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Transcript of Wasteland Adventures Handbook
0 | P a g e
Wasteland Adventures
Handbook
By Khan Sweetman
Professor Holcomb
GAT212 – Fall 2015
Wasteland Adventures | Khan Sweetman | [email protected] GAT212 - Fall 2015
© 2015 DigiPen Institute of Technology 1 | P a g e
Table of Contents
The World .........................................................2
The Harvest Wars .........................................1
The Year 28XX ..............................................1
Planet Earth ..................................................1
The People ....................................................1
Adventurers ..................................................2
Irradiated ..................................................2
Mutation ..................................................3
The Breadth of Humanity .........................3
Governance ..................................................3
City-States ....................................................4
Forces in the World ......................................5
Other Communities: .....................................6
Transportation: ............................................8
Space ............................................................9
The Land .................................................10
Building a Character: ......................................11
Callings ...........................................................15
Guardian .......................................................1
Hidden ..........................................................4
Gunslinger ....................................................7
Ronin ............................................................9
Races ..............................................................12
Droids .........................................................13
Humans ......................................................14
Crows ..........................................................15
Mantis ........................................................16
Items and Equipment .....................................18
The Economy: ...............................................1
3D Printing ................................................1
Weapons: .....................................................2
Armour .........................................................7
Common Items .............................................9
Legends ........................................................3
Combat & Other Rules: ....................................4
Combat Rules ...............................................1
Surprise Attacks........................................1
Attacking .................................................. 2
Mounted Combat .................................... 2
Dual Wielding ........................................... 2
Rolling Dice .................................................. 3
Critical Success & Failure ......................... 3
Advantage/Disadvantage: ....................... 3
Map Rules: ................................................... 3
Movement ............................................... 3
Difficult Terrain ........................................ 3
Size ........................................................... 4
Cover & Line of Sight ............................... 4
Skills ............................................................. 4
Skill Checks ............................................... 5
Contested Skill Checks ............................. 6
Talents.......................................................... 6
Socializing................................................... 10
Roleplaying ............................................ 10
Status Effects ............................................. 10
Beasts & the People You May Encounter ...... 11
Flora and Fauna ........................................... 1
Beasts ........................................................... 1
The People You May Encounter: ................. 4
Wasteland Adventures | Khan Sweetman | [email protected] GAT212 - Fall 2015
© 2015 DigiPen Institute of Technology 2 | P a g e
The World
Wasteland Adventures | Khan Sweetman | [email protected] GAT212 - Fall 2015
© 2015 DigiPen Institute of Technology 1 | P a g e
The Harvest Wars
The years leading up to the Harvest Wars were
filled with grand technological advances, and
innovations of every kind. The world was
struggling to maintain its population of just
over 9 billion people, and the demand for
more space, more energy, more food, more
luxury, more everything was propelling
industry to new heights at unprecedented
speeds. These needs were further propelled by
global flooding forcing away landmass, and
global warming dramatically changing the
landscapes of the world.
Corporations worldwide were racing to find
new ways to increase efficiency and product
output. Amazing scientific advances propelled
technology to new heights, but no matter
what new discoveries were uncovered, it just
wasn’t enough to keep the world’s desires
sated. When the Earth was robbed of all
resources, and her people could no longer
sustain their wanton lifestyles, the nations of
the world turned upon one another with the
intention of harvesting one another for
sustenance. The ensuing wars of conquest that
broke out across worldwide were collectively
referred to as “The Harvest Wars.” Ultimately,
they led to global thermonuclear war, and the
irradiated end of the world.
The Year 28XX
The last Harvest War ended in 2536, and the
world has changed in the roughly 300 years
since then.
Planet Earth
The Harvest Wars decimated the world
population, bringing the global population to
under 1 billion people; a total that has not
been seen since before the 1800s. There was a
silver lining to the tragedy, and that was that
the drastically reduced population meant that
the world was once again big enough to
sustain its people. Resource problems didn’t
end however, they just became different.
After the world was blanketed in radiation, life
began to mutate drastically. Everyday
creatures became big, fierce, and bloodthirsty.
Anything that was mildly dangerous to begin
with became monstrous. Farm animals
mutated as well. Instead of raising cattle, it is
now necessary to hire heavily armed hunters
to track and kill wild, elephant-sized, twin-
headed, fire-breathing cows.
Agriculture was hit hard by the radiation, and
farming by itself was no longer enough to
sustain large groups of people. Most edible
plants proved not hardy enough to survive
radiation, and most farm animals mutated into
monsters or couldn’t survive the radiation
either. As a result, it became nigh impossible
for large civilizations to subsist, and old
nations fell apart, crumpled by their own
weight. Now, most civilizations are small, and
compact. Most people live under the banner
of a city-state: an independent state consisting
of a city, and its surrounding territories. In
between city-states are vast stretches of
unclaimed land, too hostile or difficult to
maintain.
