—- Te : a Ce ee ee ee ee | fe eff)THE ROLEPLAYING GAME OF THE DARK FUTURE ar ee GAMES les Jn SA Games, Inc. P.O. Box 7356, Dept H, Berkeley, CA, 94707,Cast & Crew Writers Matteo Resinanti Mike Pondsmith Mike Hernandez Colin Fisk Will Moss Layout & Design Scott Ruggels Matt Anacleto Dave Friedland Mike Pondsmith Mike Blum (Screamsheets) Diana "Fritz" Goldman Screamsheets: Janet Piercy Cover & Ted Talsorian Doug Anderson Art Recovery: Mike MacDonald Illustration Typography Justin Chin Diana "Fritz" Goldman Paolo Parente Ted Talsorian Chris Hockabout Sam Liv Editing Riccardo Crosa Will Moss ‘Angelo Montanini Derek Quintanar Scott Ruggels Mike Pondsmith R.TALSORIAN GAIVIES Lule P.0.Box 7356, Berkeley, CA USA 94706 Copy 1600, 186, 1988 by Rabon Games, Ie. AL gin Reson. Cybopunt® ie Rass ‘rddanr nana or saver gare tb sn sen iba wea Maun Chrmaboo ene Nght rt {dears of Rl Garo, eA Pigs Rese tne’ Unreal Copyright Career. A eet, ‘Sato and porn ponayee win wo texerl ard ony sma wasters fracas ng ot Seedy concen Lisa Pondsmith Janet Piercy Fiddly Bits: Ed Bolme Playtesters ‘Anders Swenson Mike Blum, Chris Hockabout Kevin DeAntonio Thaddeus Howze Barton Bolmen Sean Fitzpatric Steve Isom Lucien Stalls lan Studebaker Magnus Seder Rob Pruden Brian Perry Jesse VanValkenburg Charlie Moore Steven Lorenz Eric Huber Randy Roosa To Lisa. What a long, strange trp i's been! CP 3002 ISBN 0-937-279-13-7Soe Se Soul & The New Machine Roles: Special Abilities Rockerboys Solos Netrunners| Techies12 Medias 14 Cops 16 Corporates 18 Fixers 20 Nomads 24 Getting Cyberpunk Character Points Statistics Fast & Dirty Expendables 30 Tales From the Street (Lifepath) ..33 Origins & Style 34 Family Background, 35 Motivations & Lite Events 36 Big Problems, Big Wins 37 Friends & Enemies 38 Romantic Life 39 Working. Skill Checks Starting Skill 43 Career Skil List 4a Master Skill List 45 Pickup Skills 46 Skill Descriptions 46-53 Learning New Skills 33 IP Multipliers 33 Getting More IP 5a Inventing New Skills sa Reputation 54 Getting Fitted For the Future ....57 Starting Funds 37 Encumberance. 59 Weapons 60 Weapons List 61-62 Weapons Descriptions 62-63, Old Guns. 66 Armor 67 Special Equipment 67 2020 Gear List 68 Gear Descriptions 69.71 Putting the Cyber Into the Punk...72 Cyberfashion 72 Cyberpsychosis 73 Humanity Costs 74 Cybertechnology 75 yberware List| 76:79 Surgery Codes 75 Fashionware 80 Neuralware 80 Implants 83 Bioware 85 Cyberweapons 85 Cyberoptics 86 Cyberaudio 87 Cyberlimbs 88 Cyberlimb Cyberweapons 1 Linear Frames. 91 Body Plating 92 Running Out of Cash 93 Friday Night Firefight ... 196 Rounds & Turn Order 97 Initiative 97 Fast Draw 97 Actions 98 More Than One Action 98 Two Weapon Attacks 98 Ambushes & Backstabs 98 Line of Sight/Facing 101 Damage 101 Hit Locations 101 Armor 101 Cover 102 Body Type Modifier 103 Wounds 103, StunyShock Saves 104 Death Saves 104 ‘Attacks 104 Ranged Weapons 105 Automatic Weapons 106 Unusual Ranged Weapons.....107 Beam Weapons 108 Area Effect Weapons 108 Shotguns 108 Grenades 108 Flamethrowers 108 Rocket Powered Grenades «00110 Missiles no Explosives 310 Molotov Cocktails m Melee Attacks m Martial Arts & Brawling my Dodging nz Partying nz Melee Damage m2 Monoknives, Mono Katanas & ‘Slice! Dice 2 Vehicies in FEF m2 Vehicle Combat 12 Vehicle Damage 13 Trauma Team ns Stabilization us Death State us Healing 116 First Aig 16 Medical Tech 16 Speed Healing Drugs 7 Nanotech ne Elective Surgery 8 Replacement Surgery ng Trauma Team™ n9 Body Banks 120 Vat Grown Tissue Banks 120 Bodysculpting 120 Exotic Fashion 121 rt gs ener sevens 122 Building Your Own 123, Netrunner 17 Geography 128 Islands of the Net 129 Regions 129 Long Distance Links 13 Wilderspace 13 NetWateh 131 Bulletin Boards (88S) 131 Net Gear 132 Interfaces, 132 ICONS 132 Interface Plugs 132 Cyberdecks 132 Improving Your Deck 134 Deck Options 134 Programs 137 Live Link Up 1a Program List 143-143, Running the Net 144 Security Levels, 144 Tracing 145, Subgrids 149 The Menu 149 Combat 149 Initiative 151 Turns & Actions 151 Range 152 Movement 152 Stealth & Evasion 152 Attacks Against Systems/Decks 152 Anti-personnel Attacks 153 Anti-IC Attacks 153, Controllers & Utilities 153 Designing Data Fortresses 154 Playing Artfcial Intelligences 155 Fast Fortress Construction 164 Programming 101 167 Virtually There 170-174 All Things Dark & Cyberpunk ....175 Future Shock. 176-185 ‘Running Cyberpunk 186-189 Never Fade Away: A Cyberpunk Story/Adventure 190-203 Megacorps 2020. 1-204-208, Corporate Profiles 209-214 Night City 215-219 Encounters 220-221 Personalities 222-223 Face of the City .. 224-231 Screamsheets .. seve 232-250ROLES Pe eat y LIFEPATH TASK & SKILLS WEAPONS rit te) bel CYBERWEAR Pees bis) tee Da i CyVIEW FROM THE EDGE THE VIEW FROM THE EDGE As a Cyberpunk, you grab technology by the throat and : val hang on. You've got interface plugs in your wrists, nae weapons in your arms, lasers in your eyes. biochip pro- 82" grams in your brain. You become the car you drive, the yo vans be 2 Gierav? or maybe just look gun you shoot...With cyborged fingers you pick com- cee puter locks; with enhanced senses, you see into the Lomiedeierte Future. telyou.Fistfal) the term cybernetic and machine technol nuson of lesh | violence, rebellion and the popularized in the Pre-Cat by a group of writers who spe in wating ition Fisoura chetypical cyberpunk heroes ofthe 80's ranged. trom technobarbarians TH E N EW e ae therein 2020, this alllooks pretty A baby accessed isarticle x personal database You used a Kiyoshiru 13008 interface cable with your wrlstplugs. You'e used to hard coffee, "5 f Theworldof Cyberpunkisa violent, they can. Whether it takes committing Understand—in 1987, dangerous place, filled with people <‘imes, delying authority or even outright | ear hae | who dloveto rip your arm off and "ior thequntessental jberamkchr. re ib na | ris a rebel (Gee cohiee Canteraiee cna eat it. The traditional concepts of aoe ee | idvalkdopnmestaly | good and evil are replaced by the PINWENPREN SY a Cyberpunkrole. | ani eee values of expedience—youdowhat RP eR ey plzer, its up to you have to do to survive. If you : you to find that | No" can do some good along the way, [akeebipdmiegg —©2use and go to 1984 when the Eur-Combines estab, great. PELL S the wall with it, | lished the Word Stock Exchange and the economies ofthe United states and ra But don’t count on it. BARRIS Thisistheessence | Patient of Cyberpunk— tke a Cyberpunk characters are survivors in a playinayourchor- tough, grim world, faced with fe and acter with the death choices, Howthey makethesechoices proper dissected, cynical-yetideastic stl willhave alot to do with whether they end Whether you'tea biker with eatheredskinand | SSNs. 4% long. up as vicious animals roaming a ruined metalclaws, oradebutanteinsatinsportingthe | Moscow end Washington, world, oF retain something of their basic latest in designer cyberoptics, you're going to | r>bably evidhavng the nucle humanity. Cyberpunk characters ate the needa certain panache —a certain fir in por. | avonesbeenexzectrgsnce 1944 heroes of a bad situation, working to make traying yourself. To achieve the essence of the it better (or at least survivable) whenever 2000's, you need to master three concepts: | Now, of course, everything's more orVIEW FROM THE EDGE less un by the Corporations, which are pretty much governments in them> | Seives. You can go anywhere on one | passpon—oneworidism atitsbest. The {currencies of mostnationsare stabilized to each other, and the Eurodolla is @ world currency. Hardly anyone com ins anymore about Corporate Lie- | fime Contracts or the abolition of unions: ’'sthe price of ving na stable, | sate society, right? ‘Afterall you could be living in the Projects, Sinteen people to an apar- sharing ration chips every week | te buy food, with eight thousand ‘apartments per city block? Sure, itisn't the best life, what with the booster: ‘gangsroaming the Malsand the major Teague crime problems, but it beats actuallybeing on the Street Atleastthe mega-arcologies ave cops (okay, Fented Corporate cops, Dut its easier than fronting the euro fer your own personal Solal). Besides, the media ets make sure that every apartment has direct cable access to TV, radio and fensory feed, s0 there's always semething o do on a Saturday night tobe a Cyberpunk Here's more background for you to think over. When the grand old Mas- ters of the Movement ist started ‘wating the cyberpunk gente, they as sumed that most of the things they ‘wrote about would either never hap pen or would happen in the far future No one knew thatthe Wert Germans ‘were already developing “organic” ci- ‘uity in the late 1980's, of that the United States Air Force was developing mentally controlled weapons systems | Syrthetie myomar muscle fibres were | just starting to be used to contro! prosthetics, and very few people could project ahead into the 1990's when Srganic chipped arms and legs would be possible, There were afew primitive ‘experiments with bioengineering — things ike Frostban™ end a few new types of comn—nothing lke the bio engineered animale hat we'll use to tertaform the Martian colonies. It took about filteen years for the newech to catch up with the vision Fist, the miltary started using ey: bertechnalogy to create “perfect sol ier and pilots, Some of the spin-off led to prosthetic limbs, eyes and other body parts. Organic circuitry led to Grecthookupe between men and com puters. Combined with advanced tle: ‘Communications technology and sat- elite dowriinks, the basis for the now planetwide Net, was established. As tach new technologieal advancement slammed into place, a sort of cultural techaoshock sti, 1) Style over Substance It doesn’t matter how well you do some- thing, as long as you look good doing it. If you're going to blowit, make sure you look like you planned it that way. Normally, clothes and looks don’t matter in an ad- venture—in this world, having a leather armor jacket and mirrorshades is a serious consideration. 