#RPG-a-DAY2026 Week 4 Cyberpunk 2020

For RPG-a-Day 2026 I am republishing Mirk the Meek's collaborative episodes on different genres. You can read all about that here: https://podbypost.com/nerds/rpg-a-day-2026

But for the blog I will be somewhat following Anthony's lead (read his post here: https://castingshadowsblog.com/2026/07/31/rpgaday2026-starts-tomorrow-my-plan/ )

Basically that means I will post a character on each Sunday of August. this week I will create one for Cyberpunk 2020. Buckle in because this is a long one. 

There are Three Concepts you need to remember in Cyberpunk 2020:

1) Style over Substance

2) Attitude is Everything

3) Live on the Edge

Cyberpunk 2020 uses what is called the Interlock system and I really like it, this is my favorite cyberpunk RPG full stop. I also think with a little tweaking the ruleset (ability stat + skill + 1d10 against a difficulty number) is almost ideal for the late 19th century to the near future. In fact I'm not the only one to think there, check out this fan site, with full permission from "Maximum" Mike Pondsmith himself, to expand the rules: https://datafortress2020.com/InterlockUnlimited.html

Today we will use the Cyberpunk 2020 Second Edition core book to make a character. In the spirit of rolling the character's randomly this month I'm going to use method 2, roll 1d10 for each statistic, rerolling any scores of 2 or less. Unlike method 2 where you then put them where you want I'm going to do it in order and go from there. 

Intelligence (INT) 10

Reflexes (REF) 4

Cool (CL) 5

Technical Ability (TECH) 10 

Luck (LK) 3 

Most stats in the game are self evident but Luck takes a little explaining, I really like way it is implemented by the way, it reminds me of Karma in Marvel Super Heroes but without tying it into experience points.

To use Luck, you may add any or all of the points of luck a character has to a critical die roll (declaring your intention to use Luck before the roll is made) until all of your Luck stat is used up. Luck is always restored at the end of each game session.

Attractiveness (ATT) 10 

Movement Allowance (MA) 7 

This is listed in two ways on the character sheet: RUN (your MA x 3) which is how far you can move in a single 10 second turn, and LEAP which is RUN divided by 4, by the way in Cyberpunk 2020 you always round down.

Our RUN is 21 and our LEAP is 5. 

Empathy (EMP) 8

This is how well you relate to other living things, a mix of charisma and sympathetic emotions. In Cyberpunk 2020 you have a secondary statistic under EMP of Humanity (EMP x10). Every cybernetic implant has a Humanity cost and every 10 points of humanity you lose lowers your EMP by 1 point. When it gets too low you suffer cybernetic-induced psychosis and become a non player character.   

Our humanity starts at 80.

Body Type (BT) 9

Strength, Endurance and Constitution are all based on the character's Body Type. Body Type determines how much damage you can take in wounds, how much you can lift or carry, how far you can throw (pg. 99), how well you recover from shock, and how much additional damage you cause with physical attacks.

Our body type is Strong, we can carry up to 90 kilograms and dead lift 360 kilograms. Our Save Number is the same as our BT, in this case 9. There is a secondary value called a Body Type Modifier (BTM) based off your BT, in our case it is -3. This means we would subtract three points from any damage we take. To make a save you roll 1d10 and try to get equal or under the Save Number. There are two types of saves in the game, Stun Saves used when you take damage or have to save against knockout drugs. If you fail you will be knocked out of combat and unable to recover until you make a successful save in the following combat turn, you get to try every turn until you succeed. The other type of save is a Death Save, this is when you have been Mortally Wounded (instead of hit points this game uses a wound track depending on your BT) or have to save against some poisons. If you fail it is time to roll up a new character. 

Now for the fun part, we are going to use the life path system to roll up our background and find out who we are! I'm going to roll a d6 to decide the gender, I rolled a 5 for a female. 

1. Dress and Personal Style

I roll 2, 1 and 5 which gives tells us she wears blue jeans, has a mohawk and a nose ring.

Ethnic Origins

I roll 7 which is Black American 

2. Family Background

I roll 3 for Corporate Technician, a 7 tells us that something has happened to one or both parents. 4 indicates that her parent(s) have amnesia and don't remember you! A 9 shows the family status is OK, I guess they lost memory of her after she grew up. Another 9 tells us the childhood environment was an aquatic pirate pack! For number of siblings I roll 6, let's do them one at a time.

Sibling 1: 9, 6 is younger than our character and their feeling towards her is neutral.    

