サイバーパンク

Backround

In the 23rd Century Neo-Tokyo...

You are a loose group of hackers, hired muscle (bodyguards, bouncers, enforcers, or all of that), brokers/fences, wannabe celebrities/performers/singers, private eyes (ex-cops, maybe, not cops), sararīman (サラリーマ), netrunners, reporters, technicians, thiefs, former soldiers, criminals, high school students, etc.

Your character can be of Japanese or of other ethnicity. Everyone speaks adequate Japanese. Most also read and write it – although that is not essential, because computers and mobile devices can translate it back and forth. The translations are not flawless, though, and a difficult translation could take a few seconds – and sometimes a few seconds matter.

The Hacklab

Come up with a name for your hacklab!

This group has headquarters ("a hacklab") in a shady part of Neo-Tokyo. It's a fairly large underground complex, filled with broken cyberparts, vehicles, gadgets and electronics for spare parts, but some functioning equipment as well. All player characters are members, at no cost in character points. They are supposed to pay for maintenance, one-tenth of their income per month, if possible.

For some, this is your home, some others perhaps live elsewhere - but you all spend quite a lot of time in the hacklab. That's where your friends are and where things happen.

Members can sleep here, but there are no beds around. Chairs are good but best suited for sitting at a computer. There is a toilet, a japanese bath (ofuro), and a paltry kitchen with coffee machine, electric kettle, microwave, and a small sink. It's hard to cook anything more complex than instant ramen.

Your characters can improve the place, if they can (and want to). There's plenty of room, but broken stuff takes most of it.

There might be 1-2 NPC members as well. GM will select roles that supplement the PCs with skills or duties the PCs did not wish to take.

Campaign Style

A semi-cinematic campaign. Differences with The Cinematic Campaign:

1. Events do not necessarily have reasons. PCs are not living in a movie but in a game world.
2. Not all details have to advance the story, though most will. Selecting your clothing, brand of your weapon, or a place for dinner are fun and important.
3. GM may overrule any die roll, but sparingly. GM rolls his/her dice behind the screen.
4. Dramatic actions do not always succeed, but indeed you can swing from the chandelier without breaking your back.
5. This is okay: the players must not take inappropriate advantage of conventions. Yes, the heroes will make it across the Burning Wastes – but they must still make proper preparations. A player who remarks, "Don't worry about water. We're heroes; we're sure to find some," is playing in the wrong campaign.
6. The GM must handle heroic deaths satisfyingly. Sure!

Campaign Background

Starting Year: 2272

Campaign's base city, nation, empire, or planet: Neo-Tokyo.

Society/government type: Corporatocratia. Megacorporations have a Board of Directors that decide on national matters. Every former government branch is also now a corporation or several corporations (railways, army, police, ...). Even the taxes are collected by a corporation! Liberal dream come true? Well, somehow it works. Not very well, but it does. Corruption is rampant.

One of the few remnants of the past is the Imperial Household Ministry which takes care of the imperial family and their estates. Money to run it comes from the emperor's private lands, stocks and investments. They employ only a few hundred people compared to the over 1,000 in the old times.

Control Rating: CR1. Exceptions to general CR: Megacorporations have CR0 as long as the Board of Directors doesn't intervene (and they usually don't).

Tech level: 9. Exceptions to general TL: Computers, Cybernetics, and Bio-Tech at TL 10. No ^Superscience except Monowire.

Brief description of important neighboring powers, political/economic situation, etc.: TODO

Suggested or required reading for players: TODO

Information for PCs

Starting point value allowed for PCs: 200. Attribute Limits: Max. 15, and only one attribute can be 15.

Disadvantage limit: 60. Quirks: 5.

Especially useful character types: Bodyguard, Broker, Celebrity, Drifter, Ex-Cop, Ex-Corporate, Ex-Military, Hacker/Netrunner, Reporter, Splicer (Doctor), Spy (see below), Technician, Thief.

Especially useless character types: Those that can't do anything in combat.