2) Attitude is Everything It's truth. Think dangerous; be dangerous. Think weak; be weak. Remember, every- | one in the 2000'sis carrying Where were we? Oh yeah—you want | lots of lethal hardware and high-tech enhancements. ‘They won't be impressed by yournewH&Ksmartgun Uniess you swaggerinto the club looking like you know how to use it—and are just itching for an excuse. Never walk into a room when you can stride in Never look at someone Unless you can make it your best "killer" look. Use your best "!'m bad and you aren't." smile. Don’t sit around the flat or cube waiting for the next job, Get on out and hit the clubs and hangouts. Make sure you're where the party starts 3) Live on the Edge The Edge is that nebulous zone where risk takersand hightidersgo. On the Edge, you'll risk your cash, your rep, even your life on something as vague as a principle or a big score. As a cyberpunk, you want to be the action, start the rebellion, light the fire. Join great causes and fight for big issues. Never drive slow when you can drive fast. Throw yourself up against danger and take it head on. Never piay it too safe. Stay committed to the Edge. ROLES: The Core of CYBERPUNK Role-playing The world of Cyberpunk isa combination of savage, sophisticated, modern and retro- grade. Fashion-model beautiful Techies rub shoulderswith battle armoredroadwarriors, all of them making the scene in the hottest | dancectubs,sleaziestbarsandmeaneststrets ans "1) Style Over po cts rot a a 3) Always take it BR Ce Pe tty this ide of the Postholocaust. Each character in this world is playing a Role—a face that person projects to the outsice world as the real thing. There are 9 Roles in Cyberpunk Rockerboys, Solos, Netrunners, Corpo- rates, Techies, Cops, Fixers, Medias, and Nomads. As a Cyberpunk player, you must select one role for your character. ‘SPECIAL ABILITIES Special Abilitiesare skis usable only by specific character Roles; for example, Rockerboys have the Special Ablity of Charismatic Leadership, ‘which represents the vast amount of power they have over their legions of fans, When usinga Special Abily, you will add i's value tothe specific statas if it were a ski Rockerboy Special Ability: Charismatic Leadership. This skill allowstive Rockertosway crowds equal to his BA ability level squared, EM times 200 —Ripperjack Solo Spectal Ability: Combat Sense. Added to all Initiative and Awareness checks, this makes the Solo the fastest reacting person in a situation. Netrunner Special Ability: Interface. This Skil reflects the Netrunner's ability to manipulate Interface programs, and is the skill used when operating Menu functions such as Locate Remote, Run Software, Control Remote, LDL Link, Load, Create and Delete. Other players can enter the Net, but can't use the Menu. Techie Special Ability: Jury Rig. This general repair skill allows the Techie to tem- porarily repair oralter anything for 1D6 turns per level of skill Medtech Special Ability: Medical Tech Thisis the skillused to perform major surgery and medical repairs Media Special Ability: Credibility. The ability to have people believe what you are saying while in your on-air persona,VIEW FROM THE EDGE Cop Special Ability: Authority. The ability to intimidate or contro! others through your position as a lawman, This represents the Corporate's ability to ‘command corporation resources, Itis used as a persuasion skill, based on the scale of resources requested, Fixer Special Abillty: Streetdeal. The ability to locate people, information, etc Thisis a higher form of making a connection (Lifepath, pg. 27); instead of knowing only one person, you have connections every- where. In game play, a successful use of Streetdeal allows you to locate and acquire a desired person, place or thing, Nomad Special Ability: Family. This allows the Nomad to call in as many Family members to aid him as his current Fomily Ability level x 2. A SPECIAL NOTE ABOUT THIS PRINTING Ahem! It's NOT a Third Edition. In this reprint, we've taken extra time to fix al the corrections and typos we could find, plus squared away a few of the problems and inconsistencies. But these rules are the same rules you've been using since the 2020edition ofthe game wasprinted But there is one big change— the art. One of the great joys of publishing international editions is that sometimes your licensors come up with cool stuff ‘youreally wish you'd putinto your game. ‘The new art in this printing is from the great guys at Stratelibri, who publish the italian Cyberpunk (many thanks to Paolo, Matteo, Riccardo, Angelo, Silvio and of course, Giovanni). We hopeallof youout there like it as much as we did! —Maximum Mike Technoshock: When technology out | Strips people’ ability to comprehend | orftitintotherlves Sudden, people freak out. They get iational violent. shatter relationshipstearapar. feel helpless inthe face of the Universe Eventually, the whole society fgrinds to a halt, the victim of @ mags psychosis. That's what we now call the Collapse There were three major responses to. | technoshock. The vast majority of | people, their lives uprooted and Ehanged by the advancements, sat | passively wating for thet leadersto ell | them what to do next. One smaller | {gfeup tied to tuen back the clock, | founding the bass for what we call the NeosLuddlte movement. The eemain ing gtoup—they decided to hit the | future head on. With the old 1960's | visionary writings as thei guide, they established the movement wenow ca Cyberpunk Okay, s9 now you're ready. Asacyberpunk,yougrabtechnology by the throat and hang on. You're not afraid to check out the newest in "enhancements", cybertech and bio- | engineering You've gotinteracepigs | in your wrists, weapons in your rms, Iasersin your eyes. biochip programsin your brain. You become the cat you ‘rive, the gyro you fy, the guns you ‘shoot. You dive headfirst into the Net, Using your mind te hurtiea ght alloveravastnetworkof DataFortesses and Artificial Intelligences. With yborged f locks ‘he most “in clathes, know the right people, and follow the right crowds You plan youterimesin the most select clubs and bars: your enemies are Corporate armies, cyborg bike gangs, power-armored assassins and Computerwired Netheads, Your weap: fons are nerve, steetimarts, bravado and the Minami 10 smarigun on your | hip. yberpunk'sabo an attitude. Youwesr | Are youready now? Of course you ar. You can't wat Now you're CyberpunkVIEW FROM THE EDGE OCKERBOYS —= REBEL ROCKERS WHO USE MUSIC AND REVOLT TO FIGHT AUTHORITY If you live to rock, this is where you belong, Rockerboys are the street poets, social con: sciences and rebels of the 2000's. With the advent of digital porta-studios and garage laser disk mastering, every Rocker with a message can takeit tothe street; putit in the record stores, bounce it off the comsats Sometimes, this message_is't something the Corporations or the Government wants to hear. Sometimes what you say is going to get ight in the faces ofthe powerful people ‘who realy runthisworld. Butyoudon'teare, because as a Rockerboy, you know it's your Sere — ot 2 SS place to challenge authority, whether in straight-out protest songs that tellit ike iis, fr just by playing kick-ass rock n’ roll to get the people away from the TV sets and into the Streets. You have a proud history as a Rockerboy—Dylan, Springsteen, Who, Elvis, the Stones—the legions of hardrock heroes who told the truth with screaming guitars and gut-honest lyrics As a Rockerboy, you have the power to get the people up—to lead, inspire and inform, ‘Asong from you can give the timid courage, the weak stren-gth, and the blind vision. Rockerboy legends have led armies against Corpo- rations and Governments. Rockerboy songs have ex- posed corruption, brought down dictators. I's a lot of power for a guy doing gigs every night in another city But you can handle it. After allyou came to play! _— aVIEW FROM THE EDGE | | "Lalways knew what I had to do. It was really obvious, There were these scum out there who were messing with the world. They were killing People, raping the land, and lying In our faces when we caught ‘em. "So I decided I had to put the heat on ‘em and make 'em sweat. That's why I became a Rockerboy. “Music always | gets hammered | down to the Three A's. Axe, Attitude | and Audience. Me, Thad an Axe and | an Attitude. All 1 | had to do was get the third one..." —Kerry Eurodyne, Rockerboy.VIEW FROM THE EDGE a HIRED ASSASSINS, BODYGUARDS, KILLERS, SOLDIERS You were re-born with a guninyourhand—the flesh and blood hand, not the metallic weapons factory that covers most of your other arm, Whether as a freelance guard and killer- for-hite, or as one of the Corporatecybersoldiersthat enforce business deals and the Company's “black op- erations”, you're one of the elite fighting machines of the Cyberpunk world Most Solos have puttin mili- tary time, either in a Corpo- rate army or in one of the Government's continual “police actions” around the world. As the battle dam- age piles up, you start to rely moreand tnore upon hardware—cyber- limbs for weapons and armor, bio-program chips to increase your reflexes and aware- ness, combat drugs to give you that edge over your opponents. When you're the best of the best, you might even leave the ranks of Corporate samurai and go ronin— freelancing your lethal talents askiller, body- guard or enforcer to whoever can pay your very high fees. Sounds good? There's a price—a heavy one. You've lost so much of your original meat body that you're almost a machine, Your killing reflexes are so jacked up that you have to restrain yourself from going beserk at any moment. Years of combat drugs taken to keep the edge have given you terrifying addictions. You can't trust anyone—your mother, your friends, your lovers—no one Onenight yousleep ina penthouse condo in the City—the next in a filthy alley on the Street. But that's the price of being the best ‘And you're willing to pay it. Because you're a Solo.VIEW FROM THE EDGE Bray “After | got out of the Army, | had this problem. I was good at what I did, but no one | was hiring. 