Sibling 2: 3,8 is older and they hero worship our character!

Sibling 3: 7, 8 is younger and they hero worship our character (maybe they are both still stuck with the pirates).

Sibling 4: 10,5 is our twin (!) and feels neutral toward the character.

Sibling 5: 6, 2 is younger and dislikes our character.

Sibling 6: 10, 9 is another twin, so triplets, and hates our character. 

Wow, lots to ingest there but we'll put it all together at the end.

Next we need to roll for our character's 

3. Motivations 

Personality Traits: a roll of 7, she is silly and fluffheaded 

Person You Value Most: a roll of 3 is a lover

What Do You Value Most? a roll of 7 is love

How Do You Feel About Most People? 1 is neutral

Your Most Valued Possession: a piece of jewelry

 4. Life Events

I need to roll 2d6+16 for our age, I rolled 5 and 4 so she is 25. Now we roll once on the major event chart for every year past age 16, or 9 times.

17 years old 8, romantic involvement I roll a 8, fast affairs and hot dates.

18 years old 6 friends & enemies I roll a 3 tells us we made a friend, a 2 tells us it is a male, and a 9 tells us it is a childhood friend we reconnected with. Let's see what they are like. 7, 3, 7 tells us he wears camouflage clothes, has short & spiked hair, and long fingernails. A 10, 5 Tells us that he is Italian and a 3 tells us he is arrogant, proud, and aloof.  

19 years old 9 nothing happened that year.

20 years old 9 nothing happened that year.

21 years old 5 friends & enemies I roll a 5 tells us we made a friend, 3 tells us it is a female, 8 tells us it is a relative. I'm going to roll a d6 and on 1-4 it is a sibling I rolled a 5 so this will be an aunt. This aunt, 2, 3, 0 wears blue jeans, has short & spiked hair, and wears fingerless gloves. She is also arrogant, proud and aloof, seems like our character has a certain type of person that she gets along with!

22 years old 8 romantic involvement I roll a 4 tells us this was a happy love affair. Let's she what the other person was like, a 10 tells us male, 9, 6, 10, tells us he likes to be nude, has a striped hairstyle, but does wear fingerless gloves. 9 tells us he is Central or South American and a 1 tells us he is shy and secretive, interesting I wonder if their are scars or tattoos on his palms or the back of his hands that he wants to cover? 

23 years old 7 romantic involvement I roll a 7 tells us this was a love affair with problems, a 6 tells us that we fight constantly, a 10 tells us that they still like us but we hate them. 1 tells us this is a female, 9, 3, 3 tells us she also likes to be nude (I have an idea to make that work), has short & spiked hair as well as ritual scars. A 1 tells us she is Anglo-American and a 2 tells us she is rebellious, antisocial, and violent. 

24 years old nothing happened that year.

25 years old 6 friends and enemies I roll a 7 tells us it is an enemy, a 9 tells us it is a female, a 4 tells us this is a childhood enemy, a 3 tells us one of us caused the other a major humiliation, 10 tells us the felling is mutual, 2 tells us if we meet we "go into a murderous, killing range and rip his face off!", a 4 tells us that our enemies resources are her and a few friends, and lastly we need to flesh her out a little. 1, 7, 2 tell us she wears biker leathers, has tinted hair, and wears mirrorshades. A 10, 1 tells us she is French and finally a 3 tells us she is, you guessed it, arrogant, proud and aloof!

Now we need to pick our role or career. With three 10s we have lots of good options, Netrunner, Corporate, Techie, Media and Rockerboy (Rockergirl). Our low stats in Reflexs and Cool tells us we might not be best suited to be Solos, Nomads, Rockerboys or Fixers. I'm actually going to go with Netrunner because I have never played one. They would be great in a solo game or in a duet game (one game master and one player) but the netrunning rules are a little time consuming and not best suited to group play, we always hired NPC netrunners in the games I played so their activities didn't slow down the game.

There are two kinds of skills, Career Skill Packages and Pickup Skills. The first are skills related to your role or career and the second are skills you picked up "knocking around, living his or her life." All characters start with 40 points to spend on their Career Skill Packages and each role or career has 10 Career Skills. To determine how many points you get for Pickup Skills you add your REF and INT, so in our case she gets 14 points to spend. I should also mention that you can't mix points from Career Skill Packages and Pickup Skills. All skills are related to one of the stats, I'll put the related stat next to each skill. Remember when doing a skill check you roll stat + skill + 1d10 and check against a target number.

