♻️ Salvaging
“One person’s wreckage is another person’s payday. You just have to know where to look — and how to survive looking.” — 3-Piece, Hustling with 3-Piece
Salvaging is a downtime activity that lets you scrounge usable gear from Night City’s ruins. You spend a week digging through wreckage and — if you’re skilled and lucky — pull out broken equipment worth repairing and selling. It’s dangerous, dirty, and one of the best hustles in the Time of the Red.
⚡ Quick Reference
Salvaging At A Glance
Step What You Do Time 1 week (can’t do other downtime activities on salvage days) Skill Basic Tech (TECH + 1d10, no specific skill) Step 1 Choose a category (or roll 1d6 for random) Step 2 Roll TECH + Basic Tech + 1d10 vs DV Step 3 Pick items up to your salvage worth — they’re Destroyed and need repair Crit Fail Roll on Perils table — you get hurt, not loot
📖 How Salvaging Works
Step 1: Pick a Category
You’re either looking for something specific or taking whatever you find. If you want random results, roll on this table:
| 1d6 | Salvage Category |
|---|---|
| 1 | Cyberware |
| 2 | Weapons |
| 3–4 | General Gear |
| 5 | Armor |
| 6 | Cyberdecks & Programs |
Choosing vs. Random
Looking for a specific category is harder (higher DVs) but lets you target exactly what you need. Random is easier but you take what you get.
Step 2: Make the Check
Roll TECH + Basic Tech + 1d10 (no specific Tech skill needed). The DV depends on the value of what you find and whether you chose your category.
| Salvage Worth | Random (Any Category) | Specific Category |
|---|---|---|
| 10eb | DV 9 | DV 13 |
| 20eb | DV 13 | DV 15 |
| 50eb | DV 15 | DV 17 |
| 100eb | DV 17 | DV 21 |
| 500eb | DV 24 | DV 29 |
| 1,000eb | DV 29 | N/A |
You get the highest tier you beat. Beat DV 17 on a random roll? You found 100eb worth of goods.
Critical Failure
Roll a 1 on the d10? Skip to Perils of Salvaging below. You find nothing and something bad happens.
Step 3: Profit
Choose items from the appropriate category whose total Cost adds up to your salvage worth. Any leftover worth is lost. All salvaged items are Destroyed — they don’t work until repaired.
Destroyed Items
A Destroyed item is non-functional. A Destroyed gun can’t shoot. Destroyed armor has 0 SP. Destroyed items can be fully repaired using the appropriate Tech Skill (see Repair & Crafting) or temporarily fixed using Field Expertise (Tech Role Ability).
Destroyed Beyond Repair means it’s gone — cannot be fixed by any means.
🎲 Worked Example
Torch Goes Salvaging
Torch (Tech, TECH 6, Basic Tech +4) spends a week salvaging. She’s not looking for anything specific, so she rolls on the Category table: 3 → General Gear.
She rolls her check: TECH 6 + Basic Tech 4 + 1d10 (15) = 25. That beats DV 24 — she found 500eb worth of General Gear!
She picks:
- Computer (50eb)
- Radio Scanner/Music Player (50eb)
- Agent (100eb)
- Audio Recorder (100eb)
- Grapple Gun (100eb)
- Video Camera (100eb)
Total: 500eb. All items are Destroyed and need repair before use.
⚠️ Perils of Salvaging
If you roll a Critical Failure (1 on the d10) on your salvage check, you find nothing and something goes wrong. Roll 1d6:
| 1d6 | What Happened | Mechanical Effect |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Structure collapse — a building falls on you | 6d6 damage (reduced by armor) + roll on Critical Injuries to Body table |
| 2 | Firefight — you stumble into hostile territory | 6d6 damage (reduced by armor) |
| 3 | Radiation exposure — you hit a hot spot | High-Level Radiation for 1d10 rounds (Radiation Suit negates) |
| 4 | Floor collapse — 30m fall | 6d6 damage (reduced by armor) unless you have a Grapple Hand/Gun or grab the edge |
| 5 | Toxic gas — pocket of biotoxin | Treated as a Vial of Biotoxin for 1 round (Anti-Smog Mask/oxygen supply negates) |
| 6 | Electrocution — live wire contact | Electrocution for 1 round (6d6 damage, see Electrocution rules) |
These Perils Are Real
6d6 averages 21 damage before armor. Even with 11 SP body armor, you’re taking ~10 HP. A structure collapse adds a Critical Injury on top. Bring armor and backup.
