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  Cyberpunk 2020:  Live Action v1.2 
   
   
   
  1.  INTRODUCTION 
   
   
  Welcome to the future.  The year is 2020.  Mankind has 
  expanded his reach out into the solar system, can graft human tissue 
  onto machines, and big brother could be watching anyone, anywhere.  
  The Net is a reality.  Virtual reality, but a reality nonetheless.  Flying 
  cars, sub-oribitals, undersea colonies, all exist.  Mankind has created 
  innumerable marvels. 
   
  Did we mention the collapse? 
   
  Oh yeah.  Sometime during all of this the United States 
  splintered.  It’s now a bunch of splinter countries all sort of linked 
  together in some nebulous way.  But hey, that doesn’t matter anyway.  
  After all, the Corporations control everything now.  When countries 
  collapse, there’s a lot of money to be made.  And if you can’t buy it, 
  choomba, it ain’t worth it. 
   
  Welcome to Cyberpunk 2020:  Live Action, the LARP of the dark 
  future.  This game is based heavily on the R.S. Talsorian role-playing 
  game Cyberpunk 2020.  In fact, it is a personal conversion of the tabletop rules into LARP format, drawing from White 
  Wolf’s Mind’s Eye Theatre.  Note that this world is dark, and death comes quickly, messily, and often 
  unexpectedly.  If you have a problem with player characters dying, you might want to consider a different game.  
  This is not to say that there is nothing more to this game than killing your fellow players, but rather a warning.  
  Death in the year 2020 is a brutal reality, and if you can’t deal with it, you shouldn’t be playing with the big boys, 
  choombotta. 
   
  In order to make the game more easily playable in LARP format, please realize that everything from the 
  Cyberpunk 2020 rules and source books may not be included in this game.  The same goes for the Mind’s Eye 
  Theatre rules as well.  Some of them simply don’t fit into a cyberpunk game.  Lastly, remember the Golden Rule:  
  THIS IS A GAME.  The point is to have fun.  If you’re going to bicker and argue about rules in the middle of a run 
  and spoil every one else’s fun, 
  find something else to do.   
   
  The Game Masters reserve the right to accept, reject, and outright laugh at anything presented to them for game 
  approval.  If you can’t accept that, leave now. 
   
  It’s unfortunate that needs to be said, but the Game Masters will keep game balance at all times.  If you want 
  something that is within the rules, but will upset game balance, you won’t get it.  If it’s reasonable, it probably 
  won’t be a problem, so don’t sweat it.  Let’s get on to the game now. . . 
   
   
   
   
  Copyright 1998, L. D. Lagoy.  All Rights Reserved. 
   
  Cyberpunk 2020 is a Registered Trademark of R. Talsorian Corporation.  Original Cyberpunk 2020 material Copyright 1994, 1995 by R. Talsorian Corporation.  All Rights Reserved.  Used 
  without permission.  Any use of R. Talsorian Corporation's copyrighted material or trademarks in these rules should not be viewed as a challenge to those copyrights or trademarks. 
   
  Buy the book, for crying out loud. 
  
   
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  2.  CHARACTER CREATION  
   
  When making a new character, the first thing you need to do 
  is to ask yourself, “What kind of character do I want?”  There are 
  several different roles available, and it is possible to create new 
  ones as well.  The listing of available roles is as follows:  Solo, 
  Cop, Media, Netrunner, Fixer, Techie, Medtechie, Nomad, and 
  Corporate.  If you’re interested in something else, speak with a 
  Game Master.   
  Every role has a Special Ability that sets them apart from 
  everyone else.  Anyone can run the net, but a Netrunner, with 
  their Interface special ability, can do it much better than the 
  average schmoe.  The character’s Special Ability represents their 
  area of expertise, and their ability to run circles around people 
  that aren’t experts in their area.  Now for a quick description of the 
  different roles: 
  Solo.  These people are designed for combat.  They are the 
  soldiers of the world, and make their living by their ability to rule 
  the battlefields.  Their Special Ability is Combat Sense.  Solos 
  may add their Combat Sense score to their initiative, and may add 
  half their level, rounded down, to their dodge and AWARENESS 
  tests. 
  Cop.  Even the 21st century has police officers.  They are 
  overworked, underpaid, and out-gunned, but they’re still around.  
  Cops have the legal authority to detain and arrest people, can 
  carry heavy weapons in public without being hassled, and have 
  the ever useful ability of calling in backup.  Their special ability is 
  Authority, which enables them to use their position’s status to 
  good use.  A Cop can use his Authority as a skill in any situation 
  where it may fit--telling someone to drop a gun, leave the area, 
  etc.  It is a very useful and catchall skill.  Also, it allows a cop to 
  call in back up, which will be discussed later. 
  Media.  If anything has thrived in the future, it’s the media.  
  They are everywhere now, and many independent medias will sell 
  their story to the highest bidder.  They can get in almost anywhere 
  by showing their press passes, and generally people won’t shoot 
  at them.  First.  Their special ability is Credibility, which is their 
  ability to make the public believe what they say and actually listen 
  to what they’re saying.  It’s always a bad idea to piss off a media.  
  Credibility works similar to Authority in that it allows the Media to 
  use it as a skill in any plausible situation.  It also allows a media to 
  publish articles that can ruin people's lives. 
  Netrunner.  The Internet has grown to gargantuan 
  proportions over the years, and it takes a true master to utilize it 
  to its full potential.  Netrunners are the computer gurus of the age, 
  and can often make or break a run.  Their special ability Interface 
  represents the true Zen Buddha nature they have achieved when 
  running the net.  See the Netrunner section for more information 
  on how the Interface special ability works. 
  Fixer.  The street can get you almost anything you want or 
  need, and these are the people to go to when you need it.  Fixers 
  are the information brokers, fencers, and all the other people that 
  know how to get whatever you need.  They are the black market.  
  Their special ability, Streetdeal, represents their contacts in the 
  underground network they’ve built up over the years, and their 
  ability to scrounge up whatever they need.  A fixer can try to 
  acquire as many items per run as his Streetdeal score (have a list 
  ready during check-in).  It may have other uses at the GM's 
  discretion. 
  Techie.  In a world filled with technological wonders, 
  someone had to make them.  Techies are people with a natural 
  aptitude for things mechanical, electrical, and cybernetic.  If they 
  can get their hands on it, they can fix it.  Or make it work better.  
  Or maybe get that cyberarm to stop twitching like that.  Their 
  special ability Jury Rig allows them to get almost anything to work 
  under the worst of conditions--at least until they can repair it 
  properly.  Jury-Rig allows a Techie the luxury of making items 
  during a run.  It takes game time and it will break down at the end 
  of the run (at best), but otherwise you have to wait for the next run 
  to get an item.  This can come in very handy when you drop and 
  break that damn remote detonator just as your mark walks in his 
  front door… 
  Medtech.  The world’s a violent place, and these are the 
  people that can put you back together when it hits the fan.  
  Medtechs can be the single most valuable commodity on the 
  market, depending on the time.  There’s nothing like the sight of a 
  Trauma Team AV landing a few yards away when you’re bleeding 
  out onto the pavement.  Their special ability is Medical, which 
  represents their extensive training and knowledge of current 
  medical procedures, and what goes where when putting you back 
  together.  This skill is used during the healing process, and is 
  described in full detail in the Trauma Team section. 
  Nomad.  Over the years the rich got richer and the poor got 
  poorer.  Many lost their homes, and learned eventually to band 
  together to help support each other.  Nomads wander the roads, 
  settling down in their vehicles for a while to earn some money or 
  get a better bike.  Their special ability is Family, which enables 
  them to call on their pack’s resources in times of need.  The 
  higher the Family score, the more pull the character has in his 
  pack and the more items, NPC's, etc. he can obtain from his 
  pack.  It works very similar to Streetdeal. 
  Corporate.  The corporations rule the world, and these are 
  the people that rule the corporations.  They have the most money, 
  the fastest cars, and the best apartments.  They live a wealthy 
  life, but are constantly watching their backs to make sure no up-
  and-comer is trying to take their place, while constantly moving up 
  the corporate ladder.  Their special ability, Resources, allows 
  them to draw on their company’s assets when they need to.  
  Again, this allows the character to obtain equipment, money, 
  thugs, etc. from his company as he needs it.  It too works similar 
  to Streetdeal. 
   
  All characters have the following statistics that define their 
  characters, along with their abbreviations: 
   
  Body 
   
   
   
   
  BODY 
  Reflex 
   
   
   
   
  REF 
  Movement Allowance 
   
   
  MA 
  Intelligence 
   
   
   
  INT 
  Tech 
   
   
   
   
  TECH 
  Cool 
   
   
   
   
  COOL 
  Empathy  
   
   
  EMP 
  Attractiveness 
   
   
   
  ATTR 
  Luck 
   
   
   
   
  LUCK 
  Psyche 
   
   
   
   
  PSY 
   
  These stats define every character in the game, and are 
  rated from 3 - 10.  They can be improved over time, as described 
  in the section on Experience.  Starting characters begin with 60 
  points to distribute among these at their discretion, staying within 
  the range given above and subject to GM approval.  A brief 
  synopsis of what each statistic is and can do follows. 
  Body.  This statistic is a measure of the character’s physical 
  strength and endurance.  This defines how much he can lift, carry, 
  etc..  Also, it can affect the amount of damage added to or 
  reduced from a successful attack, as described in the Friday 
  Night Firefight section. 
  Reflex.  This is a measure of the character’s coordination, 
  and how fast they can react to a situation.  It is essential when 
  making attacks, and also seeing how well you can react to a 
  surprise situation.  All combat skills are based on this stat. 
  Movement Allowance.  How fast the character can move 
  from point A to point B, whether it is short distances or long.  It is 
  highly recommended you read the section on combat before you 
  shortchange this stat. 
  Intelligence.  How smart the character is.  A combination of 
  IQ., wisdom, common sense, and a few other things.  Also how 
  good the character is at solving problems.  A huge number of 
  skills are based on this stat. 
  Tech.  Some people are good with their hands, and then 
  some others can’t make toast without burning it.  This statistic 
  describes how well the character understands and can relate to 
  all forms of things technological.  This can be pretty important in 
  the year 2020.  Note that this statistic is the basis for all medical 
  skills. 
  Cool.  A measure of how ‘together’ your character is.  When 
  someone shoots at you, do you scream in terror and dive under 
  the nearest dataterm?  Or do you toss out a whiplash smile and 
  
   
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  give ‘em a third nostril before they can blink?  This is also a 
  measure of your character’s willpower, and can be important 
  when say. . . oh I don’t know. . . torture comes into play, maybe? 
  Empathy.  This is how well your character relates with other 
  people and other living things.  It is essentially a measure of the 
  character’s humanity.  This is a very important statistic, because 
  when you add more cyberware to your character, your humanity 
  drops.  When you bottom out, there’s a term for it.  Can you say 
  cyberpsycho?’  I knew you could.  More on this later. 
  Attractiveness.  How good you look.  ‘Nuff said. 
  Luck.  Luck is that intangible thing that gives edgerunners 
  the ‘edge’ when they ‘run’ (get it?).  Your luck score is the number 
  of free retests your character can have per night of game play.  
  This can really mean the difference between scoring that 
  motherlode and being smeared over some boostergang’s wall. 
  Psyche.  This is a measure of your character’s... well, those 
  things that you can’t quite explain by conventional means.  That 
  itching feeling at the base of your neck just before someone tries 
  to plug ya?  Those gut feelings you keep getting that always seem 
  to be right?  Those belong here.  It’s a measure of your 
  character’s potential to go beyond the normal limits.  For more 
  information, you’ll have to find someone who knows more. . . 
   
   
  Whatever scores you put into these ten statistics are your 
  Primary Statistics, or Attributes.  They are the basis for all skills 
  you will use in the game.  They can be improved over time, but 
  only through extensive training and at a large xp expenditure.  
  However, their cost is balanced by their inability to be lost--they 
  stay with you throughout the entire gaming session.  More on the 
  use of traits, statistics, and abilities will be discussed later on. 
  Okay, so you’ve spent your points on your attributes.  Now 
  it’s time to buy your skills.  Skills are what make the world go 
  'round, so to say.  Your Primary Statistics define your innate 
  abilities, but your skills define what your character has learned 
  over the course of their lifetime.  Let's recap the Special Abilities 
  first: 
   
  Combat Sense 
   
  Authority 
  Credibility 
   
   
  Interface 
  Streetdeal 
   
   
  Jury Rig 
  Medical  
   
  Family 
  Resources 
   
  These abilities essentially work like skills.  When using a skill, you 
  take the skill and add it's level to the appropriate attribute.  The 
  resulting number is the determining factor when you tie your 
  opponent.  But more on this later. 
  Every character begins with what is called their Career Skill 
  Package.  These are the skills that are essential to the 
  character's particular Role, and that they would have learned, 
  being who they are.  You have 40 points to divvy up among your 
  Career Skills, including your Special Ability.  The maximum level 
  you may make any skill during character creation is 5, even with 
  Pick Up Skills (described next).  So here are the Career Skill 
  Packages for each Role: 
   
  SOLO 
  Combat Sense 
   
  Awareness 
  Handgun  
  Melee 
  Weapon Tech 
   
  Rifle 
  Dodge 
   
   
  Autoweapon 
  Martial Arts or Brawling 
  Stealth 
   
  NOMAD 
  Family 
   
   
  Awareness 
  Endurance 
   
  Melee 
  Rifle 
   
   
  Drive 
  Basic Tech 
   
  Wilderness Survival 
  Brawling  
  Dodge 
   
  NETRUNNER 
  Interface  
  Awareness 
  Basic Tech 
   
  Education 
  System Knowledge Cyber Tech 
  Cyberdeck Design Composition 
  Electronics 
   
  Programming 
   
  CORPORATE 
  Resources 
   
  Awareness 
  Human Perception Education 
  Library Search 
   
  Social 
  Persuasion 
   
  Stock Market 
  Wardrobe & Style 
  Personal Grooming 
   
  TECHIE 
  Jury Rig  
  Awareness 
  Basic Tech 
   
  Cyber Tech 
  Teaching  
  Education 
  Electronics 
   
  Any three other Techs 
  MEDTECH 
  Medical  
  Awareness 
  Basic Tech 
   
  Diagnose 
  Education  
  Cryotank Operation 
  Library Search 
   
  Pharmaceuticals 
  Zoology  
  Human Perception 
   
  MEDIA 
  Credibility  
  Awareness 
  Composition 
   
  Education 
  Persuasion 
   
  Human Perception 
  Social 
   
   
  Streetwise 
  Photo/Film 
   
  Interview 
   
  COP 
  Authority  
  Awareness 
  Handgun  
  Human Perception 
  Dodge 
   
   
  Education 
  Brawling  
  Melee 
  Interrogation 
   
  Streetwise 
   
  FIXER 
  Streetdeal 
   
  Awareness 
  Forgery  
  Handgun 
  Brawling  
  Melee 
  Pick Lock  
  Pick Pocket 
  Intimidate  
  Persuasion 
   
  Remember, you have 40 points to distribute among your Career 
  Package skills, with a ceiling of 5 on all skills. 
  Once you have completed your Career Skills, you must 
  choose your Pick Up Skills.  In order to do this, take your REF 
  score and add it to your INT score.  The resulting number is the 
  total points you can distribute among any skills you want.  For 
  example, if Garth has a 5 INT and a 7 REF, that gives him 12 
  points to distribute  (  5 + 7 = 12 ) among any skills he wishes, 
  with a maximum level of 5 in any one skill. 
  There.  Now your skills are done.  On to your Outfit. 
   
  OUTFIT 
  Everyone has an outfit.  In 2020, your outfit is your gear, and 
  in this day and age, everything is disposable.  People buy clothes 
  and wear them until they're dirty or worn out, then they trash 'em.  
  This is what they're designed for often.  Most people don't have a 
  house or even a permanent place to live.  Maybe your apartment 
  complex was bought out by a corp that wanted to put up a 
  research facility right where you live.  Tough luck, pal.  Find a new 
  place, or hit the street.  If worse comes to worst, rent a coffin. 
  When you make your character, you need to determine 
  certain things.  First off, you need to find out if you have a job.  
  You may not like it if you have it, but hey.  It's money.  Your GM 
  will determine randomly if you have a job currently.  If you do, 
  great!  You don't have to live out of a coffin and eat kibble.  
  Secondly, you'll have to determine how much money you have.  
  Your GM will help you determine this when you create your 
  character as well.  Keep track of your money!  If you run out 
  and don't have a job, bad things can happen to you between 
  
   
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  games.  Yes, between games.  You may not die, but it would 
  really suck to have your character start a run with a nasty virus, 
  wouldn't it?  Sure it would.  If you do have a job, your GM will 
  determine how much money you make (which is dependant on 
  your Special Ability level) for every run. 
  Once you have determined how much starting money you 
  have, start spending it on equipment.  Essentials are a decent 
  gun, some armor, and a few tools of the trade (dependent on 
  what your trade is).  Don't forget to save some for that Trauma 
  Team account--if you can afford it--and for an apartment and 
  phone service.  Other than that, feel free to look through the 
  books at the equipment available and pick out what you like. 
  Once you have your items picked out, your GM will issue 
  you Item Cards for them.  Since many props are not allowed in 
  game, an Item Card is the physical representation of the item in 
  game.  This means that if you have an item in your hand--say like 
  a gun--you must have the appropriate item card in your hand as 
  well.  This is to prevent confusion, which arises when someone 
  stumbles onto a scene where everyone has their guns out and the 
  incoming person doesn't know it, since no one is holding an item 
  card.  If such a situation arises and you don't have your item card 
  out, it will be ruled that the item in question is not in your hand.  
  This could be very bad news for you if you didn't have your gun 
  card in your hand and the other guy did.  And you'll just have to 
  suck it up and smile, because it'll be all your fault. 
  The other thing to remember is to keep close tabs on all your 
  item cards.  They are in game material and thus can be stolen or 
  lost.  If you lose the item card for you FN-RAL, you lost your FN-
  RAL.  Sorry, but that's the way it works.  Now you know, so be 
  prepared. 
  Also, any buying and selling of equipment will be handled by 
  a GM.  If you get money from another character in character, you 
  need a signed slip of paper from them confirming they gave you 
  the cash.  This is to prevent people from spending more than they 
  actually have.  There are also several services with fees (did 
  someone say Trauma Team?) that will be canceled if you can't 
  afford them.  Life on the streets is harsh, so if you can't handle it, 
  don't play with the big boys.  In the back of the rules packet is a 
  listing of equipment, weapons, and services you can buy when 
  you create your character.  If you want something that's not on 
  the list, you'll have to find yourself a Fixer.  And even then there's 
  no guarantees. 
   
  All buying, selling, and obtaining of equipment will be 
  handled during 
  check-in for ALL characters, Fixers included. 
   
  If you want your character to do something between runs, if you 
  want to buy something--anything--or want to do anything that will 
  take any little bit of preparation, talk to a GM during check-in!  
  They will be busy in the game once check-in is over, so do not 
  bother them after that.  Remember they are incredibly busy, so 
  please have patience with them and respect their playing time as 
  well. 
   
