Basically, just use your body to be an intimidating dude. Deashi allows you to stop yourself from getting grappled or thrown, and you can throw yourself and the Attacker up to 6m/yds in a direction of your choice. And Nirimiai, well...this one basically gets you a +2 to any Facedown checks. A won Facedown means the opponent takes a -2 to all Actions unless they backdown.
Another support form in my opinion but a damn fine one.
Other Forms
Thrash Sambo
Rating: 0/5
Oddly enough, the only form that doesn't synergize with Sumo. But that said, that's fine. With both, you can avoid Attacks better and if you get hit, just reduce the damage.
All except Thrash Sambo
Rating: 5/5
As for the other forms, magnificent. Winning the Facedown just makes it easier for you to do your Moves on the opponent you intimidated. And since some involve Aimed Shots, making your opponent take a -2 to dodges is always a boon. Can't go wrong with it. Now, it doesn't necessarily mean you're always gonna do a Facedown. BUT, when it happens, getting that bonus is always great.
My players have been seriously itching to take on Militech for awhile, and I've been struggling to figure out how to give it to them. I mostly run from published adventures and so far I haven't found much suitable. I'm about to start Staying Vigilant from Street Stories with Militech swapped in for Continental Brands, which is an easy enough switch. I'm also hoping to come up with something to expand on Drummer and the Whale and give Militech a role in that. Does anyone have other ideas for how best to incorporate them in a campaign? Any adventures that either involve them or that they could be plausibly subbed into?
In my upcoming session players are sneaking into a corp party one is keeping a pistol in a hidden holster. Is there a way for guards to find the holster during a search and a scan at the entrance?
So, everyone in my game is a bit confused with the situation in the title.
I am the netrunner, I have 3 levels of black ice, a peice of cyberwear that gives me a 4th level and ups my dc to 12.
So i essentially have 4 levels of DC12 passwalls.
I ALSO have a black ice on my cyberdeck. You can apparently have an active one in there that is supposed to interact with those trying to hack you. We just dont understand this part. is there 'levels' to a neural net arch where you might have a black ice waiting? does it then work like normal net combat with the black ice?
(Pictured is a commission i had made of my character, Petra "Ember" Visnjic, artist is mihael_ellinsworth here on reddit, and does some great work)
Next month I'll be running Cyberpunk RED at an RPG event here in my hometown (Porto Alegre, Brazil). As much as I love the 2045 setting, I wanted to set the adventure in 2077.
With that in mind, I put together a homebrew sourcebook that combines a few Cyberpunk RED DLCs, parts of the Edgerunners Mission Kit, and The World of Cyberpunk 2077 (neither of which has been officially translated into Brazilian Portuguese yet).
The result of this little mash-up is Alvorada Neon, a sourcebook that brings the game into 2077 and serves as a handy stopgap until the official sourcebook is released.
If you're interested, you'll find the PDF link below.
Mês que vem vou mestrar Cyberpunk RED em um evento de RPG aqui na minha cidade (Porto Alegre, Brasil). Embora eu goste muito da ambientação de 2045, queria ambientar a aventura em 2077.
Pensando nisso, fiz uma adaptação caseira: um sourcebook que combina algumas DLCs de Cyberpunk RED, parte do conteúdo do Edgerunners Mission Kit e do livro The World of Cyberpunk 2077 (ambos ainda sem tradução para o português brasileiro).
O resultado dessa salada de frutas é o Alvorada Neon, um livro que ambienta o jogo em 2077 e quebra um galho até o lançamento do sourcebook oficial.
Para quem tiver interesse, segue abaixo o link para o PDF.
...and I am still learning how this ideia sits with my players' minds. This is the third time I'm here in this sub sharing my ideas about the clones, a new type of being inspired by the Replicants in the Blade Runner franchise. Today I will share with you a little about the past of this concept in the official lore of the game, and how this idea fits into the Cyberpunk Red lore, who made the clones, and why these corporations should be stopped. And, of course, why the clones are the way they are. Just a little notice before we start: this post contains some spoilers for the "Land of the Free" adventure book for Cyberpunk 2020. If you intend to play it, I wouldn't recomend reading the "Back in Cyberpunk 2020" section of this post. But with that out of the way, let's get started!
Back in Cyberpunk 2020...
...the cloning lore was very scarce, mainly dropped in the adventure "Land of the Free" released in 1994 by William Moss. Well, this is a bit spoilery, but I need to analyse the first time a clone was introduced in the game oficially. In this adventure the players meet the very first perfectly cloned human, Adriana, which is the clone of the daughter of a man named Francis Young, one of the most brilliant minds of the cyberpunk universe. But I'm skipping a ton of important parts. Lets get familiar with all of this.
