Neon Divide Game Mechanics

List of game mechanics, background systems and little details which allow Neon Divide to run the way it does.

Skills

The world of Neon Divide uses skills to determine what a character is capable of doing. Every eight sessions a skill point drops for every player and they may invest it in any of these skills. To acquire this point, the character needs to participate in at least half the sessions from the moment they joined. (For example, if a player has been there since the start of the season, they need to participate in four of the eight sessions. If a character shows up for the first time in session 3, then they need to participate in half the sessions from that point forward to receive their skill point.) These skills can only be leveled up freely up to 4. After this level, the character must either enter a difficult mission and heavily exercise their skill through it, or they must request a storyweave and survive it to level up their skill past 4.

Branching Skills

Branching Skills have four subbranches each, including a generalized option. Investing a point into a primary skill allows you to choose a subbranch. You are locked to your branch once you invest a point into it.

Mechanica

• Mechanica (General)

General mechanical skill. Mechanica is one’s ability to physically manipulate and exploit machinery and their components. Reinforcing doors, fixing synths and picking locks are a few of the many things this skill entails.

• Technician

Technicians are well-versed in the operation of machinery, synthetics, and gadgets. Creating, repairing, breaking them down, sabotaging them, or changing their functionality are all things in their toolbelt.

• Gunsmith

Gunsmith is the ability to utilize resources for firearms-based weapons, both improvised and manufactured. This can be for the creation of the gun itself, adding modifications, or even the crafting of ammunition.

• Blacksmith

Blacksmiths are the backbone of supplying refined materials and equipment. They can easily work raw materials into whatever form they desire, whether it be melee weaponry, armaments, tools, or other metal-based items.

Arcana

• Arcana (General)

General knowledge of the magical arts. You are not required to be a mage to use Arcana and you do not need to have Arcana to be a mage.

• Runesmithing

A focus on understanding, controlling and making runes at will.

• Alchemy

A focus on the creation of potions and other useful compounds through slightly magical means.

• Enchanting

A focus on giving regular items magical properties of all kinds.

Survival

• Survival (General)

General knowledge of necessary survival skills. Pretty much everything you would need to survive in any given environment, whether or not it is familiar territory.

• Gathering

Gathering as a subbranch applies not only to the acquisition of resources, but one's ability to pick up clues and search for important items.

• Botany

A focus on understanding the uses and effects of plants and flora.

• Cooking

A focus on making meals and handle food products to create other items, such as turning high concentration alcohol into disinfecting alcohol.

Solo Skills

These skills do not branch off. There are no specializations and no restrictions.

Combat

The art of fighting, be it unarmed, in melee or through firearms. It encompasses both general skill, accuracy and defenses.

Medicine

The art of keeping people alive, through medical procedures, understanding of symptoms and everything else a doctor may need.

Decking

The art of hacking, programming and bending systems to your will through the use of code.

Sycophanta

The language of the Corporates; legalese; the verbage for swaying others to follow one’s will. Sycophanta is an ability that allows the player to spot openings in documents that weren’t previously noticed. It is just as pliable on people; an expert could recruit the help of what would have otherwise been a background NPC to carry out an action in the current session.

Resistances and the Damage System

All guns in Neon Divide deal a certain amount of damage to whoever they hit. This damage has a base value that is then increased or decreased depending on the equipment and weaknesses of whoever is getting shot at. To determine the degree of injury someone has, the world uses their vitality stat which is decided upon during character creation, and starts counting. If the amount of damage you received is higher than your vitality, you receive a minor wound. If its twice as high as your vitality, your receive a medium one, and so on until reaching critical wounds where deathrolls may begin happening. The damage system is also done by melee and magic, but it is not automated.

Character Creation

During character creation, there are several aspects you must keep in mind. You start with a certain amount of skill points available for you to use on whatever you wish. This number is 3 for corps and 2 for everyone else. Corporate characters receive other advantages, being allowed to have more powerful edges and perhaps less detrimental flaws, as they have the most recourses. They are also allowed to start with more, or better equipment. You may also choose to make your character a mage, be it already active, or a dormant mage.

