🔧 Tech
“If your refrigerator goes out, maybe you can wait a few days. Imagine the turrets that keep the boosters on the other side of your wall. This city’s held together with tech. And me? I’m the beating heart.” — João “Torch” Barbosa Alves
🎯 Identity
Play this if you want to be like… Q (James Bond) • MacGyver • Tony Stark (without the money) • The tinker in every heist movie
You’re the maker, the inventor, the one who keeps everything running. In a world where supply chains are broken and new tech is rare, you’re invaluable.
The Black Market Work
Legal repair work pays okay. The real money is in illegal weapons, stolen cybertech, and corporate espionage gear.
💡 Character Concepts
- The Street Doc’s Right Hand — You do the cyberware installation, they do the surgery.
- The Weapons Artist — Every gun should be a masterpiece.
- The Junkyard King — Trash to treasure. Always.
- The Corporate Dropout — You had the best training. Now you use it against them.
- The Obsessive Inventor — There’s always a better way. You just haven’t found it yet.
- The Arms Dealer — You build what people need. For the right price.
🎮 Role Ability: Maker
You create. The Maker ability lets you fix, improve, modify, and invent items. Each rank gives you points in Maker Specialties:
| Specialty | What It Does |
|---|---|
| Field Expertise | Identify, analyze, temporarily fix |
| Upgrade Expertise | Improve existing items |
| Fabrication Expertise | Create items from scratch |
| Invention Expertise | Design new items |
Each time you increase Maker Rank, you get 1 point in 2 different specialties.
Specialty Details
Field Expertise — Add your Rank to any Basic Tech, Cybertech, Electronics/Security Tech, Weaponstech, or Vehicle Tech Skill Check. Also, instead of a lengthy full repair, you can jury-rig an item to perfect condition as an Action (same DV). Jury-rigging holds for 10 minutes per Rank in this specialty, then reverts. Can’t be jury-rigged again until fully repaired.
Upgrade Expertise — Improve an item in one of these ways (1 upgrade per item):
- Lower Humanity Loss of non-borgware cyberware by 1d6 (if typically 2d6+)
- Increase option/attachment/program slots by one
- Halve future full repair time
- Make a non-concealable one-handed weapon concealable
- Raise Average Quality weapon to Excellent
- Grant Attachment Slot to an Exotic Weapon
- Allow Exotic Weapon to fire one type of Non-Basic Ammo
- Increase SP by 1 (if item already had SP)
- Install a Moto Rank 1 vehicle upgrade
- Install a Tech-invented upgrade (requires Invention Expertise)
Roll: TECH + relevant Tech Skill + Upgrade Expertise Rank + 1d10 vs DV based on item price. Requires materials of same price category.
Fabrication Expertise — Fabricate existing items or invented items from materials. Roll: TECH + relevant Tech Skill + Fabrication Rank + 1d10. Materials cost is one price category lower than the item. On failure, start over (materials uninjured).
Invention Expertise — Invent new items or upgrades. Describe the function to your GM; they determine the rules and price category (minimum Expensive). Roll: TECH + relevant Tech Skill + Invention Rank + 1d10. Once invented, use Fabrication or Upgrade Expertise to build it.
Upgrade/Fabricate/Invent DV Table
| Cost | DV | Time |
|---|---|---|
| Cheap/Everyday | 9 | 1 hour |
| Costly | 13 | 6 hours |
| Premium | 17 | 1 day |
| Expensive | 21 | 1 week |
| Very Expensive | 24 | 2 weeks |
| Luxury | 29 | 1 month |
| Super Luxury | 29 | 1 month per 10,000eb |
Example: Tech Rank 4
You’ve put 4 ranks into Maker, so you have 8 specialty points total — maybe 3 in Field, 2 in Upgrade, 2 in Fabrication, 1 in Invention.
📘 How to Play
Roleplay Tips
Techs are the unsung heroes of every crew. Without you, weapons jam, cyberware malfunctions, and vehicles break down in the Combat Zone. Your value comes from:
- Being irreplaceable. You fix what no one else can. That’s leverage.
- Knowing what things are worth. Salvage, parts, rare components — you spot treasure others miss.
- The ethical gray zone. Do you install stolen military cyberware? Modify a weapon to kill easier? Where’s your line?
Common Situations
| Situation | Roll This | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Repairing a weapon | TECH + Weaponstech + Field | DV based on damage |
| Fixing cyberware | TECH + Cybertech + Field | DV based on price category |
| Rewiring a security system | TECH + Security Tech | Alarms, cameras, locks |
| Jury-rigging in combat | TECH + relevant skill + Field | Quick fix, temporary |
| Fabricating an item | TECH + relevant skill + Fab Rank + 1d10 | See DV table above |
| Upgrading gear | TECH + relevant skill + Upgrade Rank + 1d10 | 1 upgrade per item |
| Picking a lock | TECH + Pick Lock | Non-electronic locks |
| Setting/defusing explosives | TECH + Demolitions | ×2 IP cost skill |
| General repair | TECH + Basic Tech | Catch-all for non-specialized items |
Tactical Tips
- Field Expertise first. The jury-rig ability is game-changing — fix anything as an Action in combat.
- Befriend the Medtech. You handle the chrome, they handle the meat. Together you’re unstoppable.
- Salvage everything. Parts and materials are currency. Strip downed enemies’ gear.
- Upgrade the crew’s weapons. Average → Excellent quality on a weapon is a huge boost.
- Carry a sidearm. You’re not the fighter, but you need to survive long enough to fix things.
🔑 Key Skills
🔧 Primary — Technical
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🛠️ Specialist
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⚔️ Survival
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📋 Quick Reference
Recommended STATs
| Priority | STATs | Why |
|---|---|---|
| High | TECH | Everything you do |
| Medium | INT | Understanding systems |
| Low | BODY | You work behind the lines |
Starting Gear
- Tech Bag — Basic toolkit
- Agent — Portable computer
- Light Pistol — Defense
- Work clothes — Practical and stained
📜 Role Lifepath
What's your specialty?
d6 Specialty 1 Cyberware — ripperdoc territory 2 Vehicles — custom and combat 3 Weapons — illegal modifications 4 Electronics — security systems, hacking tools 5 General repair — jack of all trades 6 Invention — you make new things
Where's your workshop?
d6 Workshop 1 Mobile — you work out of a van 2 In your apartment — cramped but private 3 Shared space with other Techs 4 Back room of a legit business 5 Corporate facility (side work) 6 Abandoned industrial space
Who are your clients?
d6 Clients 1 Edgerunner crews 2 Local gangs 3 Nomad families 4 Corporate execs (black projects) 5 Ripperdocs who need work done 6 Anyone who pays
Who's gunning for you?
d6 Enemy 1 Corp who wants your work (or you dead) 2 Rival Tech you embarrassed 3 Gang you built something for (it failed) 4 Law enforcement (illegal mods) 5 Client whose work you refused 6 Someone who wants to steal your inventions
🔗 Connections
Related Roles
- Medtech — Medical counterpart — you fix chrome, they fix meat
- Netrunner — Digital to your physical hardware
- Nomad — Vehicles are your shared language
World & Lore
- Tech Lore — History and details of Techs in Night City