New Martial Arts for Cyberpunk 2020

New Martial Arts

Author: Hound. Used with permission.

Originally I had proposed a sweeping reform of the hand to hand combat system in Cyberpunk 2020, but with the arrival of The Pacific Rim Sourcebook, most of my demands were satisfied.
Instead, I propose several new martial arts to be added to the Martial Arts listing, as well as the removal of several others that were too generalized. I’ve also included a few martial arts that were added to the game previous to Pacific Rim but were not included in that book’s listings (mostly from Listen Up You Primitive Screwheads!).
For descriptions of the Martial Arts listed below, I recommend any good Martial Arts reference book, or the GURPS Martial Arts from Steve Jackson Games, or the Ninjas and Superspies book from Palladium.
Continue reading “New Martial Arts for Cyberpunk 2020”

Master Martial Arts List for Cyberpunk 2020

MASTER MARTIAL ARTS LIST

Compiled and written by Deric “D-ROC” Bernier.

INTRODUCTION

Ok, for all you punks who like a little variety in your ass whippin’ I have compiled the master martial arts list. Using the format in the PACIFIC RIM SOURCEBOOK , this list includes every martial art you could imagine, including some I made up just to add some spice to the mix. The hardest part was setting the difficulty modifier. Originally my system was based on how hard teh style was to learn, and how hard it was to find, but after several comments I have decided to revise this. Now the IP modifier is based strictly on how hard the art is to learn. The difficulty of finding someone to teach the character the art is something that should be roleplayed. If you don’t own a copy of PAC RIM I strongly urge you to go out and buy it right now. It specifies in detail the hand to hand and melee rules for CP 2020. Ok, got your cup in place, let’s go.

STATS

Continue reading “Master Martial Arts List for Cyberpunk 2020”

Juvenile Emancipation: An Idea for Cyberpunk 2020

Juvenile Emancipation: an idea for Cyberpunk 2020

Author: Mockery (Mockery’s)

I first read about this idea in Over the Edge, from Atlas Games. I filed it away in the back of my head and didn’t really think about it again until Cybergeneration came out. Now, I don’t especially like Cybergeneration, for reasons I won’t go into here, so the idea of playing a kid never appealed to me. But at some point in the last year or so, the 15-year-old juveganger from Cybergen collided headlong with the pubes from Over the Edge and the following concept was born.

In our games in 2020, any child between the ages of fourteen and eighteen (or sixteen, if you go by Home of the Brave) can be emancipated or declared a legal adult, with all the rights and privileges thereof.

The minor in question must meet the following requirements:

PSYCHOLOGICAL –
The minor must pass a battery of psychological exams which ensure that he (or she) has the emotional maturity to survive as an adult. This is weighted in favor of stability, so one must actually have slightly higher-than-average COOL (7+), but only an average EMP (6+). Continue reading “Juvenile Emancipation: An Idea for Cyberpunk 2020”

Human Shields in Cyberpunk 2020

Author: sparky.

The asshole attacked me with a back hand. I swung my right arm and connected with his kidney. He promptly buckled with a scream. That was when I saw his partner with the Assault Rifle. ‘Shit. This is going to be a bad day.’ I thought. As his partner raised the muzzle of the weapon to point it at me I acted. I reached and grabbed the punk I’d just nailed by the back of the shirt and held him in front of me just as his parter opened with a three round burst. The bullets made wet smacks as they pummeled the body in front of me. After the guy fired I pulled out my AMT and blew his fool head off, and left the shield to die in a pool of blood.
Johnny Walker – Militech

Some times you are looking down a barrel with no where to go. So what do you do? You attempt to find cover. And in some close range fire fights the best cover around can be the bodies of living or dead people. I know, it harks back to memories of Arnold riding the escalator up and using a human shield against fully automatic weapons. Pretty cool, a little messy, but pretty cool.

Well, guess what. I was CC’d with a message for Rajeen Nabid and the message had a direct quote for RTG on how this would be done! So here it is a little more fleshed out and taking armor into account. (Which believe it or not, is actually easy.)
Here we go!

Human Shield

SP = Body Type Modifier (BTM)

SDP = 4xBody (i.e. Body of 7 = 28 (7×4=28)

These are estimates from RTG (pretty good ones too). An unarmored shield would have these types of values. And for all intents and purposes this would be treated as cover. Damage that penetrates the SP of the Shield will be passed on to the SDP of the body (4xBODY). So if the person has a high body there is a lot of damage that can be stopped. But, once the Shields SDP are reduced to zero the shield ins no longer effective and you are also wearing a large portion of the shield as there won’t be much left.