The People
As tough as the world was, people proved to
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be even tougher. Humanity stuck around like a
patch of weeds in the irradiated dirt, refusing
to give in. Where nations fell, groups of city-
states rose up. Countries may have become
too big to sustain, but people’s ability to
survive just meant that societies became
smaller and hardier.
Without the banners of nations to tie lands
together, interactions between adjacent city-
states became taught, and usually based on
mutual profit. When laws disappeared, inter-
personal conflicts suddenly became much
more exciting. In short, the world became
much more dangerous.
Adventurers
Some people born after the Harvest Wars saw
the dangers of the world, and decided that
they fit right in. Not only did they want to
survive, they wanted to take the wastelands
head-on. Hiding inside walled cities or working
their lives on a farm would be too boring for
them, so they decided to make a living by
braving the dangers of the wastes for money.
These people are known as “adventurers”.
The life of an adventurer is one of excitement
and danger. They work a variety of jobs, such
as hunting gigantic beasts for food, protecting
wealthy merchants while they trek across the
wastelands, gathering rare materials in
dangerous locations, or tracking down
criminals for bounty. Less well-meaning
adventurers are just as common, assassinating
targets for exorbitant fees, providing muscle
for gangs, or infiltrating strongholds in the
dead of night. Some adventurers like to settle
down, and work one job for long periods of
time instead of working individual jobs by
contract. These adventurers often become
high level bodyguards for the rich and
powerful, guard captains, or sheriffs. Others
still work for themselves. Some adventurers
live just for the adventure, patrolling the
wastes as a ward against evil, or spend their
days travelling the world, picking up jobs only
when they need the cash.
Roughly 10-20% of all people could be
classified as an adventurer. Between local
wars, protection services, material needs, and
martial needs, there is always a high demand
for capable, high-risk individuals.
Irradiated
One of the first problems humanity
encountered was living with massive amounts
of radiation. It was many generations before
reliable radiation medication and prevention
became commonplace. Now, anti-radiation
tablets, pills, filters, and even seasonings are
widely available and easily affordable. They
aren’t perfect however, and trace amounts of
radiation poisoning are universal.
Furthermore, radiation is not gone, just easier
to deal with. If someone runs out of radiation
medication in the wild, they are surely
doomed.
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Mutation
Perpetual exposure to radiation has affected
everyone, some more than others. Those who
bear the worst of the radiation and survive
often mutate, for better or worse. Lucky
mutants might gain the ability to breathe
underwater, or gain sharpened eyesight.
Unlucky mutants might gain an appetite for
blood, or find themselves unable to walk.
Mutants are uncommon, but hardly unheard
of. Many adventurers eventually become
mutants, by choice or otherwise.
The Breadth of Humanity
Earth is home to more sentient beings than
just humans. Even before the Harvest Wars,
sentient robots known as “Droids”, came into
existence. Now, the black-feathered Crow and
the predatory Mantis have joined the ranks of
sentient beings that call earth their home.
Interactions between races can take a variety
of tones. Many people accept one another,
regardless of species. Others consider
different species abominable, and treat them
as animals. The Mantis in particular are targets
of inter-species conflicts, and their habit of
devouring aggressors does little to mitigate
the accusations thrown against them.
Governance
After the Harvest Wars, governments were
shattered, and authority vanished from the
world. Now, things have had some time to
recover. Various groups, organizations, and
governments have begun to sprout up here
and there.
Most groups are fairly small, and the vast
majority of governments do not go beyond the
local level. The largest of these groups form
global corporations and factions, city-states, or
even small nations. For the most part, anarchy
or dictatorship are the government structure
of choice.
In order to get along with outsiders, peaceful
communities usually establish some form of
communications with other communities. This
most commonly takes the form of radio.
Satellites are rarer now because of space
debris destroying anything unprotected in
orbit. Thus, cell phones and the internet are
much less reliable than they used to be, and
are far less ubiquitous because of it.
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City-States
City-states are the most dominant form of
governance in the world. Their balance
between a small population for sustainability
and enough people for defensive power makes
them an ideal type of community for the
wastelands. Most people live in a city-state or
its associated territory.
City-states vary in size, with the smallest
numbering under 10,000 inhabitants, and the
largest boasting populations of over 200,000.
Usually, around a fifth of a city-state’s
inhabitants live in the capital city of a city-
state, with the rest living in the
surrounding territories, usually on a
farm or in a small town.
Just as there are huge varieties in the
countries of the modern day, there are
huge varieties in the city-states of the
post-apocalypse. The varied in
landscapes, cultures, resources, and
radiation levels gives each city-state its
own unique quirks and qualities to call
its own.
Here are some examples of what you can
expect from city-states:
Rush Harbor
Rush Harbor is a bustling fishing port, situated
near the crater that was Washington DC. It is
known for the wide variety of fish, and fish-like
creatures that its ships bring in every day.