1 mean, what do | you do when you're a highly trained killer with a background in demolitions? Read — the want ads? "After a few months on the Street, | got intoa dustdown with a local Booster lord. I flatlined him and went back to my drink. Within ten minutes, the recruiter from | Militech came up to me and | dropped a | business card... _ "Now l'ma Company man. The pay’'s good, the Work steady, and they pay for my spare parts. So far, I'm still alive. So far, so good.” Morgan BlackhandVIEW FROM THE EDGE At three, your parents bought you an old Apple IV GS with a Radius 247 wall screen, and your life was changed. By fifth grade, you'dalready masteredeverything the school computer literacy lab could throw at you ‘you were already using Cand META-LINGUA to crack into the district’s mainframe and change your grades. When you were thir- teen, youshifted enough funds out of unpro- tected TransAmerican Bank accounts to fi nance your first neural interface plugs Now, nothing can stop you. With your direct ‘mental ink to the computer, you can plunge CYBERNETIC COMPUTER HACKERS headfirst into the dizzying data-winds of the Net; the worldwide telecommu- nications system that joins humanity together. As an electronic wraith, you are the ultimate “hacker”, your brain wired into special modems and com- puter links. You stip into the “hardest” ‘mainframe systems with ease. Your de- fense and offense programsare arrayed at a touch of your mental fingertips—a quickjolt of Demon or Vampire and the data fortresses fall. EBM. ITT. Sony- Matsushita-Ford. You've tackled them all, buying, trading and selling their deepest secrets at wil Sometimes you uncover important things— Corporate treachery or deadly secrets. But that’s not why you Netrun. You live for the new program, the next satelite downlink— the next piece of hot data that comes your way. Is only a matter of time, you think every year, the counter intrustion programs get better, the Artificial Intelligences smarter. Sooner or later, a faster program or programmer's going to catch up; reach out with electronic fingers through your inter- face plugs, and stop your heart, But time’son yourside, anduntiltheriderunsout, you'llbe there, barebrained and headfirst in the Net.VIEW FROM THE EDGE er Ra "You guys who live in Realspace; you move so slow. Me, I like Netspace. It moves fast. You | don't get old, you don't get slow and sloppy. You just leave the meat behind and go screamin', "First system 1 ever hit, | think they had some weeflerunner playin’ Sysop for | them. I burned in, jolted the guy with a borrowed Hellbolt, and did the major plunder action all over the — Data Fortress. | | "Somewhere out there Is a guy with half his forebrain | burned out. 1 | wonder if they ever found the body. I wonder if they'll find mine the same way..." Spider Murphy |VIEW FROM THE EDGE | SOUL & THE MACHINE | Ras | You can’t leave anything | alone—ifit sits near you for more than five minutes, you've disassembled it and madeitinto somethingnew. You've always got at least two screwdrivers and a wrench in your pockets. Computer down? No prob- lem. Hydrogen burner out in your Metrocar? No prob- lem. Can’t get the video to run or your interface plugs feedacking? No problem, You make your living build- ing, fixing and modifying, a crucial occupation in a technological world where 1no one person really knows how half the stuff works. You ‘can make some good bucks fixing everyday stuff, but for the serious money, you need to tackle the big jobs. Illegal weapons. Illegal or stolen cybertech, Corporate espionage and counterespionage gear for the big boys’ “black operations”. Neat little gadgets like thermite bombs and and hunter-killer robots for the occasional “termination.” If you're any good, you're making a lot of money. And that money goes into new gadgets, hardware andinformation. You'll buy almost any new thing—because it might have a dozen side applications you can use. Of course, your black market work isn’t just making you friends—it's also racking you up an impressive number of enemies as well; people who've run into RENEGADE MECHANICS AND DOCTORS your handiwork and resented it. So you'll invest a lot in defense systems and, if really pushed to the wall, call in afew markers on a Solo or two. Your cousin down the street is just like you, buthe’sa Medtechie. Ina world where half of medicines related to mechanics, it makes sense, He can do a black market surgical technique faster than you can fix a toaster, and the Solos are always running to him to patch up wounds or install new legal cyber- netics. He’s got a lot of the same problems you have, but he’s hoping his new job with Trauma Team Inc.™ will loosen things up. Youhope he's right. You may be needing his services sooner than you thinkVIEW FROM THE EDGE es | "So you want me | tobuildadelay switch Into the thing? And you don't care about the explosion radius? "No problem. At least you got a simple Job. Last guy In here, he wanted me to build him a | eyberhand that had a bullt-in .naW, frack, you | don't wanna know. | | People want the weirdest stuff these days... "I hear with the new cyberwear they're coming up | with In Chiba, you're gonna be able to cram your body with more options than a frackin' Mercedes aerodyne...No | problem. If you can get parts, | can fix it. Count on It, chombatta.” Misti joad of D Technix ine. |VIEW FROM THE EDGE | outthere. And youre go. NEWSMEN AND REPORTERS WHO GO TO THE WALL FOR THE TRUTH ‘Theyrebendingthetruth ing to stop them, Some- cone has to do it. The Cor- porations rule the world, They dump toxics, desta- bilize economies and commit murder with equalimpunity. The Gov- emment won't stop them—they own theGov- emment. The only thing between the Corpora- tions and world domina- tion is the Media. And that's you. You've got a videocam and a press pass—and you're not afraid to use them. You're a national figure, seen nightly on a million TV sets worldwide, You'vegotfans, contracts and your own Corporation backing you. They can’t make you disappear. When you dig down for the dirt and slime the corrupt officials and Corporate lapdogs try to cover up, you can dig deep. The next moming, ‘youcan put thecletailsof theircrimes allover the screamsheets and vidscreens. Then the Government has to act A week ago, you followed a hot lead and discovered a medical corporation dumping legal drugson the Street. Thisweek, you're uncovering a secret Corporate war in South America—a war with jets, bombs, and cy- Dbertroops that’s killed almost seven thou- sand innocent people. Each new story you get to the air is one more blow for freedom and justice. Not to mention ratings. tisn’t easy. They've tried to pressure your Mediacorp dozens of times. You've had sto- fies suppressed—once, Corporate pressure forced them to cancel your news show. Each time, you went to the top, backed by your news director and your crew, and fought to get the story out. Three or four times, they tried to kill you—that’s why your backup’s a crack Solo bodyguard and you've got one of the top ‘Runners in the business digging through the Net to back your stories. You have to be good, or else. Your ‘Runner's just phoned in with a hot lead. He's found a line on twenty tons of ilegal weapons being shifted to a port in Bolivia—possibly nuclear. You grab your {gear and flag your backup. You're going to break those bastards This time, for sure.VIEW FROM THE EDGE | SOUL & THE MACHINE | Cada "Okay, so it's dangerous. Look, Vl tell you something. When I was a kid, bused to watch those reporters on the TV news. They wore those chill | trenchcoats and | were always | broadcasting from some exotic place like Mozambique or Saigon. They went right into the Central American warzones with the cybergrunts, and they got the story even when the shooting was maximally fierce. "That's the part I like; the danger." —Lyle McClellan, Network 54 |VIEW FROM THE EDGE CENTURY STREETS In the old days, they only used to shoot at cops. Now you're lucky ifyoujust take slug, | The Streetismean these days, filed withnew drugs, new gangs, and new weapons that make an M-16 look like a kid's toy. If you're on a City Force, you know how bad it is. You're carrying at least four high caliber weapons, mostof themfull-autotypes, wear- ing a Kevlar vest that'll stop 850 ft/lbs per square inch—and_ you're still outgunned and outflanked. Half the gangs are cyber to begin with—super speed, super reflexes, can see in the dark, carry weapons in their arms...The other half are freelance Corpo- rate mercs—gangs hired by the Corps to enforce their policies on the Street. And there you are—a beat cop or detective in an MAXIMUM LAWMEN ON MEAN 21ST armored squadcar, pa- trolling this jungle with the heavy predators. The Corporate Cops— now that’sthelife, Heavy ‘weapons, fullcombatar- mor, Trauma Team™ backup, AV-4 assault ve- hicles and gyrocopters with miniguns. But they only patrol the sectors of the City that the Government's licensed themfor. Thenice, clean sectors full of new office