Now, “Great!” you’re saying. “Next time I get my self into a fire fight… I’ll just grab the first person I see and use them as cover!” Well, it does work that easily for dead or unconscious shields. But, it’s a different story when that shield is still conscious and alive! If the person you wish to hide behind is not incapacitated you must first make a grapple roll to grab the person. Once you have grappled the person you may hold him in front of you. You must also roll a grapple roll every turn you wish to use him/her so long as they are alive and awake.

Armored Shields

Now What do you do if you have armor on the shield. I use the RTG armor Layering rules for the body only! The shield does not count towards armor layering because it is actually treated as cover and not armor! This is what I came up with.Now, the first step is to figure the total SP of the Human Shield. This can be done by using the rules for armor laying (Which can be found on www.cyberpunk2020.de (At least….That’s where I found them on the net)).

The way this works is first find the SP of the armor that the shield is wearing and the SP of the body (BTM). Subtract the lower of the SP from the larger and cross reference the table. Add the number of the bonus to the LARGER of the SPs. Chances are the low SP of a human body is not going to make much of a difference.

Difference in SPs	Bonus Number
0-4	5
5-8	4
9-14	3
15-20	2
21-26	1
27+	0

Once you have figured the SP of the Shield you are ready. Let the mayhem begin. Here’s an example to illustrate the point.

Example

John Doe is using a human shield. The BTM of the shield is +2 so the SP of the shield is 2. The shield is wearing a Kevlar T-Shirt (SP-10). Subtract 2 from 10 to get 8. Cross referencing the table we see that he gets a bonus of +4. This number is added to the LARGER of the two SPs to give 14SP. The target must take over 14 points of damage for the SDP of the target to take any damage. Makes for a pretty good shield huh? John Doe is being shot at by Punk Boy. Punk Boy is using a heavy SMG. He fires and hits the Human shield. He rolls for his damage and gets 17 points. The armor of the Shield stops 14 of it the other three go through to the SDP of the shield. The shield has a body of 8 so the shield can take 32 points of damage before being reduced to so much chopped liver. John Doe has a good thing going. Unless Punk Boy pulls out the big guns.

So, as you can see there are a lot of good benefits to having a human shield. Thanks for the idea!
-sparky

Panzerungstabelle aus dem englischen Regelwerk Cyberpunk 2020

Author: Mike Pondsmith.
Übersetzung: Blechpirat

Aus dem englischsprachigen Regelwerk (2. Version, überarbeitete 2. Auflage, die mit den Bildern aus Italien) ergibt sich eine Regel zu dem übereinander tragen von gepanzerten Kleidungsstücken. Sie lautet:

Vergleiche die unterste Panzerung mit der darüber. Nimm den höheren Panzerungswert, und ziehe den niedrigeren davon ab. Vergleiche die Differenz auf dieser Tabelle:

Differenz	Bonus
0-4	5
5-8	4
9-14	3
15-20	2
21-26	1
27+	0

Zähle den Bonus zu dem höheren Panzerungswert hinzu. Wenn noch eine dritte Schicht Panzerung da ist, wird der berechnete Panzerungswert mit der dritten Schicht verglichen, die Tabelle dazu befragt, und der Bonus wird wieder zum höheren Panzerungswert hinzugezählt. Mehr als drei Lagen Panzerung ist unmöglich. Dieser Vorgang wird für jede Trefferzone des PCs wiederholt.

Außerdem wird (zusätzlich zu der Behinderung, den die Panzerung etwa schon mitbringt (Mittlere Panzerjacke = -1) ein weiter Punkt für die zweite Lage, und dann noch 2 Punkte für die dritte Lage von den Reflexen abgezogen. Skinweave (Hautverstärker) wird dabei nicht mitberechnet.

Beispiel:

Ripperjack hat Reflexe von 8 und trägt ein Kevlar T-Shirt (10 SP), eine Leichte Panzerjacke (14 SP) und eine Schwere Panzerjacke (20 SP).