  CYBERNETICS 
  Cybernetics is what puts the cyber into the punk.  For those 
  of you who don't know, cybernetics are mechanical parts attached 
  to living flesh (successfully, usually).  All of those movies with 
  cyborgs?  The books?  Forget them.  All of them.  Cybered people 
  in 2020 cannot go around tossing cars and ripping down walls.  In 
  today's world, it is form over function often times.  Cybertech is 
  stylish, streamlined, and available in a wide range of designer 
  colors!  But it does have to be functional, too (rats).  It's a world of 
  predator and prey, and the sooner you learn to blur the line 
  between the two, the longer you'll survive. 
  And that's the point.  Survival. 
  Cyberware is common in 2020, and as varied as you can 
  imagine.  You can 'stud directly into your home computer to get 
  the coffee going in the morning, you can access the internet from 
  almost any street corner at your local Dataterm to find out what 
  the latest piece of neuralware is, or you can replace your arm or 
  leg with a higher-performance model made out of mynomars and 
  chromed steel.  The point is, everything is replaceable.  Including 
  you. 
  Lost an eye in a knife fight?  No problem.  Got a leg blown 
  off during an extraction?  No problem.  The only thing Medtechs 
  haven't figured out how to replace is your brain--and they're 
  working on that.  Once the problem of grafting the flesh to the 
  machine was solved back in the 1990's, the advancements 
  began.  Now, they're nearly perfected.  They're even 
  commonplace.  The latest fads and trends cause the high society 
  to get the latest "enhancements", and the boostergangs cyber up 
  with as much metal as they can get their hands onto.  It's hip and 
  aware.  And expensive.   
  Just because you want it doesn't mean you'll be able to 
  afford it right away.  You put in an eye with a few options, an arm, 
  and some neural boost, you're talking over 10,000 eb already 
  (that's Eurodollar, or EuroBuck as they're more commonly 
  known).  But hey, most punks know at least twenty-five ways 
  (most of them illegal) of obtaining that paltry sum.  But before you 
  cut off that flesh, there's a catch. 
  Cyberpsychosis is the psychological term for what happens 
  to people when they take off too much meat and replace it with 
  metal.  The more they replace, the colder they become.  No one's 
  really sure why this happens or what specifically causes it, but it 
  happens to everyone.  And to make matters worse, some people 
  are more prone to it than others.  If you have the euro you can get 
  counseling that might help you some (see the PSYCHOLOGY 
  skill), but the only way to cure it is to rip off the metal and stick 
  you in braindance for a few weeks of intense therapy. 
  People change.  And it isn't pretty.  Once enough cyberware 
  is grafted onto people, their personality fragments.   
   
   
  "At first, the victim begins to relate more to 
  machines than to humans.  Soon, he starts to 
  ignore people--parents, friends, lovers.  Eating, 
  sleeping all become less important.  Finally, 
  human interactions begin to irritate, culminating 
  in a terrifying rage that consumes the victim 
  entirely."  
   --directly from Cyberpunk 2020. 
   
  A character's starting EMP is whatever they put into that 
  score initially.  A starting character's Humanity is equal to their 
  EMP score x 10.  So a character with an EMP of 6 would have a 
  starting humanity of 60.  Each piece of cyberware you put on a 
  character has a Humanity Cost.  This number is a random 
  number determined by the GM, dependant on the piece of 
  cyberware you have installed.  For every 10 points of humanity 
  lost to cyberware, your EMP score drops by one (unequal values 
  rounded down).  So if you installed a cyberarm with no options 
  (Humanity Cost of 2d6 per the table at the back) and rolled an 11 
  humanity cost, using the example 6 EMP above, your humanity 
  would now be 49 (60 - 11 = 49), and you would now have a 4 
  EMP.  Remember to write down all the humanity costs for all your 
  cyberware.  Those little 1's and 0.5's are going to start adding up 
  real quickly. 
  At an EMP of 3, the character is rather cold, personality-
  wise.  With an EMP of 2, the character is foreboding, frosty, and 
  distinctly unpleasant to other people.  A character with an EMP of 
  1 is usually erratic, violent, and a sociopath.  He is constantly 
  fighting to keep himself from going over the edge and committing 
  irrational acts of violence, including murder.  At an Empathy of 0 
  or less, the character is a full-fledged cyberpsycho.  At this point 
  the character becomes an NPC, is driven by a hatred of all living 
  things, and generally seeks to remove them all from the face of 
  the planet.  The cops call out the Psycho Squad, "detain" the 
  'borg, and stick them in braindance until the courts figure out what 
  to do with them.  Have a nice day. 
  A full listing of available cyberware is located in the back of 
  the book.  If you want something not on the table, or listed as 
  "Black Market," call your Fixer and set up an appointment with 
  your local RipperDoc.  And make sure that health insurance 
  premium is paid up.  Now you know.  Walk carefully.  Guard your 
  mind. 
   
  EXPERIENCE 
  
   
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  Over time your character will improve.  Every time you 
  attend a gaming session, your character will receive experience 
  points (xp) simply for showing up.  You will get additional 
  experience for good role-playing, showing initiative, creative 
  solutions to dilemmas, etc.  Generally, you will get 1 xp for 
  showing up, 1 xp for being in costume, and 1 xp for decent role-
  playing.  Any xp beyond that will be awarded based on input from 
  other players.  If you see an instance of extremely good role-
  playing, come and tell a GM.  They'll note it down.  If a character 
  gets several 'nominations' from other players, they'll get bonus xp 
  that run.  But as a general rule, 3 xp per run is the norm. 
  Now, you say, what can I do with this xp?  Well, you can 
  improve your character.  You use this xp to buy skills and 
  increase your stats.  The possibilities are endless.  Well, not 
  really, but you get the idea.  Generally, as time goes on, your 
  skills increase.  In order to get them higher or buy new ones, you 
  need a rationale for them, though.  If you want to increase your 
  skills, you can do it in one of two ways. 
  1.  Study & Practice.  While not the most efficient form of 
  improvement, it does work.  You can do this with any skill, but if 
  you teach yourself a skill it will cost double the normal cost to 
  raise it.  You do have another option, however. 
  2.   Being Taught.  Finding a teacher is far superior to 
  learning yourself.  If you find  teacher for a certain skill, you can 
  raise that skill at the normal xp cost.  This is where the 
  TEACHING skill comes into play, though.  If someone wants to 
  teach you a skill, they must have a higher level in the skill than 
  you do.  Then they must average the skill being taught with their 
  teaching skill (rounding down).  That is the maximum level they 
  can teach you in that skill.  For example, Catharsis is trying to 
  teach Sagan how to BRAWL.  Catharsis has a 6 BRAWL and a 4 
  TEACHING.  Average their scores together and you get 5 (6 + 4 = 
  10 / 2 = 5).  So Catharsis could teach Sagan up to BRAWL 5.  
  After that, Sagan needs to find a new teacher, or pay double the 
  xp to get to level six. 
  The price for improving skills is dependent on the current 
  skill level.  The better you are at something, the longer it takes to 
  improve in it.  On  the next page is the price in xp for skills and 
  attributes. 
   
   
  Primary Attribute 
   
   
       5 xp  
    (regardless of level) 
  New Skill  
   
   
       2 xp 
  Improve Skill 
   
   
  Current lvl in xp 
    (with Teacher) 
   
   
   
   
  Improve Skill 
   
           2x current lvl in xp 
    (without Teacher)  
   
   
  Special Ability 
   
           2x current lvl in xp 
    (with Teacher)  
  Special Ability 
   
           4x current lvl in xp 
    (without Teacher)  
   
   
   
  New Non-Profession Special Ability 
     10 xp 
    (must have teacher) 
  Improve Non-Profession Special Ability  
    (must have teacher)  
           5x current lvl in xp 
   
   
  Certain skills are difficult to learn.  These skills have an 
  Improvement Modifier next to them on the skill list, which is the 
  number in parenthesis.  This number is added to the xp cost 
  required to improve that skill to the next level.  For example, the 
  martial art CHOI LI FUT has a modifier of 3.  To improve my level 
  in CHOI LI FUT from 4 to 5 would cost me 7 xp instead of 4 (with 
  a teacher -- 4 xp for the current level, plus 3 for the modifier).  
  These skills generally give bonuses in certain circumstances, and 
  this bonus is offset by the difficulty in acquiring it. 
  Of course, you may also improve your character's 10 
  Primary Attributes.  These cost 5 xp a point, regardless of level, 
  and can be raised to a maximum of 10 using experience.  Please 
  note that some Attributes may not be raised with experience.  All 
  Attributes may be increased with the exceptions of Luck, and 
  Psyche.  Also, if you have any cyberware or bioware--any at all--
  you may not increase your Empathy stat either.  If you wish to do 
  so, you must first rip out all unnatural materials from your body 
  (which could be detrimental to your health), then spend the xp to 
  increase it.  No exceptions to this.  Period. 
  Now, If you do something really amazing--save the universe 
  from total destruction, manage to successfully run Arasaka's 
  mainframe, etc., then you might--you just might--get a merit point.  
  Merit points can be used to get… merits!  These are special 
  things that few people have that are generally bigger 
  improvements on your character.  You can get favors from 
  powerful NPC Corps, you can have a local Booster Gang befriend 
  you, all sorts of things.  But merit points are not handed out like 
  xp.  They are awarded rarely, so if you want them you really have 
  to earn them.  If you receive a merit point, talk to your GM about 
  seeing a listing of available merits and what they do. 
   
   
   
  
   
  6
  3.  PLAYING 
   
  The golden rules of Mind's Eye Theatre apply in this game 
  as well: 
   
  No actual combat. 
  No physical contact. 
  No real weapons. 
  No fake weapons. 
  No playing under the influence of alcohol or other drugs. 
   
  These rules are pretty basic.  They are there to make sure 
  everyone is safe and no one gets hurt or in trouble.  You are 
  playing in a public area, so remember to respect the rights of 
  everyone else there.  If these rules are broken, you will be 
  kicked out of the game for that run.  That is your ONLY 
  warning.  If it happens again, you will be kicked out of the 
  game, period.  The Game Masters run this game.  You are 
  playing with their permission.  It is not your right.  You are playing 
  because they let you.  Remember that. 
  Okay, you ask.  I've got my character, my outfit, and my 
  background.  I'm ready to roll.  Just how the hell do I do it?  Well, 
  If you've ever played White Wolf's Mind's Eye Theatre, you 
  probably won't have much difficulty with this game either.  The 
  system uses a modified version of those rules for game play, 
  altered to better fit the Cyberpunk 2020 system.  Here's how it 
  works… 
  The name of the game is role-playing.  Generally, whatever 
  you want your character to do , you act out--within certain 
  guidelines.  If your character says something, you say it.  What 
  you do, your character does.  This is pretty much how things go, 
  until you get into using skills. 
  To use a skill, you have to initiate a challenge.  Generally, 
  this involves your character trying to do something involving 
  another character.  To do so, announce to your target that you are 
  using whatever skill you will be using on them, and then you play 
  'Rock, Paper, Scissors' to determine the outcome.  If you win, 
  your skill succeeds.  If you lose, your attempt fails.  Simple? 
  If someone challenges you with an action, you can either 
  respond or relent.  Relenting is saying that you're not going to 
  challenge what the person is doing.  If you do this, their action 
  automatically succeeds.  This can be beneficial in certain 
  circumstances, but use your common sense to determine whether 
  or not your character would relent to certain actions.  Remember, 
  stay in character. 
  Let's give an example.  Let's say Ripper is shooting at 
  Fraggle.  Ripper announces to Fraggle he's going to be shooting 
  at him with his Colt AMT 2000.  Fraggle gets a chance to dodge.  
  So they play rock, paper, scissors--Ripper throws rock, Fraggle 
  throws scissors.  Ripper won, so his attack succeeds.  Fraggle 
  takes a slug.  But suppose Ripper throws rock and Fraggle throws 
  paper.  Paper beats rock, so Fraggle manages to dodge out of the 
  way as Ripper shoots at him. 
  Outright wins are easy.  Ties are a little bit different. 
  Now let's suppose Ripper throws rock and Fraggle throws 
  rock.  They tie.  Now the have to bid.  When a bid occurs, the 
  people involved have to determine who has the higher score in 
  the appropriate skill(s).  The person that initiated the challenge 
  starts the bid wherever they like, up to the total of their skill and 
  attribute combined.  For example, Ripper has a DEX of 9 and 
  HANDGUN skill of 5.  His total in HANDGUN is 14.  Fraggle has a 
  DEX of 9 and a DODGE of 4.  His total in DODGE is 13.  Ripper's 
  HANDGUN is higher than Fraggle's DODGE, so Ripper's shot 
  hits.  He's more skilled than Fraggle is.  Not Fraggle's best day. 
  In the event of a tie, if both parties involved have equal 
  scores in their applicable skills, both parties fail.  If it is an attack, 
  it is considered a miss.   
  Sometimes the rules will call for a simple test.  This is a test 
  that does not directly affect a character.  Usually it is just used to 
  determine the outcome of certain circumstances.  When you must 
  perform a simple test, you can grab anyone that's around to test 
  with you--it won't affect them directly.  You play rock, paper, 
  scissors, and if you win outright or tie the other person, you have 
  'won' the simple test. 
  The other type of test is a static test.  This is similar to a 
  simple test in that usually it does not directly affect another 
  person.  Unless otherwise specified, you can perform static tests 
  with anyone.  A static test requires you to play rock, paper, 
  scissors against a set difficulty.  This is the number you have to 
  beat in your skill if you tie.  For example, let's say Katherine is 
  attempting to pick a lock.  The lock has a difficulty rating of 17.  
  Katherine does a static test against a GM (since they know the 
  lock's difficulty) and ties.  Her REF is 11 and her PICKLOCK is 7, 
  for a total of 18.  It's higher than the difficulty of the lock, so she 
  manages to open the lock.  However, if her PICKLOCK was only 
  5, her total would be 16.  Not enough.  The lock stays shut. 
  Generally, challenges against inanimate objects can only be 
  made once every 5 minutes.  Otherwise, if you had a PICK LOCK 
  of 1 you could try to overcome the same lock Katherine just tried 
  ten times a minute, which is not very realistic.  However, you do 
  have the option of a retest--if you have the talent.  A retest is a 
  representation of the level of skill a certain person has in certain 
  things.  For example, let's say Katherine did have a 5 PICK LOCK 
  as we discussed above.  If she ties, she can't pick the lock.  But 
  she can opt to take a retest.  This is because her skill in picking 
  locks is great enough to give her a second try right away.  You 
  have a number of retests in a skill equal to your skill level 
  each gaming session.  If Katherine had a 5 PICK LOCK, she 
  could retest that skill 5 times each night.  However, you are only 
  allowed one retest per attempt at a skill.  In other words, you can't 
  blow your challenge, use your skill to retest, blow that challenge, 
  then use your skill again and again and again until you succeed.  
  You get your initial challenge, a skill retest, and if you're really 
  desperate, you can use your luck for one free retest. 
  Luck works exactly like a skill retest, except it can be used at 
  any time during game play regardless of the challenge.  If you 
  make a challenge, you can use luck for a retest.  Period.  You can 
  only use it once per challenge, just like a skill retest.  You can use 
  your luck as many times per night as your score in it.  So if 
  Katherine had a 6 LUCK, she could get 6 free retests per night.   
  There is one other option, but it cannot often be used.  It's an 
  Overbid.  When you attempt to overbid someone, you are saying 
  that your skill in this particular challenge is so great, you think you 
  can squash the other person like the insect that they are.  If you 
  successfully overbid, you get an additional free retest for that 
  challenge.  In order to overbid, your score in the skill you are 
  using (combined with the appropriate attribute) must be at least 
  double of the skill the other person is countering with.  For 
  example.  Let's say Natasha, the suave bwana that he is, is 
  attempting to use FAST TALK on Bubba the guard.  His initial 
  challenge fails.  However, he is so confident in his ability in this 
  area that he declares an overbid.  His EMP is 8, his FAST TALK 
  is 8, giving him a total of 16.  Bubba is a borderline cyberpsycho 
  with a massive 3 EMP, and he counters with his 4 LEADERSHIP, 
  giving him a total of 7.  Natasha's FAST TALK total is more than 
  double Bubba's counter (3 + 4 = 7 x 2 = 14.  Natasha has a 16), 
  so Natasha's .Overbid succeeds--Natasha gets a free retest. 
  So, to summarize, if you make a challenge, you can retest 
  once for a skill, and one more time for luck.  If you're really good 
  you can retest with an overbid.  That's it.  After that you have to 
  live with the results.  Also note, once LUCK is used, your retests 
  are over.  Your opponent can still use retests until they use LUCK, 
  but once you use your LUCK, you cannot retest again.  LUCK is 
  the final retest.  Other than that, the order of retests makes no 
  difference, but once it's declared you have to use it.  So if you say 
  "Okay, retest FAST TALK. . .   No, wait!  Overbid!", it's too late 
  choomba.  You have to use your skill retest first.  Deal. 
  When challenging another player, it will quickly become 
  obvious that certain skills can  be countered with several other 
  ones.  For example, when Natasha tried to FAST TALK Bubba, 
  Bubba could have also countered with HUMAN PERCEPTION to 
  see if he realized what Natasha was up to.  So long as the skills 
  being used can be explained somehow in an applicable manner, 
  they can be used.  The general rule of thumb is this:  if you both 
  agree on it, it's fine.  If someone wants to FAST TALK you, and 
  you counter with PILOT AV, so long as your opponent agrees it's 
  fine.  The point of the game is to have fun, not nit-pick rules. 
  The final thing that needs to be cleared up is difficulties for 
  
   
  7
  static challenges.  Generally, for ease of play, they are grouped 
  into five basic levels: 
   
  Easy 
   
   
   
   
  10 
  Average  
   
   
  13 
  Difficult 
   
   
   
   
  16 
  Very Difficult 
   
   
   
  19 
  Near Impossible 
   
   
  22 
   
  So if the rules call for you to make a Difficult skill check, you need 
  to make a static test, and must have a total of 16 or more in the 
  applicable skill.  For example, Hershey gets zapped by a taser.  
  The taser card calls for an Average ENDURANCE check to 
  remain conscious.  Suppose Hershey has a BODY of 8 and an 
  ENDURANCE of 5, for a total of 13 (8 + 5 = 13).  He would win on 
  a tie, since his total is equal or greater than what the test called 
  for--he'd remain conscious.  If he had a total of only 12, though, 
  he would lose on a tie, since his total would be less than the 
  difficulty specified by the card.  In other words, goodnight 
  Hershey.   
  Be aware that sometimes, the GM may decide it is just 
  impossible for you to succeed in a certain action.  For example, if 
  you are attempting a skill and the difficulty is 10 or 15 higher than 
  your skill total, they may just declare that is can't be done, period.  
  It is dependant on the situation and the task being attempted, but 
  it is the GM's final call, as in all things.  This is just so you are 
  aware of it. 
  Got it?  Good.  Let's move on. 
  One other thing for game play should be noted, and here is 
  as good a place as any.  At times you may see a person walking 
  around with a colored armband on.  This signifies something that 
  would otherwise be very difficult to note in game play.  Here is a 
  listing of the colors you may see around in play and what they 
  mean: 
   
  Blue  
  Uniformed Police 
  White 
   
  Trauma Team 
  Black 
   
  Hard Shell Armor 
  Red  
  Hologram / Remote 
  Yellow 
   
  Full 'Borg Conversion 
   
  At the moment these are all the colors that we will be using.  
  There may be more brought into play, and this is the place they 
  will be noted. 
   
  
   
  8
  4.  FRIDAY NIGHT FIREFIGHT  
  (Or better known as Combat) 
   
  Welcome to the edge.  In case you hadn't noticed, the future 
  is a dark place, and what with the collapse of the government and 
  all, the Corporations have pretty much taken things over.  You 
  see, the government doesn't have the money.  The Corps do.  
  With the money comes the power, and they're not afraid to use it.  
  Corporate intrigue in 2020 is standard, with several corporations 
  vying for power in every city.  There's a number of larger 
  corporations that can be found in almost every major city in the 
  world, and the smaller ones are like that only in (what was) the 
  US.  Cities have degenerated into strictly divided areas, with the 
  Corp Zone on one side and the Combat Zone (usually just called 
  'The 'Zone') on the other.  The difference in the level of wealth is 
  astonishing.  Generally, the Corp Zone is pristine, with nary a 
  piece of litter to be found.  It has high-tech security, heavily armed 
  patrols (usually owned by the corps themselves), tailored 
  landscaping, real trees (!), the whole nine yards.  As you move 
  toward the 'Zone, however, things become slowly worse.  The 
  city's police take up the patrols, and they become more and more 
  scarce--and more heavily armed.  The buildings and streets begin 
  to get more grimy, and the lower life forms--prostitutes, drug 
  dealers, etc.--start coming out. 
  Also, you can often tell where you are by the time of day.  
  The 'Zone is actually relatively safe during the day.  It's not until 
  nighttime that the boostergangs and 'zoners start coming out to 
  play.  At the other end of the spectrum, the Corp Zone is a bustle 
  of activity during the day, but relatively quiet at night.  People 
  attend plush parties in the evening, well secluded on private 
  estates so the noise doesn't reach the street.  So if in doubt, 
  check your watch and look around.  If it's dark and multicolored, 
  heavily scarred teenagers with cyberware coming out their ears 
  are around, you're probably in the 'zone.  . . .On second thought, 
  don't look at your watch.  Someone might see it and cut off your 
  hand to get it.  Just hide instead. 
  But sooner or later, no matter where you are, you're gonna 
  get into a fight.  It's just life in Cyberpunk.  You might be in a 
  dance club and give someone the wrong look, and Whamo!  Out 
  comes the Magnum Opus "Hellbringer" .666 and you're lying on 
  the ground hoping you paid your Trauma Team bill this month.  
  But if you know what's going on, and you know when it's time to 
  deck that 'Lacer behind you, ya gotta know how to do it.  So.  
  Ready?  Too bad. 
   