buildings and fancy res- taurants—where no jacked up psychopunkis going to ever go on a killing spree with an AK- 47. You get the bad sections, Burned out buildings and aban- doned cars, where every night is a new firefight and another great opportunity fora messy death, If you're really unlucky, you might draw PsychoSquad detail. PsychoSquad guys get the job of hunting down heavily armed and armored cyborgs who've flipped out. Sure, the PS guys have access to railguns, gyros and AVs. Buta cyberpsycho can walkthrough machine gun fire and not feelit. A lot of the Psycho Squad detectives are crazy them- selves. They load up with, boosted reflexes, get some monsterously huge guns, and go hunt the cyborgs solo. But you're not that crazy. Yet.VIEW FROM THE EDGE Br "Drop It, punk. I don't wanna hear your life story, and I don't care what | Society did to you. | 1 just wanna see | that gun hit the | floor. Now... —Before I give you an extra nostril." Sgt. Max Hammerman NCPDVIEW FROM THE EDGE U3 | SLICK BUSINESS RAIDERS AND MULTI- MILLIONAIRES | | In the old days, they would have called you yuppie—a | hard driven, fast-track MBA | onhisway up the Corporate ladder. Sure, it's selling your | soul to the Company, but | faceit; the Corporationsrule | the Cyberpunk world. They control governments, mar- kets, nations, armies—you nameit. And you know that, whoever controls the Cor- porations controls every thing else Right now, your life as a junior executive is anything but easy. There are guys underneath you who'd kill | for a shot at your job. There are guys over you who'd kil tokeep yououtof theirjobs. And they're not kidding about the kiling—every up and comerin the Corporation has his own crew of Solos and Netrunners to cover his pet projects. Sabo- tage? Constantly. Bribery? Routine. Black- mail? Common. Promotion by assassina- tion? Always a possibilty. The stakes are that | high—one slip and you could be out on the Street with the rest of the trash. Or dead. And the projects your supervisors give you! Some are pretty straightforward; design a new productivity schedule for the Corporation's medical subsidiary. Some are pretty raw—send a black operations” team into the City to spread a designer plague so the Marketing team can clean up selling the vaccine. Last week, youleda mixed team of Solos, ‘Runners and Techies onaheadhunting run to kidnap a researcher from a rival com pany. The week before, your project was to steal plans for a new suborbital shuttle from the EuroSpace Agency (so that the Aero- space Division could copy the design and sell it to the Soviets), Youtold yourself you joined the Corporation to make it a better place—work from the inside, you said. But now you're notso sure. Your ideals are a little tarnished and things are getting pretty bleak. But you car’t worry about ethics now. You've got a report due in an hour, and it looks like that guy in Sales is planning to ice your database for good. You're gonna ice him firstVIEW FROM THE EDGE "Money. Yeah,I got money: anew BMW aerodyne, and a penthouse flat in the Corporate Zone. All the money ain't worth frack. You play this game for power. The power to get things done; to make the big decisions; to affect things. You make a phone call, and the next thing you know, | you're telling the president of some bushleague Euronation that he'd better play it your way, or he's | history. | "That's why you play. That's why I'm with the Company." —An Unidentified CorporateVIEW FROM THE EDGE You realized fast that youweren’tever going | to get into a Corporate job. And you didn’t | think you were tough enough or crazy enough to be a Solo either. But as a small time punk, you knew you had a knack for figuring out what other people wanted, and how to getitfor them. Fora price, of course. Now your deals have moved past the nickle- and-dime stuff into the big time. Maybe you move illegal weapons over the border. Or steal and resell medical supplies from the Corporations. Perhaps you'reaskilllbroker-— DEAL MAKERS, SMUGGLERS, ORGANIZERS AND INFORMATION BROKERS acting as an agent for high priced Solos and "Runners, or even hiring a whole Nomad packto backaclient’s contracts. You buy and sell favors like an old-style Mafia godfather. You have connections into all kinds of busi nesses, deals and politcal groups. You don't do this directly, of course—no, you use your contacts and allies as part of a vast web of intrigue and coersion. if there’sa hot night- clubinthe City, you'veboughtintoit. there are new miltary-class weaponson the Street, ‘you smuggled ‘em in. If there's a Corporate war going down, you're negotiating be- tween sides with an eye on the main chance. But you're not entirely in it for the bucks. If someone needs to get the heat off, you'll hide them. You get people housing when there isn’t any, and you bring in food when the neighbor- hoods are blockaded. Maybe you do it because you know they'll owe you later, but you're not sure. You'reone partRobinHood and two parts Al Capone. Backin the 90's, they would have called you a crimelord. But this isthe fragmented, nasty, deadly 2020s. Now they call you a Fixer.VIEW FROM THE EDGE Ered "Don't give me this "Robin Hood" stuff. I'm doin’ a Job, no more. I give people what they want, an' they pay me out. "Okay, so maybe leven a few scores here and there, but that's good for | business. You make a friend— they'll take you in when the Street's too hot, and they'll pass you a few bits of data when you call in the markers. But | that's business, "I got a slogan... "How much you pay me —Phil "Nacho" Hernandez FixerVIEW FROM THE EDGE CO ROAD WARRIORS AND GYPSIES WHO ROAM THE HIGHWAYS They drove your family off the Farm tenyearsago. The Corpo- rations rolled in, tookover theland, and put renta cops all over the place. It wasn’t the firsttimeite happened; it wouldn't be the last. Gradually, your family fell in with a bunch of other homeless families, and they met another group...until you'd created a Nomad pack of nearly two hundred mem- bers Now, crammed into a huge, ragtag fleet of cars, vans, buses and RV's, yourNomad pack roams the freeways. You look for supplies, odd jobs and spare parts in a world where society has fragmented. The pack is your home—it has teachers, Med Techs, leaders, and mechanics—it's virtually a town on wheels in which everyone is related by mar- riage or kinship. Sometimes the Pack pulls into a town just to fuel up or get grub. Other times, it swings south to follow the harvest; you pick cropsin trade for cash or food. Less law abiding Packs are like mobile armies, terrorizing cities and hiring out as muscle in Corporate wars. For obvious reasons, the cops don’t like Nomads. But it doesn’t mat- ter—your vehicles are usually well armored and bristlingwith stolen weapons; mini guns, rocket launchersandithelike. Every kid knows how touse arifle, and everyone packsaknife. Being homeless in the 2000's isn’t easy. ‘The mostvisible members of the Pack are the Scouts—leather armored riders on bikes or in fast muscle cars, who protect the convoy from attacks and hunt up safe campsites. As a Scout, you're on the lookout for trouble, and you usually can find enough of it, with rival Nomad Packs, the Law, and the Corporates all after you, Like a modern day cowboy, you ride the hard trail, You've gota gun, a bike and that’s all you need. You're a Nomad,VIEW FROM THE EDGE "Guns. Guns and cyberbikes. That's how we hold the line. We don't have any home | except the Caravan. We don't have any rights except what we | take. We get run out of town by the cops; we get | ralded by the readwarrior packs, and we survive because | we've got guns and bikes... "There's kids, old men and women— families here. This ain't no | boostergang. These people are my family." —Nomad SantiagoVIEW FROM THE EDGE Tyne ra aN | Le ee te Tarr E Py) ra) Cats ty Cent raya Ra TS]VIEW FROM THE EDGE "They were roaring in at top speed when they hit us. There must have been a hundred of them. We were pinned down and about to be turned into Ground Food Concentrate Number Fifteen. Then Razorjack popped the BigRipps, screamed like a banshee on steroids, and went right over the top of the lead cyberbike." | —Savage Doc Fi GETTING CYBERPUNK Headware is the hardware—the frame which allows the character to interface with the rules. Remember, the disk is not the software, and dice rolls are not your character. Don't get too caught up in the statistics. Character Points Character pointsare the cash of character creation—you use them to “buy” the vari- ous “mechan- ics” aspects of the character, like goodlooks, a strong, hard body, unshak- able cool and street smarts (butnot Skills), We've given you three ways to generate Character Points: 1) Random. Roll 9 D10 and total them. You have this many Character Points Cea LT Ped eee eed CM er ttn persona Uren a the Rules of the Game. 2) Fast: Roll 1D1 for each stat (in all), re- rolling any scores of 2or les. Place rolls in each stat as desired 3) Cinematic: This option is for Referees only. As the designer of the adventure, the Referee has the option of choosing the number of points for each character based ‘on its position in his or her game. Major Hero sopts Major Supporting Char... 70pts Minor Hero 75pts Minor Supporting Char... 60pts Average sopts | Note: We could, at this point, warn prospective Referees about the vari- ‘ous dodges their players will have for creating “supercharacters.” But face it; if they want to create a mondo character, who are we to stop them? You're all big boys and girls now, and if you, as Referee, think your players | are gettingway outaline, whynotjust | go ahead and waste ‘em? | That's the Cyberpunk way. et ee) Dice All systems in Cyberpunk use two types of dice; the common, garden variety six sided die (found in most popular games and in Las Vegas), and the more esoteric ten sided die (used exclusively by the Japanese Imperial Navy and in many roleplaying games). Dice are usually referred to in Cyberpunk as a“D", followed by the number of sides of the dice. For example, a normal 6 sided die would be referred to as a “D6”. There are a number of ways in which dice can be used, such as: * Rolling a group of dice together and adding the results (roll 306 would mean roll 3 six sided dice to get a value from 3 to 18). * Rolling one or more dice together and adding another value called a modifier to get a final value, expressed Gs 1D6+1, or 1010-2. * Rolling two ten sided dice together, designating one to mark the tens place and the other to mark the ones place (called rolling a percentage). Rounding and Modifying: In Cyberpunk, if you are asked to divide something and you come up with a decimal value, you will ‘automatically round the result down to the nearest whole number (such as 2.65352 becoming 2). Ifa ‘modified value (such as 16. 