Cyberpunk RED skill
Trading
Trading is a skill in Cyberpunk RED: Haggling, cutting deals, and walking away with the better end of the bargain.
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Key facts
- Stat
- COOL
- Category
- social
Overview
Trading is negotiation over value: buying, selling, bartering, and setting terms. In a city where almost everything the crew needs is bought from someone who would rather overcharge them, it is the skill that decides what a job is worth after expenses. At the table it does two jobs. First, it makes gear affordable, which for an edgerunner crew is a constant pressure since weapons, ammunition, medical care, and cyberware all cost real money. Second, it sets the crew's fee. The character who negotiates the contract is deciding the entire session's payout, which makes Trading one of the few social skills with a directly measurable effect on the sheet.
How it works
Linked Stat: COOL Category: Social Resolution: 1d10 plus COOL plus skill level, normally opposed by the other party's Trading. A natural 10 lets you roll again and add, a natural 1 makes you roll again and subtract, which is how a negotiation ends worse than it started. What it moves: Price and terms, not availability. Trading gets you a better deal on something that exists and is for sale; finding a seller for something rare is a Streetwise or Fixer network problem first.
Tips and playstyle
Best for: Fixers and Execs, and worth a couple of ranks for whoever handles the crew's money. Character concepts: A Fixer who has never paid list price, a Nomad quartermaster, a Tech selling their own builds, a scavenger who knows what salvage is worth. Synergies: Streetwise finds the seller and Trading sets the price. Human Perception tells you when the other side is bluffing, and Bribery covers the deals that are not sales at all.
Frequently asked questions
Can Trading get me anything I want?
No, it changes the price and terms of things that are already available. Sourcing something restricted or rare is a matter of contacts and Streetwise, and a Fixer's role ability, before the haggling starts.
Do sellers roll back?
Usually yes, as an opposed Trading roll. A professional dealer will have real ranks, so an untrained buyer negotiating against a Fixer should expect to lose that exchange.
Is Trading worth it if we have a Fixer?
The Fixer normally handles it, but a second capable negotiator matters when the crew splits up or when the Fixer is the one being negotiated with.