The short answer
A Nomad brings the crew a garage with a family attached. Moto makes the Nomad better at every driving, piloting, and vehicle-repair check, and each new Rank adds a Family vehicle or an upgrade to one. Those vehicles are on loan from the Family, so they come with rules and people who expect them back in one piece. Plan jobs around routes, cargo, and exits, and let the Family make demands of its own.
Hot take
The best Nomad vehicle is the one that makes the crew argue about where to go next.
Most new Nomads spend their first pick on the fastest or best-armed ride on the list. Ask what the crew keeps running out of instead. If jobs end in a foot chase, a Compact Groundcar with a Seating Upgrade does more than a Roadbike. If the crew keeps losing gear at checkpoints, a Smuggling Upgrade earns its place before any gun mount does. Moto pays off when a vehicle opens a route nobody else at the table could use.
How moto works
The Core Rulebook splits Moto into two parts: raw skill and access to the Family's vehicles.
Vehicle familiarity. A Nomad adds their Moto Rank to any Drive Land Vehicle, Pilot Air Vehicle, Pilot Sea Vehicle, Air Vehicle Tech, Land Vehicle Tech, or Sea Vehicle Tech Skill Check. A starting character begins with a Role Ability at Rank 4, so a new Nomad already has a +4 on those checks before Skill points go in.
Family Motorpool. Each time Moto goes up, the Nomad picks one of these:
- add a stock vehicle (minimum specs) of their Moto Rank or lower to the vehicles they can borrow from the Family, or
- give one of those permitted vehicles a single upgrade of their Moto Rank or lower.
The book's multiclassing example shows how it plays: a Solo who buys Moto at Rank 1 picks a bike as his first vehicle. Moto also costs the usual Role Ability Improvement Points, from 60 IP for Rank 1 up to 600 IP for Rank 10.
Which vehicles unlock at each rank
| Moto Rank | Family vehicles available |
|---|---|
| 1 to 4 | Compact Groundcar, Gyrocopter, Jetski, Roadbike |
| 5 to 6 | Helicopter, High Performance Groundcar, Speedboat |
| 7 to 8 | AV-4, Cabin Cruiser, Superbike |
| 9 to 10 | Aerozep, AV-9, Super Groundcar, Yacht |
For scale, the Core Rulebook lists a Roadbike, Jetski, or Gyrocopter at 20,000eb and a Compact Groundcar at 30,000eb, all Super Luxury. Even the Rank 1 to 4 list puts a vehicle worth more than most edgerunners will ever save into the Nomad's hands.
Loans, swaps, and repairs
The Family keeps these vehicles on a tight leash:
- One out at a time. A Nomad can only have one Family vehicle in use.
- Swaps take a night. A call to the Family gets the current vehicle exchanged for another loaned one, arriving the next morning if the Family is close.
- Destroyed means a week and 500eb. The Family fully repairs a destroyed vehicle, which takes a week, and the Nomad pays 500eb. The book says even Family Heads pay, because it saves face; the Family might waive it for a broke Nomad, at a cost to their reputation.
- Daily damage is yours. Routine repairs, like digging bullets out of the doors, are the Nomad's job.
At Rank 10 the Nomad becomes one of the Family's leaders. They can have every Family vehicle out at once, but any new vehicle costs market price and each new upgrade costs 1,000eb.
Nomad vehicle upgrades
Upgrades are the other half of each Moto pick. Unless an entry says otherwise, each one can go on a vehicle only once. The book adds that they are rarely sold on the open market; if they are, Rank 1 upgrades cost Very Expensive and the rest cost Luxury.
| Rank | Upgrade | What it does, in short | Limits |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Bulletproof Glass | Turns the glass into thin bulletproof cover; a second pick makes it thick | Each window takes damage separately |
| 1 | Communications Center | Onboard Agent console plus a kit of radios, scramblers, a scanner, tracers, and a recorder | - |
| 1 | NOS | Once per day per tank, spend your Action on an extra Move Action while driving | Extra picks add tanks |
| 1 | Onboard Flamethrower | Fixed flamethrower the driver fires with an Action | No reloading while driving; stackable |
| 1 | Onboard Machine Gun | Front-mounted, autofire-only assault rifle with 30 rounds | No reloading while driving; stackable |
| 1 | Seating Upgrade | Two more seats (a sidecar is an option), which can be rigged as ejector seats | Not repeatable on bikes, jetskis, or gyrocopters |
| 1 | Smuggling Upgrade | Two Hidden Holsters and one hidden cargo space, found only with a DV17 Conceal/Reveal check | Not repeatable on bikes, jetskis, or gyrocopters |
| 1 | Heavy Chassis | +20 SDP and 10 tons of towing; required for heavier mounts | Not on bikes, jetskis, or gyrocopters |
| 1 | Onboard Melee Weapon | A Very Heavy Melee Weapon on the hull, used by the driver | Land and sea vehicles; stackable |
| 1 | Combat Plow | Ramming costs the vehicle no damage and no Whiplash; NOS adds 2d6 to ram damage | Land and sea vehicles, not bikes or jetskis |
| 1 | Deployable Spike Strip | Trailing vehicles make a DV17 Drive Land Vehicle check or take 4d6 to a weak point | Groundcars only |
| 1 | Housing Capacity | Adds a bed, toilet, shower, and kitchen (a Kombi), or a room on larger craft | Compact and High Performance cars need Heavy Chassis |
| 5 | Armored Chassis | Vehicle body becomes SP13 | Glass unaffected |
| 5 | Security Upgrade | DNA locks that shock intruders, plus an active cloak while the vehicle sits still | - |
| 5 | Onboard Rocket Pod | Front-mounted launcher with three rockets | Requires Heavy Chassis |
| 5 | Vehicle Heavy Weapon Mount | A swivel seat for any two-handed ranged weapon, fired and reloaded by a passenger | Requires Heavy Chassis |
| 5 | Hover Upgrade | Land vehicle can cross water at Cabin Cruiser speed | Land vehicles |
| 5 | Enhanced Interface Plug Integration | A plugged-in rider with REF 8+ can use Evasion to dodge for the bike and passenger | Bikes only |
| 7 | AV-4 Engine Upgrade | The vehicle can fly, moving as an AV-4 and piloted with Pilot Air Vehicle | Land vehicles |
The Tech Role can also help. The Core Rulebook lets a Tech's Upgrade Expertise install any vehicle upgrade that only needs Moto Rank 1, and since Upgrade Expertise allows one such upgrade per item, a crew with both Roles can add one extra Rank 1 option to a Family vehicle. See the Tech guide for how that check works.
