BRITISH NUCLEAR FALLOUT SURVIVAL GUIDEBritish Wasteland after the war, rather than the God awful...
Transcript of BRITISH NUCLEAR FALLOUT SURVIVAL GUIDEBritish Wasteland after the war, rather than the God awful...
BRITISH NUCLEAR FALLOUT SURVIVAL
GUIDE
WASTELAND 2nd edition
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PREFACE
Hello. My name is Harry Smith, though most people call me
‘Hunchback’. If you’re reading this then you’ve either bought,
scavenged or somehow laid your hands on my survival guide, second
edition! Congratulations! You’ve taken your first step toward survival!
This newer edition should give you a lot more information on the
British Wasteland after the war, rather than the God awful
government edition I penned before the war… and before anyone says
it, yes I know those Anderson shelters weren’t strong enough. No, I
won’t be held personally responsible.
Anyway, the British Wasteland is a bleak, retro-futuristic Britain,
where all the paranoia from the Cold War continued long into the 20th
century. Around 2070 someone, somewhere decided they’d had enough
and launched their nukes. Then everyone else, including our
government did the same. We weren’t well prepared…
So, the world is pretty dead. Outside the government run walled
communities and bunkers they call Havens is a Wasteland of scrap,
dirt and savage people. This guide should give you advice on how best
to defend yourself, forage and scavenge to survive, deal with radiation
and life threatening injuries and above all treat your fellow British
Wasteland with the respect they deserve!
Harry
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS I’d like to thank a few people for helping me put together the ideas for this book.
“Munchkin” Ben Macey, Rae Leaver, Troy Healy, “Disco” Sam Winston, Mark “Spock” Phillips, Luke
Gouldstone, Reading University Games and Roleplaying Society and Rose Bruford College of
Theatre and Performance. As well as all the Wastelanders I’ve met over the last few years!
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CONTENTS
How to Survive in the British Wasteland
Your Health and You
A Wastelander’s Skills
Equipment You Will Need
The Perks of the Apocalypse
Scavengers’ Traits
Melee Combat
Firearms Combat
Medicine in the Nuclear Aftermath
Repairing your Gear
Taking and Baking Chems
Scavenging Tips
BACKGROUND INFORMATION
The Wasteland
People of the Wastes
GUIDANCE
LRP safe weapons
NERF Guns
Costume
Props
Safety and Fairness
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HOW TO SURVIVE IN THE
BRITISH WASTELAND
Surviving out in the post-nuclear world is your
primary concern and you should be constantly on the
lookout for good, edible food and water. It’s not good
enough just to pick up any old bit of rotting meat or
berries off the floor: that food needs to actually
have some nutritional benefit! Not only that, you’ll
have keep one eye out for any radiation out there
and the other eye on signs of infection on yourself
and others… So that’s four eyes, peeled at all times!
I’ve divided up those things necessary to your
survival into what I call Vital Signs and I’ll
describe these below:
MALNUTRITION (“MAL”)
There are 5 levels of Malnutrition that can affect
you. You gain a level of ‘Mal’ every mealtime and for
the less knowledgeable amongst you, that’s breakfast,
lunch and dinner. Food and drink can be consumed to
reduce your ‘Mal’ (but never to prevent it from
increasing) but like I say that food needs to have
some nutritional value in the Wastes.
Level 1 and 2 MAL: Don’t affect your performance, you
just feel hungry - the normal feeling for most folks.
Level 3: I’ve found most Wastelanders can’t use brutal
melee weapons or firearms requiring the Firearms 2
skill (as defined by me, later) at this level of MAL.
Level 4: Melee blows that hit you will knock you back
and you cannot run. Infection (INF) points and Hit
Points take twice as long to heal.
Level 5: When you reach this level it’s time to pass
out and begin the short slip into death.
CRITICAL MALNUTRITION
Death count: 10 minutes
Healing Time: 5 minutes
For a doctor, and only a doctor, heal malnutrition
they’ll need some food or water and spend the
healing time feeding their patient the food or drink.
The relevant MAL will be reduced when the critical
injury has been healed.
Here is a little guide to food and drink in the
Wastes:
Foraged food, a portion of hunted meat will
deal with about 1 MAL
Tin of pre-war food or water will deal with 2
MAL
But beware! Food and drink may be contaminated, and
increase your exposeure to radiation and infection!
Cooking food is an effective way to reduce the INF in
your meal, reducing it by 2 INF by cooking it
thoroughly.
RADIATION EXPOSURE (“RADs”)
You need to always be aware of dangerous radiation
around the Wastes. Far too many Wastelanders have
wandered into a RAD zone and not lived to tell the
tale! I’ve broken down radiation sickness into 3
levels and given each levels 3 RADs, which is how
much you need to be exposed to before you get the
symptoms:
Level 1 Radiation poisoning (3 RADs) You’ll
immediately gain 2 MAL from all the vomiting you’ll
be doing. You’ll probably have nausea, disorientation
and some slight burns on the skin.
Level 2 Radiation poisoning (6 RADs) You’ll be made
weak enough so that every location is at -1 HP, that
can’t be cured until the radiation sickness is
reduced below 6 RADs. You’ll have skin lesions, burns,
pustules and the sickness you felt at level 1 will be
much worse.
Level 3 Radiation poisoning (9 RADs) You’ll be
immediately incapacitated with the following injury:
CRITICAL RADIATION POISONING
Death Count: 5 minutes
Healing time: 3 minutes
Infection: 2 INF
To be healed the patient must receive RAD-Away.
The RADs from the RAD-Away will be removed as normal.
INFECTION (“INF”)
Infection or INF indicates how sick you are. The
Wasteland is rife with all sorts of diseases and
without access to proper medical facilities lots of
people go downhill very quickly. One particular
problem to watch out for is the infection gained from
cuts and other injuries going septic! I’ve given 3 INF
points to each level of infection, just like RADs.
Level 1 Disease (3 INF) The disease displays its basic
symptoms but doesn’t debilitate the Wastelander in
any other way.
Level 2 Disease (6 INF) Full symptoms present
themselves and there’ll be a serious effect on your
overall health that cannot be cured until the INF is
removed.
Level 3 Disease (9 INF) The disease is at such a
dangerous level that you’ll be in imminent danger of
death and be incapacitated with a critical injury.
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YOUR HEALTH AND YOU
All Wastelanders can typically take 2 firm hits to
each part of their body, or as I like to call them: Hit
Points. Some, tougher, Wastelanders have what I call 3
Hit Points and even Rougher Wastelanders have 4 Hit
Points per body location. Armour can help you take
more damage without receiving an injury.
Wastelander Hit Points per location
Normal 2 HP
Tough 3 HP
Rough 4 HP
Light armour +1 HP
Medium armour +2 HP
Heavy armour +3 HP
Injuries
When a location is reduced to 0 Hit Points (HP) it
becomes injured and depending on the location it
will begin to bleed out or incapacitate you.
Crippled Limbs
If either an arm or leg is reduced to 0 HP then it
begins to bleeds out. Bleeding out only takes 1
minute. During that time anyone with the Field Medic
skill can bandage it up (which takes 20 seconds to
complete) and stop it from becoming crippled. If the
location bleeds out, though, it’s crippled and can no
longer be used. If your limb is saved by a field medic
staunching the wound, then you can use it normally
but it remains on 0 hit points (HP). If the limb is
damaged again whilst on 0 HP then it is immediately
crippled and can’t be used.
Incapacitating Injuries
If your head or chest is reduced to 0 HP, that’s life
threatening! More often than not you’ll have a common
injury and will be only 3 minutes away from death! A
doctor will need to attend to your injury and heal it,
saving your life.
Regaining Hit Points
Healing Hit Points can only be done through more
medical treatment from a doctor. Don’t expect injuries
to heal on their own! It’ll take a doctor and medicine
to fix you up for another fight…
Armour and ‘Armour Points’ (AP)
Wearing something a bit sturdier than just some
clothes you found on some skeleton somewhere can
make a world of difference to how much damage you
can take. Wearing light armour like leather jackets
or layers of reinforced clothes can give you 1
temporary hit point that I call Armour Points. Medium
armour like leather reinforced with metal, motorcycle
helmets and soft flak armour can give you 2 Armour
Points, while Heavy Armour like the thickest riot
armour and scavenged full metal armour can give you
3 Armour Points. For more on different types of
armour, check out the Repairing your Gear section.
