Corporate
SLICK BUSINESS RAIDERS AND MULTIMILLIONAIRES
"Money. Yeah, I got money: a new BMW aerodyne, and a penthouse flat in the Corporate Zone. All the money ain't worth fuck. You play this game for power. The power to get things done; to make the big decisions; to affect things. You make a phone call, and the next thing you know, you're telling the president of some bushleague Euronation that he'd better play it your way, or he's history. That's why you play. That's why I'm with the Company."
In the old days, they would have called you a yuppie - a hard driven, fast-track MBA on his way up the Corporate ladder. Sure, it's selling your soul to the Company, but face it; the Corporations rule the Cyberpunk world. They control governments, markets, nations, armies, you name it. And you know that whoever controls the Corporations controls everything else.
Right now, your life as a junior executive is anything but easy. There are guys underneath you who'd kill for a shot at your job. There are guys over you who'd kill to keep you out of their jobs. And they're not kidding about the killing: every up and comer in the Corporation has his own crew of Solos and Netrunners to cover his pet projects. Sabotage? Constantly. Bribery? Routine. Blackmail? Common. Promotion by assassination? Always a possibility. The stakes are that high: one slip and you could be out on the Street with the rest of the trash. Or dead.
And the projects your supervisors give you! Some are pretty straightforward; design a new productivity schedule for the Corporation's medical subsidiary. Some are pretty raw; send a "black operations" team into the City to spread a designer plague so the Marketing team can clean up selling the vaccine. Last week, you led a mixed team of Solos, 'Runners, and Techies on a headhunting run to kidnap a researcher from a rival company. The week before, your project was to steal plans for a new suborbital shuttle from the EuroSpace Agency (so that the Aerospace Division could copy the design and sell it to the Soviets).
You told yourself you joined the Corporation to make it a better place - work from the inside, you said. But now you're not so sure. Your ideals are a little tarnished and things are getting pretty bleak. But you can't worry about ethics now. You've got a report due in an hour, and it looks like that guy in Sales is planning to ice your database for good. You're gonna ice him first.
Role Ability: Teamwork
The Corpo's Role Ability is Teamwork. Just like a real corporate executive, the Corpo builds a team whose members help them accomplish their goals, whether legal or not, morale permitting. Team members have a visible job description (like secretary or driver) but also have a covert roles (such as Netrunner, bodyguard, or assassin). Plus they get free housing and a nice set of clothes!
Getting fired sucks, but even as a starting Character, you aren't just anybody. A Corpo or Lawman with skills is always in demand. Get yourself out there, and you'll have another gig in less than a week. In times like these, the labor market has been flipped on its head. Not many people can do the job of a Corpo and anyone willing to be a Lawman is in high demand. Learn from the experience and get in good with your new boss so that you won't have to do this again for a while. Your Agent is bound to start blowing up with calls from headhunting Fixers by lunch. Nothing about your Role Ability changes when you get fired. Think of it as an opportunity for character development as you and your GM work together to figure our just who wants to hire you and what the "on boarding" process looks like. As for your former employer? Consider that an opportunity, too. Just how much revenge do you want, choom? And what happens if you blab some of their secrets?
Signing Bonus
At Teamwork Rank 1, as a gift, the Corpo is given a suit comprised of a Businesswear Jacket, Top, Bottom, and Footwear that identify them as a member of the business elite. The Corpo cannot resell these without raising suspicion.
Corporate Housing
At Teamwork Rank 2, the Corpo is given access to one of their Company's Corporate Conapts. As long as they remain a member of that Corporation, they can stay there without paying any Rent or any other fees. The Corpo must still buy their own Lifestyle separately every month. If the Corpo leaves to join another Corporation, they will extend to them the same offer, and even pay to move all their stuff to the new apartment.
At Teamwork Rank 7, the Corpo's corporate housing is improved to a Beaverville House in the Executive Zone.
At Teamwork Rank 10, the Corpo's corporate housing is improved dramatically to a Beaverville McMansion in the Executive Zone or a Luxury Penthouse in the Corporate Zone.