Nomad access in Black Chrome
Black Chrome adds a Nomad Access value to its vehicle listings. When Moto goes up, a Nomad can take one of those vehicles if its Nomad Access is equal to or lower than their Moto Rank. The vehicle arrives with its listed upgrades already fitted, and those do not cost extra Moto picks. Later picks can add upgrades as normal. The book's example is a Rank 5 Nomad taking a truck with Nomad Access 4 that comes armored and plowed, then adding a heavy weapon mount at Rank 6.
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Picking your first vehicles
A starting Nomad works from the Rank 1 to 4 list and the Rank 1 upgrades. Match the pick to the job the crew keeps taking.
| Crew problem | Vehicle pick | Upgrade to pair with it |
|---|---|---|
| Getting four or more people out | Compact Groundcar | Seating Upgrade, then Bulletproof Glass |
| Moving contraband past checks | Compact Groundcar | Smuggling Upgrade |
| Losing pursuers | Roadbike or Compact Groundcar | NOS; Deployable Spike Strip on the car |
| Jobs on the waterfront or bay | Jetski | NOS or an onboard weapon |
| Reaching rooftops and far sites | Gyrocopter | Communications Center |
| No safe place to sleep | Compact Groundcar | Heavy Chassis, then Housing Capacity (a Kombi) |
That last row matters more than it looks. The Core Rulebook points Nomads to an extra housing option through Moto, and a car with Housing Capacity is a home the crew can move when the landlord, or a gang, comes knocking.
Put the family on the map
The Core Rulebook's Nomad Lifepath asks how big the Pack is, whether it works on land, in the air, or at sea, what it does (cargo, smuggling, passenger transport, construction, and more), what the Nomad does for it, its overall philosophy, and who is gunning for it. Those answers tell the GM what the Family wants in return for the loans.
Before the first session, answer five more:
- Who in the Family signed off on this vehicle?
- What does the Family need moved, guarded, or fixed next?
- Which route, market, or depot knows this vehicle on sight?
- Who loses face if the crew brings it back wrecked?
- What job will the Nomad refuse, even for good money?
Family help should be real and should cost something. A call can arrange a swap, warn the crew off a route, or bring in a favor. It should not make every travel problem vanish.
Nomads in a Night City game
The book is direct about why a Nomad sticks around the city: in 2045 the Families run much of the cargo on the highways and sea lanes, work construction crews rebuilding after the 4th Corporate War, and keep enclaves in Night City or just outside it. It recommends tying the Nomad to the crew through something personal, such as a Fixer who works with the Pack or a Medtech the Pack owes a favor.
Make every trip a choice
Before a vehicle scene, tell the players what each route costs. A fast road may be watched. A quiet road may flood. A market shortcut may need a favor. A corporate route may want credentials. The Nomad's bonus on vehicle checks lets them take the risky option on purpose.
The rest of the crew still has work to do on the road. A Fixer finds the fuel or the buyer, a Netrunner checks a gate, a Tech keeps the engine running, a Solo covers the stop, and a Media or Exec knows who will care about the route. Use the Cyberpunk RED Vehicles Guide for chase pressure and vehicle damage, and pick vehicles by the job, not by what looks best on the character sheet.
The Nomad brings a garage and a second loyalty
A Nomad changes what the crew can attempt before a job starts, and adds a second set of people the crew has to keep happy. Both halves belong in the pitch.
- Reach: the crew can take work that means getting somewhere awkward, leaving quickly, or moving cargo that will not fit in a rented car.
- A motorpool nobody paid for: each Moto Rank opens Family vehicles, so the crew's options grow without the crew's money.
- A movable address: a vehicle with Housing Capacity gives the group somewhere to sleep that a landlord, or a gang, cannot simply stake out.
- Repair on the road: Moto covers vehicle repair, so a damaged getaway becomes a problem the crew can still solve.
The cost is that the Family has claims of its own. A borrowed vehicle is someone's property, a favor from the Pack is a debt the crew now carries, and a wrecked car is a conversation with a person who has a name. Ask the GM which Family member the crew answers to when something goes wrong, and let that answer shape how carefully they drive.
Where to go next
- Return to the Cyberpunk RED Guide Hub.
- Use the Cyberpunk RED Gear Guide for vehicle source material and campaign availability.
- Read the Cyberpunk RED Vehicles Guide for vehicle choice, chase pressure, damage, and the route the crew must keep open.
- Read the Cyberpunk RED Roles Guide to compare Moto with the other Role Abilities.
- Browse the Cyberpunk RED guide directory for every live guide.
Sources and scope
This guide summarizes the Nomad, Moto, Family Motorpool, Nomad vehicle upgrade, vehicle, and Nomad Lifepath material in the Cyberpunk RED Core Rulebook, plus the Nomad Access rule in Black Chrome. Upgrade descriptions are shortened; use the Core Rulebook for full upgrade text and vehicle statistics.