4) comes out equal to, or below zero, it Is automatically equal to 1 unless otherwise specified.VIEW FROM THE EDGE RED oe THE HARDCOPY FORM First thing you're going to need is a place to record all of your information. Photocopy (or draw) your own Hardcopy Form to work on. Make sure you keep a backup of this form, just in case the original gets fragged in the middle of a run, REMEMBER: THE FUTURE IS DISPOSABLE. | | Okay, get out your Hardcopy, roll your dice, and let's start plugging in your | character. Statistics Each Cyberpunk character has nine Statis- tics—values representing the level of na- tive ability of the character in specific areas of activity. These Stats are rated from two to ten, with two being the worst possible, ten being the best possible, and the aver- age falling at about five or six. Divide your total number of Character Points between each of your nine Stats, adjusting the amounts in each one as you think best describes the character's natural abilities. No Statistic may be less than two or greater than ten. Intelligence (INT): This is a measure of your problem solving ability; figuring out problems, noticing things, remembering information. Almost every character type will need a high Intel- ligence, with Netrunners and Corporates requiring the highest of all. Reflexes (REF): This is a combined index, covering not only your basic dexterity, but also how your level of physical coordination will affect feats of driving, piloting, fighting and athletics. Characters who intend to engage in a great deal of combat (such as Solos, Nomads or Rockerboys) should alwaysinvestin the highest possible Reflex Cool (CL): This index measures how well the charac- terstandsup to stress, fear, pressure, physi- cal pain and/or torture. In determining your willingness tofight on despite wounds oryourfighting ability under ire, Cool(CL) is essential. Itis also the measure of how “together” your character is and how tough he appears to others. Rockerboys and Fixers should always have a high Cool, with Solosand Nomads having the highest, of al Technical Ability (TECH): This is an index of how well you relate to hardware and other technically oriented things. In Cyberpunk, the ability to use and repair technology is of paramount impor tance—TECH will be the Stat used when fixing, repairing and attempting to use unfamiliar tech, Whileall characters should have a decent Tech Stat, potential Techies should always opt for the highest possible score in this area Luck (LK): This is the intangible “something” that throws the balance of events into your favor. Yourluck representshow many points you may use each game to influence the ‘outcome of a critical event. To use Luck, you may add any or all of the points of luck a character has to a critical die roll (declar- ing your inetntion to use Luck before the roll is made) until all of your Luck stat is used up. Luckis always restored at the end of each game session. Attractiveness (ATT): This is how good-looking you are. In Cy- berpunt, it’s not enough to be good—you have to look good while you're doing it (Attitude is Everything). Attractiveness is especially important to Medias and Rock- erboys, as being good-looking is part of their jobs. Movement Allowance (MA): This is an index of how fast your character can run (important in combat situations). The higher your Movement Allowance (MA), the more distance you can cover in aturn, RUN: To determine how far your charac- ter can run in a single combat round (@3.2 seconds) in meters, multiply your MA by 3. The character can run three times this distance in a full 10 second turn. Write thisin the RUN section of your Hardcopy Form LEAP: To determine how far your charac- ter can leap (from a running start), divide your RUN by 4. Write this in the LEAP section of your Hardcopy Form, Empathy: This Stat represents how well you relate to other living things—a measure of charisma and sympathetic emotions. In a world of alienated, future-shocked survivors, the ability to be “human” can no longer be taken for granted. Empathy (EM) is criticali DIRT 0 soto Gi tocker Gi Netrunner & Media tINomed OFixer O Cop OCorp O Techie O Medtechie Coated A INT[ ] REF[ / ] ATTR[ ] LUCK[ ] EMP[ /]Run[ ] TECH[ ] COOL[ ] MA[ ] BoDY[ J leap[ ] Lift [ ] Head] Torso] RArm| LArm | Rleg] Lleg r[26| os |6 | 78 | 90 [save| [erm Psion stun 2 stares stuns SPECIALABILITIES History 7 Authority 11 Language: [ Charismatic Leaders I 9 [ ! 98 — Search [1 Mathematics tot t Jury Rig 1) Progamming I Medical Tech 1 Shadow /Track t Resources 1 StockMarket | Streetdea [1 systemknowledge I ATTR Teaching I PertonalGrooming [| wilderness Survival I Wardrobe & Style [1 Zoology [ Booy Endurance toy a r Strength Feat [J athletics t ! 3 t L Interrogation scape IL Inuidate 1 Diving I Onto 1 Fencing L Resist Torture/Orugs Handgun Streetvse HHeowy Weapons EMPATHY Martalat] Human Perception Martatart f Interview t Leadership Melee L Seduction Motorcycle i Social Operate tivy. Machinery uf Persuasion & Fast Talk PotGyro i Pettorm Piot Fined Wing) i INT Pict Digidie I Accounting (Veet Thrust Vehicle) | Anthropology 1 Rite tL Awareness/Notice 1 steath fl Biology Submachinegun i Botany TECH Chemistry AeroTech ft Composition AV Tech fl Diagnoseliness J BasicTech L Education &Gen.know 1 CryatankOperation i Expert __ {1 GyberdeckDesign t Gamble 1 GberFech Geclog, |} Demoitians t Hide/Evade 1 disguise L ———_—_—————— NN |Total HL and Euro Costs |) Electronics 1 other 1 fleet. Security Fistaia r 1 other ol I I I i | Pharmacuteas | REP { J | Perosac | CURRENT IP[ J 1 Playinstrument | HUMANITY [J] | 1 Gitar [AU [costLIFEPATH, GEAR & WEAPONS LIFEPATH Clothes: Hale Atfectations, Ethnicity Language nou Cod Traits Valued Person Value Most Feel About People Valued Posessionwhen leading, convincing, seducing or perceiving emotional undercurrents. Em- pathy isalso.a measure of how close he/she isto the line between feeling human being and cold blooded cyber-monster (see pg, 73 for details). Humanity : This is a measure of the toll cybernetics takes on your ability to relate to other living things. Multiply your EMP by 10 to determine how many humanity points you have. Write the resuitintheboxon your Hardcopy Form. Remember: for every 10 points of Humanity lost, you will auto- matically lose 1 point of EMP. This can have a serious effect on any Empathy. related Skills, as well as forcing you to the edge of cybernetic-induced psychosis. Body Type (BT) Strength, Endurance and Constitution are all based on the character's Body Type. Body Type determines how much damage you can take in wounds, how much you canliftor carry, how far youcan throw (pg. 99), how well you recover from shock, and how much additional damage you cause with physical attacks. Body Type is impor: tant to all character types, but to Solos, Rockerboys and Nomads most of all BODY TYPES & POINTS 2pis Very Weak 3-4 pts Weak 5-7 pts, Average 8-9 pts Strong 10 pts Very Strong You may carry up to 10x your Body Type inkg. You may also dead lift 40 times your Body Type in kg. Save Number Your character's Save Number is a value equal to your Body Type. To make saves, you must roll a value on 1010 equal to or lower than this number. There are two types of saves in Cyberpunk Stun Saves: When you take damage in Cyberpunk, or have been exposed to Parts is Parts. Dead VIEW FROM THE EDGE knockout drugs, you will be required to make a Stun Save. if you fail a Stun Save, you wil automatically be knocked out of ‘combatand be unable to recover until you | \ NIN can make a successful Stun Save in a | |p V ‘ folowing combatturn.Youmay makeone | . Save roll every turn until you succeed, ‘Attention, Bodybankers! Death Saves: | /»' We've got a ’ iy When youhave Blue Light "Dead is Dead. ia Mortally | Special going | Wounded (see | on right now in| | | Friday Night 6) Cryochamb Freight, pa. {P+ Keyechamber 8) | 104), of when || Fifteen! We've | Countered cer. |p! got eyes in all Lacs —Ripperjack tain types of colors and poisons, you conditions, | will need to make a Save against | ' going for half \ | Death. On a failed roll, you're Body | |)' price! Hurry on Bank fodder |" down to | | | Chamber | Take a moment to find the Save box on your Hardcopy Form and fill tin Fifteen for best selection, and ‘9 get ‘em before they spoil Body Type Modifier (BTM) Not all people take damage the same way For example, ittakes alot more damage to | |p stop Arnold The Terminator than it does | ‘Amold the Nerd. This is reflected by the Body Type Modifier, a special bonus used by your character to reduce the effects of damage. The Body type modifier is sub- | tracted from any damage your character | takes in combat. | -Medicross || Preservation BODY TYPE MODIFIER TABLE Very Weak -0 Weak 1 Average 2 | Strong 3 Very Strong 4 | Superhuman* 5 For example, say you took ten points of | damage. Ifyou were a Very Weak Body Type, | you would take the full ten. But with a Very Strong Body Type, you'd only take (10-4=6) six points of damage. Find the Body Type Modifier (BTM) boxon your Hardcopy Form and fill tin. Remem- ber; no matter how cybered up you get, make sure you're solid meat underneath.VIEW FROM THE EDGE EEuuu ne Med. Pistol Light Submachinegun Very Heavy Pst MASTER SKILL LIST | Fast and Dirty | Expendables Heavy Pistol As youll soon realize, the Cyberpunk char- 3) Cyberaudio (Roll 1D6 for type) | actergenerationsystemisdesignedtogie >) ©?