36 Cyberpunk Backgrounds for Shit Future

Find the core rules and introduction to Shit Future here: https://lizardmandiaries.blogspot.com/2020/04/shit-future-d6-cyberpunk.html

Backgrounds: At creation a Player Character may be given a random background by rolling two d6’s.

Notes:

• You do not need to have the skill to benefit from any +1’s granted by your background. If you have no other value in that skill, the skill just has a value of 1. 
• Having a +1 to a skill/attribute from a random background is the only way to get a skills value to 5. Levelling up only allows skills to increase to a value of 4. 

A Satellite Priest (Source: https://www.deviantart.com/chenthooran/art/a-dream-broker-512332863 )  

1, Muscles: 

1. Gang Merc: One of your arms is replaced with a ranged weapon of your choice, you get +1 to that skill. You also only have one hand. 
2. Motorhead: A crate of automotive tools and Boar Hover Sedan are your most prized possessions. You have +1 to Drive or Mechanics. 
3. Street Knight: Your leather jacket is covered in heraldic patches and your Pronghorn Hover Bike is covered in similar decals. You have +1 to Drive. 
4. Sky Lancer: Your helmet receives a video feed from your Datagrid device and is hooked up to a tank of oxygen. You have a Knife Sky Bike and +1 to Pilot 
5. Tower Ranger: Your beclawed climbing exo suit makes any climbing test Easy. You also have absolutely no fear of heights.  
6. Hustler: You are dressed in this week’s height of fashion. It’s important to look good as you work out the details of your next scam. You have  +1 to Contacts. 

2, Workers: 

1. Flame Cleaner: Your job involves incinerating the most putrid of refuse, but you do have a flamethrower (which is useless in combat) and a Tox Suit (which provides protection from some environmental hazards). You have +1 to Heavy Machinery. 
2. Slum Architect: Your Datagrid device is loaded with the blueprints of the most commonly built slum towers. You have +1 to Civil Engineering. 
3. Kill Sporter: Your impressive physique is clad in a gaudy and revealing combat costume devoid of any effective protection. You have +1 to a melee skill of your choice. 
4. Trash Diver: Your Tox Suit (which provides protection from some environmental hazards) has been modified with an oxygen supply. This and the accoutrements of aquatic exploration allows you to search for valuables in submerged slum ruins. You have +1 to Survival. 
5. Tunnel Farmer: You have an extensive knowledge of the edible things that grow in damp, dark places. Once per session you may locate the nearest entrance to the sewer system and have +1 to Slum Navigation. 
6. Recycler: Your trusty picker drone (Health 2) helps you sort and scavenge the mountains of barely used refuse bordering zaibatsu arcologies. You have +1 to Economics and Drones. 

3, Outcasts: 

1. Psychonaut: Your drug fuelled explorations of the psychic realms have not been kind to your physical form. Your Body attribute can never go above 2, but any tests relating to drug based experimentation  are Easy. You have +1 to Pharmaceuticals and Contacts. 
2. Genemix Pet Owner: Get the referee to determine two random animals.You have a loyal pet that is a combination of those two animals. It has 2 Health and an appropriate attack skill of 2.  
3. Organ Runner: Your white gloves and slum robes are bloodstained. You own a scalpel, a nanonuke powered microfreezer and have +1 to First Aid. 
4. Conspiracy Theorist: The rantings on your Datagrid blog have granted you an E grade celebrity status. Once per session you may ask the referee to reveal a mildly unbelievable secret about a specific group. You have +1 to Datagrid Search.
5. Off Gridder: You have made the choice to exist offline and have no Datagrid device/access. This makes you a difficult individual to find/track. You have +1 to a Survival skill other than Contacts. 
6. Alley Mutant: Your warped visage and bubbling flesh make you repulsive to others, Diplomacy and Intimidate are always Hard. You have + 1 to either Mind or Body.  

4, Escapees: 

1. Tech Testing Unit: You are covered in scars and empty augmentation sockets. Any augmentations you have spark electricity. You may pick an extra augmentation at character creation. 
2. Bot Bodder: Your rotting body is safely wired up in a zaibatsu arcology. Your consciousness is implanted in a slum bound robot, whose destruction does not mean your death. You have +1 to Robots.  
3. Freed Datagrid Slave: Your shaved head is covered in dataplugs and hundreds of nutrient tube inlets cover your withered body. You have +1 to Computing. 
4. Escaped Convict: All datagrid devices scream your guilt and fugitive status. The running is good for you though, you have +1 to Body. 
5. Ex Zaibatsu Goon: You are healthy and clean. The crossed out zaibatsu ownership tattoos mean that most slum dwellers revile you. You have +1 to Zaibatsu Knowledge. 
6. Escaped Genetic Experiment: Get the referee to determine a random animal. Your body and visage takes on aspects of that animal. You have a random power determined by the referee inspired by that animal.