The fishing ships in the area all have metal-
plated hulls, as the Rock Crabs in the area
would eventually smash any other kind of hull.
Adventurers are often hired to fight off
encroaching sea monsters.
The Kraken Armada
A pirate collective with ties all over the world,
the Kraken Armada is the single most powerful
naval force in the world. Its captains tend to
splurge on custom paint-jobs depicting their
namesake sea monster to set them apart from
other, run-of-the-mill pirates.
Some say that the Kraken Armada actually has
a Kraken that heeds its calls, which they call
upon to tear their most hated enemies
asunder. Whether truth or fanciful legend, few
know for sure.
MAGNA Corp. HQ
MAGNA Corp is one of the few existing
corporations that can legitimately claim global
influence. It is one of the most powerful forces
in the world, with enough money to buy out
entire city-states to further its corporate
agenda.
At first, MAGNA Corp HQ was just one set of
buildings in the Pacific West, constructed after
the Harvest Wars. It gradually expanded as
MAGNA Corp grew in power, and eventually
became an entire city, with an economy based
on the global profits of the world’s most
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successful personal defense corporation.
Freight City
Named because of its central role in shipping
across the Americas, Freight City is a loud,
busy town, known for its dangerous alleyways
and delicious onion burgers. It is an example
of the vital role that the massive shipping and
transportation trains of the Railways play to
the continued functioning of the wastelands.
O’Callaghan Mills
Ireland was one of the few countries that was
not soaked in radiation during the Harvest
Wars. Sadly, other turmoil tore the nation
apart, and it too broke into a collection of city-
states, though many of them still identify as
Irish. O’Callaghan Mills is one such city-state,
and boasts some of the world’s most
advanced levitation technology.
The fabled, floating “Windmill Islands” started
in Ireland, and O’Callaghan Mills is the little
known inventor of the technologies that
power them. They choose to stay humble
about their achievements to avoid unwanted
hostile attention.
The capital of O’Callaghan Mills is one of the
world’s largest floating islands, and floats
gently around its territories, stopping
occasionally to refuel. The majority of
O’Callaghan Mills’ citizens are sheep or potato
farmers, and they are known for their love of
Guinness, one of the few beers that remained
unchanged through the Harvest Wars.
Forces in the
World
The world is a big place, filled with all sorts of
scary things. Some of them are too big or
powerful to be trifled with by the average
person. Here are a handful of some of the
more dominant forces that exist.
The Kraken Armada
A pirate collective with ties all over the world,
the Kraken Armada is the single most powerful
naval force in the world. Its captains tend to
splurge on custom paint-jobs depicting their
namesake sea monster to set them apart from
other, run-of-the-mill pirates.
Some say that the Kraken Armada actually has
a Kraken that heeds its calls, which they call
upon to tear their most hated enemies
asunder. Whether truth or fanciful legend, few
know for sure.
MAGNA Corp.
MAGNA Corp. is a monolithic corporation
rooted in North America, but with branches all
over the world. It deals in all sorts of trade,
most notably personal defense and portable
energy sources.
It is so powerful, it even boasts its own private
military, which it uses to fiercely protect its
assets, and to guarantee the safety of its
employees.
Ganzorig Khan
East Asia is dominated by a single military
group: the Khans. The world is full of warlords,
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but none are quite like the Khans. They are
self-styled successors of the Mongolian
warlords of old, titling themselves as such to
declare their military prowess. They are known
for their brutally effective hit-and-run tactics,
ferocity, and strong nomadic culture.
One of the Khans stands above the rest:
Ganzorig Khan. He is the most ambitious and
successful of the Khans, and he has openly
declared his intentions to restore the
legendary Golden Hordes of Genghis Khan,
and take over all of Asia once again.
Queen Rhonwen of
Flowers
In what used to be northern Britain, exists a
growing collection of city-states, ruled by
Quenn Rhonwen of Flowers. Rhonwen started
as a petty ruler of a single city-state, but
changed when she was visited by a vision of
the Britain restored, to the days when it had
was a global superpower, ruling colonies all
over the world. Since then, she has united
everything in her reach, through peaceful
means or otherwise.
Many adore her as a benevolent leader,
though she is not above peace through
conquering, and there have been many
attempts on her life.
Other
Communities:
Not all people live in city states. Many other
forms of communities live as a town belonging
to a city-state, or as a separate entity entirely,
braving the wastes in its own ways.
Caravans
The downfall of agriculture caused a huge
number of people to adopt a nomadic lifestyle.
Following herds of beasts has become a
common, and acceptable method of making a
living. The people that do this are hardy, rough
folk, who know how to handle themselves in
the wild. The caravans they form are
composed of anywhere from a single family, to
several hundred people.