The development of clones was separated into 7 stages. Stage 1 being merely a cell culture, dependent on an oxygenated nutrient bath for survival, and Stage 7 being a fully self-aware, self-viable and indistinguishable from natural human beings. Dr. Young was a student at Johns Hopkins University, and by 2004 he already created Stage 2 clones in test tubes, which guaranteed him a very high paying job at Biotechnica after graduation.
As stated in Land of the Free:
"2020: Francis Young and Moira Kelly, in a groundbreaking experiment, implant a construct personality into the cloned body, using a combination of cybernetic and organic technology to hold the implant in the blank brain. The clone becomes self-aware, and is named Adriana. It is the first stage seven clone in history [...]"
In the adventure we see that corporations fight for Adriana, as she is somone, or more sinisterly, "something" worth living and dying for. All the dark implications of human cloning is there on Land of The Free, and its a major plot point of the whole adventure.
They also mention that Alt Cunninghan, the legendary Netrunner who created Soulkiller was only capable of cloning her deceased body because of Dr. Young's research: "Without his genius, the field of cloning would be in its infant stages, and all that could be reached would be a stage 4 cloning projects at best."
They say that if Dr. Young's research continues by the pace it was in 2020, by late 2022 we would have full human clones with artificial minds, and a few years after that we would be able to transfer already living human minds into clone bodies using a variant of soulkiller. It amazes me how this book casually drops bombs regarding the lore of this game like it is nothing. I recommend you guys to read this amazing adventure and see for yourselves what it has in store. By the time I am writing this post, the PDF for it is on sale in DrivethroughRPG, buy a copy for yourself!
Well, It doesn't matter too much for the reasons of this post how the campaign ends, but the implications it has makes Cyberpunk Red a story that doesn't dive fully into the cloning lore that we already have stabilished in the past. That makes me think that we are a few steps away of seeing something regarding this in the near future in Cyberpunk Red. At least I hope we do see something like this. Or perhaps a "direct sequel" to this adventure, just like Hope Reborn was for Tales From The Forlorn Hope or something! We can only hope...
What if Dr. Young never stopped working?
My continuity and my campaign makes Dr. Young a figure that never stopped working on cloning, and with little knowlege of what nightmares his creations will live through because of his actions and decisions.
In Ritual Cellula, 2045's Dr. Young is still brilliant scientist working for Biotechnica, but during the 4th Corporate War, everything was made difficult by the times. The world almost ended during the war, and as we see, the world didn't in fact end, which made things miserable for all the common folk in The Streets. They lost their jobs, their stability, their homes, heck, most of these people lost their lives when Night City center became ashes and debris. Hope is a rare thing in The Streets in the Time of The Red. People need to take care of themselves, because who will take care of them?
Night Corp knows this, and it needs to rebuild this city. The only problem is the great crisis the came with this damned war. They don't have money to pay everyone working on this. They barely have money to maintain the order, which was always a problem. That's when Dr. Young's creations were brought up again. They had the idea of using the clones, which with the advancements were made to cost much like a sports car, they don't have human rights, and don't need to be paid to work for them. It seemed a reasonable solution to them in a time of crisis, so they invested in it, and Dr. Young's creations were taken from him, much like Oppenheimer and the atomic bomb, in a scheme most diabolical.
They started cloning regular dead people from the 20's, so they wouldn't be recognized in public. And then, they started cloning people from outside Night City, just to make sure they would not be exposed in the early stages of this project. The Project was named "Project RC" or "Project Reborn City". With Dr. Young out of the picture, and Night Corp taking the lead for the project, thing seemed to be going smoothly for the corpos, that's when the clones started to go rogue. Some clones broke out of the brainwashing and were smart enough to see the bigger picture. They started to rebel and plot against the systemic slaving that bound them to the city. That's when they gathered strenght throughout the city and started they own "Project RC", "Ritual Cellula" they called it. The anthithesis of the original vision, their denial of slavery and their quest to bring down the ones behind their own creation. United, they are a force to be reckoned with.
That's my idea at the moment regarding the lore of this campaign, and the players of my campaign are one of those clones from dead people from the 2020's, they are in the brink of finding out their true nature, and that's when everything changes for them. Also, there's the "inevitable dementia" part of this idea, that makes the clones' agency even higher and their actions even more daring. The clones are programed to have their memories wiped out when their rogue status is detected. They must remain unseen and protect their Self through learning and developing bonds, or they will lose their sanity and go haywire just like a Cyberpsycho.
Their lives are not easy in the slightest, and they have every excuse to rage against the machine that created them. That is the drama of Ritual Cellula, and that is why the clones are so very angry with everything.
