LA 2069
History Lesson
The Cargen arrived in 2000.
On January 3, 2000, the Hubble Space Telescope (conducting a routine deep-field survey after recent servicing) captured the first unmistakable anomaly: Echo-1, a colossal three-and-a-half-mile alien vessel already crossing the heliopause — the distant boundary of the Sun’s influence some 120 AU from our star. Moving on a trajectory and at a velocity impossible for any natural object, it was clearly entering the solar system from interstellar space. Within weeks, three more massive signatures appeared on collaborative observations from ground-based observatories and the Mir space station: Echo-2, Fuji-3, and finally Mir-4.
Their motherships swept inward like silent predators, encircling the planet and hanging in orbit, waiting for weakness. No communication followed. No demands.
On June 6th, 2000, everything changed.
Orbital railguns swept the sky clean, erasing satellites in seconds. The Mir space station was struck and fell in a blazing streak across the atmosphere. Aircraft flying above one hundred feet were destroyed with surgical precision. Near Las Vegas, the first landing craft touched down. Armored Cargen forces deployed alongside massive harvesting machines that began tearing into the planet itself, extracting something only they understood.
Human resistance was immediate. It was also ineffective.
Cargen weapons cut through tanks with ease. Their power armor moved too quickly for heavy guns to track. Missiles occasionally struck true against Cargen Heavy Armor, but rarely brought one down. The same pattern repeated across the globe.
Other alien races appeared during the chaos. Some fought alongside the Cargen. Others hunted them. None came to save humanity.
Militaries fractured. Governments became paralyzed. Luckily the Cargen did not target civilian populations indiscriminately — perhaps they thought us as ants to their superior technology.
As years passed, the real damage became clear. The Cargen were draining Earth’s magnetosphere. Auroras bled into daylight. Radiation levels rose. Ecosystems began to fail.
They were not invading. They were milking the planet.
Humanity Adapted
Technology corporations did what governments could not. They cracked open alien systems and reverse-engineered whatever survived. Power armor entered mass production. Caseless armor-piercing firearms, gauss weapons, and directed-energy systems followed. Radical biological and mechanical augmentations became commonplace.
This period became known as the Hypertech Renaissance. For the first time, humans began to fight back.
Project Skyfall
In 2017, desperation gave rise to one final gamble.
A joint NATO and U.S. task force, backed by unknown alien allies, launched a suicide mission against the mothership designated Echo-2. A nuclear device was successfully detonated inside the ship.
Echo-2 did not explode. It fell.
The impact erased downtown Los Angeles, carving a five-mile crater through the city. When the dust settled, the wreck lay cracked open but alive. Cargen forces poured from the shattered hull, turning the ruins into a killing ground.
Los Angeles Becomes a Quarantine Zone
The damaged mothership leaked alien chemicals into the surrounding city. Exposure warped human DNA at a fundamental level. There was no cure.
A one-hundred-mile Quarantine Zone was erected around Los Angeles. Entry was sealed. Exit was forbidden. Anyone exposed to the mutagen was barred from leaving. Those trapped inside became known as The Zoned.
For the next three years, Los Angeles was consumed by brutal urban warfare. Militias, corporate forces, and surviving military units fought street by street. Anyone who survived the Zone remained there permanently.
Echo-2 Goes Quiet
In 2020, an elite militia force operating from within the Zone breached Echo-2 and destroyed its engine core.
The mothership lost nearly all power.
With the Core crippled, organized resistance became effective, causing the Cargen to take heavy losses. Soon after, multiple alien types emerged from the damaged ship and surrendered. FLX, Larren, and Garill all asked for protection. The remaining Cargen forces fought continually until seemingly eradicated. Echo-2 fell silent, though its corridors still hum with residual energy.
Motherships Echo-1 and Fuji-3 departed Earth’s orbit. Mir-4 remains in orbit to this day but has gone silent.
The Cargen War was declared over. Few believe that declaration.
New Los Angeles
A new city rose around the wreck. New Los Angeles grew in neon and steel around the alien husk now called the Core. Three and a half miles of Cargen corridors stretch beneath the city, maintained by autonomous machines that no one fully understands.
At ground level, the Zone festers. Gang territory, corporate black sites, and alien remnants crowd the streets. Illegal augmentation markets glow in the shadows. Former militias have hardened into gangs, holding territory through firepower alone.
Inter-Species Containment and Coexistence Agreement: Corps pushed through legalized alien residence to exploit their technical knowledge. Residency without citizenship. Employment without sovereignty. Special marshals enforce territorial limits and surveillance protocols.
Project Eden
By 2025, it was clear the war had left deeper wounds than ruined cities.
Earth’s magnetosphere remained unstable. Radiation spikes and collapsing weather systems threatened global collapse. In response, a joint global body emerged, combining surviving governments and megacorporations. It became known as the Concordance.
Their solution was Project Eden.
Using salvaged Cargen technology, the Concordance deployed massive atmospheric control towers called Cloud Forges. Each was powered by a Zero-Point Induction Core — an alien energy system capable of sustaining continuous output for the giant atmospheric manipulation devices.
The Cloud Forges seeded the upper atmosphere, generated artificial cloud systems, and induced controlled rainfall. Crop failures slowed. Radiation exposure declined. The planet stabilized.
It did not recover.
By 2069, Project Eden still operates unevenly. Some regions depend entirely on Cloud Forge output. Others have lost access altogether. Control of a Forge means control of water, food, and survival. One of the largest Cloud Forges still operates near Manhattan Beach, just inside the Quarantine Zone.
Now It Is 2069
The Quarantine Zone endures, shrunk to roughly twenty miles across, encircled by ever-newer walls and checkpoints. Out on the western edge, purification teams in full hazmat suits are slowly chewing through contaminated sections of Santa Monica. Word is, it will be the next piece of the Zone formally returned to California proper. Too bad everyone still living there will be relocated, whether they like it or not.
Above it all, the sky remains choked. Only the old-timers remember seeing the stars. Project Eden’s artificial cloud layers never burn off. At night, faint auroras bleed through the haze in sickly green and violet, scars left by a magnetosphere that may never heal.
Even now, the wreck of Echo-2, The Core, remains the dark heart of the Zone. Corporations have poured hundreds of billions into digging out its secrets, but manpower is always scarce and the pay keeps getting higher. And yet The Core resists. Autonomous drones still repair the ship. Machines torn out are quietly rebuilt. Gun turrets appear out of nowhere in mapped hallways deemed safe. More troubling still, diggers whisper of vast new tunnel networks spreading beneath the wreck with no idea who made them.
You cannot leave. The wall, the blood tests, the sniffer drones — they all make sure of that. The Government calls you The Zoned. Locals call you tainted.
Lucky for you, the Corps pay top dollar for people with your talents.
Character Creation
Pick a Background
| Background | Summary |
|---|---|
| Corpo | Corporate asset with education and connections |
| Gangbanger | Street fighter with weapons and territory |
| Unregistered | Survivor doing mundane jobs, staying hidden |
| Alien — FLX | Feline Xenomorph mercenary slave turned resident |
| Alien — Bennie | Human-appearing alien with psionic talent |
| Mutant | Exposed to alien mutagen; unstable but powerful |
| Nerd | Scientist or computer specialist |
| Merc | Ex-military with access to big guns and power armor |
| Cop | Private security or public police |
| Psion | Psionic-talented character (requires WIL 15+) |
| Purist | Believes the human body is perfect without modification |
Corpo
A valuable corporate resource — college educated in topics that may not seem relevant in the Zone, but the corporation has invested heavily in you.
- Stats: INT +1
- Skills: Any Science +6, Computer Use +6
- Tech Level: 4 | Max Mods: 4
- Starting Mod: Hardwired Hyperion Spine
- Starting Money: 4d10 × 2k
- Perks & Quirks: Friends in High Places, Owes a Debt
Unregistered
You survived out of harm’s way doing mundane jobs like store clerk, scavenger, whatever. Maybe it’s time to earn more creds by going into the Core.
- Stats: DEX +1
- Skills: Stealth +3, Barter +3, Tech Appraisal +3, Street Knowledge +3
- Tech Level: 3 | Max Mods: 3
- Starting Money: 4d10 × 1k
Alien — FLX
FLX (Feline Xenomorphs) are humanlike with light fur and cat ears, often thin and on average 6 inches shorter than humans. They can’t pass for humans unless covered or using camo tech. They were originally mercenary slaves of the Cargen for tight-corridor fights. Now they’re second-class citizens in the Zone, hired for speed and alien-tech know-how. They age a bit more quickly than humans — adult by 12 years and live to 50–60. Someone in their family lineage has signed the Coexistence Agreement to live a somewhat peaceful life in the Zone. Some FLX tech like Power Armor connects to the ears with nano fibres to control them without neural mods. They are incredibly nimble and quick. Maximum Natural DEX 22, REF 24.
- Stats: DEX +2, REF +4, FIT -1
- Skills: Karate +3, Long Gun +3, Power Armor +3, Alien Tech +3
- Max Mods: 0 | Tech Level: 5
- Starting Money: 2d6 × 1k
- Perks & Quirks: Prehensile Limbs, Exotic Looks (+2 ATT, -1 CHA), Shun Mods
Alien — Bennies
Bennies are indistinguishable from humans — only deep brain scans reveal heightened neural activity. They walk undetected among humanity. Vulnerable to Cargen mutagens. The trait breeds true: a Bennie parent produces Bennie children, often raised without knowledge of what they are. Natural INT cap of 22. “Bennies” is a term derived from Benevolent Alien — the first to secretly help humans. Their original world destroyed, their ships no longer functioning, now they live here. Some religious orders believe human life derived from these aliens ages ago.
- Stats: INT +2, WIL +1
- Skills: Any Science +3, Alien Tech +6, Cargen Tech +3
- Max Mods: 2 | Tech Level: 5
- Special: Telepath Psionic Talent
- Starting Money: 4d10 × 1k
Mutant
Mutants are just like any other unregistered person until they aren’t. Often a mutant’s skin is rough and rad-damaged, but it can be hidden in many ways. Bioscans always show the truth.
- Stats: Any +2, ATT -2
- Skills: Stealth +6, Any Martial Art +6
- Max Mods: 2 | Tech Level: 3
- Special: Mutations (see Mutations)
- Starting Money: 2d6 × 1k
- Perks & Quirks: Scarred
Nerd
Scientists and computer specialists.