As you go through the game you will get Improvement Points (IP) a number of different ways and you can use IP to get better as skills you already have or learn new skills. You'll notice some of the skills below have an IP multiplier after them, like CyberTech (2), that means it takes twice the normal number of IP to improve that skill.  

A Netrunner's Career Skill Package consists of:

Interface (INT)

This is the "special ability" of the Netrunner role and they are the only ones that can take it. 

This skill reflects the Netrunner's ability to manipulate Interface programs, and is the Skill used when operating Menu functions such as locate Remote, Run Software, Control Remote, Downlink , Load, Create and Delete. Other players can enter the Net, but cannot use the Menu. Interface is based on the INT Stat. 

Awareness/Notice (INT)

This is the equivalent of a "trained observer" skill, allowing characters to notice or be aware of dues, shadowers and other events. With an Awareness of +2 you will usually spot small pieces of paper with notes on them, doors left ajar, and obvious expressions of lying or dislike. An Awareness of +5 or better allows you to spot fairly well hidden clues, notice small changes in expression, and fairly sophisticated attempts to "shadow" you. With an Awareness of +8 or greater, you routinely perform the sorts of deductive reasoning seen in the average TV cop show ("The murderer was left handed because this knife has a specialized handle"). Sherlock Holmes has a + 1 0 Awareness. Players without this skill may only use their Intelligence Stat.

Basic Tech (TECH)

The required skills for building or repairing simple mechanical and electrical devices, such as car engines, television sets, etc. With a Basic Tech Skill of +3 or better, you can fix minor car problems, repair basic wiring, etc. A Basic Tech Skill of +6 or better can repair stereos and TVs, rebuild an engine, etc. A Basic Tech Skill of +9 or better can build a simple computer from scratch, put together a race car engine, and maintain any kind of industrial machinery. However, they do not know enough specialized knowledge to apply it to complex things such as aircraft (just like Mr. Goodwrench doesn't know how to build and service an F-16}.

Education (INT)

This skill is the equivalent of a basic public school education, allowing you to know how to read, write, use basic math, and know enough history to get by. In effect, it is a "lore" or trivia skill. A level of + 1 is a basic grade school education. A skill of +2 is equal to a high school equivalency. A Knowledge Skill of +3 is equal to a college education, +4 or higher is equal to a Masters or Doctorate. At +7, you are an extremely well-educated person, and are asked to play Trivial Pursuit a lot. At +9 and above, you are one of those people who 'knows a lot about everything (and hopefully has the good sense to keep his mouth shut).

System Knowledge (INT)

Basic knowledge of the geography of the Net, it's lore and history, as well as knowledge of the important computer systems, their strengths and their weaknesses. At +2, you can generally navigate around the Net and know where all the local places are. At +6, you know the locations of most places in the Net, and have a working understanding of its largest and most well known systems. At +9, you know the entire Net like the back of your hand, know the general layouts of the important systems cold, and are aware of the layouts for the rest of them.

CyberTech (2) (TECH)

The required skill for repairing and maintaining cyberwear. At level +2, you can keep your cyberwear tuned up and can replace its power batteries. At level +6, you can strip down most cyberwear and even make simple modifications. At level +8, you can design your own cyberwear to order.

Cyberdeck Design (2) (TECH)

The required skill for designing cyberdecks. At level +4, you can modify an existing cyberdeck for greater speed or memory. At level +6, you can design a deck equal to most existing designs. At +8, you can design decks that are substantially improved over existing designs.

Composition (INT)

The required skill for writing songs, articles, or stories. A Composing Skill of +4 or greater gives your character the ability to produce salable work. A Skill of +8 or more produces work of such a high caliber that the creator may have a strong literary following and not a little critical acclaim.

Electronics (TECH)

The required skill for maintaining, repairing and modifying electronic instruments such as computers, personal electronics hardware, electronic security systems, cameras and monitors.

Programming (INT)

The required skill to write programs and to re-program computer systems. This skill does not allow players to actually do repairs on a computer (this requires Electronics). With a Programming Skill of + 1, you can do simple EBASIC programs. A Programming Skill of +3 or better allows you to know some higher level languages and be able to write reasonably complex programs (including video games). Players with a Programming Skill +6 or better are considered to be professionals, who can build operating software, design mainframe systems, and hold down a steady job at your average Silicon Valley firm. With a Programming Skill of +9 or better, other programmers speak your name with reverence ("You invented Q? Wowl"}, young hackers set out to crack your systems, and any computer software you design instantly gets used by every business application in the world.

