✝️ Inquisitors
“They consider this ‘saving’ your soul. Not only do they believe that cybernetics are ‘evil,’ but they also have a war going on with every other gang in the city. Everyone hates these guys.”
A cult gang fanatically opposed to cyberware. The Inquisitors believe cybernetics are blasphemous destruction of the soul, and they’ll tear implants right out of your body to “save” you. They operate covertly — hiding gang robes behind day jobs — and are at war with literally every other faction in Night City.
📋 Overview
| Aspect | Details |
|---|---|
| Type | Cult Gang (Religious Anti-Cyberware) |
| Territory | Citywide — covert cells, hidden among civilians |
| Ideology | Cyberware is blasphemy; removing it “saves” the soul |
| Danger Level | High (fanatical, unpredictable) |
| Enemies | Everyone — especially Maelstrom |
🙏 Ideology
The Inquisitors believe every piece of cyberware chips away at the divine soul. Their mission is “salvation” through forced chrome removal — meaning they ambush, restrain, and rip cyberware from victims’ bodies, often fatally.
This isn’t metaphorical. They use Microwavers to detect hidden chrome: blast random people and watch to see if they go haywire when the implants shut down. While the victim convulses on the ground, the Inquisitors open them up and tear it out.
The Network
The Inquisitors aren’t just a Night City gang. They’re connected to NeoLuddite colonies outside Portland — a broader anti-technology movement that supplies ideology, recruits, and refuge to the faithful.
🕵️ Covert Operations
The Inquisitors are unique among Night City gangs: they hide in plain sight.
“You never know who might be an Inquisitor. They often hide their gang robes when they’re doing their day job.”
This makes them terrifyingly unpredictable:
- Your building super, your clinic receptionist, your taxi driver — any of them could be wearing an Inquisitor pin under their jacket
- The pins require a Perception DV15 to notice
- They operate from safehouses like Pleasant Valley Apartments — places described as “safe for technophobes”
- When they act, they act fast, then vanish back into civilian life
⚔️ Enemies
The Inquisitors are at war with every other gang in Night City. But one feud stands above all others:
Maelstrom
The hatred between the Inquisitors and Maelstrom is absolute:
- The Inquisitors wiped out the Metal Warriors — Maelstrom’s predecessor gang — in a single night
- Maelstrom formed from Metal Warriors survivors, plus defectors from the Red Chrome Legion and Iron Sights who had “violent personal grudges against the Inquisitors”
- “Every single Maelstrom member will set aside all other business to stomp any Inquisitors they come across.”
- Maelstrom underboss Quake specializes in hunting Inquisitors — “singlehandedly tears them apart”
Notable Acts
- Attacked Rocklin Augmentics — a terrorist assault on a cyberware manufacturer. One NPC’s grandmother was arrested on terrorism charges; her mother (a reluctant convert) died in the attack.
- Raguel — an Inquisitor infiltrator who spent 6 months inside Maelstrom, dead-dropping intelligence to Inquisitor bosses. His cover may be slipping — or he may be turning.
👤 Appearance
- Gang robes (hidden during day jobs) — brown, monastic style
- No cyberware — their ideology forbids it
- Inquisitor pins — small, require Perception DV15 to spot
- Armed with nunchaku, handguns, whips, melee weapons
- Some carry Air Pistols with Acid Paintballs for midnight ambushes
🎲 GM Resources
Using the Inquisitors
As Paranoia Fuel: The Inquisitors’ covert nature means they could be anyone. An NPC the Crew trusts might turn out to be an Inquisitor who’s been watching their chrome. This creates atmospheric dread in any urban setting.
As Antagonists: A cell targets a heavily-chromed Crew member. They ambush in places the victim feels safe — their apartment hallway, a familiar bar, a parking garage.
As Wild Card: Raguel’s defection creates an intelligence opportunity. An Inquisitor offering Maelstrom secrets is valuable — but can you trust a fanatic?
Stat Blocks
- Daytime: Use Boosters; replace Rippers with Medium Melee Weapons; remove Techhair
- Evening: Use Boosters; replace Rippers with Light Melee Weapons; remove Techhair
- Midnight: Use Boosters; remove Leathers and Techhair; replace Rippers with Medium Melee Weapons; add Air Pistols with 20 Acid Paintballs to two of them
- Dedicated: Inquisitor Mooks stat block (Streetstories p.17)
Adventure Hooks
- An Inquisitor cell is planning another Rocklin Augmentics-scale attack on a cyberware clinic
- A Crew member wakes up in an alley with fresh surgical wounds — someone took their chrome while they slept
- Raguel wants out of Maelstrom and offers an enormous intelligence package. Extracting him means getting past both gangs
- The NeoLuddites outside Portland are sending reinforcements. Something big is being planned
🔗 Related Topics
(Sources: CRB p.308; DGD Maelstrom chapter; Tales of the Red: Streetstories “A Night at the Opera,” “Bathed in Red”; Black Chrome p.159)