>etaudio ype) | you a lot of flexibility. You can tailor the} aaa sence | character the way you want it, with lots of 3 Phone ink | personal touches all through the process. nee nonin | Ee 8 Digital Recording Link oni But when you need to generate a horde of faceless boostergangers, you're not going 4) Big Knucks to want to invest this kind of time and 5) Rippers energy. Instead, youll need something 6) Vampires fast and easy to help you create endless 7) Slice n’dice supplies of baddies to bemoweddownllike 8) Reflex Boost (Kerenzikov) chaff by your player characters 9) Retlex Boost (Sandevistan) 10)Nothing The five step FAST CHARACTER SYSTEM below allows you to generate a large sup- Step 4: Armor & Weapons ply of faceless guards, killers, corps and Roll 1D10, adding modifier below: bad guysondemand. Aquickrun through Rott Armor Weapon | Ttepath can create afast and dity bace S AcsSeater ROR | ground to match your fast and olrty 2 AmorVest Ught Pato | groundto match yourfastand dirty NPCs. 3 oh srmor Jacket Medium Pistol | S0 go ahead and waste ‘em! Well make 3 [SheArmortaclet Medium Pt | more! 3 Mad Armor ackst Heavy Patol | Med Rimaracet —CghSME Step One: Generate Stats & —HhyeArmor locket Med. sau ile 1) Rell 206 nine times, writing down each 9 Hy. Armerfocket_ Hay. Assault ie roll. If a roll is 11 oF greater, reroll that *70 MetalCear™ Huy. Asal ile value. Place each numberin one Stat until « Rockers, Corps, Netrunners, fixers, Techies: all Stats are filled, add 00 ral, + Nomads, Cops: add +2 to rol # Soloe: add #3 to rll. Step 2: Pick a Role & Skills 1) Select a role for the character. Write its Step 5: Write it down. | Career Skill Package (pg.44)in the appro- Fill out an NPC (Non-player Character) priate space, dividing 40 points between sheet, as shown below. these skills. 2)ifthe characterisanadvanced NPC, rot! | [XXX [addtional 2010 and dstrbute these |EFBER gary seen coout 4 | points among 5 pickup skills Jarra | tueK()) Mal | BoDv | fiw yun dept duet) Step 3: Pick Cyberware (see Slate alee PEs. 76-79) Roll 1D10. Solos rll 6 times. All others roll 3 times. If duplicate rolls, e-tol 1) Cyberoptics (Roll 1D6 for type) Infrarea | 2 tovtigh Camera & Dartgun 5S Antidazsle & Targeting scope 2) Cyberarm with gun (Roll 1D6 for type) Med. Pet [2 Aight PistetINT[ ] REF[ / ] TECH[ ] COOL[ ] ATTR[ ] LUCK[ ] MA[ ] BODY[ j EMP [ / ]Run [ Go Bey INT[ ] REF[ /] TECH[ ] COOL[ ] ATTR[ ] LUCK[ ] MA[ ] BoDY[ ] Jleap[ ] Lift [ ] |/EMP[ /]Run[ ]Leap[ ] Lift [ ] Head] Toro] RArm| Larm | Rie] Ll Head] Torso] RArm] LArm | Rleg | Lies Save] fare] beep een ee ees en LS ST St 9 Suns] MORTAL 3 MORTALS MORTALA MORTAL MORTAL @ La Sn tata | Cin oi g = OT) beat ttl Cybernetics Cybernetics Special Ability Special Ability ‘Skills Skills Possessions Possessions | INT[ ] REF[ /] TECH[ ] COoL[ ] ATTR[ ] LUCK[ ] MA[ ] BODY[ ] no PVE ] REF[ / ] TECH[ ] COOL[ ] ATTR[ ] LUCK[ ] MA[ ] BODY[ ] Z| | EMP[/ ]Run [ ] Leap[ ] Lift [ ] |]EMP[ /]Run[ ] Leap[ ] Lift [ ] Head] Torso] RArm] LArm | Rleg | Lleg a Head] Torso] RArm] LArm | Rleg] Lleg [save] form] Cebo cPEb G5 GPS AE) || (eave) form) EPEa ee CES PE OP MORTAL MORTALS MORIA Mon f otal err Pee et 7 L__| alee a a Cybernetics Cybernetics Special Ability Special Ability Skills Skills Possessions | PossessionsVIEW FROM THE EDGE ROLES CHARACTERS pet TASK & SKILLS WEAPONS ARMOR both Pats tN COMBAT MEDICAL NETRUNNINGVIEW FROM THE EDGE "I remember she told me she was born in Miami, about 2004 or so...She was pretty sure, because she could still remember what it'd been like when the Euros rocked Washington and the near miss took out Tampa... "She had these incredible blue eyes; clear through and through, like crystals of Lace, and a smile from a magazine dream.'Course, the eyes were Teknics 2350's, and the smile really was from a magazine—nice biosculpt job. It didn't matter how much was real in the end. | still fell hard for her. I'm that type." El TALES FROM THE STREET It's like climbing out of the clone vat. You got this half-formed person standing there, dripping with slime. You got some stats, maybe an vague idea of where you're going with the character, but nothing else. So how do you take this Blank and make him really Cyberpunk? You start with the Lifepath. Lifepath is a flowchartof "plot complications’, designed to help you give your Cyberpunk character an authentically dark future background, —Johnny Silverhand Its seven sections cover your national and ethnic origins, your family, friends, ene- mies, personal habits and even key events ona yearly basis. It's intended primarily as a guide; if you encounter something you don't think fits the character you've envi- sioned, feel free to change the path as you see fit. Use the back of your Hardcopy | sheet to record your Lifepath. Remember; | Cyberpunk hinges on roleplaying, so make Use of the information in your Lifepath run Is a guaranteed adventure generator! EVERYONE ON THE STREET HAS A STORY. WHAT'S Yours? The way to find out is by using this Lifepath From it’s pages, you'l dis cover your past; enemies, friends, loversand liars, The Lifepath will give you the clues you need to make this person work for you. Iti also give your Referee some idea of how to put an ad- venture around a bunch of numbers, Ao)VIEW FROM THE EDGE kx = =i‘ Pea STREETSLANG SOME COMMON TERMS OF ‘THE 21ST CENTURY Al: Artificial Inteligence; 3. com: puter with fll ef awareness, Booster: any member of @ gang thataffecs cyberwear, leathercloth lng and random violence. Combat drugs any one of a Chilled (o.be coo); bet CChippin’ In: To buy cybervear for refs time, To cast your lot with "group. To connect with a ma chine Chombatta (choomba):Neo-Afto American slang for fend, family CHOOH (choo!) Streeslang for sicohal, at uted in vehicle power plants. The vast majorty of vehicles in the 20008 are fueled by an advanced form of alcohol with a higher burring temperature than normal methanol ‘Chromer:27stcentury heavy metal rock fan. See also Chromatic rocker, Chromatic rock: a tyr u of heavy aracterized by heavy elec ries, simple rhythms and violent Cybered Up:to get as much cyber wear implanted as possible before ‘you go over the Edge. Data Termsastreetcorner informs tion machine, with a screen, Net inputs, and keyboard Disk record, recording; laser disk ‘Dorphs: Steetsang for synthetic endorphins, a designer drug that increases healing powers, limits fatigue, and. produces a “rush sinvlar to.a second wind, Exotic: human biosculpted with on-humanelementsfur, longeas, The face: The interface, Jacking into the Net Flatline: to kil, A dead person or thing Go LEO: to make the trp into Low Earth Orbit, to visit one of the Inner space stations Gyro: tmall one or bo man hel copters, used mostly in police work tnd Corporate strike operat Handle: a nicknames a: working name you ate known by on the Hydro: Streetlang for hydrogen {el used topoweraszablenumber cof vehicles in the 2000's, Input: giliend Keyboard: Streetslang for a com puter interface deck with manual” Keys. Aso a terminal Netruns te interface with the Net and use it to hack into Data For- tresses 1) Origins and Personal Style What do you look like and where do you come from? DRESS & PERSONAL STYLE In Cyberpunk, what you look like is what you are. Fashion is action, and style is ‘everything, Roll 1010 three times (once per column) to decide what your style is. Die Roll Clothes Hairstyle Affectations 1 Biker leathers .nscueMOMAWK os. Tatoos 2 Blue jeans Long & Ratty Mirrorshades 3 Corporate Suits ....Short & Spiked .n.un..eRitual Scars \4 Jumpsuits Wild & all over Spiked gloves 5. oo Miniskirt. Bald . Nose Rings 6 High Fashion ......Striped Earrings de Cammos .. Tinted .. Long fingernails 8. Normal clothes .....Neat, short... Spike heeled boots 9 Nude Short, curly Weird Contact Lenses 10 Bag Lady chic ......Long, straight Fingerless gloves ETHNIC ORIGINS The Cyberpunk world Is multl-cultural and multinational. Where you come from determines your native language, customs and allegiances. Choose or roll one nationality, then choose anative tongue from the options listed for the ethnic type. This is your native lanquage, which you speak at +8. In addition , you also automatically know streetslang, a universal polyglot of English, French, German, Japanese and a half dozen other languages: Anglo-American (English) African Bantu, Fante, Kongo, Ashanti, Zulu, Swahili) Iapanese/Korean (Japanese o: Korean) Central European/Soviet (Bulgarian, Russian, Czech, Polish, Ukranian, Slovak) Paeifie Islander (Microneasian, Tagalog, Polynesian, Malayan, Sudanese, indonesian, Hawaiian) Vietnamese) Chinese Southeast Asian (Burmese, Cantonese, Mandarin, Tha, Tibetan, Black American (English, Blackfolk) Hispanic American (Spanish, English) Central /SouthAmerican (Spanish, Portuguese) }0 European (French, German, English, Spanish, Italian, Greek, Danish, Dutch, Norwegian, Swedish, Finnish) 