bypass it. With the Komainu, the subroutine will be by itself, unless the Runner has cards in hand. If the Runner has cards in hand, then the subroutine drops to the last position as soon as the Komainu gains its subroutines.

[1]