Here is how I allotted the points

Interface (INT) 8

Awareness/Notice (INT) 4

Basic Tech (TECH) 2

Education (INT) 4

System Knowledge (INT) 6

CyberTech (2) (TECH) 1

Cyberdeck Design (2) (TECH) 4 

Composition (INT) 1

Electronics (TECH) 4

Programming (INT) 6

The game allows you a default for performing skills you don't have (just use 0 in place of the skill level when you do your check although the Referee may rule that some things can't be done without some training in the skill) but we need to use Pickup Skills to fill in some gaps. The following are the ones that I think would be pretty useful: Personal Grooming (ATT), Wardrobe & Style (ATT), Streetwise (CL), Human Perception (EMP), Persuasion & Fast Talk (EMP), Library Search (INT), Dodge & Escape (REF), Handgun (REF), Melee (REF), Electronic Security (2) (TECH). I only have 14 points so we need to whiddle down those 10 skills choices to maybe three or four.

Normally I always put points in Personal Grooming and Wardrobe & Style (Rule Number One is Style over Substance!) but since those skills relate to ATT I'll trust on her high score to pull her through. Unless she is working for a corporation a Netrunner has to have some level of Streetwise to survive. Human Perception, being able to pick up emotional clues from others, is pretty important when you are an entrepreneur on the black market. Persuasion & Fast Talk is super helpful for talking your way out of corners. Library Search is obviously important. Dodge & Escape Handgun and Melee all are important since it is rare to see a role playing game sessions that doesn't involve combat. Electronic Security would be very helpful because sometimes you have to get into a secure area to jack into the network. 

Here is what I went with

Streetwise (CL) 3

Human Perception (EMP) 2

Persuasion & Fast Talk (EMP) 2

Library Search (INT) 1

Dodge & Escape (REF) 4

Electronic Security (2) (TECH) 2

I have decided to start her off as a non-combatant. No doubt as she gains IP she'll be putting some in Handgun and Melee but for now she'll have to hope her companions can handle any physical threats that come the crews way.

Another important trait characters have is Reputation.

Reputation is a measure of things your character may do so well (or badly) that he has actually become well known for them. A reputation for something is always established by a character's actions, and is then awarded by the Referee. Whenever a character encounters new people in new situations , his reputation may actually influence how they react to him. Sometimes this can be very good. Other times, it can be very bad.

Now we have to outfit her! There is a standard outfit for characters in the game, the slang (another major part of the game) for what you carry around is your outfit.

A typical outfit might include:

• Inflatable bed (folds to a 6"x6"package for easy storage).

• Compressable down sleep-bag (wads to the size of a paperback book).

• Micro-stereo combo (a microsized boom box with stereo speakers or headphones, possibly CD, chip/tape player, TV and certainly radio).

• Handful of tapes or datachips.

• Laptop or pocket computer (for notes, writing, business, links to computer networks).

• Cybermodem, cables (for Netrunners).

• Pocket Cellular phone (the phone is bought, the service is rented by the month).

• Handgun, knife or both. Possibly an assault rifle or SMG, and a couple backups as well. Always extra ammo.

• Body armor (usually an armor jacket or bullet-proof T-shirt).

• Personal things, like clothes, toothbrushes, etc.

Most of this is crammed into a shoulder bag or duffle sack. 

For her starting outfit I'm thinking a Federated Arms X-22 in purple, a switchblade, and a light armored jacket (SP 14). If some of that looks out of place remember this game has an alternate time line that deviates from ours in 1990 so some tech is more advanced then in the real world and some never advanced as far as in the real world.

To find out her starting funds he check her Interface rank on the Occupation Table, that tells us she is a Net Cowboy (Cowgirl?) making 5,000 euros a month. Not bad at all! Now we multiple that by 1d6/3 to see how many consecutive months she has been employed to see how much cash she has on hand to spend on other gear. I roll 4 for one month's worth (remember we round down) or 5,000 euros starting funds. Next I roll a 1 so she is still employed this month, if I had rolled a 4 or higher she would have just lost her current gig. 

Before we worry about the rest of her outfit we should consider her CyberWare, what enhancements does she have? I'm going to keep it as basic as I can, being very intelligent and attractive she isn't going to want to impair her natural looks and knows the dangers of of cybernetic implants. Plus she is very confident of her own abilities. 