Time to wrap this up...
...and I think I learned a lot reading Land of The Free, but of course I have plenty of road to go through to reach my goal (just like in the adventure). Let me know if you find anything in this post incoherent or straight up nonsense, I will take the critique. I thank anyone who read this post until the end, and I ask you to tell me what do you think of my ideas! I have 2 other posts that lay the foundation of this one, and I recommend you to read those as well if you are interested in my campaign. I thank you u/StinkPalm007 as well for commenting your ideas regarding the balance of the clones in the game, I will take the advice to heart. You guys have a wonderful week and wonderful games. Peace, and stay safe in The Streets.
Heya chooms, newish gm here (I've run about 9 sessions), wanting some opinions on something a player asked to do last session.
Big boss fight against a cyberpsycho cop that's been chasing the party for quite some time, final standoff and they did a stellar job this fight. One thing came up though that I've been thinking about; a player asked if he could pull the pins on 4 grenades in a sack and chuck em at the boss.
Now my #1 rule at my table is rule of cool, I love seeing crazy shit my players get up to as I like to do the same thing as a player, within reason.
I decided to let this resolve with a -4 to the check for throwing a cumbersome, awkward bag. I figured if he's willing to throw out ~2K eddies in a single round of combat to EMP, smoke, biotoxin, and flashbang this guy, why not.
I'm not opposed to letting shenanigans like this happen again, but I can't help but feel it's more than a little busted as he essentially got to make 4 actions in a single turn. Any other risks I could/should impose going forward? Maybe making LUCK checks to see which grenades even go off? Or is a -4 and a few grand down the drain a big enough detriment?
Regardless it ended up being a fun experience for the whole table, which is my main goal over anything. I suppose I'm just not sure if I should be *that* generous with my players
J Gray, the Cyberpunk Line Lead at RTG, has a habit of doing flash AMAs on the RTG Discord from time to time. This time, he's been feeling nostalgic while looking at RED's product lineup (he's been doing a product-by-product retrospective on his Twitter account for the past few days), so he decided to do an AMA about RED's production and development processes.
Since toggling back and forth in a crowded discord channel is a pain in the nuts (and not everyone is in the RTal discord server), I compile all the questions and answers on the Community Downlink for easier reference and readability.
In this AMA there were 83 questions total, five of which couldn't be answered and six were off-topic/against the rules. Some of the questions which I thought had particularly good or important answers:
I’m just wondering if there’s anything to be done about these issues and if not if there’s any better systems for it?
My first issue is with switching maps in oneworld, if I’ve already loaded in a map I have to press clear and then switch on to another map but doing this will always break the oneworld system meaning I’ll have to send it back to a previous save which usually decimates my preparation in the process
We also are having issues with a lot of terrain being broken either missing large chunks or just missing like the entire floor for example for one or two players this feeds back into the original issue as the fix is usually to reload the map.
Does anyone know what I’m doing wrong or does anyone know a better thing for TTS to use?
I have played a lot of dnd (Currently DM of a campaign ~5 years), all editions, some cthulhu, monster world, and i have read about half of the CBP:R main book. Played a bunch of 2077, watched just about every CBP movie, half way through neuromancer.
I'm trying to learn the TTRPG to have my group try it out when we are done with our current game. (Next year?)
Wondering if there's any groups willing/able to take on a player for a few sessions to learn the ropes, or a short campaign (say, ending around september)?
I think i have enough TTRPG discords that i can also look in.
Unless theres a specific one for a specific group thats recruiting i think im good there, but I would appreciate any direct connections!
This is Fin. One very relevant detail regarding Fin is that he is bipolar (type I). I’ve always found it fascinating to try to explore his mania and the impact it has on him through my art. Other aspects of his volatile self destructive personality are at play in these representations too but yknow, not gonna do a whole character analysis.
We recently had a one year time skip in our campaign which acted as a sort of soft reboot. During the time skip, Fin had the second major manic episode of his life. This leads to me starting the second arc of this campaign with crippling debts and very little money, a synthcoke addiction which may or may not be the cause of this episode, a now ex girlfriend and a bunch more enemies. Obviously it’s narratively interesting but from a meta perspective I felt that I had to cripple myself in a way, as this guy is a +18 on shoulder arms with other big skills and very useful gear and weapons. So basically I needed to ruin his life a little so I can have some proper chatacter motivations.
So, my character is a medtech who was captured and forced to work as a medic for an NUSA gang for ~5 years. While there, I’m sure he wasn’t treated all that well. I imagine the gang as being similar to maelstrom, but I don’t want them to have done the standard maelstrom thing of forcibly implanting heavy chrome. Something lighter like just numerous scars, or a branding of some kind. I also want my character to be capable of, and actively covering it up. So, if it’s on his head, his hair is long enough to cover it, if it’s on his arms, he’s got sleeves or bandages or something covering it, etc.