- Stats: INT +1
- Skills: Any Science +6, Computer Use +3, Alien Tech +3
- Max Mods: 3 | Tech Level: 4
- Starting Money: 3d10 × 1k
Gangbanger
You have weapons like other people have a watch — always ready.
- Stats: REF +2
- Skills: Any Martial Art +6, Pistol +6, Long Gun +3, Street Knowledge +3
- Max Mods: 5 | Tech Level: 2
- Starting Money: 3d6 × 1k (must spend half on weapons)
- Perks & Quirks: Pick either Friends That Don’t Go Away or Criminal Past
Merc
Often ex-military with access to big guns and even power armor. Usually carrying obvious mods and replacement limbs.
- Stats: STR +2, REF +2
- Skills: Any Martial Art +3, Long Gun +6, Power Armor +3
- Max Mods: 5 | Starting Mod: Hardwired 2 Synapse Loom
- Tech Level: 3
- Starting Money: 4d10 × 1k (must spend half on mods)
Cop
Private security or one of many public service Police Groups.
- Stats: DEX +2, REF +2
- Skills: Any Martial Art +3, Pistol +3, Long Gun +3, Hover Vehicle +3, Criminal Science +3
- Max Mods: 3 | Tech Level: 3
- Starting Money: 3d10 × 1k
Psion
Psions are those with a psionic ability who train to use it. In the Echo Crash of 2017, mankind first noticed Psions develop. Telepaths are what people think of first, but there are more types. Psions avoid mods because they interfere with psionic control. Special requirement: WIL 15 or higher.
| Psion Type | Notes |
|---|---|
| Pyro | Creates fire phenomena |
| Cryo | Removes heat energy |
| Electro | Creates electrical high-voltage arcing phenomena |
| Telek | Moves matter with the mind; second most common |
| Telepath | Very sought after; corps use them to detect lies and interface with Cargen tech |
| Port | A rare type able to move things instantly |
| Physical | Often melee-combat oriented; boosts physical abilities |
See Psionics for more details.
- Stats: FIT +1, WIL +2
- Skills: Pick any two base learned Psi skills at +3
- Max Mods: 0 | Tech Level: 2
- Starting Money: 3d6 × 1k
- Perks & Quirks: Shun Mods
Purist
Believes the human body is perfect without cutting it up. Follows a religion, group, or strong personal belief in physical training and self-reliance.
- Stats: WIL +2, FIT +2
- Skills: Physical Training +6, and +10 additional skill points
- Max Mods: 0 | Tech Level: 3
- Starting Money: 3d6 × 1k
- Starts with 1 Character Point to spend on advancement
- Perks & Quirks: Pick any Perk, Shun Mods
Special Notes for 2069
Shun Mods — Limited to not wanting to install mods or basic replacement parts for the human body. For major permanent damage, characters prefer vat-grown or donor grafts. Sometimes doctors will fix people without their consent in the cheapest way possible. If a character with Shun Mods is given mechanical-looking mods, they will save up and replace with life-like or real flesh. People with Shun Mods can use hardwired stuff with some expensive alien tech: the Bennie Ear Charm or the NemClone Ear Piece.
Humanity
In 2069, cybernetic modification, mutation, psionic exposure, violence, and betrayal all take a toll on the human psyche.
As a character’s Humanity declines, they begin to experience psychological and social deterioration. The more chrome and augmentation a character installs, the harder it becomes to relate to baseline humans.
If a character’s Humanity reaches 0, they Go Hollow — clinically known as Neural Integrity Collapse. The character loses coherent identity and typically lashes out violently, often leading to lethal confrontations with the U.S. Marshal Cyborg Containment Unit.
Characters with Humanity below 14 gain one or more Flaws. At times a character must also make a WIL roll to avoid gaining a new flaw.
The Psi Defense modifier represents how strongly the brain can resist outside influence as Humanity changes. Characters with lower Humanity are more vulnerable to psionic and mutant abilities that affect the mind. Conversely, characters with higher Humanity gain bonuses to resist mental effects, as empathy, identity, and emotional grounding reinforce cognitive stability.
| Humanity Score | Flaws | WIL Rolls / Psi Defense | Description |
|---|---|---|---|
| 0 | 5 + Hollow | -6 | Neural Integrity Collapse |
| 1 | 5 | -5 | Animalistic |
| 2–3 | 4 | -4 | Serial killer |
| 4–5 | 3 | -3 | Assassin |
| 6–7 | 2 | -2 | Thug, gangbanger |
| 8–9 | 2 | -1 | Small time criminal |
| 10–11 | 1 | 0 | Covert Ops |
| 12–13 | 1 | +1 | Merc |
| 14–15 | 1 | +2 | Law enforcement |
| 16–17 | 0 | +3 | Medical Doctor |
| 18–19 | 0 | +4 | Model citizen |
| 20 | 0 | +5 | An innocent baby |
Character Reaction: In roleplaying environments, characters with wildly different Humanity Scores get a negative reaction of 1/2 the difference in score.
Recovering Humanity: Through meaningful human connections, therapy, or removing mods. The Director may award +0.2 to +0.5 for significant roleplay moments. Some drugs can temporarily increase or lower Humanity — keep track of flaws that come and go as Humanity fluctuates.
Cyberpunk 2069 Flaws
When a character drops below a Humanity threshold, they roll on this table.
| d100 | Flaw | Description |
|---|---|---|
| 01–06 | Emotional Flatline | Difficulty feeling joy, sadness, or empathy; perceived as cold and robotic |
| 07–12 | Paranoid Pattern Recognition | See threats and conspiracies everywhere; trust no one, suspect everything |
| 13–18 | Predator Instinct | View others as prey or obstacles; struggle to see people as equals |
| 19–24 | Detached Morality | Ethical decisions feel abstract; killing and stealing lack emotional weight |
| 25–30 | Control Fixation | Obsessive need to control situations and people; panic when plans go sideways |
| 31–36 | Violence Escalation | First instinct is always lethal force; de-escalation feels unnatural |
| 37–42 | Sensory Overload Episodes | Neural inputs overwhelm randomly; -2 to all actions for 1d6 rounds |
| 43–48 | Risk Addiction | Crave danger and adrenaline; boring situations cause restlessness and poor decisions |
| 49–54 | Authority Rejection | Visceral hatred of anyone giving orders; compulsion to defy or undermine them |
| 55–60 | Ritualized Behavior | Must perform specific routines (checking weapons, counting exits) or suffer anxiety |
| 61–66 | Fixation on New Chrome | Obsessed with acquiring more mods; spend money on upgrades before necessities |
| 67–72 | Hallucinated Tactical Data | See targeting reticles, threat assessments, and combat data that isn’t there (WIL check when stressed) |
| 73–78 | Memory Fragmentation | Random gaps in memory; sometimes forget names, places, or recent events |
| 79–84 | Emotional Echoes | Experience phantom emotions from deleted memories; sudden grief, rage, or love with no cause |
| 85–92 | Objectification Bias | View baseline humans as inferior, slow, and fragile; condescending without realizing it |
| 93–100 | Emotional Rage Bursts | Sudden uncontrollable anger triggered by minor frustrations; must make WIL check to avoid outburst |
Mods
Highly Visible Body Replacement Mods
| Tech | Name | Cost | Humanity | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2 | FrameBound Limb | 2k | -1 | Generic replacement; STR +2 for that limb |
| 2 | FrameBound Full Chassis | 30k | -3 | Generic replacement; STR +2 |
| 4 | Helix Synth Limb | 8k | -0.8 | Titanium composite limb replacement |
| 4 | Helix Synth Chassis | 60k | -2.4 | Titanium composite body replacement |
| 1 | Loader Frame | 30k | -3.6 | Exoskeleton chassis; Perm STR 19; No PA |
| 3 | Titan Frame | 60k | -4 | Heavy exoskeleton; Perm STR 22; No PA |
| 4 | Tank Frame | 135k | -4.8 | Black market; Perm STR 24; No PA |
| 2 | Bulwark Plating | 6k | -0.4 | Steel external armor shell (for Frames) |
| 3 | Dragon Skin | 20k | 0 | Composite external armor shell (for Frames) |
| 4 | NemClone Armor | 52k | 0 | Black market external armor shell (for Frames) |
| 1–3 | Core Battery Bus | 2–6k | 0 | Swappable high-cap power spine to power Exoskeletons and Energy Weapons |
Visible Mods
| Tech | Name | Cost | Humanity | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 4 | TorjayTu Fabric Skin | 23k | -1.6 | Composite skin; any color and sheen |
| 2 | Composite Skin Weave | 8k | -2 | Aramid armor; dense woven grey fabric |
| 2 | Opto-Camo Faceplate | 1k | -1 | Programmable holo mask; when off, two visible piercing studs above the eyes |
| 4 | Opto-Camo Full Body | 10k | -2 | Full-body adaptive camo layer; small pierced studs over the body |
| 2 | Weapon Hardpoints | 1k each | -1 | Mounts for heavy or integrated weapons |
| 3 | Extra Limb Pair | 12k | -2 | Additional arms/legs; heavy lifting |
| 2 | Marker/IR Suite | 2k | -0.4 | Active IR beacon/targeting |
| 3 | Multi-Eye Array | 2k | -1 | Extra optics; requires Multi-Optic Feeds |
Subtle Mechanical Upgrades
Double cost for stealth installs; Humanity loss halved (rounded down).
| Tech | Name | Cost | Humanity | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2–4 | Subdermal Armor II to IV | 20–40k | -0.2 to -0.8 | Soft BP armor under skin |
| 5 | TorjayTu Real Skin | 72k | -1.2 | Lifelike skin armor (TorjayTu Reactive Cloth) |
| 1–5 | Artificial Eyes | 1–5k | 0 | Mod-ready optics; see Eye Mods table |
| 3 | Hidden Weapon Mount I | 8k | -0.4 | Concealed small weapon (pistol/knife) |
| 3 | Hidden Weapon Mount II | 15k | -0.8 | Concealed medium weapon (SMG/short sword) |
| 3 | Plasma Filters | 4k | 0 | Blood/heat toxin scrub |
| 2 | Nasal/Chem Filters | 2k | 0 | Filters and toxin alarms |
| 1 | Air Supply | 1k | 0 | Internal respirator/air tank |
| 2 | Vox | 2k | -0.4 | Implanted voice mod; stores 2 other voices after listening for 1 minute |
| 3 | Bug Scanner | 3k | 0 | RF/signal sweeper; detects active comms |
| 5 | NemClone Ultra Scan | 12k | -0.4 | RF/signal, IR, UV, ultrasonic; detects all known active comms |
| 3 | Sonar Ping | 8k | -0.4 | Short-range sonar targeting in smoke or total darkness |
| 4 | Military Ultrasonic Suite | 9k | -0.4 | Silent comms/motion detect/range finding +25%; works in total darkness or smoke |
| 1 | Hidden Compartments | 1k | -0.2 | Smuggler caches |
| 3 | Cellular Regen | 55k | -0.4 | Slow tissue repair 1 HP/minute |
| 4 | NemClone Nanites | 100k | -1 | Black market; Regen 1 pt/second |
| 5 | Nemesis Infinite Regen | 300k | -2 | Black market; Regen 3 pts/second |
Hardwired Cortex
The backbone of a hardwired character.
