Lifepaths

EVERYONE ON THE STREET HAS A STORY. WHAT'S YOURS?

"I remember she told me she was born in Miami, about 2004 or so...She was pretty sure, because she could still remember what it'd been like when the Euros rocked Washington and the near miss took out Tampa... She had these incredible blue eyes; clear through and through, like crystals of Lace, and a smile from a magazine dream. 'Course, the eyes were Teknics 2350's, and the smile really was from a magazine - nice biosculpt job. It didn't matter how much was real in the end. I still fell hard for her. I'm that type."

— Johnny Silverhand

It's like climbing out of a cloning vat. You got this half-formed person standing there, dripping with slime. You got some stats, maybe an vague idea of where you're going with the character, but nothing else. So how do you take this Blank and make them really Cyberpunk? You start with the Lifepath.

Lifepath is a flowchart of "plot complications", designed to help you give your Cyberpunk character an authentically dark future background. Its seven sections cover your national and ethnic origins, your family, friends, enemies, personal habits and even key events on a yearly basis. It's intended primarily as a guide; if you encounter something you don't think fits the character you've envisioned, feel free to change the path as you see fit. Remember; Cyberpunk hinges on roleplaying, so make use of the information in your Lifepath run. It's a guaranteed adventure generator!

1d10

Cultural Origins

The Cyberpunk world is multicultural and multinational. You either learn to deal with all kinds of people from all over a fractured and chaotic world, or you die the first time you look side-eye at the wrong person. Where you come from determines your native language. In RED, we assume everyone speaks Streetslang, the pidgin that has evolved to be used by almost everyone in the Dark Future, but you probably also have another primary tongue you learned at your mother's knee. After rolling to determine your general cultural region, choose one of the languages from the list adjacent to your cultural region. You begin with 4 points in that Language Skill. There are hundreds of languages spoken around the world but for our purposes here, we've listed the most commonly spoken languages in 2020. If you want your Character to speak a language that isn't represented, you can go ahead and choose that language instead of one of the listed languages.

Roll	Your General Cultural Region	Languages You Might Know (Pick 1 in Your Group)
1	North American	Chinese, Cree, Creole, English, French, Navajo, Spanish
2	South/Central American	Creole, English, German, Guarani, Mayan, Portuguese, Quechua, Spanish
3	Western European	Dutch, English, French, German, Italian, Norwegian, Portuguese, Spanish
4	Eastern European	English, Finnish, Polish, Romanian, Russian, Ukrainian
5	Middle Eastern / North African	Arabic, Berber, English, Farsi, French, Hebrew, Turkish
6	Sub-Saharan African	Arabic, English, French, Hausa, Lingala, Oromo, Portuguese, Swahili, Twi, Yoruba
7	South Asian	Bengali, Dari, English, Hindi, Nepali, Sinhalese, Tamil, Urdu
8	South East Asian	Arabic, Burmese, English, Filipino, Hindi, Indonesian, Khmer, Malayan, Vietnamese
9	East Asian	Cantonese Chinese, English, Japanese, Korean, Mandarin Chinese, Mongolian
10	Oceania/Pacific Islander	English, French, Hawaiian, Maori, Pama-Nyungan, Tahitian

Your Personality

This is what you're like as a person. Are you the kind of Character that stands away from the pack, aloof and calculating? A party animal who loves to get messed up? The stable and competent professional who always has a plan?

Roll	What Are You Like?
1	Shy and secretive
2	Rebellious, antisocial, and violent
3	Arrogant, proud, and aloof
4	Moody, rash, and headstrong
5	Picky, fussy, and nervous
6	Stable and serious
7	Silly and fluff-headed
8	Sneaky and deceptive
9	Intellectual and detached
10	Friendly and outgoing

Dress & Personal Style

In Cyberpunk, what you look like is (to The Street) a snapshot of who you are. Your clothes, hairstyles, and even personal touches can determine how people will relate to you, for good or for bad. Remember: a Corpo wearing Street Casual, a rainbow mohawk, and ritual scars is probably not going to get that promotion they wanted.

Note that your clothing style is more about the style of clothes you favor, not the individual items. You could wear a tailored business suit jacket, a rawhide fringed Nomad jacket, a high-tech light collared urban flash jacket, or even a torn and ripped leather jacket with gang colors all over the back. Each one is the same item of clothing (jacket), but defined by the style of jacket your Character favors.