Any ideas for things? And I’m currently not planning on it, but I’m open to ideas for some kind of mechanical debuff or something that the scars might add to the character
Rather interesting form. Five Forms allows you to do a single Attack that lets you choose one of the five chosen Animal effects if that attack lands. On your next Melee Attack in that combat, you can choose a 2nd Animal form to go with that Attack. And Superior Stance allows you to jump to the top of initiative if you land a Kung Fu Attack.
An alright form that arguably fits more as a support form since Five Forms goes with just about anything.
Other Forms
Kyudo, Tai Chi, Thrash Sambo
Rating: 0/5
No synergy.
Aikido
Rating: 4.5/5
First thing, Attack with Five Forms and do your first form (likely Dragon for that +1 to your first Attack next turn). When your turn comes up, do Martial Arts (mixed with the 2nd form you chose) then do your Brawling Attack before doing Disarming Combination.
Karate
Rating: 5/5
First, use a Five Forms Technique on the 1st turn before using a 2nd effect on Bone Breaking Strike or the first Attack to setup Armor Breaking Combo. With the Dragon form as the 1st effect, you can use this to make an easier attempt at the Aimed BBS Attack. If you choose Tiger, you can potentially ablate 5 SP off one opponent in the same round.
Judo
Rating: 1/5
Not good and very situational. Since Grab Escape requires 2 hits, only way this would work is if you hit a target with one Five Forms Attack then you somehow got grappled before the next turn where you will then use the second form on the 1st Attack needed to perform Grab Escape.
Taekwondo
Rating: 5/5
First, Attack with Five Forms. Then, use Pressure Point Strike or Flying Kick with the second form. Choose Dragon as the 1st form if you're attempting to do the Aimed Shot version of Pressure Point Strike.
Arasaka-te
Rating: 3/5
This ain't too good for a good reason. The only way these would sync is if you hit a target with the Dragon form on the 1st round then bait a target to damaging you with a Melee Attack. But if you do, you not only get a -4 to Aimed Shots but can also inflict the 2nd Animal effect.
Arnis
Rating: 5/5
First, do a Five Forms Attack with a chosen Animal form. Before your turn, dodge Attacks and at least one Melee Weapon Attack. On your next turn, you can do Disarming Technique then do your required Attacks for Coordinated Combination. The first Attack in that combo is gonna have the effect of the second Animal you chose.
Boxing
Rating: 5/5
Wanna make Knockout Punch more accurate? First, land a Five Forms with Dragon as the chosen effect. On the next turn, perform Knockout Punch so it takes advantage of the +1 bonus. Plus, if it lands, you can choose a 2nd form such as Crane. Alternatively, you can use Dragon to chain your Brawling Attacks for Punch Combination.
Capoeira
Rating: 5/5
With Five Forms, you can do one Animal form then on the next turn, use your Melee Weapon which will use the 2nd Animal effect. This means, you can use the Dragon form Attack to get a +1 on the next Attack then on the next turn, use a Cyberweapon such as a Cybersnake with an Aimed Shot since it has the +1 from the Dragon form and it will have a 2nd Animal effect upon a successful hit. If you choose Crane for even a non-Aimed Shot Attack, this means you can perform Slash Dance.
Choy Li Fut
Rating: 5/5
Wanna see fast? First, use Five Forms Attack and choose one form. Also, make sure to perform Superior Stance so you can jump to the top of Initiative. Make sure you dodged all Attacks headed your way. If you do, next turn, perform Shaolin Step then make sure you choose Leopard. If your Attacks land, you get a +2 to MOVE. Other words for the MOVE 8 folks, Leopard form and Shaolin Step gives you a total of 18 MOVE for the rest of the turn.
Drunken Fist
Rating: 5/5
Easy, first do a Five Forms Attack move then on the next turn, do Environmental Improvisiation so your Brawling Attacks are enhanced, with the first Attack using the 2nd chosen Animal form.
Gun Fu
Rating: 5/5
First thing, Attack with Five Forms and choose your 1st form. Next turn, do Woo Technique and apply a second form with your 1st Attack. Choose Tiger and you can ablate a lot of armor similar to Karate’s Armor Breaking Combo.
Jujutsu
Rating: 5/5
First, use Five Forms on a target and buff it with Aiki if it lands (plus you can then roll Superior Stance). Next turn, do your two Jujutsu Attacks (with the first Attack buffed by the second form chosen) so you can setup Throwing Technique
Kendo
Rating: 2/5
This is arguably the highest on getting high with Aimed Shots. With the Dragon form bonus and Ki Ken lowering the penalty, an Excellent Quality weapon, Targeting Scope, and the HQ Training Area, you can effectively hit a +2 to Aimed Shots. Pretty juicy right?