Am Torso:: Die Differenz zwischen den beiden unteren Panzerungen (14 und 10) ist 4. Das ergibt nach der Tabelle einen Bonus von 5. Der wird zur höheren Panzerung dazugezählt: 14 + 5 = 19 SP. Darüber kommt noch die Schwere Panzerjacke mit 20 SP. Wieder die Differenz zwischen 20 und 19 (der berechnete Panzerungswert für die beiden unteren Lagen gemeinsam) bilden: 1. Bonus beträgt also 5. Höherer Wert + Bonus: 20+5 = 25. Am Torso hat Rippejack als 25 Punkte Panzerung. (Nach dem alten System hätte er 34 Punkte gehabt.)
An den Armen:: Das T-Shirt wirkt hier nicht, daher 20-14= 6, Bonus also 4. 20+4 = 24…

Sein Reflexverlust beträgt: 2 für die Schwere Jacke, +1 für eine zweite Lage, +2 für eine dritte Lage = 5. Kein Spaß. Ripperjack hat jetzt nur noch 3 Reflexpunkte.

Nelly ist cleverer. Sie hat auch Reflexe 8, hat Hautverstärker mit 10 Punkten (damit sie nicht riskiert, Attraktivität zu verlieren) und trägt eine leichte Panzerjacke.

Die Differenz zwischen den Panzerungen ist (14-10) 4, der Bonus daher 5. Der höhere Panzerungswert ist 14 + den Bonus von 5 ergibt 19, Reflexverlust beträgt 0.

Falls es noch Fragen dazu gibt, meldet euch in den Kommentaren!

Vielen Dank an Dreamdealer, der mir die Tabelle zugemailt hat und Yw376, der sie nicht kannte.

Die Rückstoßregeln aus Morgan Blackhand’s Street Weapons.

Hit Locations

Hit Locations adapted from Fuzion / CyberPunk 3

Author: Hound
Taken with permission from: The BlackHammer CyberPunk Project

[Karsten’s Note: I used this table for a while, but now I think its not worth the extra effort. It’s slightly more realistic (and the -6 for headshots is still in use), but having to multiply by 1.5x just takes to much time to make a fight fast – and thus fun to play.]

3d6	Location	Damage	To Hit
3-5	Head	2x	-6
6	Hand	Ã?Â½x	-6
7-8	Arm	Ã?Â½x	-3
9	Shoulder	1x	-3
10-11	Chest	1x	-1
12	Stomach	1.5x	-3
13	Vitals	1.5x	-6
14	Thigh	1x	-3
15-16	Leg	Ã?Â½x	-4
17-18	Foot	Ã?Â½x	-5

These numbers vary from those given in the Fuzion books because I feel the to hit difficulties they gave were not really related to reality, but to game balance. Hands are as easy to hit as arms, even though they are smaller and move around more than the head. Although because of this movement they become easier targets on a random table, they become harder targets to hit specifically. Also the stomach is given a quite hard to-hit number, because it is weaker and easier to damage than the chest, but not because of it’s size and ease to hit. Which of course brings us to…Called Shots. .
The rules for called shots have varied over the years in the Interlock / Fuzion system.

CyberPunk 2013 : Called shots to hit locations are at 1/2 normal base [(REF+skill+WA)/2].
CyberPunk 2020 : Called shots to hit locations are at a -4 penalty.
CyberPunk 3 : Called shots to hit locations are at a variable penalty to hit based on the vulnerability of the location.

In the hit location table above I have included our “balanced” called shot penalties tied in more with the difficulty of hitting a location than with the locations vulnerability to injury. But there is more to a called shot than just firing blindly at someone’s head. Before any called shot can be made, a COOL roll (DIF:12) must be passed. If failed the character can’t hold his cool long enough to concentrate on an aimed shot, and instead fires blindly. Called shots can be made with any weapon at the listed penalty if the firer only fires one shot in that action. If the firer wishes to utilize a semi-automatic weapon with a higher ROF, each called shot gains an additional -3 penalty. 3 round burst weapons can fire called shots as normal, but they do not receive the +3 to hit for burst fire and only the first shot hits the called location, with the second having a 50% chance of hitting the called location, and the third shot must be rolled as normal. Full autofire cannot benefit from called shots.

Accessorizing Your Toy in Cyberpunk 2020

Author: Hound

Taken with permission from The Blackhammer CyberPunk Project

These weapon modifications have been compiled from various sourcebooks as well as a collection of items we’ve thrown in from our own games and experiences. Also I’ve dug up a few items from other games and converted them for use in CyberPunk. Acht! Gun Nuts We Are!

