Genefunk 2090

150 // 4. Goods and Services // Partial Open Seating. The damage reduction does not protect the drivers or passengers, unless they duck below the partial cover. Zipping across the open waters at high speed is what this vehicle is all about, a sign of wealth and status. AFV Gargantuan wheeled vehicle Armor Class 20 Handling 0 Damage Reduction 16 Speed 100 kph Hit Points 90 Fuel 300 km Passengers 10 Length 7 m Cargo 2,000 kg Width 3 m Mass 16,000 kg Height 3 m 14.5 mm Machine Gun. Ranged Weapon Attack: user’s ranged attack bonus to hit, range 1.5/3 km, armor-piercing, automatic, no recoil. Hit: 22 (4d10) + the user’s Dexterity bonus armor-piercing damage. AFVs can handle heavy infantry and light vehicles with ease. Moped Medium wheeled vehicle Armor Class 13 Handling +2 Damage Reduction 3 Speed 50 kph Hit Points 20 Fuel 200 km Passengers 1 Length 2 m Cargo 0 kg Width 1 m Mass 80 kg Height 1 m Open Seating. The damage reduction does not protect the drivers or passengers. Mopeds are great for zooming around the city and cost a fraction of the price of other methods of personal transportation, making them a great choice for the financially impoverished. It’s the vehicle for many east Asian countries. Motorbike, Basic Medium wheeled vehicle Armor Class 13 Handling +2 Damage Reduction 3 Speed 200 kph Hit Points 30 Fuel 250 km Passengers 1 Length 2 m Cargo 0 kg Width 1 m Mass 180 kg Height 1 m Open Seating. The damage reduction does not protect the drivers or passengers. Motorbikes are cherished for their style, speed, and relative affordability. Fishing Boat Gargantuan water vehicle (monitored) Armor Class 10 Handling 0 Damage Reduction 6 Speed 40 kph Hit Points 200 Fuel 800 km Passengers 7 Length 40 m Cargo 135,000 kg Width 9 m Mass 125,000 kg Height 6 m These ships are all custom made rather than being a specific brand. They consume ridiculous amounts of fuel and have impressive engines. This is a home on the sea, and only the incredible profits made from fishing make it a viable purchase. Jet Ski Medium water vehicle Armor Class 13 Handling +2 Damage Reduction 3 Speed 50 kph Hit Points 20 Fuel 110 km Passengers 1 Length 2 m Cargo 0 kg Width 1 m Mass 130 kg Height 1 m Open Seating. The damage reduction does not protect the drivers or passengers. Jet skis are quite popular for those who live by the coast and have enough disposable income to afford one. They go very fast and can be used for racing, stunts, or just showing off. Motor Boat Large water vehicle Armor Class 11 Handling 0 Damage Reduction 3 Speed 50 kph Hit Points 20 Fuel 50 km Passengers 3 Length 4 m Cargo 1,000 kg Width 2 m Mass 150 kg Height 1 m Partial Open Seating. The damage reduction does not protect the drivers or passengers, unless they duck below the partial cover. A staple of basic transportation on the water. Sports Boat Huge water vehicle Armor Class 12 Handling 0 Damage Reduction 6 Speed 70 kph Hit Points 50 Fuel 50 km Passengers 5 Length 8 m Cargo 5,000 kg Width 4 m Mass 2,800 kg Height 3 m Genomes Classes Goods and Services Upgrades Daemons Brave New World NPCs Appendices Intro Character Creation Completing Contracts Combat Hacking Ability Scores

// GeneFunk 2090 // 151 Sports Car Large wheeled vehicle Armor Class 13 Handling +2 Damage Reduction 5 Speed 330 kph Hit Points 60 Fuel 500 km Passengers 4 Length 4.5 m Cargo 600 kg Width 1.5 m Mass 1,350 kg Height 1.2 m Sports cars are marvels of engineering, gripping the road tightly as they take corners at breakneck speed. It’s a great car to race, or to impress people, unfortunately, it costs more than most houses. Robots and AI Robots are self-directed machines that interact with their surroundings in ways according to their programming. By 2090, robots and artificial intelligence (AI) see use in a wide range of activities. Because they do not tire or complain as much as humans, they make ideal workers. Jobs hazardous to humans have also seen robots dominate the field, though unlike the versatility of the human consciousness robots usually only excel in the one task they were created for. The tables below describe just a few of the many kinds of robots available in the global market. Of course, some robots with combat abilities or sexually-overt design are often restricted or banned in some countries. See Chapter 12: Non-Player Characters for more detailed descriptions of these robots. Motorbike, Premium Medium wheeled vehicle Armor Class 13 Handling +3 Damage Reduction 3 Speed 300 kph Hit Points 35 Fuel 350 km Passengers 1 Length 2 m Cargo 0 kg Width 1 m Mass 220 kg Height 1 m Open Seating. The damage reduction does not protect the drivers or passengers. Like the basic model, only showier, and much faster. Truck Huge wheeled vehicle Armor Class 13 Handling 0 Damage Reduction 7 Speed 200 kph Hit Points 70 Fuel 500 km Passengers 4 Length 6 m Cargo 8,000 kg Width 2 m Mass 3,800 kg Height 2 m Heavy-duty trucks are favorite for people like farmers who actually need the power and space to transport heavy materials, or for people who just like the idea of having a big truck. Sedan, Basic Large wheeled vehicle Armor Class 13 Handling 0 Damage Reduction 5 Speed 200 kph Hit Points 50 Fuel 500 km Passengers 4 Length 4.5 m Cargo 1,000 kg Width 1.5 m Mass 1,250 kg Height 1.5 m This 4-door car is cheap, has good performance, and has comfortable space for its passengers. Sedan, Luxury Huge wheeled vehicle Armor Class 12 Handling +1 Damage Reduction 6 Speed 250 kph Hit Points 60 Fuel 500 km Passengers 4 Length 5 m Cargo 1,000 kg Width 2 m Mass 1,800 kg Height 1.5 m This comfy 4-door luxury sedan is purchased by anyone wishing to ride in style or announce their personal wealth. It only performs moderately better than a budget car, but the reputation, comfort, and appearance is what people pay for.

152 // 4. Goods and Services // Robots can come in a variety of different forms, as described below: • Anthroids. The bodies of these robots are constructed from a combination of bioengineered tissues and blood, as well as durable prosthetic fibers and bones. They appear just like regular humans and can function in every way a regular human body can. It is sustained by food, gets rid of bodily wastes in the same way, and has functioning sexual organs. • Droids. Droids are anthropomorphic but don’t really look like humans upon closer inspection. Their specific form varies, but all droids have two legs, two arms, a torso, and a head. They are made of metal alloys, synthetic polymers, and don’t have a spec of biology in them. Their form allows them to better interact a world designed for humans. • Drones. Drones are far removed from a human shape and can appear more like vehicles or animals. Their form depends on their function; some are airborne, some are quadrupeds, while others might be shaped like a spider. • Bots. With the vastness of the internet, who needs a body? Bots are AI that exist as pure data (unless you consider the hardware they are on as a body). Their function is almost exclusively to provide knowledge, expertise, and social engagement. If a character has the custom daemon upgrade (see Chapter 5: Upgrades), bots can be used as a daemon’s AI, replacing the basic AI described in Chapter 6: Daemons. A character cannot have multiple bots running on their daemon at one time. Bots can also be installed as the AI in a vehicle, instead of using the factory-installed AI. For more information on bots, and their stat blocks, see Appendix B: Bots. Are Robots People? Some seem like it. Artificial intelligence can be programmed to act very lifelike, and anthroids in particular can emote very convincingly through facial expressions and gestures. Passing the Turing test is easy for AI with social programming, and this has led to a great many philosophers and machine intelligence experts to ponder if these robots are conscious or not. AI passing as humans. Robots attempting to pass themselves off as humans must make a Charisma (Deception) check against someone’s passive Wisdom (Insight) score. Not people under the law (yet). Currently there are no countries that consider artificial intelligence as people, despite their convincing demeanor. There are AI right’s activists who advocate for the rights of any form of artificial intelligence, and more progressive countries are in the midst of working out possible laws recognizing personhood in certain types of AI. Robot-Romance. It is not uncommon for people to become romantically attached with their robots, especially anthroids, or even their own daemons (see Chapter 6: Daemons). Marriage and civil unions for robots occur in certain countries, despite the absence of legal personhood granted to the AI. Anthroids Robot Cost Size Description Summary Alpha V 3.1 シ20,000 M General purpose robot, with a sophisticated learning AI Alpha V 3.3 シ250,000 M General purpose robot, with a sophisticated learning AI Alpha V 3.5 シ2,000,000 M General purpose robot, with a sophisticated learning AI Arnold MK I シ100,000 M Both form and AI are optimized for warfare and assassination Arnold MK III シ1,000,000 M Both form and AI are optimized for warfare and assassination Arnold MK V シ6,000,000 M Both form and AI are optimized for warfare and assassination Cherry シ50,000 M Basic pleasure model, specialized in social skills and seduction Cherry Deluxe シ100,000 M Premium pleasure model, specialized in social skills and seduction Little Alex シ15,000 S Child robot, marketed as a friend for lonely children, or grieving parents Genomes Classes Goods and Services Upgrades Daemons Brave New World NPCs Appendices Intro Character Creation Completing Contracts Combat Hacking Ability Scores

// GeneFunk 2090 // 153 Droids Robot Cost Size Description Summary Eupro, Riff Raff シ10,000 M General purpose servant robot, with a sophisticated learning AI Eupro, Jeeves シ50,000 M General purpose servant robot, with a sophisticated learning AI Eupro, Alfred シ100,000 M General purpose servant robot, with a sophisticated learning AI Grease Monkey シ25,000 M Robot specialized for working with electronics and vehicles Grease Monkey Pro シ75,000 M Robot specialized for working with electronics and vehicles Lab Rat シ75,000 M Robot specialized for working in research laboratories M.E.A MK I シ50,000 M Military Enforcement Automatons, used as soldiers and police M.E.A MK III シ300,000 M Military Enforcement Automatons, used as soldiers and police M.E.A MK V シ3,000,000 M Military Enforcement Automatons, used as soldiers and police UCWAR MK I シ8,000,000 L Military robot inspired by manga UCWAR MK II シ12,000,000 H Military robot inspired by manga Bots Robot Cost Size Description Summary Driver 3.4 シ12,000 - Advanced driving skills, more sophisticated than factory autopilot Friendo シ2,000 - Specialized in social skills and bonding Friendo Ultra シ10,000 - Specialized in social skills and bonding Paragon 4 シ6,000 - A general purpose, sophisticated intelligent AI Paragon 5 シ15,000 - A general purpose, sophisticated intelligent AI Paragon 6 シ30,000 - A general purpose, sophisticated intelligent AI Net Monkey シ500 - Guide to navigating the internet, and understanding programs Net Monkey Pro シ4,000 - Guide to navigating the internet, and understanding programs Science Guy I シ5,000 - Specialized for knowledge in science and engineering Science Guy II シ15,000 - Specialized for knowledge in science and engineering Drones Robot Cost Size Description Summary Fenris シ150,000 M Four-legged dog-like drone, designed to hunt and kill Phantom MK I シ25,000 S Small flying drone, primarily for surveillance, protection, or assassination Phantom MK II シ250,000 S Small flying drone, primarily for surveillance, protection, or assassination Rex 4.0 シ25,000 M Robotic guard dog Rex 4.1 シ75,000 M Robotic guard dog Spot シ8,000 M Robotic guard dog Stirge MK I シ15,000 T Tiny assassin drone, designed to quietly fly through windows and vents Swoop シ1,000 T Tiny flying drone, mostly for surveillance and enjoyment Tarantula MK I シ20,000 S Anti-personnel spider drone Tarantula MK II シ200,000 M Anti-personnel and light vehicle spider drone

// GeneFunk 2090 // 155 I n 2090, many people opt to include as many functioning technologies within themselves as possible. Modifications to an individual’s genome or other biological modifications are referred to as biohacks, while mechanical implants and alterations tend to be called cyberware; both are subtle, effective and stylish. Many opt to get a new upgrade instead of a new car. Non-genetically-modified humans in particular have taken to upgrades, perhaps to feel more on par with transgenic people. Beyond the obvious specific utilities of upgrades, being cybered up proves that you have cash and having cash, and the status associated with it is what it’s all about. Upgrades are of particular social importance among criminals and soldiers, soldiers often being upgraded for free during their military service. Because of this, law enforcement in 2090 has special agencies with heavy firepower and resources to deal with enhanced criminals or ex-soldiers who have lost their way. High-end upgrades are available in almost all metropolises, though some of the more combat-based upgrades are monitored, restricted, or outright banned. Maximum Number of Upgrades Characters cannot have more than eight different upgrades. There is only so much space to cram technology in the human body. However, you are able to remove one and add a different one. Installation To purchase and install an upgrade you must be in an appropriate facility, which are common in large cities. It typically takes 24 hours to install a particular upgrade, and you suffer 2 levels of exhaustion until you take a long rest. Upgrade Types Upgrades are generally categorized into three groups: bioware upgrades, cybernetic upgrades, and daemon upgrades. The lines between these three groups are a little fuzzy, since many upgrades tend to incorporate elements of all three. Bioware Upgrades Bioware upgrades involve genetic manipulation or modification of living tissues. While some bioware upgrades involve synthetic materials, they are primarily biological in nature, with artificial elements playing a supporting role. The Bioware Upgrades table shows the cost and other properties of common bioware in GeneFunk 2090. Cybernetic Upgrades Cybernetic upgrades generally involve surgical implants or robotic parts, including prosthetic limbs. Plastics and metal are typical in cybernetic upgrades. The Cybernetic Upgrades table shows the cost and other properties of common cyberware in 2090. Daemon Upgrades Daemon upgrades always directly interface with your internal supercomputer. They are typically chip implants or nanocolonies that augment the way your daemon functions, often providing improved mental capabilities. People without a daemon are unable to acquire these upgrades. Upgrade Brands The same upgrade comes in a variety of qualities, depending on the manufacturer and brand. For instance, Vitruvian is a more budget brand for cybernetic upgrades, while Omnitech and Apollo spare no cost for premium quality, and cater to a very wealthy clientele. A character can’t have the same upgrade from two different brands. For instance, a character can’t have medicomps from both Apollo and Nightingale at the same time. Bioware Upgrades Olfactors Your sense of smell has been biohacked by TruHound to have countless folds for increased surface area. The result is that your olfaction is now even more acute than a bear’s. You can recognize people’s unique scent, track them easily (as long as it hasn’t rained), and gain incredible details about anything you might eat or drink. While tracking people, you also learn their exact number, their sizes, and how long ago they passed through the area. If you are downwind of someone, it is impossible for them to hide from you, or keep themselves disguised without some major alteration of their scent. Additionally, you have advantage on Wisdom (Perception) checks that rely on smell. Chapter 5: Upgrades

156 // 5. Upgrades // Amped Senses All of your senses have been biohacked by Sentinex to get a boost, providing you with much more empirical information about your environment. You gain advantage on Wisdom (Perception) and Intelligence (Investigation) ability checks. Additionally, your passive Perception and Investigation gain a + 5 bonus. Cellular Rejuvenators These handy little biobots swim around your body and streamline the efficiency of rest, speeding along all of the biochemical processes accomplished during sleep. Proteon. You only need to spend 4 hours of down time to take a long rest. Hexie. You only need to spend 2 hours of down time to take a long rest. Apollo. You only need to spend 2 hours of down time to take a long rest, and you may take 2 long rests in a 24 hour period. Cloakers Cloakers are a biohacked chromatophores manufactured by Cryptek, and reside in every visible surface of your body. They receive light from their environment and transmit it in a fashion that mimics nothing being in the way of the light at all. The effect is perfect camouflage, rendering you Invisible. Your outer surface must not be covered for the cloakers to be effective (i.e. you must be naked or be wearing clothing with transparency capability), and cloakers have no effect on any of your equipment. Cosmetic Alteration The increased technological capacity for body alteration has opened up new creative realms for the same niche that was interested in piercings and tattoos in previous generations. The latter are still popular but exist alongside drastic surgical options such as moving angel or bat wings, color-shifting skin or hair, a moving tail, extra eyes or whatever else the consumer can imagine. This trend has become even more prolific due to the popular media’s glamorization of transgenic humans. Their wondrous abilities and poor social standing make for a compelling story and there are a lot of over-privileged wannabes who aim to look the part. These upgrades have no in-game effect outside of their aesthetic, and helping you fit in with certain crowds. At the player's discretion, it can either give you a strange or inhuman appearance. Additionally, it doesn’t count as one of your maximum allowed number of upgrades. Electric Organ Like an electric eel or ray, you possess a transgenic organ that can generate an electrical discharge, boosted even further by an accompanying implant. As an action, you can target anything within 1.5 meters with this ability. Vitruvian. The target takes 10d6 electrical damage on a failed Dexterity save (DC = 16), or half as much damage on a successful one. After using this ability, you must take a short rest to regain its use. Tezla. The target takes 10d6+25 electrical damage on a failed Dexterity save (DC = 19), or half as much damage on a successful one. After using this ability, you must take a short rest to regain its use. Apollo. The target takes 10d6+50 electrical damage on a failed Dexterity save (DC = 21), or half as much damage on a successful one. After using this ability, you must take a short rest to regain its use. Envenomers, Basic This augmentation is a colony of bioengineered cells that manufacture a virulent toxin, and populate an area of your body. There are a variety of different choices for how you want your venom to be administered, and you must pick one from the list below when you acquire this bioware. • Nematocysts. An area of your hand, or even your tongue, is laden with stinging cells that send thousands of envenomed barbs into your enemy’s skin. If it is on your hand, it can be triggered while grappling or making unarmed strikes, as a free action. You must take a short rest before using it again. • Venom Sac. Your venom is manufactured and stored in a pouch somewhere on your body, often in your mouth. This can be used to administer a “kiss of death”, or ooze poison onto a weapon. If applied to a weapon, the poison washes off after one successful hit and must be reapplied for it to work again. You can activate this ability as a free action and must take a short rest before using it again. • Retractable or Natural Weapon. If you have the retractable weapon or natural weapon feature, you may have your envenomers built directly into the weapon, allowed the venom to be delivered on successful attacks, as a free action. You must take a short rest before using it again. You can dispense any of the following venoms: Hemovenom. A person subjected to this toxin must succeed on a DC 11 Constitution saving throw, taking Genomes Classes Goods and Services Upgrades Daemons Brave New World NPCs Appendices Intro Character Creation Completing Contracts Combat Hacking Ability Scores