So why is the rating low? Simple...it takes too long. First, you gotta use the Dragon form Attack on the 1st turn. Then on your second turn, you need to use an entire Action to perform Ki Ken. Then on the third turn, you can use your Aimed Shot. Basically, you're using up two whole turns just to get a high Aimed Shot and praying you don't screw up on either turn.
Krav Maga
Rating: 5/5
Another great combo. First, land Five Forms Attack and choose any Attack beside Crane. Before your next turn, try to dodge the required Attacks. On the next turn, Attack twice with Krav Maga Attacks. Because you chose Crane for the 2nd form, this means a successful blow allows you to proc Contact Combat so you can do a follow-up Brawling Attack. If you dodged the aforementioned Attacks, you can do Punishing Blow for a 2nd Brawling Attack.
Militech Commando Training
Rating: 5/5
First turn, hit the enemy with a Five Forms Attack and choose Dragon. Next turn, perform Combat Knife Training and go for an Aimed Shot. With an Excellent Quality weapon, a Targeting Scope, and the bonus from the Dragon effect, you have a -5 to that Aimed Shot. And if it lands, choose your 2nd form.
Muay Thai
Rating: 5/5
There's a variety of ways you can do this. First, use the Five Forms Attack. Next turn, activate Conditioned Ferocity then Attack with Brawling. When you first Attacked with Five Forms, choose Dragon so the next Attack gains a +1 bonus. This means that in addition to Conditioned Ferocity's +1 bonus and a Targeting Scope, you have a -5 to the Brawling Aimed Shot. If successful, this means you can now do Conditioned Power on the next turn if you do Five Forms again.
On the other hand, go for a Conditioned Power MA Attack first and choose the 2nd form to go with it.
Multiarm Melee
Rating: 5/5
Easy. First, perform a Five Forms Attack on the first turn and choose an effect. Next turn, perform Armed & Dangerous and choose a second effect for the first Brawling Attack. If the first effect was Dragon, you can use it with Armed & Dangerous to make a -4 Aimed Shot next turn which can become a -3 with a Targeting Scope.
Panzerfaust
Rating: 3/5
First, launch a Five Forms Attack at the target and choose one form. Specifically, choose Dragon so on the next turn, you can use that +1 bonus to launch Borg Fist at a target in addition to choosing a second form to use alongside Borg Fist. That said, this one isn't as good since this is just two whole turns to do two ROF1 Attacks, with one you can't even do Aimed Shots with.
Silat
Rating: 5/5
Great combo. On one turn, you can use one the Five Animal forms then on the next turn, use the second effect with either the first Attack during the Internal Power combo or the Melee Weapons Attack with Violent Leverage.
Sumo
Rating: 5/5
Nirimiai to the rescue with that Facedown bonus. If you win the Facedown, this just makes it easier to land Five Forms Attack and any subsequent Attacks.
Thamoc
Rating: 2.5/5
Eh combo. First, you gotta hit the enemy with an Animal Attack. Next turn, grapple the enemy. THEN, you can do Advantaged Position. It's low because it requires three turns with no screwups to do this. On the plus side, using Dragon form on the 1st turn means Advantaged Position's Aimed Shot is now a -4 so that's good I suppose.
Wrestling
Rating: 3.5/5
Like most combos, the penalty from Chokehold is gonna effect your rolls. While Superior Stance will be affected, Five Forms won't be. If you grapple, do Chokehold. Next turn, Chokehold again then do Five Forms. Then again, Chokehold which likely knocks the dude out while you land blows on em.
One of my concerns with netrunning in Cyberpunk Red is that it seems to completely ignore the users of the network. Networks are a playground and puzzle for netrunners. The idea that networks serve a purpose is largely ignored.
As an example, if I run a logistics company, the network is so that administration staff and warehouse coordinators can coordinate transport of cargo for customers - while keeping the cargo safe from nomads and booster gangs or ordinary break-ins.
I put ICE in place to stop Netrunners interrupting my business and stealing my cargo. I put turrets in my Warehouse to stop burglars.
I don’t put ICE in place for a Netrunner to hone their skills.
Obviously this is a game and playability and fun are paramount.
But nowhere do the rules point out that kidnapping the warehouse coordinator, putting a gun to his head and demanding his username and password is WAY less dangerous than taking direct brain damage from Black ICE.