Corporate Health Insurance
At Teamwork Rank 6, the Corpo is given Trauma Team Silver coverage, paid for monthly by their Corporation. If the Corpo leaves to join another Corporation, they will extend to them the same offer.
At Teamwork Rank 8, the Corporation upgrades their coverage to Trauma Team Executive.
Team Members
Starting at Rank 3, Teamwork give the Corpo a Team Member. Ranks 5 and 9 of Teamwork give the Corpo an additional Team Member, capping out at a maximum of 3 total Team Members at Rank 9.
Team Members are rolled from a special chart for each of their jobs. The Corpo chooses which class of Team Members they want, but their roll on the chart determines the STATs of the Team Member HR hires for them. While constructed like Player Characters, they vary in several distinct ways:
- They do not improve their Skills. They determine and heal their HP like Player Characters do.
- They are controlled by the GM, and their ability to follow an order depends on their Loyalty and ability to make a Loyalty Check.
- They cannot wear Armor other than Light Armorjack. Company Policy.
Losing Team Members: If a Team Member is lost, HR will repossess their equipment and replace them during the next game session. This "new hire" has new STATs, but their starting Loyalty is reduced to 1 (they heard about what happened). In addition, this will cost the Corpo an additional 200eb in "hiring fees" (bribes) to HR.
What, you thought HR just hired assassins for you?
Loyalty: While Team Members work for the Corpo, they are not mindless drones. They do the tasks given to them by the Corpo based on their Loyalty to their boss (or the paycheck they sign for them). Loyalty is a shifting value; a Corpo must (during every game session) do things to promote Loyalty and not lose it. Loyalty caps at maximum of 10 between game sessions, but during an individual game session, Loyalty has no limit.
Loyalty Save: When a task is given to a Team Member by the Corpo, the GM must roll 1d6 under the Team member's current Loyalty. If the Save is failed, the Team Member may refuse or botch the assignment or otherwise turn on the Corpo. If Loyalty drops to 0 or lower, the Team Member will actively attempt to betray the Corpo to their enemies. If at the end of a session a Team Member has less than 0 Loyalty, they will complain to HR and either receive a transfer or quit upon having one refused, depending on HR's whims. Either way, they are gone. See Losing Team Members, just above.
| Gaining Loyalty | Gain |
|---|---|
| Compliment Team Member's work. Overuse this during a week and it will stop gaining you Loyalty with the Team Member. | +1 |
| Give them a bonus or other perk of at least 200eb in value. | +4 |
| Support them against Management. | +4 |
| Give them a 20% cut of your earnings for a job. | +6 |
| Give Team Member paid time off. Must be for an entire game session. | +6 |
| Risk physical harm for Team Member. | +8 |
| Losing Loyalty | Loss |
|---|---|
| Gain no Loyalty with Team Member during an entire game session. | -1 |
| Berate or chew our Team Member or their work. | -2 |
| Ignore Team Member's contribution to a job. Forget Team Member's birthday. | -4 |
| Do not come through with bonus or perk promised. | -6 |
| Throw them under the bus to Management. | -6 |
| Abandon Team Member under fire. | -8 |
Creating your Team Member
Job: Decide what your Team Member's job is. If you want to, you can also pick a cover job for them as well. You might not want other people to know you've got a Covert Ops specialist or Netrunner on the payroll.
STATs: Roll 1d6 and read across the corresponding row, recording each STAT. Don't forget to determine their HP, Mortally Wounded, and Death Save values. You do not need to lower their EMP due to Humanity Loss from cyberware. That's already been factored in.
Skills, Cyberware, and Gear: Record your Team Member's Skills, Cyberware, and Gear. These are standard packages provided to them by the company.
Starting Loyalty: Roll 1d6 and add 1. This is your Team Member's starting Loyalty.