Windmill Islands
So named because of the many wind turbines
dotting them, windmill islands are small land
masses suspended by massive dirigibles and
complex machinery that have been adapted
for permanent life in the sky. The communities
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that live atop them are small, and often shun
outsiders that cannot prove their peaceful
intent.
The people that live on windmill islands do so
because it offers a better life than one on the
ground. Up in the air, everyday life is sheltered
from the vast majority of struggles and petty
wars on the firm earth below.
These islands are few in number because of
their technical complexity, though many have
seen them riding the wind, high in the sky.
They are often the subject of envy and fantasy
amongst ground dwellers.
Outposts:
Since any town that expects to stay alive is
armed, it’s more accurate to describe any
town by itself as an outpost than a town.
Being forced to live off the land means that it
is hard to sustain large communities in a single
location, so outposts usually don’t grow
beyond a few hundred, or maybe a few
thousand people.
Rail Towns:
The large volumes of
goods and people that go
through the Railways
have caused many towns
to sprout up alongside
them. These towns
typically live off rail
maintenance, and every
part of trade they can
manage.
The high volume of
transients that go through
the area tends to result in
a lot of theft, and adventurers are often hired
as guards or bouncers.
War Bands:
The wastelands are rough, tough, and will tear
apart anyone who lets their soft side show
though. These people are not those people.
These groups are most commonly nomadic,
and live off hunting, some gathering, and a lot
of raiding. Energy and fuel are some of the
cheapest things to harvest, and these people
use it to power all sorts of armour-plated, gun-
laden vehicles.
War bands are varied in their firepower and
standards of living, though most are rather
poor, and use whatever guns they can get
their hands on. Their people typically have a
“live fast, die hard” philosophy.
Lone Wolves:
There are people who have found an odd
peace in the solitude of the wastes. While few
in number, it is common to
hear of particularly tough
wastelanders who have chosen
to carve out a living by
themselves.
Sea Isles:
When the first bombs of the
apocalypse rained from the
skies, some people decided to
live on the high seas to avoid
any ties to nations, and to
make themselves as small of a
target as possible. The people
that live on artificial islands are
the descendants of those
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people, and sailors who fell in love with the
idea of always being at sea.
These islands are varied, numerous, and small
in both population and land mass. Most
islands have been greatly changed since the
modern day due to risen sea levels altering
coastal landscapes.
Transportation:
The danger of the unclaimed wastelands
created a huge demand for all kinds of ways to
get from place to place. Below are some of the
more common ways that people get around.
The Railways
The Railways are the single most important
form of transportation in the world.
Long, boundless railways connect the world,
traversing land and sea alike. It is possible to
circle the world using nothing but the trains
that run along them. These railways were
created long before the apocalypse, and are
used by nuclear-powered, magnetically
propelled trains. These trains travel at varying
speeds, from 40mph for short-range
transportation, all the way up to almost
350mph for intercontinental trains. The
majority of trains are on the low end of the
spectrum, as it is gets to be very expensive to
build and maintain the fastest trains.
These trains carry all sorts of things. Food,
water, medicine, people, cattle, and anything
else that someone would pay to transport is
fair game for these trains. They are a large
part of many wastelanders’ lives, and the
wastes would not function without them.
Naturally, their value often brings unwanted
attention.
The trains running along the Railways are
massive, often shadowing two-story buildings.
Large, metal plates are often bolted onto the
front of these trains so that they can ram
through anything that had the misfortune of
standing on a Railway at the wrong time.
Trains have a high need for adventurers,
especially adventurers who won’t be missed if
they die on the job. All major trains have at
least a full-time crew of fighters to protect
their cargo, and seasonal work brings in even
more.
Highways:
The Harvest Wars caused the very topography
of the earth to change, resulting in most
highways being obliterated. Lack of
governments meant lack of government
funding, and lack of anyone paying for
highways to be built. Most public
transportation takes place over the Railways
now. Their superior protection, short-term
cost, and ease of use makes them a much
more popular choice.
The few highways that have been built are
privately funded, and typically have exorbitant
toll fees extracted by armed guards associated
with them.
Most people have to trek directly across wild,
untamed territory, either because there aren’t
highways that go where they need to, or the
tolls extracted by highways are too high for an
individual to pay.
Personal Transportation
Trekking the wastes by foot is usually a poor
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decision. There are all manner of quick-footed
predators, raiders, and dangerous tracts of
land that make vehicles more than a
convenience. For those who make journeying
a part of their life, some form of personal
transportation is a vital necessity.
Hover bikes:
Hover technology was discovered post-war,
due to the high demand for all-terrain
transportation. These bikes are fast, with
standard models maxing out at over 120mph,
though their lack of friction makes them hard
to turn.
Hover bikes tend to be smaller than normal
bikes, since hovering heavier weights requires
more power.
Dune buggies:
Dune buggies are one of the most common
ways for people to traverse dangerous land.