Edges and Flaws

Edges and flaws determine the basis of what your character is capable of. These can be built around specific skills, or be completely unrelated to your characters skills. They can range from extra skill points in particular situations, to extra resistances, to less mechanical things such as magic detection and such. Flaws are very similar and they can be both very mechanical, used as plot devices, or whatever the player makes them for. Every character has one major edge, two minor edges, one major flaw, two minor flaws, and if they decide, they can also have racial edges, assuming they are paired with racial flaws.

Magic

Characters may become mages, be it through pre established backstory plot or otherwise. Most characters, unless affected by edges and flaws, start with three spell slots everyday which they consume every time they cast a spell (one per spell) and two known spells. Spell slots are gained as the character increases in power and skill, and known spells can be added every point drop. These are also affected by edges and flaws. Only biological beings can be magical and any technological augments will present a detriment to their casting skill.

Lifestyle

Characters have a lifestyle value connected to their ID cards in-game. This value is primarily used for character roleplay, but has minor mechanical influences on the individual's living conditions and discretionary spending available to them. This value is a number ranging from 0-6, or an X for synthetics.

• X - Synthetic
• 6 - Homeless
• 5 - Low
• 4 - Medium
• 3 - High
• 2 - Department Head
• 1 - Branch Head
• 0 - Galactic

Most characters part of a corporation or in the Upper City have a Lifestyle ranging from 1-3, while most denizens of The Row, Undercity, and Wasteland range from 4-5.

Voice Channels

Neon Divide utilizes custom audio channels for modifying players' proximity VoIP. It includes many levels to facilitate discussion, from private conversations all the way up to map-wide updates. Some edges and flaws can alter these ranges.

These options are:

• Whisper
• Local
• Yell
• Radio
• Broadcast (Staff-only)
• DM Ping (Special, see DMs)

Broadcast allows DM's and staff to speak to everyone across the map. This is particularly used for roleplay pauses, OOC PSA's, and other in-game announcements.

Radio voice channel allows players to communicate to one-another, no matter their distance, as long as they are in the same map. The voice channels range from 1 to 50. Players can be 'tuned in' to a Radio channel and still talk on other levels, but can only listen to one channel at any given moment.

DMs and the Ping System

The world, and what happens within it, is decided by the dungeon masters or DMs. They use a hand model that can go invisible, though even when it is visible, it does not exist in character. This model has quite a lot of tools the DMs can use, among which is two dices, a d10 and a d20. These dices are used to determine the success or failure of everything.

DM Ping

DM Ping is a custom Radio channel. It allows players to send an automated alert to the DM's on their map. Players utilize this for letting the DM know they need assistance with a roll, have a general question, have an emergency, or for other reasons. DM's receive a prompt notifying them who sent the request and what type, and can respond from a list of options to immediately teleport to the player, tell them to hold, dismiss the message, and other options. Once any DM responds to the ping, all menus are updated to indicate this.

Interactable World

Everything in the world can be interacted with. Some parts like the doors are easier to mess with, as they have buttons the players can use if they have an in character explanation, and if not they may call a DM to attempt to interact with the system. Other things can be interacted with regardless of them not having buttons and such, though most of these things require DM presence.

Materials and Crafting

Neon Divide uses a crafting system. This system does not require DM assistance. In the world, recourse nodes can be found. These nodes, upon interacting with them, may generate materials for the characters to use, assuming they have the skill to extract them. These materials can then be used in a crafting bench. The bench will provide the players with a list of items, the necessary materials to make them, and the skills and knowledge required to fabricate them. So long as you meet all the requirements, you may create anything you want without DM aid.

Character Enhancement

Characters can obtain armor, augments and enchantments that they may use to strengthen themselves. Most of the time, these enhancements can be created through the crafting system. Every character can have a maximum of three magical or technological enhancements. These can also be turned on and off depending on the situation.