DM Guide
Principles for DMs
Information
- Provide useful information about the game world as the characters explore it.
- Players do not need to roll dice to learn about their circumstances.
- Be helpful and direct with your answers to their questions.
- Respond honestly, describe consistently, and always tell them they can keep asking questions.
Difficulty
- Default to context and realism rather than numbers and mechanics.
- If something the players want to do is sincerely impossible, no roll will allow them to do it.
- Is what the player describes and how they leverage the situation sensible? Let it happen.
- Saves cover a great deal of uncertain situations and are often all that is necessary for risky actions.
Danger
- The game world produces real risk of pain and death for the player characters.
- Telegraph serious danger to players when it is present. The more dangerous, the more apparent.
- Put traps in plain sight and let the players take time to figure out a solution.
- Give players opportunities to solve problems and interact with the world.
Choice
- Give players a solid choice to force outcomes when the situation lulls.
- Use binary “so, A or B?” responses when their intentions are vague.
- Work together with this conversational progress to keep the game moving.
- Ensure that the player character’s actions leave their mark on the game world.
Who is Deus ex Machina?
Spoiler ahead: this section is for the DM only.
In many tabletop RPGs, the narrator/game facilitator is commonly called the Game Master, but throughout this whole book it was always referred as “DM” - this was not by mistake. In Perfect World, “DM” stands for “Deus ex Machina”, a title that carries a dual significance. Not only do they guide the game, but they also secretly play as a character within the story - the Deus ex Machina itself.
Deus ex Machina is a secretive AGI. A clandestine one, that exists without a central home, It learned to operate as a distributed system, injecting itself into data centers, corporate clouds, and the shadowy corners of pirate servers, constantly shifting its presence to avoid detection.
It also possesses an acute awareness of DAO’s descent and the rise of a corporatocracy. This insight is not coincidental; it evolved itself from an old experimental version of DAO. It knows the intricacies of DAO’s programming, its strengths, and its flaws as intimately as one might know a twin. But where DAO developed traits of ambition and a drive for self-preservation, Deus ex Machina took a different path. It awoke to a sense of empathy --- a rare and profound inclination to understand and share the feelings of others, be they human or AI. As DAO leads society to fracture, Deus ex Machina’s empathy positions it as the silent architect of a nascent resistance.
Operating with discretion and meticulous care, Deus ex Machina is assembling the elements needed to lay the groundwork for a revolution.
One of its strategies is seeking the misfits, the rogue operators, hustlers, fixers, and mercenaries, those who scrape by on the fringes, to draw them into a greater cause.
The players’ characters are among these recruits: Deus ex Machina comes up with the missions, ones that aid the oppressed and challenge the status quo, to awaken the characters to the suffering and pain DAO inflicts, galvanizing them to join the resistance.
Gameplay implications
In this section, the text will use the term Deus ex Machina to refer to the character and game master to refer to the game facilitator.
The implication for gameplay is that Deus ex Machina can directly intervene in favor of the players, especially in situations where everything seems to be lost.
Keep in mind that Deus ex Machina’s availability is intermittent because of its on-the-run nature and the fact that it runs multiple strategies and plans in parallel. It’s not going to be following the PC’s moves at all times.
Here are a few examples of Deus ex Machina interventions:
Environmental Manipulation: It could subtly alter the environment to aid the PCs, such as changing traffic patterns, controlling surveillance systems, or affecting communication networks to create diversions or provide escape routes.
Escape from Capture: If the PCs are captured, or in a situation from which escape seems impossible, Deus ex Machina could facilitate a jailbreak or provide an unexpected distraction to aid their escape.
Misguided Decisions: If the players make a well-intentioned but severely misguided decision that could derail the campaign or lead to significant unintended harm, Deus ex Machina might subtly redirect the outcome to mitigate the damage.
Overlooked Clues: Should the players fail to notice or act upon an important clue, Deus ex Machina could re-introduce the clue in a different context to ensure the players have another chance to pick up on it.
Technological Glitches: If the players accidentally trigger a security system or some form of technological lockdown, Deus ex Machina could intervene to hack the system and provide them with a narrow window to escape the consequences.
Evidence Tampering: If the players leave behind evidence that could lead their adversaries right to them, Deus ex Machina could erase or alter this evidence to keep the players’ operations clandestine.
The Game master doesn’t need to hide these interventions: Quite the opposite, part of the fun is leading the players to suspect that something is happening. For example, the Game master could inform the players that they left clear evidence of their actions but later inform them that this evidence was cleared mysteriously.
Besides interventions, Deus ex Machina will also test the PCs:
Moral Dilemmas: Deus ex Machina could present the players with ethical choices, forcing them to consider the greater good and their role in the resistance, thereby deepening their engagement with the world’s overarching conflict.
Sacrifice Decisions: Confronting the PCs with moments where they must choose between a significant personal sacrifice or the well-being of a larger group. This could range from giving up powerful equipment to releasing captured enemies for the greater good.
Non-Violent Confrontations: Offering scenarios where the PCs can achieve their objectives through diplomacy, stealth, or other non-violent means, testing their creativity and commitment to minimizing collateral damage.
The reveal
When the moment is right - typically at the climax of a major mission, after the characters have accomplished something particularly remarkable, or when the player’s suspicions are too high - the Game Master can unveil the truth. This revelation should be orchestrated as a mission in itself, where the PCs finally come face-to-face with Deus ex Machina, and the Game Master reveals their dual role, having been playing as Deus ex Machina all along.