Roll	Clothing Style	Hairstyle	Affectation You are Never Without
1	Generic Chic (Standard, Colorful, Modular)	Mohawk	Tattoos
2	Leisurewear (Comfort, Agility, Athleticism)	Short and spiked	Mirrorshades
3	Urban Flash (Flashy, Technological, Streetwear)	Short and spiked	Ritual scars
4	Businesswear (Leadership, Presence, Authority	Wild and all over	Spiked gloves
5	High Fashion (Exclusive, Designer, Couture)	Bald	Piercings
6	Bohemian (Folksy, Retro, Free-spirited)	Striped	Nose ring
7	Bag Lady Chic (Homeless, Ragged, Vagrant)	Wild colors	Strange fingernail implants
8	Gang Colors (Dangerous, Violent, Rebellious)	Neat and short	Spiked boots or heels
9	Nomad Leathers (Western, Rugged, Tribal)	Short and curly	Fingerless gloves
10	Asia Pop (Bright, Costume-like, Youthful)	Long and straight	Strange contacts

Motivations & Relationships

In Cyberpunk, different motivations and perspectives clash on the streets of Night City. Where do you land?

Roll	What Do You Value Most?	How Do You Feel About Most People?
1	Money	I stay neutral.
2	Honor	I stay neutral.
3	Your Word	I like almost everyone.
4	Honesty	I hate almost everyone.
5	Knowledge	People are tools. Use them for your own goals then discard them.
6	Vengeance	Every person is a valuable individual.
7	Love	People are obstacles to be destroyed if they cross me.
8	Power	People are untrustworthy. Don't depend on anyone.
9	Family	Wipe ‘em all out and let the cockroaches take over.
10	Friendship	People are wonderful!

Things You Value Most

Roll	Most Valued Person in Your Life?
1	A Parent
2	A Sibling
3	A Lover
4	A Friend
5	Yourself
6	A Pet
7	A Teacher or Mentor
8	A Public Figure
9	A Personal Hero
10	No One

Roll	Most Valued Possession You Own?
1	A Weapon
2	A Tool
3	A Piece of Clothing
4	A Photograph
5	A Book or Diary
6	A Recording
7	A Musical Instrument
8	A Piece of Jewelry
9	A Toy
10	A Letter

Your Original Family Background

Who are you and where did you originally come from? Were you born with a silver spoon in your mouth or a dead rat?

Roll 1d10 or choose one.

Roll	Original Background
1	Corporate Execs. Wealthy, powerful, with servants, luxury homes, and the best of everything. Private security made sure you were always safe. You definitely went to a big-name private school.
2	Corporate Managers. Well to do, with large homes, safe neighborhoods, nice cars, etc. Sometimes your parent(s) would hire servants, although this was rare. You had a mix of private and corporate education.
3	Corporate Technicians. Middle-middle class, with comfortable conapts or Beaverville suburban homes, minivans, and corporate-run technical schools. Kind of like living 1950's America crossed with 1984.
4	Nomad Pack. You had a mix of rugged trailers, vehicles, and huge road kombis for your home. You learned to drive and fight at an early age, but the family was always there to care for you. Food was actually fresh and abundant. Mostly home schooled.
5	Ganger "Family". A savage, violent home in any place the gang could take over. You were usually hungry, cold, and scared. You probably didn't know who your actual parents were. Education? The Gang taught you how to fight, kill, and steal — what else did you need to know?
6	Combat Zoners. A step up from a gang "family," your home was a decaying building somewhere in the ‘Zone', heavily fortified. You were hungry at times, but regularly could score a bed and a meal. Home schooled.
7	Urban Homeless. You lived in cars, dumpsters, or abandoned shipping modules. If you were lucky. You were usually hungry, cold, and scared, unless you were tough enough to fight for the scraps. Education? School of Hard Knocks.
8	Megastructure Warren Rats. You grew up in one of the huge new megastructures that went up after the War. A tiny conapt, kibble and scop for food, a mostly warm bed. Some better educated adult warren dwellers or a local Corporation may have set up a school.
9	Farmers. You r family farm was bought up by a Corporation. Sure, they provided your family with everything they needed, but you were little more than indentured servants, the Corporation's boot always at your neck. Food was homegrown. Mostly home-schooled.
10	Edgerunners. Your home was always changing based on your parents' current "job." Could be a luxury apartment, an urban conapt, or a dumpster if you were on the run. Food and shelter ran the gamut from gourmet to kibble.

Your Environment

How did you grow up? What kind of places did you and your sibs hang out in? Safe and calm? Crazy dangerous? Massively oppressive? It's possible that something happened in your background and your environment turns out drastically different from your original family background.

Roll 1d10 or choose one.

Roll	Childhood Environment
1	Ran on The Street, with no adult supervision.
2	Spent in a safe Corp Zone walled off from the rest of the City.
3	In a Nomad pack moving from place to place.
4	In a Nomad pack with roots in transport (ships, planes, caravans).
5	In a decaying, once upscale neighborhood, now holding off the boosters to survive.
6	In the heart of the Combat Zone, living in a wrecked building or other squat.
7	In a huge "megastructure" building controlled by a Corp or the City.
8	On a Corporate controlled Farm or Research Facility.
9	In a Drift Nation (a floating offshore city) that is a meeting place for all kinds of people.
10	In a Corporate luxury "starscraper," high above the rest of the teeming rabble.

