Reputation
Not everything on The Street is determined with fists or guns. In a world where combat can end your life in a hot nanosecond, other methods have evolved to determine who is going to be the top dog in a conflict. One of these methods involves having a Reputation.
Reputation is a measure of things your Character may do so well, or so badly, that they become well known for them. A Reputation for something is always established by a Character's actions, and is then awarded by the GM. When your GM believes your Character has done something worthy gaining a Reputation, they can assign them a Reputation Level from the table below. This is your Character's Reputation. While people may know of the other less impressive deeds your Character has accomplished, a new deed's Reputation will only replace the old one if the Level is higher.
Most Cyberpunk RED Characters start with a Reputation of 0.
Reputation
| Level | Who Knows About You |
|---|---|
| 1 | Anyone who was there at the time knows. |
| 2 | Stories have gotten around to immediate friends. |
| 3 | All your co-workers and casual acquaintances know. |
| 4 | Stories are all over the local area. |
| 5 | Others beyond your local area recognize your name. |
| 6 | Others beyond your local area know you on sight. |
| 7 | A news story or two has been written about your exploits. |
| 8 | Your exploits regularly make the headlines and screamsheets. |
| 9 | Your exploits always make the screamsheets and TV. |
| 10 | You're known worldwide. |
Whenever your Character encounters new people in new situations, their Reputation may influence how those people react to them. When first meeting, Characters roll 1d10. A Character that rolls under the Reputation Level of the person they are meeting has heard of them. Sometimes this can be very good. Other times, it can be very bad, especially if you made lots of enemies while you were earning a Reputation.
Reputation can also be a disadvantage. Whenever you do something extremely uncool (show cowardice, desert or betray an ally, etc.) the GM can still award you a Reputation Level for these actions. Reputation received from a negative event or action can replace the Reputation of a positive event or action. In that case, people are more likely to have heard about your uncool deeds rather than your impressive deeds (once again, roll 1d10). However, this time they won't be impressed; if your rep is for cowardice or something just as bad, it will work against you.
Facedowns
Reputation in Cyberpunk RED has one other big effect: Facedowns. A lot of combat in Cyberpunk RED comes down to a duel of wills—who's tougher, meaner, and looks more ready to prove it. This often leads to what are called Facedowns, when two heavies on The Street square off just before a fight or to see who'll back down from a confrontation. The GM will call for a Facedown whenever they feel the scene calls for it. When making a Facedown, both participants will roll:
COOL + Reputation* + 1d10
*If your defining Reputation Event is for cowardice your Reputation Level is treated as a negative number.
In a tie, both parties are unsure and nothing happens. Otherwise, the loser has the option of either:
Backing Down... or Taking a -2 to any future Actions made against this opponent due to fear until they have defeated them once.