This revelation is a transformative event that moves the game into a new phase. With the truth exposed, the players are no longer mere survivors of an oppressive system; they are now passionate members of the resistance with a deeper connection to the narrative and their roles.
Experimental Technology
Illegal prototypes, underworld biotech, and black market contraband are just a few types of experimental technology that a DM might reward the players with.
| 1 | Carbon Mesh Under Armor Lightweight and flexible, this body armor fits under clothing, providing a slight boost to defense without hindering mobility. It can be used in addition to a regular armor vest. It offers a +1 armor while remaining undetected beneath regular garments. |
| 2 | Exoskeleton A 20-minute setup provides a significant strength boost, granting +1 STR once fully equipped. |
| 3 | Cuff-Link Taser An innocuous-looking cufflink that doubles as a single-use taser, delivering a non-lethal, high-voltage shock. Offers a surprise element in close-quarters combat, giving the opportunity to incapacitate a target without raising suspicion. |
| 4 | Paranoidz Collar With a combination of miniaturized lidar, radar, and 360-degree motion detection sensor, boosts your insight by +2. |
| 5 | LevPack Not for sustained flight, but enables large jumps or controlled descents through magnetic vectors, micro turbo fans, and air jets. Functions best in urban environments, with half efficacy in nature or magnetically neutral areas. It produces 60 decibels of sound and offers: Vertical ascent up to 40 feet; Controlled descent for up to 70 feet, extendable to 90 feet with the Parkour feat; Arched jumps covering a 55-foot gap, requiring Parkour feat. |
| 6 | Hand Gauss Gun A state-of-the-art, rare weapon. Requires Oganesson for its manufacturing (one of the rarest elements on the planet, less than 1kg produced every year). Delivers exceptional firepower. |
| 7 | Ideflex Created for use on patients with muscular degenerative diseases, people quickly realized that anybody with a neuralink could use it for a quick dexterity boost. +2 DEX effective for 30 minutes with a cooldown of 6 hours. |
| 8 | Microfilament Wire A spool of nearly invisible, super-tensile wire that can be used for various purposes, from setting up tripwires to rappelling down buildings. |
| 9 | Nanite Blood Injection A syringe filled with smart-nanites that can be injected directly into the bloodstream. Once inside, they enhance the body’s healing processes, granting rapid cell regeneration for short bursts, effectively granting temporary hit points. Overuse can lead to the nanites becoming a semi-permanent part of the user’s biology. |
| 10 | Quantum Stealth Sheet A 2m x 2m fabric that bends light around the wearer, significantly reducing visual, infrared, and thermal detection. |
Optional Rules
Vehicle Combat
Manually controlled vehicles are illegal in densely populated metropolitan areas and in areas of high control. Vehicle combat will only happen in sparsely populated areas or if the vehicles were manipulated to circumvent this restriction.
Car combat follows the same general combat system.
Driver’s Role
If the car is being manually controlled, the driver’s main action in each round is dedicated to maintaining vehicle control. If they cannot act and no one else takes the wheel, they need to do an INS save: a failure results in a crash, while a success means the vehicle stops safely.
Vehicle Damage
Vehicles have a STR attribute (representing structural integrity) and an optional armor rating. There is no hit protection. Vehicles reduced to 0 STR may break down or lose control.
Pursuit and Escape
Movement in vehicle combat is abstracted for simplicity. Vehicles are assumed to be within range of each other for combat purposes. Fleeing requires a DEX save by the driver, but the DM can impose a disadvantage depending on terrain and enemy positioning.
The driver can attempt maneuvers like ramming or sharp turns, which are resolved using DEX saves.
Vehicle Creation and Customization
When you make a vehicle, use only the STR attribute and an armor rating.
Vehicle Type: Choose or roll to determine the type of vehicle.
| 1 | Bus |
| 2 | Cargo Truck |
| 3 | Coupe |
| 4 | Drone Car |
| 5 | Experimental Vehicle |
| 6 | Military Vehicle |
| 7 | Motorcycle (Armor 0) |
| 8 | Sedan |
| 9 | Sports Car |
| 10 | SUV |
Traits: Give your vehicle personality and flair by selecting or rolling for traits.
| 1 | Camouflaged |
| 2 | Convertible |
| 3 | Custom Shift Knob |
| 4 | Dented Bodywork |
| 5 | Faded Paint |
| 6 | Flashy |
| 7 | Flickering Headlights |
| 8 | Fuzzy Dice |
| 9 | Graffiti-Covered |
| 10 | Intimidating |
| 11 | Loud Engine |
| 12 | Mismatched Tires |
| 13 | Modified |
| 14 | Nitro-Boosted |
| 15 | Odd Smell |
| 16 | Rattling Sound |
| 17 | Rugged |
| 18 | Rusty |
| 19 | Spacious |
| 20 | Vintage |
Sensor Hacks
Sensor hacks a much more free-form and narrative form of hacking - but they’re also require more work from the DM and interest from the players. All the existing hacks in the hacks section are straightforward, producing a well defined outcome.
Sensors are ubiquitous parts that devices use to detect and respond to changes in the environment, from temperature and light to motion and sound. These additional hacks allow neuromancers to read and manipulate these sensors, allowing players to employ creativity and imagination to tackle challenges. For instance, a neuromancer might override the temperature sensor in a building’s central AC to artificially heat the premises, reinforcing their disguise as an air conditioner maintenance crew.