  COMBAT 
  Combat is divided up into rounds.  A round, in game time, is 
  a period of 3 seconds.  Once involved in a combat, everyone can 
  make  one (1) action per round without any penalties.  Until it is 
  your turn, please don't cause a lot of confusion and chatter 
  pointlessly.  Combats can take a bit of time, especially if there's 
  lots of people involved, and if everyone is talking a GM might 
  decide to do something nasty to keep people shut up.  Say, take 
  away everyone's retests.  You get the idea.  
  The general layout is this:  Initiative is determined, individual 
  actions are resolved, round ends.  Next round.  Easy, right? 
   
  INITIATIVE 
  There's a rule in Cyberpunk:  "Them that goes first, kills 
  first."  Remember that.  Determining who goes first in combat is 
  very simple.  Whoever has the highest REF goes first, then 
  everyone else in descending order.  Equal REFs go 
  simultaneously.  The only exception to this is Solos.  Solos get to 
  add their Combat Sense to their REF when determining initiative.  
  They're designed for combat, and they know how to handle it.  
  Face it: Solos just go first.  You may say this gives them an unfair 
  advantage, but it doesn't.  Just wait until after the fight when they 
  come crawling up to their MedTechies and watch them grovel.  
  They can dish out damage, but that's all they can do.  If you're a 
  Netrunner and you want to nail one, break into the city's police 
  department and issue a warrant for their arrest.  Cancel their 
  credit cards.  Hire a Techie to rig their locks to explode.  In other 
  words, use your imagination. 
  You do have one other option when determining initiative.  If 
  you declare at the beginning of the round, when initiative is being 
  determined, that you want to make a fastdraw/snapshot you get a 
  +3 bonus to your initiative, but have a -3 penalty to all actions that 
  round.  You're basically just going for speed and not really 
  concentrating on what the hell you're doing.  But if you just NEED 
  that extra edge, you can do it.  In martial arts or melee it's called 
  the jai-jutsu (lightning strike).  But the effect is the same. 
  So, now that we know who's going first, let's play. 
   
  ACTIONS 
  Initiative determined, it's time to figure out what everyone is 
  doing.  The person with the highest initiative declares his action, 
  then that action is resolved.  The effects of the action are 
  immediate.  If you get shot and killed before your action, you 
  moved too slow.  You're dead.  No action for you, choomba.  In 
  other words, action results take effect immediately upon 
  resolution of the action.  This continues until everyone has had 
  an action, then another round begins. 
  Here are the actions possible in a single combat round: 
   
  -  Run up to 3x your MA (in paces) 
  -  Attack up to your weapon's maximum rate  
  of fire (ROF) 
  -  Make a melee attack 
  -  Dodge / Parry 
  -  Escape a hold or a trap 
  -  Aim (giving +2 bonus for each consecutive  round, up to a 
  max of +6) 
  -  Reload or change a weapon 
  -  Mount or dismount from a vehicle 
  -  Repair or give medical aid 
  -  Perform a non-combat task 
   
  Note that you may move up to your MA (in paces) and perform 
  one of the above actions without penalty.  Moving is considered 
  the first action if performing multiple actions. 
  You can declare multiple actions, but if you do so all actions 
  beyond the first incur a -3 penalty to each successive action, with 
  a maximum of three (3) actions.  You can make attacks with two 
  weapons, but this incurs a -3 penalty to both attacks.  Also note 
  that there is no way to get a weapon to attack more often than it's 
  ROF.  In other words, you can't fire 10 bursts with your Minami in 
  one round, no matter how hard you try.  The weapon's ROF is it's 
  limit by the laws of physics. 
  Here's a description of all the actions listed above, for those 
  of you who were wondering. 
   
  Run.  If you want to get somewhere fast, then you opt to run.  
  You can sprint up to 3x your MA (take your MA x 3 in steps from 
  your current location).  This is considered one action.  Remember, 
  you can move up to your MA (in paces) normally without penalty--
  this is considered part of your action. 
  Attack.  We'll cover all attacks here.  Whether you're making 
  a distance attack, a melee attack, or using BRAWL or MARTIAL 
  ARTS, it amounts to the same thing.  The first thing you must do 
  is announce that you are making a "COMBAT CHALLENGE".  
  This is so that everyone that would be able to see or hear you 
  knows you are doing something that would be plainly obvious. 
  You can then attack up to your weapon's ROF, or make one 
  (1) melee or hand-to-hand attack.  Even if you decide to make 
  multiple actions and take the penalties, you can't make a weapon 
  have more attacks than it's ROF.  You can make more hand-to-
  hand attacks, however (3 maximum, remember). 
  One other note here.  In some games of Mind's Eye Theatre, 
  it is common practice to respond to someone's attack challenge 
  with an attack of your own (e.g. Sam: "I'm brutal and I claw you."   
  Bob: "Well I'm brutal and I claw you!")  This cannot be done in 
  Cyberpunk because of order of actions.  If someone attacks you, 
  you do get an automatic chance to dodge or parry it, but you can 
  not respond with another attack.  Every action must be resolved 
  individually. 
  Dodge / Parry.  These are grouped together because 
  there's certain rules about what you can and can't do, depending 
  on how you're attacking.  Here's the rule:  distance attacks can 
  
   
  9
  only be dodged.  You cannot use MARTIAL ARTS or FENCING to 
  avoid a bullet or such.  As a general rule, if you're fighting up 
  close, you must use the skill you're attacking with as a defense as 
  well.  Parrying is simply using a weapon or body part to deflect 
  the blow, and has the same effect as dodging.  It is included 
  because you parry in hand-to-hand attacks rather than dodge, but 
  the result is the same--you don't take the damage. 
  Now wait, you say.  Don't I already get a response to every 
  attack?  Yes, I answer, you do.  But if you elect to Dodge or Parry 
  during a combat round, you cannot take any other actions except 
  move your normal MA.  You are doing nothing but trying to avoid 
  getting hit.  If you choose to Dodge or Parry as your action, you 
  get a +6 bonus to your DODGE / PARRY vs. all attacks made 
  against you.  This can be a real lifesaver. 
  Escape.  If someone has you in a hold or you are held by a 
  trap, device, etc., you can take no further physical actions until 
  you escape.  Period. 
  Aim.  Aiming is a wonderful thing.  Instead of taking an 
  action, you can choose to aim at a target instead.  Every round of 
  aiming gives you an additional +2 to your attack against that 
  target, assuming they stay in your line of sight and you are not 
  disturbed while aiming.  If you are disturbed (say, a 10mm slug in 
  your chest) or lose line of sight, your aiming bonuses are lost.  
  You can aim up to a maximum of 3 rounds, giving you a +6 bonus 
  to your attack. 
  Reload or Change Weapon.  Pretty self-explanatory, but it 
  needs to be said anyway.  You'll be doing this often if you're one 
  of the types of people that like full-auto weapons.  You can never 
  carry too much ammo, remember. 
  Mount or Dismount Vehicle.  Getting into or out of a 
  vehicle, on or off a bike, etc., requires an action.  Doesn't come 
  up often, but again, needs to be said. 
  Repair or Give Medical Aid.  JURY RIGging something or 
  using a medical skill to stabilize a character counts as an action.  
  Full repairs cannot be carried out during a combat round.  
  Unjamming a weapon is included in this section. 
  Non-Combat Tasks.  If you want to do something else 
  during a combat round other than what's listed above, use 
  common sense.  Using a skill is considered one action.  Talking is 
  not an action.  You can shout out whatever the hell you want in 
  that 3-second period--provided it takes less than three seconds.  
  If you want to do a flip over a table, however, that'll count as an 
  action.  Either decide amongst yourselves if something's 
  considered an action, or ask a GM for a ruling. 
   
  It is possible to ambush or backstab someone in game.  You 
  can elect to set up an ambush any time your opponent is unaware 
  of your location and intention to attack, or his attention is on 
  another task requiring a great deal of concentration.  If you 
  manage to get them in this situation, you would be required to 
  challenge the target with a STEALTH roll, the target countering 
  with his AWARENESS.  If you succeed, it doesn't give you a free 
  action or let you go first.  You do get a +5 bonus to your first 
  attack, however.  You can do this in combat if your opponent is 
  not aware of your location.  Once the ambush is sprung, the 
  bonus is lost.  You need to set up another ambush to get the 
  bonus again. 
  If you are trying to get the hell out of a combat, you can try, 
  at least.  If at the end of the round you are out of line-of-sight of 
  everyone involved in the combat, you can escape on a successful 
  STEALTH test versus an Average difficulty.  If you succeed, you 
  managed to sneak away.  Otherwise, people can still try to mack 
  you. 
   
  DAMAGE 
  Okay, so that schmuck hit you.  Now you take damage. 
  Every weapon in the game has a damage rating.  This is the 
  amount of damage the weapon does when it hits you.  On your 
  character sheet you see a bunch of little boxes?  Those are your 
  hit points, essentially.  When you get hit, you mark off the little 
  boxes to show how badly hurt your character is.  The worse hurt 
  you are, the more boxes are checked off. 
  Now, before you start slashing off all those boxes, read this 
  through.  Remember back when you made your character, we 
  told you that your body type would affect the amount of damage 
  you take?  Here's where it comes into play.  Your BODY score 
  indicates how tough a customer you are, and in part your ability to 
  shrug off damage.  The table below shows the modifiers to 
  damage for the different BODY scores: 
   
   
  BODY 
   
   
   
  Modifier 
     3-4 
   
   
   
       -1 
     5-7 
   
   
   
        0 
     8-9 
   
   
   
        1 
   10-12 
   
   
   
        2 
   13-14 
   
   
   
        3 
     15+ 
   
   
   
        4 
   
  To determine how much damage you take, subtract your 
  BODY modifier from the damage.  So if you had a BODY of 10, 
  and you got hit with a 9mm slug (damage 6), you'd take four (4) 
  points of damage (6 - 2 = 4).  You'll notice the -1 modifier for 
  Weak body types.  This number is actually added to damage to 
  represent the frailty of that body.  Note that damage can never be 
  reduced to less than one (1).  If it gets through your armor, you'll 
  take at least one point of damage.  Speaking of which. . . 
   
  ARMOR 
  Armor is what stops you from taking damage.  If you get hit, 
  it's a last line of defense between you and that thing that's about 
  to make you into fresh hamburger.  Armor is rated by Stopping 
  Power, or SP.  When you see an armor card, it will have 
  something that looks like the following on it: 
   
   
   
  Metal Gear 
   
  SP 12 / 18 / 24 
   
   
  Shell:  Hard 
   
   
  EV: 
   2 
   
  The card has the type of armor, it's SP rating (highlighted), 
  whether it is hard or soft armor, and it's encumbrance value.  But 
  more on that in a moment.  First off, we'll deal with the SP. 
  Stopping Power, or SP, is the amount of damage the armor 
  can stop from getting through to whatever's underneath it.  The 
  first number after the SP is the armor's stopping power.  For 
  example, Metal Gear has "SP 12 / 18 / 24" listed on the card.  
  That means its stopping power is 12.  This is the amount of 
  damage the armor will automatically stop outright on a 
  successful attack.  If a shot does manage to penetrate the 
  armor, this is also the amount the damage will be reduced.  
  So in the example above, if 15 points manage to get through the 
  armor, the armor manages to stop 12 of it, resulting in 3 points 
  getting through.  If you were wearing the armor, you would take 3 
  points of damage (minus your BODY type modifier). 
  The second and third numbers represent the amounts of 
  damage the armor has the potential to stop outright.  If a 
  weapon's damage rating is greater than the first number after the 
  SP, but equal to or less than the second number, it will be 
  stopped by the armor on a successful simple test.  For example, 
  say you get hit with a 5.56mm slug (15 damage) while wearing 
  Metal Gear.  Since the 15 damage is between the 12 and the 18 
  SP of the armor, the armor would stop the damage on successful 
  simple test (on a win or a tie).  If the last number is an infinite 
  symbol ( ∞ ), then no matter how much damage an attack does, it 
  will always stop it on an outright win.  So if you see some armor 
  rated SP 16 / 24 / ∞∞∞∞, make the person wearing it your friend.  At 
  the very least don't shoot at them. 
  If a weapon's damage rating is greater than the second 
  number after the SP, but equal to or less than the third number, it 
  will be stopped on an outright win only on a test.  For example, 
  you're wearing Metal Gear again and get hit with a 7.62mm round 
  this time (19 damage).  Since the 19 damage is between the 18 
  and the 24 SP of the armor, the armor would stop the damage 
  only on an outright win during a test. 
  If a weapon's damage rating is greater than the last number, 
  it just slices through the armor automatically.  It is still reduced by 
  the SP of the armor, but you automatically take the damage.  For 
  
   
  10 
  example, if a rail gun (damage 30) hits the Metal Gear above, it 
  will automatically get through the armor and damage the wearer. 
  In all of the above cases, even if the damage gets through 
  the armor, it will still be reduced by the SP of the armor.  In the 
  examples above, the 5.56mm slug would have done 3 points of 
  damage (15 damage minus 12 SP equals 3), the 7.62mm slug 
  would have done 7 points of damage (19 - 12 = 7), and the rail 
  gun would have done 18 points of damage ( 30 - 12 = 18 ), minus 
  any modifiers for your BODY score.   
  So, if it hits, see if it's stopped.  If it gets through, subtract the 
  armor's SP.  Then subtract your BODY type modifier.  Finally, 
  apply the damage (cross off the little boxes now). 
  The next thing is the difference between Hard and Soft 
  armors.  Hard armor is rigid, and it is plainly obvious when it's 
  being worn.  You cannot hide hard armor.  It is large and 
  uncomfortable, and generally only worn when you know it's gonna 
  hit the fan.  Not to mention it is bulky and has the habit of drawing 
  attention to itself--especially from the police.  Expect to be 
  detained if you're caught wearing hard armor in a public place.   
  Soft armor, on the other hand, can and often is worn without 
  being noticed.  Even in the 1980's there were kevlar vests and 
  other less than obvious ballistic material weaves.  Today, virtually 
  any clothing can be armored to some extent to provide protection.  
  You can even get sheik designer clothes (and who isn't on the 
  hippest trend of the week?) that have an SP rating.  Even 
  bandanas.  If you armor them too much, it becomes obvious, and 
  people will be able to tell.  But you can still get a decent degree of 
  protection, and still remain fashion conscious.  And the world of 
  Cyberpunk is very fashion conscious.  Very.  There are also a few 
  rules regarding the difference between hard and soft armors, but 
  they will be discussed in more detail later. 
  And please do remember that your armor only protects what 
  it covers.  So you might want to invest in a few different pieces of 
  armored clothing, if you're looking for a full-body protection.  For 
  ease of play, we have grouped coverage locations to the following 
  areas: 
   
  Upper Arm 
   
  Upper Leg 
  Lower Arm 
   
  Lower Leg 
  Hand 
   
  Foot 
  Neck 
   
  Head 
  Upper Face 
  Lower Face 
   
  I realize that some of the borders of what is covered (e.g. elbow, 
  knee) may be vague, but most often this is a case-by-case basis 
  anyway.  Note it on the card. 
   
  ENCUMBERANCE VALUE 
  The final value on the armor card is the Encumbrance Value.  
  This is a measure of how much the armor limits your movement, 
  how much of a hindrance it is to you.  Generally, the larger the 
  SP, the greater the encumbrance value, or EV.  Metal Gear is 
  fitted to each individual, and it still has an EV of 2.  What this 
  means is that when you're in combat, any action involving the use 
  of your REF stat is at -2.  Everything has a cost.  Some armors 
  have an EV as high as 4, so think how much you're gonna need 
  that REF stat before you start shrugging on the heaviest armor 
  you can find. 
  As a quick example, suppose Gemin is wearing his Metal 
  Gear and decides to shoot that annoying fool Delgado with his 
  rifle.  Gemin declares his challenge, and Delgado dodges.  They 
  tie.  Gemin's REF plus RIFLE is 14, and Delgado's REF plus 
  DODGE is 13.  But unfortunately for Gemin, his Metal Gear has 
  an EV of 2, so his total is only 12 (14 - 2 = 12), so his shot misses 
  Delgado. 
   
  LAYERING ARMOR 
  While you may think it's a great idea to put on twelve layers 
  of armor, we simply aren't dealing with that in this game.  If you 
  want to wear 14 armorjackets and 2 flak vests, go right ahead.  It 
  won't help. 
    
  ARMOR DAMAGE 
  When an attack penetrates your armor, it will inevitably 
  damage the armor, thus lowering its effectiveness.  Each time 
  your armor is penetrated by an attack, it will be damaged-- e.g. A 
  hammer won't affect your armor even if damage gets through, 
  while a knife will.  Each of the three SP numbers for the armor will 
  be lowered by one (1) point.  If the first number of the SP reaches 
  zero, the armor is effectively destroyed and cannot be repaired.  
  Otherwise, anyone can repair the armor, at a cost of 20eb in 
  materials and ten minutes (for a shoddy job, or 20 minutes if you 
  don't want marks) per point repaired (Average Basic Tech test for 
  each point).  Or you can bring it to professionals and have it 
  repaired by them for 50eb a point, without any telltale marks left of 
  the repairs. 
   
  EFFECTS OF DRUGS ON ARMOR 
  If you hit someone with a drug in an armored location, it will 
  take the first number of the SP rating for the armor--in rounds (or 
  minutes)--to soak through the armor and start affecting the person 
  underneath.  So you might want to consider a called shot. 
  For example, suppose Liv is shooting at K with her paintball 
  gun, using a soporific load to knock him out.  She shoots and hits 
  K on his armorjacket, which has an SP  9 / 14 / 18.  This means 
  that the drug won't soak through K's armor for a full 9 rounds (or 
  minutes, if combat ends).  So if he can get the jacket off before 
  then, there's no effect.  Bad news for Liv.  If he waits more than 
  that, however, the drug will start affecting him as normal.  Cool, 
  huh? 
   
  ARMOR PIERCING ROUNDS 
  Another reason why armor isn't the end-all-be-all of 
  protection is a little development way back in the 20th century 
  called Armor Piercing rounds, or AP rounds.  They are dense, 
  streamlined bullets designed to slice through whatever they 
  encounter.  Luckily, their streamlined design prevents them from 
  doing as much damage to the human body as normal bullets do.  
  Not much comfort, but any port in a storm. 
  In effect, the SP rating of armor vs. AP rounds is halved (all 
  values) when comparing to the damage, but any damage that 
  penetrates is halved when calculating actual damage (round all 
  fractions down).  For example, let's say our friend Delgado was 
  shot with a  slug (damage 6) while he was wearing SP 8 / 12 / 16 
  armor.  Since the 6 damage is less than the 8 SP, normally the 
  bullet wouldn't get through at all.  However, let's suppose that it 
  was an AP round.  The effective SP of the armor (when compared 
  to the bullet) would now be 4 / 6 / 8 (!) instead of 8 / 12 / 16, giving 
  it a chance to get through.  Let's suppose Delgado fails his simple 
  test and the AP round gets through his armor.  The bullet does 6 
  damage, minus the 4 SP of the armor means 2 damage gets 
  through to Delgado.  But since it's an AP round, that damage is 
  divided by 2.  So Delgado takes 1 point of damage.  Not a lot, but 
  at least the shot damaged him. 
  Generally it's just better to duck behind a Dataterm.  They're 
  designed to withstand car crashes. 
   