| Tech | Name | Cost | Humanity | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2 | Hardwired Cortex Mk2 | 4k | -0.4 | 2020s older tech |
| 3 | Hardwired Cortex Mk3 | 18k | -0.8 | Combat-grade |
| 4 | Hyperion Spine | 40k | -1.2 | Hypertech backbone |
| 4 | NemClone | 62k | -2 | Black market; can connect to Tech 5 but finicky |
| 5 | Nemesis Neural Core | 150k | -1 | Best money can buy |
| 6 | Relic Cognition Spine | N/A | -2 | Legendary artifact; believed to be ASX alien |
Neural Mods
Requires Hardwired Cortex. Max of 1 Mod per Tech Level of Hardwired Cortex. Easy to install and swap. If a Neural Mod of higher tech is installed, its benefits are reduced to the cortex’s tech level maximum.
| Tech | Name | Cost | Humanity | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1–4 | Multi-Optic Feeds | 2–8k | 0 | For multi-eyes, FPV vehicles, gun-camera aim |
| 5 | NemClone Optic Feeds | 16k | 0 | For multi-eyes, FPV vehicles, gun-camera aim |
| 1–4 | Neural Reaction Engine | 3–12k | 0 | REF +1 to +4 when driving neural-linked systems; doesn’t stack with BioMods |
| 4 | Hecaton System | 50k | -0.8 | With Multi-Optic Feeds: fire 2 weapons at 2 targets each second |
| 5 | Hecaton XD4 | 250k | -1 | With Multi-Optic/multi-limbs: 4 weapons at 4 targets each second |
| 1 | Wireless Data Link | 1k | 0 | Semi-secure short-range data |
| 2 | Sat Link | 1k | 0 | Long-range comms; requires Corp contract; password encrypted |
| 3 | Secure Laser Link | 8k | 0 | Short and long encrypted comms; must be within visual range; IR can see the emitter |
| 4 | NemClone ComHack | 24k | -0.4 | Black market; can intercept wireless comms; requires Hacking Check |
| 1–4 | Firewall Mk I to IV | 3–12k | 0 | Neural intrusion countermeasures; +4 to +7 WIL for Hack Defenses; works at full strength even in a lower-tech Cortex |
| 5 | Zendai Firewall Mk V | 20k | 0 | Best neural intrusion countermeasures; +8 Hack Defense |
| 2 | AI Slot with bAIllie 28 | 4k | 0 | Embedded helper agent; INT 14 |
| 3 | AI Slot with bAIllie 34 | 20k | 0 | Embedded helper agent; uncensored; INT 16 |
| 3 | AI Slot with NemClone Doll | 32k | -0.4 | Agent with Body Control; DEX, REF, and INT 16; Base Skills 3 |
| 5 | AI Slot with Nemesis Doll | 105k | -0.8 | Agent with Body Control; DEX, REF, and INT 17; Base Skills 4 |
| 6 | AI Slot with ASX Agent | 1M | -0.4 | Telepathic agent; INT 19 |
| 1–6 | Skill Chip Slots | 1–6k per slot | -0.2 to -1.2 | Slot + chip interface; allows instant skill access |
| 1–3 | Optical Boost | 3–9k | 0 | Image processing/zoom; PER +1 to +3 |
| 2 | Olfactory Boost | 1k | 0 | Scent analysis; Chemical ID chance; PER +4 if related to smell |
| 1–3 | Tactile Boost | 2–6k | 0 | Focused physical contact/touch; PER +1 to +3 |
| 1–6 | Mem Storage | 1–6k | 0 | Neural data store |
Eye Mods
Requires Artificial Eyes or Multi-Eye Array. Max 1 Mod per Tech Level of eyes.
| Tech | Name | Cost | Humanity | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1–3 | HD Vision | 2–6k | -0.2 | High-def clarity; PER +1 to +3 |
| 2 | Telescopic | 3k | -0.2 | Long-range zoom |
| 2 | Microscopic | 4k | -0.2 | Close-up detail |
| 3 | Hyper Reactive Pupils | 3k | 0 | Blinding flash/sun protection |
| 3 | Bright Vision Gen4 | 3k | -0.2 | Passive IR |
| 3 | FLIR | 5k | -0.4 | Thermal sight |
| 4 | Ultraviolet | 10k | -0.4 | Tracking and Spot Hidden +3 |
| 3 | Visual Laser Designator | 4k | -0.2 | Target painting; +1 to Hit |
| 4 | IR Laser Designator | 8k | -0.2 | Target painting; +2 to Hit |
| 2 | Basic HUD | 5k | -0.2 | Allows use of gun cams and optical feeds without a Neural Interface |
| 3 | Tactical HUD | 23k | -0.4 | Targeting/identifying; PER +2; Attack Ranges +25% |
| 3 | Holo Projector | 2k | 0 | Short-range 3D imagery from an eye |
BioMods
Not noticeable without scan or detailed inspection.
| Tech | Name | Cost | Humanity | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1–4 | Atlas Myomers Mk I to IV | 20–80k | -0.4 to -1.6 | Activated STR +1 to +4 |
| 5 | Titan Forgeworks Bear Mk V | 212k | -2 | Auto-activated STR +5 |
| 1–4 | Ghost Tendons Mk I to IV | 20–80k | -0.4 to -1.6 | Activated DEX +1 to +4 |
| 5 | TorjayTu NeuroFibre | 212k | -2 | Auto-activated DEX +5 |
| 1–4 | Lightning Spine Mk I to IV | 20–80k | -0.4 to -1.6 | Activated REF +1 to +4 |
| 5 | Axiom Killchain Mk V | 265k | -2 | Auto-activated REF +5 |
| 1–2 | Genetic Skin Work | 2–4k | -0.2 to -0.4 | Perm APP +1 to +2 |
| 3 | TorjayTu Charm Plus | 14k | -0.6 | Perm APP +3 |
| 4 | BellaDerma Sculpting | 19k | -0.8 | Perm APP +4 |
| 5 | BellaDerma By Design | 99k | -1 | Perm APP +5 |
| 5 | Nemesis Max | N/A | -2 | Perm DEX +4, REF +6 |
| 1–4 | Spiker Plus Mk I to IV | 1–4k | -0.2 to -0.8 | On-demand injector triggered by thought; up to 4 med/drug types, 10 doses each |
Skill Chips
Requires Skill Chip Slots. No Humanity loss.
| Tech | Name | Cost | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1–6 | Combat | 2–12k | Tech level in a specific skill score |
| 1–6 | Science | 3–18k | Tech level in a specific skill score |
| 1–6 | Vehicle / Machinery Use | 1–6k | Tech level in a specific skill score |
| 1–6 | Entertainment | 50–300 | VR experiences and games |
| 5 | Cortical Stack | 10k–1M | Putting a whole person on a chip |
Using Tech
Technology in 2069 ranges from salvaged pre-invasion gear to bleeding-edge alien derivatives. Every piece of equipment has a Tech Level (1–6) that determines its complexity, availability, and the skill required to operate it effectively. Characters suffer a -2 penalty per Tech Level above their comfort zone when using unfamiliar technology.
Connectivity
How devices communicate determines their security, range, and vulnerability to interception or hacking. Every connection type has weaknesses — the question is whether you exploit them with hardware (physical access) or software (remote intrusion).
Local Connections
Physical and wired connections requiring direct access to the device or network.
| Tech | Type | Security | Notes | Hack Types |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Manual Input | Low | Keyboard, touchpad, mouse | Password crack, Shoulder surf |
| 2 | Two-Factor Auth | Med | Password + secondary device | Phishing, SIM clone, Device theft |
| 2 | Security Card/RFID | Med | Physical pass key required | Card clone, RFID spoof, Pickpocket |
| 3 | Voice/Optical | Med | Voice print, retinal, facial | Audio spoof, Video feed inject, Biometric lift |
| 2 | Wired Ethernet | Low | RJ45 cable, unencrypted | Packet sniff, Man-in-middle, Cable tap |
| 3 | Fiber Data Port | Med | High-bandwidth server connections | Fiber tap, Splitter inject |
| 3 | Neural Jack Mk3 | Med | 2020s era, PA/Vehicles/Decks | Jack splice, Signal intercept |
| 4 | Neural Jack Mk4 | High | Hardwired Cortex or FLX Ear Charm | Neural spoof, Biofeedback inject |
| 5 | Nemesis Neural | V. High | NemClone or Nemesis branded | Requires Nemesis exploit (rare) |
Wireless Connections
Remote connections that can be intercepted or jammed without physical access.
| Tech | Type | Range | Security | Notes | Hack Types |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2 | Bluetooth | 100 ft | Low | Personal devices, easy to scan | Bluescan, Pair hijack |
| 2 | WiFi | 300 ft | Low-Med | Building/area networks, password protected | Packet sniff, Deauth, Password crack |
| 2 | Open Cell | 10 mi | Low | City repeaters, unencrypted | Packet sniff, IMSI catch, Spoof tower |
| 3 | Encrypted Cell | 10 mi | Med | Corp standard, encrypted | Decrypt attack, SIM clone |
| 3 | Satellite | Global | High | Corp contract (400/mo) | Dish intercept, Signal inject |
| 4 | Laser P2P | 1 mi | V. High | Line-of-sight required | Beam intercept (physical only) |
| 5 | Quantum Mesh | City | Extreme | Corp/Military only | Theoretically unhackable |
| 6 | Nemesis QE Link | 500k mi | Extreme | Quantum entangled | No known exploits |
Tech Skills
These skills cover general technology operation, repair, and manipulation outside of cyberdiving.
| Skill | Stat | Purpose |
|---|---|---|
| Computer Use | INT | Operating systems, software, databases, general computing |
| Electronics | INT | Repairing, modifying, and building electronic devices |
| Security Systems | INT | Bypassing or installing physical security (locks, alarms, cameras) |
| Communications | PER | Radio, signal interception, jamming, encryption |
| Robotics | INT | Programming, repairing, and controlling drones and bots |
| Biotech | INT | Medical devices, cyberware diagnostics, bio-scanners |
| Vehicle Systems | INT | Vehicle computers, autopilot, weapon systems integration |
| Fabrication | INT | Using fabricators, 3D printers, understanding schematics |
| Hardware Hacking | INT | Bypassing or modifying physical security systems |
| Software Hacking | INT | Bypassing and modifying software systems |
| Neural Vehicle Use | REF | High-performance racing and military hardware |
| Cyberdiving | INT | Core navigation, moving between nodes, dodging attacks |
| Cybercombat | WIL | Attack skills, running offensive programs, defeating ICE |
| Cyberstealth | DEX | Avoiding detection, hiding from patrols, silent movement |
| Cybersearch | INT | Finding hidden data, locating backdoors, reading system architecture |
Cyberdiving
Cyberdiving is the art of jacking directly into cyberspace — a virtual environment layered over the world’s networked systems. A skilled diver can infiltrate corporate databases, disable security systems, steal encrypted data, and engage in lethal combat with hostile programs.