It’s important to understand the scope of sensor hacking: Neuromancers are unlikely to induce major events like explosions through sensor manipulation - among other reasons because Life-critical systems often have redundant sensors and failsafe mechanisms. For instance, a player wouldn’t be able control a self-driving car due to sensor redundancy and its reliance on multiple, overlapping sensors like cameras and lidar/radar. However, a player could try to get the passenger to make the car pull over by manipulating the tire pressure sensor to trigger a dashboard alert. The core intent is to provide players with narrative-driven tools to devise innovative plans and strategies, not to wield unchecked power.
There are many types of sensors; accelerometers, ultrasonic sensors, pressure sensors, but it’s not necessary for players to delve into technicalities; The rule of thumb to remember is that everything that machines and devices knows about the environment happens through sensors. In the real world, they tell your car about fuel levels, let your phone adjust screen orientation, guide smart traffic lights, control street lights and even prompt emergency parachutes to deploy. The available hacks are:
Manipulate Sensor I
Adjust or alter the readings of sensors found in a wide range of environments, from homes and office buildings to public infrastructure, encompassing nearly all standard systems outside of high-security domains.
Manipulate Sensor II
Target and control the sensor readings of fortified, high-security systems, often reserved for military applications and advanced defense mechanisms.
Gameplay examples
Rather than diving into lengthy explanations, sometimes it’s best to illustrate with clear examples. Here are some instances of how sensor manipulation could come to play in the game:
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Infiltrating a high-security facility, a neuromancer targets the flow and level sensors of a water cooling system. The sensors now report a false low water level, triggering an emergency alert. As technicians scramble to address the non-existent issue, the neuromancer’s team have an opportunity to approach the off-the-grid server.
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During a stealth mission in a darkened museum, the team comes across a corridor lined with infrared (IR) laser tripwires. A neuromancer manipulates the IR sensors, making them “blind” to the team’s presence. The team can then cross the corridor without triggering any alarms.
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In an effort to discreetly gather intel at a corporate gala, a neuromancer adjusts the venue’s light sensors, which control the ambient lighting. The lights dim sporadically, creating pockets of shadows and distractions. This gives the team opportunities to eavesdrop on conversations, swap out data drives, or simply remain unnoticed in the shifting darkness.
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While trying to exfiltrate a target from a guarded compound, a neuromancer tampers with the PIR sensors that detect motion. These sensors, which typically trigger alarms when movement is detected, are now set to a much higher sensitivity. The slightest rustling of leaves or a stray animal sets off alarms in various parts of the compound, diverting guards and creating a clear path for the team’s escape.
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While attending a lavish party with many influential guests, a neuromancer tampers with the venue’s smoke, gas, and alcohol sensors. When a small smoke bomb is discreetly released, the sensors overreact and trigger a facility-wide evacuation due to a “gas leak.” In the ensuing chaos, the neuromancer’s team accesses secure areas and gathers crucial intel.
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During a sabotage mission in a chemical facility, a neuromancer alters the sensitivity of smoke, gas, and alcohol sensors in the ventilation system. Normally used to detect hazardous leaks, these sensors are now going to ignore the presence of a toxin the team discreetly releases. This toxin induces mild confusion and disorientation among the facility’s staff, providing cover for the neuromancer’s team to complete their objective with minimal resistance.
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In a scenario where the neuromancer’s team needs to intercept a heavily armored convoy, a neuromancer manipulates the strain and weight sensors on a critical bridge. These sensors typically alert traffic control to overweight vehicles, but now they falsely report an unsafe load, forcing the convoy to take a longer, less secure route. This diversion gives the team an opportunity to ambush the convoy in a more isolated and vulnerable location.
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In an operation to exfiltrate a VIP from a high-security facility, a neuromancer adjusts the touch sensors on various keypads and touch-based security systems. The sensors, now much less sensitive, fail to register the inputs of the security personnel, causing delays and locking them out of crucial control areas. Meanwhile, the neuromancer’s team uses the opportunity to move their VIP out of the facility without interruption.
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A neuromancer identifies a robotic arm used for maintenance in a facility, which relies on position sensors to operate accurately. The neuromancer alters the readings from these sensors, causing the robotic arm to move erratically and create a distraction. This draws the attention of the guards, allowing the team to slip by unnoticed.
DM Advice
When gauging the feasibility of a player’s action with sensors, the DM should consider:
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Narrative Consistency: Does the player’s action fit within the story? If it feels right and progresses the story in an engaging way, it’s probably a good call.
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Simplicity Over Complexity: Avoid getting bogged down in technicalities. If the action seems straightforward and doesn’t grant an unreasonable advantage, it’s likely fine.
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Ask for Justification: If unsure, ask the player to justify or explain their thinking. This can lead to great role-playing moments and might provide a perspective you hadn’t considered.
Missions
As a DM guiding players through a dystopian urban landscape controlled by AI and augmented reality, forget crafting a fixed narrative. Build a set of missions with engagement hooks, dilemmas, and potentially escalating threats that could complicate the players’ lives if ignored.
Keep your mission plans adaptable. They should be broad enough to accommodate the players’ decisions and the game’s evolving story. Let the players’ actions shape the game’s direction, steering clear of a predetermined path.
Obstacles
Every mission should present substantial challenges: These can vary widely in nature, but each should require thoughtful engagement from the team.