They have a diverse range of qualities, such as
protective metal exteriors, maneuverability,
affordability, easy maintenance, and how easy
it is to strap guns to the exterior are all traits
that are appreciated by travelers everywhere.
Motor bikes:
For those who enjoy the thrill of fast, raw
movement, gas-powered motorcycles are the
way to go. Many bikes have all-terrain
capabilities, though some are only outfitted
for highway use.
Animals:
Horses are not the only animals to be ridden
by humans. Thousand-Year Tortoises, Giga
Bison, Pack Pigs, Horned Raptors, and Carrier
Wolves are just a few of the pack animals that
are used in the 2800s.
Animals are harder to maintain than machines,
but they only require food and care, and are
popular among farming and nomadic
communities.
Sun Boards:
Sun boards use a combination of advanced
solar technology, hovering, and fearlessness to
propel their riders through the air.
Sun boards have golden sails on their sides.
The sails provide stability, and absorb sunlight.
In flight, the sails glow with solar energy, and
almost resemble wings as they glide through
the sky.
Space
The art of space travel was developed before
the war, and many people were able to flee
before Earth became desolate. However,
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terra-forming is still very expensive, difficult,
and dangerous. Even for those who away from
Earth, life is still rough.
Space travel is expensive, and few possess the
means necessary to travel from planet to
planet. The few who do are usually incredibly
rich, powerful, and ruthless, or working for
someone incredibly rich, powerful, and
ruthless.
Even the wealthiest explorers of space are
unable to travel outside of our solar system.
Most colonies are on Mars, due to it being the
first planet to be colonized. The moon came
soon after, and grew to be an immensely
popular vacation spot before the Harvest Wars
shut down private space travel.
The Land
Wasteland Adventures takes place on Earth, or
one of the worlds once colonized by Earth.
Either way, the world you play on is likely to
dirty, dangerous, and hard to live in. The world
isn’t all desert though, and is quite varied in
how it has changed since the apocalypse.
Due to the variances in changes caused by
radiation, exactly how a specific stretch of land
has changed is up to the DM. As a rule of
thumb, natural regions should resemble what
they looked like before the apocalypse, but
considerably more dangerous.
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Building a
Character:
The world of Wasteland Adventures is
inhabited by all sorts of people. When playing
this game, you will be playing as an
adventurer, someone who makes a living by
exploring the world, fighting deadly creatures,
hunting for rare artifacts, and of course, going
on adventures.
Adventurers are some of the most powerful,
influential, and willful people in the
wastelands. When you first create your
adventurer, you will be about as physically
powerful as a well-trained guard. As your level
increases, you will become vastly more
powerful. A fully-levelled character is capable
of fighting enormous monsters on their own,
has the influence of a powerful leader, and
might even be considered a legendary figure
because of their heroic exploits.
1. Choose a Calling
The first thing you will want to do is think
about what kind of adventurer you want to be.
A calling is likely the biggest part of your
character. It is a key part of how your
character approaches combat, life, and the
world as a whole.
Whatever your character does, you will want
to find a calling that describes them well in the
“Callings” chapter.
As you choose your calling, make sure to mark
down your character’s skills on your character
sheet. These skills are listed in the description
of each calling.
Example Character Creation: Kale
Example player Chip is making a character for
Wasteland Adventures. While thinking about
what kind of character he wants to play as, he
keeps in mind that his character is likely to die
violently, and plans accordingly. However, he
wants his character to endure as much
damage as possible before inevitably hitting
the ground. Chip names his character Kale,
and decides that he will be a Guardian, the
most durable of the callings.
2. Choose equipment
Before you go adventuring into the wasteland,
you need to get some supplies to keep
yourself alive and swinging.
The equipment your character carries is
mostly determined by their calling. Near the
beginning of each class description is an
“equipment” section that describes what kind
of equipment you start with, as well as how
much money your character starts with. As
you begin choosing what kinds of items your
character carries with them in the wasteland,
you should be aware of what kinds of items
are more or less beneficial for your character’s
calling.
If you just want to start playing as soon as
possible, then don’t worry about equipment
too much. The equipment that each class
starts with is sufficient to keep them alive in
the wasteland.
Example Character Creation: Kale
Kale is going to be geared for combat as he
heads into the wasteland. Every time Chip can,
he looks up items in the “Items and
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Equipment” section, and chooses the items
that he thinks are the most powerful. Then, he
uses some of his money to buy Kale an extra
four grenades.
3. Determine Character
Statistics
Characters have four character statistics, or
“stats” for short. These abilities are
determined when you first make your
character, and they will be used for the rest of
your character’s lifetime. Occasionally, you will
be able to enhance your stats from
adventuring.
