📜 Lifepath
“Lifepath: Enhancing roleplaying, fleshing out Characters’ stories, and screwing with their worldviews since 1984.” — Cyberpunk RED Core Rulebook
The Lifepath creates your character’s history, style, and motivations. It’s your backstory generator — a series of tables that give your Edgerunner depth and plot hooks.
🎲 Prep Your Rolls
Speed Tip: Roll Everything First!
You can pre-roll all your Lifepath dice at once, write down the numbers, then look up what each one means. Here’s what you need:
| # | Roll | What It Decides |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | 1d10 | Cultural Origins (where you’re from) |
| 2 | 1d10 | Personality trait |
| 3 | 1d10 | Clothing style |
| 4 | 1d10 | Hairstyle (same roll as clothing) |
| 5 | 1d10 | Affectation (same roll as clothing) |
| 6 | 1d10 | What you value most |
| 7 | 1d10 | How you feel about people |
| 8 | 1d10 | Most valued person |
| 9 | 1d10 | Most valued possession |
| 10 | 1d10 | Family background |
| 11 | 1d10 | Childhood environment |
| 12 | 1d10 | Family crisis |
| 13 | 1d10 | Number of friends (result - 7, min 0) |
| — | 1d10 × friends | Relationship per friend |
| 14 | 1d10 | Number of enemies (result - 7, min 0) |
| — | 3d10 × enemies | Who / Cause / Resources per enemy |
| 15 | 1d10 | Number of tragic love affairs (result - 7, min 0) |
| — | 1d10 × affairs | How each ended |
| 16 | 1d10 | Life goal |
| 17-20 | 4 × d6 | Role-specific questions (type, morals, enemies, territory) |
Minimum: 20 rolls. Typical: ~24 rolls (with 1-2 friends, 1 enemy, 1 affair). Don’t forget the 4 role-specific d6 rolls at the end!
You can roll all of these ahead of time and write down the results, then look up what they mean!
📋 Instructions
For each table, either:
- Roll the dice for random results, or
- Choose what fits your concept
This is Your Story
If you roll something that doesn’t fit, feel free to change it. Lifepath is a guide, not a mandate.
1️⃣ Cultural Origins
Where are you from? This determines your native language (Rank 4 skill).
Everyone Speaks Streetslang
Your native language is in addition to Streetslang, which everyone knows.
| d10 | Region | Languages (pick one) |
|---|---|---|
| 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, Swahili, Twi, Yoruba, Zulu |
| 7 | South Asian | Bengali, Dari, English, Hindi, Nepali, Sinhalese, Tamil, Urdu |
| 8 | South East Asian | Arabic, Burmese, English, Filipino, Hindi, Indonesian, Khmer, Malay, Vietnamese |
| 9 | East Asian | Cantonese, English, Japanese, Korean, Mandarin, Mongolian |
| 10 | Oceania/Pacific Islander | English, French, Hawaiian, Maori, Tahitian |
2️⃣ Personality
What are you like?
| d10 | Trait |
|---|---|
| 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 |
3️⃣ Dress & Style
How do you present yourself to The Street?
| d10 | Clothing Style | Hairstyle | Affectation (Never Without…) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Generic Chic (Standard) | Mohawk | Tattoos |
| 2 | Leisurewear (Athletic) | Long and ratty | Mirrorshades |
| 3 | Urban Flash (High-tech) | Short and spiked | Ritual scars |
| 4 | Businesswear (Suit) | Wild and all over | Spiked gloves |
| 5 | High Fashion (Couture) | Bald | Nose rings |
| 6 | Bohemian (Retro/Folk) | Striped | Tongue/other piercings |
| 7 | Bag Lady Chic (Ragged) | Wild colors | Strange fingernail implants |
| 8 | Gang Colors (Dangerous) | Neat and short | Spiked boots or heels |
| 9 | Nomad Leathers (Western) | Short and curly | Fingerless gloves |
| 10 | Asia Pop (Bright/Costume) | Long and straight | Strange contacts |
4️⃣ Motivations
What Do You Value Most?
| d10 | Value |
|---|---|
| 1 | Money |
| 2 | Honor |
| 3 | Your word |
| 4 | Honesty |
| 5 | Knowledge |
| 6 | Vengeance |
| 7 | Love |
| 8 | Power |
| 9 | Family |
| 10 | Friendship |
How Do You Feel About People?