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A WASTELANDER’S SKILLS
Scavengers come in all shapes and sizes and bring
all sorts of different skills to the table. Some of
them are fighters, some sharpshooters and some are
keen foragers while others are engineers, doctors or
chemists. Most, however, have a mixture of different
skills, so rather than describe each kind of
Wasteland wanderer to you in this chapter, I decided
to give you details of each of the skills you can
find in the Wasteland and their attributed Scav
Points cost.
Scav Points
Guys and Ghouls, let me introduce you to the humble
scav point! Invented by yours truly, Harry Hunchback,
to represent how difficult something is to acquire in
the Wasteland.
Scav points in this chapter represent the time and
difficulty it takes to acquire the skill in question.
Your average Wastelander has 25 scav points of
skills and equipment.
Skills
Skill Cost Skills Cost
Melee Fighting 3 Engineer 12
Firearms mk.1 6 Lockpick 4
Firearms mk.2 4 Hacker 4
Explosives 4
Field Medic 4
Scavenger 4 Doctor 12
Forager 4 Chemist 8
Melee Fighting (3 scav points)
Melee Fighting is the skill for those with a
proficiency for hitting or cutting people and making
it count. They can do DOUBLE hit point damage using
Brutal melee weapons and know how to use special
melee weapons that have power or a special function
behind them.
Firearms Mk.1 (6 scav points)
Those with the Firearms Mk.1 skill know the basics of
firearms combat, can shoot, reload and maintain
pistols,, rifles and shotguns. They will also have
either a pistol, shotgun or rifle when they begin
their adventures in the British Wasteland.
Firearms Mk.2 (4 scav points)
Requires: Firearms Mk.1
This more advanced understanding of firearms allows
the Wastelander to fire, reload and maintain assault
rifles and other automatic firearms.
Explosives (4 scav points)
Those with skills in explosives can set, detonate and
disarm explosive traps as well as throw grenades
and other similar explosive devices.
Scavenger (4 scav points)
Scavengers are skilled explorers of the Wastes with
an eye for what valuable scrap is and what’s well…
just scrap…. Not as skilled in identifying parts as
an Engineer but Scavengers will know the field of
engineering it belongs to as well as chem
ingredients used for brewing.
Forager (4 scav points)
Foragers are Wastelanders skilled in the arts of
tracking, hunting and gathering. They are able to
tell you how food might affect you, in terms of
Malnutrition, Radiation exposure and Infectious
diseases. They are also able to track animals and
humans with varying degrees of success, based on the
terrain, weather conditions and other factors.
Foragers are also able to lay a series of traps that
don’t affect other Wastelanders but catch food,
instead.
Engineer (12 scav points)
A Wasteland Engineer is a valuable thing. Someone
who can repair equipment and identify parts for use
or trade. Engineer’s typically have a field of
expertise which they excel at, like gunsmithing or
computers. This is covered more in the Repairing your
Gear chapter. Not only that, but they can set and
disable traps. More on that in the same chapter.
Lockpick (4 scav points)
Lockpickers can get locks open, with tools, when
others can’t. Typically they know the manufacturers
combinations on combination locks and get them open,
getting access to the goods inside!
Hacker (4 scav points)
Hackers are skilled in the art of infiltrating
computer equipment. They can then use whatever
functions the computer still has or access whatever
data hasn’t corrupted.
Field Medic (4 points)
Field Medics are skilled in staunching wounds and
stabilising incapacitated Wastelanders. They’re great
at keeping you a couple of minutes from death, but
not from curing you of sickness or healing your Hit
Points.
Doctor (12 points)
Doctors are worth their weight in caps in the Wastes.
These are the people who can treat injuries, save
lives, heal Hit Points, cure diseases and diagnose
your Vital Signs. Doctors, like Engineers, also have
their own Medical Specialty, which can be anything
from surgery to neurology or medical physics.
Chemist (8 points)
Requires: Field Medic or Doctor
Chemists can identify and brew chems using even the
most rudimentary apparatus. They can also counsel
any Scavengers who have an addiction to a certain
chem - a more common occurrence than you think!
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EQUIPMENT YOU WILL NEED
There’s plenty you can say about a scavenger but one
of the most important things to realize out in the
Wastes is the more shiny stuff they have on them, the
better they’re doing! So here’s a guide to the bits and
bobs that will help you survive.
Scav Points
Again, I’ve given the items on the list a scav points
value showing how rare or difficult the item is to
obtain.
I’ve also found that the 25 scav points your average
Wasteland has is used to buy both skills and
equipment… so the more stuff they start off with, the
less they’ve had to learn in life to get by!
Food and Drink
Item Cost Item Cost
Irradiated Food 1 Irradiated water 2
Dirty Food 1 Dirty water 2
Unlabelled tin 3 Clean water 4
Labelled tin 5 Purification Tablet 3
Irradiated Food (1 scav point)
Irradiated food will heal 1 MAL but also has 1 RAD.
Dirty Food (1 scav point)
Dirty food will heal 1 MAL but also has 1 INF.
Unlabelled tin (3 scav points)
An unlabelled tin of pre-war food will heal 2 MAL but
might have either 1 RAD or 1 INF.
Labelled tin (5 scav points)
A labelled in of pre-war food will heal 2 MAL and
have no other ill effects. And you have the bonus of
knowing what you’ll be eating!
Irradiated water (2 scav points)
Irradiated water will heal 2 MAL but has 1 RADs.
Dirty water (2 scav points)
Dirty water will heal 2 MAL but have 1 INF.
Clean water (4 scav points)
Clean water will heal 2 MAL and have no ill effects.
Purification tablet (3 scav points)
A purification tablet can be dropped into water to
make it safe to drink, removing any INF present in
the water.
Cooking food (no cost)
The act of cooking food and boiling water reduces 2
INF, providing its thoroughly cooked.
Medicine and Chems
Item Cost Item Cost
Medicine Dose 3 Dragon 3
Sterigel 2 Hermes 3
Antidote 3 Peepers 2
RAD-Away 6 Roxinol 3
RAD-X 3 Berk 4
Stimpak 6
Medicine doses (3 scav points)
A medicine dose represents having drugs, bandages
and other medical supplies needed to heal injuries
and hit points. 1 medical dose can heal an
incapacitating injury or heal 1 to 2 hit points,
depending on how the doctor uses them.
Sterigel (2 scav points)
“Sterigel” or Sterilization gel, does exactly what it
says on the tin: sterilizes medical instruments. It
takes 2 INF away from an incapacitating injury.
Antidote (3 scav points)
An antidote cures a victim of poisoning, whether
natural or chemically engineered.
RAD-Away (6 scav points)
The miracle cure against radiation. This sharp dose
of chemotherapy heals 3 RADs.
RAD-X (3 scav points)
RAD-X is a supplement taken to reduce the rate you
take RADs by half.
Stimpak (6 scav points)
An Adrenal Stimulation pack is a one-shot injection
that sends the heart racing and the body’s healing
qualities into fast forward. A Stimpak heals 2 hit
points to the location it was injected into
immediately.
Dragon (3 scav points)
Dragon gives you the strength in a fight to not be
KNOCKBACK or KNOCKDOWN for 3 minutes.
Hermes (3 scav points)
Hermes gives you the speed in combat to avoid effects
like blows that go THROUGH armour or KNOCKBACK for 3
minutes.
Peepers (2 scav points)
Peepers gives your PERCEPTION to see hidden enemies
and recognise disguises for 30 minutes.
Roxinol (3 scav points)
Roxinol is a potent opiate analgesic drug that lets
you use crippled limbs or act normally when
incapacitated.
Berk (4 scav points)
Berk is a combat drug, letting you ignore damage
dealt to you, but you suffer all of it at once when it
wears off, after 1 minute.
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Combat equipment
Item Cost Item Cost
Pistol 12 Light armour (per loc) 1
Shotgun 12 Medium armour (per loc) 2
Rifle 12 Heavy armour (per loc) 3
Bullet 2
Pistol (12 scav points)
Wastelanders with the Firearms Mk.1 skill start with
a choice of either a pistol, rifle or shotgun… but it
sometimes pays to have another!