For Polymer One Shots (your game master will decide what exact weapons fit this description), most of these modifications are impossible, or if they can be done assume the weapon’s base cost is 500eb instead of the list price (for such things as reliability improvement, autofire, etc) because of the amount of extra work required to re-tool a polymer. In any case, any weapon modification that costs a multiple of the base cost of a gun must assume a base price of 300eb if the actual gun is cheaper than 300eb. This is to prevent people from turning their Astra Style 6 into a BEAST OF WAR^TM

Beast Of War . PST . +0 . P . E . 10mm . 6 . 2/20 . VR . 50m . 226.95eb

Custom Grips (30%), Electrothermic (150%), Folding Stock (20%), Gas Vent (30%), Heat-Resistant Barrel (50%), Heavy Bolt (15%), +2 WA (200%), Printless Finish (200%), VR (150%), 10mm, -1 WA, -1 REL (40%), Selective Fire (200%) = +1085% of base cost = 226.95eb

25mm Grenade Attachment

This pistol attachment goes on the end of the barrel and allows the pistol to fire special 25mm pistol grenades from Chrome Book 1 using a bullet-trap mechanism. $200. Continue reading “Accessorizing Your Toy in Cyberpunk 2020”

The Infamous Disorder Table for Cyberpunk 2020

Author: Karsten Müller

D6	D100	Disorder	Gains
1-2	01-15	Paranoia	Awareness +3, Dodge & Escape +2
	16-22	hatred of specific race	Oratory +1, Intimidate +1, Interrogation +1
	23-34	Suicidal Tendencies	Intimidate +3, Luck +2
	35-42	Megalomania	Oratory +2, Leadership +3
	43-47	simulate illness	Perform +3, Diagnose Illness +1
	48-53	Absent Mindedness	Library Search +2, Interview +1
	54-63	Narcissim	Personal Grooming +3, Wardrobe & Style +1
	64-72	manic	REF +1
	73-81	Pathological Liar	Persuasion & Fast Talk +3, Perform +1
	82-89	Kleptomania	Pick Pocket +4
	90-96	Pyromania	Chemistry +2, Demolitions +2
	97-98	Masochism	Resist Torture & Drugs +2, Endurance +1
	99-00	Fetishism	Choose on Expert Skill +5 and specific object
3-4	01-05	afraid of disease	Biomonitor, Nasal Filters, Diagnose Illness +2
	06-09	afraid of treachery	Human Perception +2, Lie detector
	10-15	afraid of heights	Two Cybereyes with teleoptics
	16-20	afraid of fire	MA +1, fire-proof longcoat ( SP: 8 )
	21-25	afraid of crowds	Hide / Evade +2, small and cheap appartment
	26-32	afraid of open places	Streetwise +2, small and cheap appartment
	33-38	afraid of small places	One Pilot Skill +2, Survival Kit with sleeping mat and so on …
	39-44	afraid of aliens	Library Search +4, Expert: Alien Stories +6
	45-49	afraid of accidents	First Aid +3, First Aid Kit, 1D6/2 Doses Speedheal
	50-56	afraid of insects	Zoology +2, First Aid +2
	57-61	afraid of snakes	Zoology +2, Toxin Binders
	62-67	afraid of darkness	Cybereye with IR, super bright flashlight
	68-73	afraid of monsters	Awareness / Notice +1, Hide / Evade +1
	74-78	afraid of rodents	Zoology +2, vat grown Tiger-Cat ( REF: 9, MA: 10, BODY:5, BTM: -2 / Bite +4 => 1D6 )
	79-82	afraid of being alone	Cyberaudio: Wearman, Wide Band Scanner
	83-85	afraid of death	Nylon Helmet, Skin Weave ( SP: 6 )
	86-91	afraid of hidden cyberwear	Cybertech +4, Cybereye with thermograph
	92-96	afraid of pain	Pain editor, 2D6 doses Endorphin ( just in case the damn thing doesnÃ?Â´t work …)
	97-00	afraid of strangers	Human Perception +1, Hide / Evade +1
5-6	01-09	addicted to sex	Seduction +4, Mr Studd ( or Midnight Lady ) Sexual Implant
	10-18	addicted to gambling	Gamble +4, Expert: Casinos +4
	19-28	addicted to speed	Driving or Motorcycle +2, one other REF-Skill +1
	29-35	addicted to videogames	Expert: Video Games, SegAtari System
	36-44	Endorphin addict	COOL +1, Resist Torture & Drugs +3, 2D6 doses
	45-52	Snapcoke addict	6 Skill Points for EMP-Skills, 2D6 doses
	53-55	Speedball addict	Military Cyberwear for 4000 eb, 1D6 doses
	56-69	Nicotine Stick addict	COOL +1, Awareness / Notice +1, 2D6 packs
	70-80	Coffeine Stick addict	Awareness / Notice +1, Skill Point for a REF-Skill, 2D6 packs
	81-91	Uppers addict	2 Skill Points for REF-Skills, 2 D6 doses
	92-96	Downers addict	Dodge & Escape +1, Hide / Evade +3, 2D6 doses
	97-00	IQ addict	4 Skill Points for INT-Skills, 1D6 doses