Your Family Crisis

Things are rough in 2020. Chances are, something happened to you and your family along the way. What's the story there?

Roll 1d10 or choose one.

Roll	Background
1	Your family lost everything through betrayal.
2	Your family lost everything through bad management.
3	Your family was exiled or otherwise driven from their original home/nation/Corporation.
4	Your family is imprisoned, and you alone escaped.
5	Your family vanished. You are the only remaining member.
6	Your family was killed, and you were the only survivor.
7	Your family is involved in a long-term conspiracy, organization, or association, such as a crime family or revolutionary group.
8	Your family was scattered to the winds due to misfortune.
9	Your family is cursed with a hereditary feud that has lasted for generations.
10	You are the inheritor of a family debt; you must honor this debt before moving on with your life.

Your Friends

It's not all grim. Sometimes you link up with people who have your back.

Roll 1d10 and subtract 7 (minimum 0) to see just how many friends you've made so far in your life. For each Friend, roll on the table below.

Roll	Friend
1	Like an older sibling to you.
2	Like a younger sibling to you.
3	A teacher or mentor.
4	A partner or coworker.
5	A former lover.
6	An old enemy.
7	Like a parent to you.
8	An old childhood friend.
9	Someone you know from The Street.
10	Someone with a common interest or goal.

Your Enemies

Enemies are a big part of life in the Cyberpunk world. You're going in get in someone's face sooner or later, so you might as well find out who they are, why there's a beef, and what they can do to you to even a score.

Roll 1d10 and subtract 7 (minimum 0) to determine how many enemies you've made. Then, for each one, decide who was the injured party and roll once on each of the columns below. Once you have determined what your enemy is like, go to the Sweet Revenge table to see how the offended party will act if the two of you ever meet again.

Roll	Who?	What Caused It?	What's Gonna Happen?
1	Ex-friend	Caused the other to lose face or status.	Avoid the scum.
2	Ex-lover	Caused the loss of lover, friend, or relative.	Avoid the scum.
3	Estranged relative	Caused a major public humiliation.	Go into a murderous rage and try to physically rip their face off.
4	Childhood enemy	Accused the other of cowardice or some other major personal flaw.	Go into a murderous rage and try to physically rip their face off.
5	Person working for you	Deserted or betrayed the other.	Backstab them indirectly.
6	Person you work for	Turned down the other's offer of a job or romantic involvement.	Backstab them indirectly.
7	Partner or coworker	You just don't like each other.	Verbally attack them.
8	Corporate exec	One of you was a romantic rival.	Verbally attack them.
9	Government official	One of you was a business rival.	Set them up for a crime or other transgression they didn't commit.
10	Boosterganger	One of you set the other up for a crime they didn't commit.	Set out to murder or maim them.

Your Tragic Love Affair(s)

We don't care about the ones that worked, we want to know about the ugly ones that ripped out your heart.

Roll 1d10 and subtract 7 (minimum 0) to see how many tragic love affairs you've had, then use the table below to see how each ended.

Roll	What Happened?
1	Your lover died in an accident.
2	Your lover mysteriously vanished.
3	It just didn't work out.
4	A personal goal or vendetta came between you and your lover.
5	Your lover was kidnapped.
6	Your lover went insane or cyberpsycho.
7	Your lover committed suicide.
8	Your lover was killed in a fight.
9	A rival cut you out of the action.
10	Your lover is imprisoned or exiled.

Your Life Goals

You know your history, your personal style, and your turbulent love life. It's time to wrap all this up by determining what you want out of life.

Roll 1d10 or choose one.

Roll	Life Goals
1	Get rid of a bad reputation.
2	Gain power and control.
3	Get off The Street no matter what it takes.
4	Cause pain and suffering to anyone who crosses you.
5	Live down your past life and try to forget it.
6	Hunt down those responsible for your miserable life and make them pay.
7	Get what's rightfully yours.
8	Save, if possible, anyone else involved in your background, like a lover, or family member.
9	Gain fame and recognition.
10	Become feared and respected.

Cyberpunk Bibliography

Synners by Pat Cadigan

Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep by Phillip K. Dick

When Gravity Fails & A Fire in the Sun by George Alec Effinger

Neuromancer, Count Zero, Mona Lisa Overdrive, & Burning Chrome by William Gibson

Trouble and Her Friends by Melissa Scott

Snow Crash by Neal Stephenson

The Artificial Kid & Islands in the Net by Bruce Sterling

Hardwired, Voice of the Whirlwind, & Angel Station by Walter Jon Williams

Cyberpunk Filmography

Akira

Alien & Aliens

Appleseed

Altered Carbon

Blade Runner & Blade Runner 2049

The Expanse

Ghost in the Shell

Max Headroom

The Matrix Trilogy

Overdrawn at the Memory Bank

Robocop 1 & 2

Road Warrior (original and remake)

All information for this section was taken from Roll20.

Cover art is from Pedro Ambrozio.