// GeneFunk 2090 // 157 10 (3d6) poison damage on a failed save and becoming poisoned for 1 hour, or half as much damage and no poison effect on a successful one. Necrovenom. A person subjected to this toxin must succeed on a DC 11 Constitution saving throw, taking 21 (6d6) poison damage on a failed save, or half as much damage on a successful one. Neurovenom. A person subjected to this toxin must succeed on a DC 13 Constitution saving throw, becoming poisoned for 1-hour damage on a failed save. If the save is failed by 5 or more, the subject becomes unconscious. If they fail by 10 or more, they die. Genetic Tweak You undergo intense gene enhancement therapy, granting yourself a beneficial change. Proteon. You may select any genetic enhancement from the genetic enhancement table. Apollo. You may select any upgraded version of any genetic enhancement from the genetic enhancement table. Hyper Reflexes This implant and biohack rewires your nervous system, and floods your body with stimulants, dramatically increasing your reflexes and speed. You can use a bonus action to activate this ability, which lasts for one minute. While active, you gain a +2 bonus to AC, have advantage on Dexterity saving throws, and you gain an additional action on each of your turns. That action can be used only to take the Attack (one weapon attack only), Dash, Disengage, Hide, or Use an Object action. When the effect ends, you can’t move or take actions until after your next turn, as a wave of lethargy sweeps over you. Vitruvian. You must take a long rest before using this ability again. Apollo. You must take a short rest before using this ability again. Medicomp This system of implants and transgenic nanobots functions as an internal doctor. It staunches bleeding, reBioware Upgrades Upgrade Brand Cost Effect Summary Olfactors TruHound シ100,000 Able to discern scent to minute detail, and track by scent Amped Senses Sentinex シ40,000 Bonuses to Perception and Investigation Cellular Rejuvenators Proteon シ50,000 It only requires 4 hours to obtain the benefits of a long rest Cellular Rejuvenators Hexie シ200,000 It only requires 2 hours to obtain the benefits of a long rest Cellular Rejuvenators Apollo シ600,000 It only requires 2 hours to obtain the benefits of a long rest, and can do 2/day Cloakers Cryptek シ60,000 Become invisible Cosmetic Alteration Varies シ5,000 Alter your appearance Electric Organ Vitruvian シ30,000 10d6 damage, DC 16 Dexterity save for ½, once/short rest Electric Organ Tezla シ100,000 10d6 + 25 damage, DC 19 Dexterity save for ½, once/short rest Electric Organ Apollo シ300,000 10d6 + 50 damage, DC 21 Dexterity save for ½, once/short rest Envenomers Proteon シ60,000 Produce and administer cheap venoms, once/short rest Hyper Reflexes Vitruvian シ40,000 +2 AC, advantage on Dexterity saves, additional action Hyper Reflexes Apollo シ100,000 +2 AC, advantage on Dexterity saves, additional action Medicomp Nightingale シ25,000 Autostabilize, advantage and resistance to poison Medicomp Apollo シ150,000 Store and release drugs into your system, regain all hit points on short rest Pheromones Guanxi シ50,000 Bonuses to Deception, Insight, and Persuasion skills Photosynthesizers Proteon シ20,000 Only need sun, CO2 and water to survive Respirators Proteon シ25,000 Immune to Exhaustion Synth Organs Nightingale シ10,000 +5 hit point maximum Synth Organs Proteon シ30,000 +10 hit point maximum Synth Organs Hexie シ100,000 +25 hit point maximum Synth Organs Apollo シ400,000 +45 hit point maximum Wall Crawling GekTek シ30,000 Climb even vertical walls like a gecko Genetic Tweak Proteon シ100,000 You gain a genetic enhancement of your choice Genetic Tweak Apollo シ300,000 You gain an upgraded genetic enhancement of your choice

158 // 5. Upgrades // Apollo. In addition to all of the effects of the Nightingale medicomp, you also gain the following effects: • Can store up to a total of 20 doses of drugs (see Drugs under Goods and Services). One dose of any of these drugs can be released and activated as a bonus action. • All of your hit points are restored when you take a short rest. Pheromones You’ve been biohacked to produce chemical messengers that have beguiling effects on people who are within smelling range. You gain proficiency in the Insight, Deception and Persuasion skills. If you’re already proficient in these skills or take any of them at a later duces exhaustion, repairs damaged tissues, and fights of toxins and disease at rates far exceeding your natural immune system healing rate. Nightingale. The Nightingale medicomp provides you with the features listed below: • Automatic stabilization when knocked unconscious at 0 hit points. • When you roll a Hit Die to regain hit points, the minimum number of hit points you regain from the roll is 5. • You have advantage on saving throws against poison, and you have resistance against poison damage Cybernetic Upgrades Upgrade Brand Cost Effect Summary Chemical Sensor TruHound シ25,000 Able to discern chemical compositions, including DNA Cyberoptics Vitruvian シ30,000 Micro, macro, and darkvision, requires concentration Cyberoptics Sentinex シ150,000 X-ray vision, and ability to see invisible, requires concentration Cybernetic Arm Vitruvian シ25,000 You have 14 Strength in this arm, and your unarmed strikes do 1d4 damage Cybernetic Arm Hexie シ150,000 You have 22 Strength in this arm, and your unarmed strikes do 1d6 damage Cybernetic Arm Omnitech シ500,000 You have 28 Strength in this arm, and your unarmed strikes do 1d8 damage Dermal Weave Vitruvian シ8,000 Reduce B, P, and S damage by 2, doesn’t stack with armor Dermal Weave Hexie シ35,000 Reduce B, P, and S damage by 4, doesn’t stack with armor Dermal Weave Validerm シ150,000 Reduce B, P, and S damage by 6, doesn’t stack with armor Gills Triton シ25,000 Breathe underwater Hyper Jumping Vitruvian シ40,000 Triple jumping distances, can fall 9 m. with no damage Hyper Jumping Thumper シ120,000 Triple jumping distances, can fall 9 m. with no damage, 20+ on jump checks Muscle Weave Vitruvian シ20,000 +2 Strength, 22 maximum Strength Muscle Weave Ronin シ75,000 +4 Strength, 24 maximum Strength Muscle Weave Hexie シ200,000 +6 Strength, 26 maximum Strength Muscle Weave Omnitech シ500,000 +8 Strength, 28 maximum Strength Polyguise Omnitech シ30,000 Can alter your face and voice as a disguise Reinforced Skeleton Hexie シ75,000 Resistance to bludgeoning damage, hard-knuckle Retractable Blade Vitruvian シ25,000 Slashing/piercing light finesse melee weapon, 2d4 AP damage Retractable Blade Ronin シ50,000 Slashing/piercing light finesse melee weapon, 2d6 AP damage Retractable Blade Hexie シ100,000 Slashing/piercing light finesse melee weapon, 2d8 AP damage Retractable Blade Excalibur シ300,000 Slashing/piercing light finesse melee weapon, 2d8 AP damage, crit. on 18-20 Shock Core Tezla シ75,000 When activated, your melee attacks do electrical damage Shock Core Omnitech シ200,000 When activated, your melee attacks do even more electrical damage Sprint Boost Vitruvian シ20,000 Increase Speed by 3 meters Sprint Boost Thumper シ60,000 Increase Speed by 6 meters Sprint Boost Omnitech シ175,000 Increase Speed by 9 meters Sprint Boost Blitz-Cat シ500,000 Increase Speed by 12 meters Stun Knuckles Tezla シ25,000 Hard-knuckle, DC 10 Con save, or stunned Subdermal Plates Vitruvian シ5,000 + 3 AC, doesn’t stack with armor Subdermal Plates Ronin シ25,000 + 5 AC, doesn’t stack with armor Subdermal Plates Validerm シ120,000 + 7 AC, doesn’t stack with armor Genomes Classes Goods and Services Upgrades Daemons Brave New World NPCs Appendices Intro Character Creation Completing Contracts Combat Hacking Ability Scores

// GeneFunk 2090 // 159 Cybernetic Arm One of your arms and the surrounding tissue is replaced with a prosthetic version, firmly anchored into your body. The Strength score provided by these upgrades only applies to checks that involve one arm, including reducing recoil for one-handed firearms, and applying an ability modifier for melee attacks with one-handed weapons. Vitruvian. Your unarmed strikes deal 1d4 damage, have the hard knuckle trait, and your Strength ability score is considered to be 14 for purposes and checks that only involve one arm. Hexie. Your unarmed strikes deal 1d6 damage, have the hard knuckle trait, and your Strength ability score is considered to be 22 for purposes and checks that only involve one arm. Omnitech. Your unarmed strikes deal 1d8 damage, have the hard knuckle trait, and your Strength ability score is considered to be 28 for purposes and checks that only involve one arm. time, your proficiency bonus is doubled for any check you make with that skill. This effect doesn’t work unless the target of these skills is able to smell you. Photosynthesizers Each transgenic cell of this biohack is loaded with chloroplasts and other cellular machinery that allows you to make your own food from sunlight, water, and carbon dioxide. As long as you drink water and have at least onehour exposure to the sun each day they do not need to eat. Respirators You are biohacked with specialized cells that metabolize lactic acid, reduce muscle exhaustion, and aid respiration and circulation throughout the entire body. The result is a much more aerobically efficient body, and you can run marathons on an off day with ease. This upgrade allows you to ignore 2 levels of exhaustion and gives you advantage on Constitution checks involving endurance. Synth Organs Most of your essential organs are now backed up by artificial parallels. Thus, a bullet to the heart triggers the backup heart rather than assuring your death. Nightingale. Your hit point maximum increases by 5 Proteon. Your hit point maximum increases by 10 Hexie. Your hit point maximum increases by 25 Apollo. Your hit point maximum increases by 45. Wall Crawling Swathes of skin on your hands, feet, legs, and arms have been modified to be able to shift into a microscopic fractalling surface, allowing you to exploit Van der Waals forces to cling to walls like a gecko. You can cause this effect to manifest as a free action, and you gain a climbing speed equal to your regular speed. Additionally, you can climb sheer surfaces without requiring a Strength (Athletics) check. Cybernetic Upgrades Chemical Sensor On some location of the body a sensor manufactured by TruHound samples all of the chemicals that come into contact with it (be it solid, liquid or gas). This is commonly placed on one of the fingertips or the tongue. Poisons, DNA and all other chemical compositions sampled can be discerned with this chip. With the proper authorization or hacking ability, the sampled DNA can even be looked up in governmental databases to check for further information. This upgrade requires concentration, and is activated by the Use an Object action. Two Cybernetic Arms Having two cybernetic arms is possible, but each is treated as a separate upgrade and must be paid for separately. It is also possible for one arm to be better than the other, mixing and matching them. If you have two cybernetic arms, use the following table to determine your combined arm strength for purposes that mostly involve arms (including reducing recoil for two-handed firearms, and two-handed melee attacks). Arm Combination Combined Arm Strength Two Vitruvian 14 Vitruvian and Hexie 18 Two Hexie 22 Vitruvian and Omnitech 22 Hexie and Omnitech 26 Two Omnitech 28

160 // 5. Upgrades // penetration vision and find the right wavelengths to see through the object you want to. You suffer disadvantage on attack rolls and Dexterity ability checks. In addition, they can only move at 1/2 their normal Speed. This ability can be activated or deactivated as a free action. Requires concentration. Dermal Weave This biohack produces high strength synthetic fibers similar to spider silk which are woven throughout your skin. Vitruvian. You gain 2 Damage Reduction versus bludgeoning, slashing, and piercing. Hexie. You gain 4 Damage Reduction versus bludgeoning, slashing, and piercing. Validerm. You gain 6 Damage Reduction versus bludgeoning, slashing, and piercing. Gills Though somewhat different in structure than a fish’s, these artificial gills allow for oxygen consumption from water. A selectively permeable membrane encases the lungs, extracting oxygen from water and allowing gases associated with respiration through but keeping water out. The effect is that you can breathe underwater, as long as it is oxygenated. When you surface, the lungful of water is expelled through the mouth. Hyper Jumping This biohack adds extra spring to your leg muscles through resilin and specialized synthetic muscles. This upgrade doesn’t stack with any other ability that increases your jumping distance. Vitruvian. Your jumping distance is tripled. Additionally, these fibers absorb shock from falling, allowing you to fall 9 meters (instead of 3) without taking damage. Strength (Athletics) Long Jump Distance High Jump Distance 5 4.5 meters 0 meters 10 9 meters 1.5 meters 15 13.5 meters 3 meters 20 18 meters 4.5 meters 25 22.5 meters 6 meters 30 27 meters 7.5 meters Thumper. You gain all the benefits of the Vitruvian hyper jumping, and any Strength (Athletics) checks related to jumping that are below 20 are automatically raised to 20. Cyberoptics Replaces your original eyes with superior artificial eyes. Vitruvian. Your artificial eyes have the following types of vision. • Darkvision. By using wavelengths of light outside of the visible spectrum and employing a reflective tapetum lucidum (like cats do), you can see normally in darkness up to a range of 36 meters. • Microvision. Utilizes multiple convex lenses within the artificial eye that can be activated with conscious thought to magnify an image up to 40 x their actual size. This is powerful enough to easily see minute traces of fibers, blood, or even make out individual cells in rough detail. Requires concentration. • Macrovision. Essentially built-in binoculars, you can see clearly up to 2 kilometers away, even able to discern even fine details as though looking at something no more than 30 meters away from you. Requires concentration. • Protection. All cyberoptics use polarized “smart” lenses that are used to automatically darken according to the amount of light present. This happens in an instant, so it even protects against the blinding effect of flashbangs and other bright light weapons that would otherwise blind you. Sentinex. In addition to all of the abilities of Vitruvian cyberoptics, Sentinex cyberoptics also provide the following abilities: • Spectrum Vision. Your vision is greatly enhanced by both increasing the intensity of visible light received and making use of nonvisible lights and other energies such as infrared, ultraviolet, sound, and microwaves. Your daemon triangulates all the data from these receptions into a single coherent image feed. You treat lightly obscured areas as completely visible, and heavily obscured areas as lightly obscured, and you can see people and things that are invisible (people using cloakers for instance). Requires concentration. • Penetration Vision. This is the fabled “x-ray vision” out of comic book myth. Using radar principles and various low-frequency energies such as certain T-rays, infrareds, ultrasounds, and microwaves, your daemon triangulates a single coherent image feed. Characters using penetration vision can clearly see through smoke, clothes, flesh and even walls up to a range of 12 meters. It is disorientating to use Genomes Classes Goods and Services Upgrades Daemons Brave New World NPCs Appendices Intro Character Creation Completing Contracts Combat Hacking Ability Scores

// GeneFunk 2090 // 161 cles that can be rearranged with conscious thought. Artificial hair is made to turn any uniform color and can switch between any length, from baldness up to 1 meter. The hair can even turn from straight, to wavy or curly. Skin pigment can change to any uniform color. It a full turn of concentration and to initiate a change in appearance. You can even use this to mimic another specific person’s face. To discern that you are disguised, a person can use its action to inspect your appearance and must succeed on an Intelligence (Investigation) check against a DC of 16, but even this doesn’t reveal your true identity. If speaking to subjects who know you (or the person you are imitating), you must succeed at a Charisma (Deception) ability check against their passive Insight score. Reinforced Skeleton Your skeleton is reinforced with high strength synthetics and metallic alloys, rendering your bones as strong as nanocarbon steel. This cyberware grants resistance to bludgeoning damage, and grants the hard-knuckle property to your unarmed strikes (+2 damage). Retractable Blade You get an implanted nanoblade that springs out from your wrist, or claws that unsheathe from your fingertips. The details are up to you, but you can unsheathe them as a free action, and they are a light finesse simple melee weapon. Vitruvian. The blade does 2d4 piercing or slashing, armor-piercing damage. Ronin. The blade does 2d6 piercing or slashing, armor-piercing damage. Hexie. The blade does 2d8 piercing or slashing, armor-piercing damage. Excalibur. The blade does 2d8 piercing or slashing armor-piercing damage, and  attacks with it score a critical hit on a roll of 18–20. Shock Core You are wired with an internal battery and wiring that allows you to discharge intense electrical shocks through your melee attacks. You can activate your shock core as a bonus action, and it remains active for 1 minute. You must take a long rest before using Muscle Weave The muscle weave biohack is a network of ultra-strong musculoskeletal fibers that support and enhance muscle contractions, as well as lessening any stress placed on bones. Vitruvian. Your Strength score is increased by +2, and your maximum Strength score is now 22. Ronin. Your Strength score is increased by +4, and your maximum Strength score is now 24. Hexie. Your Strength score is increased by +6, and your maximum Strength score is now 26. Omnitech. Your Strength score is increased by +8, and your maximum Strength score is now 28. Polyguise This biohack enables you to adopt any number of human appearances and voices. Your face and larynx are reconstructed with artificial bones, cartilage, and mus-

