[RPG] How to Build a Combat Viable Cyberpunk 2020 Character that DOES NOT Use Guns

cyberpunk-2020

I am a first time player of Cyberpunk 2020 and I am eight sessions into a campaign with a party of four. We have a Rockerboy, a Solo, a Nomad, and a Fixer (me). When I started making the character I did not really want to focus on using exclusively guns nor did I want to get so cybered up that I would be in danger of cyberpsychosis. With that in mind, I put a few points into hand guns (I'm at a skill level of 3) and then quite a few more points into basic melee skills. Dodge & Escape (3), Melee (3), Brawling (3), and very recently Wrestling (4). I have realized that the most beneficial skills to learn will be some martial arts and I already had a tendency to do a Topple, Grapple, Hold, and Choke series of attacks so Wrestling will make that much more viable.

Combat ends up showing how I made a mistake in the path I've gone down, the Solo and Nomad are both using decent guns that deal 5, 6, or 7D6 that I did not put skill points into and would rather not spend all my future General IP to learn. I use a Heavy Handgun that deals 3D6 when it hits and when I am in close range I either wield a chainsaw for 4D6 but with a heavy loss in accuracy or I resort to chip damage with punches, kicks, etc. (The Rockerboy is in a similar boat to me, but has decided that he will be spending most of his money on grenades.)

The party is also very short on money right now as we were recently kicked out of the gang we were with and the local corporate power has a bounty on our heads, so I only have about 1500 to spend on gear or cybernetics. In the future, I believe we will have more to spend than right now, but I would like some advice on a build that I can start now. I am looking for a solution more permanent than buying a bunch of explosives to augment my damage for a few sessions.

We are only using items, abilities, gear, etc. from the core rulebook.

I have a body type of 8 to give a small bonus to melee attacks and I have max reflexes to make sure any attack has a better chance to hit.

I am comfortable with getting cybernetics, even if they end up taking away 15-20 humanity, as I am currently at 93.5. (I have a cybernetic eye with some augmentations to see in the dark and see more details.)

With this information, what would be some valid ways forward to deal more damage without straying too far from my original idea for the character?

Best Answer

A character without guns is totally viable in Cyberpunk 2020, I had a player that showed me the ways, by the rules he could kick a hole in a tank...

Get Max Body Type, thats +6/+8 to damage, depends on how much high you get.

Get Max Martial Art, that's another +10 to base kick damage. Savate is a good martial art for +4 kick attack.

Get Cyberlegs with hydraulics that triple base kick (2D6 damage -> 6D6 damage)

Also get high CP To get close your targets, skinweave and light kevlar makes a CP 19 on all your body (12 on head)

That's a 6D6+18 kick, if you also add a spike on your feet you got Armor piercing damage that DOES NOT halve after penetrating.

Hell of a kick, still got nightmares with him (he also was fully plated with 25 SP)

The rules are very vague, we got discussions about if the hydraulics only get x3 damage when you are stepping on something and not on kicks, but again as the rules are very vague you can get it anyway

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