  WOUNDS 
  So your armor didn't stop the bullet, and you couldn't shrug 
  off all of the damage.  It's time to take a wound. 
  When you take a wound, cross off one of your wound boxes 
  for each point of damage you take.  You'll notice the boxes are 
  grouped into sections of 4 boxes each, each with a label above 
  them.  When you're unwounded, no problem.  You function 
  normally.  As you start to take damage, though, your performance 
  suffers.  Wound effects are as follows: 
   
  -  At a LIGHT wound level, the character suffers no penalties to 
  his actions.  He just hurts a lot.  ("It's only a flesh wound. . .") 
   
  -  At a SERIOUS wound level, the character suffers a -2 penalty 
  to all his actions.  He's hurt, bleeding, and definitely hampered.  
  Immediately make a consciousness check as described below 
  upon reaching this wound level. 
   
  -  At a CRITICAL wound level, the character suffers a -4 penalty 
  to all his actions.  He's holding his guts in with one hand while 
  doing his damnedest to stay in the battle.  Immediately make a 
  
   
  11 
  consciousness check as described below upon reaching this 
  wound level.  MA is 1/2 normal. 
   
  -  If a MORTAL wound level is reached, the character is nearly 
  dead.  Make an immediate Death Save.  If won, he must win a 
  simple test immediately to see if he remains conscious, and is at 
  a -6 penalty to all actions regardless.  Every round he goes 
  without medical attention he must make another simple test to 
  see if he falls unconscious and/or dies.  MA is reduced to 1/3 
  normal (round up), and you cannot initiate a challenge (without 
  certain cybernetics).  Most people are going about their business 
  expiring already.  Messily. 
   
  SPECIAL WOUND CASES 
  Limb Loss.  Any attack causing 8 or more points of damage 
  after all modifiers has a chance to blow off a limb or mangle it 
  beyond recognition.  Make a simple test.  If you win outright, you 
  took the shot in your torso and thus manage to keep all your limbs 
  intact.  If you tie or lose, kiss one of 'em goodbye.  Have someone 
  pick a number between 1 and 5.  Choose a limb (include the 
  head).  Head hits mean you lose an eye or an ear, take your pick 
  or determine randomly. 
  Consciousness Checks.  As stated above, any time 
  anyone falls into the Serious wound category or worse they must 
  make a consciousness check.  To remain conscious, you must 
  make a static ENDURANCE  test, with the difficulty equal to the 
  number of points of damage you've taken.  For example, if you 
  take a gunshot that does 7 points of damage after all modifiers 
  (Serious would level), you need to make an ENDURANCE test 
  with a difficulty of 7 to stay conscious.  If you are wounded and fall 
  in the Serious or Critical wound levels, this must be done only 
  when you take damage within that wound range, and if you fail 
  you may re-check every round until you regain consciousness.  
  Upon reaching the Mortal wound level, however, you must make 
  a check every round until you are stabilized --the wounded 
  character must win the static test each round to remain conscious 
  .  If they fail, they may make another check each round to see if 
  they regain consciousness, but they must continue checking 
  every round until being stabilized (see below for more details on 
  Stabilization).   
  If you are no longer in a combat situation but are at the 
  Mortal wound level, you must make a consciousness check every  
  five (5) minutes to see if you retain consciousness.  Until 
  stabilized, of course. 
  Death Saves.  If your character reaches the Mortal wound 
  state you must immediately make a Death Save.  This is done by 
  performing a static test against the number of Mortal boxes 
  checked off vs. the character's BODY score plus his 
  ENDURANCE skill.  This check must be made every round until 
  the character is stabilized.  For example, if Brett takes a wound 
  from a railgun and is 3 boxes into the Mortal wound level, he 
  must make a static test vs. a difficulty of 3 (since he's 3 boxes into 
  the Mortal wound level) using his BODY plus ENDURANCE.  He 
  must do this every round until he is stabilized.  So you can see, 
  no matter how high his skill level, eventually he's going to fail a 
  check and bite it.  The only way out is stabilization. 
  Stabilization means the character is no longer losing blood 
  and that all major damage to his body has been contained 
  through the use of drugs, battlefield surgery, or wound dressing.  
  Anyone can try to make a stabilization check.  It just works better 
  if you have some medical skill.  A lot better. 
  A stabilization check is made by making a static challenge 
  vs. the number of points of damage the character has taken, 
  using the assisting character's TECH plus any medical skill 
  available (MedTechs can double their MEDICAL skill for 
  stabilization purposes).  For example, Brett has taken 15 points of 
  damage as in the above example, and Savage tries to stabilize 
  him.  Savage does a static test and ties.  The difficulty is 15 
  (because of the 15 points of damage), and Savage has a 6 TECH 
  and a 5 FIRST AID, for a total of 11.  Not even close.  Brett's 
  gonna have to suck it up another round, or he's tomorrow's Body 
  Bank Special.  But next round Savage can try again.  This will 
  continue until either Brett is stabilized or is dead. 
   
  No, you can't try to stabilize yourself.  Twerp. 
  There are several drugs and Medkits that will give you 
  bonuses to stabilization tests, so you might want to check around.  
  Who knows?  Maybe it'll even save your own sorry ass.  For more 
  information on damage and healing, see the Trauma Team 
  section.  It gives more rules on consciousness checks, death 
  saves, and healing damage. 
   
  MAKING ATTACKS 
  Here are the in-depth descriptions of all rules governing 
  attacks.  It is divided into sections for ranged weapons, automatic 
  weapons, unusual ranged weapons, beam weapons, area affect 
  weapons, and melee attacks. 
  Ranged Weapons:  When using any ranged weapon, to 
  attack you initiate a challenge.  If you succeed, you hit.  If you fail, 
  you miss.  If you tie, you bid and whoever has the highest 
  cumulative score of their traits and skill wins.  If both parties have 
  equal scores, the attack misses.  Every ranged attack must be 
  defended with dodge.  No other skill will apply; you can't 
  STEALTH or ATHLETICS out of an attack.   Period. 
  Range is not usually a concern in LARP.  Almost always you 
  will be at short range.  If you are not (which is the GM's call), you 
  get a -2 modifier for medium range, -4 for long range, and -6 for 
  extreme range.  Range listings are given in the weapons section 
  in the back of the book.  Remember, the ranges listed are long 
  range for the weapons.  Here's how the ranges break down for all 
  weapons: 
   
  Short  
   
  1/4 Listed Range 
  Medium  
   
  1/2 Listed Range 
  Long  
   
  1 x Listed Range 
  Extreme  
   
  2 x Listed Range 
   
  So a pistol with a 50m range only has a short range of 12.5m, or 
  12-13 paces in live action.  Keep that in mind. 
  If you are at point blank range (right up to your target), you 
  get an automatic called shot.  So if you want to blow off a leg or 
  what have you, that's the way to make sure you get the correct 
  limb. 
  Modifiers come into play when the target has cover or 
  something along those lines.  The following table lists the 
  modifiers for attackers in combat, and has been seriously 
  streamlined from the normal rules: 
   
  Aiming 
   
   
           +2 per round (+6 max) 
  Ambush  
   
   
  +5 
  Blind 
   
   
   
   
  -4 
  Called Shot 
   
   
   
  -6 
   
  Fast Draw/Snapshot 
   
   
  -3 
  Using two weapons  
   
  -3 to both 
  Laser Sight 
   
   
   
  +1 
  Silencer  
   
   
  -1 
  Smartgun  
   
   
  +2 
  Targeting Scope 
   
   
  +1  
   
  Full auto  
   
  +1 per 10 rounds 
  Full auto, beyond close 
   
  -1 per 10 rounds 
  Three round burst  
   
  +3 
    (short/medium range only) 
   
  Range 
  Medium  
   
  -2 
  Long 
   
   
   
  -4 
  Extreme  
   
  -6 
   
  Target has: 
   
  Partial Cover 
   
   
  -2 
   
  Full Cover 
   
   
  -4 
   
  Total Cover 
   
   
  -6 
   
  Partial cover is when the target has at least 1/3rd of their body 
  covered.  Full cover means that more than 2/3rds of their body 
  covered, and Total cover means that you're shooting through a 
  wall or the like. 
  
   
  12 
  My suggestion is to keep a copy of this table with you so you 
  don't have to bitch and argue about what modifiers do what.  It 
  really doesn't matter who uses what modifiers (i.e. if the defender 
  takes the range and cover modifiers as bonuses to their dodge) 
  so long as their taken into account.  The best idea is to take all 
  the modifiers that are to your advantage, and let the other guy 
  worry about his own. 
   
  CALLED SHOTS 
  If you just want to shoot someone, attack as usual.  
  However, if you want to make a called shot, you must declare it at 
  the beginning of your turn.  You can only make called shots in 
  semi-auto mode (ROF is 1 no matter what)--no full auto called 
  shots.  Once it is declared, make your attack as normal, with a -6 
  penalty for the called shot.  After all retests, if you have hit your 
  target, you have hit the desired location. 
  If you are distracted in any way before making a called shot, 
  just as in aiming, you cannot make the called shot, and must 
  make a normal attack. 
  Note that while making called shots is an excellent way to 
  bypass armor, you are taking a severe penality to do so.  Also, 
  just because someone is only wearing a t-shirt doesn't mean that 
  it isn't armored.  Also remember that in live action there are no 
  damage modifiers for hit location.  So head shots aren't any more 
  useful than any other location.  You may be better off shooting 
  someone's gun instead. 
  If you do try to attack someone's weapon, for the record, it 
  will break the weapon on a successful hit.  The weapon can be 
  JURY-RIGGED to work for the remainder of the fight, but after 
  that, it will have to be repaired at a cost of 50% of the weapon's 
  total value, requiring a Difficult WEAPON TECH check or a Very 
  Difficult BASIC TECH check.  If there's electronics on the weapon 
  (e.g. smartchipped), then it will also require a Difficult 
  ELECTRONICS check to get the circuitry working again. 
   
  WEAPON RELIABILITY 
  All ranged weapons have a Reliability rating.  The ratings are 
  either Very Reliable (VR), Standard Reliability (ST), or Unreliable 
  (UR).  This is a measure of how well the weapon performs under 
  adverse conditions, and how often the mechanism jams or breaks 
  down.  Here's how it works: 
   
  VR - The weapon will not jam. 
  ST - If the final test is an outright loss,  
  perform a 
  simple test.  If the simple test  is failed, the weapon jams. 
  UR - If the final test is an outright loss, the  
  weapon jams. 
   
  So, as you can see, it can be a real bummer to buy an unreliable 
  weapon at times.  This explains some of the price differences 
  between otherwise identical weapons. 
  If the weapon does jam, it takes an action to attempt to clear 
  it, and is an Average Weapon Tech test to successfully do so.  
  Some Unreliable weapons may have special effects on a jam, so 
  please make sure you consult your item card to make sure of jam 
  effects. 
   
  WEAPON ATTACKS 
  Silencers:  Silencers are unique items.  They are designed 
  so that people that are nearby will not hear a gunshot go off.  
  They are obviously designed for stealth, and not generally for 
  ranged work.  When using a silencer, you do not have to declare 
  "COMBAT CHALLENGE" when you make an attack, but if 
  someone asks what they see you still must tell them.  Silencers 
  also impose a -1 penalty to weapon accuracy, and decrease 
  concealibility by one level.  They cost 100 eb, but are technically 
  illegal and thus must be obtained through some unusual means. 
  Automatic Weapons:  Automatic weapons make ranged 
  attacks as above, but they have three different modes they can 
  use in addition to normal weapons.  The three round burst, full 
  auto, and suppressive fire.   
  The three round burst is a combination of full autofire and 
  semi-automatic, and takes the best of both of them.  It can be 
  used against a single target, only at close or medium range, but 
  when used it gives the attacker a +3 bonus on ties.  If a hit is 
  scored, do a simple test to see how many bullets hit: 
   
  The attacker and defender do a test: 
  If the attacker wins, three (3) bullets hit.   
  If they tie, two (2) bullets hit.   
  If the attacker loses, one (1) bullet hits. 
   
  It is a very nice feature for weapons when used at the proper 
  ranges. 
  Full auto is when you want to hit a number of targets or 
  make sure a single target is dead, dead, dead.  Modifiers for it are 
  based on the weapons ROF.  For every 10 shots fired, you get a 
  +1 modifier to hit at close range.  Beyond close range, you get a -
  1 modifier for every 10 shots fired.  It is not a good option for long-
  distance attacks.   
  If you attack a single target with it, you must determine how 
  many bullets hit.  this is done by comparing traits, just as if it were 
  a tie.  
  On a successful attack using full auto, determine how many 
  bullets actually hit by making a test as in a three-round burst:   
   
  If the attacker wins, six (6) bullets hit.   
  On a tie, four (4) bullets hit.   
  If the attacker loses, two (2) bullets hit.   
   
  If the attacker won outright on the final attack test, add two 
  (+2) additional bullets to the total.   
   
  Each bullet it considered an individual attack for armor and 
  Body Modifier effects.  In other words, if 4 bullets hit the target, 
  don’t just add up the total damage and apply it as one attack.  
  They all hit, but damage is calculated for a single bullet and then 
  multiplied by the number of bullets that hit—in this case, four. 
  For example, let's say that Ricki is attacking Cobra.  Ricki 
  fires at Cobra using full auto and scores a hit during their test.  
  Now they make another test.  If Ricki wins, 6 bullets will hit Cobra.  
  If they tie, then 4 bullets will hit cobra.  If Ricki loses the second 
  test, then only 2 bullets hit Cobra.  If Ricki had won outright on the 
  final attack test against Cobra, then she would get to add 2 bullets 
  to whatever the result of the second test was.  This would change 
  the possibilities from 2, 4, or 6 bullets to 4, 6, or 8 bullets (for 
  attacker loses, ties, and wins on the second test, respectively). 
  If you are attacking multiple targets, they all must be within 1 
  pace of each other (estimate distance--if it's too close to call 
  assume they can be hit).  You all throw rock, paper, scissors at 
  the same time (!) and whoever loses gets hit (determine ties as 
  normal, number of bullets hitting targets is determined as three-
  round burst above).  You can only hit with as many bullets as your 
  ROF, remember.  If this turns out to be a problem (too many 
  targets and hits for your weapon’s ROF), just spread out the hits 
  as evenly as possible.  Also remember that you can choose how 
  many bullets you want to fire up to your maximum ROF.  So if you 
  don't feel like putting out all 25 shots, feel free to fire 10 if that's all 
  you want.  But remember to keep track of your ammunition. 
  Suppressive Fire is essentially a modification of full auto.  
  When you use suppressive fire, you are trying to ensure an area 
  is covered by bullets.  First, you must declare an area being 
  suppressed.  This area can be no more than half the width in 
  paces of the number of shots being used (e.g., if you used 10 
  shots to suppress an area, it could be no more than 5 paces 
  wide).  Anyone passing through this area after your turn must 
  make a DODGE test against the attacker, with a difficulty equal to 
  half the number of shots being fired.  Losing the test means you 
  get hit (determine as 3 round burst).  For example, say Gabriel 
  decides to use suppressive fire on an area 5 paces wide.  He puts 
  20 bullets into it from his FN-RAL.  Savage decides he needs to 
  chance it and runs through the area after Gabriel starts 
  suppressing it.  Savage must then do a static test against Gabriel 
  with a difficulty of 10 (20 shots / 2 = 10) to avoid taking a hit.  
  Obviously, this works much better if you can put a lot of lead into 
  an area.  Also, you can coordinate your attacks so that multiple 
  people cover the same area.  If more than one person is 
  suppressing an area, you must test with every person 
  suppressing it when you pass through it. 
  
   
  13 
  Unusual Ranged Weapons:  These are weapons that are 
  not normally seen on the streets or have unusual effects.  They 
  are listed below for ease of reference. 
  Airguns are paintball guns from the late 20th century--
  improved upon a bit.  They do bruise damage only, but can carry 
  poisons and drugs in them equivalent to a single dose each.  Note 
  that unless you have sealed armor with an independent air 
  supply, the drugs will affect the target through the armor.  More on 
  poisons and drugs in the Trauma Team section later on. 
  Tasers require the victim to make an immediate static 
  ENDURANCE test versus a difficulty given on the weapon.  
  Failure means the victim is out for 10 minutes, and can't be 
  woken up by anything, even taking damage.  The victim's nervous 
  system is fried. 
  Dart and Needle guns have natural AP effect.  They don't do 
  much damage individually, but needleguns are capable of being 
  loaded with a dose of poisons or drugs as per paintballs, making 
  them very interesting indeed. 
  Power Squirtguns may sound silly, but you won't be laughing 
  when you get hit with a dose of Biotoxin IV in the face.  They are 
  small, can carry a large number of drug and poison doses, and 
  don't set off metal detectors.  Like paintball guns, unless you have 
  sealed armor, the drugs will affect you through the armor.  They 
  do have a very short range, however.  
  Archaic Distance Weapons such as bows, crossbows, 
  spears, knives, and throwing stars are very rare in 2020.  They 
  are either fired (usually using the ARCHERY skill) or thrown 
  (using the ATHLETICS skill), and are capable of holding a single 
  dose of drugs or poisons on them, which is used up when the 
  weapon attacks--hit or miss.  They can only be used at short 
  range. 
  Beam Weapons:  Energy discharge weapons are entering 
  their infancy stages in 2020, but they do exist.  Generally, they 
  are bulky and have limited shots and incapable of any form of 
  automatic fire.  They do scare the hell outta people, though.  
  Lasers are around in rifle form, but illegal to possess except 
  through special permit.  Not that this will stop anyone.  They have 
  limited range, but you can adjust the power setting to your taste.  
  They have special energy cells for magazines (which are 
  extremely rare!) but can recharge off a wall current overnight. 
  Microwavers are much more advanced and have very 
  interesting effects.  Their power pack is similar as that of laser 
  weapons, and inflict limited burn damage through armor.  If a 
  character with any cybernetics is hit with a microwaver, they must 
  also immediately make a special challenge: 
   
  If the character wins, nothing else happens.   
  If the character ties, all their cyberware is  
  shorted out for 
  2 to 6 rounds  
  (simple test).   
  If they lose, all their cyberware is shorted out  until repaired, 
  and the character suffers  
  something akin to a Grand Mal 
  Seizure  for one to three (1-3) combat rounds.   
   
  Remember, cyberware is heavy when it loses power.  While 
  a character's cybernetics are shorted out, they can't use their 
  cyberlimbs--if you have one cyberleg, or if you have neuralware, 
  then you are at half your original REF and MA.  If you had two 
  cyberlegs, you are immobile and at half REF. 
   
  Microwavers don't do much physical damage per se, but can 
  be almost certain death to a heavily cybered character.  A neural 
  pulse can completely ruin your day.  Another reason to think twice 
  before cybering up heavily.  And, for the record, you can only use 
  LUCK to retest a Microwaver effect. 
  Area of Effect Weapons:  Shotguns, grenades and 
  explosives, flamethrowers, missles and rockets, mines and RPGs 
  (rocket propelled grenades) all fall into this category.  Generally 
  AOE weapons are nasty, and (with the exception of shotguns) 
  illegal for most people to possess.  Still, we'll go over them to 
  make sure you know how to deal with them. 
  Shotguns are pretty commonplace, firing either "shot" or 
  slugs.  Shot is essentially a group of small pellets that come out of 
  the barrel of the weapon in a cloud.  The pattern, as it's called, 
  gets wider as the distance from the barrel increases, until 
  eventually they disperse so much they lose their effectiveness, 
  greatly reducing the range of the weapon.  As a general rule, for 
  playability, assume anything within 1 pace of the target of a 
  shotgun attack is also hit for normal damage as well.  Also here 
  we'll deal with Autoshotguns.  The single nastiest city fighting 
  weapons ever created, this is a fully automatic shotgun.  They 
  have slow ROF compared to assault rifles, but you can literally fill 
  an entire corridor with lead, hitting virtually everything in it when 
  fighting in cramped quarters.  These weapons are so vicious that 
  they are literally banned by the Geneva Convention as 
  unacceptable for use in war, today in 1998.  In game play, this is 
  pretty normal though.  Assume that shotguns work just like 
  autoweapons except that when they use their full auto feature, 
  they must put each shot within one pace of the last one.  So an 
  autoshotgun with a ROF of 10 can make a solid wall of lead shot 
  10 paces in length if the user so desires.  And yes, under the right 
  circumstances this might mean there is no way for you to avoid 
  being hit--no DODGE challenge: 
   
  You cannot dodge an autoshotgun attack only when:  
  -  It is being used in an enclosed area  
  (such as 
  a corridor), and  
  -  It can put out twice as many rounds as  
  the width 
  of the area in paces. 
   