162 // 5. Upgrades // Satori. This increases your Intelligence score by +4, and your maximum Intelligence score is now 24 Custom Daemon OS Your daemon has been upgraded to accommodate different AI, allowing you to house superior AI than the base one. Hexie. You can purchase an install any of the bot AI described in the Robots section of Chapter 4: Goods and Services. Only one bot may be installed as your AI at any given time. Omnitech. In addition to having the benefits described in the Hexie custom daemon OS, your daemon has been upgraded with firmware that allows it to take control of your motor functions, essentially making your body a robot frame for it. The firmware is coded with combat abilities to make your daemon AI competent in a fight. Possession by your daemon AI follows the following rules: • It takes 1 action to transfer control of your body to your daemon. • It can take actions normally (movement, reaction, bonus, etc.). • It uses your proficiency bonus and STR/ DEX/CON scores. • It cannot use any of your skill proficiencies, but it can fully use its own skill proficiencies. • It cannot use any of your class features. • It has the Extra Attack feature (as described in the Gunfighter class). • It has proficiency in all weapons. • When it uses the Attack action, it can make one unarmed strike as a bonus action. Additionally, the unarmed strike does 1d4 + Strength modifier damage. • Mind hacks still affect both you and your daemon AI, and still use your saving throws. • You can still sense the world as you normally would. • You are free to take your actions that don’t require your motor skills. For example, you can launch hacks, use telepresence, dive in the WDS, or communicate with others. Daemon Firewall You have some protection versus mind hacking. Hexie. While active, you gain a +2 bonus on any saving throws made to resist mind hacks. Requires concentration. Omnitech. While active, you gain advantage on any saving throws made to resist mind hacks. Requires concentration. this ability again. The following effects apply for the duration of its activation: Tezla. Your melee attacks do an additional 1d4 electrical damage, or 1d8 electrical damage if they are unarmed strikes. Omnitech. Your melee attacks do an additional 1d6 electrical damage, or 1d12 electrical damage if they are unarmed strikes. Sprint Boost This augmentation strengthens fast-twitch muscles in your legs. Vitruvian. Your Speed increases by 3 meters. Thumper. Your Speed increases by 6 meters. Omnitech. Your Speed increases by 9 meters. Blitz-Cat. Your Speed increases by 12 meters. Stun Knuckles Your knuckles, elbows, shins, and other useful impact areas are reinforced with high strength conductive materials that can deliver muscle paralyzing shocks. Whenever you successfully hit someone with an unarmed attack, they must make a DC 10 Constitution save, or be stunned until the end of their turn. Subdermal Plates Vital areas of your body are protected by nanocarbon plates placed under your skin, replacing bone in some cases. These incredibly strong but flexible plates count as wearing Light Armor. If you suit up in armor, you use whatever bonus is higher, they do not stack. Vitruvian. Your AC increases by 3. Ronin. Your AC increases by 5. Validerm. Your AC increases by 7. Daemon Upgrades Amped Confidence Your brain chemistry is biohacked to provide you with optimal self-assuredness, charm, and debonair. Hyperborea. Increases your Charisma score by +2, and your maximum Charisma score is now 22. Guanxi. Increases your Charisma score by +4, and your maximum Charisma score is now 24. Cognitive Boost Your general intellect is enhanced by rewiring key neural pathways, in conjunction with a brain-computer interface chip. Hyperborea. Your Intelligence score is increased by +2, and your maximum Intelligence score is now 22. Genomes Classes Goods and Services Upgrades Daemons Brave New World NPCs Appendices Intro Character Creation Completing Contracts Combat Hacking Ability Scores

// GeneFunk 2090 // 163 Multitasking Chip You add a general brain-computer interface processor, enabling you to run an additional program or upgrade that requires concentration (you may concentrate on one more effect than normal). Skill Chip This chip implant allows you to run skillsoft, specialized software that grants you competency in a skill. Particular Skillsoft must be purchased separately, and each one costsシ1,000. Hyperborea. While running a particular skillsoft, you gain proficiency in that skill. It takes 10 minutes to load up a particular skillsoft. Requires concentration. Omnitech. This upgrade functions like the Hyperborea skill chip, but you can run two skillsoft at once. Targeting Computer You get a targeting implant and software that increases your accuracy. Ronin. You gain a +2 bonus to all attack rolls. Hexie. You gain a +3 bonus to all attack rolls. Omnitech. You gain a +4 bonus to all attack rolls. Dataport You can hook up your daemon directly to other devices that have jacks without using wireless. This is essential to interfacing with computers that lack wireless capability, which is common for CCTV and databases containing sensitive data. This implant bypasses attempts to jam or detect wireless signals. Heightened Focus You biohack your brain, augmenting pathways and amplifying neurotransmitters and hormones relating to conscious awareness. As a result, you are more mindful, alert, and aware. Hyperborea. Your Wisdom score increases by +2, and your maximum Wisdom score is now 22. Satori. Your Wisdom score increases by +4, and your maximum Wisdom score is now 24. Motorchip This implant optimizes your motor skills, giving you greater balance and hand-eye coordination. Hexie. Your Dexterity score is increased by +2, and your maximum Dexterity score is now 22. Omnitech. Your Dexterity score is increased by +4, and your maximum Dexterity score is now 24. Daemon Upgrades Upgrade Brand Cost Effect Summary Amped Confidence Hyperborea シ25,000 +2 Charisma, 22 maximum Charisma Amped Confidence Guanxi シ150,000 +4 Charisma, 24 maximum Charisma Cognitive Boost Hyperborea シ25,000 +2 Intelligence, 22 maximum Intelligence Cognitive Boost Satori シ150,000 +4 Intelligence, 24 maximum Intelligence Daemon Firewall Hexie シ5,000 A +2 bonus against mind hacking Daemon Firewall Omnitech シ30,000 Advantage against mind hacking Custom Daemon Hexie シ40,000 Your daemon is modded to run various bot AI Custom Daemon Omnitech シ250,000 Your daemon is modded to run combat firmware, taking control of your body Dataport Varies シ3,000 Hardline port to daemon for when there is no wireless Heightened Focus Hyperborea シ25,000 +2 Wisdom, 22 maximum Wisdom Heightened Focus Satori シ150,000 +4 Wisdom, 24 maximum Wisdom Motorchip Hexie シ25,000 +2 Dexterity, 22 maximum Dexterity Motorchip Omnitech シ150,000 +4 Dexterity, 24 maximum Dexterity Multitasking Processor Omnitech シ75,000 You may run an additional program that requires concentration Skill Chip Hyperborea シ25,000 Can run 1 skillsoft, requires concentration Skill Chip Omnitech シ100,000 Can run 2 skillsoft, requires concentration Targeting Computer Ronin シ25,000 +2 to Attack rolls Targeting Computer Hexie シ100,000 +3 to Attack rolls Targeting Computer Omnitech シ400,000 +4 to Attack rolls

// GeneFunk 2090 // 165 Daemons are internal supercomputers, flowing through your bloodstream, running on your nervous system, and channeling data through a nanofiber mesh that extends to every corner of the body. Working in tandem with the functioning of the biological brain, daemons facilitate interaction with computer software in ways previous eras never could have imagined. Gone are the archaic and clunky keyboards and mice of the past, replaced by the daemon’s seamless, thought-to-computer interface. They are the new phone, fully integrated into the body. Daemons are also endogenous doctors, supplementing the body’s natural healing process with medicinal nanobots, making tissue repair and immune response more effective. A Brief History of Daemons In the 2070s, innovations in nanotechnology and computer engineering led to the development of an internal nanocomputer that directly interfaced with the human brain, body systems, and even individual genomes. The computer was created and maintained by a complement of specialized nanobots that wire a branching network of carbon nanotube filaments throughout the entire body. The data flowing through these filaments was mediated by processing cores in key locations around the body, such as in the brain and belly; these processing nodes were the computer’s CPU. As a supplement to the central processors, a DNA computer was encoded into the individual’s genome, which aided in parallel computing and gene regulation. By the end of the 2070's, these internal computers began to eclipse all other mobile devices and brain-computer interfaces in terms of sales, due to their incredible speeds and capabilities. The term “daemon” was long used to refer to computer background processes, originating from the Ancient Greek term for spirits, or minor deities. This term also started being applied to these internal phones, an especially apt moniker, considering the anthropomorphic nature of most daemon operating systems. Many people opted to choose an OS for their daemon that was very conversational in nature, acting as an AI inner voice. Before long, daemon manufacturers started to include medicinal nanobots in their complement in order to compete for market share. This medicinal component became a ubiquitous feature of daemons. They aided in tissue repair, immune function, and had diagnostic elements that could monitor and regulate personal health, including hormone levels and gene expression. As a result, mortality plunged, and people were able to heal from even very serious injuries in just a day or two. By 2090, over 96% of the globe’s population have daemons, and some philosophers and social commentators believe that daemons have changed human nature so much that society has entered a “posthuman age”, marking the end of traditional humanity. My Daemon and Me Daemons are ubiquitous, and having an internal supercomputer with an intelligent OS has changed the human condition. The Digital World at Your Fingertips This constant access to information and communication with other people has led to some interesting changes in how society operates. When bored in office meetings or class, people can secretly be watching movies in a mind’s-eye window, chatting with their friends, or having virtual sex with their lover. This has led to serious inefficiency problems in business and academic settings, causing many schools and businesses to jam wireless signals in certain rooms, both for secrecy and to limit distractions. Chapter 6: Daemons Modern Medicine and Renewed Vice Culture Medical technology in GeneFunk 2090 is a marvel to behold, and the personal diagnostic and therapeutic functions of the daemon are a major part of that. Many of the unhealthy vices of the 20th and early 21st centuries now have medical treatments that either mitigate or completely remedy the negative effects on the body. STDs, lung cancer, heart disease, and liver disease all have treatments or cures that are available to most people at reasonable costs. As such, a culture of smoking, free-love, drinking and drug-use have made a huge comeback, and social taboos around them have softened. If it wasn’t for the ever-present violence, economic stratification, and corporate supremacy, comparisons to the hippy culture of the 1960s would be apt!

166 // 6. Daemons // Constant Companions Each human consciousness, in a certain way, is never alone; their well-spoken and learned OS is always with them. Daemons are often programmed to be socially human and are more than capable of passing the Turing test, easily presenting as humans if they want to. They remind you if you are running late, wake you up in the morning, can monitor your general health and push you to eat better, tell you when you are sick or how drunk you are. This is all done verbally inside your own head, and this constant artificial human interaction has led many to anthropomorphize the daemon. It is usually given a male or female persona, though some choose to leave it gender neutral, giving it a historically “robot” voice, or even an animal persona, like a pet dog. The only limit to the daemon’s AI personality is the user’s imagination. Unsurprisingly, a large portion of the population have entered into romantic relationships with their own daemon, and plugins to facilitate daemon-user romantic relations are remarkably popular. Some blame this for the falling birthrate and reduction in traditional romantic relationships. A Daemon Never Forgets Given the daemon’s ability to record and replay any sensory experience, becoming lost in nostalgia has become a common occurrence. Getting over broken relationships has never been more difficult, thanks to the ability to live inside one’s own memories of the good times. Likewise, constantly reliving the “glory days” of youth, enjoyable drug trips, scoring the winning touchdown, or swimming with dolphins, are hard lures to resist for most people. The tendency for people to spend large amounts of time in their most enjoyable memories has become so commonplace that it is considered a mental disease, much like drug addiction. Mind Hacking and The Law As wonderful and useful as daemons are, they are not without their perils. Hackers used to be at best a nuisance and at worst a financial or informational danger. In 2090, with nearly everyone being constantly online through their daemon, hackers can be downright devastating through mind hacks. The most frightening mind hacks completely wipe out a person’s daemon. Death is a very real consequence of getting hacked by the wrong mindcoder. Perhaps even more disturbing are puppet hacks. Viruses that put the victim under the direct control of a hacker are both insidious and effective. Particularly effective puppet hacks erase an individual’s entire lifetime, replacing it with artificial memories. Sleeper puppet hacks lay dormant until a specific stimulus activates them. Murder and other crimes by proxy are often the goals of these vicious programs. While a hacker may lack martial skills, they can just puppet hack some newb who does and have them do the dirty work. Daemon Abilities Regular Computer Functions. Anything that you could imagine doing on a PC or phone in the early 21st Century can also be done through your daemon. It runs software programs such as word processors, multimedia editors, video games, VR, or any other computer application you could imagine. Over 100 petabytes can be stored on your daemon, not including cloud storage. Mind’s Eye Windows. Rather than using a monitor or other external display, your daemon opens up two-dimensional MEWs (mind’s eye windows) that hang in your field of vision. They operate just like windows on a computer or phone and can be opened, closed, minimized, or expanded with a mere thought. Daemon AI Just like any other computer, daemons have their own AI. The AI of a daemon acts independently from the character, often under the narration of the GM. It gives advice, looks up information, or simply provides companionship. Just like other AI bots, it cannot use applied skills: it can’t use Intelligence (Mechanics) to fix a car without hands, but it can use the Help action with non-combat related Intelligence ability checks. The basic daemon AI has the following features: INT WIS CHA 10 (+0) 10 (+0) 10 (+0) Skills Computers +2, Insight +2 Languages Unlimited Calculator. The daemon AI can perform mathematical calculations instantly. Eidetic memory. The daemon AI has virtually unlimited capacity for memory, and it is able to record experiences whenever the user directs it. If a character possesses the custom daemon upgrade (see Chapter 5), they are able to use other bots as their daemon’s AI (the prices for the bots are listed in chapter 4, and the statistics of the bots are listed in Appendix B: Bots). Genomes Classes Goods and Services Upgrades Daemons Brave New World NPCs Appendices Intro Character Creation Completing Contracts Combat Hacking Ability Scores

// GeneFunk 2090 // 167 Thought-to-Speech Chat. Chat programs have been around for decades, but through the daemon, these programs are essentially a kind of telepathy. People can have private conversations “in their minds” without anyone else (except skilled hackers) being able to hear. Sensory Recorder and Player. Your daemon can record more than just audiovisual experiences; it can accurately record and transmit all five senses. Sensory data can even be livestreamed for others to experience in real-time, allowing others to “ride” their senses. Playing recorded (or live streamed) sensory data stimulate all five senses and seems as real as the first time it occurred. It enables people to relive any past experience, or the experience of another (if it is available). Replaying your own experiences, or the experiences of others, are first-person and hyper-vivid, just as if it were actually happening. Limiting certain senses like touch from being recorded is also possible, and audio-visual recordings are still common. Telepresence. Vehicles and robots come equipped with audiovisual sensors, or even touch and olfactory sensors in a robot’s case. By connecting to these things wirelessly, a remote user can operate them and experience the world through the vehicle’s or robot’s senses. Run Software. Upgrades often require the processing power of your daemon, along with concentration. For example, if you have a skill chip installed, you can run skillsoft using your daemon, granting you proficiency in a skill. Without a daemon, you are unable to run any daemon upgrades or other upgrades that require concentration. Dive in the WDS. The WDS is a fully immersive VR cyberspace that stimulates all five senses. It is the preferred way to interact socially on the net, play video games, and a good place to bend the laws of physics or do or see fantastical things that could never occur in physical reality. Hacking. If skilled enough, you can use your daemon to hack a computer system, or even someone else’s daemon. See the codehacker class, Computers skill, and Chapter 10: Hacking for more details on this. Internal Doctor. Daemons include medicinal and diagnostic nanobots that suture wounds, isolate and neutralize poisons, and repair bone damage. As a result, even incredibly serious injuries can be healed in mere hours or days (see Chapter 9). Universal Translator. Daemons have software with over 100 languages loaded into their firmware. They automatically translate any of the world’s major languages in real-time, allowing users to understand well enough to have conversations. However, it does lack some of the nuance present in natural fluency, so any Charisma ability checks that involve mastery of language, like verbal persuasion, are made with disadvantage. Playing Without a Daemon Immune to Mind Hacks. The character cannot be mind hacked, which is the clear (and only) advantage of not having a daemon. Slow Healing. Without the medicinal nanobots of the daemon, characters only heal 1 hit point every day. They can still take healing drugs and apply their effects normally. Loss of Daemon Abilities. All of the daemon abilities (described above) are unavailable to the character. By using a BCI described in the Gear section of Chapter 4 they can still gain access to some of these abilities.