Strength (STR): Measures: Raw physical strength, and toughness. Good For: Melee fighting, staying alive Finesse (FIN): Measures: Deftness and accuracy of movement. Good For: Sharpshooting, dodging Acuity (ACU): Measures: Ability to think, analyze, and keep your wits about you. Good For: Spotting traps, investigation, resisting fear Social (SOC): Measures: Force and likability of personality. Good For: Persuasion, intimidation, animal handling
When you first make your character, you
determine your stats by rolling dice. This is
done by:
1. Rolling 3d4, adding the top two rolls
together, then subtracting 2. Redo this if
your ending number is a 0 or a 1. Write
this number down, it will be one of your
character stats. Do this a total of four
times to get a score for each of your stats.
2. Put the numbers you wrote down into
your character’s stat blocks on your
character sheet in whatever order you
want.
Example Character Creation: Kale
Chip rolls the dice to determine Kale’s stats,
ending up with: 2, 3, 4, and 6. Since Chip
wants Kale to be tough, he puts his highest
stat into Kale’s Strength. Kale is smart too, so
his Acuity takes his second highest stat. Chip
figures that Guardians need more Social than
Finesse, so he puts his 3 into Social, and his 2
into Finesse.
4. Choose Skills
Your character will need to be good at a few
things if they want to survive in the world. In
each calling’s description is a list of skills that
your character starts off with. These skills are
a reflection of what your character excels at.
The level of each skill is equal to the ranks you
put into it, added to the stat adjacent to it. As
you mark your skills down, remember to add
the adjacent stats to your skills. As you level
up, you will occasionally see something like:
Skill Increase (2)
In your Calling’s levelling table. The above
example means that you can put distribute 2
ranks into your skills however you wish. There
is no maximum to how many skill points you
can put into a single skill.
Example Character Creation: Kale
Chip looks up the skills for guardians in the
guardians section. He writes down the +1
Intimidation, and -1 Stealth on his sheet. He
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notices the +1 Any that guardians get, and
decides to put it into Intimidation, so that Kale
will be exceptionally good at staring down his
foes.
5. Choose Talents
Adventurers in the wasteland have unique,
highly developed abilities and skills. They are
defining traits that reflect an adventurer’s
background and approach to the world. They
are called “Talents”.
Each Calling starts with a single Talent at level
one, and gradually earns more as they level
up. Choose one now from the Talents section
of the rulebook.
Example Character Creation: Kale
Kale is a character that doesn’t go down
without a fight. Chip decides that the Tough as
Nails Talent describes Kale well, so he picks it
as Kale’s starting Talent.
6. Choose a race
The world of Wasteland Adventures is
inhabited by much more than just the humans
of Earth. Now, there are mutants, aliens, and
more walking the earth as well.
Look through the “Race” chapter, and choose
what your character’s species is.
Example Character Creation: Kale
While thinking about what kind of Guardian
Kale will be, Chip images Kale as calculating,
precise, and thoroughly unafraid of anything.
He finds that Droids fit that description well,
and Kale becomes a Droid Guardian.
7. Health & Defense
After you chosen your calling and race, it is
time to determine your character’s Health
Points (HP). Your character’s Health Points are
a measure of how much damage they can take
before they die.
The Health Points you start with is:
Strength + Starting Health Calling Bonus
The calling bonuses are:
Calling Starting Health
Bonus
Gunslinger: 13 + 2d6 Guardian: 21 + 2d6 Hidden: 10 + 2d6 Ronin: 17 + 2d6
Now, it is time to determine your character’s
Defense. While HP is how much punishment
your character can take before going down,
Defense is how good your character is at
avoiding that damage.
Your character’s Defense is determined by
their armour and Finesse. Certain armour
types allow your character to . Your
character’s Defense does not increase each
level like your health does.
You should record your Defense on your
character sheet.
Example Character Creation: Kale
Chip determines Kale’s maximum HP by
adding Kale’s Strength (6) and the Guardian’s
Calling Bonus (10). Chip records the total (16)
on his character sheet.
Chip determines Kale’s Defense by adding
Kale’s Finesse (4) and Armour (10) together.
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He records the total (14) on his character
sheet.
Fleshing Out Your
Character
Much of the fun of playing tabletop role-
playing games is getting to be a character in a
fantasy setting. If you haven’t already done so,
you should try to fill in your character’s
backstory, and think about what makes them
tick. Roleplaying exceptionally well can give
you “luck” points, which lets your character
become more effective in their endeavors.
Luck is detailed in the Combat & Other Rules
chapter, in the Socializing section.
In addition, you should try to fill in whatever
sections of your character sheet that are still
blank, if any.
Levelling Up:
After each combat encounter, characters gain
experience, or XP for short. The amount of XP
characters gain is proportional to the difficulty
of their encounter.
Encounter
Difficulty XP Gained
Trivial: 0 Easy: 1 Evenly Matched: 2 Against Superior Odds: 3 Nigh Impossible. Player Characters Probably Died:
4
After gaining enough XP, characters grow
stronger in a process known as levelling up.
