Alright How I got to this point is to complicated to go into other than to says it was massively indirect. I love to create campaign areas just for the heck of it and this evolved into a fascinating at least for me complex of Punkishness.
I have a set of questions at the end. But let me introduce the setting.
Region; Temperate rain forest, great island chain along the coast of a mainland with one great island being the location of a volcano of the type I call a great vent. picture a regular volcano intersecting a Deep Sea as in dungeon and dragons honeycombs. Creating what would be a massive point source of steam power. This location is the site of a city called the Mountain of Brass.
Players; They are heroes as in first edition DnD, but as much of this would be Urban adventures, Court, Political, and Investigative skills, as well as overt assets via guild, racial and social class. For the Heroes unlike most zero level mundanes custom has Social Class rising as level rises. Aristocratic and noble house have started in the city by Heroes of power and high level. Even if their children didn't share their Gift
Punkishness:
Steam punk; Steam is supplied by a Brasswork guild not exclusivly made up of Gnomes.
Diesel punk; Elves hold the guild that supplies fine wine and hard liqueurs, as well as a heavy alcohol that the navy uses to create dual motive warships sail and iron/steal combustion engines made by the dwarve iron work guild.
Cyberpunk; psionic crystals usable by any with a high enough combination of wisdom and intelligence, but controlled by charisma. This is because the psionic power fed through the crystals creates standing illusions and links into the border ethereal creating avatars, document and picture storage, as well as psionic crystal locks and valves.
Superscience; okay this is the magic-users, like 5th edition DnD they can use cantrips any time at will as often as they want.. BUT. They have to use Focuses and mostly it is one focus per cantrip at the start. ie. a fire blaster, hypno watch, etc. higher level spells are the same but as you go up in level it is possible to combine lower level cantrips or spells into one item. While a current spell requires a single Focus and that it be held charged.
A problem if it is taken as that means the enemy could get of One use of the item. but only the maker can charge the item as it is like magic a personal power source.
QUESTIONS
Okay, my big question is
Cyberpunk; I don't have any familiarity with such mechanics as might normally go with it is their any that might be fit to work in a DnD milieu.
Next; I have a problem with
'Court" intrigue, I have played L5R and it worked fine but DnD seems to have this idea that the only possible competitive actions are combat. The idea of social compitition is to smile wisely and repeat "roleplaying". Sadly you could say the same about combat, kid points her finger and announces bang your dead, ie roleplaying combat. I have never had a chance to play the TSR version of L5R is that more connected with this kind of social verbal and psycological combat.