5, Mystics: 

1. Satellite Priest: Chunks of space debris are stitched to your slum robes. You can read, track and interpret the movements of the pantheon satellites giving you +1 to Zaibatsu Knowledge and making any test in that skill Easy. 
2. Datagrid Cultist: Your datagrid avatar is wreathed in occult symbols. You may test your Computing skill to have your Datagrid avatar disappear from other digital entities for d6 rounds.
3. Revolutionary: Most disdain you. The system you rage against is gods ordained, but you are resolute in your purpose. You have +1 to an Advanced Combat and Keeping Alive skill of your choice. 
4. Street Monk: You have a deep hooded robe and the ability to be in two nearby places at once for d6 rounds once per session. You can never use any Combat or Advanced Combat skills but have +1 to two other skills of your choice.
5. Alien Worshiper: You know of powers that dwarf the satellite gods. As long as your shrine is maintained all Luck tests are Easy.   
6. Datagrid Prophet: The great pattern of realities has revealed itself to you. You may re-roll d6 Digitalism skill group tests a session.

6, Outliers: 

1. Zaibatsu Bug: Your slum attire is made of high grade duracotton and curiously well tailored. You have +1 in a skill of your choice but must check in with your Zaibatsu handler every session. 
2. Dead Head: The brain of your physical body has been scooped out and replaced with a Datagrid device A.I consciousness. All Machines, Digitalism and Knowledge skills are Easy for you, but all other skills and Body tests are Hard. 
3. Masked One: Your face has been replaced with a featureless sheet of smooth chrome. You can only communicate via the Datagrid and have +1 to Computing and one other Digitalism skill.  
4. Waste Witch: Once per session you may “Augur the Effluent”, consulting industrial waste for a glimpse into the future that the referee will reveal to you privately. 
5. Neo Barbarian: You hail from the desert of the real. All Digitalism skills are Hard for you and you have no Datagrid device/access. You have +1 to Survival and all Intimidate tests are Easy for you. 
6. Empty Vessel: You awaken naked, cold and alone in a dark slum alley. There are no memories of you before that point. You begin the game with only 1 skill, but its value is 4. 

Shit Future, 36 Cyberpunk Skills

Find the core rules and introduction to Shit Future here: https://lizardmandiaries.blogspot.com/2020/04/shit-future-d6-cyberpunk.html

Creating a Player Character: 

Attributes: Player Character have three attributes. Pick which one of these attributes will have a value of 3, which will have a value of 2, and which will have a value of 1. The higher the value, the more empowered your Player Character is in that attribute.

Body: The strength and agility of your flesh.
Mind: The astuteness and perceptiveness of your brain.
Luck: The likelihood that fate will smile upon you in situations outside of your control.

Health: All Player Characters start the game with 5 health.

Skills: Pick three skills and assign a value of 3, 2 and 1 to each of those skills. The higher the skill value the more competent you are  in that skill. 

Possessions: You may hold up two times their Body attribute in possessions.

Levelling Up: If a Player Character survives a session of Shit Future, they can increase one existing skill or attribute by a value of 1, up to a value of 4. Or, they may also pick a new skill which will now have a value of 1. Or, they may pick a new augmentation to install. A Player Character can only level up 6 times.

36 Shit Future Skills: 

(Roll two d6s if you can't decide). 

1, Machines: 

1. Pilot: You can pilot flying vehicles.
2. Drive: You can drive land bound vehicles. 
3. Mechanics: You can build and modify mechanical equipment. 
4. Heavy machinery: You can operate large scale industrial machinery. 
5. Electronics: You can build and modify electronic devices. 
6. Civil Engineering:You can modify, rebuild and manipulate the built environment. 