| d10 | Feeling |
|---|---|
| 1 | I stay neutral |
| 2 | I like almost everyone |
| 3 | I hate almost everyone |
| 4 | People are tools. Use them, then discard them |
| 5 | Every person is a valuable individual |
| 6 | People are obstacles to be destroyed |
| 7 | People are untrustworthy |
| 8 | Wipe ‘em all out |
| 9 | People are wonderful! |
| 10 | I’ll let you know when I figure it out |
Most Valued Person / Possession
| d10 | Person | Possession |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | A parent | A weapon |
| 2 | A sibling | A tool |
| 3 | A lover | A piece of clothing |
| 4 | A friend | A photograph |
| 5 | Yourself | A book or diary |
| 6 | A pet | A recording |
| 7 | A mentor | A musical instrument |
| 8 | A public figure | A piece of jewelry |
| 9 | A personal hero | A toy |
| 10 | No one | A letter |
5️⃣ Family Background
Original Family Background
| d10 | Background | Description |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Corporate Execs | Wealthy, servants, private schools. Safe. |
| 2 | Corporate Managers | Well-to-do, nice cars, safe neighborhoods. |
| 3 | Corporate Technicians | Middle class, conapts, technical schools. |
| 4 | Nomad Pack | Road life, trailers, fresh food, strong family. |
| 5 | Ganger “Family” | Violent, hungry, taught to fight and steal. |
| 6 | Combat Zoners | Decaying forts, hungry but had a bed. |
| 7 | Urban Homeless | Cars, dumpsters, cold. School of Hard Knocks. |
| 8 | Warren Rats | Mega-structure dwellers. Tiny conapts, kibble. |
| 9 | Reclaimers | Rebuilding ghost towns. Dangerous but purposeful. |
| 10 | Edgerunners | Always on the move. Luxury to dumpsters. |
Childhood Environment
| d10 | Environment |
|---|---|
| 1 | Ran on The Street with no supervision |
| 2 | Safe Corp Zone, walled off |
| 3 | Nomad pack moving place to place |
| 4 | Nomad pack on ships/planes |
| 5 | Decaying neighborhood, fighting boosters |
| 6 | Heart of the Combat Zone |
| 7 | Huge megastructure building |
| 8 | Ruins of a deserted town (Reclaimers) |
| 9 | Drift Nation (offshore city) |
| 10 | Corporate luxury starscraper |
Family Crisis
What went wrong?
| d10 | Crisis |
|---|---|
| 1 | Family lost everything through betrayal |
| 2 | Family lost everything through bad management |
| 3 | Exiled from home/nation/Corp |
| 4 | Family imprisoned, you escaped |
| 5 | Family vanished, you are alone |
| 6 | Family killed, you are the only survivor |
| 7 | Family involved in conspiracy/crime org |
| 8 | Scattered to the winds by misfortune |
| 9 | Cursed with a hereditary feud |
| 10 | Inheritor of a family debt |
6️⃣ Friends & Enemies
Friends
Roll: 1d10 - 7 (minimum 0) for number of friends. For each friend, roll on the table:
| d10 | Relationship |
|---|---|
| 1 | Like an older sibling |
| 2 | Like a younger sibling |
| 3 | Teacher or mentor |
| 4 | Partner or coworker |
| 5 | Former lover |
| 6 | Old enemy turned friend |
| 7 | Like a parent |
| 8 | Old childhood friend |
| 9 | Someone from The Street |
| 10 | Common interest or goal |
Enemies
Roll: 1d10 - 7 (minimum 0) for number of enemies. For each enemy:
| d10 | Who | Cause | Resources |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Ex-friend | Caused them to lose face | Just them |
| 2 | Ex-lover | Caused loss of lover/friend | Just them |
| 3 | Estranged relative | Humiliation | Them + 1 friend |
| 4 | Childhood enemy | Accused of flaw | Them + 1d3 friends |
| 5 | Person working for you | Betrayal | Them + 1d5 friends |
| 6 | Person you work for | Turned down job/romance | Gang (1d10+5) |
| 7 | Partner/Coworker | Just don’t like each other | Local Cops |
| 8 | Corp Exec | Romantic rival | Corp + Gang |
| 9 | Govt Official | Business rival | Powerful Corp |
| 10 | Boosterganger | Set up for crime | Entire Agency |
7️⃣ Romantic Life
Roll: 1d10 - 7 (minimum 0) for number of Tragic Love Affairs.
| d10 | How It Ended |
|---|---|
| 1 | Lover died in an accident |
| 2 | Lover mysteriously vanished |
| 3 | Just didn’t work out |
| 4 | Goal or vendetta came between you |
| 5 | Lover was kidnapped |
| 6 | Lover went insane or cyberpsycho |
| 7 | Lover committed suicide |
| 8 | Lover killed in a fight |
| 9 | Rival cut you out of the action |
| 10 | Lover is imprisoned or exiled |
8️⃣ Life Goals
What do you want?
| d10 | Goal |
|---|---|
| 1 | Get rid of a bad reputation |
| 2 | Gain power and control |
| 3 | Get off The Street no matter what |
| 4 | Cause pain to those who crossed you |
| 5 | Live down your past and forget it |
| 6 | Hunt down enemies and make them pay |
| 7 | Get what’s rightfully yours |
| 8 | Save a person from your background |
| 9 | Gain fame and recognition |
| 10 | Become feared and respected |
🎭 Role-Based Lifepath
After completing the general Lifepath, run your Role-Based Lifepath — specific questions for your chosen Role.
Click your Role to jump directly to its lifepath tables:
| Combat Roles | Tech Roles | Social Roles | Other Roles |
|---|---|---|---|
| Solo | Tech | Fixer | Nomad |
| Lawman | Netrunner | Rockerboy | |
| Medtech | Exec | ||
| Media |
🔗 Next Steps
→ Calculate Derived Statistics
← Stats & Derived · Step 3 of 7 · Skills & Allocation →