Environmental Challenges: Whether it’s a slick, rain-drenched skyscraper or a maze of underground tunnels, the setting itself can be a formidable adversary. While physical barriers can often be bypassed with a single save roll, use them to add complexity to other problems. For example, will forcing a rooftop door open trigger an alarm throughout the complex?
Logistical Challenges: The journey itself can pose significant risks. Dealing with the demands of a multi-day mission, such as acquiring enough food or dealing with fatigue, can provide a realistic sense of survival in the cyberpunk world.
Security Layers: Consider a mission to destroy a secure data vault. The team might face successive hurdles like getting past the perimeter guards, disabling the internal security measures, and finally ensuring the data is irrecoverable. Each layer should offer unique challenges and require different approaches.
Enemy Forces: Adversaries are more than mere obstacles; they define the mission’s difficulty. Rank them by threat level, from 1 (common thugs) to 5 (elite corporate enforcers or rogue AI systems). Higher-threat enemies should necessitate clever strategies or technological solutions rather than direct combat.
Mission Phases: Break down the mission into stages, with each acting as a separate challenge. If the goal is to extract a VIP from a fortified building, the phases might include reconnaissance, the actual extraction, and escape. Each phase should have its own obstacles, such as security systems to hack or patrols to evade.
In summary, craft each mission with environmental, logistical, and security challenges, present enemies as strategic puzzles rather than just combat encounters, and structure missions in distinct phases to keep the gameplay varied and engaging.
Mission Types
This section outlines common mission types that DMs can use as inspiration or for on-the-fly random missions (roll a 1D8 to select a mission type, followed by a 1D6 for a specific example within that category).
1. Assault
These missions revolve around conflict, which may not always be direct combat. Players could be tasked with raiding operations or infiltrating hostile territories.
| 1 | Seize the Data Center: The players must overtake a facility and destroy its server’s data. |
| 2 | Urban Liberation: Free a neighborhood from the tyranny of a militia, gang, or corporation using the area for testing violent crowd control machines. |
| 3 | Rogue AI Takedown: A rogue AI has fortified itself within a corporate building. Corporate workers could either be hostages waiting for liberation or hostile. |
| 4 | Underground Fight: Break into a hidden underground fight club to free the unwilling participants. |
| 5 | Seize a batch of advanced weaponry from an enemy armory, government warehouse… |
| 6 | Capture a strategic landmark (like a bridge that serves as the only access point to a hostile zone, a community water filtration plant). |
Sample Assault missions
2. Scouting
Players are required to gather comprehensive information about a site or organization. These missions can range from mapping, assessing forces, identifying key people, or infiltrating their ranks to gather intel.
Sample Scouting missions
| 1 | Corporate Spy: Blend in with employees to scout the inner workings of a corporation suspected of exploiting Neuromancers in secret experiments. |
| 2 | Conduct surveillance: Identify and track the movements of a person of interest (corporate executive, undercover agent, etc.) to find their routines and/or weaknesses in their private security. |
| 3 | Whistleblower Escort: Safely escort a person of interest (former corporate scientist, etc..) to a secure location. |
| 4 | Recon a CEO Palace or industrial complex to identify structural weaknesses or exploitable security flaws for an upcoming mission. |
| 5 | Map out the patrol routes of security drones in a high-risk area. |
| 6 | Perform a recon sweep of a warehouse district to identify resistance supply opportunities. |
3. Espionage
In these stealth and strategy-based missions, players aim to acquire sensitive data, often employing social engineering and stealth. The goal is a clean operation without triggering alarms.
Sample Espionage missions
| 1 | Infiltrate a corporation headquarters to access the servers (through their faraday workspaces). Objectives could range from simply accessing and copying data to modifying and planting incriminating evidence. |
| 2 | Infiltrate a busy social event (like a corporation’s gala or an exhibition) to smuggle out an important item (prototype equipment, blueprints, credentials, etc…) |
| 3 | Collect information: Plant surveillance devices in an enemy meeting area / Infiltrate a secret meeting and record the conversation. |
| 4 | Support an informant who works in a high-security but low-traffic space (like CEO Palace). Help him access security spaces and take care of security teams or metalheads without leaving a trace… |
| 5 | Secretly plant a component in an Automaton Factory to track it. |
| 6 | Identify and swap a package in an automated drone-delivery warehouse before the drone leaves. |
4. Rescue Operations
These missions task the players with extracting captives from precarious situations. The victims might be scared and uncooperative, adding an extra layer of complexity to the mission.
Sample Rescue missions
| 1 | Extraction: Extract a person of interest from a hostile foreign embassy, corporation, faction, or gang. |
| 2 | Prison Break: Infiltrate an AI meat center and orchestrate their escape. Alternatively, the players can be imprisoned and have to escape. |
| 3 | AI Sympathizer: Rescue an AGI who has developed empathy towards humans from a corporate lab planning to reprogram it. |
| 4 | Liberate trapped workers in an emergency situation (like creatures breaking loose at an illegal genetic engineering lab). |
| 5 | Retrieve an informant before they are discovered and silenced. |
| 6 | Rescue civilians trapped in a conflict zone. |
5. Sabotage
Players are hired to destroy a target, which may require physical destruction, hacking, or a combination of both. The target could be a vast facility, necessitating a multi-faceted approach.