Requirements
Neural Interface: Either a Hardwired Cortex (surgical implant) or Ear Charms (non-surgical). The Hardwired Cortex provides faster response times. The tech level of the interface gives the number of cyberdiving actions per round.
Cyberdeck: A specialized computer designed for cyberspace navigation and combat. Decks have a Tech Level (1–6) that determines processing power, program capacity, and Cycle pool multiplier.
Matrix Combat Level (MCL): Your overall effectiveness in cyberspace combat.
MCL = (Cyberdiving + Program Execution + Cyberspace Combat) ÷ 3 (round down)
System Security Levels
| Security Level | Example Systems | Access DC | Firewall | ICE |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 0 — Open | Public terminals, basic IoT | Auto | None | None |
| 1 — Minimal | Small businesses, personal systems | 8 | Mk I | Watchdog (10%) |
| 2 — Standard | Corporate branch offices, police | 12 | Mk II | Watchdog, Barrier |
| 3 — Secure | Corporate HQ, military outposts | 16 | Mk III | Multiple ICE, Tracer |
| 4 — High Security | Black sites, Nemesis facilities | 20 | Mk IV | Black ICE likely |
| 5 — Maximum | Military command, alien tech | 24 | Mk V | Black ICE certain |
| 6 — Cargen/Alien | Echo-2 systems, mothership networks | 28+ | Unknown | Lethal and exotic |
System Access Procedure
1. Locate System — Roll d20 + Cyberdiving + INT vs. DC based on how well-hidden the target is. Public systems: DC 8. Hidden corporate nodes: DC 16. Black sites: DC 24+. Failure means you can’t find it this session, or you find a honeypot instead.
2. Approach — Choose your method:
- Stealth: Roll Trace Evasion + INT vs. Security Level × 4. Success means you enter undetected. Failure triggers ICE and/or Trace.
- Assault: No stealth roll needed. ICE activates immediately, but you get +2 to your first attack.
3. Breach — Roll d20 + System Intrusion + INT vs. Access DC. Success grants access to the outer layer. Failure alerts the system (Trace begins) and you retry at -2 cumulative penalty. Critical failure (natural 1) triggers immediate ICE response.
4. Navigate — Roll Data Mining + INT to locate specific files or nodes. DC varies: Personnel files DC 10, financial records DC 14, encrypted research DC 18+. Each attempt takes 1 round and may trigger security checks.
5. Exit — Clean Exit: Roll Trace Evasion + INT vs. Security Level × 3 to leave no trace. Emergency Jack-Out: Instant exit, but takes 2d6 Stun damage from neural shock and leaves obvious traces.
Cyberspace Combat
Initiative: d6 + REF + Deck Tech Level (+1 if using Hardwired Cortex)
Attack Roll: d20 + MCL + INT Bonus - Target’s Defense ≥ 10 to hit
Defense Values: Standard ICE: 10 + ICE Level | Black ICE: 12 + ICE Level | Enemy Diver: 10 + their MCL
Damage: Programs deal damage to Neural Integrity (NI) or System Integrity (SI).
- NI: Your mental resilience. NI = 20 + WIL + (Neural Defense × 2). At 0, you’re forcibly jacked out and take Stun damage equal to the overflow.
- SI: A program or ICE’s “health.” At 0, the program is destroyed.
Combat Modes: Normal (standard values) | Aggressive (+2 attack, -2 Defense) | Defensive (+2 Defense, -2 attack) — declare at start of round.
Software Programs
Programs are organized by Execution Level: E0 (passive, always running, no Cycle cost) | E1 (1 action) | E2 (2 actions) | E3 (full round, vulnerable while executing)
Attack Programs
| Program | Exec | Cycles | Damage | Effect |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Razor | E1 | 2 | 1d6 SI | Basic attack; reliable and fast |
| Hammer | E1 | 3 | 2d6 SI | Heavy damage; +2 vs. Barriers |
| Spike | E2 | 4 | 2d6+2 SI | Armor-piercing; ignores 2 points of target Defense |
| Logic Bomb | E2 | 5 | 3d6 SI | Delayed trigger — set on a node, detonates when accessed |
Defense Programs
| Program | Exec | Cycles | Duration | Effect |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Shield | E0 | 1/round | Passive | +2 to Defense while active |
| Armor | E1 | 3 | 1 minute | Reduce incoming SI damage by 2 |
| Mirror | E1 | 4 | Instant | Reflect incoming attack back at attacker (50% damage) |
| Cloak | E1 | 3 | 1 minute | +4 to Trace Evasion rolls |
Utility Programs
| Program | Exec | Cycles | Effect |
|---|---|---|---|
| Probe | E1 | 1 | Reveal target’s SI, Defense value, and program type |
| Decrypt | E2 | 3 | Crack encrypted files; roll Program Execution + INT vs. encryption DC |
| Spoof | E2 | 4 | Create false credentials; +4 to next System Intrusion roll |
| Backdoor | E3 | 6 | Create hidden access point; re-enter this system at -4 DC for 1 week |
Danger Types
Trace: A counter begins (typically 3d6 rounds). When it expires, the system identifies your physical location and security may respond. Roll Trace Evasion vs. DC 15 to reset the counter.
Lock: You’re trapped in a virtual cage. Cannot move between nodes or jack out normally. Must destroy the Lock (SI 15–25) or have an ally break you free from outside.
Trace-and-Lock: You’re trapped AND they’re coming. Physical security typically arrives in 2d6 minutes.
Stun Feedback: Non-lethal damage from standard ICE. Translates to Stun damage at 2:1 ratio (10 NI damage = 5 Stun).
Neural Burn: Black ICE can inflict permanent damage. For every 10 points from Black ICE, make a Neural Defense + WIL roll vs. DC 15 or lose 1 point of INT permanently. Recoverable only through expensive therapy (50k per point, 3 months).
Cortex Crash: If you take more than 20 NI damage in a single hit from Black ICE, your deck may burn out. Roll 1d20; on a 1–5, your cyberdeck is destroyed. On a 6–10, it’s damaged and needs 1d6 × 1,000 credits in repairs.
ICE
ICE (Intrusion Countermeasures Electronics) are automated defense programs that protect systems from unauthorized access.
Standard ICE — deals Stun damage only. Painful and disorienting, but survivable.
| ICE | SI | Defense | Attack | Damage | Special |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Watchdog | 10 | 11 | +2 | 1d6 NI | Alerts system, triggers Trace |
| Barrier | 15 | 13 | — | — | Blocks passage; must be destroyed to proceed |
| Probe | 12 | 12 | +3 | 1d4 NI | Identifies intruder; +2 to all future ICE attacks |
| Tracer | 15 | 14 | +4 | 1d6 NI | Halves Trace timer if it deals damage |
| Tar Pit | 20 | 12 | +3 | 1d4 NI | On hit, target loses 1 action next round |
Black ICE — designed to kill. Damage converts to real HP at 1:1 after NI is depleted and can cause Neural Burn.
| ICE | SI | Defense | Attack | Damage | Special |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Scorpion | 30 | 14 | +6 | 2d6 NI | Basic lethal ICE |
| Hellhound | 35 | 15 | +8 | 2d6+4 NI | Pursues through nodes; won’t stop until destroyed |
| Spider | 25 | 13 | +5 | 1d6 NI | On hit, deploys Lock (target trapped) |
| Kraken | 50 | 16 | +10 | 3d6 NI | Area attack — hits all intruders in the node |
| Reaper | 40 | 17 | +12 | 4d6 NI | Ignores Shield and Armor programs |
| Wraith | 30 | 15 | +8 | 2d6 NI | Biofeedback — deals equal damage directly to HP |
For full cyberdiving rules and deck stats, see Cyberdiving.
Black Mind
Tech Level 6 — Extremely Rare
Black Mind is the most forbidden technique in cyberspace — the ability to permanently take control of another person’s mind through their neural interface. It cannot be purchased; it must be learned, and the price is terrible.
Prerequisites: System Intrusion 8+, Neural Defense 6+, Program Execution 8+, must have witnessed or survived a Black Mind attack, must possess a Tech Level 6 deck.
The Process requires the target to be jacked in and the attacker to have breached their personal neural firewall. Four phases, each a contested roll:
Phase 1 — Neural Lock: System Intrusion + INT vs. target’s Neural Defense + WIL. Success locks the target; they cannot jack out.
Phase 2 — Identity Mapping: Data Mining + INT vs. target’s Neural Defense + WIL. Success maps neural patterns. Takes 1d6 rounds.
Phase 3 — Core Override: Program Execution + INT vs. target’s Neural Defense + WIL (target +4). Success begins the overwrite.
Phase 4 — Possession: Final contested roll, both sides roll d20 + WIL. Win by 5+: possession complete. Target wins: they break free, attacker takes 4d6 NI damage from backlash.
Effects: Original personality suppressed but not destroyed. Attacker accesses all memories and skills. Body obeys attacker’s will. Range unlimited once complete. Attacker can “ride” the victim while their own body remains in a trance.