Shotgun (12 scav points)
Wastelanders with the Firearms Mk.1 skill start with
a choice of either a pistol, rifle or shotgun… but it
sometimes pays to have another!
Rifle (12 scav points)
Wastelanders with the Firearms Mk.1 skill start with
a choice of either a pistol, rifle or shotgun… but it
sometimes pays to have another!
Bullet (2 scav points)
Bullets are the real need for those of the firearms
persuasion. They’re still produced in the factories of
Brum, but hard to come by elsewhere in the Wastes.
Light Armour (1 scav point per location)
Light armour consists of soft leather clothes,
layered or reinforced clothes and coats and other
soft but durable materials. It gives the wearer 1
armour point (AP) of protection.
Medium Armour (2 scav points per location)
Medium armour consists of light but solid materials
such as “flak” armour, stiff purpose made leather
armour, thin metal plates and other similar
materials reinforcing durable clothing. It gives the
wearer 2 armour points (AP) of protection.
Heavy Armour (3 scav points per location)
Heavy armour consists of only the most durable of
materials. Purpose built metal armour, thick riot
gear and similar materials. It gives the wearer 3
armour points (AP) of protection.
Obtaining Armour
Obtaining armour can only be done through the use of
scav points. Armour is such an ingrained part of
someone’s survival, taking it off their corpse is just
too difficult. It’s the Wastes… hey, I don’t make the
rules!
Survival Equipment
Item Cost Item Cost
NBC Suit 8 Geiger Counter 8
Gas Mask 4
Gas Mask (4 scav points)
Gas masks protect the wearer from all airborn
disease and noxious gases, it also provides 1 armour
point (AP) which, if damaged, renders the breathing
apparatus broken and the wearer is once again
vulnerable to gases in the air.
Geiger Counter (8 scav points)
Geiger Counters are atomic instruments that measure
RADs in the area. One of these handy little gadgets
will give you a RAD reading per minute, e.g. “1 RAD per
minute” which means for every minute spent in the
area, the scavenger gains 1 RAD. A Geiger counter
gives you a reading from its current position rather
than at range.
NBC Suit (8 scav points)
A Nuclear Biological Chemical suit is a protective
garment that was issued to military personnel and
sold in surplus for personal use. These wartime
pieces of kit protect the wearer from all radiation,
biological and chemical dangers. They come with a
gas mask.
8
PERKS OF THE APOCALYPSE
As well as 25 scav points worth of skills and
equipment, your Wasteland Scavenger will have at
least one perk (depending on how long they’re been
wandering the Wastes.) These are the ones I’ve come
across; there may be more… at which point I’ll have to
produce another Wasteland survival guide!
Below are their titles and a description of what the
perk entitles the Wastelander to.
Advanced Entry Proceedures
Twice a day you may attempt to “break” a lock rather
than pick it and automatically succeed in opening
the lock. It doesn’t always work as certain special
locks might be reinforced against it.
Agility
You are naturally agile, and may DODGE one effect
from a melee blow per combat.
Careful Surgeon
Skill required: Doctor
When treating an incapacitating injury, the infection
gained is reduced by 2.
Clean Shot
Perks required: Sniper, Perception
Using a clean shot guarantees that one shot per
scavengers’ gathering will hit its intended target.
Where it hits the target will still depend on the
description.
… Blow the Bloody Doors Off
Skill required: Firearms Mk.2
You can utilise shoulder mounted explosive
weaponary, such as a rocket launcher.
Bloody Mess
Skill required: Melee Fighting
You may deal GLOBAL damage once per day, in addition
to any damage grade on the same melee strike. This
cannot be combined with any other effect.
Bodge Job
Once a piece of equipment is broken, you may
temporarily make it work again by fixing it up with
gaffa tape. Tear off 3 parts of gaffa tape, fix them
to the item and then tear them off for each use of
the item. Bodge Job gives you 3 uses of the item, (so, a
gun can fire 3 shots, a powered melee weapon can deal
3 damaging blows and a Geiger counter can give 3
readings.)
Brainiac
Skill required: Engineer or Doctor
Brainiacs gain either another field of expertise or
medical specialisation, based on the lists in the
Medicine in the Nuclear Aftermath and Repairing your
Gear chapters.
Charismatic
You can CHARM people twice a day or negate someone
else’s CHARMS. Folks like this will say, “Would you
kindly…” to get their view across and make you act
out in ways you wouldn’t usually. It doesn’t always
work, but when it does and you’re also a charmer you
can stop them by saying, “Would you kindly not try to
influence me like that?”
Easy Living
Skill required: Forager
You always gain 1 dirty food before every scavengers’
gathering.
Endurance
You have 2 additional minutes during an
incapacitating injury before you die.
For Science!
Skill required: Chemist
You may brew more potent, experimental chems that
have twice the duration, but are much more addictive.
For Science, Herr Doktor!
Skill required: Doctor
You may perform experimental surgery on an
incapacitated patient with a chance of either
instantly healing them or outright killing the
patient depending on what is done to them.
(My middle name is) Geiger
You have an innate sense for radiation. When RADs
are being accrued you can feel it, like a rash
developing or itchiness. While it doesn’t tell you how
much radiation is in the area, it does automatically
let you know when dangerous levels of radiation are
present, even without the necessary equipment.
Graduate of the British School of Rocketry
Skill requirement: Engineer
You gain bonuses to engineering projects with
rockets and explosives.
Greasy Spoon
You take half the Infection points (INF) from tainted
food or drink that you normally would.
Ha Ha, Can’t See Me!
Requirements: 2HP per location, no sneak perk
If in imminent danger, you may hide behind the
nearest object and cannot be seen by anyone for 2
minutes, allowing the danger to pass. You may only do
this once per scavengers’ gathering.
Herbology
Requirements: Chemist. No Doctor skill.
The generations old art form of brewing poisons to be
able to harm others. Through the use of plants,
animal extracts and minerals. Lore sheets will be
provided to those who have this perk.
9
I know a guy…
You gain 1 random chem before every scavengers’
gathering.
Intelligence
You have another 5 points to spend on skills only.
These scav points must be spent immediately and
cannot be saved.
Inventor
Skill required: Engineer or Chemist
You may engage in projects in your relevant field to
produce wholly new research and interesting
equipment or chems. You must be an inventor to begin
researching engineering items or chems.
Lead Belly
You take half the RADs from food or water.
Lucky
You are inherently lucky, and may use it once per
day to your advantage shouting “LUCKY!” to the cruel
gods of fate.
Mack the Knife
Perks required: Sneak, Tough, Strength,
Unsportsmanlike Conduct
When you first strike your opponent from sneaking
you deal TRIPLE THROUGH damage, as long as they are
unaware of your blow. This cannot be combined with
any other effect or damage call.
Medicine Cabinet
You are a proverbial medicine cabinet and always
manage to find 5 med doses between scavengers’
gatherings.
Mercenary’s Hunch
Requires: You are not a member of a group
Lone wanderers and mercenaries gain a unique sixth
sense, alerting them to danger. Before an attack,
surprise theft or something similar you may get a
hunch that something is about to happen…
… Pass the Ammunition
Aptly named from the song, “praise the lord and pass
the ammunition,” you’re never in short supply, always
having a full magazine of 6 bullets before each
scavengers’ gathering.
Pennies from Heaven
Perk required: Lead Belly
You are immune to RADs from rain.
Perception
You have the eyes of a hawk! You can detect people
and creatures that are sneaking. You can also tell if
someone is wearing a disguise.
Percussive Maintenance
Twice a day you may repair one part of an item by
one point of condition through systematically
applied violence. You don’t need a spare part to do
this.
Pickpocket
Perk required: sneak
You know the art of pickpocketing. By placing a peg
on the pocket or pouch of your mark, you can gain its
contents.
Pill Popper
You half your chance of chem addiction.
Rags to Riches
You always manage to get a handful of chems before a
scavengers’ gathering.
Rough
Perk required: Tough, Strength, Endurance
You truly are a tank, having 4 Hit Points per
location.
Scrounger
Once per day you have more luck than most in finding
the parts you want. You can trade an unwanted spare
part for another of the same or different field of
expertise.