NeuralWare Processor (1d6, I rolled 3) 3 Humanity Loss

Cybermodem Link 1 Humanity Loss

Machine/Tech Link 2 Humanity Loss

DataTerm Link 2 Humanity Loss

Interface Plugs (in wrists) (1d6/ pair, I rolled 5) 5 Humanity Loss (she probably hates seeing them sticking out of her wrists)

Chipware Socket (allows up to 10 chips to be loaded) (1d6/2, I rolled a 1), 1 Humanity Loss (probably behind the ear where she can't see it)

Thats a total of 1,700 euros and 14 Humanity Loss. 

I expect out of the 3,300 euros she has left she would spend it on the best cyberdeck she could get her hands on and go from there. I'm not going to do that today as it would involve some decisions by the Referee. She would probably spend 600 on a Handgun Level 2 chip and 300 on a Melee level 2 chip if she could afford them. 

It is finally time to write up her backstory!

Sandra's parents, Kip and LaFawnduh, were living in Detriot when the United States collapsed. The corporation they worked for moved them to the West Coast but they ended up getting kidnapped by pirates while on a second honeymoon and were forced to work for them. They had a large family, some of which assimilated with pirate life well and some who did not. Sandra did not. She was trained as a netrunner but always watched for her chance to escape. When she was 16 her parents risked everything to assist her in getting to the mainland away from the pirates but their involvement was discovered and they were brainwiped by the pirates and now have no memory of Sandra. 

Sandra was able to get to into a crew in Night City and put her skills to work. She was a skilled netrunner and well liked even if she was too irreverent for some of her new partners. Sandra went through a series of flings and one night stands. When she was 18 she met Lorenzo, who she knew from the pirate pack as a child. He had escaped as well and was now working in Night City as a solo. She keeps in touch with him and over the years they have done favors for each other.

At 21 she ran into her aunt, Deb, who moved to Night City after Sandra's uncle disappeared, she believes he is still alive though. Deb works in the fashion industry and stays in touch with Sandra who has promised to keep her eye out for anything leading to Deb's husband's location. In fact following a lead took Sandra to a nudist colony where she spent the next couple years. While she was at the nudist colony she didn't find her uncle but she did have some serious relationships, first with Carlos and then with Trisha who knew her uncle many years ago. Still this was a dead end and Sandra eventually moved back to Night City.

Earlier this year she made an enemy in Camille, another childhood acquaintance from the pirate pack. Now the leader of a small gang Camille and Sandra are out to get each other any chance they get. She is definitely a problem Sandra will have to take care of soon but right now Sandra and her crew have a cushy gig that is paying the bills and she is just trying to get better gear before tackling the Camille problem. 

So mechanically Sandra looks like this:

Sandra Lucas

Netrunner, REP ?

Intelligence (INT) 10

Reflexes (REF) 4

Cool (CL) 5

Technical Ability (TECH) 10 

Luck (LK) 3 

Attractiveness (ATT) 10 

Movement Allowance (MA) 7 RUN 21 JUMP 5

Empathy (EMP) 6 Humanity 66

Body Type (BT) 9 Strong Lift 90 SAVE 9 BMT -3

Skills

Interface (INT) 8

Awareness/Notice (INT) 4

Basic Tech (TECH) 2

Composition (INT) 1

CyberTech (2) (TECH) 1

Cyberdeck Design (2) (TECH) 4 

Dodge & Escape (REF) 4

Education (INT) 4

Electronic Security (2) (TECH) 2

Electronics (TECH) 4

Human Perception (EMP) 2

Library Search (INT) 1

Persuasion & Fast Talk (EMP) 2

Programming (INT) 6

Streetwise (CL) 3

System Knowledge (INT) 6

Cybernetics

NeuralWare Processor 3 Humanity Loss

Cybermodem Link 1 Humanity Loss

Machine/Tech Link 2 Humanity Loss

DataTerm Link 2 Humanity Loss

Interface Plugs (in wrists) 5 Humanity Loss 

Chipware Socket (allows up to 10 chips to be loaded) 1 Humanity Loss

That is all for this week, see you next Sunday, 30 August, when I create a character for Dark Conspiracy 1E! By the way I don't have a financial stake in Mongoose but they do appear to be a company that cares and does right by their employees. I mention them because there is a crowdfunding campaign going on right now over at Backerkit for an updated version of Dark Conspiracy that uses the Mongoose Traveller ruleset.