// GeneFunk 2090 // 169 Six abilities provide a quick description of everybody’s personal physical and mental characteristics: • Strength, measuring physical power • Dexterity, measuring agility • Constitution, measuring endurance • Intelligence, measuring reasoning and memory • Wisdom, measuring perception and insight • Charisma, measuring force of personality Is a character muscle-bound and insightful? Brilliant and charming? Nimble and hardy? Ability scores define these qualities—a person’s assets as well as weaknesses. The three main rolls of the game—the ability check, the saving throw, and the attack roll—rely on the six ability scores. The basic rule behind these rolls is roll a d20, add an ability modifier derived from one of the six ability scores, and compare the total to a target number. Ability Scores and Modifiers Each of a person’s abilities has a score, a number that defines the magnitude of that ability. An ability score is not just a measure of innate capabilities, but also encompasses a person’s training and competence in activities related to that ability. A score of 10 or 11 is the normal human average, but cadre mercs and many NPCs are a cut above average in most abilities. A score of 18 is the highest that a person usually reaches. Unmodified humans with no upgrades can have scores as high as 20, but giant robots, genetically engineered humans, and other technologically boosted individuals can possess abilities that can go as high as 30. Each ability also has a modifier, derived from the score and ranging from -5 (for an ability score of 1) to +10 (for a score of 30). The Ability Scores and Modifiers table notes the ability modifiers for the range of possible ability scores, from 1 to 30. Ability Scores and Modifiers Score Modifier Score Modifier 1 -5 16-17 +3 2-3 -4 18-19 +4 4-5 -3 20-21 +5 6-7 -2 22-23 +6 8-9 -1 24-25 +7 10-11 0 26-27 +8 12-13 +1 28-29 +9 14-15 +2 30 +10 To determine an ability modifier without consulting the table, subtract 10 from the ability score and then divide the total by 2 (round down). Because ability modifiers affect almost every attack roll, ability check, and saving throw, ability modifiers come up in play more often than their associated scores. Advantage and Disadvantage Sometimes a special ability or hack tells you that you have advantage or disadvantage on an ability check, a saving throw, or an attack roll. When that happens, you roll a second d20 when you make the roll. Use the higher of the two rolls if you have advantage, and use the lower roll if you have disadvantage. For example, if you have disadvantage and roll a 17 and a 5, you use the 5. If you instead have advantage and roll those numbers, you use the 17. If multiple situations affect a roll and each one grants advantage or imposes disadvantage on it, you don’t roll more than one additional d20. If two favorable situations grant advantage, for example, you still roll only one additional d20. If circumstances cause a roll to have both advantage and disadvantage, you are considered to have neither of them, and you roll one d20. This is true even if multiple circumstances impose disadvantage and only one grants advantage or vice versa. In such a situation, you have neither advantage nor disadvantage. When you have advantage or disadvantage and a feature in the game, such as the unmodified human’s Lucky trait, lets you reroll the d20, you can reroll only one of the dice. You choose which one. For example, if a samurai has advantage or disadvantage on an ability check and rolls a 1 and a 13, the samurai could use the Lucky trait to reroll the 1. You usually gain advantage or disadvantage through the use of special abilities, actions, or hacks. Inspiration can also give a character advantage. The GM can also decide that circumstances influence a roll in one direction or the other and grant advantage or impose disadvantage as a result. Proficiency Bonus Characters have a proficiency bonus determined by level. NPCs also have this bonus, which is incorporated in their stat blocks. The bonus is used in the rules on ability checks, saving throws, and attack rolls. Your proficiency bonus can’t be added to a single die roll or other number more than once. For example, Chapter 7: Using Ability Scores

170 // 7. Ability Scores // if two different rules say you can add your proficiency bonus to a Wisdom saving throw, you nevertheless add the bonus only once when you make the save. Occasionally, your proficiency bonus might be multiplied or divided (doubled or halved, for example) before you apply it. For example, the Crook’s Expertise feature doubles the proficiency bonus for certain ability checks. If a circumstance suggests that your proficiency bonus applies more than once to the same roll, you still add it only once and multiply or divide it only once. By the same token, if a feature or effect allows you to multiply your proficiency bonus when making an ability check that wouldn’t normally benefit from your proficiency bonus, you still don’t add the bonus to the check. For that check your proficiency bonus is 0, given the fact that multiplying 0 by any number is still 0. For instance, if you lack proficiency in the Social Science skill, you gain no benefit from a feature that lets you double your proficiency bonus when you make Intelligence (Social Science) checks. In general, you don’t multiply your proficiency bonus for attack rolls or saving throws. If a feature or effect allows you to do so, these same rules apply. Ability Checks An ability check tests a character’s innate talent and training in an effort to overcome a challenge. The GM calls for an ability check when a character attempts an action (other than an attack) that has a chance of failure. When the outcome is uncertain, the dice determine the results. For every ability check, the GM decides which of the six abilities is relevant to the task at hand and the difficulty of the task, represented by a Difficulty Class (DC). The more difficult a task, the higher its DC. The Typical Difficulty Classes table shows the most common DCs. Typical Difficulty Classes Task Difficulty DC Very Easy 5 Easy 10 Medium 15 Hard 20 Very Hard 25 Nearly Impossible 30 To make an ability check, roll a d20 and add the relevant ability modifier. As with other d20 rolls, apply bonuses and penalties, and compare the total to the DC. If the total equals or exceeds the DC, the ability check is a success—the person overcomes the challenge at hand. Otherwise, it’s a failure, which means the character makes no progress toward the objective or makes progress combined with a setback determined by the GM. Contests Sometimes one character’s efforts are directly opposed to another’s. This can occur when both of them are trying to do the same thing and only one can succeed, such as attempting to snatch up a gun that has fallen on the floor. This situation also applies when one of them is trying to prevent the other one from accomplishing a goal—for example, when an NPC tries to force open a door that a cadre merc is holding closed. In situations like these, the outcome is determined by a special form of ability check, called a contest. Both participants in a contest make ability checks appropriate to their efforts. They apply all appropriate bonuses and penalties, but instead of comparing the total to a DC, they compare the totals of their two checks. The participant with the higher check total wins the contest. That character or NPC either succeeds at the action or prevents the other one from succeeding. If the contest results in a tie, the situation remains the same as it was before the contest. Thus, one contestant might win the contest by default. If two characters tie in a contest to snatch a ring off the floor, neither character grabs it. In a contest between an NPC trying to open a door and a player character trying to keep the door closed, a tie means that the door remains shut. Skills Each ability covers a broad range of capabilities, including skills that a character or an NPC can be proficient in. A skill represents a specific aspect of an ability score, and an individual’s proficiency in a skill demonstrates a focus on that aspect. (A character’s Genomes Classes Goods and Services Upgrades Daemons Brave New World NPCs Appendices Intro Character Creation Completing Contracts Combat Hacking Ability Scores

// GeneFunk 2090 // 171 starting skill proficiencies are determined at character creation, and an NPC’s skill proficiencies appear in the NPC’s stat block.) For example, a Dexterity check might reflect a character’s attempt to pull off an acrobatic stunt, to palm an object, or to stay hidden. Each of these aspects of Dexterity has an associated skill: Acrobatics, Drive, Sleight of Hand, and Stealth, respectively. So, a character who has proficiency in the Stealth skill is particularly good at Dexterity checks related to sneaking and hiding. The skills related to each ability score are shown in the following list. See an ability’s description in the later sections of this section for examples of how to use a skill associated with an ability. Strength Wisdom Athletics Insight Dexterity Perception Acrobatics Survival Drive Charisma Sleight of Hand Deception Stealth Intimidation Intelligence Performance Bureaucracy Persuasion Investigation Life Science Mechanics Physical Science Social Science Streetwise Computers Sometimes, the GM might ask for an ability check using a specific skill—for example, “Make a Wisdom (Perception) check.” At other times, a player might ask the GM if proficiency in a particular skill applies to a check. In either case, proficiency in a skill means an individual can add their proficiency bonus to ability checks that involve that skill. Without proficiency in the skill, the individual makes a normal ability check. For example, if a character attempts to climb up a dangerous cliff, the GM might ask for a Strength (Athletics) check. If the character is proficient in Athletics, the character’s proficiency bonus is added to the Strength check. If the character lacks that proficiency, he or she just makes a Strength check. Skills with Different Abilities Normally, your proficiency in a skill applies only to a specific kind of ability check. Proficiency in Athletics, for example, usually applies to Strength checks. In some situations, though, your proficiency might reasonably apply to a different kind of check. In such cases, the GM might ask for a check using an unusual combination of ability and skill, or you might ask your GM if you can apply a proficiency to a different check. For example, if you have to swim from an offshore island to the mainland, your GM might call for a Constitution check to see if you have the stamina to make it that far. In this case, your GM might allow you to apply your proficiency in Athletics and ask for a Constitution (Athletics) check. So if you’re proficient in Athletics, you apply your proficiency bonus to the Constitution check just as you would normally do for a Strength (Athletics) check. Similarly, when your Canary hardcase uses a display of raw strength to intimidate an enemy, your GM might ask for a Strength (Intimidation) check, even though Intimidation is normally associated with Charisma. Passive Checks A passive check is a special kind of ability check that doesn’t involve any die rolls. Such a check can represent the average result for a task done repeatedly, such as searching for secret doors over and over again, or can be used when the GM wants to secretly determine whether the characters succeed at something without rolling dice, such as noticing a hidden NPC. Here’s how to determine a character’s total for a passive check: 10 + all modifiers that normally apply to the check If the character has advantage on the check, add 5. For disadvantage, subtract 5. The game refers to a passive check total as a score. For example, if a 1st-level character has a Wisdom of 15 and proficiency in Perception, he or she has a passive Wisdom (Perception) score of 14. The rules on hiding in the “Dexterity” section below rely on passive checks, as do the exploration rules. Working Together Sometimes two or more characters team up to attempt a task. The character who’s leading the effort—or the one with the highest ability modifier—can make an ability check with advantage, reflecting the help provided by the other characters. In combat, this requires the Help action. A character can only provide help if the task is one that he or she could attempt alone. For example, trying to open a lock requires proficiency with mechanics, so a character who lacks that proficiency can’t help another character in that task.

172 // 7. Ability Scores // • You try to jump an unusually long distance or pull off a stunt mid-jump. • You struggle to swim or stay afloat in treacherous currents, storm-tossed waves, or areas of thick seaweed. Or another person tries to push or pull you underwater or otherwise interfere with your swimming. Other Strength Checks. The GM might also call for a Strength check when you try to accomplish tasks like the following: • Force open a stuck, locked, or barred door • Break free of bonds • Push through a tunnel that is too small • Hang on to a car while being dragged behind it • Tip over a statue • Keep a powered door from closing Attack Rolls and Damage You add your Strength modifier to your attack roll and your damage roll when attacking with a melee weapon such as a bat, a nanoblade, or a katana. You use melee weapons to make melee attacks in hand-to-hand combat, and some of them can be thrown to make a ranged attack. Lifting and Carrying Your Strength score determines the amount of weight you can bear. The following terms define what you can lift or carry. Carrying Capacity. Your carrying capacity is your Strength score multiplied by 7. This is the weight (in Moreover, a character can help only when two or more individuals working together would actually be productive. Some tasks, such as threading a needle, are no easier with help, and others would require both to have relevant skill proficiencies. Group Checks When a number of individuals are trying to accomplish something as a group, the GM might ask for a group ability check. In such a situation, the characters who are skilled at a particular task help cover those who aren’t. To make a group ability check, everyone in the group makes the ability check. If at least half the group succeeds, the whole group succeeds. Otherwise, the group fails. Group checks don’t come up very often, and they’re most useful when all the characters succeed or fail as a group. For example, when characters are navigating a known yakuza bar, the GM might call for a group Intelligence (Streetwise) check to see if the characters can avoid gangland taboos, or other pitfalls of the environment. If at least half the group succeeds, the successful characters are able to guide their companions out of danger. Otherwise, the group stumbles into one of these hazards. Using Each Ability Every task that a character or NPC might attempt in the game is covered by one of the six abilities. This section explains in more detail what those abilities mean and the ways they are used in the game. Strength Strength measures bodily power, athletic training, and the extent to which you can exert raw physical force. Strength Checks A Strength check can model any attempt to lift, push, pull, or break something, to force your body through a space, or to otherwise apply brute force to a situation. The Athletics skill reflects aptitude in certain kinds of Strength checks. Athletics. Your Strength (Athletics) check covers difficult situations you encounter while climbing, jumping, or swimming. Examples include the following activities: • You attempt to climb a sheer or slippery cliff, avoid hazards while scaling a wall, or cling to a surface while something is trying to knock you off. Genomes Classes Goods and Services Upgrades Daemons Brave New World NPCs Appendices Intro Character Creation Completing Contracts Combat Hacking Ability Scores

// GeneFunk 2090 // 173 Other Dexterity Checks. The GM might call for a Dexterity check when you try to accomplish tasks like the following: • Pick a manual lock • Disable a manual trap • Securely tie up a prisoner • Wriggle free of bonds • Play a stringed instrument • Craft a small or detailed object kilograms) that you can carry, which is high enough that most characters don’t have to worry about it. Push, Drag, or Lift. You can push, drag, or lift a weight in pounds up to twice your carrying capacity (or 14 times your Strength score). While pushing or dragging weight in excess of your carrying capacity, your speed drops to 1.5 meters. Size and Strength. Persons who are Large size can bear more weight: whereas, persons who are Tiny can carry less. For each size category above Medium, double the person’s carrying capacity and the amount it can push, drag, or lift. For a person considered Tiny, halve these weights. dexterity Dexterity measures agility, reflexes, and balance. Dexterity Checks A Dexterity check can model any attempt to move nimbly, quickly, or quietly, or to keep from falling on tricky footing. The Acrobatics, Drive, Sleight of Hand, and Stealth skills reflect aptitude in certain kinds of Dexterity checks. Acrobatics. Your Dexterity (Acrobatics) check covers your attempt to stay on your feet in a tricky situation, such as when you’re trying to run across a sheet of ice, balance on a tightrope, or stay upright on a rocking ship’s deck. The GM might also call for a Dexterity (Acrobatics) check to see if you can perform acrobatic stunts, including dives, rolls, somersaults, and flips. Drive. All characters start out being able to drive a car, but this skill represents advanced training with cars, and the ability to pilot helicopters and planes. Racecar drivers, police, or stuntmen are all usually trained in this skill. A Dexterity (Drive) check might be required when the character is attempting to do amazing car stunts that you only see in the movies, and engage in the ever-classic car chase, either as the pursuer or escapee (see the chase section in Chapter 8, or vehicle combat in Chapter 9). This check applies to any vehicle, including airborne ones. Sleight of Hand. Whenever you attempt an act of legerdemain or manual trickery, such as planting something on someone else or concealing an object on your person, make a Dexterity (Sleight of Hand) check. The GM might also call for a Dexterity (Sleight of Hand) check to determine whether you can lift a wallet off another person or slip something out of another person’s pocket. Stealth. Make a Dexterity (Stealth) check when you attempt to conceal yourself from enemies, slink past guards, slip away without being noticed, or sneak up on someone without being seen or heard. Hiding The GM decides when circumstances are appropriate for hiding. When you try to hide, make a Dexterity (Stealth) check. Until you are discovered or you stop hiding, that check’s total is contested by the Wisdom (Perception) check of any person that actively searches for signs of your presence. You can’t hide from a person that can see you clearly, and you give away your position if you make noise, such as shouting a warning or knocking over a vase. An invisible person can always try to hide. Signs of its passage might still be noticed, and it does have to stay quiet. In combat, most persons stay alert for signs of danger all around, so if you come out of hiding and approach a person, it usually sees you. However, under certain circumstances, the GM might allow you to stay hidden as you approach a person that is distracted, allowing you to gain advantage on an attack roll before you are seen. Passive Perception. When you hide, there’s a chance someone will notice you even if they aren’t searching. To determine whether such a person notices you, the GM compares your Dexterity (Stealth) check with that person’s passive Wisdom (Perception) score, which equals 10 + the person’s Wisdom modifier, as well as any other bonuses or penalties. If the person has advantage, add 5. For disadvantage, subtract 5. For example, if a 1st-level character (with a proficiency bonus of +2) has a Wisdom of 15 (a +2 modifier) and proficiency in Perception, he or she has a passive Wisdom (Perception) of 14. What Can You See? One of the main factors in determining whether you can find a hidden person or object is how well you can see in an area, which might be lightly or heavily obscured, as explained in “The Environment.”

174 // 7. Ability Scores // Intelligence Intelligence measures mental acuity, accuracy of recall, and the ability to reason. Intelligence Checks An Intelligence check comes into play when you need to draw on logic, education, memory, or deductive reasoning. The Bureaucracy, Computers, Investigation, Life Science, Mechanics, Physical Science, and Streetwise skills reflect aptitude in certain kinds of Intelligence checks. Bureaucracy. Your Intelligence (Bureaucracy) check covers knowledge about law, the syndicates and all their subsidiary corporations, and accounting. Almost all uses of this skill concern knowledge about the rules of a particular organization. It allows the character to know the connections between various governments, multi-national-corporations, criminal organizations, and other NGOs. Other uses of this skill could be to set up legal structures, or review documents and contracts to search for loopholes or exploitation. Computers. This skill represents training in using computers of any kind, which is almost always your daemon, your personal biocomputer. It also signifies knowledge in coding, and internet and hacking culture. This skill alone is not enough to hack a computer, though an Intelligence (Computers) check is required for many hacks, breaking through computer security, figuring out someone’s IP address, or knowing the latest cyberspace buzz (see Chapter 10: Hacking). The decrypt hack is commonly used to slice through computer security to access the information inside, and the unlock hack is often used for electronic locks. Attack Rolls and Damage You add your Dexterity modifier to your attack roll and your damage roll when attacking with a ranged weapon, such as a pistol or a rifle. You can also add your Dexterity modifier to your attack roll and your damage roll when attacking with a melee weapon that has the finesse property, such as a knife or a nanoblade. Armor Class Depending on the armor you wear, you might add some or all of your Dexterity modifier to your Armor Class. Initiative At the beginning of every combat, you roll initiative by making a Dexterity check. Initiative determines the order of persons’ turns in combat. Constitution Constitution measures health, stamina, and vital force. Constitution Checks Constitution checks are uncommon, and no skills apply to Constitution checks, because the endurance this ability represents is largely passive rather than involving a specific effort on the part of a character or NPC. A Constitution check can model your attempt to push beyond normal limits, however. The GM might call for a Constitution check when you try to accomplish tasks like the following: • Hold your breath • March or labor for hours without rest • Go without sleep • Survive without food or water • Guzzle an entire pint of beer in one shot Hit Points Your Constitution modifier contributes to your hit points. Typically, you add your Constitution modifier to each Hit Die you roll for your hit points. If your Constitution modifier changes, your hit point maximum changes as well, as though you had the new modifier from 1st level. For example, if you raise your Constitution score when you reach 4th level and your Constitution modifier increases from +1 to +2, you adjust your hit point maximum as though the modifier had always been +2. So, you add 3 hit points for your first three levels, and then roll your hit points for 4th level using your new modifier. Similarly, if you are 7th level, and some effect lowers your Constitution score so as to reduce your Constitution modifier by 1, your hit point maximum is reduced by 7. Genomes Classes Goods and Services Upgrades Daemons Brave New World NPCs Appendices Intro Character Creation Completing Contracts Combat Hacking Ability Scores