Especially appropriate professions: TODO

Especially inappropriate professions: You can't be a Corporate but you might be a Megacorporation spy. If you are, the other players must not know about it.

PC races allowed: Human, gengineered human (listed below), cyborg. NO androids or bioroids.

Starting Wealth: Average. NOTE: Income in Japan has traditionally been modest; you only get TL8 Starting Wealth and Monthly Pay. Average starting wealth is $20,000 and Average monthly pay $2,600.

Starting Wealth levels allowed: from Poor to Very Wealthy.

Starting Status levels allowed: 2, from Wealth only (Wealthy = Status+1, Very Wealthy = Status+2).

Struggling Wealth gives Status-1.

Poor Wealth gives Status-2 (Second-Class Citizen & Welfare Recipient).

Starting TLs allowed: Campaign TL.

Languages available: Any Earth language.

Cultural Familiarities available: Any, as long as the character has lived there at least a couple of years at some point of his/her life.

Required advantages, disadvantages, and skills: In game terms, membership of the Hacklab is a Base (Status 1; unusual location, +50%) and Signature Gear (Status 1 HQ). The PCs need not pay the point cost but 1/10th of their income goes to Hacklab.

Especially appropriate or inappropriate advantages, disadvantages, and skills: Sense of Duty (Hacklab and its members) (-5)

Allowed Cinematic Advantages: Gizmos, Gunslinger, Trained By A Master

Prohibited Advantages: Gadgeteer, High TL, Legal Immunity, Rapier Wit, Weapon Master, Wild Talent

Prohibited Perks: Controllable Disadvantage

Prohibited Disadvantages: Amnesia (Total), Blindness (except as a mitigator), Cannot Learn, Cannot Speak, Low TL, Pacifism (Total nonviolence), Sadism (Callous is ok), Slave Mentality, Split Personality, Terminally Ill, Trickster (take a quirk instead if you must), Quadriplegic. If you got Dependent(s), you have to come up with the details.

Appropriate Patrons (and base value): Up to 15 points.

Appropriate Enemies (and base value): Down to -20 points.

Special Abilities Allowed for PCs

Exotic/supernatural traits: Only those that can be achieved with cybernetics or bio-tech. (And still no Magic or Psionics)

Cinematic skills: Yes, but check each with GM!

Are PC mages allowed? No. General mana level: None. Do areas of higher/lower mana exist? Unknown!

Are PC psis allowed? No.

Are PC gadgeteers allowed? No.

Unusual Background cost(s) for these abilities: -

Legal or social restrictions on these abilities: -

Other Notes

Book 1 optional rules or variants (advantages, disadvantages, skills, etc.): TODO

Book 2 optional rules or variants (success rolls, combat, injury, etc.): TODO

Gengineered humans

Basic (TL10)

6 points

If the parents can only afford the very basic modifications, they might buy this packet.

Advantages: Resistant to Disease (+8) [5].

Perks: Sanitized Metabolism [1].

Features: No Appendix; Taboo Traits (Genetic Defects, Mental Instability).

Availability: $6,000, LC3.

Avatar (TL10)

42 points (and lens +24 points)

The Avatar design is motivated by concern over gender roles. Rather than try to redefine what it meant to be masculine or feminine, this design reinforces typical gender stereotypes. As such, it is an exercise in sexual dimorphism, in which the physical and psychological differences between males and females of the subspecies are exaggerated. Male Avatars are strong, robust, stoic in the face of pain, and somewhat egoistic. Female Avatars are dextrous, soft-voiced, and demure. Both sexes are engineered for great physical attractiveness, and have extreme secondary sexual characteristics which make their masculinity or femininity almost fiercely obvious.

Male Avatars tend to gravitate toward high-risk occupations such as the military, while female Avatars (especially those who overcome their natural Shyness) are often successful as diplomats, negotiators or entertainers.

Attribute Modifiers: HT+2 [20].

Advantages: Appearance (Handsome) [12]; Resistant to Disease (+8) [5].

Skills: Racial Skill Bonus (Sex Appeal +3) [6].