2, Digitalism: 

1. Computing: You can operate, program and reprogram computer software. The computing skill adds to a Player Characters cyber health, up to a value of 5. 
2. Hack: You can seize control of digital entities using the Datagrid. When a Player Characters Hacks a digital entity to 0 cyber health, they gain control of that digital entity for their Hack skill value in rounds. To Hack a Player Character tests their Hack skill. If successful the target reduces their cyber health by 1. 
3. Firewall: You can protect against hacking.  A Player Character may erect a firewall around a digital entity target by spending a round doing a Firewall test. If successful the target is immune to hacking for the next round. If the test is a failure there is no protection granted. 
4. Datagrid Search: You can find information and digital entities on the Datagrid. 
5. Drones: You can build, rebuild, modify behavior of, etc, of drones. Requires a drone or drone parts
6. Robots: You can build, rebuild, modify behavior of, etc, robots. Requires a robot or robot parts. 

3, Knowledge: 

1. Pharmaceuticals: You understand drugs. And, how to make and mix them. 
2. Zaibatsu Knowledge: You understand family run megacorporations. Their rules, history, politics, etc. 
3. Gang knowledge: You understand slum bound organisations. Their rules, history, politics, etc.  
4. Slum Knowledge: You understand the workings of the slum environment. 
5. Slum Navigation: You know the quickest and easiest way to get places in the slum. 
6. Economics: You understand how money and exchange work. And, how to use it to your benefit. 

4, Combat (Player Characters start the game with any weapons they are skilled in): 

1. Auto Pistol: Ranged, Attack tests are Easy if the target is in the same room (within reason). 
2. Jack Rifle: Ranged, A successful attack can hit up to 2 targets or 1 target twice. 
3. Scope Rifle: Ranged, On a successful attack, you hit the target in a location of your choice. The Referee decides the impact of this. Attacks are also possible from great distances. 
4. Heavy Repeater: Ranged, A successful Body test is required before an attack test can be attempted. A successful attack can hit up to 6 targets (or less than 6 targets hit up to 6 times total). Takes d6 rounds to reload. 
5. Nano Edge: Melee, On a successful attack, you may remove a limb or appendage of choice from the target. The Referee decides the impact of this. 
6. Electro Club: Melee, after the first successful attack against a target, they can only act every second round for d6 rounds. 

5, Advanced Conflict: 

1. Grenades: Ranged, A successful attack can hit up to d6 targets. Individual grenades must be found, purchased, or made using the Explosives skill. 
2. Unarmed Combat: Melee, When a target drops from 1 to 0 health from an Unarmed Combat attack, then they may be unconscious rather than dead.  
3. Poison: You can poison people, outside of combat. Requires poisonous material, which you also know how to scrounge together. 
4. Explosives:  You can blow stuff up, outside of combat. Requires explosive material, which you also know how to scrounge together. 
5. Diplomacy: You can convince people to do things they wouldn’t normally do.  
6. Intimidate: You can terrify people into doing things they wouldn’t normally do. 

6, Keeping Alive: 

1. Survival: You know how to overcome the elements to ensure continued existence. 
2. Hide: You can quickly disappear from view. 
3. Sneak: You can sneak around if you have not already been seen. 
4. Lock smith: You can open and manufacture physical, non electronic, locks. 
5. First Aid: You can increase a target’s health by 1 per turn, to a maximum of 4.  
6. Contacts: You know people who can help you with supplies, intel, backup, etc.  

Shit Future, d6 Cyberpunk

The gods watch the earth once again, floating slow time in twinkling satellites. Inside the brown choked atmosphere, mountain ranges have been ousted by feudal zaibatsu arcologies. Deep in their halls, utopia machines eliminate all scarcity. But, a  hierarchy is demanded by the lords of the zaibatsus, as is loyalty and the future of their subjects. There is no questioning the wisdom of ancient bloodlines. Leave the fortress walls of the arcologies and see the endless lawless streets, the no-corp lands. You are here, in the underworld, a place of freedom and death. You are less than the most despicable bug to the corporate pantheon, but what is a god to a non believer?  

Rule: Tests are resolved by rolling a d6. Rolling equal to or less than the value of Ability or Skill score being tested is a success. This means something good happens, or something bad is averted. Rolling above the Ability or Skill score being tested is a failure. This means something bad happens. 

Easy and Hard tests: If a test is particularly easy or hard, the player whose character is being tested rolls two d6s. If the test is easy use the lowest result. If the test is hard they use the highest result.

Combat: One Player and The Referee both roll a d6. Highet roll wins, re-roll on ties. All the entities on the winning side all have a turn to act, then all the entities on the other side have a turn to act. Repeat until combat is over.