// GeneFunk 2090 // 175 together a computer from parts, disarm (or make) a bomb detonator, pick a manual lock, or disable electronic security. Possessing the proper tools (a mechanics tool kit) is often required to use this skill. Picking manual locks will usually involve a Dexterity (Mechanics) check rather than an Intelligence (Mechanics) check. Disarming electronic security, or opening electronic locks can be done with this skill, usually involving getting into the circuit boards and wires of the system, and requiring some time (minutes to hours, determined by the GM). Repairing electronics damaged by an EMP blast is also covered by this, being a DC 10 Intelligence (Mechanics) ability check and 10 minutes. Investigation. When you look around for clues and make deductions based on those clues, you make an Intelligence (Investigation) check. You might deduce the location of a hidden object, discern from the appearance of a wound what kind of weapon dealt it, or determine the weakest point in a tunnel that could cause it to collapse. Poring through pages of search engine results or figuring out someone’s IP address might also call for an Intelligence (Investigation) check. Life Science. You have been formally educated in a university in the subjects of biology, anatomy, pathology, genetics, and any other scientific endeavor concerning life. An Intelligence (Life Science) check enables the character to identify various animals and plants, diagnose and treat medical problems, stabilize dying characters, and discern information about an individual based on their genetic profile. This knowledge extends to all of the various patented transgenic genomes, enabling you to identify most of them based on appearance and all of them if you analyze a DNA sample. Mechanics. You are trained with everything electronic or mechanical. With an Intelligence (Mechanics) check you can fix a car engine, rewire a robot, put No Tool Proficiencies?! Right, you noticed! A GM is free to use the rules for tool proficiencies outlined in the System Reference Document if they still wish to use them. As outlined in this game, for mechanically useful tool proficiencies, skill proficiencies can cover their function, as outlined in the table below. You will still need the physical tools, but the proficiency in them is covered by the skill. As for the tool proficiencies that are only for roleplaying flavor, simply say it’s a hobby or talent for your character in your notes! You want your character to be able to be good at brewing, or wood carving? Boom, just say so, and include it in your background story. Tool Proficiency Skill Proficiency Used Chemist supplies Physical Science Disguise kit Deception or Performance Forgery kit Deception or Computers Smith’s tools Mechanics Herbalism kit Life Science Musical Instrument Performance Poisoners kit Life or Physical Science Thieves Tools Mechanics or Computers

176 // 7. Ability Scores // Insight. Your Wisdom (Insight) check decides whether you can determine the true intentions of a person, such as when searching out a lie or predicting someone’s next move. Doing so involves gleaning clues from body language, speech habits, and changes in mannerisms. Perception. Your Wisdom (Perception) check lets you spot, hear, or otherwise detect the presence of something. It measures your general awareness of your surroundings and the keenness of your senses. For example, you might try to hear a conversation through a closed door, eavesdrop under an open window, or hear NPCs moving stealthily in the forest. Or you might try to spot things that are obscured or easy to miss, whether they are hitmen lying in ambush in the next room, thugs hiding in the shadows of an alley, or the sound of footsteps behind a closed secret door. Survival. The GM might ask you to make a Wisdom (Survival) check to follow tracks, hunt wild game, guide your group through frozen wastelands, identify signs that bears live nearby, predict the weather, or avoid quicksand and other natural hazards. Other Wisdom Checks. The GM might call for a Wisdom check when you try to accomplish tasks like the following: • Get a gut feeling about what course of action to follow • When a deal seems to good to be true Physical Science. You have been formally educated in a university in the subjects of chemistry, physics, mathematics, geology, or other scientific endeavor concerning non-living systems. Your character can make an Intelligence (Physical Science) checks to identify chemical compounds and elements, create toxins, explosives, or powerful solvents, solve complex mathematical puzzles, and explain anomalous natural events. Social Science. You have been formally educated in a university in the subjects of history, psychology, philosophy, anthropology, or other academic field concerning the human condition. Your character can explain different aspects of cultures such as clothing, food, artifacts, or practices. They can also discern mental conditions and argue about the fundamentals of human nature and existence. Your Intelligence (Social Science) check measures your ability to recall lore about historical events, mental diseases, legendary people, ancient kingdoms, past disputes, wars, countries, cultures, religions, psychological conditions, or any other area related to the humanities and social sciences. Streetwise. When in a city you can make an Intelligence (Streetwise) check to find out what’s going on in the criminal underworld, who the movers and shakers are, where to get what you need (and how to get there), and where not to go. It lets you know how to find the right people if you want illicit substances such as weapons, drugs, or other illegal wares. It also lets you know who the local gang leaders and crime bosses are. Other Intelligence Checks. The GM might call for an Intelligence check when you try to accomplish tasks like the following: • Communicate to someone without using words • Estimate the value of a precious item • Pull together a disguise to pass as a police officer • Forge a document • Recall lore about a craft or trade • Win a game of skill Wisdom Wisdom reflects how attuned you are to the world around you and represents perceptiveness and intuition. Wisdom Checks A Wisdom check might reflect an effort to read body language, understand someone’s feelings, notice things about the environment, or care for an injured person. The Insight, Perception, and Survival skills reflect aptitude in certain kinds of Wisdom checks. Genomes Classes Goods and Services Upgrades Daemons Brave New World NPCs Appendices Intro Character Creation Completing Contracts Combat Hacking Ability Scores

// GeneFunk 2090 // 177 Saving Throws A saving throw—also called a save—represents an attempt to resist a hack, a trap, a poison, a disease, or a similar threat. You don’t normally decide to make a saving throw; you are forced to make one because your character is at risk of harm. To make a saving throw, roll a d20 and add the appropriate ability modifier. For example, you use your Dexterity modifier for a Dexterity saving throw. A saving throw can be modified by a situational bonus or penalty and can be affected by advantage and disadvantage, as determined by the GM. Each class gives proficiency in at least two saving throws. The hacker, for example, is proficient in Intelligence and Wisdom saves. As with skill proficiencies, proficiency in a saving throw lets a character add their proficiency bonus to saving throws made using a particular ability score. Some NPCs have saving throw proficiencies as well. The Difficulty Class for a saving throw is determined by the effect that causes it. For example, the DC for a saving throw allowed by a hack is determined by the hacker’s hacking ability and proficiency bonus. The result of a successful or failed saving throw is also detailed in the effect that allows the save. Usually, a successful save means that a person suffers no harm, or reduced harm, from an effect. Charisma Charisma measures your ability to interact effectively with others. It includes such factors as confidence and eloquence, and it can represent a charming or commanding personality. Charisma Checks A Charisma check might arise when you try to influence or entertain others, when you try to make an impression or tell a convincing lie, or when you are navigating a tricky social situation. The Deception, Intimidation, Performance, and Persuasion skills reflect aptitude in certain kinds of Charisma checks. Deception. Your Charisma (Deception) check determines whether you can convincingly hide the truth, either verbally or through your actions. This deception can encompass everything from misleading others through ambiguity to telling outright lies. Typical situations include trying to fast-talk a police officer, con a businessman, earn money through gambling, pass yourself off in a disguise, dull someone’s suspicions with false assurances, or maintain a straight face while telling a blatant lie. Intimidation. When you attempt to influence someone through overt threats, hostile actions, and physical violence, the GM might ask you to make a Charisma (Intimidation) check. Examples include trying to pry information out of a prisoner, convincing street thugs to back down from a confrontation, or using the edge of a broken bottle to convince a sneering bureaucracy to reconsider a decision. Performance. Your Charisma (Performance) check determines how well you can delight an audience with music, dance, acting, storytelling, or some other form of entertainment. Persuasion. When you attempt to influence someone or a group of people with tact, social graces, or good nature, the GM might ask you to make a Charisma (Persuasion) check. Typically, you use persuasion when acting in good faith, to foster friendships, make cordial requests, or exhibit proper etiquette. Examples of persuading others include convincing a front desk attendant to let your cadre see a room, negotiating peace between rival gangs, or inspiring a crowd of activists. Other Charisma Checks. The GM might call for a Charisma check when you try to accomplish tasks like the following: • Find the best person to talk to for news, rumors, and gossip • Blend into a crowd to get the sense of key topics of conversation

// GeneFunk 2090 // 179 cruit members into cadres. It out-competed other cadre apps in the early 2080's due to a seemingly ironclad encryption system that as of 2090, hasn’t been hacked. Cadre Formation and Recruitment In order to be on the Mosaic system, a cadre must register their name and have at least one founding member. Very often, a cadre is formed with each individual knowing each other beforehand. It might be a retired infantry squad, former police partners, or former gangsters. Cadres need a name, summary of skill sets, and possibly a logo. Mosaic Merc Matching. Not every cadre is formed with an entire group ready to operate, so the Merc Matching feature is very popular. The Merc Matching function is similar to a dating app, only it’s for mercenaries looking to join a cadre. Resumes, complete with skill sets, equipment, and upgrades are posted on Mosaic. When enough people give the thumbs up to each other, a cadre is born. This feature is also useful to recruit new members after an old one has died on the job, which is common in cadre work. Games will often begin with a representative from a syndicate, criminal cartel, government, individual, or group approaching the characters with a contract, which they can negotiate. In the course of completing their contracts, they might travel through various countries, pass through harsh jungle terrain, swim through storm drains, or break into heavily guarded vaults. This chapter describes some of the rules relating to life on the job. Cadres The characters are all members of a cadre, a small mercenary group of elite agents that specialize in investigation, intelligence, protection, and violence. Historic rise. Cadres rose to prominence during the first and second corporate wars, when corporations needed “dirty work” accomplished, tasks too illegal or precise for large bureaucracies to handle. By hiring cadres as independent contractors, there was a veil of plausible deniability maintained. As the scale of the corporate wars ramped up, so did the use of cadres as chess pieces in conflicts of international intrigue. By 2090 cadres are essential players with the best ones being highly sought after. Effective but disposable. Being in a cadre is typically very dangerous, with expectations of lethal violence as a real possibility. The life of an elite mercenary can be rough. Small and independent. Most cadres number less than 6 and are usually friends as well as business partners. Part of the draw to hiring cadres is their lack of connections to larger groups. The larger mercenary groups are more often part of Ronin International, who employs companies of thousands. Reputations and specializations. While all cadres are expected to be effective at violence and intelligence, different cadres build reputations for different skill sets and tactics. Will the character's cadre be heroic but brutal? Ruthless but subtle? Non-violent but competent? The direction the cadre takes is up to the players. Organized through Mosaic. Cadres run their operations through an app called Mosaic (see below). The app acts as an escrow agent, rating system, negotiation platform, and recruitment system. Mosaic Over the past few years, Mosaic arose as the go-to app for cadre management. It is used to negotiate and pay contracts, rate cadre performance, find cadres, and reChapter 8: Completing Contracts Creating a Cadre The characters are encouraged to flesh out their cadre with some details before (or during) the first gaming session. What is it called? Like any other company, a cadre needs a name. It could be corporate sounding (Rineva Multinational), gang-like (The Blood Takers), or mom-and-pop (Troubleshooters R’ Us). Where is it? Is there a physical space for the office, or is it located in the WDS (or both)? What kind of neighborhood? What kinds of contracts do you take? Does your cadre have a reputation for anything in particular? How and when was it formed? The characters can tie their background stories together so that they already know each other if they choose. Alternatively, they can say the cadre was formed through the matching feature of Mosaic. Does it have a logo? The characters are free to come up with a nice logo to capture their new cadre. Perhaps it’s a flaming skull, coiled snake, or maybe it’s simply abstract and geometric.

180 // 8. Completing Contracts // Taking Contracts Mosaic has a job board that advertises open contracts available for any cadre to apply for. It also allows customers to approach individual cadres to hire them directly. The GM will often start out a session with someone looking to hire the character’s cadre for some task, be it the guarding of a CEO’s incompetent son, the assassination of a rogue transgenic soldier, or the “acquisition” of a gene patent stored in a rival corporation’s datacentre. It may take several sessions to complete a contract, depending on its scale. Negotiation. The characters are encouraged to negotiate the terms of the contract, trying to get as good a deal as possible. Payment for a contract depends on the cadre’s Mosaic score, difficulty of the task, and danger. Charisma checks and roleplaying can alter the contract rewards during negotiations, and contracts that involve multiple game sessions can reward more than the suggested payment. You can use the Negotiation table to determine what kind of effect a Charisma check might have on contract payment. Effective roleplaying may grant advantage or disadvantage on the roll, and some contract offers are simply non-negotiable. Contract Negotiation Charisma Check Payment Modifier 1-5 -20% 6-10 -10% 11-15 No change 16-20 +10% 21-25 +20% 26-30 +30% 31-35 +40% 36-40 +50% Other rewards. Occasionally, money won’t be the carrot that the cadre is looking for. Expunged criminal records, government recognition, a rare upgrade, information, freeing a loved one from prison, or other forms of currency can be negotiated. Mosaic Score Cadres are rated on a scale of 1-10 within the Mosaic App, based on the amount and size of the contracts they have completed. Cadres with a score of one are entry-level, while the handful of cadres with a score of 10 are the world’s most elite mercenaries, and have completed dozens or even hundreds of dangerous contracts. A cadre’s Mosaic score increases by one for every four successful contracts they complete, though larger contracts that take several sessions to accomplish might count as multiple completions. If a cadre doesn’t complete the contract to satisfaction, or betrays their employer, the cadre score may drop (at the discretion of the GM). The Mosaic score determines how well employers are willing to pay to employ the cadre, and higher scores generally mean richer clients and bigger jobs. The suggested contract payments are listed on the Mosaic Score table, though negotiations can sway these numbers (see above). Mosaic Score Score Lifestyle Expected Level Suggested Contract Payments 1 Struggling 1-2 シ25,000-100,000 2 Middle Class 3-4 シ50,000-200,000 3 Middle Class 5-6 シ75,000-300,000 4 Well Off 7-8 シ100,000-400,000 5 Well Off 9-10 シ150,000-600,000 6 Affluent 11-12 シ200,000-800,000 7 Affluent 13-14 シ250,000-1,000,000 8 Wealthy 15-16 シ350,000-1,500,000 9 Wealthy 17-18 シ500,000-3,000,000 10 Lavish 19-20 シ1,500,000-6,000,000 Lifestyle While cash is used to buy equipment that has in-game mechanics, more mundane purchases are handled “offscreen”. Your lifestyle (shown on the Mosaic Score table) determines the clothes you can afford, your accommodations, utility bills, furnishings and appliances, entertainment electronics, and other luxury items. It also determines how often and where you eat out. You determine the specifics within the constraints of your lifestyle. For role playing reasons a character can opt to forgo any number of the luxuries available to them for personal style or ethics (though there is no financial compensation or bonus given for this sacrifice). It could be explained as a gambling problem, giving to charity, dependents, or other such actions and circumstances. • Impoverished. You are homeless, or if you are lucky, you own a shanty. You have improvised or second-hand eating utensils and most things you own have been in someone’s trash at some point. All of your possessions could fit in one shabby suitcase or backpack. You dress in second hand clothes, and depend upon social welfare, charity, or friends for food. • Struggling. You likely have a bachelors suite or 1-bedroom apartment in a low-income neighborGenomes Classes Goods and Services Upgrades Daemons Brave New World NPCs Appendices Intro Character Creation Completing Contracts Combat Hacking Ability Scores

// GeneFunk 2090 // 181 hood. It’s furnished but mostly with second-hand items and the same is true of your appliances, electronics and clothes. Duct tape may hold some things together. Your formal wear is likely very limited and also second-hand. Eating out usually means a fast food restaurant. • Middle Class. You can afford a 2- or 3-bedroom apartment or small house in a middle-income area. It is equipped with store bought furniture, appliances and electronics, though some of the items are likely become rather old or shabby. You have a variety of clothes, all store bought and a few formal outfits as well. Eating out at mid range restaurants is a regular luxury. • Well Off. You can have a large apartment with 4 or 5 rooms or a medium sized house. You are able to live in a prime location, or suburbia and may have a housekeeper. All your furniture is new, and the appliances and electronics are upper-end merchandise. Your wardrobe is mostly comprised of this year’s fashions with some designer outfits and a variety of formal wear. Your accommodation is likely equipped with a luxury installation such as a hot tub or sauna. You eat out often, and for special events, you can go to high dining restaurants. • Affluent. You have a huge apartment with a great view in a highly desired location or a large suburban house with multiple floors. It is furnished with excellent designer furniture or antiques and every appliance or piece of electronics is this or last year's model. You probably have a housekeeper or other server. Silverware and fine china are the norm and all of your clothes are either designer brands or tailored. You can wear a different outfit every day of the year. Your accommodations likely have multiple luxury installations such as saunas, hot tubs, pools, or bars. You may own a cottage or summer/winter home in a different area for vacations. All of your food is likely prepared for you by fancy restaurants or a personal chef. • Wealthy. You might live on an entire floor of an apartment building in a prime location or own a mansion somewhere beautiful. All your furnishings are the best on the market and your wardrobe

182 // 8. Completing Contracts // character in a compelling way. Your GM will tell you how you can earn inspiration in the game. You either have inspiration or you don’t—you can’t stockpile multiple “inspirations” for later use. Using Inspiration If you have inspiration, you can expend it when you make an attack roll, saving throw, or ability check. Spending your inspiration gives you advantage on that roll. Additionally, if you have inspiration, you can reward another player for good roleplaying, clever thinking, or simply doing something exciting in the game. When another player character does something that really contributes to the story in a fun and interesting way, you can give up your inspiration to give that character inspiration. is endless and lavish. Every luxury you desire is at your disposal instantly, and you likely have several employees who serve you. In addition to your main home, you likely have one or two other homes in different areas. Eating out at a fancy restaurant or having a professional chef prepare food is normal for you. • Lavish. You could own the top floor of a quality apartment with an amazing view or a magnificent mansion with a well landscaped yard. In addition to your regular elite wardrobe, you have several custom-made outfits from the world’s top designers for any major event. Your cleaning and top-notch kitchen staff get paid more than most people. You can live in a different one of your lavish homes every season if you desire. • Rich. At this level of wealth, you have achieved a plateau of luxury enjoyment in most regards. Everything you own can be of the highest quality possible to buy or custom made, the only difference now is the quantity or pure decadence of it. You likely own an island somewhere tropical or maybe even a small castle or palace. You may have rooms in your home that you have never been in. • Very Rich. The same as rich, but even more excessive. Why not two tropical islands? Why not a different car for every day of the month? If you want something, you can likely buy it. • Obscenely Rich. You are among the world’s richest people, and this likely even gives you limited fame. You live like a king or queen, wealth groupies seeking your favor like remoras on a shark. Eccentricity at this level of wealth is common as more mundane luxuries may have lost their appeal. Many consider your wealth to be truly disgusting in its amount. Inspiration Inspiration is a rule the game master can use to reward you for playing your character in a way that’s true to their personality traits, ideal, bond, and flaw. By using inspiration, you can draw on your personality trait of compassion for the downtrodden to give you an edge in negotiating with an activist leader. Or inspiration can let you call on your bond to the defense of your home town to push past the effect of a hack that has been laid on you. Gaining Inspiration Your GM can choose to give you inspiration for a variety of reasons. Typically, GMs award it when you play out your personality traits, give in to the drawbacks presented by a flaw or bond, or otherwise portray your Why Can’t My Rich Character Buy Tanks?! Once your character gets to high Mosaic ratings, their lifestyle reflects millions of satoshi. So why couldn’t your character simply liquidate all their lifestyle assets to buy a bunch of fighter jets and killer robots? It’s not fun. While having carte blanche to buy armies of mercenaries and fighter jets might seem like a blast, it takes away from the personal abilities of your character. Sitting at home and calling in airstrikes to demolish your enemies is a different kind of game, and it would end up feeling like God Mode, where it would be fun for a bit, but then get boring. It’s not balanced. It would drastically tilt the game towards the classes and genomes that are the richest, when liquid cash endowments are plenty generous as they are when it comes to buying upgrades and equipment. It’s not realistic. The lifestyle aspect of your Mosaic score is meant to reflect the psychological reality that rich people spend most of their money on luxury, or savings and investments to get more money in the future. Your character is living a life outside of the game sessions, and this is where they are spending all of the extra cash, as part of their lifestyle description (or gambling, charity, friends and family, if your character wishes). Genomes Classes Goods and Services Upgrades Daemons Brave New World NPCs Appendices Intro Character Creation Completing Contracts Combat Hacking Ability Scores