Reversal: Neural Surgery (500k, 50% success, risk of permanent brain damage) | Bennie Telepath (Telepathy 8+, contested vs. possessor’s WIL) | Death of the Possessor (victim regains control).
Legal Status: Capital offense in every jurisdiction that knows it exists. Corps execute practitioners on sight.
Equipment
See Weapon Damage Tables and Armor Tables for full stats.
Armor
| Tech | Name | Cost | Note |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Safety Equipment | 500 | Good sports or construction equipment |
| 1 | Heavy Synth Leather | 1k | Motorcycle protection |
| 1 | Flak Vest: Lt. | 600 | Light military surplus vest |
| 1 | Flak Vest: Hvy. | 1.5k | Heavy military surplus vest with collar |
| 2 | Bullet Proof Cloth, Light Mk II | 2k | Lightweight and nearly undetectable |
| 2 | Bullet Proof Cloth, Med Mk III | 5k | Suitable for canvas-like clothes; full jumpsuits common |
| 2 | Bullet Proof Cloth, Heavy Mk IV | 10k | Suitable for heavy jackets |
| 4 | TorjayTu Reactive Cloth | 60k | Looks like normal cloth; expands and stiffens on impact |
| 2 | Armor Plates level III | 1k | Chest carrier with composite plates |
| 2 | Helmet level III | 1k | Open-face military style helmet |
| 2 | Combat Vest Plates IV | 4k | Black market or military med-grade armor |
| 2 | Helmet Level IV | 4k | Black market or military med-grade armor |
| 3 | Light Combat | 26k | Full body and helm polymer composite soft/mesh with armor plates |
| 3 | Heavy Combat | 44k | Military composite plates |
| 4 | Rytan Protection Suit | 120k | Advanced light full armor with environmental protections |
| 4 | Rytan Combat Suit | 230k | Heavy advanced full armor with environmental protections and night vision |
| 5 | FLX-Clone Combat | 200k | Ultra light and tough |
| 6 | ASX Combat | — | — |
| 6 | ASX Force Field | — | — |
Power Armor
| Tech | Name | Cost | Power | Note |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2 | GD PowerArmor Light | 25k | BB | Old USA Military patrol PA |
| 2 | GD PowerArmor Medium | 95k | BB | Old USA Military line PA |
| 2 | GD PowerArmor Heavy | 200k | 2× BB | Old USA Military heavy PA |
| 3 | ShinMaywa Land Mate: Light | 260k | T1 | Medium mech shell |
| 3 | ShinMaywa Land Mate: Heavy | 400k | T3 | Heavy mech shell |
| 3 | ShinMaywa Land Mate: Main | 850k | 2× T3 | Massive mech shell |
| 3 | Tiara Scout | 85k | T1 | Fast recon suit |
| 3 | Tiara Heavy | 260k | T3 | Heavy guard suit |
| 4 | Rytan Patrol | 120k | T1 | Long-duration light PA |
| 4 | Rytan PowerArmor Infiltrator | 380k | T1 | Human stealth PA |
| 5 | NemClone Light P9A | 325k | HM | Lighter alien-derived PA |
| 5 | NemClone Heavy | 900k | HM | High-mass alien-derived PA |
| 5 | FLX Raider | 700k | Hx | Feline patrol/raider suit |
| 5 | FLX Heavy | 1.1M | 2× Hx | Feline heavy assault suit |
| 5 | FLX-Clone Raider | 900k | Hx | Raider suit modified for humans |
| 5 | Larden Heavy | 2M | ZP | Heavy alien chassis, extreme protection |
| 5 | Larden Modified | 2.2M | ZP | Heavy alien chassis modified for humans |
| 6 | Cargen Standard | 500k | HM | Common Cargen field armor |
| 6 | Cargen Robust | 4M | ZP | Elite Cargen war armor |
Energy Weapon and Armor Power Sources
| Tech | Name | Cost | Code | Note |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2 | GE Battery Bus | 1k | BB | Lithium rechargeable |
| 3 | Titan Pack | 2.5k | T1 | Salt rechargeable |
| 3 | Titan Triple Pack | 8k | T3 | Salt rechargeable |
| 4 | FLX Hydrex | 8k | Hx | A rebuildable cell |
| 4 | NemClone HM Cell | 6k | HM | Heavy metal decay disposable |
| 4 | Cargen HM Cell | 9k | HM | Heavy metal decay disposable |
| 3 | ShortLife Zero-Point IC | 100k | PZP | 4 years of power in a sealed box |
| 6 | Micro Zero-Point IC | 1M | MZP | Near-limitless power from a perfect tiny black hole |
Pistols
| Tech | Name | Cost | Note |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Beretta 21A Bobcat | 500 | Compact 7rd .22 |
| 1 | Walther PPK | 1k | Compact and classy 6rd .380 |
| 1 | Glock 26/27 | 1k | Compact 10rd 9mm or 9rd .40 S&W |
| 1 | Glock 17 9mm | 1k | Medium 17rd 9mm |
| 1 | 1911 | 2k | Medium 7rd .45 |
| 1 | Glock 20 | 1.5k | Medium 15rd 10mm |
| 1 | Desert Eagle | 3k | Large 8rd .44 Mag |
| 2 | S&W Defender | 2k | Small 18rd 6mm NATO Short Caseless |
| 2 | FN P16 | 3k | Medium 32rd 7.9mm FN Caseless |
| 2 | Beretta 185C | 1k | Compact 31rd 5mm Olin caseless |
| 3 | 1911 .45 | 3k | High-damage sidearm, matches caseless munitions |
| 4 | GVito Service Special | 22k | FLX-Clone Medium 28rd 07-32 polymer-cased |
| 4 | GVito Viper Magnum | 34k | FLX-Clone Magnum Large 16rd 10-45 polymer-cased |
| 5 | Cargen Hand Cannon | 80k | Alien Large 64rd 8.20mm caseless |
Machine Pistols and SMGs
| Tech | Name | Cost | ROF | Note |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Glock 18 9mm | 5k | 18 | Full auto medium 33rd 9mm |
| 1 | Micro Uzi | 3k | 20 | Medium auto pistol 32rd 9mm |
| 1 | Mini Uzi | 3k | 12 | Medium auto pistol 32rd 9mm |
| 1 | Mac 12 | 2k | 20 | Medium auto pistol 32rd .380 |
| 1 | Mac 11 | 2k | 14 | Large 32rd 9mm |
| 1 | Mac 10 | 3k | 12 | Large 30rd .45 |
| 2 | HK MP27 PDW | 6k | 10 | Large 40rd 4.7mm HK caseless |
| 3 | Beretta 195R | 9k | 12 | Auto medium 62rd 5mm Olin caseless |
| 4 | GVito SPX | 45k | 16 | FLX-Clone medium 56rd 07-32 polymer-cased |
| 5 | NemClone SMG | 40k | 20 | Medium 38rd 4.77mm caseless |
| 6 | ASX Stabilized Carbine | 800k | 12 | Large 120rd 9.24×12.8 ASX MP smartgun |
Pistol Mods
| Tech | Name | Cost | Note |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Red Dot | 500 | Adds aiming bonus |
| 1 | Laser | 800 | Adds aiming bonus |
| 2 | IR Laser | 1k | Military, black market |
| 1 | Suppressor | 2k | Softens the sound |
| 3 | Active Suppressor | 6k | Very quiet |
| 1 | Folding Stock | 400 | Converts pistol to carbine |
| 2 | Night Vision Gen 4 Scope | 2k | Military, black market |
| 3 | Gun Cam, Short Range | 4k | Includes NV |
Rifles, Carbines
| Tech | Name | Cost | Note |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Marlin 1895 | 1k | Lever 4rd .45-70 Gov |
| 1 | M1 Garand | 2k | Semi 8rd .30-06 |
| 1 | Remington 700 | 1k | Bolt 5rd .308 |
| 1 | AR-15 | 1.2k | Semi 30rd 5.56 |
| 1 | Barrett M82 | 8k | Semi 10rd .50 BMG |
| 4 | NemClone DMR | 32k | Caseless DMR 20rd |
Auto Rifles
| Tech | Name | Cost | ROF | Note |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | AK-47 | 2k | 10 | Auto 30rd 7.62×39 rifle |
| 1 | M16A3 | 3k | 12 | Auto 30rd 5.56 rifle |
| 1 | M4 | 2k | 3rb | Auto 30rd 5.56 rifle |
| 1 | FN FAL | 4k | 10 | Auto 20rd .308 full battle rifle |
| 1 | M14 | 3k | 12 | Auto 20rd .308 full battle rifle |
| 2 | FN P90 | 5k | 16 | Auto bullpup 50rd 5.7 carbine |
| 1 | Galil | 4k | 12 | 20rd .308 full battle rifle |
Shotguns
| Tech | Name | Cost | ROF | Note |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Remington 870 | 1k | 1 | Pump 5rd 12ga |
| 1 | Mossberg 590 | 1k | 1 | Pump 8rd 12ga |
| 1 | Benelli M4 | 3k | 1 | Semi 7rd 12ga |
| 1 | AA-12 | 6k | 6 | Auto 20rd 12ga drum |
| 1 | Saiga 12 | 2k | 8 | Auto 10rd 12ga |
| 2 | HK Olin CAWS | 5k | 5 | Auto 10rd 12ga |
| 2 | HK Olin CAWS2 | 14k | 5 | Auto 12rd 18.5×58mm caseless |
Rifle/Shotgun Mods
| Tech | Name | Cost | Note |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Red Dot | 500 | Adds aiming bonus |
| 1 | Laser | 800 | Adds aiming bonus |
| 2 | IR Laser | 1k | Military, black market |
| 1 | 4× Scope | 1k | Adds aiming bonus |
| 1 | 8× Scope | 2k | Adds aiming bonus |
| 1 | Rifle Suppressor | 3k | Softens the sound |
| 3 | Rifle Active Suppressor | 10k | Very quiet |
| 1 | Bipod | 400 | Stabilizes long-range from prone |
| 1 | Folding Stock | 400 | Makes rifle more compact |
| 2 | Night Vision Gen 4 Scope | 3k | Military, black market |
| 3 | Gun Cam, Short Range | 6k | Includes NV |
| 3 | Gun Cam 1–10× Magnification | 10k | Includes NV |
| 1 | ”K” Mod | 2k | Permanently shortens rifle to carbine |