  For example, Dorien decides it's time to mow down Babette in the 
  corridor she's currently in.  Dorien cuts loose with her Arasaka 
  Auto 12, putting 10 shells into the corridor.  As it turns out, the 
  corridor is only 5 paces wide.  Since Dorien can put out 2x the 
  width of the hallway in paces (2 x 5 = 10), Babette doesn't get a 
  chance to dodge.  Determine hits as per Full Auto against multiple 
  targets.  Yes, fewer rounds will hit than if you just used a Full Auto 
  attack on her and hit, but the bonus is you don't have to even 
  make a check--you just automatically hit.  Also, if Babette had her 
  2 friends with her and they were all coming for Dorien, you can 
  see how it would be an incredible advantage for Dorien.  
  These weapons are highly illegal for almost everyone to 
  possess, and expect no mercy if you're arrested and put on trial 
  for using one. 
  Grenades are one of the most useful things a person can 
  have under the right circumstances.  They have an AOE from 2 to 
  5 paces, depending on type, and vary in size from 25mm to 
  40mm or larger.  They can be detonated using timers, by radio 
  control, trip wires, or any number of other methods.  Grenades 
  may be thrown up to 3x your BODY in paces (using the 
  ATHLETICS skill), if you really need to know. 
  When throwing a grenade (at short range), the attacker must 
  make an Average (13) static ATHLETICS challenge to see if he 
  hits his target.  If the attack is successful, all items (including 
  characters) within the area of effect immediately suffer the effects 
  of the grenade--you can't dodge.  Cover will protect a character if 
  they are fully out of line of sight.  Otherwise, suck it up, choomba.  
  If the attack is unsuccessful, assume the grenade went off but 
  managed to somehow miss everything in sight.  Amazing, that. 
  The specific types are listed in the books along with their 
  effects, but we will discuss gas grenades here.  When a gas 
  grenade hits, it immediately covers an area 3 paces in radius from 
  the point of impact, and everyone within that area suffers the 
  effects as described by the type of gas.  On the second round, the 
  gas continues spreading, extending another three paces outward 
  for a total of 6 paces from the point of impact.  After the second 
  round diffuses and is no longer a threat. 
  Flamethrowers are fairly rare, and can make unique attacks.  
  A flamethrower, when attacking, can declare a starting point and 
  a finishing point, and everything in that area is ignited.  This is a 
  single attack and uses one ammo of the weapon.  Otherwise it is 
  resolved exactly as a full auto attack is (although they will be hit 
  only once by the attack), with the defenders leaping to safety if 
  the attack misses.  Inanimate objects are handled the same way 
  as well.  The fire lasts three rounds, burning out after that time.  
  The fire can be extinguished by normal means.  If you're trying to 
  put yourself out, you must win a simple test outright, and it uses 
  up your entire action. 
  
   
  14 
  Also note that armor is only at 1/2 effectiveness against 
  flame or burning attacks (including incedinary grenades).  You 
  can get your armor or clothing fireproofed, however, which will 
  provide added protection (at a price, of course).  See the Armor 
  section in the Equipment listing for more details. 
  Mines and Explosives are handled the same in LARP.  They 
  can be detonated by the same means as grenades can, but 
  generally do more damage and have larger areas of effect.  They 
  are generally not as portable as grenades and often have built-in 
  proximity detonators of some sort (mines) or need separate 
  detonators (explosives). 
  RPGs, Missles, and Rockets are few and far, far between.  
  These all require the HEAVY WEAPONS skill, and have ranges in 
  the area of a few kilometers.  Don't expect to see them, but they 
  are handled the same as explosives.  With a very, very large area 
  of effect, and loads o'damage. 
  Melee Attacks:  As stated before, you get to make one (1) 
  melee attack per combat round without penalty.  Melee attacks 
  include using a hand-held weapon, cyberweapons, and unarmed 
  attacks.  They don't all use the MELEE skill, but they're all 
  addressed here.  Let's start off with hand-to-hand weapon 
  attacks. 
  Melee attacks (using the MELEE skill) include using any 
  weapon in close-quarters combat (except swords, which use the 
  FENCING skill).  These attacks are resolved just as any distance 
  attack would be resolved, except the attacker must be within 
  hand-to-hand range of the defender.  Also, melee attacks gain the 
  bonus of adding the BODY modifier (given earlier in the Damage 
  section) to the damage of their attacks.  So someone with a 
  BODY of 10 making a melee attack gains a +2 bonus to damage 
  done. 
  Unarmed hand-to-hand attacks are resolved just as melee 
  attacks, but the results are different.  Unarmed attacks do full 
  damage against armored opponents (yes, against all armored 
  opponents--except for powered armor), as if they were not 
  wearing armor at all.  While the armor may stop most of the 
  physically damaging force of a punch or kick, snapping 
  someone's head back or kicking their knee sideways--even when 
  armored--does hurt the opponent.  The disadvantage is that 
  unarmed attacks do only bruise damage.  The target suffers the 
  effects of the damage just as if it were normal damage, except for 
  the fact that it will wear off in an hour of real time.  You can still kill 
  someone with bruise damage, however, and if you do enough 
  damage, you can seriously hurt them.  But it is generally a non-
  lethal means of incapacitating an opponent.  Bruise damage is 
  discussed in more detail later in the Trauma Team section. 
  If you make an unarmed attack, there are a number of 
  different attacks you can make, listed here with a brief description: 
   
  Strike:  A hit with the hand, 1 + BODY modifier damage.  
  You may make two (2) strike attacks in one round without penalty.  
  Multiple actions will gain you only one extra strike per extra action 
  taken. 
  Kick:  Any type of kick, causes 2 + BODY modifier damage. 
  Block/Parry:  As dodging in ranged combat, receive a +6 
  trait modifier to your skill to avoid damage.  No other action can 
  be taken. 
  Disarm:  On a successful attack, opponent's weapon is 
  knocked from his hand. 
  Grapple:  A grabbing or holding move, necessary before a 
  throw, choke, or hold as the next action in the following round. 
  Throw:  Requires a grapple first.  Opponent is knocked to 
  the ground, taking (2 + BODY modifier) damage and must make 
  an immediate Consciousness Check.  Take an action to get back 
  up. 
  Hold:  Requires a grapple first.  Causes no damage, but 
  opponent is immobilized completely in a painful hold.  Must make 
  an escape  
  before any other action. 
  Choke:  Requires a grapple first.  Same as a hold above, 
  but causes 2 + BODY modifier damage per round until a 
  successful escape. 
  Escape:  On a successful escape, you are free of all holds 
  and may move normally again. 
  Sweep/Trip:  Knock your opponent to the ground.  They 
  must spend an action to get back up and are at -2 to their next 
  attack; you gain a +2 bonus on your next attack against them. 
   
  Attacking from a prone position incurs a -2 penalty to the 
  attacker if using a melee attack. 
   
  When making an unarmed attack, either the BRAWL skill or 
  one of the MARTIAL ARTS skills is used.  Brawling is essentially 
  untrained fighting, and allows you to fight street-style.  Martial arts 
  have been developed over centuries in some cases, and are 
  specialized in the methods of attack and defense they use.  Thus, 
  martial arts give certain bonuses to specific actions, dependent on 
  the style being used.  For example, Karate gives a +2 trait bonus 
  in Strike, Block/Parry, and Kick.  Cough Drop has a 7 REF and a 
  4 KARATE, for a total of 11 normally.  Suppose he decides to kick 
  Katherine using his KARATE skill.  His total would be 13 now 
  instead of eleven, since he has a +2 bonus from his karate skill 
  when using a kick (7 + 4 = 11 + 2 = 13). 
  Also, MARTIAL ARTS has another advantage over 
  BRAWLING.  Martial arts are far more deadly than normal 
  brawling, and so as an added bonus, when using martial arts you 
  may add half your martial arts level, rounded down, when 
  calculating damage.  They are nasty forms of combat, but they all 
  have a difficulty modifier to offset the advantages they give. 
  A final note on Melee attacks:  the damages listed are the 
  maximum damage that can be done in an attack.  If the player 
  opts to, he can choose to do less damage than what is listed.  
  Any amount of damage up to the maximum value listed can be 
  done.  So if you want to do just one point of damage, go right 
  ahead.  Just remember that they may have a .454 Cascull 
  Conversion up their sleeve when you do it. 
  Monoblade and monowire weapons:  These weapons are 
  vicious little things, and can really ruin your day if you find yourself 
  on the receiving end of one.  All mono weapons are treated as AP 
  attacks, the extent of which is dependent on whether it is hard or 
  soft armor.  Against soft armor, whatever gets through the armor 
  is treated as normal.  Against hard armor, damage that gets 
  through is divided by 2.  This represents the ability of mono 
  weapons to neatly shear through almost any substance, metal 
  and flesh included. 
  Also, if a monoblade is used to block/parry, or is disarmed 
  from its user, make an immediate test.  If the wielder of the blade 
  loses, the weapon shatters into tiny crystalline shards.  They are 
  not designed for that sort of thing, choomba.  And no, you can't 
  JURY RIG it after it's been shattered.  Get a life. 
   
   
  
   
  15 
  5.  TRAUMA TEAM 
   
  In case you didn't know, Trauma Team is a privately owned 
  and operated medical conglomerate that has become a 
  household name in 2020.  It is one of the most powerful 
  corporations of the age and is bonded and licensed to operate 
  throughout the U.S., Canada, and several parts of Europe.  These 
  ambulance services are guaranteed to arrive on the scene of a 
  fatality within 7 minutes.  Or your money back. 
  A more in-depth description of Trauma Team and its 
  services can be found elsewhere, so we won't go details here.  
  What we will discuss is damage, pain, and what happens when 
  you get hurt.  Oh, and throw in drugs for the hell of it.  After all, 
  what's the future without drugs? 
  Okay, the rules have been stated before, so we'll recap them 
  and throw in a few new ones.  If you take damage, remember to 
  first take your BODY modifier into account, then mark off the 
  boxes on your character sheet.  Most damage is killing damage, 
  and you should mark off this damage with an "X".  Some damage 
  is bruise damage, and to differentiate it from killing damage, mark 
  this damage with a "/".  Bruise damage is temporary, its effects 
  going away after an hour.  Once an hour has passed, you can 
  erase this damage from your character sheet.  However, bruise 
  damage is treated the same as killing damage in every way, and 
  you can be knocked unconscious or even killed with bruise 
  damage.  If you are killed from bruise damage, you're still dead.  
  That doesn't wear off in an hour. 
  MedTechs have the ability to convert some killing damage 
  into bruise damage within 10 minutes after being injured.  To do 
  so, the MedTech must first make a successful DIAGNOSE check 
  on the injured character to determine how to proceed (difficulty is 
  equal to the number of points of damage the injured character 
  currently has).  If this check succeeds, the MedTech can then 
  attempt to convert some of the killing damage into bruise damage 
  (with the same difficulty as the DIAGNOSE test) using their 
  MEDICAL special ability.  If they succeed, then 0-2 points of 
  killing damage are converted to bruise damage (make a simple 
  test to determine amount converted). 
  If the MedTech is using certain drugs and equipment, this 
  amount may be increased.  For example, using a First Aid kit 
  gives the MedTech a +1 bonus to the amount of damage 
  converted.  A MedKit gives a +2 bonus, and a Field Surgery Kit 
  gives a +3 bonus (in addition to the bonuses normally granted by 
  such items).  There may be certain drugs available that can assist 
  the MedTech in their checks as well, but you'll have to talk to your 
  GM. 
  If you've taken damage but you're still alive, you'll need to 
  know what to do.  If you are at Critical or better condition, you are 
  in no immediate danger of dying.  However, once you cross over 
  into the Mortal would levels, you need to start making Death 
  Saves.  This is done by making a static test using your BODY 
  plus your ENDURANCE scores, with the difficulty being the 
  number of boxes you have checked off in your Mortal wound 
  levels.  If you win or tie the test, you're alive for another round, or 
  5 minutes if you're not in a combat situation anymore.  The only 
  way to stop this testing (and inevitable dying) is through 
  stabilization.  Anyone can try to stabilize you except for yourself.  
  This is done by having the character making a static test versus 
  the number of boxes of damage you've taken.  For example, if 
  you've taken 18 boxes of damage, the difficulty of the static test 
  would be 18.  As you can see, it tends to work a lot better if the 
  person helping you has some medical skill.  Also, there are a 
  number of items out there that will give bonuses to stabilization 
  attempts, and many of them can be used in combination to 
  increase your chances of succeeding. 
  Once stabilized, the character no longer has to make Death 
  Saves, but still suffers all the modifiers for being at a Mortal 
  wound level.  They are essentially immobile, capable of a slow 
  crawl (at best), and unable to initiate a challenge except to save 
  their own life.  They had best get real medical attention, and fast. 
  But let’s say your ripperdoc had a MEDICAL skill of 2… 
  Medical science can do some pretty amazing things these 
  days.  They’ve even managed to make a human clone a few 
  times, although it didn’t live very long.  They can regrow limbs, 
  organs, and graft metal onto flesh in a seamless whole.  What 
  they can’t do is regrow souls.  In other words, once you’re dead, 
  you’re dead. 
  Let’s amend that:  once you’re DEAD 10, you’re dead.  You 
  see, current medical technology is so advanced, medical 
  personnel have become extremely adept at reviving flatlined 
  patients, and have identified 10 distinct levels of death, each a 
  measure of how difficult it will be to revive the patient.  This 
  measuring system is called Death State.  For every minute after 
  you are dead, your death state increases by one level.  For 
  example, suppose I die at 9:00.  Three minutes pass before a 
  Trauma Team arrives.  I am now at Death State 3. 
  This is of critical importance to the dead/dying/hopeful 
  character.  For when the medical personnel arrive on the scene 
  and attempt to revive him, the difficulty of the test is dependent on 
  the current Death State of the victim.  The person attempting to 
  revive the dead character must make a static challenge using 
  their MEDICAL skill vs. the current Death State of the victim.  For 
  example, if Dobie died at 7:30, and Franklin arrives at 7:33, then 
  Franklin must test with Dobie when he attempts to revive him.  
  Since Dobie has been dead for 3 minutes, his current death state 
  is 3.  Franklin has a MEDICAL of 7, so if Franklin ties or wins he 
  manages to revive Dobie. 
   
  When trying to revive dead patients, a character may 
  make an attempt once every minute.  If he fails, he can try again 
  in 60 seconds.  Note, of course, that this will now be a more 
  difficult challenge since the dead character’s Death State will 
  have increased another level.  Such is life—or death, actually.  At 
  least you get that much, so be thankful, you ungrateful curs. 
   
  HEALING 
  So you’re not this week’s Bodybank Special.  
  Congratulations. 
  Once you take a wound, there are two options:  get medical 
  attention, or die.  Now before you blow a gasket there, Granny, 
  chill out.  If you are wounded in the Light wound level, don’t sweat 
  it.  It’s not a big deal.  You’ll heal normally.  But if you’re wounded 
  into the Serious wound category or worse, you need to have 
  medical attention or your body will not be able to heal itself.  
  Without proper medical attention, you will progressively get 
  worse, be it due to infection, blood lose, or whatever.   
  Once a character takes damage that puts them into the 
  Serious wound level or worse, they will continue to take another 
  point of damage every ( BODY + ENDURANCE ) minutes until 
  stabilized.  For example, Bob is shot and is now in the Serious 
  wound level.  His BODY + ENDURANCE is 12.  Once the fight is 
  over, he will take another point of damage every 12 minutes until 
  he is stabilized by someone.  
  Every time you take another point of damage due to lack of 
  treatment, it is treated like receiving any other wound. The 
  character must make consciousness checks, death saves, and 
  everything they normally do when they receive a wound.  So you 
  can see how important it is to get stabilized.  Without it, you can 
  literally bleed to death from a rather minor wound.  It may take a 
  while, but it will happen eventually. 
  This doesn’t mean you have to go check into a hospital or 
  anything—although this could be very helpful.  Even FIRST AID 
  will do.  A character that receives FIRST AID after being wounded 
  will recover at the rate of a point a day.  A character that receives 
  MEDICAL skill treatment will recover at the rate of 2 points a day.  
  As the days go by, delete the damage tics from your character 
  sheet.  You still suffer the penalties for your current wound level, if 
  applicable, but you’re getting better now instead of getting worse.   
  And no, you can’t use both FIRST AID and MEDICAL to 
  recover at 3 points a day.  If you get MEDICAL treatment after 
  FIRST AID, then you get the normal 2 points a day.  Get a life. 
  Now remember, them that pays, gets.  So you might want to 
  check into a hospital if you have the cash.  They have many 
  things in hospitals that you can’t get from the street (usually) that 
  can considerably increase your healing rate.  Speedheal is a fast-
  healing drug that drastically increases your body’s rate of healing, 
  and is available only in hospitals—and good ones at that.  Then 
  there’s tailored antibodies, nanotech, and all sorts of fun things 
  you can get if you have the euro.  This stuff is great, but it ain’t 
  
   
  16 
  cheap.  And some of them may have some side effects as well.  
  Such is the cost of greatness. 
  Oh, and just for the record, if you’re at Mortal 3 wound level 
  or worse, consider yourself in a coma once you’re healing. 
  Another reminder for all you fun-lovers out there.  Having a 
  Trauma Team account does not cover any hospital bills!  That's 
  right.  Trauma Team is only the ambulance service, effectively, 
  and is not part of the long-drawn out healing affair.  Once they 
  dump you at the local healing clinic, their job is done.  So just 
  because you have a Trauma Team account doesn't mean that 
  you won't have any bills after you're all better.  It just means you 
  don't have to pay the 100eb per minute fee that Trauma Team 
  charges for pickups (charges start at the moment they're 
  informed).  So if you do end up in the hospital, you'd better come 
  up with a quick way to make some cash, pal.  Hospital stays cost 
  500eb per day, not including Speedheal or Nanotech treatments.  
  You don't get billed until after you're completely healed, but if you 
  don't pay within a month expect a visit by their friendly Solo team.  
  Collections is a booming business in 2020. 
  In other words, remember to buy insurance. 
   
  ELECTIVE SURGERY 
  This is what it’s called when you decide you don’t like your 
  current, natural version and replace it with something more 
  current and chic.  Installing cyberware is normal surgery, and it 
  causes the body damage.  Normally it isn’t that big a deal and will 
  heal between runs if you time it right.  But if you decide to go Full 
  ‘Borg, expect to be in braindance for a few weeks at least. 
  Also, if you do happen to lose a limb, you have the option of 
  getting a replacement grown from your own cells, getting a 
  compatible replacement from a… uh… “donor”, or sticking metal 
  on instead.  They all have their advantages and disadvantages, 
  some just disadvantages actually, and the prices reflect that.  So 
  think before you decide you don’t like your current eye.   
  Remember, if you decide to get 'borg'd up, you not only have 
  to pay the cost of the cyberwear, but you also must pay for the 
  surgery, as well.  Surgery is categorized into four different 
  classifications, and every piece of cyberwear has a code next to it 
  giving the type of surgery necessary to install it: 
   
  Negligible:  Mall clinic / drop-in bodyshop. 
   
  Surgical Time:  1 hour 
   
  Surgical Damage:  1 point 
   
  Surgical Costs:  Included with item. 
   
  Difficulty:  10 (Easy) 
   
  Minor:  Medical center or Ripperdoc clinic. 
   
  Surgical Time:  2 hours 
   
  Surgical Damage:  1d6+1 
   
  Surgical Costs:  500eb 
   
  Difficulty:  13 (Average) 
   
  MAjor:  Full hospital with surgery center. 
   
  Surgical Time:  4 hours 
   
  Surgical Damage:  2d6+1 
   
  Surgical Costs:  1500eb 
   
  Difficulty:  16 (Difficult) 
   
  CRitical:  Full hospital with surgery center. 
   