Sneak
You can hide more effectively in the Wastes. To do so
you must: be in cover, not move and indicate you are
sneaking by holding a raised fist in the air.
Sniper
Skill required: Firearms Mk.1
Armed with a rifle, you may describe a target that is
at long range to fire a sniper shot at them. The
target must be out of your normal range. The level of
detail you can describe will translate into the
effectiveness of the shot. Bad descriptions will miss,
while good descriptions will hit the target in the
vital parts! Snipers also usually have scopes to aid
them in their descriptions. While this isn’t
mandatory, I’ve failed to put a scav point cost on a
scope, simply because they’re so rare and so closely
linked to those who are snipers it’s almost a given
that a sniper will have one.
Some things you do to survive
You are a cannibal, and can eat human flesh to
reduce Malnutrition (MAL). Each location eaten reduces
MAL by 1. I wouldn’t recommend doing this in public,
though… not speaking from past experience, or
anything…
Strength
You’re that strong that you aren’t KNOCKDOWN or
KNOCKBACK in combat, unless something really nasty
hits you! You might even be able to manage feats of
strength others can’t depending on the circumstances.
Time for Tea
The most British of persuits: any water you use to
brew tea is considered clean of Infection (INF)
10
Tough
You’re built like a brick outhouse! You have 3 Hit
Points per location.
Tripper
You may KNOCKDOWN opponents when dealing melee
damage to the leg location, every 20 seconds.
Unsportsmanlike Conduct
Perk required: sneak
You get them where it hurts, but not always on
sportsmanlike terms. You can deal DOUBLE THROUGH on
the first melee blow after sneaking. This cannot be
combined with any other effect or damage call.
Vicker’s Garden Party
Skill requirement: Firearms Mk.2
You can use fully automatic machineguns.
Who’s Behind the Glasses?
Perk required: Sneak
You can disguise yourself as fictional people or
other individuals you have come across. To disguise
yourself you’ll need different clothing or the same
clothing of the individual you wish to impersonate,
as well as some thick rimmed black glasses to hide
behind.
With My Ray Gun
Requirements: Firearms Mk. 2, Special downtime action
studying an energy weapon
You have gained enough experience to fire, reload,
maintain and identify ammunition for energy
weapons. Combine this ability to use energy based
explosives and EMP devices.
GROUP PERKS Some Wastelanders that share a location, base of
operation or some other form of camaraderie often
have a unique set of perks to choose from. This can
be anything from the technology they have managed
to get working at home to the very location they
inhabit, enabling them further than your average
Wastelander.
Lone wanderers, who move from place to place, have a
bonus perk, called “Where I lay my hat” meaning they
can spend time with a group or at their base of
operation and choose from the perks that group has
access to because of their connection to the group.
Group perks will very much depend on the history of
the group, the technology that the group has
invested resources into, its location and it will need
maintenance through a new downtime action called
“MAINTAIN BASE” A few generic examples are below:
Drug Lab
Requires: Chemists in the group
Your group can buy chems at a reduced rate of 1 scav
point less than the price stated in this guide.
Fallout Farmland
Requires: history of farming or furtile land
Your group’s malnutrition (MAL) will all be reduced by
1 MAL over a downtime, providing the farmland is
maintained through the MAINTAIN BASE action.
Medical Stores
Requires: ruined city location
Your group has access to untapped medical stores, and
as such can get medicine doses at a reduced rate of 1
scav point less than the prices stated in this guide.
Sure Defences
Requirements: history of fortified location
Your group lives a safer life than most and as such
receives a boost of 1 Vital Sign point to each HEAL
and REPAIR downtime actions.
Where I Lay My Hat
Requirements: Not part of any group
You gain access to the perks of a group through a
special downtime: by staying at the base of operation
of the group and learning about the way its
scavengers operate. You must do this each time you
wish to gain a perk from a group, but you are not
limited to how many different groups’ lists you can
gain access to. To take multiple perks from the group
you must still spend a special downtime with that
group.
11
SCAVENGERS’ TRAITS
Traits
Scavengers don’t just have a set of skills, equipment
and perks to call on… Each person out there has
their own unique story of growing up and venturing
out in the Wastes. Because of this, they have what I
call a trait - a unique ability to them that either
enhances their skills or lets them do something no
one else can.
This of course all depends on their background, so
without futher ado, let me tell you about myself!
I was born in North London, Tufnell Park in fact, not long
before the war hit. Judgement day rained down on us when
I was just 8 years old and we did what most Londoners did
at that time and we ran for the Underground Station.
There I spent my adolescent years just surviving, as most
of us did, on badly tasting rations and recycled water…
and that’s when it happened. On my 14th birthday I began
to notice skin peeling away, and oh God was it painful!
Then my hair began to fall out. I tried to cover it up, only
wear hats and all that but more and more people began to
notice it in themselves. Some called in “the change”, some
said it was a disease but then we heard from a scientist
fella down on the central line that he thought it was due to
low level, long term radiation exposure…
Turns out the Underground wasn’t as safe as we all
thought and most of us reckon now that using the Tube
network as a shelter for millions of people was just a PR
campaign to keep us from panicking. Well, a fat lot of
good it did us! Soon everyone had skin problems and some
worse than that… those stations that were close to the
surface began to go nuts, starting eating each other and
then just went feral on us. Stations became flooded with
the crazed mutants and stations locked themselves down to
repel the tide of the crazies.
Once that subsided life went back to normal, until the food
began to run out. I was in my twenties by this point, and
soon people were doing whatever they could to survive. Some
folks turned cannibal - we don’t talk to them anymore - I,
however, took to the most humble of professions and became
a rat-catcher, bartering what I could spare for whatever I
needed at the time. Then, as Freddie Noone and his promise
of food in exchange for the bottlecap came through things
got better.
Unfortunately, a few years later I was caught nicking
chemical ingredients from some sleezy drug dealer in
Tottenham Court Road and was forced into exile - a terrible
punishment considering the surface of London is a hotbed
of radiation, teaming with crazies and whatever other
mutants roam its ruins. But, with my natural tenacity I
managed to make it out of London alive and have made a
living foraging ever since…
- TRAIT -
“GHOUL”
You bare the mark of necrotic mutation and due to
your exposure to radiation over a long period of
time you have built up an immunity to radiation
poisoning. Get too much, however, and the RADs begin
to attack your brain sending you ‘feral’.
PRO
You will never receive ill effects from accrued RADs.
CON
No doctor will ever be able to diagnose how many
RADs you have been exposed to. If you reach critical
radiation poisoning, instead being incapacitated you
will become feral and attack everyone around you.
Once at this stage your RADs cannot be healed.
12
MELEE COMBAT
Most Wastelanders have little more than some
improvised weapons like knives, bats or clubs; so it’s
good to know how to defend yourself if you get up
close and personal with someone who wants your last
meal. Here’s how!
Simple weapons and Brutal weapons
On the whole, there are two types of weapons out in
the Wastes. ‘Simple’ weapons are one handed weapons
that won’t cause anything more than a SINGLE hit
point of damage.
Brutal weapons are two-handed weapons, at least 42”
in length that have a heavy weight or blade at one
end. These weapons, in the right hands, can deal 2 hit
points of damage or DOUBLE the damage of normal
weapons.
SIMPLE WEAPONS
One handed, SINGLE damage
BRUTAL WEAPONS
Two handed, 42” in length or more, DOUBLE damage
Melee Fighting Skill
Only those with the Melee Fighting Skill can deal
DOUBLE damage with brutal weapons and use any
special melee weapons to their full potential. Those
who don’t have Melee Fighting Skills will only ever
deal SINGLE damage when fighting hand to hand.
Armour and Armour Points (AP)
Wearing armour gives you added Hit Points to a
location, depending on where you are wearing the
armour. Like Hit Points, Armour Points will be removed
by each damaging blow. Once there are 0 AP left,
damage is dealt directly to Hit Points (HP) and hurts
like when your mother used to smack you… When
armour takes damage it will remain at the reduced AP
amount until repaired by an Engineer.
Damage Effects
Some weapons or wielders do more than just damage
you if they hit you, some have fancy moves that go
THROUGH armour, while some can cause you to be
KNOCKBACK or KNOCKDOWN. On the other side of the page
is a list of all the effects that can be done to you
through melee fighting
Shields
Shields in melee combat will protect you from damage
but still aren’t enough to stop effects like KNOCKDOWN
or THROUGH. So, if you defend a blow doing DOUBLE
KNOCKDOWN then you take the KNOCKDOWN but not the 2
points of damage.