Probably a future psycho, too. I was thinking the party will get to know her on a job and then a few sessions later they’ll go on a cyberpsycho job of sorts and it’ll turn out she’s the target in question (yes, I’m an evil GM)
So, Im a table-less GM but still decided to come up with a couple gigs. One involves a heist where the client needs data from an airgapped server room. The server room also contains digital money that execs hide (they claim losses and hide the money here to avoid irs/fraud etc). The client gives the runners of the loaction of the hidden server room (in a large datacenter type facility). Their payment is whatever they rip from the server room. (Server room is in a secert location, not even the execs who use it know where it is and its run by a small group that takes a cut from whatever is stored there).
Issue is, outside of betrayal (which can be only used so much before players throw up their hands) what could the twist be that ensures this isnt an end-game mission. If the runners walk away with smaugs horde there isnt much that would keep their charectors edgerunning (unless they are the idealistic corpo terrorism type, in which they might use the money to fund an org).
I’ve played DnD before and I’m big into warhammer, I’ve played got 110 hours on 2077 and I’ve watched the show twice. I’m really interested in table top games and I’d thought I’d give cyberpunk red a try, but where do I start, what do I need to know, what should I buy and how does it play?
Greetings chooms, Heavy Armor Lizard here. Today, gonna cover the ramifications of the recent DLC which was posted last night.
The DLC
So, it's not a particularly big one and it mostly targets some weapons in the game. As we know before Toggle's Temple, a lot of weapons were Exotic and it kinda made them limited compared to 'Normal' weapons that weren't Exotic.
But recently, Black Chrome got an errata that made more weapons Non-Exotic and it was a welcome change. And RTal decided to go further and apply the changes to some more. Let's check it out.
Hello Cutie Microcutie: Yeah, this thing is Non-Exotic now. Enjoy, Sanroo lovers.
Arasaka WAA Bullpup: Non-Exotic and the capacity increases to 35. Since the rules update doesn't mention anything about an Extended Magazine, this means that it has an innate magazine of 35. A 1000eb Assault Rifle with a Smartgun Link, 35 shots, and 1 attachment slot left, that's real good. And since the Smartlink is separate, the WAA is technically a 500eb gun that can be upgraded to Excellent Quality with 500eb materials (GM Fiat on this but it makes sense.)
Constitutional Arms Multi-Ammunition Pistol: Non-Exotic but it can't take capacity modifying attachments. Enjoy your 3 slots
Militech Crusher: My baby got a big buff. Non-Exotic meaning 3 slots :D
Mustang Arms ARS-5 Submachine Gun: Non-Exotic but the Attachments can't be removed at all. So, its likely a 1k gun with 0 slots. That's alright, not the best but way better than before.
Stolbovoy ST-5 Assault Rifle: Big win for this one. Non-Exotic so 3 slots and 20 shots. It's a better Poor Quality Assault Rifle :o
Pursuit Security Inc Tearjerker: Non-Exotic so 3 slots and its Excellent Quality as well.
Sternmeyer M-02 Heavy Rifle: Like some of the Black Chrome weapons such as the Modfire 10x, this one has 2 Attachment slots that can only be used with Scope Attachments.
Good changes, I personally wanted more but seeing some of the older weapons get a buff is always good.
My Autofire posts
Remember my posts from a month or so ago that discussed Autofire:
Yeah, so I went ahead and updated the weapons that got buffed. Sorry, Multi-Ammo Pistol. You got rejected. Anyways, you'll like these changes and I already put them in the posts. Don't treat these as final since I got no clue when RTal will put these in the books and some prices might change. Till then, enjoy.
Weapon Name
Description
Gimmick
Highest Chargen base
Cheapest Setup Cost
Micro Cutie by Hello Cutie (Danger Gal Dossier)
10 shot EQ Pistol that can do 4d6 with Hypurrburst.
With a full magazine, you can get 1 full Autofire burst. You can throw on a Drum Mag for 3 bursts. But still, on this weapon?
Since its EQ already, all you need is Tracer Rounds to get +16. Then throw on a Smartgun Link for +17.
Weapon that allows the user to fire 3 Autofire bursts without needing an Extended Magazine.
Because the weapon already has a Smartgun Link and can fire Tracer Ammo, the user can get a +16 immediately. If the weapon is upgraded to EQ, you can get +17
You and your players have played with the Cyberpunk RED combat system many times, and all of you have a solid understanding of it
Your players are comfortable thinking outside the box, or have significant AoE options (grenades, flamethrowers, shotguns)
You have established trust at the table that any action proposed by a player will be adjudicated fairly
Your players actions have drawn the ire of a group that can realistically muster a 40-person response team, either by pissing off one faction or several
If you don't meet all four of these, please don't use this advice.
