“…Sure, Maybe I’ll encounter a Hellhound, but they don’t spike my heart rate. I’ve got the skills and the programs to handle those puppies. They’re no problem at all. You know what scares me? Real dogs. Cloned, chipped, and cybered to be nastier than any Black ICE…” Redeye, Netrunner. (Cyberpunk RED Core Book, p. 32)
Classic 20th century pets, like the family dog, are practically non-existent in the Time of the Red. About the only places edgerunners like us will see them are vintage flat screen vids or maybe a few tattered picture books. But their DNA still lives on in the lab stashes of Biotechnica and its smaller wannabe competitors. While Biotechnica might have a few too many scruples (depending on whether you believe their PR) to use the DNA of humanity’s erstwhile best friend to create savage super-guarddogs, at least some of those wannabes are doing just that.
These cloned canines are then outfitted with cyberware that would be the envy of many a ganger or solo. Toothy cyberjaws (treat as Vampyres) and vicious wolver claws are just the most obvious – and painful – metal the animals are equipped with. Kerenzikov speedware, sensory upgrades, and muscle and bone lace are the most common. Note that speedware is always Kerenzikov and Vampyres very rarely have poison injectors. This is due to canines, even enhanced ones, not having the ability to decide when to use them. Finally, they are trained intensively. The training is a combination of traditional “K9 corps” techniques and – it is rumored – a variant of braindance.
These genetically engineered, cloned, cybered-up creatures are often called “Wargs” after the semi-sentient, cruel wolves created by J. R. R. Tolkien. A few (unusually literate) edgerunners and corporate minions began calling the Wargs’ handlers “Orcks,” and the term is slowly becoming part of Streetslang. (Although the significance of both terms is lost on many people.)
Wargs are typically cloned with DNA from large breeds that were either traditional military/police dogs (e.g., German and Belgian shepherds, Dobermans) or were perceived as being “vicious” or “dangerous” (e.g., Perro de Presa Canario). A firm generally only makes one or two stock Warg types. As with any other product, however, bespoke variants are available to those clients with very deep pockets.
But Wargs can be created from any dog DNA. One gossip screamsheet that caters to more credulous fans has claimed that some celebs’ cutesy pets are part of their security entourage! Yes, Wargs that fit in an ultra-chic cyberhand or a pocket of a high-end designer carryall. Yeah…hasn’t NC -Globe/Enquirer also published pieces about this Kennedy ganger who says they’re the real JFK and a bunch of Silverhand sightings?
Design & Play Notes: These Wargs for the Dark Future were inspired by the Netrunner quote above. I was a little disappointed they didn’t show up in the core book’s NPC section. To stat them, I used the Elflines Online approach to creating fantasy creatures – pick cyberware or a cybered-up NPC from the core book as a theme or starting point. Like most mooks, Wargs lack a Luck stat and a Role. Additionally, because they are animals, I didn’t give them an Empathy stat either.
Also, being animals means GMs may adjust what some listed skills do. For example, Conceal/Reveal Object will primarily be used for a Warg finding something (often an item they have been trained to detect and alert on) such as street drugs. Related to this, while their cyberware could be harvested, it cannot be used by humans, so there’s little value in it.
Use Wargs with handlers (use the Bodyguard, p. 412 in the core book, or the Security Operative, p. 413) to change up your combat encounters a little. Or maybe someone wants a crew to steal the cloned (and maybe already chipped-in) puppies for their own purposes, which can be nefarious or do-gooding. GMs, I leave it to you to decide whether purse pooch Wargs really exist in your campaign.
(This article is dedicated to our second rescue dog, the very loving Gilligan, a tripod. That is, he has three legs, due to amputation (righteous anger warning) after some #$%# shot him. No the vet didn’t give him a cyberleg, or other prosthetic, but I think he installed Kerenzikov speedware. There’s no other explanation for how fast Gilligan moves! I really need to get my own cyberlegs so I can keep up with Bear, our older dog, and Gilligan.)
Disclaimer: “Cyber Guard Dogs for Cyberpunk RED” is unofficial content provided under the Homebrew Content Policy of R. Talsorian Games and is not approved or endorsed by RTG. This content references materials that are the property of R. Talsorian Games and its licensees.
Linda Whitson is a long-time RPGer, amateur musician & artist, & an officer in the Rebel Legion Star Wars costuming club. Linda met her husband in an AD&D game and they have 2 teenagers, an anime fangirl daughter and a son who plays on his university's quidditch team. She is the Lead Mod of D20 Radio's forums and Copy Editor for the blog.
Linda can be reached at GMLinda@d20radio.com