Characters level up at the following amounts
of total XP:
Level Total XP
Level 1: 0 Level 2: 9
Level 3: 18 Level 4: 27 Level 5: 36 Level 6: 45 Level 7: 54 Level 8: 63 Level 9: 72
Level 10: 81 Level 11: 90 Level 12: 99
When characters level up, they gain HP equal
to:
Strength + Health per Level Calling Bonus
Calling Health Per lvl Bonus
Gunslinger: 1d6 Guardian: 1d12 Hidden: 1d4 Ronin: 1d8
In addition, classes gain stats, skills or unique
abilities at certain levels. When you gain new
abilities, add them to your character sheet’s
“Weapons & Abilities” section. When you gain
stats or skills, permanently add the amount
specified to any stats/skills you wish.
Eventually, your character may reach their
maximum level, and have no need for further
XP gains. These characters have reached their
pinnacle, and can only become more powerful
by acquiring stronger equipment.
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Callings
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Guardian
As a Guardian, you are a massive and inspiring
presence on the battlefield. Halfway-fused
with a mechanical suit of powered armour,
your strength and size are a cut above the
rest.
The First Guardians
When the bombs of the Harvest Wars began
to rain from the skies, and fire covered the
land, people sought power to overcome their
foes. One of many answers was the Guardians.
The concept was simple: manufacture the
strongest soldiers in the world. To do this,
nations would take their best soldiers, and
build war machines into their very bodies.
Some say soldiers sold their souls when they
became Guardians. Soul or not, they gave
everything for their cause.
Successors in Name
The Guardians of today are successors to the
Guardians of old. Without the strength of
governments to back them, modern Guardians
are smaller and technologically weaker than
the first Guardians. Where Guardians used to
tower at 8’, modern Guardians barely crest 7’.
Few have the resources or conviction to fully
fuse with a Power Suit, and many suits are
fully removable from the wearer. The Harvest
Wars are long over, and Guardians no longer
have countries to protect. Now, the Power
Suits are used more commonly for defense in
particularly dangerous locations, and
mercenary work.
The Guardian
Level Features Gained
1 Power Suit, Talent
2 Skill Increase (2)
3 Rocket Boost, Resilience
4 Extra Attack, Skill Increase (2)
5 Talent, Skill Increase (1)
6 Magnet Pull, Indomitable
7 Raise All Stats by 1
8 Talent, Stat Increase (1)
9 Titan’s Grip
10 Extra Attack, Skill Increase (1)
11 Juggernaut, Talent
12 Stat Increase (1), Skill Increase (2)
Movement: 20ft per round
Starting Health Bonus: 21 + 2d6
Health Per lvl Bonus: 1d12
Starting Skill Points: +1 Intimidation, -1
Stealth, +1 Any
Starting Equipment:
(a) Oversized Weapon or (b) Two Midsized
Weapons
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(a) Any midsized weapon or (b) any two
small weapons
Power Suit
Adventurer’s Pack
(a) 12 gold or (b) 2d6 + 5 gold
Making a Guardian:
It is recommended that you put your highest
stat into Strength, so your Guardian can be as
hardy as possible. The other stats should be
allocated however you feel best suits your
character.
Guardians usually serve as the “tank” of the
group, and are suited to protecting their
teammates.
When making a Guardian, you should think
about why your character has a Power Suit.
Power Suits are usually built into their
wearers, and are never removable. This
decision was important to them, and it should
be a piece of your character’s backstory that
you know.
Power Suit:
As a Guardian, you are one of a unique few
people who use highly advanced, mechanical
exoskeletons colloquially referred to as Power
Suits. Power Suits are more than just worn,
they are actually built into their users. These
suits are the defining characteristic of
Guardians, and should play an important role
in your character. At first level, they confer the
following bonuses:
You can choose one Oversized Weapon
that is built into your suit, or two Midsized
Weapons. These weapons cannot be
disarmed.
Your armour is a Power Suit (mentioned in
Items and Equipment chapter). It gives
your +12 Defense.
Rocket Boost:
Once per combat, you may leap 20ft at the
end of your normal movement. Upon landing,
you sunder the ground around you. All units
orthogonally and diagonally adjacent to you,
both friend and foe, must pass a Finesse check
with difficulty equal to your Strength, or they
take 1d6 + Strength damage.
Resilience:
You have become unbelievably resilient, and it
takes a lot just to put a dent in your armor,
much less keep you down.
Reduce all damage taken by 3. Damage
cannot be reduced below 0.
Magnet Pull:
A Guardian protects their allies with their lives,
and is fully equipped to do so.
You may redirect any ranged attack that
passes within 5ft. of you to yourself. Doing
this takes your Bonus Action.
Indomitable:
It is said that Guardians can shrug off even
mortal wounds.
When your health hits 0, instead of being
knocked out, you may recover health equal to:
2d6 + Strength. You may do this once per day.