  Surgical Time:  6 hours 
   
  Surgical Damage:  3d6+1 
   
  Surgical Costs:  2500eb 
   
  Difficulty:  19 (Very Difficult) 
   
  So, as you can see, if you get some major surgery, expect to 
  be staying in the hospital for a while.  Don't forget to add the 
  500eb/day to the total, choomba.  Hope you got that mathematics 
  skill level up. 
  Finally, plastic surgery has become a thing of the past.  It’s 
  now called “Bodysculpting” and is as commonplace as getting 
  your hair cut.  Don’t like the way you look?  No problem.  A nip 
  here, a tuck there, and voila!  A better you!  Using this method, 
  you can increase your ATTR stat by one point for 600eb, up to a 
  maximum of 10.  Expensive, granted, but hey.  What price for 
  beauty, hmm?  Also, you can elect to have an “exotic” ‘sculpt 
  done as well.  This is when you get into putting on animalistic or 
  fantasy features such as muzzles, tails, fur, pointy ears, etc.  
  There are a large number and variety of options available, so if 
  you want to do this talk to a GM. 
  Also, you may opt to have your entire appearance changed 
  as well.  People on the lam and Solos use this option a lot, since it 
  prevents people from identifying who they are on sight.  There are 
  a few different levels of workmanship for this, each costing a 
  corresponding amount of money.  The better the job, the more 
  difficult to detect the work (and the more money it costs).  If you 
  really want to do this, talk to the GM for the details.  Note that this 
  will not increase your ATTR score, it will just make you look 
  different.  You can get your ATTR increased at the same time, but 
  it will still cost the 600eb extra per point raised. 
   
  DRUGS 
  What, you expected none of these?  Come on. 
  Drugs are prevalent in 2020, and while still illegal in most 
  cases, there are some notable exceptions, and always relatively 
  easy to come by.  Here’s a listing of the most common drugs on 
  the street and what they do for ya: 
   
  SynthCoke:  Second generation synthetic replacement for 
  cocaine.  Stimulant. 
  Stim:  Increases endurance, allowing the user to stay alert 
  for longer periods. 
  Syncomp 15:  Broad-spectrum poison antidote, used to treat 
  nerve and biotoxins. 
  Speedheal:  Increases healing rate as discussed before. 
  Boost:  Increases INT stat for limited time. 
  Blue Glass:  Hallucinogenic.  Look at all the pretty colors… 
  Smash:  Current replacement for alcohol.  Does the same 
  thing. 
  ‘Dorph:  Combat drug and painkiller, reduces pain and stress 
  and keeps you going. 
  Black Lace:  High-powered version of ‘Dorph, imparts 
  euphoria, adrenaline rush, and NO pain is felt.  Just imagine the 
  side effects. 
   
  Remember, drugs are dangerous.  Mess around with them 
  and you’ll probably kill your character.  Not that this will stop 
  anyone, but you’ve been warned.  The choice is yours.  We 
  recommend that you Just Say No.   
  Just like real life. 
  If your character has the PHARMACEUTICALS skill and 
  wants to make some designer drugs, please talk to the GM.  We 
  have decided to use Ocelot's Drug Lab v 3.0 for the basis of drug 
  creation, but with a few modifiers.  First off, if you wish to make a 
  drug, you need to write it up and give it to the GM, who will need 
  to spend some time working on it before you will be allowed to 
  bring it into play.  So you cannot just decide to make a drug and 
  have it that very day.  You've been warned. 
   
  
   
  17 
  6.  NETRUNNER 
   
  This section was worked on long and hard, and I can't say 
  for sure it won't be changed again in the future if a better method 
  is found.  I tried to shy away from needing real life items as much 
  as possible, but found that using 'rock, paper, scissors' for 
  netrunning was simply too limiting for the netrunners.  I wanted to 
  make a system where a netrunner could 'run in the middle of a 
  game, without needing a GM around to arbitrate it.  What I have 
  come up with works, although it does remove a great deal of the 
  specifics about Netrunning from the original rules for tabletop 
  play.  This conversion was unavoidable--ask my playtesters--and 
  unfortunate.  Part of the fun of netrunning is never knowing what 
  programs to bring with you, playing out the scene just like it was 
  in real life.  That is lost in this conversion, and I wish I could figure 
  out a way to do it otherwise. 
  This character role was by application only during the first 
  few months of game play, and I am keeping it that way for two 
  reasons.  First, this conversion relies entirely on the honor 
  system, and to be honest I wouldn’t trust everyone with it.  
  Secondly, it requires some imagination on the player's part during 
  game play, or (I found) they can easily become bored with the 
  Role.  With the exception of LOCATE REMOTE and CONTROL 
  REMOTE, there is little a netrunner can do without pre-planned 
  datafortresses lying around.  While that is possible, having a 
  Watchdog program played effectively without a GM present is not.  
  It takes a rare breed of player to willingly screw over their own 
  character, and that is what would be asked of them if netrunning 
  were done table top style, with pre-planned datafortresses.  So, 
  instead, I've come up with this. 
  This is the culmination of hours of scouring, wracking, and 
  testing.  Someone suggested using the Netrunner card game, and 
  while that was very tempting, it required players to go out and 
  spend a large wad of cash in order to get the programs they 
  needed to play effectively.  I won't ask that of my players.  I may 
  play with the idea more later, but right now this is what we're 
  using. 
  Okay, enough about what's happened in the past, let's get to 
  what's happening now.  What follows are the rules used for 
  netrunning in this game, and can be easily tweaked to suit the 
  level of the game.  I have found that the system does work, and 
  that the players are much happier being able to do a run in the 
  middle of a game, without it taking 3 hours.  So, it stays.  Here it 
  is… 
   
  So you want to run the Net, huh?  Okay, here's how it goes.  
  There's a lot of little modifiers and items to take into account, but 
  in the end it comes down to one thing: 
  Your score versus the computer's score. 
  Whichever is higher, wins. 
  So, you ask, how do I figure out what my score is, and what the 
  computer's score is?  Well, let me tell you.  The computer's score 
  will be noted on a card in the datafortress, but we'll talk about that 
  more later.  Here's how you determine your overall score: 
   
  Total Score = REF + Interface + Program Level + Hand Score 
   
  Now, you may ask, what the hell is your Program Level and 
  your Hand Score?  Okay, let me fill you in… 
  In order to make Netrunning playable in game without 
  requiring a GM present all the time, we had to make a few 
  compromises.  One of them was the omission of general 
  programs, and instead introducing an overall Program Level.  This 
  starts at half the Netrunner's Interface level, rounded down (2 for 
  most people), but can be improved over time. 
  You may increase your Program Level by testing during 
  check in with your Programming skill, using your Composition skill 
  for retesting.  To find the difficulty required to increase your 
  Program Level by one (10 max), take the new program level, and 
  multiple it by ten (10).  For example, if you were attempting to 
  write a new Program of level 5, the difficulty would be 50 (5 x 10 = 
  50.  Expect to lose on ties).  Once the difficulty is determined, 
  divide the total difficulty by 5, and this will give you the number of 
  successes needed to successfully write the program (as 
  explained in the Building and Breaking Things section). 
  For example, let's say Cough Drop is trying to write a new 
  program of Program Level 6.  This would have an overall difficulty 
  of 60 (6 x 10 = 60), and would require 12 successes (60 / 5 = 12).  
  As a rule of thumb, you can just multiply the new program level by 
  two to get the number of successes needed (6 x 2 = 12). 
  And before you ask, It is possible to have two or more 
  netrunners work together, but it has its drawbacks.  While you 
  may be able to cut the time needed to make a new program, all 
  actions while netrunning will incur a -1 penalty due to the fact that 
  half the code is not your own, and you cannot run it as efficiently.  
  Also, if one of the other authors--or anyone who has access to 
  your code--goes up against you, your program will function at half 
  its level (rounded down) due to the fact that they will know how to 
  hack your code more easily. 
  One other thing that needs to be noted.  Due to the lightning 
  fast advancements in computer technology going on constantly, a 
  Netrunner must always be modifying and upgrading his programs 
  and hardware to maintain a "Cutting Edge" advantage.  In order to 
  do this, a Netrunner must make one success per run (difficulty 
  equal to the current Program's difficulty) to keep his program up 
  to date with the current code on the streets.  Or, he can pay 
  100eb per level of the current program to have a professional 
  upgrade it for him (no modifiers for this modification of code).  If 
  the Netrunner does not do this, he suffers a cumulative -1 penalty 
  per run until the program is brought up to date (requiring a 
  number of successes equal to the negative modifier).  In other 
  words, if you put this off for three runs, you will suffer a -1 on the 
  first run, a -2 on the second run, and a -3 on the third run, at 
  which point it will take 3 successes to bring the program up to 
  date. 
  Also, the Netrunner must upgrade his hardware, just as his 
  software.  They can either make one success per run using their 
  Cyberdeck Design skill (difficult task), or pay a flat 10% of the 
  total value of their deck to have it upgraded by a professional.  
  Otherwise, they suffer the same cumulative -1 modifier per run as 
  with upgrading software. 
  Now, you say, what the hell is my Hand Score?  In order to 
  introduce an element of randomness to netrunning, we brought 
  something everyone knows into the game:  Poker.  Huh?  Yeah, 
  that's right, poker.  The card game.  So, if you want to play with 
  the Net, get yourself a deck of cards.  It costs a buck. 
  To run, you deal yourself a hand of five-card draw--that's five 
  cards, face up to start.  Now, most likely, you'll want to exchange 
  some cards to improve your hand.  You can do this, but you must 
  determine the card(s) that you want to exchange and throw it out 
  first.  Then you may deal yourself a new card(s), and go from 
  there. 
  Now, not everyone can exchange the same number of 
  cards--this is where your deck's stats come into play.  The 
  number of cards you may exchange is determined thusly: 
   
  [MU + Speed] / 5 = # of exchanges 
   
  So, if your deck has 10 MU and a Speed of 3, you would be able 
  to redeal 2 cards (10 + 3 = 13 / 2 = 6.5 = 6.  Round down).  Of 
  course, this is going to make you want to boost your deck as far 
  as it can go, so you can trade as many cards as possible.  And, of 
  course, this costs money.  Once you buy a component for your 
  deck, you just have to install it (an Average Electronics test) and 
  you're good to go.  The bonuses take effect immediately upon 
  installation. 
  Initially, you start off without any wild cards, but you can gain 
  them through role-play.  Wild cards represent special components 
  or programs either given to you or stolen, and they may be used 
  to represent any other card in the deck, even allowing multiple 
  copies of the same card.  So, if you get a special program that 
  makes your 2 of Hearts a wild card, your GM will mark the card as 
  Wild, and then whenever the 2 of Hearts comes up in play, you 
  can decide what card you want it to be.  This of course is a huge 
  advantage when netrunning, as it allows you to almost 
  automatically increase your hand score. 
  Okay, here's the listing of the different hands in poker and 
  how many points they're worth: 
  
   
  18 
   
  High Card 
   
   
   
  1 
  One Pair 
   
   
   
  2 
  Two Pair 
   
   
   
  3 
  Three of a Kind 
   
   
  4 
  Straight 
   
   
   
  5 
  Flush 
   
   
   
  6 
  Full House 
   
   
   
  7 
  Four of a Kind  
   
  8 
  Straight Flush  
   
  9 
  Five of a Kind  
   
  10 
   
  Obviously, you need wild cards to get five of a kind.  But it can be 
  done, and if you manage to secure three or four of them, you're in 
  pretty damn good shape. 
  Okay, so now you know how to total your score when you 
  run the net.  So how do you actually get to the point where you'll 
  have to start dealing the cards? 
  Simple.  You open the right envelope. 
  What?  Huh?  Alright, here's how it goes:  your GM will have 
  all the major datafortresses in the city pre-designed on index 
  cards, which are sealed inside an envelope and placed 
  somewhere in game (you'll be informed where).  These envelopes 
  are the datafortresses.   
  Once you decide to run one of them, make an Average 
  Systems Knowledge test to see if you can locate the datafortress 
  you want to run (yes, every time you try).  If you fail, you can 
  retest as normal, or you can wait five minutes to try again.  If you 
  succeed, you must then make an Average Interface test to see if 
  you can avoid NetWatch.  If you fail this, you're booted out of the 
  net for 5 minutes and your account is automatically fined 100eb 
  for attempting to commit a crime (Illegal Netrunning).  Once you 
  pass both these tests, you're ready to rock. 
  To attempt to run your target, you simply take the 
  appropriate envelope, rip it open (telling the GM that someone 
  has tried to run it, you need to inform him it was you), and take 
  out the cards.  They will be placed in order, usually held together 
  with a rubber band so they don't scatter.  On the front of the card 
  will be something like this: 
   
  ARASAKA DATAFORTRESS 
  Public Level 
  Difficulty 18 
   
  If your GM has lots of free time they can write down a brief 
  description to let you know what you see, or can put the Icon right 
  on the front of the card.  Regardless, all the information you need 
  is right there.  In order to successfully infiltrate this level of the 
  datafortress, your score must be higher than 18.  So you deal 
  your hand, and replace the cards you don't want.   
   
  If you fail to successfully infiltrate the current level of the 
  datafortress, you may use your Interface Skill retest to wipe the 
  hand and redeal a new one. 
   
  So, if you deal and exchange all your cards, but still come up with 
  a 15, you simply declare "Interface retest" and redeal from 
  scratch.  If you still fail to succeed, you may declare "Luck retest" 
  and deal one more time.  However, if you fail, you must accept 
  the results after that. 
  Once you determine whether you are successful or not, you 
  turn the card over and read the results at the top on the back.  It 
  will tell you what to do if you win, or if you lose, and sometimes if 
  you tie. 
  If you win, you have access to all things listed on the back of 
  the card.  These items will depend on the individual fortress, the 
  size of the corporation, etc., but will be a generalized listing.  If 
  you're not sure what level something will be on, ask the GM 
  before you start running.  That way you don't have to bother him 
  again until you've finished. 
  But let's suppose you lose… 
   
  What happens if you blow it?  Well, again, it varies 
  depending on the fortress.  It might be something as minor as 
  getting booted from the net, or something as nasty as a 
  HellHound reaching out and stopping your heart.  Regardless of 
  what it is, if it's a hostile program, it will have a Strength. 
  Let's say, for kicks, that you attempted to run Arasaka's 
  datafortress.  Let's say, for even more kicks, that you managed to 
  get to the highest level of it, and were attempting to infiltrate it.  
  Let's say, getting back to reality, that you blow it.  You look at the 
  card and it says something like "If you fail, you are attacked by a 
  HellHound (6)."  The number in parenthesis is the Strength of the 
  program.  The only thing standing between you and it are your 
  Datawalls. 
  When you blow it, read what it says and make a test.  You 
  are testing your Interface + Datawall strength versus the 
  computer's INT + Program strength.  If you succeed, you manage 
  to avoid the attack for this round.  If you fail, suck it up and deal, 
  choomba.  The attacking program succeeds and you suffer the 
  effects, which will be explained on the card. 
  At this point you must make a choice.  You can either Jack 
  Out (if able), or you can try to infiltrate the level again.  If you 
  decide to try again, all attacking programs will get another attack 
  against you even if you succeed!  They already know you're 
  there, after all, since you already blew it at least once. 
  For example, let's say Morniman tries to run a fortress and 
  blows it, getting attacked by a Hellbolt.  He manages to evade the 
  attack in the round that he screws up.  He can either take this 
  opportunity to jack out, or he can try to re-run this level.  Being a 
  bit headstrong, he decides to go for it again.  So, he redeals, goes 
  through his retests, and manages to successfully infiltrate the 
  level this time.  Even though he succeeded this time, the Hellbolt 
  gets another attack against him, since it already knows he is 
  there. 
  Once you have successfully infiltrated the level, you may 
  then attack any hostile programs. However, until all hostile 
  programs are destroyed, you may not access any of the 
  information contained on that level. Initiative is determined by 
  comparing the Netrunner's REF + Deck Speed versus the 
  Computer's INT.  You attack a program by testing, using your 
  Interface + Program Level versus the computer's INT + Program 
  strength.  
   
  If you succeed, the target program's  
  Strength is 
  reduced by your current  
  Program Level: 
  If it reaches zero, the program is de-rezzed.   
  If it is 1 or higher, it may continue to attack  
  the Netrunner 
  at the new Strength until it  
  is de-rezzed. 
   
  So, you can see, datawalls can be pretty important.  They can 
  literally be the difference between life and death. 
  Once all hostile programs are de-rezzed, you may access 
  the level as if you succeeded initially.  For the record, it takes one 
  Net Round (1 second) to download any file from a datafortress, 
  and takes up one MU. 
   
  But let's say you're attacking another Netrunner… 
  First off, if the Netrunners are using some sort of Stealth 
  program (from their overall Program Level, must be announced in 
  advance), they must test to see if they can detect one another's 
  presence.  This is done by having each Netrunner test against the 
  other netrunner, using each one's Interface + Program Level.  If 
  one succeeds, he detects the other.  Please make sure each 
  netrunner tests against all other netrunners present. 
  If a Netrunner who is undetected decides to attack, they get 
  the Ambush bonus of +5 to their attack for one round only.  At this 
  point, the netrunner is visible to all others in the room, however, 
  so it may be more advisable to remain unseen, depending on the 
  circumstances. 
  Anyway, here's where the real fun begins.  If you're going up 
  against another 'runner, combat is conducted just as if it were a 
  real-world fight.  Initiative is determined (both runners may add 
  their Deck Speed to their REF), and then attacks resolved.  
  However, this is where the special programs come into play (see 
  below). 
  Attacks against you or your deck are resolved normally, 
  using the attacking 'runner's Interface + Program strength versus 
  
   
  19 
  the defending 'runner's Interface + Datawall strength.  On a 
  successful attack, the effect takes place immediately.  On an 
  unsuccessful attack, nothing happens.  This continues until one 
  Netrunner or the other either gives up or is eliminated somehow. 
  We are going to use some special programs as stand alone 
  programs, not contained in your overall Program Level.  These 
  programs are only used when trying to attack another runner, his 
  deck, or a computer system (this means any program in the Anti-
  System or Anti-Personnel categories).  If you're not carrying a 
  program of this nature, there is little you can do to another 
  netrunner in the net. 
  These programs can be written using the formulas in some 
  of the sourcebooks, or can be bought off the black market (talk to 
  a fixer).  They take enormous time to write, and are always copy-
  protected (Near Impossible test to copy; only LUCK retests 
  allowed--erases itself on a failure).  Any program listed in the 
  books may be used, and if you want a certain one the GM will 
  give you the in game stats for it. 
  They do take up a lot of space, however, so you might want 
  to think carefully about what you will need before you jump into 
  the net.   
  You can also crash a system, if you have the proper anti-
  system program and manage to gain access to it.  In order to 
  crash a fortress, you must gain access to the top level of it.  If you 
  don’t, you can only crash the levels equal to and below the 
  current level you're on, and you must have either been successful 
  initially or have beaten all hostile programs on your level.    
  
   
  20 
  APPENDIX A:  Skills 
   
  SPECIAL ABILITIES 
  Authority 
  Combat Sense 
  Credibility 
  Family 
  Interface 
  Jury Rig 
  Medical 
  Resources 
  Streetdeal 
   
  ATTR 
  Personal Grooming 
  Wardrobe & Style 
   
  BODY 
  Endurance 
  Strength Feat 
  Swimming 
   
  COOL 
  Interrogation 
  Intimidate 
  Oratory 
  Resist Torture/Drugs 
  Streetwise 
   
  EMP 
  Human Perception 
  Interview 
  Leadership 
  Meditation 
  Seduction 
  Social 
  Fast Talk 
  Perform 
  Simper 
  Vamp/Con 
   
  TECH 
  Computer 
  Cryotank Operation 
  Cyberdeck Design 
  Demolitions 
  Disguise 
  Electronics 
  Electronic Security 
  First Aid 
  Forgery 
  Paint/Draw 
  Photo/Film 
  Pharmaceuticals 
  Pick Lock 
  Pick Pocket 
  Play Instrument 
  Tech Aero 
  Tech AV 
  Tech Basic 
  Tech Cyber 
  Tech Gyro 
  Tech Weapon 
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
  INT 
  Accounting 
  Anthropology 
  Astrology 
  Awareness 
  Biology 
  Botany 
  Bureaucracy 
  Business Sense 
  Chemistry 
  Composition 
  Corporate Policy 
  Diagnose Illness 
  Education 
  Expert 
  Gamble 
  Geology 
  Herbalism 
  Hide/Evade 
  History 
  Language 
  Library Search 
  Magic 
  Mathematics 
  Psychology 
  Physics 
  Programming 
  Shadow/Track 
  Stock Market 
  System Knowledge 
  Tactics 
  Theology 
  Teaching 
  Urban Survival 
  Wilderness Survival 
  Zoology 
   
  REF 
  Archery 
  Athletics 
  Autoweapon 
  Brawling 
  Dance 
  Dodge 
  Driving 
  Fencing 
  Handgun 
  Heavy Weapons 
  Martial Arts 
  Melee 
  Motorcycle 
  Operate Heavy Machinery 
  Pilot AV 
  Pilot Dirigible 
  Pilot Fixed Wing 
  Pilot Gyro 
  Pilot Remote 
  Rifle 
  Sleight of Hand 
  Stealth 
  
   
  21 
  Skill Descriptions 
  Here is a complete listing of all skills and a brief description 
  for use in game. 
   
  Please note that most skills found in the Cyberpunk 2020 
  rulebook have been omitted in this listing.  I did this for two 
  reasons, really.  First off, it would take too damn long.  Secondly, I 
  don't want to infringe on any copyrights in any way.  Cyberpunk is 
  a great game, and if you really want to play this, it is highly 
  recommended you go out and buy a copy of the damn book.  In 
  any case, the only skills included here are the Special Abilities, 
  skills that needed Live Action explanation and coverage, and 
  skills that don't appear in the main book.  If it's not in the main 
  book, it's from one of the sourcebooks. 
   