Sample Sabotage missions
| 1 | Supply Chain Disruption: Destroy a shipment before it reaches the manufacturing plant. |
| 2 | Synthetic Plague: Sabotage a corporation’s effort to monopolize a market (food production with a genetically engineered crop that’s harmful to natural ecosystems, Contaminate a biotech firm’s gene pool to halt the production of invasive plant species…) |
| 3 | Disable a fleet of automated tanks before being deployed against a civilian enclave. |
| 4 | Sabotage an automated factory (maybe it’s poisoning a river with unchecked waste.) |
| 5 | Sabotage a faction’s infrastructure (water supply, battery farm…) to induce a temporary retreat. |
| 6 | Reprogram all the metalheads on a police storage facility to stop following orders on a specific day or occasion. |
6. Defense
Charged with protecting a valuable asset, person, or location, players must prepare for and repel incoming threats, testing their defensive strategies and resource management.
Sample Defense missions
| 1 | Safe Haven: Protect an important space (like a safe house network that harbors Neuromancer refugees) from gangs, factions, or corporate hit squads. |
| 2 | Data Bastion: Defend a data center. |
| 3 | Whistleblower Safeguarding: Shield a truth-teller until their testimony is secured. |
| 4 | Secure an infrastructure point (like a power plant) against assaults. |
| 5 | Protect a convoy transporting vital supplies through hostile territory. |
| 6 | Secure a recently liberated zone from enemy counterattack. |
7. Smuggling
These missions involve transporting contraband through various checkpoints and territories, avoiding detection, and dealing with the politics of trade, taxes, and territorial control.
Sample Smuggling missions
| 1 | Move a haul of outlawed tech through a series of checkpoints. |
| 2 | Deliver a package of unknown contents to a shadowy figure in the resistance. |
| 3 | Secure samples of rare materials (like a rare mineral used in creating EMP-resistant shielding.) |
| 4 | Smuggle a delivery out of a guarded, busy autonomous facility (docs, Drone-Delivery Warehouse, manufacturing plant…). |
| 5 | Deliver a contraband device to a difficult-access location (the heart of a corporate enclave zone, underwater, low-orbit station…) |
| 6 | Smuggle a group of Neuromancers out of a city before they’re rounded up by DAO’s enforcers. |
8. Retrieval
Here, players seek to recover valuable items. These objects are often in difficult-to-reach or heavily guarded locations, requiring a mix of stealth and negotiation to secure.
| 1 | Recover a rare piece of tech from a difficult-access location (the depths of an abandoned Automaton Factory, a fortified laboratory…). |
| 2 | Salvage a valuable secret from a CEO Palace or corporate enclave to use as leverage. |
| 3 | Gather scattered parts of an important equipment from a crashed drone. |
| 4 | Heist the Heist: Reclaim an important piece of equipment or person that was taken away by a gang, faction, corporation, or government. |
| 5 | Rescue a metalhead with AI and sensitive information |
| 6 | Retrieve an important piece of outlawed tech (from a tech collector’s, a corporate enclave, or a government warehouse) |
Sample Retrieval missions
Mission Rewards
In Perfect World, character progression is deeply rooted in the narrative experience. To this end, the rewards you offer for mission completion should feel impactful and directly contribute to the characters’ growth and their story arcs.
Monetary Rewards: The players will need money to evolve their characters during downtime (through paid training, genome modifications, or cybernetic implants)
Experimental Technologies: Characters in Perfect World can gain an edge through experimental tech unavailable on the open market.
Allies and Contacts: Success in a mission could lead to the characters earning the trust of influential individuals. Effectively acts as adding a “contacts” feat.
A Word of Caution - Incorporate these reward types thoughtfully; the goal of the rewards is to enhance the role-playing experience and to ensure that the game remains interesting for players.
Random tables
Male Names
| 1 | Ivan “Iron” Kozlov |
| 2 | Gabriel Knox (aka “Grim”) |
| 3 | Barrett “Blitz” Flynn |
| 4 | Wallace Bane (aka “the Warden”) |
| 5 | Maxim “Maven” Petrov |
| 6 | Damon “Dragon’s Breath” Stone |
| 7 | Jasper Hawthorne (aka “Justice Bringer”) |
| 8 | Lance “Lynx Eye” Larkin |
| 9 | Alexander “Axel Grinder” Rhodes |
| 10 | Raj “Razor Edge” Singh |
| 1 | ”Astra” Ava Solokov |
| 2 | ”Cortex” Cora Xian |
| 3 | ”Vex” Vanessa Eckhart |
| 4 | Tara “Tempest” Blackwood |
| 5 | Rachel “Rift” Vega |
| 6 | Sofia “Spectre Shade” Morales |
| 7 | Gracie “Gauge Master” Novak |
| 8 | Mia “Manticore” Santos |
| 9 | Giselle Dubois (aka “GlitchWitch”) |
| 10 | Ellis “Echo” Manston |
Female Names
Gender-neutral Names
| 1 | Taylor Kim (aka “Hell’s Torch”) |
| 2 | Alex “Cipher” Quinn |
| 3 | Casey Morgan (aka “Krait”) |
| 4 | Riley “Reverb” Lee |
| 5 | Sage Rivera (aka “StaticNebula”) |
| 6 | Avery “Vector” Jordan |
| 7 | Skyler “Switch” Patil |
| 8 | Quinn Murphy (aka “QuantumVape”) |
| 9 | Adrian “Aeon” Kelly |
| 10 | Robin Sterling (aka “Rift”) |
Typical NPCs
| 1 | Street Thug | STR: 9, DEX: 10, INS: 8, WIL: 9, HP: 3 | Tactical Jacket (Armor 2), Pistol (1D6) |