Machine Guns
| Tech | Name | Cost | ROF | Note |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3 | Minimi M249 SAW | 12k | 16 | 200rd 5.56 belts |
| 4 | GVito Pulse SAW | 55k | 10 | Auto polymer-cased LMG |
| 1 | M240 MAG 58 GPMG | 18k | 12 | 200rd .308; tripod/vehicle capable |
| 1 | M2HB HMG | 30k | 8 | 100rd .50 cal heavy MG |
| 2 | GD M2016 HMG | 48k | 10 | 250rd 8.6mm caseless |
| 5 | Nemesis XGMG | 800k | 26 | 1000rd backpack; 8.8mm caseless 7-barrel gatling |
MG Mods
| Tech | Name | Cost | Note |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Red Dot | 500 | Adds aiming bonus |
| 1 | 4× Scope | 1k | Adds aiming bonus |
| 2 | IR Laser | 1k | Military, black market |
| 1 | MG Suppressor | 6k | Softens the sound |
| 3 | MG Active Suppressor | 20k | Very quiet |
| 1 | Tripod | 2k | Allows emplacement with 30-degree zone of fire |
| 2 | Night Vision Gen 4 Scope | 6k | Military, black market |
| 3 | Gun Cam, Short Range | 6k | Includes NV |
| 3 | Gun Cam 1–10× Magnification | 10k | Includes NV |
| 2 | Remote Ammo Feed and Chute | 10k | 4× ammo capacity; backpack or vehicle-mounted |
Gauss
| Tech | Name | Cost | Note |
|---|---|---|---|
| 3 | 4mm Mitsubishi Gauss CQB | 15k | 3rb short rifle |
| 3 | 4.2mm GE M 446 | 28k | 3rb long-range rifle |
| 4 | 03.5-185 Titan SAW | 95k | Auto medium power armor SAW |
| 5 | 03.5-200 Titan “Smartgun” | 275k | Auto with aim assist |
| 4 | 04-230 Titan MG | 625k | Heavy power armor SAW |
| 6 | 2.10mm Cargen GPDW | 400k | Auto Cargen PDW gauss gun |
| 6 | 3.64mm Cargen GR | 1.2M | Auto Cargen medium PA rifle powered by ZPIT |
| 6 | 9.24mm ASX “Turbine” | — | Medium PA holy grail gun |
| 6 | 16.7mm Cargen AC | — | Heavy PA gauss cannon |
Lasers / Disruptors
| Tech | Name | Cost | Note |
|---|---|---|---|
| 4 | 12kw Rytan K Blaster 04 | 8k | Green beam pistol |
| 4 | 16kw Rytan K Blaster 10 | 12k | Green beam large pistol |
| 5 | 32kw Felix Pistol | 18k | Amber beam; fixed Hx battery |
| 5 | 80kw FLX Rifle | 40k | Amber beam; Hx battery |
| 5 | 172kw FLX MG | 95k | Amber beam; PA backpack Hx batteries |
| 6 | 230kw Cargen SAW | 180k | Red beam; light PA weapon |
| 6 | 605kw Cargen Mauler | 400k | Red beam; PA shoulder weapon |
Melee Weapons
| Tech | Name | Cost | Note |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Combat Knife | 200 | Standard blade |
| 2 | Vibro Blade | 1k | High-frequency edge |
| 3 | Monofilament Sword | 4k | Armor-piercing |
Grenades / Launchables
| Tech | Name | Cost | Note |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2 | Frag Grenade | 200 | Anti-personnel |
| 2 | Smoke Grenade | 150 | Cover and concealment |
| 3 | EMP Grenade | 600 | Disables electronics |
| 5 | Nemesis Launcher | 80k | Guided micro-missiles |
| 5 | 41.4mm “Felix” | 120k | Laser AP missile |
Computers and Hack Hardware
| Tech | Name | Cost | Note |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Phone Pad | 500 | Simple connected device; no cyberdiving |
| 2 | Toughbook Laptop | 2k | Common laptop; no cyberdiving |
| 3 | Sony Vaio Pro | 6k | Quality laptop; empty AI chip slot; no cyberdiving |
| 2 | RFID Burner | 1k | Scanner and duplicator for passcode RFID cards |
| 3 | Biometric Hacker | 12k | Tablet device to copy fingerprint/voice/retina |
| 3 | Cat 6 Magic Tap | 5k | Dongle to loop a Cat 5/6 wire and connect without cutting |
| 4 | Stingray Cell Tap | 2k | Suitcase-sized cellphone interceptor |
| 4 | Fiber Splicer | 5k | Dongle to tap fiber without detection |
| 3 | Jammer 500ft Rad | 1k | Laptop-sized battery/antenna; fills wireless channels with noise; selectable channels |
Cyber Decks
One required to cyberdive.
| Tech | Name | Cost | Note |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2 | Sony AVR Deck | 2k | Mass-produced entertainment device |
| 3 | Whitebox Runner Deck Gen1 | 8k | Basic intrusion deck assembled from parts; empty AI slot |
| 4 | Zendai Worldgate | 20k | Premium entertainment device often modded by hackers |
| 4 | Axiom Combat Deck | 35k | Rad-resistant hardened casing |
| 4 | Whitebox Runner Deck Gen2 | 26k | Advanced intrusion deck; empty AI slot |
| 5 | NemClone Wraith | 80k | Corporate stealth deck; AI chip slot |
| 5 | Titan Concordance Deck | 195k | Hardened elite military; AI chip slot; lifetime warranty |
| 5 | Nemesis Sovereign | 250k | Top-tier corporate |
| 5 | Master Runner Deck Gen3 | 100k | Individually built from the best stolen parts; empty AI slot |
| 6 | ASX Omni Interface | 1M+ | Legendary alien tech; Mindclone dive method — human brain cannot be harmed by Black ICE |
Cyberdeck Mods
| Tech | Mod | Cost | Effect |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2–6 | Memory Upgrades | 2k × Tech Level | +2 program slots |
| 2–6 | Hardware Firewall | 1k × Tech Level | +2 to +6 resistance to ICE attacks |
| 3–5 | AI Co-Processor | 5k × Tech Level | Integrated AI can cyberdive with VR form and run its own programs |
| 2–5 | Over-Clocking | 1k × Tech Level | +1 action per round |
| 4 | Neural Buffer | 15k | Reduces Stun and Damage by 1d6 per attack; costs 1 action per round while active |
| 5 | NemClone Ice Eater | 75k | Neural net buffer; gives 4d6 temporary HP against Black ICE attacks |
Software Costs
| Category | Program | Cost | Availability |
|---|---|---|---|
| Attack | Razor | 500 | Common |
| Attack | Hammer | 1.5k | Common |
| Attack | Spike | 3k | Uncommon |
| Attack | Logic Bomb | 5k | Uncommon |
| Defense | Shield | 800 | Common |
| Defense | Armor | 2k | Common |
| Defense | Mirror | 4k | Uncommon |
| Defense | Cloak | 2.5k | Common |
| Utility | Probe | 300 | Common |
| Utility | Decrypt | 2k | Common |
| Utility | Spoof | 3.5k | Uncommon |
| Utility | Backdoor | 8k | Rare |
Tech Equipment
| Tech | Name | Cost | Note |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2 | Electronics Repair Kit | 1k | Field repairs for Tech 2 or below |
| 3 | Bio Scanner | 2k | Multispectrum analyzer |
| 4 | Portable Fabricator | 12k | Prints parts/ammo Tech 1–2; requires plan chips |
| 4 | Fabricator Mats | 100 | Cost per 1 lb of matter |
| 4 | Fabricator Plan Chips | 1–2k | Plans for fabricating an item |
Vehicles
| Tech | Name | Cost | Note |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Honda Super Cub | 2k | Older hydrogen retrofit simple motorcycle |
| 1 | Hayabusa Motorcycle | 8k | Older hydrogen retrofit; fast |
| 2 | ECObyte 7 EV Bike | 5k | New EV motorcycle |
| 3 | Rapier Hover Bike | 115k | Raw and dangerously fast grav bike; short-life ZPIC |
| 1 | Old Smart Car | 5k | Cheap hydrogen sub-compact |
| 1 | Nissan Maxima | 25k | Hydrogen retrofit; comfortable |
| 2 | BMW 565 | 60k | Hydrogen sedan; moderately fast |
| 2 | Lambo LP 870 | 400k | Hydrogen exotic sports car |
| 2 | Fiat 600EV | 35k | EV compact car |
| 2 | Mercedes MCL | 129k | Luxury EV sedan |
| 2 | Mitsubishi Delica D7 | 20k | Small EV cargo van |
| 3 | GD Scout | 99k | Grav 2-seater retrofitted military; short-life ZPIC |
| 3 | GD HS-9 | 210k | Grav military truck; 40k lbs capacity |
| 3 | Panzer HS-9R | 550k | Modded grav truck with jet engines |
| 4 | Titan Grav Car | 350k | Grav luxury sedan |
| 4 | Titan Grav UV | 350k | 6-seat rugged grav; mounts armor and weapons; 1,500 lbs |
| 4 | Titan CT X5 Cargo Truck | 550k | Fast grav transport; up to 30,000 lbs |
Medical Supplies
Cost is for 10 doses.
| Tech | Name | Cost | Note |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Trauma Pouch | 100 | Bandages, coagulant, painkillers |
| 2 | Field Medkit | 1.5k | Stabilization, wound sealing, basic antitoxins |
| 3 | Stemcell Patch | 4k | Wound-applied accelerated tissue repair |
| 4 | Medi-Kit | 8k | Auto-injectable med nanites |
| 4 | Cur-In Dose | 10k | Auto anti-toxin nanites |
| 4 | Rad Cure | 15k | Auto-injectable radiation cell repair |
| 2 | Spike-it | 50 | Cortex mod activator inhaler |
| 2 | Auto Spike | 200 | Cortex mod activator belt device |
Street Chems
Cost is for 10 doses.