// GeneFunk 2090 // 183 Travel Pace While traveling on foot, a cadre can move at a normal, fast, or slow pace, as shown on the Travel Pace table. The table states how far the party can move in a period of time and whether the pace has any effect. A fast pace makes characters less perceptive, while a slow pace makes it possible to sneak around and to search an area more carefully. Forced March. The Travel Pace on Foot table assumes that characters travel for 8 hours in a day. They can push on beyond that limit, at the risk of exhaustion. For each additional hour of travel beyond 8 hours, the characters cover the distance shown in the Hour column for their pace, and each character must make a Constitution saving throw at the end of the hour. The DC is 10 + 1 for each hour past 8 hours. On a failed saving throw, a character suffers one level of exhaustion (see Appendix A). Vehicles. Most of the traveling that characters will do will be by car, motorcycle, boat, plane, subway, or some other vehicle. The speed of these methods of travel are outlined in the Vehicles and Services sections in Chapter 4. Travel Pace on Foot Pace Per Minute Per Hour Per Day Effect Fast 120 m 7 km 50 km -5 penalty to passive Wisdom (Perception) scores Normal 90 m 5 km 35 km — Slow 60 m 3 km 20 km Able to use stealth Difficult Terrain The travel speeds given in the Travel Pace on Foot table assume relatively simple terrain: roads, open plains, or clear office hallways. But cadre mercs often face dense forests, cluttered streets, trash-filled slums, , and ice-covered ground—all considered difficult terrain. You move at half speed in difficult terrain—moving 1 meter in difficult terrain costs 2 meters of speed—so you can cover only half the normal distance in a minute, an hour, or a day. Special Types of Movement Movement through hidden bases or wilderness areas often involves more than simply walking. Cadres might have to climb, crawl, swim, or jump to get where they need to go. Climbing, Swimming, and Crawling While climbing or swimming, each meter of movement costs 1 extra meter (2 extra meters in difficult Time In situations where keeping track of the passage of time is important, the GM determines the time a task requires. The GM might use a different time scale depending on the context of the situation at hand. In a tense cat-and-mouse chase, the cadre’s movement happens on a scale of minutes. It takes them about a minute to creep down a long hallway, another minute to check for traps on the door at the end of the hall, and a good ten minutes to search a suspect’s room for anything interesting or valuable. In a city or wilderness, a scale of hours is often more appropriate. Cadres looking to travel from Seoul to Busan, a journey of 300 km, can do it in a few hours via train or car. For long journeys, a scale of days works best. International flights, hiking through the forest to cross the border between Columbia and Brazil, or traveling across the Gobi Desert via jeep are all examples of journeys measured in days. In combat and other fast-paced situations, the game relies on rounds, a 6-second span of time. Movement Swimming across a rushing river, sneaking down a datacentre’s corridor, scaling a skyscraper’s wall—all sorts of movement play a key role in gaming adventures. The GM can summarize the cadre’s movement without calculating exact distances or travel times: “You travel from Tokyo to New York and find Harmodyne’s corporate headquarters late in the evening of the third day.” Even while infiltrating a skyscraper, the GM can summarize movement between encounters: “After killing the security droids at the entrance to the elevator, you conjure up a map in your mind’s eye, which leads you, to the sealed security doors of the Technology Director’s office.” Sometimes it’s important, though, to know how long it takes to get from one spot to another, whether the answer is in days, hours, or minutes. The rules for determining travel time depend on two factors: the speed and travel pace of the people moving and the terrain they’re moving over. Speed Every character and NPC has a speed, which is the distance in meters that the character or NPC can walk in 1 round. This number assumes short bursts of energetic movement in the midst of a life-threatening situation. The following rules determine how far a character or NPC can move in a minute, an hour, or a day.

184 // 8. Completing Contracts // Make a Strength (Athletics) roll or use your passive Strength (Athletics) score. You jump 0.5 meters for every 5 points on the check above 5 (see the Jump Distance table). When you make a standing high jump, you can jump only half that distance. Either way, each meter you clear on the jump costs a meter of movement. In some circumstances, your GM might allow you to make a Strength (Athletics) check to jump higher than you normally can. You can extend your arms half your height above yourself during the jump. Thus, you can reach above you a distance equal to the height of the jump plus 1.5 times your height. Jump Distance Strength (Athletics) Long Jump Distance High Jump Distance 5 1.5 meters 0 meters 10 3 meters 0.5 meters 15 4.5 meters 1 meter 20 6 meters 1.5 meters 25 7.5 meters 2 meters 30 9 meters 2.5 meters terrain), unless a person has a climbing or swimming speed. At the GM’s discretion, climbing a slippery vertical surface or one with few handholds requires a successful Strength (Athletics) check. Similarly, gaining any distance in rough water might require a successful Strength (Athletics) check. Jumping Your Strength determines how far you can jump. Long Jump. You make a long jump if you cover a move at least 3 meters on foot immediately before the jump. Make a Strength (Athletics) roll, or use your passive Strength (Athletics) score. You jump 1.5 meters for every 5 points on the check (see the Jump Distance table). When you make a standing long jump, you can leap only half that distance. Each meter you clear on the jump costs a meter of movement. This rule assumes that the height of your jump doesn’t matter, such as a jump across a stream. At your GM’s option, you must succeed on a DC 10 Strength (Athletics) check to clear a low obstacle (no taller than a quarter of the jump’s distance), such as a hedge or low wall. Otherwise, you hit it. When you land in difficult terrain, you must succeed on a DC 10 Dexterity (Acrobatics) check to land on your feet, otherwise, you land prone. High Jump. You make a high jump if you move at least 3 meters on foot immediately before the jump. Genomes Classes Goods and Services Upgrades Daemons Brave New World NPCs Appendices Intro Character Creation Completing Contracts Combat Hacking Ability Scores

// GeneFunk 2090 // 185 The Chase Track Participants in a chase will be represented on a chase track (see above) reflecting how far back a given pursuer is are relative to the leader. The chase track is split up into six abstract positions reflecting the distance from the leader. You can use beads, miniature, or any other marker to show where the characters and NPCs are on the chase track. Starting the Chase Chase participants start at a chase track position that makes sense to the GM. • The initial leader in a chase is whoever first makes a run for it with the intention of leaving the area. • If a pursuer is right next to the leader and takes off after them immediately on their turn, they can start in the Point Blank position. • If a chase begins before combat is underway, determine surprise and initiative as normal. Chase participants continue to act in their initiative order. • Rank each participant’s speed relative to each other; this will be either their foot speed (meters per turn), or vehicle speed (kilometers per hour). The fastest participant gets a +9 on Move checks, the second fastest gets a +6, and the third fastest gets a +3 (there are no bonuses below that). There can be ties for first, second, and third fastest. Chases Often, cadres find themselves trying to chase down or escape their enemies while going about their chosen profession. Chases can be with vehicles, on foot, or a combination of both. Fast and furious. Chases need a dynamic, busy environment to be exciting, and if the cadre happens to be in an open field, there will be no chase scene, it will simply be whomever is faster succeeds. Chases should be non-stop speed with many cinematic obstacles for both the pursuers and the pursued. Consider chase participants to be moving at maximum speed – the Dash actions are not used in chase rules. A GM can make exceptions if characters have particular abilities that can help them in a chase. Relative distances. Rather than keeping up with specific distances moved, a chase is more concerned with relative distance— who is keeping up or falling behind. You don’t want the excitement of a chase to get bogged down in detailed measurements, it should be quick! Therefore, a chase is a bit like a mini-game, using somewhat separate rules than those described for combat. Chase Track Positions Leading. You either are the leader, or neck and neck with the leader. Point Blank. Right on their heels, within a few meters, but outside of melee range. Close. Within 10 meters of the leader. Behind. Well behind the leader, roughly 25 meters away. Distant. Barely in sight, roughly 100 meters away. Lost. You have completely lost track of the leader. If you have allies still in the chase you can arrive on the scene once the chase is over, but you can’t get back into the actual chase proper. Chase Track Lost Distant Behind Close Point Blank Leading

186 // 8. Completing Contracts // are some common checks to avoid obstacles. It is important to note that there may be more than one way of dealing with the obstacle, so the GM should let the players explain how they can use their skills and abilities to overcome them. • Dexterity (Acrobatics) • Dexterity (Drive) • Dexterity saving throw • Intelligence (Streetwise) • Strength (Athletics) • Wisdom (Perception) • Wisdom (Survival) In general, the checks to pass these obstacles are DC 15, and most often involve Strength (Athletics), Dexterity (Acrobatics), or Dexterity (Drive) checks, The GM may also lower the DC for participants lower on the Chase Track, since they have more warning of the obstacle, or the obstacle may even have been dissipated/ destroyed by the front runners. Failing obstacle checks. If you fail the check, you drop back one level on the chase track; if you fail the check by 5 or more you also take 1d6 bludgeoning damage from a collision or similar mishap if it is a foot chase, or 5d6 damage if it is a vehicle chase. Depending on the obstacle, it may have different effects (see below) Specific Obstacles You should come up with obstacles relevant to where the characters are located. You can select specific obstacles to present to them, or if you choose you can roll on a random chart like the following. You want to make sure and have a variety of obstacles so that chases do not become repetitive. The GM can assemble them in order ahead of time, roll for one, or select one each round. Sample Urban Chase Obstacles Roll (1d12) Obstacle 1 Open manhole 2 Heavy traffic 3 Dead end wall 4 Tight squeeze alley 5 Water fountain 6 Oil slicked surface 7 Group of gangsters 8 Dumpsters on fire 9 Thrown rock 10 Fruit Truck 11 River 12 Moving Train Move Checks On their turn, each chase participant makes a move check using a 1d20 + their speed bonus (see above) to see if they change positions on the Chase Track. • The leader’s check sets the DC for all the other participants. If there is more than one person in the lead position, it is the person who started the chase. • For every 5 points by which a pursuer beats the leader’s move check result, they close by one category on the track; similarly, they slip back by one category on the track for every 5 points by which they roll under the leader’s Move check result. • A pursuer can move up or down multiple levels on the track in a single round. A participant in the chase can always choose to slow down and drop back on the chase track if they desire. For example, Kumail, a samurai, is in the lead and has the fastest speed, so he gets a +9 to his Move check. He rolls a 12 on his Move check, for a total of 21. A pursuer making a Move check against this DC of 21 and getting a Move check result of 17 to 25 would stay in the same position they started in during their turn. They would move up a position on the chase track if their result was a 26 or more, and fall back a position on the chase track if their result was a 16 or less. Other Actions The Move checks in a chase assume a full round of movement, including Dashes. If a participant pauses and uses an action to perform some other task (like an attack, grapple, hack, or ram if they are in a vehicle), they move one step lower on the Chase Track at the end of their turn. There are no attacks of opportunity for movement on the chase track, all combatants are assumed to be moving all-out. Obstacles In a chase, there are many different kinds of obstacles and complications that can come up. A lot of the fun of cinematic chases is in the obstacles and maneuvers the participants engage in to get past them. E v e r y round, the GM may place an obstacle in the path of chase participants. The chase leader can also decide to deliberately look for obstacles and head for them, guaranteeing the chase participants all run into an obstacle. Avoiding Obstacles To avoid obstacles, the GM will call for either an ability check or a saving throw of some type. Depending on the nature of the chase, and the obstacle, below Genomes Classes Goods and Services Upgrades Daemons Brave New World NPCs Appendices Intro Character Creation Completing Contracts Combat Hacking Ability Scores

// GeneFunk 2090 // 187 Suffocating A human can hold their breath for a number of minutes equal to 1 + their Constitution modifier (minimum of 30 seconds). When the human runs out of breath or is choking, it can survive for a number of rounds equal to its Constitution modifier (minimum of 1 round). At the start of its next turn, it drops to 0 hit points and is dying, and it can’t regain hit points or be stabilized until it can breathe again. For example, someone with a Constitution of 14 can hold its breath for 3 minutes. If it starts suffocating, it has 2 rounds to reach air before it drops to 0 hit points. Vision, Light, and the Senses The most fundamental tasks of adventuring—noticing danger, finding hidden objects, hitting an enemy in combat, and targeting a hack, to name just a few—rely heavily on a character’s ability to see. Darkness and other effects that obscure vision can prove a significant hindrance. A given area might be lightly or heavily obscured. In a lightly obscured area, such as dim light, patchy fog, or moderate foliage, persons have disadvantage on Wisdom (Perception) checks that rely on sight. A heavily obscured area—such as darkness, opaque fog, or dense foliage—blocks vision entirely. A person effectively suffers from the blinded condition (see Appendix A) when trying to see something in that area. The presence or absence of light in an environment creates three categories of illumination: bright light, dim light, and darkness. Bright light lets most persons see normally. Even gloomy days provide bright light, as do torches, lanterns, fires, and other sources of illumination within a specific radius. Dim light, also called shadows, creates a lightly obscured area. An area of dim light is usually a boundary between a source of bright light, such as a torch, and surrounding darkness. The soft light of twilight and dawn also count as dim light. A particularly brilliant full moon might bathe the land in dim light. Darkness creates a heavily obscured area. Characters face darkness outdoors at night (even most moonlit nights), within the confines of an unlit alley, or in any other area without a source of light. Acute Olfaction A character with acute olfaction can recognize people’s unique scent, track them easily (as long as it hasn’t rained), and gain incredible details about anything Ending a Chase All chases have to end sometime, be it reaching the destination, or capturing the quarry. In some cases, a chase has a goal—a finish line, or somewhere the participants are trying to reach. Determine how many rounds of chase are required to get there. The leader determines what general direction he’s going. “Back towards the surface,” “east into the dock district,” or “towards a waiting helicopter on a launchpad” are possible examples. In many cases, the goal is more vague—“get away” or “don’t let that guy get away”—in which case the chase proceeds until one of those two things happen Participants who are killed, knocked out, exhausted, or otherwise rendered incapable of continuing drop out of the chase. The chase ends when no one wants to chase anyone else anymore. Different Chase Dynamics These chase rules work in an obvious manner when there is a single chase dynamic; the cadre is chasing someone. Some judgment is required when that’s not the case. If, for example, a giant UCWAR mech is chasing the cadre, there may be one leader, but the other PCs aren’t really pursuing them so much as trying to become the leader themselves (to escape the mech). The general rule to apply is that people in positions of the chase track are moving relative to each other as if they were in their own chases. So, if the mech and the slowest PC are in the "Behind" position on the Chase Track compared to the chase leader, they are within mere meters of each other. A group being pursued can always decide to split up by any participant running off in some direction other than the leader’s and becoming a leader in their own chase. If no one chooses to pursue those splitting off from the chase, they become "Lost"; if they do, you simply split the chase into multiple sub-chases with their own chase tracks. The Environment By its nature, adventuring involves delving into places that are dark, dangerous, and full of mysteries to be explored. The rules in this section cover some of the most important ways in which cadre mercs interact with the environment in such places. Falling A fall from a great height can come up as cadres navigate skyscrapers and high rises. At the end of a fall, the person takes 1d6 bludgeoning damage for every 3 meters they fell, to a maximum of 20d6. The person lands prone, unless it avoids taking damage from the fall.