• A Turn: An entity may move and take an action in a turn.  
• Attacking: When a Player Character attacks, they test the combat skill of choice. If successful the target reduces their health by 1 and takes any additional effects associated with the combat skill used. The vast majority of attacks reduce health by 1.  
• Defending: When a Player Character is attacked, they will test their Mind or Body attribute (depending on the attack). If successful, the attack does no harm. If they fail the test, they must test their Health. If successful they are unharmed. If they fail they reduce their health by 1. 
• Death: If a Player Character or enemy target has their health reduced to 0, they are dead. 
• Vehicular Combat: If a Player Character is attacking using the weaponry of a vehicle, they test the appropriate vehicle skill. If successful, the target reduces their health by 1 if it is also a vehicle and by 2 if it is an on foot target. If a vehicle controlled by a Player Character is attacked, test the appropriate vehicle skill. If successful, the attack does no harm. If they fail the test, they must test the vehicle’s health. If successful the vehicle is unharmed. If they fail the vehicle’s health is reduced by 1. 
• Attacking without a combat skill: Not all Player Characters will have a specific combat skill. They may still attack with an Untrained Attack skill of 1. If successful, this attack reduces the target’s health by 1, but has no other effect. This attack is conducted with either a basic pistol or rudimentary melee weapon. 

Enemies: As all the vast majority of attacks reduce health by 1, the only attribute enemies need is health. This can be accompanied by a brief description of the enemy and the method in which they attack. Some enemies may have additional effects associated with their attacks outside of the pure loss of health.

Hazards: Player Characters may be damaged by hazards outside of combat. Generally, this will occur after a failed test. Unless particularly catastrophic, most hazards reduce health by 1. If a Player Character is in danger from a hazard they must test their Health. If successful they are unharmed. If they fail they reduce their health by 1.

The Datagrid: An ubiquitous field of data covers the earth of Shit Future. It connects and controls all electronics. It can easily be accessed and traversed, but manipulating and harnessing it is more difficult.

• Datagrid Access: All Player Characters have a handheld device used to access the Datagrid. Their avatar has a cyber health of 1. With this device they are capable of only the most rudimentary of activities on the Datagrid. 
• Conflict in the Datagrid: Conflict between digital entities is resolved the same way as combat in the physical world, except movement is instantaneous for digital entities in the same relative Datagrid zone and the Hack and Firewall skills are required for attack and defense. Without Hack and Firewall a Player Character avatar is defenseless in the Datagrid.  
• Hacking: When a Player Characters Hacks a digital entity to 0 cyber health, they gain control of that digital entity for their Hack skill value in rounds. To Hack a Player Character tests their Hack skill. If successful the target reduces their cyber health by 1. 
• Defending: When a Player Character is hacked, they will test their cyber health attribute. If successful, the attack does no harm. If they fail the test they fail they reduce their cyber health by 1. 
• Firewall: A Player Character may erect a firewall around a digital entity target by spending a round doing a Firewall test. If successful the target is immune to hacking for the next round. If the test is a failure there is no protection granted. 
• Computing Skill: The computing skill adds to a Player Characters cyber health, up to a value of 5.  
• Shut Down: If a Player Character has their cyber health reduced to 0, they are locked out of the Datagrid for 24 hours. This is true for all digital entities that are avatars of NPCs. Digital entities that are not avatars (electronics control systems, databases, vehicles, security cameras, etc) will simply restart after being hacked.  
• Digital Enemies: As all the vast majority of hacks reduce cyber health by 1, the only attribute digital enemies need is cyber health. 

Creating a Player Character: 

Attributes: Player Character have three attributes. Pick which one of these attributes will have a value of 3, which will have a value of 2, and which will have a value of 1. The higher the value, the more empowered your Player Character is in that attribute.

Body: The strength and agility of your flesh.
Mind: The astuteness and perceptiveness of your brain.
Luck: The likelihood that fate will smile upon you in situations outside of your control.

Health: All Player Characters start the game with 5 health.

Skills: Pick three skills and assign a value of 3, 2 and 1 to each of those skills. The higher the skill value the more competent you are  in that skill.