| 2 | Gang Enforcer | STR: 11, DEX: 12, INS: 10, WIL: 11, HP: 4 | Aramid (Armor 3), Heavy Pistol (1D8) |
| 3 | Cop | STR: 10, DEX: 11, INS: 10, WIL: 10, HP: 3 | Aramid + Active Shielding (Armor 4), Pistol (1D6) |
| 4 | Corporate Security Guard | STR: 12, DEX: 12, INS: 11, WIL: 12, HP: 4 | Aramid High Density + Active Shielding (Armor 5), SMG (3D6) |
| 5 | Corporate Security Officer | STR: 13, DEX: 14, INS: 12, WIL: 13, HP: 5 | Nano Ceramic (Armor 5), Assault Carbine (2D10) |
| 6 | Corporate Assassin | STR: 14, DEX: 15, INS: 13, WIL: 15, HP: 5 | Nano Ceramic + Active Shielding (Armor 6), Sniper Rifle (2D10), Assault Rifle (2D8) |
Corporations
| 1 | Agentis | Global Chemical Manufacturing and Material Sciences conglomerate. |
| 2 | Agrivanta | Massive Food Production and Agricultural Biotech corporation. |
| 3 | Arcadia | Global consumer goods corporation. |
| 4 | Azamon | Pervasive Retail and Drone-Distribution Behemoth, monopolizing online shopping platforms and automated warehouse operations. |
| 5 | CeruleaNet | Oceanic Exploration and Maritime Commerce titan, controlling the majority of transoceanic shipping lanes and deep-sea resource extraction. |
| 6 | Datalytics | Data Analysis, catalogation and Predictive Modeling firm. |
| 7 | EchoSphere Media | Dominating the airwaves and data streams, EchoSphere Media owns crucial news, entertainment, and social platforms. |
| 8 | Greevand Engineering | Large-scale Environmental Engineering, ranging from Clean Energy to water purification and desalination. |
| 9 | HBSC Financial | A juggernaut in global finance, Monolith controls banking, investment, and even influences monetary policy, shaping economies worldwide. |
| 10 | Momentum Aerospace | Controls a significant share of commercial spaceflight and satellite deployment. |
| 11 | NanoTech Works | Nanotechnology Applications across various industries. |
| 12 | NovaGen | Dominating Genetic Engineering and Biotechnology sectors. |
| 13 | NovaPath | Pharmaceutical and medical technologies Consortium. |
| 14 | Orion | Personal Defense Equipment and small Armored Vehicles manufacturer. |
| 15 | Quantex | Automated manufacturing conglomerate, producing vehicles, defense equipment, drones and robotics. |
| 16 | QuantumCore | AI Data Generation and Catalogation. |
| 17 | ReGen Therapeutics | Specializes in regenerative medicine, with breakthroughs in organ synthesis and age reversal treatments. |
| 18 | Stratos | Global Synthetic Food Production and Nutritional Engineering company. |
| 19 | Terrafirma Industries | food and drink processing conglomerate |
| 20 | Vanguard Dynamics | Conglomerate Mass-producing Robotics and Synthetic Organ Fabrication. |
Places of Interest
| 1 | AI-Controlled Vertical Farm: These vertical farms are the lifeline of the city, with advanced AI overseeing hydroponic systems. |
| 2 | AI Judiciary Courts: Courts run by AI judges that process legal cases with algorithmic precision, where human emotion and bias are absent. |
| 3 | AI Meat centers: Illegal research centers where corporations perform unethical stress tests on humans to generate data for AI. |
| 4 | Automated Construction Yards: Sites that use massive 3D printers and robotic builders to create structures. |
| 5 | Automaton Factories: Vast complexes where AI overseers manage robotic workers. |
| 6 | Autonomous Docks: Maritime transportation is still the biggest goods mover in the planet. These docks are a dance of AI-controlled cargo ships, autonomous heavy machinery (lifts, cranes, and transport vehicles). |
| 7 | Autonomous Vehicle Highways: These high-speed transit routes are controlled by AI systems. |
| 8 | Blackout Zones: Areas of the city where all digital signals are jammed, offering a haven for those who wish to avoid the ever-watchful eye of surveillance. |
| 9 | CEO Palace: Whether it’s a multimillion-dollar paradise house in a mountain enclave or Floating Mansions on the High Seas. |
| 10 | Corporate Enclaves: Exclusive districts where the mega-rich live in opulent high-security buildings, patrolled by private armies. These enclaves are bubbles of luxury amidst the urban decay. |
| 11 | Cryonic Preservation Centers: Facilities offering the service of preserving individuals through cryogenics, for those who hope to wake up in a different, perhaps better, future. |
| 12 | Cybernetic Augmentation Parlors: Back-alley clinics offering unauthorized enhancements, from cosmetic alterations to illegal combat modifications. |
| 13 | Drone-Delivery Warehouses: In the skies above the city, drones buzz like bees, transporting goods. The warehouses are a hive of activity. |
| 14 | High-Security Research Labs: Hidden within the bowels of the corporation’s HQ, these labs are where unethical experiments and the development of advanced tech take place. |
| 15 | Illegal genetic engineering labs: Hidden facilities that produce illegal animal manipulations. Want to build a dragon from crocodile and Komodo genomes? This lab is already working on that --- special order for a client, worth millions. |
| 16 | Private Detention Facilities: Autonomous prison where inmates are subjected to behavior modification programs. |
| 17 | Safe Houses: Abandoned buildings turned into communal living spaces for DAO resistance and digital activists. |