188 // 8. Completing Contracts // Water A character needs three liters of water per day, or six liters per day if the weather is hot. A character who drinks only half that much water must succeed on a DC 15 Constitution saving throw or suffer one level of exhaustion at the end of the day. A character with access to even less water automatically suffers one level of exhaustion at the end of the day. If the character already has one or more levels of exhaustion, the character takes two levels in either case. Interacting with Objects A character’s interaction with objects in an environment is often simple to resolve in the game. The player tells the GM that their character is doing something, such as moving a lever, and the GM describes what, if anything, happens. For example, a character might decide to push a button, which might, in turn, open some elevator doors. Occasionally, the GM might call for an ability check based on the difficulty of the task (while there might be no check for pushing a button, there might be for holding a heavy security door open as it is closing). Characters can also damage objects with their weapons and hacks. Objects are immune to poison and psychic damage, but otherwise they can be affected by attacks much like NPCs can. The GM determines an object’s Armor Class and hit points, and might decide that certain objects have resistance or immunity to certain kinds of attacks. (It’s hard to cut a rope with a club, for example.) Objects always fail Strength and Dexterity saving throws, and they are immune to effects that require other saves. When an object drops to 0 hit points, it breaks. A character can also attempt a Strength check to break an object. The GM sets the DC for any such check. Resting Amazing though they might be, cadre members can’t spend every hour of the day in the thick of exploration, social interaction, and combat. They need rest— time to sleep and eat, tend their wounds, refresh their minds and spirits for conflict, and brace themselves for further contracts. Characters can take short rests in the midst of an adventuring day and a long rest to end the day. Short Rest A short rest is a period of downtime, at least 1 hour long, during which a character does nothing more strenuous than eating, drinking, reading, and tending to wounds. they might eat or drink. While tracking people, they can also learn their exact number, their sizes, and how long ago they passed through the area. If the character is downwind of someone, it is impossible for them to hide, or keep themselves disguised without some major alteration of their scent. Additionally, the character has advantage on Wisdom (Perception) checks that rely on smell. Blindsight A person with blindsight can perceive their surroundings without relying on sight, within a specific radius. Incredible sensory technologies can provide blindsight. Darkvision Either through anatomy, biohacks, or other forms of technology, some individuals are able to see more easily in darkness. Within a specified range, an individual with darkvision can see in darkness as if the darkness were dim light, so areas of darkness are only lightly obscured as far as that individual is concerned. However, they can’t discern color in darkness, only shades of gray. Spectrum Vision Spectrum vision is a technology that allows seeing the unseen. It increases the intensity of visible light received and makes use of non-visible lights and other energies such as infrared, ultraviolet, sound, and microwaves. It then triangulates data from these receptions into a single coherent image feed. Lightly obscured areas as completely visible, and heavily obscured areas as lightly obscured, and you can see people and things that are Invisible (people using cloakers for instance). Food and Water Characters who don’t eat or drink suffer the effects of exhaustion (see Appendix A). Exhaustion caused by lack of food or water can’t be removed until the character eats and drinks the full required amount. Food A character needs 0.5 kg of food per day and can make food last longer by subsisting on half rations. Eating 0.25 kg of food in a day counts as half a day without food. A character can go without food for a number of days equal to 3 + their Constitution modifier (minimum 1). At the end of each day beyond that limit, a character automatically suffers one level of exhaustion. A normal day of eating resets the count of days without food to zero. Genomes Classes Goods and Services Upgrades Daemons Brave New World NPCs Appendices Intro Character Creation Completing Contracts Combat Hacking Ability Scores

// GeneFunk 2090 // 189 it might be easier for you to influence the upper crust of the city than if you live in poverty. Downtime Activities Between adventures, the GM might ask you what your character is doing during their downtime. Periods of downtime can vary in duration, but each downtime activity requires a certain number of days to complete before you gain any benefit, and at least 8 hours of each day must be spent on the downtime activity for the day to count. The days do not need to be consecutive. If you have more than the minimum amount of days to spend, you can keep doing the same thing for a longer period of time, or switch to a new downtime activity. Characters might spend their downtime carousing, modifying their equipment (if they have the expertise), making explosives, getting upgrades, practicing the violin, brewing beer, or any other hobby or interest that they might happen to have. Games Without Cadres Cadres are a part of the world of GeneFunk 2090, but that doesn’t mean that a gaming group has to be one. While cadres are a natural fit for a small band of mercs doing exciting and dangerous work, there are plenty of other ways to accomplish that. Perhaps the characters are all part of the same criminal organization and are aiming to make their faction expand their territory and take out rival gangs. On the opposite side of the spectrum, they could be a small elite unit of law enforcement or intelligence operatives for either a government or corporation. As long as there is a narrative framework for them doing exciting things, their background context can be anything! A character can spend one or more Hit Dice at the end of a short rest, up to the character’s maximum number of Hit Dice, which is equal to the character’s level. For each Hit Die spent in this way, the player rolls the die and adds the character’s Constitution modifier to it. The character regains hit points equal to the total. The player can decide to spend an additional Hit Die after each roll. A character regains some spent Hit Dice upon finishing a long rest, as explained below. Long Rest A long rest is a period of extended downtime, at least 8 hours long, during which a character sleeps or performs light activity: reading, talking, eating, or standing watch for no more than 2 hours. If the rest is interrupted by a period of strenuous activity—at least 1 hour of walking, fighting, hacking, or similar cadre activity—the characters must begin the rest again to gain any benefit from it. At the end of a long rest, a character regains all lost hit points. The character also regains spent Hit Dice, up to a number of dice equal to half of the character’s total number of them (minimum of one die). For example, if a character has eight Hit Dice, he or she can regain four spent Hit Dice upon finishing a long rest. A character can’t benefit from more than one long rest in a 24-hour period, and a character must have at least 1 hit point at the start of the rest to gain its benefits. Between Contracts Between evading corporate hit squads and battles against criminal empires, cadres need time to rest, recuperate, and prepare for their next contract. Many cadre agents also use this time to perform other tasks, such as hacking equipment, getting cyberware upgrades, performing research, or spending their hard-earned satoshi. In some cases, the passage of time is something that occurs with little fanfare or description. When starting a new contract, the GM might simply declare that a certain amount of time has passed and allow you to describe in general terms what your character has been doing. At other times, the GM might want to keep track of just how much time is passing as events beyond your perception stay in motion. Lifestyle Expenses The type of lifestyle your character leads is determined by their Mosaic score (see Chapter 8: Mosaic Score). Living a particular lifestyle doesn’t have a huge effect on your character, but your lifestyle can affect the way other individuals and groups react to you. For example, when you lead a luxurious lifestyle, Make Sure to Give Characters Downtime! While one session often leads directly into the next, particularly if there is a deadline for completing the contract or the previous session ended in a cliff-hanger, characters should have regular down time. The reason for this is that upgrades, tech hacks, and other activities often require multiple days of recovery or construction. Characters need to shop, make things, develop their character, and pursue non-cadre business! They can’t do this if 5 sessions in a row are one constant adrenalin fueled action sequence. In general, players should have an opportunity to get upgrades every second session or so.

190 // 8. Completing Contracts // Sentinex provides surveillance services to individuals, companies, and governments around the world. Yerlan wants all of the recorded CCTV surveillance drone data from October 27th completely wiped from the data center, with no possibility of recovery. The details of how it is accomplished are irrelevant to the patron, but the data centers in Drumpf Tower are extremely well guarded, and there is no way to access the data other than physically getting inside. Purity Terrorists An active cell of Tzelem Elohim, a religious extremist group appalled at the directions human nature and technology has taken, and have been injecting seemingly random people with an engineered virus that corrupts their daemon. Victims afflicted with this virus become violent and aggressive. The intelligence division of Apollo Laboratories is worried that the terrorists will come up with a way to make the virus airborne. They are developing a vaccine, but in the meantime, you have been contracted to find this terrorist cell, apprehend them, and bring back any information you can about how and where they are developing this virus. A Simple Milk Run You’ve been contracted to deliver a package to Kuala Lumpur, a nondescript but expensive locked security briefcase weighing around 6 kilograms. The plane tickets are included, and it seems like free money! What could go wrong? Protect and Serve The city is in the middle of a violent crime wave caused by competing crime families that deal with illicit drugs, firearms, and upgrades. The local law enforcement is hiring out cadres and deputizing them to take on the overflow work. You’ve been contracted by Commissioner Fitzpatrick to stop the gang war, in any way you can. The police will give you a lot of leeway while you are under this contract, and a hefty bonus awaits if you can resolve this crime wave. Bodyguards R’ Us Francesca Fiore, the owner of a small anthroid company called Nuform, is worried that her life is in danger. She suspects she is being followed, and just yesterday Story Hooks Thinking of your own initial plots is fun, but sometimes you can get writer’s block! Listed below are some writing prompts, hooks for contracts that a GM can use episodically, or as tie-ins to a larger storyline. Some of these hooks can be strung together as contracts being offered from the same patron. The Island of Dr. Goudeau A project lead biotech engineer working for Vitigene, a subsidiary of Apollo Laboratories, hasn’t shown up for work for over two weeks. Being that he has access to confidential research secrets and is under a non-disclosure agreement, Vitigene is very anxious to find him and retrieve him (alive if possible). The first cadre hired to retrieve him tracked him to a small island off the coast of Venezuela, but Vitigene lost contact with them a few days ago. Their last correspondence included recordings of strange and dangerous transgenic lifeforms in the island jungle, both animal and plant, that haven’t been seen before. You are tasked with finding what happened to the previous cadre and retrieving Dr. Goudeau. Genoist Killer A string of related homicides has occurred over the past few months, all of the victims being transgenic. Each of the bodies have had their obviously transgenic organs and parts surgically removed before being killed. The local law enforcement isn’t exactly keen on making this case a high priority, attributing the deaths to standard transgenic gang violence. The sister of one of the victims, Abira Belin, believes her brother Gabe to be the victim of something more sinister, a targeted murder based on his transgenic heritage. She has hired you to track down the killer of her brother and bring them to justice. Though perhaps there is more to this killer than there first appears. This hook can tie into the Purity Terrorists story. Data Heist A very concerned potential patron named Yerlan Kabanov is looking for a cadre to break into Drumpf Tower, the headquarters that houses the data centers for a drone surveillance company named Sentinex. Genomes Classes Goods and Services Upgrades Daemons Brave New World NPCs Appendices Intro Character Creation Completing Contracts Combat Hacking Ability Scores

// GeneFunk 2090 // 191 own the land and are unwilling to sell it, so Heliox has given them 7 days to vacate, under threat of force. Heliox has contracted out a private military corporation called Ravage to remove the Hutterites by force, and the local law enforcement seems willing to turn a blind eye to the situation. You’ve been contracted to defend the Hutterite community from potentially dozens of violent trained killers, and have 1 week to prepare. Too Many Cooks The director of the Phoenix Unlimited facility in Moscow, Sergei Petrov, is worried that his personal chef and bodyguard has stolen the facility’s security codes. The chef, Peter Vasiliev, is a former Russian secret service, and his financial records indicate he has recently purchased twelve anthroid bodies made in his image. Sergei is worried that Peter has been illegally downloading himself into these bodies. If word got out that multiple copies of the same psychomime were running around Moscow, the consequences would be dire! You’ve been contracted to find each and every copy of Peter, and “retire” them. The original Peter is to be brought back to Sergei. Goodbye Moon Man A German ambassador named David Gruber, stationed on the international Moon Base, is worried that someone is spying on him. Dissatisfied with the protection and intelligence his own government provides, he has contracted you to act as his security detail and to discover who these spies are. It turns out he was right to be paranoid, by the time you arrive: David is dead in an apparent suicide! It appears he locked himself outside of an airlock and froze to death! It will be another seven days before the next shuttle arrives to take people back to earth, and your contract stipulates that you are only paid if David’s contract attorney deems that you’ve done your due diligence investigating the existence of possible spies and killers who would wish David harm. Crazy Evil Phillipe Lagrange, a famed French VR film director, has approached you to help his son Eli. Eli, a 16-year-old kid, has gotten mixed up with a hyperviolent Satanic grinder cult of bikers. They’re obsessed with hallucinogens, and biohacking their own bodies and minds into the various types of demons depicted in Pseudomonarchia Daemonum, a demonology text from the 16th Century. The last message Phillipe received from Eli was a simple text reading “Goodbye father, King Baël is soon upon us.” Phillipe has contracted you to rescue his son from the biker cult. her vehicle’s autopilot malfunctioned while someone was trying to run her off the road. Nuform is releasing their new anthroid model in a few days, one that uses a novel general AI architecture, and Francesca is worried that someone is trying to prevent the release. You have been contracted to keep her safe until after the new anthroid model’s release. It would be easy if it wasn’t for her penchant for being a public spectacle. Who Killed me? Yang Yifei, a wealthy heiress of a Hexie electronics company, was violently murdered just a day ago. Luckily for her, she had an active Phoenix Unlimited account. Her last upload was over two weeks ago, so she has no memory of the events leading up to her death. She has contracted you to find out who murdered her and why. Chupacabra In the rural area outside of Mexico City, cattle farmers are reporting that their livestock have been being torn apart by some wild best. Witnesses have said the beast looks demonic, unlike any animal they know of. A wealthy ranch owner named John Garcia has contracted you to find out whatever this beast is, and kill it, bringing back proof of the deed. This contract can lead into The Island of Dr. Goudeau story hook. Rogue Squad A squad of commandos, elite soldiers of UNASUR’s military division, has gone rogue. The squad members are all genetically identical, batch brothers resulting from the July 2071 model of the Spartan Infantry genome, and raised by the state. They’ve been holed up in the jungles of Columbia, and hijacking Omnitech cargo trucks for weeks. UNASUR has contracted you to find the rogue squad, and either bring them back for justice in the courts, or execute them on the spot. Crush the Resistance A group of violent transgenic rights activists in Indonesia called At Any Cost (AAC) have kidnapped several executives working for Omega-Man, a transgenic birthing service. They are asking for a hefty ransom for the return of the executives. Omega-Man has contracted you to find the kidnappers, wipe them out, and return the kidnapped executives. Fight the Power A group of Hutterite farmers in South Africa is being forced out of their land by Heliox, a solar power company, who wants to demolish the farm and lay down hundreds of enormous solar panels. The Hutterites

// GeneFunk 2090 // 193 Chapter 9: Combat The GM ranks the combatants in order from the one with the highest Dexterity check total to the one with the lowest. This is the order (called the initiative order) in which they act during each round. The initiative order remains the same from round to round. If a tie occurs, the GM decides the order among tied NPCs, and the players decide the order among their tied characters. The GM can decide the order if the tie is between an NPC and a player character. Optionally, the GM can have the tied characters and NPCs each roll a d20 to determine the order, highest roll going first. Your Turn On your turn, you can move a distance up to your speed and take one action. You decide whether to move first or take your action first. Your speed—sometimes called your walking speed—is noted on your character sheet. The most common actions you can take are described in the “Actions in Combat” section. Many class features and other abilities provide additional options for your action. The “Movement and Position” section gives the rules for your move. You can forgo moving, taking an action, or doing anything at all on your turn. If you can’t decide what to do on your turn, consider taking the Dodge or Ready action, as described in “Actions in Combat.” Conflict is the bread and butter of stories, and often that conflict is violent and literal. Monomolecular blades slashing, bullets whizzing overhead, concussion grenades exploding, and genetically modified beasts rending flesh from bone are all part and parcel of being a merc for hire. Given the nature of cardre work, combat is a pillar of GeneFunk 2090. While every game session is different, it is expected that most will involve combat at least once. This chapter is an overview of the rules you need when your cadre gets into a bit of the old ultraviolence! The Order of Combat A typical combat encounter is a clash between two sides, a flurry of punches, feints, gunshots, footwork, and hacking. The game organizes the chaos of combat into a cycle of rounds and turns. A round represents about 6 seconds in the game world. During a round, each participant in a battle takes a turn. The order of turns is determined at the beginning of a combat encounter, when everyone rolls initiative. Once everyone has taken a turn, the fight continues to the next round if neither side has defeated the other. Surprise A cadre sneaks up on a data center's security guards, springing from the shadows to attack them. An assassin drone glides through an open window, unnoticed by the cadre until the drone injects one of them with poison. In these situations, one side of the battle gains surprise over the other. The GM determines who might be surprised. If neither side tries to be stealthy, they automatically notice each other. Otherwise, the GM compares the Dexterity (Stealth) checks of anyone hiding with the passive Wisdom (Perception) score of each combatant on the opposing side. Anyone that doesn’t notice a threat is surprised at the start of the encounter. If you’re surprised, you can’t move or take an action on your first turn of the combat, and you can’t take a reaction until that turn ends. One member of a group can be surprised even if the other members aren’t. Initiative Initiative determines the order of turns during combat. When combat starts, every participant makes a Dexterity check to determine their place in the initiative order. The GM makes one roll for an entire group of identical NPCs, so each member of the group acts at the same time. Combat Step by Step 1. Determine surprise. The GM determines whether anyone involved in the combat encounter is surprised. 2. Establish positions. The GM decides where all the characters and NPCs are located. Given the cadre’s marching order or their stated positions in the room or other location, the GM figures out where the adversaries are, how far away and in what direction. 3. Roll initiative. Everyone involved in the combat encounter rolls initiative, determining the order of combatants’ turns. 4. Take turns. Each participant in the battle takes a turn in initiative order. 5. Begin the next round. When everyone involved in the combat has had a turn, the round ends. Repeat Step 4 until the fighting stops.