Backgrounds: At creation a Player Character may be given a random background by rolling two d6’s. Find the backgrounds here: https://lizardmandiaries.blogspot.com/2020/04/36-pc-backgrounds-for-shit-future.html

Augmentations: A creation a Player Character may pick 1 augmentation. Find the augmentations here: https://lizardmandiaries.blogspot.com/2020/05/36-cyberpunk-augmentations-for-shit.html

Possessions: You may hold up two times their Body attribute in possessions.

Levelling Up: If a Player Character survives a session of Shit Future, they can increase one existing skill or attribute by a value of 1, up to a value of 4. Or, they may also pick a new skill which will now have a value of 1. Or, they may pick a new augmentation to install. A Player Character can only level up 6 times.

36 Shit Future Skills: 

(Roll two d6s if you can't decide). 

1, Machines: 

1. Pilot: You can pilot flying vehicles.
2. Drive: You can drive land bound vehicles. 
3. Mechanics: You can build and modify mechanical equipment. 
4. Heavy machinery: You can operate large scale industrial machinery. 
5. Electronics: You can build and modify electronic devices. 
6. Civil Engineering:You can modify, rebuild and manipulate the built environment. 

2, Digitalism: 

1. Computing: You can operate, program and reprogram computer software. The computing skill adds to a Player Characters cyber health, up to a value of 5. 
2. Hack: You can seize control of digital entities using the Datagrid. When a Player Characters Hacks a digital entity to 0 cyber health, they gain control of that digital entity for their Hack skill value in rounds. To Hack a Player Character tests their Hack skill. If successful the target reduces their cyber health by 1. 
3. Firewall: You can protect against hacking.  A Player Character may erect a firewall around a digital entity target by spending a round doing a Firewall test. If successful the target is immune to hacking for the next round. If the test is a failure there is no protection granted. 
4. Datagrid Search: You can find information and digital entities on the Datagrid. 
5. Drones: You can build, rebuild, modify behavior of, etc, of drones. Requires a drone or drone parts
6. Robots: You can build, rebuild, modify behavior of, etc, robots. Requires a robot or robot parts. 

3, Knowledge: 

1. Pharmaceuticals: You understand drugs. And, how to make and mix them. 
2. Zaibatsu Knowledge: You understand family run megacorporations. Their rules, history, politics, etc. 
3. Gang knowledge: You understand slum bound organisations. Their rules, history, politics, etc.  
4. Slum Knowledge: You understand the workings of the slum environment. 
5. Slum Navigation: You know the quickest and easiest way to get places in the slum. 
6. Economics: You understand how money and exchange work. And, how to use it to your benefit. 

4, Combat (Player Characters start the game with any weapons they are skilled in): 

1. Auto Pistol: Ranged, Attack tests are Easy if the target is in the same room (within reason). 
2. Jack Rifle: Ranged, A successful attack can hit up to 2 targets or 1 target twice. 
3. Scope Rifle: Ranged, On a successful attack, you hit the target in a location of your choice. The Referee decides the impact of this. Attacks are also possible from great distances. 
4. Heavy Repeater: Ranged, A successful Body test is required before an attack test can be attempted. A successful attack can hit up to 6 targets (or less than 6 targets hit up to 6 times total). Takes d6 rounds to reload. 
5. Nano Edge: Melee, On a successful attack, you may remove a limb or appendage of choice from the target. The Referee decides the impact of this. 
6. Electro Club: Melee, after the first successful attack against a target, they can only act every second round for d6 rounds. 

5, Advanced Conflict: 

1. Grenades: Ranged, A successful attack can hit up to d6 targets. Individual grenades must be found, purchased, or made using the Explosives skill. 
2. Unarmed Combat: Melee, When a target drops from 1 to 0 health from an Unarmed Combat attack, then they may be unconscious rather than dead.  
3. Poison: You can poison people, outside of combat. Requires poisonous material, which you also know how to scrounge together. 
4. Explosives:  You can blow stuff up, outside of combat. Requires explosive material, which you also know how to scrounge together. 
5. Diplomacy: You can convince people to do things they wouldn’t normally do.  
6. Intimidate: You can terrify people into doing things they wouldn’t normally do. 

6, Keeping Alive: 

1. Survival: You know how to overcome the elements to ensure continued existence. 
2. Hide: You can quickly disappear from view. 
3. Sneak: You can sneak around if you have not already been seen. 
4. Lock smith: You can open and manufacture physical, non electronic, locks. 
5. First Aid: You can increase a target’s health by 1 per turn, to a maximum of 4.  
6. Contacts: You know people who can help you with supplies, intel, backup, etc.