Quirks: Distinctive Features [-1].

Features: No Appendix, Taboo Traits (Genetic Defects, Mental Instability). Females also have Taboo Trait (Aggressiveness). Both sexes have exaggerated sexual characteristics: Males are blatantly muscular with abundant body and facial hair, while females are very curvaceous and have soft, delicate facial features.

Availability: $116,000, LC3.

Sub-Races

Select one of these lenses:

Female Avatar (+24 points): DX+1 [20]; Voice [10]; Responsive [-1]; Shyness (Mild) [-5].

Male Avatar (+24 points): ST+2 [20]; High Pain Threshold [10]; Overconfidence (12) [-5]; Proud [-1].

Gilgamesh (TL10)

65 points

Gilgamesh parahumans are a Homo superior design intended for high intelligence and lengthened lifespan. The Gilgamesh looks human, but features extensive eugenic and species modifications, including redesigned heart, arteries, spleen and gastrointestinal tract, plus alterations to the cell structure itself to reduce cumulative copying errors.

Attribute Modifiers: DX+1 [20]; IQ+1 [20]; HT+1 [10].

Advantages: Appearance (Attractive) [4]; Extended Lifespan 1 [2]; Longevity [2]; Resistant to Disease (+8) [5].

Perks: Reproductive Control [1]; Sanitized Metabolism [1].

Features: No Appendix; Taboo Traits (Genetic Defects, Mental Instability).

Legality Class 3, cost $115,000.

Pandora (TL10)

66 points

Instead of just gengineering a smarter human, the goal of the Pandora's designers was to create a faster-thinking one. The resulting Pandora genetic upgrades look identical to normal humans, but their brains have been neurologically modified to improve information flow between neurons, permitting faster thought.

Unfortunately, the interface with the speech centers of the brain was not as smooth as intended: they don't actually stutter, but they do find it hard to slow their words down when talking to normal people, so the effect is about the same. The Pandoras were also not as robust as hoped.

Attribute Modifiers: IQ+2 [40]; HT-1 [-10].

Advantages: Enhanced Time Sense [45].

Disadvantages: Stuttering (Accessibility, no penalty if talking to someone else with Enhanced Time Sense, -10%) [-9].

Features: No Appendix, Taboo Traits (Genetic Defects).

Availability:: $116,000, LC3.

Sub-Races

Prometheus (+19 points): Upgraded Pandora model; delete -1 HT and Stuttering. $185,000. LC3.

Tiresia (TL10)

47 points

These parahumans are designed to transcend the limits of gender itself. Tiresian parahumans are functional sequential hermaphrodites, able to switch between male and female sex roles. They can both bear and sire children, although they cannot switch sex when pregnant. They have also been modified for enhanced intelligence and physical attractiveness, although they tend to possess a somewhat androgynous beauty.

Attribute Modifiers: IQ+1 [20]; HT+1 [10].

Advantages: Appearance (Handsome, Adrogynous) [12]; Hermaphromorph (Accessibility, not while pregnant, -20%) [4].

Perks: Reproductive Control [1].

Features: Light Menses; No Appendix; Taboo Traits (Genetic Defects, Mental Instability).

Availability:: $97,000, LC3.

Equipment

TL8 or lower tech items are, at best, only 10 % cheaper than the listed prices. Totally obsolete equipment is only worth its reusable materials.

Armor

Reflex armor, often tailored, is most common among wealthy civilians. See also Equipment Modifiers.

Weapons

These are the typical personal concealed weapons carried in the streets. Any adult without a criminal record can buy a weapon. You must register your ID and weapon registration number in the NTPD Co. database. Illegal weapons are readily available (and affordable!), but if you get caught, the punishment for LC1 weapon is fine or imprisonment for up to two years, or 4 months to four years imprisonment for a LC0 weapon.

Open carry is illegal. Weapons that are too big to be hidden under your trenchcoat (genrally anything with Bulk -4 or worse) must be carried in a closed bag.

See Ultra-Tech Weapons for more. Monowire is available. Almost any TL9 weapon can be found - some with much more difficulty than others.