List of melee effects
DODGE
The defender ignores any effects with the
damaging blow, but still takes the damage.
KNOCKDOWN
The defender is knocked to the floor.
KNOCKBACK
The defender staggers/is thrown back 3 paces.
THROUGH
The blow ignores armour and deals damage
directly to Hit Points (HP)
BALLISTIC THROUGH
The blow ignores normal and ballistic grade
armour and deals damage directly to Hit Points
(HP)
SUBDUE
A non-lethal blow that deals damage as normal,
but instead of crippling or incapacitating the
defender at 0 HP, the location or person is
unusable or unconscious for a minimum of 1
minute.
STUN
You are blinded, immobilized and severely
disorientated for 10 seconds.
BREAKING/BROKEN
A melee blow that is strong enough to break
weapons and armour. This effect must be done a
number of times equal to the parts or AP of the
item, and once complete it is BROKEN. All of the
parts go immediately to 0 condition and the item
no longer works.
13
FIREARMS COMBAT
Firearms combat is more for your ranged adversary.
Guns are the predominant weapon, while some more
‘back to basics’ people, particularly foragers, like to
use bow and arrow. Ranged combat, regardless of the
weapon, is all about aiming effectively, hitting your
target and putting them down with a well-timed shot.
Guns
Guns come in all shapes and sizes but can be sorted
into these simple categories:
PISTOLS - single shot, cocking action or semi-
automatic guns held in one hand.
SHOTGUNS - Single or dual shot gun, pump action, fired
with two hands.
RIFLE - Single bolt action gun, fired with two hands.
ASSAULT WEAPONS - Semi-automatic/Fully-automatic guns
that either fire in rapid succession or fire more
than 2 bullets per pull of the trigger. Used with two
hands.
HEAVY MACHINE GUNS - Chain or belt fed fully
automatic large guns fired using two hands.
GRENADE/MISSLE LAUNCHERS - Heavy weapon, firing
explosive charge or shell, fired using two hands.
Firearms Damage
All basic firearms, firing bullets, will do DOUBLE
THROUGH damage to the location they successfully hit.
That means that the shot will do 2 Hit Points of
damage to the location, ignoring any normal armour
the target is wearing. If the bullet doesn’t hit, no
damage is done.
Firearms Skills
Those without any Firearms skills can only fire
pistols (they cannot reload or maintain them.) Those
with the Firearms Mk.1 skill can fire, reload and
maintain guns in the pistol, shotgun and rifle
categories. A Wastelander with the Firearms Mk.2 skill
can fire, reload and maintain assault rifles.
Ammunition
All ammunition was standardised during the run up
to the days of the war, so every pistol, rifle and
shotgun will take the same ballistic ammunition.
Energy Weapons
There were rumours of the military developing energy
based weapons, and definitely documented evidence of
the army using PLASMA weapons during the war. These
incredibly destructive weapons, I’ve never seen, but
I’ve been told the NUK has access to them. It’s
incredibly rare for anyone to ever handle one and
those scavengers who have get access to the WITH MY
RAY GUN perk.
Bows
Like I said earlier, some more hardcore survivalists
prefer to use bow and arrows or crossbows and bolts
rather than a real weapon… as if survival wasn’t
hard enough! Due to their often rugged construction
and inferior ammunition a bow or bolt will do a
SINGLE point of damage to the location it hits. Armour
can still protect you from these weapons.
Thrown Weapons
People throwing objects like bricks or bottles was a
popular past time right before the war, particularly
at the police. So if you’d like to relive those
colourful days, you can! I’ve only ever found these
kind of objects to STUN the target rather than
actually damage them in any real way. Those with the
Melee Fighting skill can throw knives and similar
sharp objects, though, to deal a SINGLE hit point of
damage. Armour still protects you from these attacks.
Armour
Normal armour won’t protect you from the penetrating
force of a bullet, and neither will a shield. Damage
from a bullet hitting armour will go THROUGH it and
damage your hit points (HP). Equally, if a bullet hits
a normal shield it goes straight THROUGH the shield,
the armour and damages the arm location the shield
is being held with.
For armour that protects you from ballistics damage,
look no further than Ballistic Grade Armour (BG). This
more bullet resistant armour can protect the wearer
from the brunt of the bullet damage, meaning when
being hit by a shot from a firearm the bullet does
not go THROUGH the armour, and its damage is deducted
from the armour’s Armour Points (AP).
Some weapons, if well maintained or upgraded enough
can still pack enough punch to go through Ballistic
Grade armour, though and type of shot is called
BALLISTIC THORUGH.
Armour Armour Points (AP)
Light ballistic grade armour 2 AP
Medium ballistic grade armour 3 AP
Heavy ballistic grade armour 4 AP
14
MEDICINE IN THE NUCLEAR
AFTERMATH
This chapter should really be called “Why doctors
are the most important people you’ll ever know.”
Doctors have the skills to heal people, treat injuries
and diagnose and cure diseases, while Field Medics
can assist them by stabilising patients and
staunching wounds. I’ve given a rundown of what each
of them can do for you and added some helpful hints
of what can be done practically to ensure your
survival in the Wastes.
Tools of the trade
A doctor’s kit contains any instruments they’ve
managed to scavenge from medical centres in the
aftermath of the great bombings. Typically you’ll
find stethoscopes, bandages, thermometers, surgical
knives, torch, pressure monitors and other things
like that. They should also be the one with the
medicine - which makes them both incredibly useful
and a huge target for raiders.
Medicine Doses
A medicine dose is a token representation of the
actual medicine a doctor needs to treat an injury or
heal hit points. I’m no doctor, so can’t say
specifically what medicine - but if a doctor doesn’t
have a medicine dose, they’re unable to do anything
about your malady… or the pain.
Staunching Wounds
Field Medic skill
Field Medics are able to staunch the bleeding of
limbs before they become crippled. During the 1
minute bleed-out time when a limb reaches 0 hit
points (HP), a field medic can spend 20 seconds
binding the wound with gauze bandages to stop it
from becoming crippled. Bleeding out still continues
whilst the staunching is going on, so the field medic
may run out of time. If successful, however, the limb
is still on 0 hit points (HP) but is usable. The
patient then needs to seek out a doctor to heal their
hit points. If the limb is damaged again whilst on 0
hit points, then it immediately becomes crippled.
Stabilising an Incapacitated Patient
Field Medic Skill
Whilst a patient is dying with an incapacitating
injury, a field medic may try to stabilise the patient.
By spending 30 seconds securing airways, controlling
bleeding, treating shock and securing fractured or
broken bones will give the patient another 2 minutes
to live, hopefully giving the doctor time to save the
patient’s life.
Treating an Incapacitating Injury
Doctor Skill
Requires 1 medicine dose
Treating an incapacitating injury is all about
literally saving someone’s life. There will be many
different life-threatening injuries to treat, so that
first thing the doctor must do is diagnose the
patient, which takes 10 seconds of looking over and
discovering the injury. Secondly, they need to spend
the appropriate time and action on treating the
specific injury. You will need a medicine dose to be
able to treat the injury and once your treatment is
complete the patient will be stable and their injured
location will be back to 1 hit point (HP).
Healing Hit Points (HP)
Doctor Skill
Requires 1 medicine dose
Old injuries, deep cuts and fractured bones heal at
an incredibly slow rate - mostly taking a few weeks
for flesh to mend and bones to mesh back together.
Doctors can speed up the process of Hit Points
healing by administering a medicine dose. They can
either choose to heal the body by 1 hit point to
every location, or focus on one location and heal it
by 2 hit points. This process takes 30 minutes after
the medicine dose has been taken.
Stimpaks
An Adrenal Stimulation pack is a one-shot injection
that sends the heart racing and the body’s healing
qualities into fast forward. A Stimpak heals 2 hit
points to the location it was injected into
immediately.
Infection
While treating incapacitating injuries, INF will be
gained from the surgery taking place in the
typically dirty environment of the Wastes. The
amount of Infection (INF) will be clear from the
injury. Good medical practice or using Sterigel may
reduce this INF due to surgery.