| Tech | Name | Cost | Note |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2 | Slomo | 600 | Inhaler; slows perceived time; +3 REF for 1d6 minutes; crash: -2 REF 1 hour |
| 2 | Jetline | 400 | Inhaler; amphetamine rush; +2 REF; mild jitters after |
| 3 | RadBane | 800 | Inhaler; reduces rad sickness effects for 6 hours |
| 3 | SteadyBlue | 900 | Inhaler; clarity and precision focus; DEX +3 for 30 minutes |
| 3 | GlowDust | 200 | Inhaler; mild hallucinogen with night-vision edge; -1 PER vs. illusions |
| 4 | TitanX | 600 | Inhaler; muscle boost; +2 STR for 10 minutes; 1 hr fatigue after (STR -2) |
| 4 | NeuroPop | 1.2k | Inhaler; +1 INT for 20 minutes |
| 4 | Blackglass | 2k | Injectable; combat trance; +3 WIL; -1d6 Stun rolls for 45 minutes |
| 5 | Bloodfire | 3k | Injectable; pain-killer/blood enricher; 4d6 temporary HP for 1 hour |
| 5 | Ragnarok Red | 4k | Injectable; berserk; +3 STR, +3 REF for 5 minutes; crash: -3 all stats 2 hours |
Gear
| Tech | Name | Cost | Note |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2 | Mini Rebreather | 1–3k | 5–15 minutes of air; auto-recharges |
| 2 | Gas Mask | 1k | Protection from airborne contaminants and irritants |
| 3 | Hazard Clean Suit | 2k | Bright orange for your safety |
| 3 | Hazard Combat Suit | 4k | Light BP cloth with contamination protection |
| 4 | In-Nose Air Filters | 10k | Invisible; good for 30 minutes |
| 2 | Sony Vid Glasses | 500 | Cheap two-sided active displays; breaks easily |
| 2 | Camo Glass | 1k | Black market facial recognition disguise |
| 3 | Camo Cloak | 6k | Black market; Stealth +3 |
| 3 | Combat Data Visor | 2k | Flip-down visor with cam/computer overlays; helmet-mountable |
| 3 | Reactive Clothes | 10k | Can switch colors, patterns, and go clear |
| 3 | Reactive Bag | 2k | Can switch colors, patterns, and go clear |
| 4 | Camo Reactive Clothes | 30k | Corp/black market; changes colors and Stealth +4 |
| 5 | Original FLX Ear Charm | 30k | Decorative neural interface for FLX; line-of-sight telepathic link to other ear pieces; short-range wireless; can hardwire to earth equipment |
| 5 | NemClone Ear Piece | 80k | FLX earpiece core modified for humans; wired connection to earth-bound tech; allows non-hardwired use of gun cams, vehicle/machinery controls; telepathy disabled |
| 6 | Bennie Ear Charm | 300k | All features of FLX Ear Charm and NemClone Ear Piece combined for human use |
Drones
| Tech | Name | Cost | Note |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2 | Mini Recon Quad Copter | 500 | 15 min flight; buzzes audibly; direct FPV control |
| 3 | Med Quad | 20k | 20 lb capacity or gun turret; Basic AI; 12 min; loud |
| 3 | Heavy Quad | 120k | 500 lb capacity; Basic AI; 40 min; loud |
| 4 | GD Stealth Recon Flier | 40k | Black market/military; bAIllie M28; 30 min grav flight |
| 4 | GD Patrol Flier | 300k | 26 lb capacity; military; bAIllie M35; 30 min grav; light armor |
| 4 | GD WarHawk Flier | 1.1M | 1,500 lb capacity; military; bAIllie M35; 90 min grav; heavy armor |
| 2 | Roller Toys | 300 | Cheap camera wheeled cars; direct FPV control |
AI Chips
The form factor is a bubblechip on a microboard that fits in the palm of your hand. Can be inserted into computers, neural mods, vehicles, and more. AIs house all memories on the bubblechip — retained when powered down or moved. Hacking an AI to make it open requires a cyberdeck and Software Hacking skill.
| Tech | Name | Cost | INT | Skill Slots | Note |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Noodle 1.0 | 200 | 8 | — | Open source basic AI |
| 1 | Noodle 1.0 XXX | 500 | 8 | — | Open source uncensored AI |
| 2 | bAIllie 28 | 2k | 14 | — | On-chip AI from the 2020s |
| 2 | bAIllie M28 | 9k | 14 | 2 | Rad-shielded with skill slots |
| 2 | Skippy | 4k | 13 | 1 | A mouthy little AI that talks back |
| 3 | bAIllie x34 | 16k | 16 | 2 | Black market only; uncensored |
| 3 | bAIllie M34 | 5k | 16 | 4 | Military uncensored with credentials |
| 3 | bAIllie 35 | 2k | 16 | 2 | Mass-produced; heavily censored; self-reporting of crimes |
| 4 | bAIllie 35R | 9k | 16+DEX/REF 18 | 2 | High response speed chip |
| 5 | bAIllie x66 | 80k | 17 | 4 | Helix Corp best AI |
| 5 | NemClone Doll | 120k | 17 | 1 | Stores 20 score in skills; reads from skill chip 1 at a time |
| 6 | Nemesis Doll | 275k | 18 | 1 | Stores 60 score in skills; reads from skill chip 1 at a time |
| 6 | ASX Agent | 1M | 19 | — | Telepathic agent; absorbs unshielded data within 3 ft; holds 60 score in skills |
Services
Medical Procedures
| Tech | Name | Cost | Note |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2 | Street Doc Visit | 500 | Basic patch-up, stitches, meds |
| 3 | Licensed Clinic | 2k | Full workup, toxin/rad screening |
| 4 | Full Nanite Patch Up | 10k | Accelerated tissue repair |
| 3 | Real-TM Flesh | 20k | Lab-grown limb replacement |
| 5 | Regen Tank | 200k | Full-body regeneration session |
Other Professional Services
| Tech | Service | Cost | Note |
|---|---|---|---|
| 3 | Massage | 100 | 30-minute session |
| 3 | Data Broker | 1–3k | Rumors, maps, corp movements |
| 3 | Drone Repair | 1–4k | Diagnostics, parts swap |
| 4 | Weapon/Armor Fab | 2–10k | Custom prints, tuning |
| 4 | Psion Consultant | 10k | Interrogation, tech interface, or comms |
| 5 | Rebuild Hx Cell | 300 | Short window of resource priority |
Rental Prices
| Tech | Service | Cost | Note |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Cheap Apartment | 3k/month | 1 bedroom |
| 1 | Single Family House | 8k/month | 3–4 bedroom |
| 3 | Corpo Apartment | 6k/month | High-rise with security |
| 3 | Modern Large House | 20k/month | Includes bAIllie AI; good neighborhood |
| 4 | Power Armor Lease (day) | 2.5–5k | Includes ammo pack; deposit extra |
| 3 | Vehicle Rental | 500–12k/month | Bikes, cars, vans, hover car; armor extra |
The Zone
LA 2069 Weather
Project Eden’s artificial cloud cover and the damaged magnetosphere have made LA weather unpredictable. Roll d20 each day or scene change.
| Spring | Summer | Fall | Winter | Weather | Effects |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | — | — | 1 | Storm | High wind, heavy rain, sporadic lightning; drone flight greatly limited |
| 2–5 | 1–2 | 1 | 2–4 | Rain | Drone flight limited |
| 6–7 | 3–4 | 2 | 5–6 | Drizzle / Light Rain | — |
| 8–9 | 5–7 | 3 | 7–9 | Fog | Visibility 10 + 1d100 yards; sound carries strangely |
| 10–15 | 8–12 | 4–9 | 10–12 | Overcast | Gray skies |
| 16–17 | 13–15 | 10–12 | 13–15 | Aurora Bleed | Eerie green/violet glow; unprotected electronics glitch on natural 1; 1/10 comms range |
| 18–19 | 16 | 13–14 | 16–17 | Santa Ana Winds | Hot dry gusts 60+ mph; drone flight limited |
| 20 | 17 | 15–16 | 18 | Dust / Smog Alert | Visibility 1d20 yards; -2 outdoor actions without eye/mouth protection; drone flight greatly limited |
| — | 18 | 17–18 | — | Dry Lightning | No rain; fire risk; thunder clouds |
| — | 19 | 19–20 | 19 | Dirty Sky | Pollution trapped low; sepia tint; still air; smog hangs |
| — | 20 | — | — | Heat Wave | 1d10 + 100°F; high-output electronics risk overheating |
| — | — | — | 20 | Cold Snap | 32 - 1d20°F; water freezes |
Central Neo
The Core: Crashed Echo-2 mothership; sealed sections; autonomous machines still active.
Six Corp Towers
Six vertical kingdoms carve the Zone skyline, each 80–120 stories of corporate law and cutting-edge sin. They don’t cooperate — they compete.
Zendai Dynamics Spire (ivory-white, thought-pulse patterns): Neural systems and cognition monitoring. Unnaturally quiet. Rumor says they know when you’ll betray them before you do.
Helix Union Bio-Tower (organic ivory, vein-like glow): Gene therapy and mutation suppression. Medical cathedral aesthetics hiding black-level containment floors. Every patient signs that “humanity is a mutable standard.”
Axiom Defense Complex (brutalist black/yellow, exposed turrets): Military hardware and autonomous systems. Less a building, more a vertical weapons platform. Kill protocols extend three blocks.
Vantage Black Tower (matte black, violet accent lines): Elite augmentation and genome refinement. Your body is under warranty. Non-compatible mods are removed — sometimes violently.
Titan Forgeworks Bastion (industrial orange/black, hazard stripes): Frames, exo-suits, heavy industry. A sign at the freight lift: NO FLESH BEYOND THIS POINT.
Ghostwave Neural Tower (dark glass, unstable light): Cortex hacking and black chips. Some floors don’t exist on any map. Some visitors return remembering other lives.
The Triarch Galleria
Suspended 300 meters above the Zone, the Triarch Galleria connects Zendai, Vantage Black, and Helix Union. An artificial sky shifts from curated daylight to designer starfields. Gene-locked trees, silent water features, and invitation-only clinics frame pristine walkways. Trendy restaurants, luxury jewelry, capsule toy vendors, and an affordable food court provide everything a corporate drone is meant to want.
Security drones from three factions glide overhead, jurisdiction lines flickering in AR. Weapons are discouraged — everyone is armed.
Down Town
To the south of the Core, mid- and high-rise blocks cluster tightly around the towers. Mixed corporate and freelancer housing stack upward in controlled chaos — glass-front offices above, rented cubes and retrofitted lofts below. This is where the Zone pretends to be livable.
The Glowing Market
Packed in old military hangars and leftover shipping containers is the open, tax-free market. Restaurants, pawn shops, mod docs, drone repair, and seedy entertainment crowd neon-lit alleys.