Company Bodyguard
Cover Jobs: Escort, Personal Trainer | True Job: To protect the Corpo in dangerous situations
Skills at +2: Concentration, Conversation, Education, First Aid, Human Perception, Language (Streetslang), Local Expert (Your Home), Persuasion, Stealth
Skills at +4: Athletics, Evasion, Interrogation, Perception, Resist Torture/Drugs, Tactics
Skills at +6: Handgun, Brawling
Cyberware: Enhanced Antibodies, Subdermal Armor (SP11), Cyberaudio Suite, Internal Agent, Homing Tracer
Gear: Agent, Light Armorjack (SP 11), Very Heavy Pistol, Basic VH Pistol Ammo x50
Company Covert Operative
Cover Jobs: Personal Assistant, Stylist | True Job: Keeping the Corpo from getting their hands dirty
Skills at +2: Athletics, Brawling, Concentration, Conversation, Education, First Aid, Language (Streetslang), Local Expert (Your Home), Perception, Persuasion
Skills at +4: Bribery, Bureaucracy, Business, Evasion, Human Perception, Pick Lock, Streetwise, Trading, Wardrobe & Style
Skills at +6: Handgun, Stealth
Cyberware: Cybereyes with paired Low Light/Infrared/UV, Color Shift, Cyberarm with Grapple Hand, Popup Ranged Weapon (Very Heavy Pistol), Realskinn™ Covering
Gear: Agent, Light Armorjack (SP 11), Very Heavy Pistol, Basic VH Pistol Ammo x50
Company Driver
Cover Jobs: Valet, Persoal Driver | True Job: Drives, pilots, and maintains the Team's vehicles
Skills at +2: Athletics, Concentration, Conversation, Education, First Aid, Human Perception, Language (Streetslang), Local Expert (Your Home), Perception, Persuasion
Skills at +4: Brawling, Endurance, Evasion, Land Vehicle Tech, Pilot air Vehicle, Pilor Sea Vehicle, Sea Vehicle Tech, Stealth, Tracking
Skills at +6: Drive Land Vehicle, Handgun
Cyberware: Radar/Sonar Implant, Cyberaudio Suite, Internal Agent, Homing Tracer, Radar Detector
Gear: Light Armorjack (SP 11), Very Heavy Pistol, Compact Groundcar with Seating Upgrade, Basic VH Pistol Ammo x50
Company Netrunner
Cover Jobs: I.T. Engineer, Research Specialist | True Job: Netrunning and information gathering
Skills at +2: Athletics, Brawling, Concentration, Conversation, Evasion, First Aid, Human Perception, Language (Streetslang), Local Expert (Your Home), Perception, Persuasion
Skills at +4: Basic Tech, Cryptography, Cybertech, Education, Electronics/Security Tech (x2), Forgary, Library Search, Handgun, Stealth
Cyberware: Neural Link, Chipware Socket, Pain Editor, Interface Plugs, Cybereyes with Virtuality
Gear: Agent, Light Armorjack (SP11), Cyberdeck (7 slots: Sword, Sword, Killer, Worm, Worm, Armor), Very Heavy Pistol, Basic VH Pistol Ammo x50
Company Technician
Cover Jobs: I.T. Engineer, Intern | True Job: Repairs Team's gear and weapons
Skills at +2: Athletics, Brawling, Concentration, Conversation, Evasion, First Aid, Human Perception, Language (Streetslang), Local Expert (Your Home), Perception, Persuasion, Stealth
Skills at +4: Education, Handgun, Weaponstech (x2)
Skills at +6.: Basic Tech, Cybertech, Electronics/Security Tech (x2)
Cyberware: Tool Hand, Cyberaudio Suite, Internal Agent, Bug Detector, Audio Recorder
Gear: Light Armorjack (SP11), Very Heavy Pistol, Basic VH Pistol Ammo x50
Role-Based Life Path
Some things are universal. Other things are pretty specific. One of these is how your day job (or night job or side job or whatever - we won't judge you) affects your life. The things that a hard-bitten Lawman on the Street has to face are way different from the glittering club life of a Rockerboy, and they both deal with shit no pampered or privileged Corpo could even imagine. To that end, find below a series of Role-based questions that supplement the regular Lifepath.
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