“FOREIGN OBJECT” Surgeon field required
Time until death
3 minutes
Treatment time
2 minutes
A piece of shrapnel, bullet or
blade is lodged putting pressure
on a key artery. It needs to be
removed, the bleeding stopped and
the wound cauterized.
Infection
2 INF
15
Diagnosing Vital Signs
Doctor Skill
Doctors are the ones who are able to diagnose your
Malnutrition, Radiation sickness level and any
diseases you may have. A diagnosis takes about a
minute of examination, at which point the doctor will
have a good idea of the Malnutrition, Radiation
Sickness level and any levels of disease.
Malnutrition can be diagnosed by looking for signs
of skin problems, pale colouration of the skin,
swelling of the tongue, and feeling incredibly tired
or out of the breath easily.
Only a doctor can diagnose malnutrition.
Radiation Sickness can be diagnosed by looking for
the signs of nausea, vomiting, burns on the skin and
loss of hair.
Only levels of Radiation Sickness can be diagnosed,
not individual RADs
Diseases can be diagnosed by looking for their
specific symptoms.
Only levels of Disease can be diagnosed, not
individual INF points.
Healing Radiation Poisoning
Doctor Skill
1 dose of RAD-Away
Doctors can heal RADs using a dose of RAD-Away. RAD-
Away removes 3 RADs from the patient and cures
levels of Radiation Poisoning based on the number of
RADs remaining in the patient.
Only a doctor can heal Critical Radiation Poisoning
and should do so based on the following injury:
Healing Diseases and Infection (INF)
Doctor skill
When greeted with the sick, doctors have two options.
They can either use 1 medicine dose to cure 3 INF
from the patient, or refrain from using a medicine
dose and just treat their symptoms with a potential
to remove 1 INF. Both treatments take 1 hour to do, but
only the former option is guaranteed. Treating
someone’s symptoms doesn’t guarantee that the
Infection Point (INF) will be removed. Successfully
treating Infection (INF) will result in removing
levels of Disease based on the number of INF
remaining.
Levels of Disease
Level 1 Disease (3 INF)
The disease displays its basic symptoms but doesn’t
debilitate the Wastelander in any other way.
Level 2 Disease (6 INF)
Full symptoms present themselves and there’ll be a
serious effect on your overall health that cannot be
cured until the INF is removed.
Level 3 Disease (9 INF)
The disease is at such a dangerous level that you’ll
be in imminent danger of death and will present a
critical injury.
Doctor’s Specialisations
Doctors all have specialisations - an area which
they’re more familiar in than others or that they
excel at. Some injuries or diseases that doctors come
across in the Wastes require certain skills in order
to treat them. Below is a list of specialisations that
I’ve come across in my time - this list isn’t
exhaustive, and you never know what kind of weird
and wonderful specialisations might exist.
Clinical Biochemistry
The chemical study of various bodily fluids to
identify and diagnose bacterial, viral, fungal
and parasitic infections, research and
investigate illnesses within the immune system
and the treatment of diseases. These doctors can
diagnose exact INF points, unlike normal vital
sign diagnosis.
Cardiology
Diagnosis, assessment and management of diseases
of the heart and vascular systems. These doctors
are the only type of Doctor who can perform
heart surgery.
Bio-engineer
Designs and installs equipment for monitoring,
diagnosing, treating and the rehabilitation of a
patient who has lost a limb. This doctor can work
with an Engineer with the Biomedical field of
expertise to create artificial replacements for
lost limbs.
“CRITICAL RADIATION
POISONING”
Death Count
5 minutes
Healing time
3 minutes
Infection: 2 INF
To be healed the patient must
receive RAD-Away.
The RADs from the RAD-Away will
be removed as normal.
16
Medical Physicist
Can use radiation to treat illnesses as well as
being able to diagnose RADs more effectively with
less chance of infection. Due to their experience
can advise on dealing with radioactive materials
or situations. These doctors can diagnose exact
RAD points, unlike the normal vital signs
diagnosis.
Neurosurgery
This is the only type of doctor who can identify,
diagnose and treat all brain and nervous system
illnesses. Offering treatment where others
cannot. This kind of doctor is the only one who
can perform surgery on a patient who is
suffering from a disease or condition which
affects the brain or nervous system.
Surgery
This is a general knowledge surgeon. All major
surgery including the removal of bullets from
arteries, organs and bones, repairing organs from
assault and such. They can also perform basic
plastic surgery and heal the patient, but the
patient will remain scarred. The only 2 types of
surgery this doctor cannot perform are
neurosurgery (brain and nervous system) and
cardiovascular (heart and blood system.)
Pathology
This is an advanced doctor with the skills to
perform an autopsy to determine what has killed
a patient. Some have even been able to perform
live autopsies or exploratory surgery.
Phytotherapist
Requires: Chemist
These doctors have, through generations, learned
the secrets of using plants to brew poultices and
concoctions to heal the sick and injured. Not as
good as medicine doses, but it does allow for more
natural remedies.
17
REPAIRING YOUR GEAR
As they say, you’re only as strong as your weakest
link and that is doubly true when it comes to your
gear. Items don’t function if their parts are broken,
and guns will quickly degrade and break if they
aren’t maintained.
Engineers
Someone with the Engineer skill is well versed in
making repairs, assembling things and generally
maintaining gear. There are some things below which
can only be done by an engineer, others by
Wastelanders with certain skills.
Item Condition
An item typically has 3 parts:
This pistol has a short barrel, magazine feed and a
trigger mechanism as its component parts. The short
barrel is in poor condition, the magazine feed is in
average condition and the trigger mechanism is in
good condition. However, an item’s overall condition
is only as good as its weakest part, and so this
pistol is in poor condition.
Engineers use a traffic light (whatever they are!)
system for telling what condition a part is in.
RED = Poor
AMBER = Average
GREEN = Good
If a part is broken, it is black.
BLACK = Broken
Degradation
Parts in an item degrade after significant use. A
well maintained item will be able to bear most of the
brunt of degradation, while a poorly maintained item
will see its parts degrade quicker.
Degradation is a fairly random occurrence, and can
happen during an items use or after. There is also a
chance a part could break altogether.
Maintenance
Maintaining an item can be done by those with the
appropriate skill, or those with the appropriate
engineering Field of Expertise.
Pistols, rifles and shotguns can be
maintained by those with Firearms Mk1 and
Engineering: Gunsmithing
Assault rifles and larger firearms can be
maintained by those with Firearms Mk2 and
Engineering: Heavy Weapons
Powered melee weapons can be maintained by
those with Melee Fighting skill or an
Engineer: Weaponsmith
Mechanical devices can be maintained by an
Engineer: Mechanic
Computers can be maintained by an Engineer:
Computing
Medical devices can be maintained by a Doctor
or an Engineer: Computing
and so on…
Maintaining an item will ignore the degradation of
the first part that is tested for. It cannot be saved
for later checks, and is used up without the
maintainer’s discretion.
Spare Parts
Spare parts are a key part of the scavenger
lifestyle. All sorts of pre-fall gubbins are littered
around the Wastes, and it’s our duty to find them and
make use of them! They are used to either repair
items or to make new items. Every scavenger worth
their salt (those with the Scavenger skill) are able
to recognise parts and the field of engineering they
belong to, based on an old pre-war method of coding.
P
This is an example of the coding found and stamped
by the engineers of Brum back before the nukes hit.
It shows that it belongs to the mechanical field of
engineering and the 3 numbers are the code
identifying the item. Only engineers will know what
the code means as its knowledge has been handed
down through the sands of time - all the pre-war
documentation lost during the fallout. A scavenger
in this example has handily written a ‘P’ next to the
18
code, showing it’s in poor condition. It will only be
able to repair 1 point of condition.
Repairing items
Repairing items is a case of swapping old for new… or
in this case, better parts to increase the condition
of an item. Use the spare part and the part you
already have in your item, combine the best bits of
the two and you can increase the condition of the
part in your item. In other words…
Say I took a condition 1 (poor) spare part and used it
to repair a part that was in condition 2 (average) -
the part inside the item would become condition 3
(good)!