Eastside: East of the Core sits the tolerated Alien Slums — a patchwork of semi-legal blocks dominated by FLX enclaves. Black-market tech circulates openly. FLX form the bulk of the population, sharing the district with the rigid, reptilian Larden and the Garill — amorphous, octopus-like entities that inhabit flooded corridors and lightless spaces.
The LA Zone
The Wall
100-foot composite barrier with anti-grav countermeasures and automated turrets. Patched breaches show past incursions.
Checkpoints: Layers of biometric scans, rad/mutagen sniffers, and corp “processing” booths. Bribes and forged passes exist, but risks are high.
Exiting the Zone: Legit exits demand clean bloodwork, corp sponsorship, and no AIs or illegal mods. Illicit routes use sewers, storm drains, or roofline jumps to cargo skiffs.
Cloud Forge: Manhattan Beach
A skeletal tower of alien alloy and Concordance retrofit built by Titan rises from the surf inside the Zone. Its massive Zero-Point Induction Core hums under armored shutters, venting pale-green auroras into the low cloud deck that never quite clears. Salt spray has etched the lower gantries. Merc contractors keep the riff-raff out while corp techs climb the spine in hazard rigs to maintain the tower and clear barnacled intakes.
Aliens
Cargen
The Cargen are the hostile alien species that invaded Earth in 2000. Standing 7 to 9 feet tall with gray-blue leathery skin, elongated skulls, and four-fingered hands. Their society appears rigidly hierarchical, with military castes dominating their visible operations.
Known Facts:
- Arrived in four motherships: Echo-1, Echo-2, Fuji-3, and Mir-4
- Primary motivation: resource extraction — draining Earth’s magnetosphere
- Use other species as mercenary slaves and labor forces
- Possess zero-point energy technology, gauss weapons, and advanced power armor
- Communicate telepathically among themselves; rarely speak to humans
- After Echo-2’s core was destroyed, organized Cargen resistance collapsed
- Current status: presumed eradicated in the Zone, though rumors persist of survivors deep in Echo-2
Cargen Castes:
Worker (Drone): The most commonly encountered Cargen type. Standing 7 feet tall, Workers operate machinery, maintain systems, and perform coordinated labor. They show little individual initiative and appear to act under constant telepathic direction. Workers are also the standard military unit — equipped with power armor and a gauss gun.
Robust (Warrior): Larger and heavier than Workers, standing up to 9 feet tall with elongated limbs and much denser musculature. Independent combatants capable of tactical decision-making without constant oversight. Their power armor is often painted with distinctive markings, and they carry a primary weapon plus additional heavy ordnance. Robust are known to vocalize blood-curdling screams during combat and fly into berserker rages when their telepathic link is disrupted — making them extremely dangerous in close quarters.
Queen (Unconfirmed): Persistent rumors suggest at least one megacorp possesses the body of a Cargen Queen — a caste never observed during active combat. If Queens exist, they may serve as command nodes for telepathic coordination. No verified data has surfaced.
Cargen Technology: Tech Level 6 — the highest known. Their weapons, armor, and power sources remain poorly understood. Autonomous repair drones still maintain Echo-2’s systems decades after the crash.
FLX (Feline Xenomorphs)
Humanoid aliens with light fur and distinctive cat-like ears. Averaging 6 inches shorter than humans, FLX are slender and quick. They cannot pass for human without camo tech or full coverage.
Known Facts:
- Originally mercenary slaves bred by the Cargen for tight-corridor combat
- Incredibly agile: Maximum natural DEX 22, REF 24
- Age faster than humans: adult by 12, lifespan 50–60 years
- Some FLX tech (like Power Armor) connects through ears via nano-fibres — no neural mods required
- Those in the Zone have signed the Inter-Species Coexistence Agreement
- Concentrated in the Eastside Alien Slums
- Total population in The Zone: 31,000 with 26% unemployment
FLX Technology: Tech Level 5. Their Hydrex power cells and light power armor are highly valued. The FLX Ear Charm provides neural interface and telepathic linking without invasive surgery.
Bennies (Benevolent Aliens)
Visually indistinguishable from humans — only deep brain scans reveal heightened neural activity.
Known Facts:
- Name derived from “Benevolent Alien” — the first to secretly aid humans during the invasion
- Their original homeworld was destroyed; their ships no longer function
- The Bennie trait breeds true: Bennie parents produce Bennie children
- Some are raised without knowledge of their alien heritage
- Natural INT cap of 22
- Vulnerable to Cargen mutagens like humans
- All Bennies possess latent or active Telepathic psionic ability
- Some religious orders believe humanity descended from ancient Bennie colonists
- Total population in The Zone: Unknown
Bennie Technology: Bennies brought advanced neural interface tech. The Bennie Ear Charm (Tech Level 6) combines all features of FLX and human neural interfaces.
Nemesis
Little is known about Nemesis. The name appears on cutting-edge neural cores, regeneration systems, and high-end combat bioware that periodically surface on the black market or are quietly purchased by major corporations through untraceable intermediaries. No one knows where Nemesis tech comes from.
NemClone is humanity’s best attempt to reverse-engineer Nemesis technology. Good enough for black market trade, but never quite matching the originals.
Rumors and Speculation:
- Nemesis tech consistently outperforms equivalent human designs, sometimes rivaling Cargen systems
- No corporate registration exists; no manufacturing facilities have ever been identified
- Some runners claim Nemesis reps appear human but communicate with unsettling precision
- Deep-net conspiracy boards insist Nemesis is a Bennie syndicate operating in plain sight
- The most persistent rumor: Nemesis is a cloaked spacecraft in Earth orbit, never detected by any sensor grid
- Corp intelligence agencies have spent millions trying to locate Nemesis with nothing to show for it
What the Corps Know: Nothing confirmed. Helix Union suspects Bennie involvement. Zendai Dynamics officially denies Nemesis exists. Ghostwave Neural Tower has standing orders to acquire any Nemesis tech — at any cost.
Larden
Rigid, reptilian aliens standing 7 feet tall with scaled hides and heavy builds. Flat faces with wide-set eyes and a lipless mouth. Movement is deliberate but powerful. Larden communicate slowly but speak many languages fluently. Known as calm with little visible emotion.
Larden Physiology:
- INT -2 (max 17), STR +4 (max 24), FIT +6 (max 26)
- Natural regeneration 1 pt/minute unless spinal cord severed
- Immune to low radiation, contagions, and mutagens
- Very long-lived; exact lifespan unknown but measured in centuries
- All Larden are the same sex and can lay eggs in clutches of 1d4+1 once per year after age 60
- Total population in The Zone: approximately 1,200 with 60% unemployment
Known Facts:
- Status during the invasion unclear — some fought alongside Cargen, others resisted
- As early as the 2010s, Larden began appearing on Earth in singles or small groups, working as mercs
- Signed the Coexistence Agreement after Echo-2 fell silent
- Concentrated in the Eastside Alien Slums alongside FLX
- Known for heavy labor and security work
- Old-timers from the invasion era have the Nemesis Neural Core installed
- Each year, a few more Larden appear claiming their “contract was up” — but reveal nothing else
- Earth-born Larden can receive any mods at 2× cost; only a handful of qualified techs exist in the Zone
The Larden Response: When a crucial corporate VIP is in immediate danger, a Larden in Heavy Armor has been known to appear from a small-space drop pod — arriving before even the CCU can respond. Who dispatches them remains unknown.
Larden Technology: Their power armor (Tech Level 5) is rumored to be manufactured by Nemesis, which would explain how Larden mercs acquired such advanced gear without any visible supply chain.
Garill
Amorphous, octopus-like entities that inhabit flooded corridors and lightless spaces. A Garill’s body can compress through surprisingly small openings and expand to fill available space. They weigh up to 40 lbs and can stretch up to 10 feet. They have half a dozen eye-like organs that can shift to any part of their body.
Known Facts:
- INT +1 (max 21), STR -4 (max 16), DEX +6 (max 26)
- Naturally ambidextrous with up to 4 limbs or pseudopods simultaneously
- Communicate through bioluminescent patterns and subsonic vibrations
- Prefer submerged or high-humidity environments
- Found in flooded sections of Eastside and rumored in Echo-2’s lower decks
- Skilled at repairs, technical work, computer use, and cyberdiving
- Total population in The Zone: estimated 800; no legal status
Garill Technology: Garill do not use mods. Instead, they can control equipment coated with their mucus through electrical impulses — a form of organic interface unique to their species. This allows direct control of most power armors short of Cargen types. Even with rudimentary tools, skilled Garill can repair Tech 4 and below; some can handle Tech 6 with the right equipment.
Tech Shell: Garill are skilled at using a humanoid exoskeleton — 7 feet tall with four arms. Lightly armored but highly functional; allows a Garill to operate in dry environments alongside other species. Believed to originate from Echo-2.
Synth Human Shell: Garill Techs have constructed fake human bodies — physically weak but convincing enough to pass casual inspection, including speech and movement. Bioscanners will reveal the deception.
ASX (Rumors)
Almost nothing is confirmed about the ASX. Fewer than a dozen credible sightings exist across all Zone records. What follows is compiled from survivor accounts, fragmented sensor data, and deep-net speculation.
Physical Description (Unconfirmed):
- 5 to 6 feet tall; stocky, powerful humanoid biped
- Smooth, translucent skin with an amphibian texture
- No visible eyes; the top of the skull features a translucent imaging organ of unknown function
- Two opposing thumbs on each hand; retractable claws on index fingers
Rumored Capabilities:
- Technology rated Level 6 — equal to or exceeding Cargen systems
- Portable personal forcefields that deflect small arms fire
- Teleportation allowing instant short-range displacement
- Some accounts describe ASX appearing, completing an unknown objective, and vanishing within seconds
- No confirmed kills by human forces; no ASX bodies have ever been recovered
Speculation:
- Some believe ASX are observers, studying Earth’s post-invasion development
- Others claim they are the true power behind Nemesis
- A persistent theory holds that ASX arrived before the Cargen and have been here for centuries
- Classified after-action reports from Project Skyfall allegedly reference “unknown allied contacts” who provided critical intel for the Echo-2 assault — some believe these were ASX
- One Axiom Defense analyst reportedly wrote: “They don’t fight us because they don’t need to. We’re not a threat.”
What the Corps Know: Nothing. No corp admits to ASX contact. No bounties exist. No retrieval contracts have been issued. Either they don’t exist — or no one who encounters them lives to file a report.