  Special Abilities 
  These are abilities that are unique to the various roles.  You can 
  learn other Special Abilities, but it is difficult at best and you must 
  find someone willing to teach you. 
   
  Authority (Cops):  The ability to command and control people 
  through the power of intimidation or respect.  This is learned 
  through time spent on the street and encouraged by the police 
  department, not automatically granted when someone becomes a 
  police officer.  So an unemployed cop can still use this ability.  In 
  game play, Authority may take the place of any skill used to 
  manipulate others in some way.  INTIMIDATE, PERSUADE, 
  SOCIAL, and any other skill may be replaced with this, given the 
  correct circumstances (you couldn't use Authority to make your 
  girlfriend believe you didn't cheat on her, for instance).  If a police 
  officer is employed, it also allows him to call in for backup over his 
  radio and have it arrive in a timely fashion.  Any cop can call for 
  backup, but you need Authority to make the dispatcher listen to 
  you.  If calling for backup, the Cop must announce that they are 
  calling in backup and then make a simple test to determine the 
  time it will take for it to arrive.  If the officer wins the test, they will 
  arrive in 2 minutes; on a tie, they arrive in 4 minutes; on a loss, it 
  will take 6 minutes for the backup to arrive.  Note this is timed in 
  REAL TIME from the point at which the test is completed.  At the 
  designated time, two officers will arrive on the scene (use the 
  stats given for Uniformed Cop NPCs) and will attempt to help the 
  officer who called them. 
   
  Combat Sense (Solos):  This is the innate ability of Solos to 
  perceive dangerous situations and tune in to what's going on 
  around them.  Combat Sense is added to a Solo's initiative when 
  in combat, representing their ability to understand what is going 
  on around them and predict what will happen in the next few 
  moments.  Also, when making AWARENESS or DODGE checks, 
  take half the level of the Solo's Combat Sense, rounded down, 
  and add it to the total in those skills.  Again, this is indicative of a 
  Solo's uncanny ability to avoid danger.  The bonus is only applied 
  to AWARENESS checks for situations that could place the Solo in 
  danger, however.  So trying to find Buffy's cat probably won't gain 
  the bonus when looking for it--unless someone's strapped a bomb 
  to the thing's back. 
   
  Credibility (Medias):  Credibility is a Media's ability to have 
  people believe them, no matter what they say.  A slick media 
  could tell you on national NetNews that aliens had invaded and 
  taking over the world, and you'd believe it.  Ask Orson Wells.  A 
  Media may use this skill in a manner similar to Authority.  He may 
  use it in place of any skill used to manipulate others, but only in a 
  non-threatening manner.  He could use it to gain access to a 
  restricted government site in order to do an interview, or to tell the 
  police officer that really he didn't have anything to do with this guy 
  getting run over by the NetNews 54 van.  However, he couldn't 
  use it to tell someone to get the hell out of his way or there'd be 
  hell to pay.  Also, when a Media is trying to get a story printed, 
  their Credibility will determine where it gets printed, and how 
  badly butchered it gets during the editing process.  An intelligent 
  and devious Media can use the press to bring down MegaCorps, 
  ruin people's lives, and make themselves look like a savior in the 
  process.   
   
  Family (Nomad):  A Nomad lives through the strength given by 
  his association with his family.  This score represents how high up 
  in the social structure the character is for his pack.  A Nomad with 
  a Family of 1 is the pack's peon, whereas a Nomad with a 10 
  Family is one of the top ranking members of the pack, and can 
  dictate where and when the pack moves.  The higher a Nomad 
  has in his Family skill, the more access he has to the assets of 
  the pack.  A Nomad may use this skill to acquire items he needs 
  or desires from his family (as per the Resources Special Ability 
  below), and may also use it to get help from his family members 
  in times of need (similar to Authority).  These things may be 
  acquired from a GM during game play.  When needed, a Nomad 
  may get help from up to half his Family score, rounded down, as 
  NPCs who will try to assist the Nomad in any way when they 
  arrive.  To use this ability, the Nomad must declare they are 
  calling for help (and have access to a means of communication 
  with their pack, e.g. a cell phone), then perform a simple test.  On 
  a win, the NPC Nomads will arrive in 15 minutes; on a tie, they 
  will arrive in 30 minutes; on a loss, it will take them 45 minutes to 
  arrive (use the stats given for Nomad NPCs).  If they wish to 
  acquire items from their pack, they need to contact a GM.  Then 
  they test exactly as per the Resources special ability, with the 
  exception that they may only draw out 500 eb worth of equipment 
  per level of their Family ability. 
   
  Interface (Netrunners):  This is the Netrunner's special ability to 
  navigate and use the net effectively.  This skill is used extensively 
  in netrunning and related tasks, and is discussed in detail in the 
  Netrunning section later on. 
   
  Jury Rig (Techies):  Techies are able to cobble things together in 
  no time, and this is the skill they use to do it.  Once check-in is 
  completed, no new items may be built and brought into game play 
  except through the use of this skill.  A Techie may elect to try to 
  piece together something on short notice, or fix something 
  temporarily, using this skill.  At best, the item will last no longer 
  than the duration of the run, and most often even less time than 
  that.  But if you absolutely need that item within the hour, start 
  sucking up to your Techie friend.  Also, this skill may be used to 
  repair armor on short notice, although it will not permanently fix it-
  -it will stay together for a few more uses, then it will need to be 
  fixed properly.  To use this skill, a GM must determine a difficulty 
  for the task being attempted, and the number of successes 
  needed (if multiples are necessary).  If successful, the Techie 
  must then make a simple test to see how long the item will work 
  for.  On a win, it will last for three uses; on a tie, two uses; on a 
  loss, it will last for just one use.  If a 'use' is not an appropriate 
  duration for the item, convert it into 'scene'.  For example, armor 
  patched with the Jury Rig skill will last for a scene, not a use. 
   
  Medical (MedTechs):  It is a rare, if happy day that Medtechs 
  don't get called on for duty.  The Medical skill represents a 
  MedTech's superior ability to treat and heal injured and ill 
  patients.  Use of this skill allows a character to heal twice as fast 
  as they would otherwise (see Trauma Team section), and also 
  gives bonuses to medical-related work.  In use, if a MedTech 
  needs to make a skill check for anything involving medical 
  knowledge, they may add half their Medical level, rounded down, 
  to their skill.  This applies to researching, diagnosing, or any other 
  in which a task is being attempted that directly relates to medical 
  knowledge.  This skill may also allow the character access to 
  restricted items, e.g. certain drugs, facilities, equipment, etc.  
  Finally, and most importantly, a MedTech may actually heal an 
  injured character if it has been less than 10 minutes since they 
  were injured.  They may do this by first making a successful 
  Diagnose chedk on the victim (difficulty equal to the amount of 
  damage the target has taken), then making a Medical test versus 
  the difficulty equal to the number of points of damage the patient 
  has taken (total, not just most recently).  If either check fails, they 
  may not attempt to heal the wounded character.  They may make 
  another attempt in 5 minutes, however, If they succeed, they may 
  convert 0 - 2 points of killing damage into bruise damage.  This 
  amount may be increased through the use of certain drugs and 
  
   
  22 
  equipment, though they may never heal more damage than has 
  occurred within the last 10 minutes.  In other words, if you just got 
  punched for 2 points of damage, a MedTech can't heal you 3 
  points.  See the Trauma Team section for more details. 
   
  Resources (Corporates):  Always trying to climb higher on the 
  corporate ladder, the Resources skill indicates just how high the 
  character has climbed.  A character with a low Resources skill is 
  pretty low in the chain of command, while a Corp with a 
  Resources  of 10 probably heads an entire city branch of a 
  MegaCorporation.  This score indicates how much of the 
  corporation's assets the character has access to, and what 
  equipment will and will not be loaned out or issued to the 
  character.  The character may use this skill to acquire items 
  during game play.  In order to do so, the character must find a 
  GM.  One test per item is allowed (unless multiple successes are 
  needed, GM's determination), and the character may retest with 
  the CORPORATE POLICY skill.  Difficulty is determined by the 
  availability of the item in question.  The maximum amount of 
  equipment or NPC's the character may have out 'on loan' at any 
  one time is equal to their Resources skill level x 1000 eb.  So a 
  character with a 6 Resources may have up to 6,000 eb in 
  equipment borrowed from his corporation at any one time.  If they 
  want another item, and are currently 'maxed out' on their credit 
  limit, they must return something else.  The time required to 
  obtain the items in question (assuming a successful test) is equal 
  to 100 minutes minus the character's Resources skill x10 
  (minimum of 10 minutes).  So our friend above with the 6 
  Resources will require 40 minutes to obtain their items from a 
  GM. 
   
  Streetdeal (Fixer):  This is the ability of a Fixer to get virtually any 
  item they are looking for.  Very similar to the Corporate's 
  Resources skill, this skill allows the character to search the street 
  for whatever they need, and find it through their contacts.  Unlike 
  the Corporate, however, the Fixer must first actually buy the item 
  (at a variable rate), and once they get the item, they own it.  They 
  usually then turn around and sell the item to someone else at a 
  profit, but they may also use this skill to acquire items for 
  themselves.  If the character can't afford the item in question, they 
  had better get their client to pay up front, otherwise their contacts 
  refuse.  If the GM is feeling nice, the Fixer's contacts may 'spot' 
  them the item, which means the character had damn well better 
  get the money fast or… well, you figure it out.  The character's 
  score in this skill represents the number of tests the character 
  may make during check in to see if they manage to acquire an 
  item.  The Fixer may use their STREETWISE skill as a retest if 
  they fail.  The availability of an item will usually determine how 
  many successes are required to obtain it, along with how much it 
  will cost the Fixer: 
   
  Excellent 
   
  1 
  100% list  
  Common 
   
  2 
  150% list 
  Poor  
  3 
  200% list 
  Rare  
  4 
  300% list 
   
  As with Resources, difficulty is determined by the availability of 
  the item.   
   
  Attractiveness Skills 
  Personal Grooming:  This is the ability to make yourself look 
  good through excellent grooming techniques.  On a successful 
  check (Average difficulty) you may add half of this skill, rounded 
  down, to your ATTR score. 
   
  Wardrobe & Style:  Knowing what to wear and when to wear it 
  can really make a difference.  Successful use of this skill 
  (Average difficulty) allows you to add half of this skill, rounded 
  down, to your ATTR score. 
   
  Body Skills 
  Endurance:  This is the ability to endure great amounts of 
  physical exertion.  It also represents how resilient your body is to 
  extreme measures.  This skill comes into play after extended 
  durations of  physical activity, or when exposed to certain effects, 
  such as tasers, Consciousness Checks, and Death Saves (see 
  the Trauma Team section for more info). 
   
  Cool Skills 
  Streetwise:  The ability to learn information from the street.  A 
  character with a high Streetwise skill is very in touch with what's 
  going down in the street, and can use his circle of contacts to 
  gather information quickly and accurately.  This skill is also used 
  to retest Fixers' Streetdeal special ability. 
   
  Empathy Skills 
  For skills marked with a star (*), the user may opt to average the 
  skill level with their ATTR score when dealing with members of 
  the opposite sex (this is where the ATTR raising skills come into 
  play). 
   
  Human Perception:  This skill enables the user to detect lies, 
  evasions, and general moods of the target through subtle 
  changes in their behavior or demeanor.  Note that while you may 
  be able to determine whether someone is lying, you won't learn 
  anything more from this skill--only that they're lying.   
   
  *Interview:  This skill is the same as INTERROGATION, with the 
  exception that it is under much more pleasant circumstances.  
  When using Interview, the subject (usually) is willing to at least 
  talk pleasantly.  The user gains his information through careful 
  and subtle probing, as opposed to threatening the subject.  Once 
  some information is revealed, the subject may react accordingly, 
  but the information will be revealed on a success.  Note that this 
  skill cannot be used on the spur of the moment; it must be in a 
  controlled environment. 
   
  *Leadership:  The ability to convince large groups of people to 
  follow you through strength of personality.  This skill may be used 
  when there are a number of people present and you want a 
  number of them to do something.  Similar to the PERSUADE skill, 
  but can be used on multiple people at once. 
   
  *Seduction:  The art of causing someone of the opposite sex to 
  become physically attracted to you.  The enamoured party will 
  generally behave just as if they were infatuated with the user, and 
  if the user plays along with it, this can be a very valuable skill.  
  Whether or not the relationship is consummated is up to the 
  players. 
   
  *Social:  Knowing what to say and when to say it.  This skill is the 
  ability to know the proper things to do for most any situation, and 
  how to cover up faux pas.  With a high enough score, you need 
  never fear walking into an unknown social situation. 
   
  *Persuasion/Fast Talk:  A person with this skill can bullshit with 
  the best of them.  Using clever phrasing and dizzying double-talk, 
  you can confound and astound most anyone, if you're good 
  enough.  This skill covers a number of different situations, and 
  can be very valuable. 
   
  *Perform:  When taking this skill, it needs to be specified what 
  the performance is in, e.g. acting, singing, dancing, etc.  A 
  character with this skill may use it to bring in extra money on the 
  side during check in.  They may make one attempt per score in 
  this ability to make an extra 100eb, vs. Average difficulty.  If the 
  character is a career performer (read: new Role), this skill 
  becomes much more essential and will be used to determine 
  contracts, media reviews, etc. 
   
  Intelligence Skills 
  Bureaucracy:  Nowadays, everything is run by a committee, and 
  this skill lets you cut through all the red tape.  It allows a character 
  to whiz through  or outright avoid all the triplicate forms, red tape, 
  and general BS that accompanies The System. 
   
  Business Sense:  Essential to anyone who has their own 
  business, this skill allows you to successful and profitably operate 
  
   
  23 
  a business of any scale.  This represents the ability to predict 
  market changes, fluctuations, and be able to successfully adapt 
  and compensate for virtually any obstacle. 
   
  Chemistry:  The science of elements, compounds, and mixtures 
  and how they interact.  This skill allows you to make, extract, and 
  otherwise play with chemicals and take on the roll of the Mad 
  Doctor.  Note that this skill does NOT allow you to manufacture 
  drugs. 
   
  Corporate Policy:  This is the art of knowing what procedures 
  corporations use and the ability to use them to your advantage.  
  With this skill, you can utilize a corporation's own rules against it, 
  confound employees with obscure and vague regulations, and 
  convince your boss that you deserve all the credit, technically, 
  due to your necessary involvement and legal right to all the cash. 
   
  Diagnose Illness:  The science of understanding and clinically 
  diagnosing symptoms and medical problems.  Successful use of 
  this skill will give a character a +2 bonus on any roll used to treat 
  another character (static challenge, difficulty varies; see Trauma 
  Team section for more information). 
   
  Gamble:  The ability to place bets, figure odds, and 
  understanding how games of chance work and the methods of 
  beating them.  Successful use of this skill during check in will net 
  the character a 10% gain from their wager for every 2 levels of the 
  skill (rounded down), per level of difficulty.  For example, 
  someone with a gamble of 4 places a 100eb bet during check in.  
  If they win, this will gain them an additional 20% of their bet, or 
  20eb in this case.  They then must determine what difficulty they 
  are going to attempt (Easy, Average, etc.), which will further 
  increase their potential winnings:  Easy 10%, Average 20%, 
  Difficult 30%, Very Difficult 40%, and Near Impossible 50%.  The 
  player then tests, and if he wins he collects the money.  If he 
  loses, his initial wager is lost. 
   
  Herbalism:  The science of understanding the medicinal qualities 
  of plants and how to extract substances from them for various 
  uses.  This allows you to make various tonics that either help or 
  hinder people, and have the added bonus of being all natural (a 
  rarity these days). 
   
  Magic:  No, you can't cast spells moron.  This is the art of illusion, 
  and lets you do neat things like make the Statue of Liberty 
  disappear for a little while from a certain angle.  There was an 
  Edgerunner once who was a magician.  Supposedly, she could 
  make anything anywhere disappear, with the right team and for 
  the right price. 
   
  Psychology:  The understanding of the human psyche and how it 
  relates and interacts with those around it.  This skill can be used 
  to gain a deep understanding of people, given enough time and a 
  little cooperation.  This skill can also be used to give counseling to 
  those suffering from Humanity Loss, and on a successful roll may 
  give some of it back.  The character's score in this skill is the 
  number of attempts they may make during check in to restore lost 
  humanity to another character.  The difficulty of the challenge is 
  the opposing character's total humanity loss so far, e.g. if they've 
  lost 23 points of humanity then the difficulty would be 23.  On a 
  success, a point of humanity is regained.  Note that you may only 
  restore up to one half of lost humanity, rounded down.  So if the 
  character above was in counseling for a long time, the most they 
  could recover would be 11 points ( 23 / 2 = 11.5 = 11), unless 
  they removed all their cybernetics (at which point all lost humanity 
  may be regained).  This is why it is important to keep track of 
  humanity loss for each individual piece of cyberwear. 
   
  Tactics:  The ability to lead small military units effectively.  A 
  successful use of this skill at the beginning of a combat will give 
  all of the user's allies a +1 bonus to all attack and defense 
  challenges.  Note that you must have at least 2 people (including 
  yourself) in order for this skill to function.  Difficulty is equal to the 
  number of people the character is commanding (including himself) 
  x4.  So if there were three people on the user's side, the overall 
  difficulty would be 12. 
   
  Theology:  The knowledge and understanding of different 
  religious and theological viewpoints around the world.  A 
  character with this skill has studied and learned the different 
  beliefs of different cultures, and on a successful check can use 
  this information to his advantage. 
   
  Teaching:  This skill is necessary to teach someone a skill.  To 
  do so, you must average this skill with the skill being taught.  That 
  is the maximum level you may teach someone in that particular 
  skill.  You must have a higher level in the skill being taught in 
  order to teach someone.  See the section on Experience for 
  more information. 
   
  REF SKILLS 
  Athletics:  This skill is a measure of the character's overall agility 
  and ability to participate in athletic events.  This skill is used for all 
  thrown weapons, including grenades. 
   
  Autoweapon:  This is the skill used whenever you fire a weapon 
  in any mode other than semi-auto mode.  If you use a three-round 
  burst, full-auto, or suppressive fire, you must use this skill, 
  regardless of what weapon you are using (save perhaps Heavy 
  Weapons).  See Friday Night Firefight for more details. 
   
  Dodge:  This is the skill you must use whenever anyone shoots at 
  you with a distance attack.  Like the Autoweapon skill, you may 
  not replace this skill with any other skill.  You may also use this 
  skill as a defensive skill in hand-to-hand combat, but if you do so 
  you cannot attack with a hand-to-hand attack.  See the Friday 
  Night Firefight 
  section for more details. 
   