The outcome:
Breaking an item down
I’ve also seen engineers break down items into their
component parts so they can use them for something
else. Breaking an item down will get you the parts in
the condition with which they are in the item, so:
Broken part becomes scrap
Poor part becomes a spare part (poor)
Average part becomes a spare part (average)
Good part becomes a spare part (good)
Mechanics Tools
Having seen more than enough tools in my time, a
mechanics toolkit usually consists of a lot of
screwdrivers, allen keys, duct tape and pliers. A
hammer is essential, especially for mechanics that
favour their Percussive Maintenance. There’s also
more than a few loose screws, nuts and bolts in the
bottom of a toolkit that have probably been spare
after constructing something. The old world was
obsessed with providing things with 1 too many
screws… if only they knew how valuable they’d be now.
Armour
Repairing armour is actually a pretty exacting
science. Anyone can wear a leather coat, but an
Armoursmith (see below) is the only one who can
repair it. The heavier the armour the more detail you
need to go into in its construction and repair.
Because of that, Armoursmiths are you best friend -
and should they like you back, they’ll happily repair
your armour for you.
I’ve come across armoursmiths who take their time
with repairs and those who can strap something back
together in next to no time (usually with a “that
will do, for now!”) So, in that spirit, I’ve not been able
to figure out a time requirement on repairing armour.
It takes as long as it takes… just hope they don’t
rush the job and don’t repair it as well as they could
have…
Traps
Engineers can lay traps that inflict damage or
effects to their enemies. Traps can take any form you
like, but their construction will prove what damage
or effect that make. One key part of the trap, though,
is the snap trigger - this is what produces the cap
gun sound. Without this going off, the trap won’t
function.
19
Fields of Expertise
Just like a doctor has his or her specialities an
engineer has their fields of expertise. I mentioned a
few before in the maintenance paragraph, but here
they are in their entirety (as far as I’ve come across,
anyway!)
Gunsmithing - These guys can repair your
firearms for you, everything from your
pistols to your assault rifles.
Weaponsmithing - These folks have knowledge
of brutal melee weapons and can repair them
for you.
Armoursmith - Armour is a much more intricate
skill than you think, and because of that not
everyone can repair armour. These people can.
Mechanics - Mechanics is the field of clunky
machines and big electronics. Has it got big
moving parts? Then you’ll probably need a
mechanic.
Computing - Does what it says on the tin. This
guy can repair computers and other
electronic devices. They can use computers
too, providing they have the appropriate
access to the User Interface. (Yeah, I don’t
know what one of those is, either, I just added
it in to sound clever.)
Explosives - These daredevils make things go
bang. Stand back when they’re working. I won’t
warn you again…
There are also some more advanced fields I’ve come
across, that require a certain level of knowledge of
the above fields first. Here’s a few of them:
Heavy Weapons - (requires Gunsmithing) Bigger
is better, according to these engineers. They
deal in death using the larger firearms, like
grenade launchers, rocket launchers…
Robotics (requires Compting) Britain was once
a world leader in robotics technology, so it
is fitting that survivor engineers explore
this field once more, finding old world tech
to appropriate.
Biomedical (requires Computing, Robotics)
Biomedical engineers combine the fields of
robotics and medicine to produce rudimentary
prosthetics for lost limbs. I’ve yet to see one,
but if the rumours are true there are blokes
walking around with mechanical arms and
legs! These engineers either need to be a
doctor or require their help with their work.
Inventing
Inventing is more of an art than a skillset, and
inspiration can strike the strangest of minds - take
Jimmy Noone as an example! But once you’ve had that
eureka moment, it’s hard to let go - but only those
with the Inventor perk can invent items,.
Inventors only create new items from their field of
expertise, so don’t expect your computing expert to be
able to make you that electrified knife you’ve always
wanted.
Inventing goes through 4 stages:
Design
It’s entirely up to the inventor how they design
their item, but what it must have are 3 key parts that
make it work. These parts come from their knowledge
of spare parts out in the Wastes, based on their field
of expertise. So don’t go inventing something with a
discombobulator, if no such part exists! Draw your
design out, label it, work out how it’s put together
and how it operates, then it’s onto the next phase…
Scavenge
You’ll need to find those parts you’ve used in your
design out in the Wastes. Once you’ve got them,
brilliant! It’s onto:
Prototype
You need to build a prototype, a testing kit, version
1.0 of your design. Test it to see if it works as
desired. If not, it’s back to stage one.
Schematic
Once you’re happy with your prototype and its design,
you’ll have a working schematic! Congratulations! You
can use the schematic to reproduce the item and
share the knowledge with your friends.
Schematics
Schematics can be used by anyone to build an item in
their field of expertise, but only inventors can
learn and copy schematics from others. It’s one thing
to be able to put something together, it’s another to
learn it off by heart and know where everything goes
without having to consult the manual.
20
TAKING AND BAKING CHEMS
Chems are either a brilliant opportunity to enhance
your mental and physical prowess, or entirely sinful
and illegal items. It’s really your call. Chems can
offer a quick fix to your physical ability and be the
difference between life and death. But some have side
effects, some are even poisonous and there is always
the risk of addiction.
That doesn’t stop your average scavenger having a
couple of chems on their person at any given time
and using them in combat. Like I say, in certain
situations it can be the difference of life and death.
Here are a list of the most common chems in the
Wastes. Most of these have been around since the
European Civil War.
Chem Duration Effect
Antidote n/a Cures one dose of poison
Dragon 3 mins Ignore KNOCKBACK/KNOCKDOWN
Hermes 3 mins Ignore combat effects
Peepers 30 mins You have Perception
Roxinol 3 mins Act freely during injury
Berk 1 min Ignore damage, then take it all
RADAway n/a Removes 3 RADs
RAD-X 3 mins RADs gained at half rate
Stimpak n/a Instantly heals 2 Hit Points (HP)
Antidote (3 scav points)
An antidote cures a victim of poisoning, whether
natural or chemically engineered.
Dragon (3 scav points)
Dragon gives you the strength in a fight to not be
KNOCKBACK or KNOCKDOWN for 3 minutes.
Hermes (3 scav points)
Hermes gives you the speed in combat to avoid effects
like blows that go THROUGH armour or KNOCkBACK for 3
minutes.
Peepers (2 scav points)
Peepers gives your PERCEPTION to see hidden enemies
and recognise disguises for 30 minutes.
Roxinol (3 scav points)
Roxinol is a potent opiate analgesic drug that lets
you use crippled limbs or act normally when
incapacitated.
Berk (4 scav points)
Berk is a combat drug, letting you ignore damage
dealt to you, but you suffer all of it at once when it
wears off, after 1 minute.
RAD-Away (6 scav points)
The miracle cure against radiation. This sharp dose
of chemotherapy heals 3 RADs.
RAD-X (3 scav points)
RAD-X is a supplement taken to reduce the rate you
take RADs by half.
Stimpak (6 scav points)
An Adrenal Stimulation pack is a one-shot injection
that sends the heart racing and the body’s healing
qualities into fast forward. A Stimpak heals 2 hit
points to the location it was injected into
immediately.
Application
Chems were standardised during the war leading up
to the great bombing, with everything military grade
(like the ones in the table below) put into a syringe
for quick assimilation by the body.
Side effects
There are plenty of side effects that come with
taking chems. I’ve listed the specific cases below:
Chem Side effect
Antidote None
Dragon Muscles seize up making it harder to move
Hermes Usually makes the taker hyper
Peepers Light sensitivity
Roxinol Makes the taker completely numb
Berk Makes the user more violent
RADAway Causes nausea and some vomiting
RAD-X None
Stimpak Dazes the user with a surge of adrenalin
Addiction
Addiction is possibly the most dangerous thing about
these combat chems. I’ve met far too many chem heads
waiting to get their next fix. Addicts also build up
an immunity to the chems they are dependent on, and
so their lives begin to revolve around taking the
said chem.
Being addicted to a chem produces the opposite effect
whilst on a “come down.” A come down is where the user
has had more than 12 hours without taking the chem.
Chem Come down
Dragon All damage deals KNOCKBACK
Hermes Combat effects double their effect to you
Peepers Sight loss
Roxinol Injury death counts are 1 min less
Berk Combat damage you take is doubled
RAD-X RADs gained at double the normal rate
21
Taking the chem whilst addicted still gives the user
the normal effects and duration, but 12 hours after
taking that chem the user is on a ‘come down’ and the
come down effect begins until they take the chem
again.