Rules

Bei der Charaktergenerierung unter CP2020 kann man als Spielleiter die Spieler einmal auf dieser Tabelle würfeln lassen. Jede Disorder bringt dem jeweiligen Charakter auch Vorteile (unter Gains beschrieben). Dies können Ausrüstungsteile oder Skillerhöhungen sein. Falls dem jeweiligen Spieler seine Disorder nicht gefällt, kann er nochmal würfeln, muss die nächste Disorder aber auf jeden Fall nehmen.

[Translation by Karsten:] During Charactergeneration as per CP2020 rules the GM lets the Player roll once on this table. Each disorder also has an advantage, to be found unter the heading ‘gains’. This can be a plus on skills or parts of equipment. If the player dislikes the disadvantage, (s)he may roll again, but then is stuck with the new disadvantage.

Expanded Hit Location Chart for Cyberpunk 2020

EXPANDED HIT TABLES

Author: unknown.

It’s easy! Just roll 2 dice, one for the main location and one for the sub-location. This is a much more realistic hit location chart. Leg shots, are less common (original they had a 40% percent of being hit), and torso shots are more common (just like real life).

[Karsten’s Note: I tried this out – it slows down play AND gives you the problem that you need to be much more detailed about what your armor protects. Covers Skinweave your eyes? If so, even when they are opened? Are your most private parts skinweaved? Would that work? If you stay realistic here, skinweave would probably NOT protect eyes, groin, and joints. This rule makes chars much more easy to kill. And having to look up stuff in the larger table slows down play.]

(0)	Head	(1-5)	Torso	(6)	Right Arm	(7)	Left Arm	(8)	Right Leg	(9)	Left Leg
0	Mouth	1-4	Chest	1	Shoulder	1	Shoulder	0	Hip	0	Hip
1-3	Skull	5-7	Stomach	2-4	Upper Arm	2-4	Upper Arm	1-5	Thigh	1-5	Thigh
4-5	Eyes	8	Left Hip	5	Elbow	5	Elbow	6	Knee	6	Knee
6-8	Face	9	Groin	6-8	Forearm	6-8	Forearm	7-8	Shin	7-8	Shin
9	Throat	0	Right Hip	9-0	Hand	9-0	Hand	9	Foot	9	Foot

Electrothermal Weapons in Cyberpunk 2020

ELECTROTHERMAL WEAPONS

Author: unknown.
These weapons are very unrealistic and overpowered. The default rules don’t talk about the many disadvantages of such weapons. Will all know that an electrothermal upgrade can only be preformed on a gun that fires cased shells. While the increase in firepower is considerable, the large list of disadvantages may make you think twice about using such weapons.

Heat:

Think about it, using plasma to fire a copper cased shell is not by any means smart. The copper casing ejects from the side of the gun through the sliding action. These casings are extremely hot and can burn your skin. Even normal casings can burn you if you catch them, but with electrothermal casings the chances of starting fires and such are greatly increased. Burning your hand on a casing inflicts 1 point for a normal casing and 1d6/2 for a electrothermal casing. There is also a 15% chance that a hot casing will start a fire if it lands on something flammable.
Also note that blowing up a clip of electrothermal ammo is a bad idea. Throwing a clip into a fire, will likely cause it to explode (most ammo will). Continue reading “Electrothermal Weapons in Cyberpunk 2020”