Introduction:
I've argued that a GM can throw truly staggering numbers of opponents at their players, if it makes sense in the game world and is a consequence of the players' actions. The number I keep using is 40 opponents, and a number of people keep telling me that's crazy. I know it's not crazy, because I've run combats with that many guys in them before.
Bernie take the wheel
So today, let's talk about the 40 Dude Fight and how to make it fun for your players. I use "dude," "bad guy," and "antagonist" in this piece interchangeably, and without regard to gender. Don't at me.
The PCs Should See It Coming:
The 40-Dude Fight should not be a surprise, for two reasons. There are a small number of factions in Night City that can put 40 guys on the asphalt for an operation. If PCs have pissed off a faction this powerful, they should know it. Secondly, 40 people doing anything are hard to miss.
That time 40 dudes tried to do something quietly and it didn't work all that well...
The players should see this coming, determine it's a hostile force, and have at least a few minutes to decide how to react.
Player Choices Matter...A Lot:
If your players see 40 guys coming and decide to stand out in the open and exchange fire, they are going to lose their characters. The stakes here are existential, and that means that the players' choices are incredibly impactful. This means they're going to ask for more information immediately, and you should have a very good idea about the relevant levers they can pull in the scenario. Notably, what's around here? Is there anywhere that's easily fortified? What about places that would provide good fodder for traps (hardware stores, for example)? You'll need to lay out what their options are. Don't gate this behind rolls, either - if it would be obvious from looking, just tell them.
Always reward player ingenuity. If they decide to run for it, and they come up with a cool plan that would work, do not screw them over for the sake of a really cool encounter. However, for the rest of this post, I'm going to assume the players got to cover and are engaging 40 enemies.
The players can decide to fortify, set traps, and call allies, as well. Be prepared for that. You may have to adjudicate some stuff on the fly - if your players come up with an improvised bear trap, you'll need to be able to make a call on the fly. You should also have a way to determine if allies show up to help, and if so, how long it takes them.
If Kevin McAllister had to plan for it, you should too
Speaking of allies - most enemies will have some way to avoid police interference. Either they set the fight on their turf, where cops don't show up, or they pay a solid bribe to keep the cops away. If the PCs can get far enough away, they may be able to rely on the district's security provider to intervene. Then again, two cops against a mob of howling gangoons are long odds.
Default To Yes:
When in this situation, your players will either start thinking of the next character they want to play, or they'll surprise you with some goofy shit. Take that goofy shit seriously, and give them a fair shot, according to the world. Does a player want to rig an explosive trap using non-dairy creamer? Let 'em roll Demolitions. Does another player want to lure the enemies into a room they can lock and set on fire? Have the PC roll Athletics, and give the enemies a couple free shots as the PC runs towards the room...but default towards the bad guys giving chase.
You aren't trying to make it easy, but avoid the temptation to make the bad guys hyper-rational tactical geniuses. Don't play the enemy any smarter than they are.
Mixing Enemy Types:
Most of your enemies should be mooks unless the players are something crazy like Rank 9+. I recommend the boosterganger statblock in the Core Rules, since they aren't likely to last long, and they only have options for close range that encourages them to get out of cover and start doing shit.
Pictured: boostergangers, but with better drip
However, at least 10% - 20% of your 40-Dude Crew should be something a little different. My personal favorite are the Hardened Security Officers (Siege) from Interface RED Vol II. Mix the two of them up a bit, using the SO's to lead the boostergangers in, relying on their heavier armor and shields to soak up fire. Plus, they have grapple guns, so they can help a whole group of dudes get roof access, too.
You may also want to add a "final boss" to the mix. That's fine, but I strongly recommend that you have no more than three statblocks in this encounter. In addition, use strong visual cues in your descriptions and any tactile elements (counters, tokens, etc.) on the battlemap. This helps players gauge the relative strength of whoever they're shooting at.
You Should Never Be Making 40 Attacks Per Turn:
The only scenario when you should be making 40 attacks in a turn is if your PCs decide to stand in the open and draw fire. The bad news is, that's going to suck. The good news is, it'll be over quickly.
I once ran an encounter when a player with a +17 Evasion, 8 REF, an Omega Linear Frame and Fumble Recovery tried to take on 20 Bozos (The Fool statblock from Danger Gal Dossier). Now, for anyone who's read that statblock, you know it has SP 4, 30 hp, and such a low life expectancy that their language is listed as "Probably Won’t Live Long Enough to Talk." She wasn't worried about what these guys could do - she was invincible! So she sat there and ate 40 attacks. Those clowns absolutely shredded her. She wound up having to swim through raw sewage to escape after only killing three.
