Bribery (Cyberpunk RED)

Skills

Definition

Bribery is using money, favors, or contraband to make someone look the other way. In Night City corruption is not a scandal, it is a service tier, and a great many locked doors open for less than the cost of the equipment required to force them. It keys off COOL because the difficult part is not the money, it is the offer. Read the situation wrong and you have just confessed to attempted bribery in front of someone with a badge. Offer too little and you have insulted a professional. Offer too much and they assume you are a setup. At the table Bribery is the crew's cheapest solution to guards, clerks, records officers, and mid-level corporate staff who have no personal stake in stopping you.

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How it works

**Linked Stat**: COOL **Category**: Social **Resolution**: 1d10 plus COOL plus skill level against a DV set by the target's position, their risk, and how well you judged the approach. A natural 10 adds a further roll, a natural 1 subtracts one. **Practical requirements**: You need something to offer, usually eddies, and the amount scales with what the target is risking. Some people cannot be bought at any price, and a failed attempt is evidence against you rather than a neutral outcome.

Tips

**Best for**: Fixers, Execs, and Lawmen, plus any crew that regularly deals with checkpoints and gatekeepers. **Character concepts**: A Fixer who knows every checkpoint guard by name, a corporate insider who buys silence as a line item, a former cop who understands exactly what a shift supervisor earns. **Synergies**: Streetwise tells you who is open to an offer, Human Perception tells you whether they are about to take it or report it, and Persuasion is the backup when money alone does not close the deal.

Frequently asked questions

Can anyone be bribed?

No. Some people are ideological, some are more afraid of their employer than of you, and some take the money and betray you anyway. A good Bribery roll is largely about telling those apart before you commit.

How much does a bribe cost?

It scales with what the target risks. A bored lobby guard is cheap; someone who loses a career and possibly their life is not. GMs usually set an amount and let a strong roll reduce it.

What happens if I fail?

Consequences, not a neutral outcome. Depending on the target that means being reported, arrested, remembered, or quietly sold to whoever you were trying to get past.

Bribery (Cyberpunk RED)

Definition

How it works

Tips

Frequently asked questions

Further Reading