Exception: Lasers are not available. Ablative and Reflec (not to be confused with Reflex) armor are possible but rather useless. (Electrolasers exist, they are a completely different thing.)

(To be added:)

Ranged: vortex pistol

Melee: Stun wand, superfine knife, zap glove. Monowire blades or whips aren't as popular as one would think: it's too easy to hurt yourself with them.

GUNS (GYROC) (DX-4, or most other Guns at -4)

TL	Weapon	Damage	Acc	Range	Weight	RoF	Shots	ST	Bulk	Rcl	Cost	LC	Notes
9	Gyroc Pistol, 15mm	6d pi++	1	1,900	1/0.4	3	4(3i)	9	-2	1	$200	3	—
9	Holdout Gyroc, 15mm ("Sleeve gyroc")	6d pi++	0	1,900	0.25/0.1	1	1(3i)	6	-1	1	$50	3	—

So why doesn't everyone use gyrocs? 1. Less accurate than conventional bullets, 2. they take some time to accelerate: divide their piercing damage by 3 at one or two yards and by 2 at three to 10 yards, 3. gyroc ammo is bulky and expensive.

GUNS (PISTOL) (DX-4, or most other Guns at -2

TL	Weapon	Damage	Acc	Range	Weight	RoF	Shots	ST	Bulk	Rcl	Cost	LC
9	Heavy Pistol, 10mmCLP	3d pi+	2	180/2,000	2.5/0.7	3	20+1(3)	10	-2	3	$540	3
9	Holdout Pistol, 7.5mmCLP	2d pi-	1	100/1,200	1/0.2	3	18+1(3)	6	-1	2	$240	3
9	Machine Pistol, 7.5mmCLP	2d+2 pi-	2	150/1,900	3/1	10	60+1 (3)	9	-3	3	$750	2
9	Machine Pistol, 10mmCLP	3d pi+	2	180/2,000	3/1	10	30+1(3)	10	-2	3	$750	2
9	Medium Pistol, 7.5mmCLP	2d+2 pi-	2	150/1,900	2/0.5	3	30+1(3)	9	-2	2	$450	3
9	Personal Defense Weapon, 5.7mmCL	4d pi-	4	350/3,000	4.5/1	10	100+1(5)	9†	-3	2	$1,000	2
9	Tangler Pistol, 25mmT	1d pi++	1	20/130	2/0.5	1	4+1(3i)	10	-3	2	$300	4
9	Needler, 3mmN	1d+2 pi-	1	50/150	1/0.3	3	100(3)	7	-2	2	$500	3
9	Wrist Needler, 3mmN	1d-2 pi-	1	25/100	0.1/0.03	3	25(3)	3	-1	2	$200	3

GUNS (RIFLE) (DX-4, or most other Guns at -2)

TL	Weapon	Damage	Acc	Range	Weight	RoF	Shots	ST	Bulk	Rcl	Cost	LC
9	Tangler, 25mmT	1d pi++	2	30/190	5/1	3	8+1(3i)	7†	-4	2	$600	4

BEAM WEAPONS (PISTOL) (DX-4, other Beam Weapons-4, or Guns (Pistol)-4)

TL	Weapon	Damage	Acc	Range	Weight	RoF	Shots	ST	Bulk	Rcl	Cost	LC
9	Electrolaser Pistol	HT-4 (2) aff	4	40/80	2.2/C	3	36(3)	4	-2	1	$1,800	4
	linked	1d-3 burn
9	Holdout Electrolaser	HT-2 (2) aff	2	10/20	0.3/B	1	22(3)	3	-1	1	$250	4
	linked	1d-3 burn

BEAM WEAPONS (PROJECTOR) (DX-4, other Beam Weapons-4)

TL	Weapon	Damage	Acc	Range	Weight	RoF	Shots	ST	Bulk	Rcl	Cost	LC
9	Nausea Pistol	HT-3 aff (1 yd)	3	9/27	1.8/C	1	66(3)	4	-2	1	$650	4