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 1 ‘Output: boyiriend Polymer one shot: any cheep plastic pistol, usually in the 5 to ments. Rockerboys are not the same asrockstars, iho are usu aly ‘owned’ by eecording medi fmm range. Posergang: any group whose membersallatfectaspecifielook, Style or bodyscuipt job, Ripperdoc:surgeonspeciaizing in implanting ‘legal cyberwear. Ronin: 2 freelance aesatin or mercenary, Usually considered to be untrustworthy, Rockerboy/girl: a musician or performer who uses his or he art fo make pol acorps and are apolitical Samural:a corporate assassin or mercenary, hiredto protect Cor poration propertyormakestikes against other Corporate holings Slammit On to get violent; 0 attack someone without reason, “The Street: wherever you lve, Iateatright. The Subculture; the Underground. Stuffit to have sex, Als; to for- it somethingVIEW FROM THE EDGE 2) Family Backrw ——EEE—E EEE did you come from? Everybody on the Street has a story and a past they're trying to live with. What's yours? Who are you, and whi FAMILY RANKING (choose or roll one: Corporate Exe Corporate Manager Corporate Technician Nomad Pack Prate Fleet, Crime Lora Combat Zone Poor Urban tromeless 10 Arcology family Go to PARENTS PARENTS Choose or roll one: 16 Both parents are living! Go to FAMILY status 7-40 Something has happened to one or both parents. Go to SOMETHING HAPPENED To YOUR PARENTS. SOMETHING HAPPENED TO YOUR PARENTS Ehoots or rll one rae a ye rarer eet ove FAMILY STATUS Choose or roll one: Family status in danger, and you risk losing everything (i you haven’ already) Goto FAMILY TRAGEDY Farmiy status is OR, ‘missing or dead. Go to CHILDHOOD ENVIRONMENT CHILDHOOD ENVIRONMENT Your Childhood was (choose or roll one): Spent on the Stee, with no adult superision| Spent ina safe Corporate Suburbia Ina Nomad Pack moxing from towe, Ina decaying, once Uupecale neighborhood Ina delended Corporate Zone in the central City inthe heart of the Combat Zone Ina smal vilage ot town far from the City ina lage aeology ety In an aquatic Pirate ack (On a Corporate contralled Farm or Research Facility Go to SIBLINGS FAMILY TRAGEDY Choose or roll one: Family lost everything through betrayal Family lost everything through bad management Family exled oratherwise diven rom thei original home/nation/corporation Family is imprisoned and you alone escaped Family vanished. You are the only remaining member Family was murdered /kiled and you were the nly survivor 7 Family i involved in 2 longterm conspiracy, lorgarization or association, such as acme family or revolutionary group Your family waeseattered to the winds due to misfortune Your family is cursed with a hereditary feud that has lasted for generations You are the inhertor ofa family debt; you must honor this debt before moving on with your ite Go 16 CHILDHOOD ENV. SIBLINGS You may have up to 7 brothers/sisters. Roll 1010. 1-7 is equal to the number of siblings you have. On 8-10, you are an only child. For tach brother or sist 1) Roll 1010. Even: the sibling is male, Odd: the sibling is female. 2) Roll age, relative to yourself 3) For each sibling, chose or roll their feelings about you: 2 Sibling distikes you 3-4 Sibling likes you 5:6 Sibling neutral 7-8 They nero worship you 9-10 They hate you Goto MOTIVATIONSVIEW FROM THE EDGE )MovainsS — —EIEIEiiEio What makes you tick? Will you back up your friends or go for the main chance? What's important to you? PERSONALITY TRAITS Choose or roll one: 1 Shy and secretive PERSON YOU VALUE MOST Choose or roll one: 1A parent WHAT DO You VALUE MOST? Choose oF roll one: 1 Money 2. Rebellious, antisocial Brother or sister 2 Honor Violent 3 Lover 3 Your word 3 Aerogant, proud and 4 Friend 4 Honesty aloof 5S Yourself 5 Knowledge 4 Moody, rash and & A pet 6 Vengeance headstrong 7 Teacher or mentor 7 Love 5 Picky, fussy and nervous 8 Public figure 8 Power 6 Stable and serious 9 personal hero 9 Having a good time 7 Sily and fluftheaded 10 Noone 10 Friendship Sneaky and deceptive 9 Intellectual and detatched 10_Friendly and outgoing HOW Do You FEEL ABOUT MOST PEOPLE? Choose or roll one: 1-2 Neutral 3 like almost everyone 4 {hate almost everyone 5 People are tools. Use them fer your own goals and discard them 6 Every person is 8 valuable individual 7 People are obstacles to be destroyed if they YOUR MOST VALUED POSESSION Choose or roll one: 1A weapon 2 A tool 3A piece of clothing 4A photograph 5A book or diay & A recording 7 8 9 1 ‘A musical instrument Apiece of jewelry ao Atoy eople are , }0 A letter untrustwerthy. Don't epend on anyone 9 Wipe’emall out and give the place to the Cockroaches 10_People are wondertul PTR aaa ky ‘*Qlfevet You know where you came from and what you look like. Now let’ take a look at the major events that made you what you are. Roll 2D6 + 16 to determine your character's age, or pick any age 16 or greater. For each year of your character's life past age 16, roll 1010, check the chart below, and go to that section of the Lifepath. What happens there is the major event that shaped your ch: life for that year. When you're done, come on back here and roll the next year's main event. Big Problems, Big Wins Friends & Enemies Romantic Involvement Nothing Happened That YearVIEW FROM THE EDGE Ua) Big Prries, FWD EEE Living on the Edge means taking big risks. This year, you took some serious chances. Did it Pay off or did you go down in the street? Roll 1D10. On an even roll, you scored big. On an odd roll, you took a hit. DISASTER STRIKES! Roll 1D10: 1 FinancialLoss or Debt oll 1010x100. Youhave lost this muchinEurodollas you cant pay thisnow, you have a debt to pay, in cash—or blood 2. Imprisonment: You have been in prison, of possibly held hostage (your choice). Roll 1010 for length of imprisonment in months 3 Illness oF addiction Youhave contracteseither an liness or drug habit in this time. Lost 1 pt of REF permanently 28a res, 4 Betrayal: you have been backstabbed in some manner. Roll another DIO. 1-3, you are being blackmailed, 4-7, secret was exposed. #10, you were betrayed by 3 clase friend in ether amance or Career (you choose 5 Accident: You were in some kind of terrible accident, Roll 1010. 1-4, youwere terribly istigured dnd must subtract -$ from your ATT. 5:6, you were hospitalized for 1010 months that year. 7-8, you havelost 110 months of memory of that year. 9-10, you constantlyreive nightmares (Bin TOchanceeach Aight) ef the accident and wake up sereeming, 6 Lover, friendorrelative killed: Youlostsomeone you realy cared about. 1-5, they died accidentally. 6 8, they were murdered by unknown partes, 9-10, they were murdered and you know whe did it. You just need the proot 7 False Accusation: You were setup Roll 1D10.1 4, the accusation is thet. 4:5 Cs cowardice, 6.8. murder. 9 i rape, 10, is Iying or betrayal 8 Hunted by the Law: You are hunted by the law for crimes youmay or may nothave committed (your choice) Roll1D10. 1-3, only acouple local cops want you 4-6,:ts the entre local force. 7-8 ts the State Police oF Nala. 9-10, is the FBI or equivalent rational police force. 9 Hunted by a Corporation: You hove angered some corporate honcho. Rall 1010. 1-3, 2 a small rom. 46, is anger eorputh offices 7-8; its big, national corp swith agents in majr ‘es nationwside. 9:10, itsahuge multinational with armies, nia and spies everywhere 10. Mental oF physical incapacitation: You have expetienced some type of mental of physical breakdown Roll 1010, 1-3, 1's some type of nervous disorder, probably rom a bioplague— lose | pt (On 47, is some kind of mental problem; you sulter anaiety atacks and phobias. Lose 1 pt from your CL Stat 810, i'sa major psychosis. You hear voices, are lent, tational, depressive Lose t plivom yout CL, trom REF GoTo WHAT ARE YOU GONNA D0 ABOUT IT? YOU GET LUCKY Roll 1D10: 1 MakeaPowerful Connectionin ity Goverment Roll 1010. 1-4, its in the Police Dept. 5:7. sn the Distt attorneys Office 8:10, 1 in the Mayors Otlce 2 Financial Windfall: Roll 1910x100 for amount in Eurodaliar, 4. Big Score on job or deal! Rall 1010x100 for amount in Eurodolars, 4 Finda Sensei (teacher) Begin at -2 of 2 Martial Arts Skil of your choice 5. Find a Teacher: Add +1 to any INT based sil of begin a new INT baced skill at «2 6 Powerful Corporate Exec ower you one favor 7 Local Nomad Pack befriends you. You can call ‘upon them for one favor a manth, equivalent to 3 Family Special Abiity of +2 8 Make aFriend on the Police Force. Youmay use him for inside information at aleve of =2 streetwise ‘on any police related stuation 9 Local Boostergang likes you (Who knows why. These are Boosters, right?) You ean call upon them for ‘avora month, equivalent toa Family Special Ability (of +2. But don't push i, 10 Find a Combat Teacher, Add -1 to any weapon skill wth the exception of Maral As or Growing, of begin » new combat sil at +2. Go back to LIFE EVENTS AND ROLL THE NEXT YEAR. WHAT ARE YOU GONNA DO ABOUT IT? Choose or roll one: 2 Clear your name 3:4 Live it down and ty 1 forget it 5:6 Hunt down those responsible and moke them poy! 7-8 Get what's rightly yours 9:10 Save, if possible, anyone else involved inthe stutation. Go back to LIFE EVENTS AND ROLL THE NEXT YEAR.VIEW FROM THE EDGE k= #&5 # # ..