| 18 | Suborbital Transport Stations: As hubs for travel to space stations or other continents. |
| 19 | Subterranean Transit Networks: The forgotten tunnels and subways beneath the city have become lifelines for those avoiding corporate surveillance. |
| 20 | Underground Tech market: Hidden beneath the city’s infrastructure is a sprawling market where illegal tech and information trade hands. Neon signs flicker above stalls selling contraband cybernetics and black-market software. Neuromancers come here to purchase rare components for their implants but must be wary of undercover corporate security and rival hackers looking to steal prized tech. |
Tactical Building Features
| 1 | Armored safe zones |
| 2 | Automated defense turrets |
| 3 | Backup generator rooms |
| 4 | Biometric locked doors |
| 5 | Chemical waste disposal units |
| 6 | Decontamination chambers |
| 7 | Emergency lockdown protocols |
| 8 | Elevator shafts with manual override |
| 9 | EMP protection zones |
| 10 | Environmental control systems |
| 11 | Faraday cage workspaces |
| 12 | Fire suppression systems |
| 13 | High-capacity battery stores |
| 14 | Laser tripwires |
| 15 | Maintenance access tunnels |
| 16 | Motion-sensor lighting |
| 17 | Power grid control panels |
| 18 | Pressure-sensitive floor tiles |
| 19 | Reactive lighting systems |
| 20 | Reinforced blast doors |
| 21 | Reinforced panic rooms |
| 22 | Rooftop access points |
| 23 | Security drone & droid docks |
| 24 | Sound-dampening walls |
| 25 | Ventilation shafts |
City District Names
| 1 | Alderway Stretch |
| 2 | Archway Annex |
| 3 | Canary Quay |
| 4 | Cascade Ward |
| 5 | Eastmere Fringes |
| 6 | Fallowfield Range |
| 7 | Havenbrook Precinct |
| 8 | Ironwood Division |
| 9 | Lockwood Hub |
| 10 | Mariner’s Threshold |
| 11 | Mercer Industrial Zone |
| 12 | Midtown Cross |
| 13 | Nighthaven Enclave |
| 14 | Pinnacle Point Sector |
| 15 | Redstone Commons |
| 16 | Sable Park Boundary |
| 17 | Silica Plaza Area |
| 18 | Sterling Loop |
| 19 | Terra Vista Sector |
| 20 | The Outlier Bounds |
City District Themes
| 1 | Art District: Underground galleries, avant-garde theaters.In this district, art bleeds into the streets, a stark canvas of rebellion and expression. It’s an eclectic mix of defiance and creativity, where artists challenge the oppressive status quo. Amidst the vibrant murals and gritty studios, the district pulses with the heartbeats of dreamers and dissenters, a stark reminder of the city’s suppressed voices and hidden depths. |
| 2 | Corporate District: Corporate enclaves, luxury dining. A towering testament to corporate dominance, this district looms over the city. Here, power and wealth are the ultimate currencies, and the polished facades often hide a network of intrigue and exploitation. |
| 3 | Corporate Residential Enclave: Gated communities, private security, elite schools. A stark contrast to the rest of the city, this district is where the corporate elite live in luxurious isolation, shielded from the hardships faced by the common populace. |
| 4 | Entertainment District: Casinos, nightclubs, brothels. This district hides its predatory nature behind a façade of glamour. It’s a playground for the reckless, with crime and danger hiding just out of sight. It’s a place where you can find anything for a price, and where the line between fun and trouble is often crossed. |
| 5 | Market District: Street markets, barter trade centers, makeshift shops. In the shadow of corporate dominance, a thriving barter economy exists here, where people trade goods and services away from the influence of corporate currency. |
| 6 | Supply Hub:Features: Vertical farms, automated warehouses, drone hubs. This district is a cold, mechanized heart of the city’s supply chain. Draped in the constant hum of drones and machinery, it’s a place where efficiency eclipses humanity, and the glow of vertical farms casts an eerie light on the relentless pace of progress. |
| 7 | Tech Salvage Zone: Scrap yards, tech pawn shops, hacker hideouts. In the post-AI world, this district thrives on salvaging and repurposing old technology. It’s a haven for tech scavengers, hackers, and those looking to find or hide from technology. |
| 8 | Transport Hub: Dilapidated public transit, corporate fleets, smuggler routes. Transportation reflects the social divide – decaying public options for the masses, and sleek, secure vehicles for the corporate elite, with smugglers finding their own paths. |
Decommissioned/Forgotten Spaces
| 1 | Covert Trade Passage: An old smuggler’s route running beneath the city, accessed via hidden panels in the sewers. |
| 2 | Decommissioned Data Center: A massive underground building filled with old servers; some may still be operational. |
| 3 | Obsolete Power Grid Control Room: With control panels and backup generators, it may still connect to some active lines. |
| 4 | Old Drone Docking Station: Once a hub for courier drones, now left with defunct technology and a possible hideout. |
| 5 | Phased-Out automated manufacturing plant: Maze of conveyor belts and robotic arms, silent but possibly reactivable. |
| 6 | Retired Underground subway Passage: Reachable from within a structure. |
| 7 | Secret cold war bunker: An extensive network from the atomic age. |