🗺️ Where to Salvage
| Location | What You’ll Find | Dangers |
|---|---|---|
| The Hot Zone | Best loot — old Corp tech, pre-War gear | Scavvers, radioactive hot spots, unstable structures |
| Combat Zones | Mid-tier — gang leftovers, abandoned buildings | Gang territory, need to deal/sneak/fight |
| Scrapyards | Demolished building materials, recycled parts | Corporate security — shoot first, dump body later |
| The Perimeter / Badlands | Ghost towns, service stations, factories | Nomad territory — negotiate or avoid |
Location Tips
- Hot Zone = highest reward, highest risk. Radiation Suit recommended.
- Combat Zones = most salvage is already picked over. Social skills help with gangs.
- Scrapyards = Corp-owned. Get caught = criminal trespass + bullets.
- Badlands = Nomads are reasonable. Don’t take what they’ve claimed and you’ll be fine.
💡 What to Bring
| Gear | Why |
|---|---|
| Radiation Suit (1,000eb) | Negates radiation perils |
| Anti-Smog Breathing Mask (100eb) | Negates toxic gas perils |
| Grapple Gun (100eb) | Saves you from floor collapses (30m falls) |
| Flashlight (20eb) | See in dark ruins |
| Tech Toolkit (varies) | Required for any makeshift repairs on-site |
| Rope (20eb) | General safety in unstable areas |
| Armor (varies) | You will take damage eventually |
💰 Salvage Economics
The Salvage-to-Profit Pipeline
- Salvage items (1 week, free)
- Repair them using Repair & Crafting (time + skill check)
- Sell at market value through a Fixer or direct
A Tech with high Basic Tech can reliably pull 100–500eb of Destroyed gear per week, then repair it for free (just time). That’s a solid income for characters between gigs.
Is Salvaging Worth It?
| Scenario | Weekly Income | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Random, beat DV 13 | 20eb | Barely worth the effort |
| Random, beat DV 17 | 100eb | Decent side income |
| Random, beat DV 24 | 500eb | Excellent — rivals a gig payout |
| Specific, beat DV 29 | 500eb | Extremely hard but targeted |
Compare to Hustling
Hustling (CRB p. 377) earns Lifestyle-tier income safely. Salvaging has higher potential but real physical danger on a crit fail. Risk and reward, choom.
❓ Quick Answers
Can I salvage during the same week I do other downtime?
No. Salvaging takes up the full week for every day you salvage. You can’t heal, hustle, or perform other downtime activities on salvage days.
Do I need the Tech Role to salvage?
No. Salvaging uses Basic Tech (TECH + 1d10) — anyone can do it. But repairing what you find requires the appropriate Tech skill. Non-Techs will need to pay someone to fix the gear.
Can I sell Destroyed items without repairing them?
GM ruling, but logically someone would buy scrap at a fraction of the cost. The rules assume you repair first, then sell at full value.
Can I salvage the same location repeatedly?
Yes, but the GM may rule that easy pickings get exhausted. The Hot Zone has practically infinite wreckage, though.
What if I roll higher than DV 29 on random?
You still cap at 1,000eb worth of salvage. DV 29 is the maximum tier on the random table.
Can I bring friends to help?
The rules are for individual salvage checks. A GM might allow a Complementary Skill check from a teammate (e.g., someone with Perception to spot treasure, or a Solo providing security). The actual salvage roll is yours.
🔗 Related Topics
- Repair & Crafting — Fixing Destroyed gear back to working condition
- Money — Selling salvaged goods, price categories
- Weapons and Gear — Weapon catalog (for choosing salvage items)
- Damage and Wounds — Environmental hazards, radiation, electrocution
- Weather and Environment — Conditions that make salvaging even worse
- Database — Full item catalog by category
(Source: Interface RED Volume 3, “Salvaging Night City” pp. 31–35)