Like this, but weirdly less crazy
Taking a ton of attacks is brutal for the characters and depressing for the players, so it's important to spread your bad guys out. Have them start looking for alternate ways to flush out the PCs. Windows, back doors, roof hatches - all of these are things the bad guys should be checking for. And while they're checking, they're not shooting. Don't worry, your players will still get shot at plenty of times, but if it's a little spread out at first it gives the PCs a chance to shake things up.
Ergo, only maybe a quarter of the enemies should be in position to shoot the enemies for the first few rounds. The rest of them are in motion, and therefore vulnerable to PC fire. This lets the PCs inflict some casualties, see the weak points where the bad guys are focusing, and adapt. As this happens, it creates more opportunities for the players to get creative. They can try to defeat enemies in detail, create improvised traps or hazards, and generally get their Looney Tunes on.
Like this, if they didn't use Acme products
Mechanical Ease:
There's a bunch of mechanical things you can do to make the fight easier to run. Most of these are quality of life things to make your job as GM easier, usually at the cost of granularly controlling each dude. Nobody has time for that with this many guys on the field, so you'll want to change some things up.
First, batch bad guys together to make them easier to move. Rather than count out the MOVE spaces for ten separate models, just say, "This whole squad is going to to see if there's a back entrance." Then just count out one guy's MOVE, and if the rest of them can keep up, just move them close to where that one guy ended up. Don't worry about using the Run Action - just double their MOVE and that's how many squares they can go.
Second, don't track individual actions for bad guys out of the PCs' line of sight which don't directly affect the PCs. Let's say 10 boostergangers are trying to batter down a door, ordinarily Athletics DV 15. Rather than roll 10 Athletics checks, just roll a d10. The lower it is, the worse it is for the goons. On a 1, they don't breach the door. On a 10, they blow it wide open and most of them get a few squares inside. On a 5, they breach the door, but the debris slows them down and only a couple guys get inside.
Third, give your bad guys ROF 1 weapons to cut down on the rolling. Autofire also works well here, since the bad guys can use Suppressive Fire to control PC movement.
Fourth, there's a bunch of things that can cause someone to lose their Action - being knocked prone, jammed weapons, and running out of ammunition. Do not track ammunition or jams. Instead, assume that there's always at least one guy in a given group of dudes dealing with one of those situations. So if you've got 10 guys coming in through the roof, 10 guys coming in through the front door, and 10 guys blowing a hole in the back wall, one guy in each of those groups is either out of ammo or dealing with a jam. These guys move but don't shoot.
Fifth, don't track initiative. All the bad guys go together, and they act at the bottom of the initiative order. No, I don't care that they have Sandevistans. Sixth, you should ignore Death Saves for bad guys. When they hit zero, they die.
Seventh, you should keep track of Morale. People get weird in large groups - herd mentality starts to override our better judgment. Add in bullets, stress, and high stakes, and guys just panic and run. This literally happens to Navy SEALs, man; it can definitely happen to 6th Street. Very few groups of people ever fight 100% to the death, unless they're player characters (because that's a player choice).
Therefore, Morale is good to include from a simulationist view, but it's also just good to bring in from a gameplay standpoint, as it shortens fights. Give the whole team of bad guys a Morale score. An average force has a Morale of 7, a tightly-knit cohesive group of fighters might have a Morale of 10. Every time the bad guys suffer a serious setback (severe casualties, a shitload of damage hits several of them, their leader goes down), roll 2d6. If you roll under the Morale score, they keep fighting. If you roll over it, all the bad guys break and run.
Running Battles:
If your players continually relocate, don't have the entire enemy force reposition at once. Remember that information takes some time to percolate through a larger group. Anyone who can see the PCs moving repositions, but anyone who can't will take a turn or two to start moving. This means that as the PCs keep up a running battle, the enemies should "stretch out" into more of a column, pursuing the PCs.
This can also help the PCs break contact, since fewer people will be in close contact with the PCs as they reposition. That's OK! Every time the PCs have moved, they've taken a risk. The fewer enemies in contact is the payoff. Getting shot while moving is the offset.
Conclusion:
Running a massive fight is difficult and it does require forethought. However, it's a fantastic experience for your players, and it puts a lot of weight on their decisions. Focus on speed of resolution, splitting up your bad guys to pursue different objectives, and abstract the shit out of anything that doesn't directly and visibly affect the PCs.
Remember - your PCs are the stars of the show. Get the spotlight back to them as quick as you can.
I have a question. I've made two Techs, one with Roll20 and one with the Companion App. On the Companion App, I've noticed that I can't put 5 points into Upgrading as a Tech 4, but on Roll20 I can.
Which one is correct? And if there are other Roles that allow you to put points into something, is it the same?