}}| 4») Rens eRe EEE EEE Living on the Edge means you don't do things halfway. Your friends ar. ight, and your enemies ruthless. If you're here, it's because your social life took a major turn (for the MAKE AN ENEMY THE CAUSE You've gotten In This emnity started someone's face. when one of you Enemies are a way (choose or roll of life In Cyberpunk, #™) one): so don't skip this step. For each enemy, choose or roll sex on 1D10. EVEN=Male ODD=Female This enemy Is (choose or roll one): 1 extend Exlover Relative Childhood enemy Person working for you Person you work fr Booster gang member Corpora 0 Government Offa Go to THE CAUSE MAKE A FRIEND You lucked out and made a new friend (a rare occurence In the Cyberpunk world). For each new friend, choose or roll sex on 1D1 Choose or roll your relationship to this friend: Caused the ather to lose face or status Caused the loss of a lover, fiend or relative Caused a major hhumiltiation| ‘Accused the other of cowardice or some ‘other personal law Caused a physical ability: Roll 106. ye eye. 3-Aalose atm, S-6=badly seated) Deserted or betrayed the other Turned down other's olfer of jab o¢ romantic involvement You just did ke each other Was a romantic rival Foiled a pian ofthe other's to WHO'S FRACKED 1 Like a big brother(sister toyou 2 Uke a kid sisterforother 3 Ateacher or mentor 4 Aportner of co-worker 5 Anold over (choose which one) 6 Anold enemy (choose whieh one) Uke a foster parent to you relative 9 Reconnect with an old childhood frend 10 Met through a common Go back to LIFE EVENTS AND ROLL THE NEXT YEAR. WHo's FRACKED OFF? Choose or roll one: They hate you You hate them 8-10 The feeling’: mutual Go to WHATCHA GONNA... WHATCHA" trends GONNA DO 6-7 Anentire Gang ABOUT IT? 2” Komal Corporation If the two of you met face to face, a the injured party Go back to LIFE EVENTS would most likely (Choose or roll year. Roll 1D10. On a 4-5, you made a friend. On a 6-10, you made an enemy. WHAT CAN HE THROW AGAINST you? What kind of forces can your enemy put on the table to stop you? (Choose or roll one): 1-3 Just himself 45° Himself and a few 9 Alarge Corporation 10 Anentire Government AND ROLL THE NEXT YEAR, Go into a murderous, kiling rage ana Fip his face of ‘void the scum Backstab him indirectly Ignore the scum Rip into him verbally Go to WHAT CAN HE... Who is this person? Move over to Per- sonal Style (pg. 34) and Motivations (pg. 34) and make a fow rolls to find out what your friend or enemy is like.VIEW FROM THE EDGE 4c) Romantic Life There's more to life than just combat and bad breaks. Romance is also part of living on the Edge. If you're here, you had some romantic action as your major event thi Start by finding out 7 HOW IT WORKED OUT, below: HOW IT WORKED OUT Roll one, then go to that section: 1.4 Happy love afar (go back to LIFE EVENTS) 5 TRAGIC LOVE AFFAIR 6:7 LOVE AFFAIR WITH PROBLEMS 5-1 Fast affars and Hor Dates (go back to FE EVENTS) LOVE AFFAIR WITH PROBLEMS Choose or roll one: 1 Your lovers friends family hate you 2 Your lovers tiends) family would use any means to get id of you 3 Your friends famiy hate lover 4 One of you has a fomantie ial 5 You are separated in some way 6 Yau fight constantly 7 You're profesional rivals 8 One of you insanely jealous 9 One of you is ‘messing around” 10 Youhave conticting backgrounds and) famles Go back to LIFE EVENTS [AND ROLL FOR NEXT YEAR, _—____ MUTUAL FEELINGS Choose or roll one: They all love you You sl love them You stil love each other You hate them They hate you You're frends No eeling's ether way i's over You ike them, they hate you 10 They tke you, you hate them Go back to LIFE EVENTS AND ROLL FOR NEXT YEAR TRAGIC LOVE AFFAIR Choose or roll one: 1 Laver died in ae 2 Lover mysten nished Tt ivotk out 4A personal goal 0 sly you 5 lover kidnapped ut you ou er -mprivaned of Go Ta MUTUAL FEELINGS Was it worth the pain? Move over to the Personal Style (pg.34) and the Motivations Sections (pg.36) and make a few rolls to find out what your lover was like and whether you'd doit all over again if he/she walked back into your life. Because with your luck, it might just happen.VIEW FROM THE EDGE Lt) Rt CHARACTERS 2 eS art) ee) aE) WEAPONS lite) 3 beg beats COMBAT MEDICAL a caeVIEW FI "You say you've done this kinda thing before?” Silence. Then, "Yep." A long pause. Click. Rattle. Click. "You're sure?" "Yep." Long pause...Click. Whir, Click. "Uh...Ice?” | " Ripper, shut up before I cross a wire and wipe out half | the City In a thermonuclear accident." "Uh...right." Click. Whir. Rattle. EiworkING Skill Checks Most of the time, your character will be able to do most ordinary things without difficulty; walk, talk, open a can of Protein Food Complex’ 35 without gagging. But certain things will require that the charac- ter make a Skill Check to see if he can actually do what he wanted to. Ref-Set Difficulties Each task is rated by the Referee from Easy to Nearly impossible. Each rating has a corresponding numerical value, called a culty TASK DIFFICULTIES Easy... on Average Difficult... Very Difficult... Nearly Impo: Giving It Your Best Shot When making a Skill Check, first, deter mine which of your statsis the most appro- priate to use to perfom the action. For example, if you were trying to stand on your head, REF would be best. If you were deciphering a code, INT would be the most appropriate, Next, if you have any one Skill directly relating tothe task athand, add that skill to the stat. You may apply only one Skill toa task at any time. The subject of Skills (and how you get them) is covered on pages 42 through 54, but right now, we're just inter- facing you with the concept of tasks, Finally, roll 1010 and add the combined total of your die roll, your Stat, and your | selected Skil. Compare your total with the | Task’s Difficulty (as determined by the Referee). If your total is equal or higher, you have succeeded; onalower roll, you have failed. Here’s an example: Johnny Silverhand needs tobreak intoa locked room, atask the Referee considers to require some training. As such, it has a Difficulty of 15. Johnny's most applicable stat is Technical, because this is a Task that requires manipulating a mechani cal object. Johnny isn't much ofa techie (his Tech stat is only +3, enough to fix his guitor strings and plug in his amp). But johnny also picked up Pick Lock +3 as one of his early Pickup skills. This gives him a Base Ability of 6. Johnny will need to roll at least a 9 to pick this lock ROM THE EDGE corer HOW LONG WILL IT TAKE? Some Sample Times: Fixing a simple electronic device 5 min, Fixing 2 complex electronic device 20min Fixing a gun S min Fixing 2 laser, taser o mater 10 min, Fixing atte 5-6 min anengine 2 days Looking for a hidden object ‘25 min. mechanical lack 1-2 min, pening a complex mechanical | loch vs s-10 min Openi to simple electronic 4 min Opening 9c electronic loc 5-10 min, atabase 5-20 min, Designing a cyberdeck 3 days Putting on a disguise FEELIN’ LUCKY, PUNK? Remember; you points from your Luck Statto | boost" a roll. You can use any or all of your LUCK to do this, up tothe full amount per game: byannouncing, your intention to use LUCK points before making the rolVIEW FROM THE EDGE ulty Modifiers Complex Repair Very Complex Repair | 1). I sts Never een Done W Seine I on'thave the sight pans jen’ thave height ot |] Unfamiliar tools, ‘weapon or vehicle Under stress Under attack sto Wounded 12to Drunk, drugged or tied 1 ost Environment |] very Hostile Environment || tack of instructions for task |] aitthe other characters tre "kibitaing” while you're || trying to do the task Has never performed this task before || Difficult Acrobatics involved Very Difficult Acrobaties involved Impossible Acrobatics involved Information hidden, secret or obscure panel, ete Complex program ‘very complex program Complex lock Very complex lock Target on guard or alerted Brightly lit area Insufficient light Pitch Blackness while under observation 42 +4 +6 42 8 4 3 14 126 4 +4 +6 2 8 Well-hidden clue, secret door, 3 43 45 3 +5 B 8 8 at Trying to perform secretive task +4 Opposed Tasks IF you are making an attempt against an- other player character, the opposing player will combine his most applicable stat, skill and 1D10 roll. Onan equal or higher roll, the defending player wins. Difficulty Modifiers Difficulty Modifiers are values which are added to the difficulty of a task, reflecting adverse conditions or extra problems. Modifiers work best when you are dealing with very ticklish or picky situations; things where life ‘and death tasks must be performed. At these times, players will want every ad- vantage they can get, anda simple decision like “The task is Very Diff- cult. “ will create more friction than its worth. At these times, you will probably ‘want to make the steps of the task clear by creating a Difficulty through stacking modifiers. n addition, modifiers allow you, as the Referee, to determine the relative difficulty of doing something and the ef- fect of prevailing conditions Automatic Failu Success Ona natural die roll of 1, you have failed Critical Rollan additional 1D10and checkthe result Ra od ae ern TO er ed on the Fumble Table (pg. 43) to see what (if anything) happens. On a natural roll of 10, you have had a critical success. Roll an additional 1D10 and addit to your original roll. This is when you get lucky and manage to pull off something you have no chance in Hades of doing normally. Skills Skills are used to enhance your ability to perform cer- tain tasks. They represent things you've specifically taken the time to learn and possibly master, (as op- posed to your stats, which only indicate a basic, natural ability at doing something). For example, if you had very good REF, you would probably pick up driving a car very easily. But you would not know how to drive a car until you had learned the skill of Driving. Each skills related in some way to ‘one of your basic stats. For example, the skill of Handgun is always related to the ccharacter’s REF stat. Skills are always rated from 0 to 10, with 1 being a novice level of knowledge, and 10 being a master’s level of ability. Skills are described on pgs.46 to 53, along with all pertinent notes and ee