194 // 9. Combat // Bonus Actions Various class features, upgrades, and other abilities let you take an additional action on your turn called a bonus action. The Cunning Action feature, for example, allows a crook to take a bonus action. You can take a bonus action only when a special ability, hack, or other feature of the game states that you can do something as a bonus action. You otherwise don’t have a bonus action to take. You can take only one bonus action on your turn, so you must choose which bonus action to use when you have more than one available. You choose when to take a bonus action during your turn, unless the bonus action’s timing is specified, and anything that deprives you of your ability to take actions also prevents you from taking a bonus action. Other Activity on Your Turn Your turn can include a variety of flourishes that require neither your action nor your move. You can communicate however you are able, through brief utterances, texts, chat, or gestures, as you take your turn. You can also interact with one object or feature of the environment for free during either your move or your action. For example, you could open a door during your move as you stride toward a foe, or you could draw your weapon as part of the same action you use to attack. If you want to interact with a second object, you need to use your action. Some gear always requires an action to use, as stated in their descriptions. The GM might require you to use an action for any of these activities when it needs special care or when it presents an unusual obstacle. For instance, the GM could reasonably expect you to use an action to open a stuck door or pry a crate open with a crowbar. Reactions Certain special abilities, hacks, and situations allow you to take a special action called a reaction. A reaction is an instant response to a trigger of some kind, which can occur on your turn or on someone else’s. The opportunity attack is the most common type of reaction. When you take a reaction, you can’t take another one until the start of your next turn. If the reaction interrupts another person’s turn, that person can continue their turn right after the reaction. Movement and Position In combat, characters and NPCs are in constant motion, often using movement and position to gain the upper hand. On your turn, you can move a distance up to your speed. You can use as much or as little of your speed as you like on your turn, following the rules here. Your movement can include jumping, climbing, and swimming. These different modes of movement can be combined with walking, or they can constitute your entire move. However you are moving, you deduct the distance of each part of your move from your speed until it is used up or until you are done moving. Breaking Up Your Move You can break up your movement on your turn, using some of your speed before and after your action. For example, if you have a speed of 9 meters, you can move 3 meters, take your action, and then move 6 meters. Moving Between Attacks If you take an action that includes more than one weapon attack, you can break up your movement even further by moving between those attacks. For example, a gunfighter who can make two attacks with the Extra Attack feature and who has a speed of 12 meters could move 3 meters, make an attack, move 9 meters, and then attack again. Using Different Speeds If you have more than one speed, such as your walking speed and a flying speed, you can switch back and forth between your speeds during your move. Whenever you switch, subtract the distance you’ve already moved from the new speed. The result determines how much farther you can move. If the result is 0 or less, you can’t use the new speed during the current move. For example, if you have a speed of 9 and a climbing speed of 6 because of the wall-crawling upgrade, you could climb 6 meters, and then walk 3 meters. Difficult Terrain Combat rarely takes place in bare rooms or on featureless plains. A bar filled with tables and chairs, alleys littered with garbage bins and junk, treacherous staircases—the setting of a typical fight contains difficult terrain. Every meter of movement in difficult terrain costs 1 extra meter. This rule is true even if multiple things in a space count as difficult terrain. Low furniture, rubble, undergrowth, steep stairs, snow, and shallow bogs are examples of difficult terrain. The space of another person, whether hostile or not, also counts as difficult terrain. Genomes Classes Goods and Services Upgrades Daemons Brave New World NPCs Appendices Intro Character Creation Completing Contracts Combat Hacking Ability Scores

// GeneFunk 2090 // 195 Being Prone Combatants often find themselves lying on the ground, either because they are knocked down or because they throw themselves down. In the game, they are prone, a condition described in Appendix A. You can drop prone without using any of your speed. Standing up takes more effort; doing so costs an amount of movement equal to half your speed. For example, if your speed is 9 meters, you must spend 4.5 meters of movement to stand up. You can’t stand up if you don’t have enough movement left or if your speed is 0. To move while prone, you must crawl. Every meter of movement while crawling costs 1 extra meter. Crawling 1 meters in difficult terrain, therefore, costs 3 meters of movement. Moving Around Others You can move through a non-hostile NPC’s space. In contrast, you can move through a hostile NPC’s space only if the NPC is at least two sizes larger or smaller than you. Remember that another NPC’s space is difficult terrain for you. Whether an NPC is a friend or an enemy, you can’t willingly end your move in its space. If you leave a hostile NPC’s reach during your move, you provoke an opportunity attack. Flying Movement Flying things, like aerial-drones, enjoy many benefits of mobility, but they must also deal with the danger of falling. If a flying NPC is knocked prone, has its speed reduced to 0, or is otherwise deprived of the ability to move, the NPC falls. Size Each character and NPC takes up a different amount of space. The Size Categories table shows how much space an NPC of a particular size controls in combat. Objects sometimes use the same size categories. Size Categories Size Space Tiny 0.75 by 0.75 meters Small 1.5 by 1.5 meters Medium 1.5 by 1.5 meters Large 3 by 3 meters Huge 4.5 by 4.5 meters Gargantuan 6 by 6 meters Space A person’s space is the area in feet that it effectively controls in combat, not an expression of its physical dimensions. A typical Medium person isn’t 1.5 meters wide, for example, but it does control a space that wide. If a Medium anthroid stands in a 1.5-meter-wide doorway, other people can’t get through unless the anthroid lets them. Someone’s space also reflects the area they need to fight effectively. For that reason, there’s a limit to the number of people that can surround another person in combat. Assuming Medium combatants, eight people can fit in a 1.5-meter radius around another one. Because larger entities take up more space, fewer of them can surround someone. If five Large entities crowd around a Medium or smaller one, there’s little room for anyone else. In contrast, as many as twenty Medium people/things can surround a Gargantuan one. Squeezing into a Smaller Space An entity can squeeze through a space that is large enough for something one size smaller than it. Thus, a Large entity can squeeze through a passage that’s only 1.5 meters wide. While squeezing through a space, a person must spend 1 extra meter for every meter it moves there, and it has disadvantage on attack rolls and Dexterity saving throws. Attack rolls against the person have advantage while it’s in the smaller space. Interaction With Objects Around You Here are a few examples of the sorts of thing you can do in tandem with your movement and action: • draw or holster a pistol • open or close a door • withdraw a hypospray from your pack • pick up a dropped nanoblade • take a bag of drugs from a table • remove a ring from your finger • stuff some food into your mouth • fish a thumb drive from your pocket • down a pint of beer • press a button • turn on a light • take a book from a shelf you can reach • extinguish a small flame • don a mask • pull a hood over your head • put your ear to a door • kick a dropped weapon or other object 3 meters away • turn a key in a lock • hand an item to another character

196 // 9. Combat // incapacitated (as explained in Appendix A) or if your speed drops to 0. Help You can lend your aid to another person in the completion of a task. When you take the Help action, the person you aid gains advantage on the next ability check it makes to perform the task you are helping with, provided that it makes the check before the start of your next turn. Alternatively, you can aid a friendly person in attacking someone within 1.5 meters of you. You feint, distract the target, or in some other way team up to make your ally’s attack more effective. If your ally attacks the target before your next turn, the first attack roll is made with advantage. Hide When you take the Hide action, you make a Dexterity (Stealth) check in an attempt to hide, following the rules for hiding. If you succeed, you gain certain benefits, as described in the “Unseen Attackers and Targets” section. Ready Sometimes you want to get the jump on an enemy or wait for a particular circumstance before you act. To do so, you can take the Ready action on your turn, which lets you act using your reaction before the start of your next turn. First, you decide what perceivable circumstance will trigger your reaction. Then, you choose the action you will take in response to that trigger, or you choose to move up to your speed in response to it. Examples include “If the cultist drops the Molotov cocktail, I’ll pull the fire alarm,” or “If the street thug steps next to me, I move away.” When the trigger occurs, you can either take your reaction right after the trigger finishes or ignore the trigger. Remember that you can take only one reaction per round. When you ready a hack, you run it as normal but hold its launch, which you release with your reaction when the trigger occurs. To be readied, a hack must have a launch time of 1 action, and holding onto the hack requires concentration. If your concentration is broken, the hack dissipates without taking effect. For example, if you are concentrating on the freeze hack and ready Aegis particle beam, your freeze hack ends, and if you take damage before you launch Aegis particle beam with your reaction, your concentration might be broken. Actions in Combat When you take your action on your turn, you can take one of the actions presented here, an action you gained from your class or a special feature, or an action that you improvise. Many NPCs have action options of their own in their stat blocks. When you describe an action not detailed elsewhere in the rules, the GM tells you whether that action is possible and what kind of roll you need to make, if any, to determine success or failure. Attack The most common action to take in combat is the Attack action, whether you are slashing with a knife, firing a pistol, or brawling with your fists. With this action, you make one melee or ranged attack. See the “Making an Attack” section for the rules that govern attacks. Certain features, such as the Extra Attack feature of the fighter, allow you to make more than one attack with this action. Run a Hack Certain classes have access to hacks, and can use them to great effect in combat. Each hack has a launch time, which specifies whether the hacker must use an action, a reaction, minutes, or even hours to run the hack. Running a hack, is therefore, not necessarily an action. Most hacks do have a launch time of 1 action, so a hacker often uses their action in combat to run a hack. Dash When you take the Dash action, you gain extra movement for the current turn. The increase equals your speed, after applying any modifiers. With a speed of 9 meters, for example, you can move up to 18 meters on your turn if you dash. Any increase or decrease to your speed changes this additional movement by the same amount. If your speed of 9 meters is reduced to 6 meters, for instance, you can move up to 12 meters this turn if you dash. Disengage If you take the Disengage action, your movement doesn’t provoke opportunity attacks for the rest of the turn. Dodge When you take the Dodge action, you focus entirely on avoiding attacks. Until the start of your next turn, any attack roll made against you has disadvantage if you can see the attacker, and you make Dexterity saving throws with advantage. You lose this benefit if you are Genomes Classes Goods and Services Upgrades Daemons Brave New World NPCs Appendices Intro Character Creation Completing Contracts Combat Hacking Ability Scores

// GeneFunk 2090 // 197 total of the roll plus modifiers equals or exceeds the target’s Armor Class (AC), the attack hits. The AC of a character is determined at character creation, whereas the AC of an NPC is in its stat block. Modifiers to the Roll When a character makes an attack roll, the two most common modifiers to the roll are an ability modifier and the character’s proficiency bonus. When an NPC makes an attack roll, it uses whatever modifier is provided in its stat block. Ability Modifier. The ability modifier used for a melee weapon attack is Strength, and the ability modifier used for a ranged weapon attack is Dexterity. Weapons that have the finesse or thrown property break this rule. Some hacks also require an attack roll. The ability modifier used for a hack is Intelligence. Proficiency Bonus. You add your proficiency bonus to your attack roll when you attack using a weapon with which you have proficiency, as well as when you attack with a hack. Rolling 1 or 20Sometimes fate blesses or curses a combatant, causing the novice to hit and the veteran to miss. If the d20 roll for an attack is a 20, the attack hits regardless of any modifiers or the target’s AC. This is called a critical hit. If the d20 roll for an attack is a 1, the attack misses regardless of any modifiers or the target’s AC. Search When you take the Search action, you devote your attention to finding something. Depending on the nature of your search, the GM might have you make a Wisdom (Perception) check or an Intelligence (Investigation) check. Use an Object You normally interact with an object while doing something else, such as when you draw a gun as part of an attack. When an object requires your action for its use, you take the Use an Object action. This action is also useful when you want to interact with more than one object on your turn. Making an Attack Whether you’re striking with a melee weapon, firing a weapon at range, or making an attack roll as part of a hack, an attack has a simple structure. 1. Choose a target. Pick a target within your attack’s range: a person, an object, or a location. 2. Determine modifiers. The GM determines whether the target has cover and whether you have advantage or disadvantage against the target. In addition, upgrades, special abilities, and other effects can apply penalties or bonuses to your attack roll. 3. Resolve the attack. You make the attack roll. On a hit, you roll damage, unless the particular attack has rules that specify otherwise. Some attacks cause special effects in addition to or instead of damage. If there’s ever any question whether something you’re doing counts as an attack, the rule is simple: if you’re making an attack roll, you’re making an attack. Attack Rolls When you make an attack, your attack roll determines whether the attack hits or misses. To make an attack roll, roll a d20 and add the appropriate modifiers. If the Contests in Combat Battle often involves pitting your prowess against that of your enemy. Such a challenge is represented by a contest. This section includes the most common contests that require an action in combat: grappling and shoving others. The GM can use these contests as models for improvising others.

198 // 9. Combat // head-butt, or similar forceful blow (none of which count as weapons, but unarmed strikes are considered weapon attacks). On a hit, an unarmed strike deals bludgeoning damage equal to 1 + your Strength modifier. You are proficient with your unarmed strikes. Opportunity Attacks In a fight, everyone is constantly watching for a chance to strike an enemy who is fleeing or passing by. Such a strike is called an opportunity attack. You can make an opportunity attack when an enemy that you can see moves out of your reach. To make the opportunity attack, you use your reaction to make one melee attack against the provoking enemy. The attack occurs right before the enemy leaves your reach. You can avoid provoking an opportunity attack by taking the Disengage action. You also don’t provoke an opportunity attack if someone or something moves you without using your movement, action, or reaction. For example, you don’t provoke an opportunity attack if an explosion hurls you out of a foe’s reach or if gravity causes you to fall past an enemy. Two-Weapon Fighting When you take the Attack action and attack with a light weapon that you’re holding in one hand, you can use a bonus action to attack with a different light weapon that you’re holding in the other hand. You do not add your ability modifier to the damage of the bonus attack, unless that modifier is negative. Grappling When you want to grab someone or wrestle with them, you can use the Attack action to make a special melee attack, called a grapple. If you’re able to make multiple attacks with the Attack action, this attack replaces one of them. The target of your grapple must be no more than one size larger than you and must be within your reach. Using at least one free hand, you try to seize the target by making a grapple check instead of an attack roll: a Strength (Athletics) check contested by the target’s Strength (Athletics) or Dexterity (Acrobatics) check (the target chooses the ability to use). If you succeed, you subject the target to the grappled condition (see Appendix A). The condition specifies the things that end it, and you can release the target whenever you like (no action required). Escaping a Grapple. A grappled person can use its action to escape. To do so, it must succeed on a Strength (Athletics) or Dexterity (Acrobatics) check contested by your Strength (Athletics) check. Unseen Attackers and Targets Combatants often try to escape their enemy’s notice by hiding, using cloakers, or lurking in darkness. When you attack a target that you can’t see, you have disadvantage on the attack roll. This is true whether you’re guessing the target’s location or you’re targeting a thing you can hear but not see. If the target isn’t in the location you targeted, you automatically miss, but the GM typically just says that the attack missed, not whether you guessed the target’s location correctly. When a person can’t see you, you have advantage on attack rolls against it. If you are hidden—both unseen and unheard—when you make an attack, you give away your location when the attack hits or misses. Ranged Attacks When you make a ranged attack, you fire an assault rife or a pistol, hurl a hatchet, or otherwise send projectiles to strike a foe at a distance. Range You can make ranged attacks only against targets within a specified range. If a ranged attack, such as one made with a hack, has a single range, you can’t attack a target beyond this range. Some ranged attacks, such as those made with firearms, have two ranges. The smaller number is the normal range, and the larger number is the long range. Your attack roll has disadvantage when your target is beyond normal range, and you can’t attack a target beyond the long range. Ranged Attacks in Close Combat Aiming a ranged attack is more difficult when a foe is next to you. When you make a ranged attack you have disadvantage on the attack roll if you are within 1.5 meters of an enemy who can see you and who isn’t incapacitated. If a ranged weapon has the close feature, like pistols do, you avoid this penalty. Melee Attacks Used in hand-to-hand combat, a melee attack allows you to attack an enemy within your reach. A melee attack typically uses a handheld weapon such as a sword, a hammer, or an axe. Most people have a 1.5-meter reach and can thus attack targets within 1.5 meters of them when making a melee attack. Certain entities (typically those larger than Medium) have melee attacks with a greater reach than 1.5 meters, as noted in their descriptions. Instead of using a weapon to make a melee weapon attack, you can use an unarmed strike: a punch, kick, Genomes Classes Goods and Services Upgrades Daemons Brave New World NPCs Appendices Intro Character Creation Completing Contracts Combat Hacking Ability Scores

// GeneFunk 2090 // 199 covered by an obstacle. The obstacle might be a large dumpster, a truck, building walls while shooting from a window, or a thick tree trunk. A target with total cover can’t be targeted directly by an attack. A target has total cover if it is completely concealed by an obstacle. Damage and Healing Injury and the risk of death are constant companions for cadres that take on dangerous contracts. The thrust of a knife, a well-placed bullet, or a blast of flame from an incendiary grenade all have the potential to damage, or even kill, the hardiest of characters. Hit Points Hit points represent a combination of physical and mental durability, the will to live, and luck. Things with more hit points are more difficult to kill. Those with fewer hit points are more fragile. A person’s current hit points (usually just called hit points) can be any number from the person’s hit point maximum down to 0. This number changes frequently as a character takes damage or receives healing. Whenever something takes damage, that damage is subtracted from their hit points. The loss of hit points has no effect on someone’s capabilities until they drop to 0 hit points. Moving a Grappled Person. When you move, you can drag or carry the grappled person with you, but your speed is halved, unless the person is two or more sizes smaller than you. Shoving and Disarming Others Using the Attack action, you can make a special melee attack to either shove or disarm a target. If you’re able to make multiple attacks with the Attack action, this attack replaces one of them. Shove. You shove the target, either to knock it prone or push it away from you. The target must be no more than one size larger than you and must be within your reach. Instead of making an attack roll, you make a Strength (Athletics) check contested by the target’s Strength (Athletics) or Dexterity (Acrobatics) check (the target chooses the ability to use). If you win the contest, you either knock the target prone or push it 1.5 meters away from you. Disarm. You can make an unarmed melee attack to knock any item (including a weapon) from your target’s hand. The target must be no more than one size larger than you and must be within your reach. Instead of making an attack roll, you make a Strength (Athletics) check contested by the target’s Strength (Athletics) or Dexterity (Acrobatics) check (the target chooses the ability to use). The target has advantage on this check if they are holding the object with two hands. If you win the contest, the target drops an object of your choice. The object lands at its feet. You can then kick the object up to 3 meters away by using your interact with object for that turn. Cover Walls, cars, trees, people, and other obstacles can provide cover during combat, making a target more difficult to harm. A target can benefit from cover only when an attack or other effect originates on the opposite side of the cover. There are three degrees of cover. If a target is behind multiple sources of cover, only the most protective degree of cover applies; the degrees aren’t added together. For example, if a target is behind someone that gives half cover and a tree trunk that gives three-quarters cover, the target has three-quarters cover. A target with half cover has a +2 bonus to AC and Dexterity saving throws. A target has half cover if an obstacle blocks at least half of its body. The obstacle might be a low wall, a car, large piece of furniture, a narrow tree trunk, or a person, whether that person is an enemy or a friend. A target with three-quarters cover has a +5 bonus to AC and Dexterity saving throws. A target has three-quarters cover if about three-quarters of it is How Lethal is Your Game? At your table, you should discuss how likely character death should be before the first session. If you want to run a high-stakes lethal game, have your antagonists target characters at 0 hit points. This makes it very likely that characters will be killed in combat. Use the following guidelines to moderate lethality. Non-lethal. Enemies never attack unconscious player characters, and unconscious player characters don’t take area-effect damage. Toned-Down. Enemies never attack unconscious player characters. Standard. Enemies attack unconscious player characters if they don’t have another conscious target in range, and major antagonists or special enemies may target unconscious player characters. Charnel House. Enemies always finish off unconscious player characters if they can. It’s recommended that players always have a premade second character using this level of lethality, so their new merc can be incorporated into gameplay as soon as possible, recruited through Mosaic.