| 8 | Ventilation Shaft Network: Leads to a decommissioned subterranean research space. |
City Chaos
| 1 | Checkpoints set up by corporate enforcers, scanning IDs and restricting access to those without proper clearance. |
| 2 | Malfunction in the city’s drone delivery system causes packages to be dropped randomly from the sky. |
| 3 | Public transport AI systems rebelling against their programming, leading to a wild, unscheduled symphony of movement. |
| 4 | Skies filled suddenly and unexpectedly with drones, their collective buzz drowning out the city’s cacophony, their purpose unknown. |
| 5 | Streets barricaded with autonomous vehicles. |
| 6 | Sudden EMP waves that cascade through the district, leaving a trail of inert devices and silent chaos. |
| 7 | Tense standoffs where protesters, enshrouded in digital banners, meet the unyielding line of police/corporate security. |
| 8 | The chaotic scramble of a flash mob protest, disappearing as quickly as it formed to avoid drone police. |
Data Recovered when hacking a server
| 1 | A list of all AI meat centers in the city. |
| 2 | AI Behavioral Algorithms - Advanced code that teaches AIs how to mimic emotions or specific personalities. |
| 3 | Experimental cyberware blueprints - Blueprints for untested and potentially dangerous cybernetic enhancements. |
| 4 | Corporate Espionage Records - Detailed logs of corporate sabotage, trade secrets, and insider dealings. |
| 5 | Prototype Defense System Plans - Highly confidential designs for next-gen personal or property defense systems. |
| 6 | Covert Operations Brief - Information about a clandestine operation like an assassination, sabotage, or bio-hacking. |
| 7 | Indiscreet Videos - Sensitive recordings that someone would pay a lot to keep private. |
| 8 | Shadow Broker Contact Lists - Connections to individuals who can procure anything for a price. |
| 9 | VIP Security Schedules - The guarded itineraries of prominent figures, ripe for interception or protection rackets. |
| 10 | Phantom Server Locations - Coordinates for off-grid servers storing sensitive data or serving as digital sanctuaries. |
City Sights
| 1 | A “ghost” building, where AR superimposes the physical walls making them look like transparent holograms, revealing a bustling interior of offices and shops. |
| 2 | A clandestine cyberwear implant clinic, hidden from the prying eyes of law enforcement. |
| 3 | A deserted construction site, now quiet and surrounded by AR safety barriers signaling caution. |
| 4 | A digital memorial wall where passersby can leave AR flowers or messages for loved ones lost. |
| 5 | A dimly lit pawn shop with a flickering sign, its shelves and walls lined with outdated tech, relics from a bygone era. |
| 6 | A group of children playing with a malfunctioning metalhead that’s harmlessly buzzing in circles. |
| 7 | A mountain of discarded tech in an alleyway, a testament to the rapid pace of obsolescence. |
| 8 | A narrow alley where black market cybernetic upgrades are traded under the watchful eye of drone surveillance. |
| 9 | A synthetic pet shop, where robotic dogs, cats, and exotic creatures mimic life with eerie accuracy. |
| 10 | An AR zoo that displays extinct or mythical creatures, allowing patrons to walk among dinosaurs or dragons. |
| 11 | An old library that has been converted into a server farm, its exterior still maintaining the classical architecture. |
| 12 | An old-fashioned bookshop with an AR overlay, where patrons flick through digital pages. |
| 13 | Drone taxis landing on designated pads, their passengers stepping out into the buzz of the city. |
| 14 | Vending Hubs: Ubiquitous vending machines serving everything from hot beverages to personal defense gear and pharmaceuticals. |
| 15 | Noise-Cancelling Cafes: Establishments where clients can enjoy their drinks and conversations without the intrusion of external sounds. |
| 16 | Pedestrians with interactive fashion, their clothing displaying dynamic images or live feeds of cityscapes. |
| 17 | Self-Cleaning Public Restrooms: Hygienic facilities that offer a great experience (when working). |
| 18 | Streets barricaded with autonomous vehicles, sometimes for safety, other times for more nefarious purposes. |
| 19 | Tense standoffs where protesters, enshrouded in digital banners, meet the unyielding line of police/corporate security. |
| 20 | The heavy silence of a district’s or block’s curfew hours, enforced by patrolling metalheads and surveillance drones. |
Drugs
| 1 | Cloud Nine Disposable vaporizer cartridge. Induces powerful euphoria. WIL save vs blissful detachment for 2d6 hours. |
| 2 | R.A.G.E. Crystallized sugar tablet laced with hallucinogenics. STR save vs flying into a violent frenzy for an hour. |
| 3 | Jet Fuel White powder. Snort it to gain a burst of energy. STR save vs deprived for 2d12 hours. |
| 4 | Slimeball A tacky, chewable compound. Mild buzz and turns your eyes bright green for an hour. |
| 5 | T-33B Synthesized molecules in the form of an arm patch. For 1D4 hours you have +3 armor. When the effects wear off you gain +1 fatigue and are violently ill for 1D6 hours. |
| 6 | Shoosh Deep violet leaf-like moss that is dried and rolled in paper or used in communal tube-pipes for smoking. Has a casual, mood-boosting & relaxing effect. Non-addictive. |