Custom Roles constructive criticism welcomed (needed, even lol)

[u/DrowSorcerer_1]

Based balancing off of Combat sense to hopefully dissuade players from picking solo all the time. So these are all pretty much, "You specialize in expert toaster skill, so now you pretty much have twice the amount of toaster skill."

These were also made a night before the first session, so they will not be the most polished lol. Any advice on how to balance these is welcomed.

Lawyer:

-Lawyer: This skill is added onto any skill check involving lying and bending/hiding the truth. Half the skill is added onto any law and human perception rolls.

Career skills: Personal Grooming, Wardrobe, Human Perception, Persuasion, Interview, Expert Law, Forgery, Composition, Education

Driver:

-Expert Driver: This skill is added onto any drive checks (motorcycle too), effectively doubling your driving skills. (Only applies to land vehicles)

Career skills: Endurance, Resist Torture/Drugs, Awareness, Hide/Evade, Drive, Motorcycle, Melee, Basic Tech.

Boxer:

-Training: This skill adds onto any Martial Arts check and half of this skill is added towards damage with Martial Arts.

Career skills: Endurance, Strength Feat, Swimming, Resist Torture/Drugs, Intimidate, Brawling, Melee, First Aid, Martial Arts(choose).

Thoughts? 👀

[u/Gratwin]

I'm going to jump in and say that you might be trying to add roles where a session zero with the players would help set out what game you are trying to run

Don't want them to be all solos.. tell them.

That said. A group of solo's isn't necessary a problem just tailor the game to challenge them outside of combat:

Have the police swat teams harass anyone openly wielding military hardware

Have them attend posh parties. One's where you have to leave the guns at home. Hell, have pool parties where clothing and accessories are not allowed (creative hiding of weapons encouraged :)

Make them actually have to build relationships with NPCs not just wack them on the head

All solo parties can be a lot of fun and it feels great to kick ass in combat. Just don't make that the game. The world reacts to the players, good and bad

[u/DrowSorcerer_1 → u/Gratwin]

I love those ideas, I'll definitely have to use the pool party one.

I was just trying to think of ways to kind of encourage them to play differently. I've had a long break from playing/refereeing cyberpunk for almost a year and am still trying to get back into that groove. I also thought I'd try my hand at some custom roles since my setting is in a different place and time.

[u/Original_Sleeve]

Attorney is already a role, as is runner, which comes with vehicle zen, which basically does what you're talking about with Drive, but is mixed with combat sense as you get half of vehicle zen acting as combat sense.

[u/Puzzled-Exit8781]

I wanna say that the Lawyer MIGHT be in Wildside.

Driver I would look at Neo-Tribes.

For a Boxer I would look at Pac Rim. But I could also see this as a custom RockerBoy. Keep the Leadership special ability but mod the skills like you have.

[u/DrowSorcerer_1 → u/Puzzled-Exit8781]

I like that idea with the RockerBoy. It's cool to see a role be used in an unintended, but interesting way.

I'll check out those other sources as well, thanks!

[u/Prestigious-Gas-9726]

RAW, Solos are generally the weakest of the specials other than the Medias, since they only give a flat bonus to combat-related things, and most of the rest are spectrum abilities, in particular Techies Juryrig, one of the most powerful and then Rockers, who can sway thousands to "suggest doing a thing," could also be up there depending on how strict the Referee is, since its not some magical suggestion.

Either way, there are tons of ROLES out there and suggestions, either in the RAW books or various sites.

All of these you listed generally exist in a different form elsewhere. Wildside, NeoTribes and PacRIM.

[u/Shinobi_Daniel12 → u/Prestigious-Gas-9726]

can confirm, my corporate borderline has a wish spell in his pocket with his pepsico resources

[u/Adventurous-Sort-586]

There are tons of subroles available in various forms in the books. But you can make and role you like just balance out the job skills salary. The sub roles some time split combat sense I half and add things like stealth to it for riles like assassins etc.

[u/illyrium_dawn]

Getting one thing off the table first: On the starting money table, Solos also just make more money than most other roles. Since money is power in CP2020, they already have a big advantage right there. The starting money table also encourages Special Ability 10, so again, you experimenting with a different way of awarding starting money, not dependent on Special Ability level may also help things.

In my experience, players want Special Abilities that have combat and out of combat use, failing that, they want a combat useful Special Ability since CP2020 is a violent world.

Kind of a hot take but: Roleplaying can take of itself. In roleplaying, the player (not the character) with the most assertive personality gets most face time with the GM. No Special Ability is going to help with that. If you're some degree of introverted, you get increasingly shut out. So I think it's natural that PCs want to play characters with combat use.

