Run the Neon Streets | Cyberpunk Fantasy | Dark Matter | 5.5e

Run the Neon Streets | Cyberpunk Fantasy | Dark Matter | 5.5e

Chip in your cyberware, load your smartgun and spellslinger, and try not to piss off the megacorps. I'm sure this job will be perfectly safe...

TYPE

Campaign

LEVELS

3

LANGUAGE

English

EXPERIENCE

Intermediate

AGE

18+
2 NEEDED TO START
$30.00

/ Session

Details

3 players following this game

Weekly / Wednesday - 7:00 PM UTC

Session Duration / 3–4 hours

1 / 5 Seats Filled

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This game will begin once 3 players have joined

Meet your party members

1/5

About the adventure

In a world where towering megacorporations rule from glittering skyscrapers and ancient magic has become just another commodity, you are one of the countless souls making a living in the shadows. Whether you're a wired-up street samurai, a spell-slinging cyber-mage, a silver-tongued pop icon, or a genius gridrunner hacking into corporate vaults from across the city, every job is another chance to make a name for yourself... or wind up another body in a back alley. 💼 Take on dangerous haunts and daring heists ⚡ Wield magitek cybernetics and sorcery alike 🌃 Survive the neon-noir sprawl and make a name for yourself --- This is a cyberpunk fantasy campaign inspired by media such as Cyberpunk 2077 and Ghost in the Shell, blended with classic Dungeons & Dragons adventure. Expect high-tech heists, corporate conspiracies, magical intrigue, explosive firefights, and impossible choices as you carve out your reputation in a city where dragons sit on corporate boards, spells are bought with premium subscription services, and even your soul might have a market value. So Ghost... you ready to make some scratch? ⚡

Game style

Tactical / Crunchy

Rule of Cool (RoC)

Roleplay Heavy

Meet the Game Master
LGBTQ+
Neurodivergent
Cosplayer
Voice Actor
No Gen AI

Less than a year on StartPlaying

70 games hosted

Highly rated for: Creativity, Inclusive, Knows the Rules

Average response time: 1 hour

Response rate: 100%

About me

Welcome to the workshop! As a GM, I always strive to run my games with what I like to call a "TV Sim" vibe, stories that feel like the media that inspires our imaginations. My campaigns weave in the hallmark tropes of their respective genres with character-focused storytelling that keeps my players excited for the next episode. My goal is for my players and I to become genuine fans of the heroes we create together. I take special care to weave each character directly into the narrative so they feel like the main characters in a dynamic world that evolves around them. I also prioritize a respectful, collaborative table culture built on safety, communication, and trust, ensuring every player feels welcome, supported, and excited to help shape the story. If you want to be anything from a vampire hunter in a Gothic Victorian cityscape, to a tough-as-nails desperado in a Weird Western frontier, my campaigns are for you! I’ve been running games for over a decade! Along with D&D 5e, I have also run many campaigns using Powered by the Apocalypse systems, including Apocalypse World, Masks, Blades in the Dark, Monsterhearts, and Perfect Draw. Whether you’re seeking heartfelt character arcs filled with angst and love, awesome action and daring heroics, dramatic twists and devious villains, or just a world that feels truly alive, I craft my campaigns to thrill, surprise, and celebrate the characters at the table. If you want adventures that feel like your new favorite show, then let's get the cameras rolling!

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Character creation

Creating your character

Prepare to create a 3rd level character for Dungeons and Dragons 5e 2024. All 2024 sourcebooks are permitted, as well as the Expanded Content options from 2014. A prototype backstory is encouraged for Session Zero, and will be expounded upon and detailed during and between S0 and our first session. We will be using the following altered standard array for stats: 17, 15, 13, 12, 10, 8. As this is a sci-fi magical cyberpunk world, there will be significant 3rd party additional content in the form of Equipment, Classes, and other Character Options - primarily sourced from the Dark Matter expansion by Mage Hand Press. Your character's starting equipment, available items, and possible Feats and Backgrounds, will benefit from this enhanced selection. The links to two PDFs containing a summary of this additional content can be found here: Play Guide - https://homebrewery.naturalcrit.com/share/7RGTfW5kJ1-s Cybernetics and Advanced Hacking - https://homebrewery.naturalcrit.com/share/06CJmpdTBCfU Mage Hand Press Classes: Alchemist; Captain; Craftsman; Dancer; Gunslinger; Investigator; Martyr; Necromancer; Vagabond; Warden; Warmage; Witch. PDFs of all of these resources will be available to players. In addition, while the content has not yet been released to the public, Neon Odyssey elements will also be considered in this campaign. At this stage, as the full classes have not yet been released, I instead encourage players to consider renaming their base 5e classes in conjunction with the Neon Odyssey naming conventions. This has no mechanical effect (yet), but is good for flavour: Barbarian -> Juggernaut Bard -> Icon Cleric -> Oracle Druid -> Primalist Fighter -> Soldier Monk -> Disciple Paladin -> Enforcer Ranger -> Tracer Rogue -> Scoundrel Sorcerer -> Esper Warlock -> Cryptist Wizard -> Gridrunner

What to expect

Preparing for the session

Players will be invited to join a Discord server for the game, and be prepared to work with Foundry VTT. You do not need an account for Foundry to play, but some familiarity with the software would be advantageous. We will be using a Discord call to communicate during the game, and if the players so wish, we can enable video as well.

What Emerald Artifice brings to the table

Prepare for intense, cinematic combat that isnt just a contest to kill as many enemies as you possibly can. Can you activate the sun orb before the undead mage sacrifices an innocent victim in order to corrupt it forever? Rule of Cool is allowed and encouraged with the provision that it matches the vibe and genre of the game (or I think its just absolutely rad as hell). Roleplay, both between party members and with NPCs, is a favoured element of my games. Its not all shootin' spooky mutants, people. Expect elements of the games world and story to weave in elements of your characters' backstories and lives. A curated music playlist will be available for players to listen in to should they enjoy music with their D&D, though it is not mandatory.

Homebrew rules

The Medicine skill can use either your Wisdom or Intelligence modifier. Character stats and features are things that your characters can do reliably and consistently, but you can always try to push your abilities beyond their normal use and the RAW, but to do so may require additional checks or rolls! Minion rules from "Flee Mortals!" will be in effect. For anyone familiar with D&D 4e, this will be more or less familiar. For those who are not, "minions" are weaker enemy monsters that usually die in a single blow, and particularly damaging attacks may even slay multiple minions at once. Minions are individually weak, but to compensate for this, they get much more powerful when they gang up together to attack an enemy. A single blood-starved vampire spawn may not be a significant threat, but a whole horde of them descending on an enemy may be a dire situation indeed.

Equipment needed to play

Internet

Computer

Microphone

Safety

How Emerald Artifice creates a safe table

Every player will be provided with a Consent Form Checklist to be filled out in advance of Session Zero, which will be used to determine what themes we are comfortable seeing. In addition, we will be using an X card system that is operatable within Foundry. Please note the content warnings for this campaign. These themes are integral to the genre of the game we will be playing.

Content warnings

Alcohol Use
Death
Drugs (addiction, use, withdrawal)
Guns
Medical Issues
Violence

Safety tools used

Frequently asked questions