Curing Addiction
Chemists and Doctors can both cure addiction. It
requires a fair amount of counselling and needs the
user to go without the chem for a while.
Doctors can issue a placebo by using a medicine dose
to ease the come down of the addict and should
remove the debilitating effects of the come down - but
it doesn’t always work. A placebo lasts for 1 hour per
medicine dose.
Addicts are required to be off the chem they’re
dependant on for at least 48 hours. They should seek
doctors or chemists for counselling, but if not done
properly they can so easily get back on the slippery
slide of chem addiction.
There is no addiction risk with Antidotes, RAD-Away
or Stimpaks.
Overdoses
Chems always have that chance at an overdose if you
take too many in quick succession. Overdoses are life
threatening and almost always result in an
incapacitating injury based on the chems used. So,
don’t say I didn’t warn you.
Brewing Chems
Brewing chems is done through the use of base
chemical ingrediants, which can be categorised as
either C, H or O in varying quantities.
Each ingredient is used to varying degrees in each
chem, but only a chemist will know what ingredients
are needed, and how much! Any chemist can brew chems
from the basic list, apart from Stimpaks.
Inventing Chems
Inventing chems works like an engineering project,
but for this I’m calling them “Research Projects”,
because it sounds more like science… Just like
inventing for engineers, those who want to make
brand new chems must have the Inventor perk.
Research Projects go a little something like this:
Design
This where you decide what you want them chem to do,
how long it will last and what ingredients are
needed to make it.
Scavenge
You’ll need to find the ingredients and synthesise
them into the quantities you need to make your
prototype chem.
Prototype
This is where a willing (or unwilling, depending on
how you play it) gets to be a guinea pig for you!
Unless of course you have a real guinea pig. But you
might not want one… I hear they stand 12 feet tall
and breathe fire.
Formula
If your chem is a success you have the chance to
name it and keep the recipe for it as a ‘formula’. Like
engineering schematics this formula can be copied
and learnt by other chemist inventors and followed
by any other chemist to make your chem.
22
SCAVENGING TIPS
Scavening is a necessary part of the post apocalypse
life. All sorts of pre-war tech, supplies, food,
medicine and the like are scattered across our fair
country ripe for the scavving! Here are a few tips or
tricks to help you with your Wasteland scavenging.
People Power
It’s always handy to have friends around you! They
may spot something you don’t, or maybe the one to
save you from that RadBadger nest you’ve just
disturbed. A good tip is to gather a group before
wandering out into the Wasteland, because you never
know what you might find. When your group is ready
and the conditions favour it - go forth and explore!
Scavenging
“Scavs Rights” is a basic principal applied to the act
of scavenging so it can be disassociated with theft.
Theft is the act of taking something from someone
without their permission, while scavenging is taking
things from the scarred husks of buildings across
the Wastes. The things you scav should have no owner,
so be sure to check they are not being guarded, that
you’ve invaded someone’s home or that they are not
trapped. If you’re around East Anglia and a victim of
theft can prove they took sufficient steps against
you to protect the item in question from being
scavved, then you’re in serious trouble! They take
hands… that’s the nicest punishment.
But on the whole, be on the lookout for spare parts
that look metallic or electrical in nature:
Medicine Doses that look like small bottles:
Chems in the form of syringes:
Chem ingredients in their test tubes:
And ammunition:
23
Foraging
Foraging can be done either one of two ways. Much
like scavenging, you may still be lucky enough to
find tinned food out in the Wastes, somewhere. This
food does have a caps value, but more often than not,
it’s worth just getting it down your gob…
Either that, or any good forager worth their salt
will be able to find food growing. Not everything is
edible, so be careful! A forager should be able to tell
you the nutritional value (MAL), the radiation
exposure (RADs) and the chances of infection or
disease (INF) of the meal.
Traps
Traps are a more common site out in the Wastes now,
and every scav should be wary about just picking up
any old box or opening any grotty door. Most traps
will have an audible snap, like the sound of a cap
gun, as the trap is sprung and any kind of damage or
effect is felt by the person to set it off.
More often than not the person who set the trap off
will feel DOUBLE hit point damage to the body
location that interacted with the trap… in the case
of tripwires, the leg or by manipulating something
with a hand: the arm. There are, of course, much more
devastating, explosive traps but they are rarer - and
you’ll certainly know when they go off! Well… maybe
you won’t, but your friends will.
Engineers are the only ones who can lay traps and
those skilled in explosives are the only ones who
can set explosives to detonate remotely. Traps can
take any form you like, but their construction will
prove what damage or effect that make. One key part
of the trap, though, is the snap trigger - this is what
produces the cap gun sound. Without this going off,
the trap won’t function.
The Noones and the Bottlecap Standard
Back when the dust was still settling from the
nuclear war, London’s radiation was seeping down
into the network of the Underground, where thousands
of people had taken refuge. Most didn’t survive, but
those that did developed horrible leprosy-like
mutations. Skin peeled, hair fell off… you get the
picture. Then the food began to run out and people
started rat hunting, squabbling and even fighting
one another. Station turned on station as hunger
fired the spirit. Then Freddie Noone came along, and
vowed that everyone who could pay 5 Meantime
Brewery bottle caps could have a tin of food; 10 for a
labelled tin. People began using the caps to barter
and soon a real economy began to flourish… but guess
who got rich? The Noones. Once they began to expand
and explore the Wasteland, people began using the
bottle caps to trade with them and now most people
use them.
5 Meantime bottle caps = 1 unlabelled tin of food
10 Meantime bottle caps = 1 labelled tin of food
1 Meantime Union cap = 2 Meantime bottle caps
24
DOWNTIMES A “Downtime” is the word us Scavengers use to
describe the actions or travels of Wastelanders in
between Scavengers’ Gatherings.
Wastelanders that survived the gathering get to
choose another perk from the Perks of the Apocalypse
section. They have also gained 4 scav points they can
spend on either skills or supplies from the lists in
the A Wastelander’s Skills and Equipment You Will
Need chapters.
Wastelanders then also perform actions over their
downtimes, but are limited to one each.
Downtime Actions:
SCAVENGE
(Skill requirement: Scavenger)
Spend some time scavenging the Wastes and gain 4
scav points to spend on supplies ONLY.
TRAIN
Spend some time learning a new skill and gain 4 scav
points to spend on skills ONLY.
FORAGE
(Skill requirement: Forager)
This Wastelander foraging, enabling them to heal 4
points of Maluntrition (MAL), divided up how they wish
with other Wastelanders.
TRADE
Using the caps you currently have, you can buy items
from the traders you encounter or sell items
currently in you or your group’s possession.
HEAL
(Skill requirement: Doctor)
A doctor can use their time in between gatherings
helping their fellow Wastelanders heal Radiation
(RADs) and Infection (INF). They can heal a total of 6
RADs or INF spread across a maximum of 6 people.
Doctors can also diagnose Vital Signs of those they
are traveling with between gatherings.
REPAIR
(Skill requirement: Engineer)
Engineers can also spend time between gatherings
working on their equipment. The stuff they’re working
on needs to be relevant to their field of expertise
and when they do work on it they can repair 3 points
of condition across a maximum of 3 parts.
Unfortunately, Inventing isn’t a downtime skill and
only ever occurs during a Scavengers’ Gathering.
SPECIAL
This action is for anything out of the ordinary that
you want to make count in the Wasteland. It could be
making contact with a particular individual, finding
out specific information or doing something to not
contained in the actions above.
So, for your downtime:
Decide on an action and describe how you go
about that action.
Choose skills or supplies based on how many
scav points you have.
Choose a perk of which the effects will begin
at the next scavengers’ gathering.
Scav Points
Scav points can be saved but never transferred. A
Wastelander’s scav points are his or her own.
25
NOTES
LOCKPICKING
To pick a lock get the right combination of 4 numbers on the
tumblers. Don’t worry, these locks started to use the same 3
sequences so it shouldn’t take too long. Unless someone’s
managed to change it but this is pretty rare.
4 5 6 1
Change the numbers to get the proper code
2 0 7 7
To pickpocket, place a peg on the
pocket or pouch and gain whatever is
inside!