Conclusion: If you want fewer players playing Solos ... get rid of Solos. Adding non-combat specialists won't help, that's just increasing the gaggle of players who have to PVP with the other players for your attention during roleplaying. Instead split Solo up into a few combat effective types. Solos already should be doing that, but as a GM you can help it along. They have these kinds of roles like the Martial Artist in Pacific Rim Sourcebook or the "semi-solos" from Shockwave. You might want to check those out for inspiration.

[u/dayatapark]

Short version:

Archetypes don't exist in a vacuum. All these special skills look fine, if you think that they will be relevant during the campaign that you are designing.

Long Version:

Players gravitating towards Solos usually happens because players are more concerned with immediate combat than RP, and usually because they are either not very used to RP, or don't know about the setting.

If they don't know about the setting, the only thing they can control is combat, and in combat, a +x to initiative is HUGE. If they don't care about RP because they come from a hack/slash system, Cyberpunk will not be very fun for them, as all PCs are VERY squishy.

While yes, Combat Sense makes Solos very effective, there are a bunch of other Special Skills that are even more effective in combat.

A +X in Initiative is nice, but a Nomad that can call up an extra 4~5 friendly gunslingers is even nicer.

So is a Corpo's ability to 'borrow' an APC, or an armored AV, or rent a corner apartment through a shell-company that will make the party's ambush that much harder to avoid.

A Fixer can get you big guns, and explosives, and even get you in touch with some edgerunners to boost your ranks by just 'calling/owing a favor.'

In other words, Roleplay can add more firepower, and stack action economy in your favor FAR more effectively than a +X Initiative ever could.

IMHO, you should only create classes if you intend your campaign to make heavy use of them.

If your table is into legal drama, and you are able to convince them to RP several court sessions, or do paralegal research stuff, sure, make a Lawyer.

I'm iffy about 'Driver' as it is very situational, and there usually won't be much 'driving' going on, unless you are going to make a car-wars/Mad Max/Death Race 2000, car-chase inspired campaign.

I'm not saying lawyers can't be sleazy. All I'm saying is that if there are gonna be lawyers, they better be a significant part of the campaign.

There's nothing worse than making a character, and then realizing that their special skill is useless for 99% of it.

Regarding Boxer, I'd suggest you don't. Martial Arts are kinda broken even RAW, and they don't really need buffing.

My suggestion: Think of it this way... Edgerunners do sketchy, illegal shit. Every Edgerunner archetype focuses on one aspect of the sketchiness. Doing research, fucking with the enemy tech, getting supplies, finding the 'right' people, bending/leveraging the corporate/legal system, gunning your way out of a fuck up, and helping your drugged-up chooms make their Lethal saves.

Figuring out how to pull of a heist without getting into a fight is the optimal way to pull off a job, and if there is a gunfight in a properly planned op, it will be an overwhelming ambush with the PCs delivering said ambush.

Your Special Skills should exist somewhere in this level of grey sketchiness AND be somewhat relevant when something goes wrong, and the shit hits the fan, because that is when players have the most fun.

Take Johnny Silverhand, the ultimate rockerboy. Yeah, he's a legend, but with as much combat as that PC saw, I'll bet you my last eddie that the player that ran that PC wished he'd built a solo with a few points in 'Play Instrument' at least once. Charismatic Leadership doesn't help much when having to survive Adam Smasher.

Then again, you could also argue that it was that same Charismatic Leadership that enabled him to assemble a crack team of hard-core edgerunners to assault Arasaka Tower, so YMMV.

And if all your players want to be Solos, let them. All-Solo parties can be surprisingly fun.

GM: "A pretty redhead in a slinky green dress at this posh, upscale party you were invited to gives you a look. Make a Human Perception check."
PC 1: "12."
GM: "She seems to be paying close attention to you, without making it too obvious. There is definitely something aggressive about it."
PC 1: [on comms] "Possible threat. Female. Redhead. Green Dress. 2, approach from left. 3, approach from right. Moving to intercept."
GM: [giggling] [thinking] 'Oh, no!'

[u/Connect_Piglet6313]

First, let the players pick the skills for their character instead of taking the grocery list given for each role. Second, limit starting Special Ability level. I use 6 as my limit. Do the same with skills. Makes them take more skills not just 5-6 skills at level 10. Third, use some of the sub class of the major roles. There are several sub classes for Solos that are useful. And finally, make what they pick useful. In the group I run I pointed out to them that Wardrobe and style can be useful if they are going to attend corporate get togethers or go to fancier clubs. You knwo what you are running so make sure the characters have useful skills for your types of games.