  Fencing:  This is the skill that covers all swords, including 
  monoblades.  A knife or smaller may use the Melee skill, but if 
  you want to use a sword or Monokatana, this is the skill you use. 
  Martial Arts:  This skill is listed here only because you must 
  remember to choose a Martial Arts style when you take this skill.  
  It is to your advantage to do so, so don't say we didn't warn you.  
  Remember, you may add half your level (rounded down) in 
  damage to any unarmed attack using Martial Arts.  I say 
  'unarmed' because of Powergloves.  You may add your to-hit 
  bonuses with your style when wearing Powergloves, but their bulk 
  and clumsiness (-2 acc) prevents completely successful actions 
  when worn.  Thus, you cannot add your Martial Arts damage 
  bonus when attacking with Powergloves. 
   
  Sleight of Hand:  This is the skill of making small, hand held 
  objects seem to appear and disappear.  Of course, it is only an 
  illusion, but this can come in handy at times.  When you use this 
  skill you actually pocket the item in question.  It must be small 
  enough to fit in your hand, and a search of the character will 
  reveal the object's true location.  Note this is different from the 
  Pick Pocket skill in that you must actually pick up the item before 
  you can use this skill. 
   
  Stealth:  The art of remaining unnoticed and blending in with your 
  surroundings.  Note that this is a different skill than Hide/Evade.  
  The latter comes into play only when being followed or actively 
  searched for from an unknown location, while this skill covers 
  evading detection from people in your immediate vicinity.  This 
  skill is also used when a character wishes to leave a combat.  In 
  order to do so, you must end a combat round outside of line-of-
  sight from everyone else in the combat.  You then must make an 
  Average Stealth check.  On a success, you may leave the 
  combat.  If you fail, you must remain until the end of the next 
  combat round, at which time you may attempt to leave again if 
  you satisfy all necessary criteria. 
   
  TECH SKILLS 
  Cryotank Operation:  This skill can be very useful when trying to 
  save someone's life.  If someone has either just died or is dying, 
  and you cannot save them on the spot, then this is your last 
  
   
  24 
  option.  If a dead or dying character is brought to a cryotank and 
  properly instilled in it, time effectively stops for them.  Their wound 
  level remains constant, their Death State remains at whatever it 
  currently is, etc., until they are removed from the tank.  This can 
  be a real lifesaver as it gives assisting characters time to get the 
  injured or deceased character to a hospital, where some major 
  bonuses come into play.  Or, you can be just like Rache 
  Bartmoss, and just stay in one forever, spending all your days and 
  nights in the net.  First off, you must have a cryotank (duh).  No, 
  you cannot carry one around with you, but if you can get someone 
  to a Trauma Team AV-4, it is standard equipment onboard.  
  Difficulty for freezing someone is equal to 3x their current Mortal 
  wound level.  (You're not going to freeze someone who doesn't 
  need it, RIGHT??)  For example, if Guido was at Mortal 4 wound 
  level, difficulty for sticking him in cryo would be 12 ( 3 x 4 = 12 ).  
  It is relatively easy to make someone a popsicle, assuming they 
  aren't in pieces all over the floor.  Assume thawing is automatic. 
   
  Disguise:  This skill includes a rudimentary ability to imitate 
  voices.  And please, remember to wear a description of what you 
  look like--in plain sight--if you change your identity. 
   
  First Aid:  Everyone should have this skill, if you ask me.  Allows 
  you to stabilize and let people heal, if you're really lucky.  See the 
  Trauma Team section for more information on this. 
   
  Photo/Film:  You damn well better have this skill if you want to 
  take pictures or videotape someone.  If you don't, I'll tell you right 
  now it will not be admissible as evidence in anything, and anyone 
  watching it or looking at it will say 'Is it some kind of roadkill?'  
  Yes, even if you're in the Net.  I don't care.   
   
  Pharmaceuticals:  This skill allows you to make drugs, to be 
  blunt about it.  You don't have to have Chemistry in order to use 
  this, but if you don't good luck in getting the necessary base 
  components (or go through a fixer and pay through the nose, take 
  your pick).  Talk to a GM about using this skill during check-in. 
   
  Tech:  This skill is used to repair and maintain all sorts of different 
  equipment.  Generally, a Techie will be able to retest their Jury 
  Rig with one of these skills. 
   
  
   
  25 
  APPENDIX B:  Equipment 
   
  Okay, so you know how to play, your character is set to rock, 
  all you need now is your outfit.  Well, you've come to the right 
  place.  The following is a listing of equipment available to starting 
  characters along with how much it costs.  Be warned now:  there 
  is far, far more stuff out there than appears on this list.  What you 
  see here is what any Edgerunner can acquire in most (relatively) 
  common stores and shops in 2020.  If you want something illegal, 
  or very rare, you'll have to go through your local fixer to get it.  
  See the appropriate book for equipment stats. 
   
  WEAPONS: 
   
  Melee Weapons 
  Club 
   
   
   
   
  Free 
  Knife 
   
   
   
   
  20 eb 
  Sword 
   
   
   
   
  150 eb 
  Axe 
   
   
   
   
  20 eb 
  Nunchaku/Tonfa 
   
   
  15 eb 
  Shuriken  
   
   
  2 eb 
  Switchblade 
   
   
   
  15 eb 
  Brass Knuckles 
   
   
  10 eb 
  Sledgehammer 
   
   
  20 eb 
  Chainsaw  
   
   
  80 eb 
  Survival Knife 
   
   
   
  50 eb 
  Entrenching Tool 
   
   
  50 eb 
  MysTech Spring Knife 
   
   
  125 eb 
  MysTech Nunchaku/Blade 
   
  200 eb 
  Smartwhip 
   
   
   
  600 eb 
  Machete  
   
   
  60 eb 
   
  Archery Bows 
  Eagletech "Tigercat" Compound  
  500 eb 
  Eagletech "Tomcat" Compound 
  150 eb 
  Eagletech "Wildcat" Sport  
   
  35 eb 
   
  Crossbows 
  Eagletech "Handbow" 
   
   
  75 eb 
  Eagletech "Stryker"   
   
  220 eb 
   
  Exotics 
  Dynatech Industries Hand Taser 
  50 eb 
  Enertex AKM Power Squirt 
   
  15 eb 
  Militech Electronics Taser 
   
  60 eb 
  Militech Electronics Taser II 
   
  100 eb 
  MysTech Arrow Gun 
   
   
  1000 eb 
  Nelspot "Wombat" Airpistol 
   
  200 eb 
  Petrochem Drug-A-Thug 
   
  150 eb 
  Pursuit Security Beanbag Gun  
  100 eb 
  Pursuit Security Stundart Pistol 
  109 eb 
  Pursuit Security Webgun 
   
  250 eb 
  Skunker  
   
   
  70 eb 
  Streettech "Burst" 
   
   
  33 eb 
  Techtronica Black-Zap Glove  
  90 eb 
   
  Light Handguns 
  Astra Style-6 
   
   
   
  75 eb 
  BudgetArms C-13  
   
  75 eb 
  Dai Lung Cybermag  
   
  50 eb 
  Federated Arms Impact 
   
  60 eb 
  Federated Arms X-22 
   
   
  70 eb 
  Federated Arms X-38 
   
   
  135 eb 
   
  Medium Handguns 
  Arasaka WSA Autopistol 
   
  400 eb 
  BudgetArms C-41  
   
  600 eb 
  Colt Alpha-Omega   
   
  500 eb 
  Colt Enforcement 10 Sidearm  
  550 eb 
  Dai Lung Streetmaster 
   
  200 eb 
  Federated Arms X-9mm 
   
  300 eb 
  Fashion Gun 9 
   
   
   
  40 eb 
  Goncz-Taurus Pistol 
   
   
  275 eb 
  IMI Gamad 
   
   
   
  575 eb 
  Kang Tao Type 97  
   
  35 eb 
  LeRoi Maxi-10 
   
   
   
  150 eb 
  Militech Arms Avenger 
   
  250 eb 
  Nomad .357 Autoloader 
   
  300 eb 
  Nomad .357 Revolver 
   
   
  250 eb 
  Sci Fi Starrior 
   
   
   
  60 eb 
  Stein & Wasserman "Tri-Star"  
  275 eb 
  Sternmeyer P-41 Auto Pistol  
  425 eb 
  Surprising Stranger  
   
  50 eb 
   
  Heavy Handguns 
  BudgetArms Auto-3  
   
  350 eb 
  Dai Lung Magnum  
   
  60 eb 
  Espinoza One Shot  
   
  75 eb 
  Malorian Arms Hvy Flechette Pistol 
  595 eb 
  Mustang Arms "Mark II" 
   
  425 eb 
  Sternmeyer P-35 
   
   
  400 eb 
   
  Very Heavy Handguns 
  Armalite 44 
   
   
   
  450 eb 
  Colt AMT Model 2000 
   
   
  500 eb 
   
  Shotguns 
  Enfield-Ubichi LastChance 
   
  60 eb 
  Militech Crusher SSG 
   
   
  450 eb 
  Militech Military/Police 
   
  300 eb 
  Mustang Arms "Raider" Riot  
  400 eb 
   
  Rifles 
  Nomad .357 Automatic Carbine 
  400 eb 
  Nomad .357 Magnum Lever-Action 
  300 eb 
  Nomad .44 Magnum Lever-Action 
  650 eb 
  Nomad 7.62mm Bolt-Action 
   
  500 eb 
  Kang Tao One-Shot Cannon  
  90 eb 
  
   
  26 
  Item 
   
   
   
   
  Effects 
   
   
   
   
   
   
  Cost 
   
   
  Clothes 
   
   
  Varies, see clothing chart 
   
   
   
   
  varies 
   
  Techscanner 
   
   
  +1 to all TECH tests  
   
   
   
   
  600  
  Cutting Torch 
   
   
  Cuts through metal 1"/minute  
   
   
   
  40  
  Toolkit, Tech 
   
   
  +1 to all TECH tests  
   
   
   
   
  100  
  Toolkit, B&E 
   
   
  +1 to all PICK LOCK tests 
   
   
   
   
  120  
  Toolkit, Electronics  
  +1 to all tests involving electronics 
   
   
   
  100  
  Protective Goggles  
  Anti-Dazzle, ugly as hell 
   
   
   
   
   
  20  
  Flashlight  
   
  Go figure  
   
   
   
   
   
  10  
  Glowstick  
   
  Dim light in a variety of designer colors  
   
  1  
  Rope 
   
   
   
  Again, go figure 
   
   
   
   
   
  2 / foot 
  Breathing Mask 
   
  Gas has no effect, ugly as hell  
   
   
   
  30  
   
  Holo Generator 
   
  Produces filmy 3D image in the air 
   
   
   
  500  
  Data Chip  
   
  Today's floppy disks  
   
   
   
   
  10  
  Logcompass 
   
   
  Compass, hit the button and find your way back 
   
  50  
  Digital Recorder 
   
  Audio recorder, 2 paperbacks together in size 
   
  300  
  Digital Camera 
   
   
  Still images only, pack of cigarettes in size 
   
   
  150  
  VideoCam 
   
   
  Records movies, hand held version 
   
   
   
  800  
  Video/Audio Player  
  Plays the video and audio chips from above 
   
   
  40  
  Pocket TV 
   
   
  Drool 
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
  80  
  Video Board 
   
   
  Allows you to see the video chips you're playing 
   
  100 /sqft 
  Digital Music Chip  
  Better than a CD!  Look!  Nirvana!  Retro, cool! 
   
  20  
    
  Laptop Computer 
   
  Basic laptop of the age 
   
   
   
   
   
  900  
  Pocket Computer 
   
  Less powerful, but smaller 
   
   
   
   
  100 
  Cybermodem 
   
   
  Connect to the net  
   
   
   
   
  varies 
  Cellular Cybermodem 
   
  Connect to the net without a phone jack  
   
  varies 
  Interface Cables 
   
  Allows you to Jack in with plugs 
   
   
   
  30/pair 
  Low Impedance Cables 
  Gives +1 bonus to any 'Net action 
   
   
   
  95/pair 
  'Trode Set 
   
   
  Connect to the net without plugs 
   
   
   
  20 
  Keyboard  
   
  Whoa, typing.  A lost art. 
   
   
   
   
  100 
  Terminal  
   
  Keyboard, monitor, and I/O card.  Slow, but works  
  400 
   
  Mastoid Commo 
   
  Stick to jaw and temple, sub-vocalize.  2 mile range 
   
  100 
  Pocket Commo 
   
  Small walkie-talkie type thing.  10 mile range 
   
   
  50 
  Cellular Phone 
   
   
  All the options.  Go to town. 
   
   
   
   
  400 
  Mini Cell Phone 
   
   
  Pager sized 
   
   
   
   
   
   
  800 
   
   
  Binoglasses 
   
   
  Teleoptics, rangefinder.  Not completely ugly 
   
   
  200 
  Binoculars 
   
   
  Teleoptics.  Everyone knows, at least 
   
   
   
  50 
  Low-Lite Goggles 
   
  Low Lite optics.  Look like sunglasses 
   
   
   
  200 
  IR Goggles 
   
   
  See in the IR spectrum.  NOT heat 
   
   
   
  250 
  IR Flashlight 
   
   
  Light in the IR spectrum, no visible light  
   
  50 
   
  Handcuffs 
   
   
  Person wearing them is held  
   
   
   
  100 
  Striptapes 
   
   
  In boxes of 12, temporary, disposable handcuffs 
   
  5 
   
  First Aid Kit 
   
   
  +1 to medical tests  
   
   
   
   
  10 
  Medical Kit 
   
   
  +2 to medical tests  
   
   
   
   
  50 
  Medscanner 
   
   
  +1 to diagnose tests  
   
   
   
   
  300 
  Drug Analyzer 
   
   
  +1 to pharmaceuticals 
   
   
   
   
   
  75 
  Airhypo 
   
   
   
  Delivers drugs 
   
   
   
   
   
   
  100 
   
  Cellular Phone Service 
   
  Monthly service +long distance calls 
   
   
   
  100 
  Standard Phone Service 
  Monthly service +long distance calls 
   
   
   
  30 
  DataTerm Use 
   
   
  Cost by the minute  
   
   
   
   
  1 
  CredChip Account  
  Bank account monthly service  
   
   
   
  20 
  Health Plan 
   
   
  Normal Insurance Coverage per month  
   
  1000 
  Trauma Team Account 
  Monthly fees not including ammo costs  
   
  500 
  Cable TV  
   
  Monthly cost 
   
   
   
   
   
   
  40
  
   
  27 
  MAKING AND BREAKING THINGS 
   
  There will come a time when you want to make something 
  complex, something that will take a long time to complete.  How 
  do I do this, you ask.  Well, let me tell you.  This is done by using 
  the formulas in the books to determine the difficulty for creating or 
  making the item in question, then dividing this number by five to 
  determine the number of successes needed to successfully 
  complete construction of the item. 
  In other words, determine the difficulty, divide that by five, 
  and that's the number of successes you need.  For example, say 
  our Techie friend Fixit wanted to construct a cyberarm (no 
  options).  The GM consults the book and determines that the 
  difficult to do this will be 25 (using the Cybertech skill, of course).  
  Dividing this by five, we find that Fixit will need five successes to 
  construct this item (25 / 5 = 5). 
  How do you get five successes?  Simple.  During check in, 
  Fixit tells the GM that he wants to make himself a cyberarm.  GM 
  tells him that the difficulty will be 25 using the Cybertech skill.  
  Fixit has a 4 in Cybertech, so this allows him four attempts per 
  check in to test on building the cyberarm.  So even if Fixit wins 
  every test (losing on ties), it will still take him at least two runs to 
  complete, since he can only get 4 successes maximum per run. 
  Let's say that Fixit and the GM test (retests might be 
  Electronics, Basic Tech, etc.) and Fixit comes up with 3 
  successes.  Not bad.  So the GM hands him a card showing what 
  is being made, when it was started, etc., and notes the number of 
  successes on it and initials it.  So Fixit now has a card showing 
  his progress on the arm.  Next run, he can show this to the GM 
  during check in and try to complete the arm. 
  Some items may take only one test to make.  Usually these 
  are one shot items like drugs.  One success gives you one use of 
  the item (or dose for drugs, clip for ammo, etc.).  If the item can 
  be used multiple times, most likely you will need multiple 
  successes.  This is a rule of thumb and will be determined by the 
  GM.  So no, you're not going to need just one success to 
  construct a thermonuclear device.  Loser. 
  Your next question, I'm sure, is how much does it cost to 
  make stuff?  Well, generally speaking, it's much cheaper to make 
  things yourself than buy them with the seller's markup.  So, to 
  figure out how much it costs to build an existing item using a skill, 
  use the following formula: 
   
  75%  - (5% x Skill Level) of List Price 
   
  In other words, if someone had a 5 in Basic Tech and was 
  building a car engine that normally cost 1000 eb, it would cost him 
  500 eb to do so 
  ( 75 - [5 x 5] = 75 - 25 = 50% of list price ). 
  Also, some skills let you attempt to acquire items as well.  
  Generally, the difficulty to obtain an item is directly related to the 
  item's Availability, as noted below: 
   
  Excellent 
   
   
  10  (Easy) 
  Common 
   
   
  13  (Average) 
  Poor  
   
  16  (Difficult) 
  Rare  
   
  19  (Very Difficult) 
   
  Some items are very difficult to acquire (determined by the GM) 
  and might have difficulties even higher than the ones listed above.  
  Also, if an item is very, very difficult to acquire, you might be 
  required to get multiple successes, as explained above.  These 
  are generally items of extreme natures (e.g. 'Borg weapons, 
  tanks, etc.) and have the potential to upset game play.  Use of 
  these items can be restricted by the GM, so think carefully before 
  you request that railgun. 
  Also, just because you can acquire an item doesn't mean you 
  don't still have to pay for it. 
  Also, as a reminder, the GM may decide that it is not 
  possible for you to make or repair something, depending on your 
  skill level and the task being attempted.  This is just a reminder, 
  as it was stated before in the Playing section.  Now you've been 
  warned twice.  Don't piss off your GM's.  They won't like it. 
  
   
  28 
  APPENDIX C:  Conversions 
   
   
  NEW DAMAGE VALUES 
   
  1d6/3 
   
   
  1 
   
  1d6/2 
   
   
  2 
   
  1d6-1 
   
   
  3 
   
  1d6 
   
   
  4 
   
  1d6+1 
   
   
  5 
   
  1d6+2 
   
   
  6 
   
  1d6+3 
   
   
  7 
   
  2d6 
   
   
  7 
   
  2d6+1 
   
   
  8 
   
  2d6+2 
   
   
  9 
   
  2d6+3 
   
   
  10 
   
  3d6 
   
   
  11 
   
  3d6+1 
   
   
  12 
   
  3d6+2 
   
   
  13 
   
  3d6+3 
   
   
  14 
   
  4d6 
   
   
  14 
   
  4d6+1 
   
   
  15 
   
  4d6+2 
   
   
  16 
   
  4d6+3 
   
   
  17 
   
  5d6 
   
   
  18 
   
  5d6+1 
   
   
  19 
   
  5d6+2 
   
   
  20 
   
  5d6+3 
   
   
  21 
   
  6d6 
   
   
  21 
   
  6d6+1 
   
   
  22 
   
  6d6+2 
   
   
  23 
   
  6d6+3 
   
   
  24 
   
  NEW ARMOR VALUES 
   
  SP 4 
   
   
  3 / 5 / 7 
   
  SP 6 
   
   
  4 / 6 / 8 
   
  SP 8 
   
   
  5 / 7 / 11 
   
  SP 10 
   
   
  6 / 8 / 13 
   
  SP 12 
   
   
  7 / 10 / 16 
   
  SP 14 
   
   
  9 / 12 / 19 
   
  SP 16 
   
   
  10 / 14 / 21 
   
  SP 18 
   
   
  11 / 15 / 23 
   
  SP 20 
   
   
  13 / 17 / ∞ 
   
  SP 22 
   
   
  14 / 18 / ∞ 
   
  SP 25 
   
   
  15 / 21 / ∞ 
   
  SP 30 
   
   
  18 / 25 / ∞ 
   
  
SOURCE: textdata/thevault/Cyberpunk/Unofficial/Datafortress 2020 Archives/Cyberpunk 2020 - Net - Rules - Cyberpunk 2020 Live Action V1.2 by L D Lagoy.pdf