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Titan’s Grip:
Fully powered Guardian suits are a terrifying
sight on the battlefield.
You may build another oversized weapon
into your power suit. Your built-in
weapons can be dual wielded without the
normal dual wielding penalty.
Juggernaut:
You are nigh unstoppable. The amount of
punishment that you can take makes you
tougher than a monster several times your
size.
If you are at less than half health when you
take damage, halve that damage.
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Hidden
Hidden are masters of the shadows. They are
known to appear and disappear at will, and
are often surrounded by a thick cloud of
superstition. Some use this for good, and are
detectives or informants. Others are
professional thieves, or hired assassins.
Out of Sight, Out of Mind
Hidden may have a talent for staying out of
sight, but that talent was often developed out
of little more than necessity. Hidden are used
to fear, and count on it to get them through
each night alive. Whatever their reason for
being able to disappear like a puff of smoke, it
is sure to be a key part of their backstory.
The Hidden
Level Features Gained
1 Cloak of Shadows, Talent
2 Skill Increase (2)
3 Fear, Ambush
4 Extra Attack, Skill Increase (2)
5 Talent, Skill Increase (2)
6 Cripple, Blurred Movement
7 Extra Attack, Raise All Stats by 1
8 Talent, Skill Increase (3)
9 Inspire Fear
10 Extra Attack, Skill Increase (1)
11 Shadow Teleport, Talent
12 Stat Increase (1), Skill Increase (3)
Movement: 35ft per round
Starting Health Bonus: 10 + 2d6
Health Per lvl Bonus: 1d4
Starting Skill Points: +2 Stealth, +1 Perception,
+1 Survival, +2 Any
Starting Equipment:
(a) Grenade Subscription or (b) Crossbow
(a) Utility Belt
(a) Shock Knife
(a) Leather Armour or (b) Kevlar Vest
(a) 15 gold or (b) 2d6 + 8 gold
Making a Hidden:
When making a Hidden, you should put your
highest stat into Finesse, so that you can stay
hidden as easily as possible.
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Hidden excel at doing things with subtlety, and
you should take this into account when
deciding whether or not to make a Hidden.
Hidden usually have dark backstories. For
some reason or another, they decided that
being in the dark was the life for them, and
you should take this into account when
making your Hidden’s backstory.
Cloak of Shadows:
In your possession is a Cloak of Shadows. This
cloak is a blend of fabric, technology, and
superstition.
During combat, you may use your Cloak of
Shadows to don your cloak, and turn
partially invisible. The effect lasts until an
opponent successfully attacks you, you
attempt an attack, or you choose to end
the effect. While invisible, opponents have
disadvantage while attacking you.
You have advantage on all FIN (Stealth)
checks while cloaked.
Donning your cloak takes your full
standard action.
Fear:
Fear is an everyday part of a Hidden’s life.
Whether experiencing or dealing it, fear is
never far from a Hidden’s mind. It is no longer
something that controls them, it is a sense of
impending danger that keeps them alive.
Whenever a critical hit is scored against
you, make a FIN check with DR equal to:
opponent’s FIN + opponent’s level.
Successfully making this check prevents
the critical, although you still take normal
damage.
You have advantage when resisting an
Intimidation check.
Ambush:
Hidden are adept in the art of attacking from
the shadows.
Whenever you successfully attack
someone that cannot sense you, you
automatically score a critical hit.
Cripple
Hidden can strike at a foe’s vital points with
skill and accuracy.
Using this ability cripples an opponent until
they rest. Crippled opponents have
disadvantage on all accuracy rolls, OR have
halved movement. In order to inflict both
conditions, you must use this ability twice.
Using this ability replaces one attack, and
deals no damage.
Blurred Movement
If an experienced Hidden wants to disappear,
he will do so, even if you’re looking directly at
him.
Permanently add +2 to your Defense. This
bonus is a part of you, and persists no
matter what, even if you are not wearing
any armour.
If you do not make any attacks during your
turn, you may increase your Defense
bonus to +4.
Inspire Fear:
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The shadows in a Hidden’s eyes veil the terrors
that lie beneath.
When successfully attacking an opponent
that cannot sense you, your opponent
must make an ACU (Perception) check
contested against your SOC (Intimidation).
If they fail, they are frightened for one turn
(use the “Stun” status effect described in
Status Effects).
In addition, permanently gain +1 to your
Intimidation skill.
Shadow Step
Hidden can appear and disappear at will.
Exactly how they do it is a secret.
If you start your turn cloaked, you may use
your movement action to teleport up to
your movement speed into any shadow or
dark area.
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Gunslinger
Gunslingers are exceptional marksmen, and
masters of the gun. While anyone can pick up
a gun and fire it, Gunslingers make the simple
act of firing a gun into a skilled art.
Wasteland Cowboy
Gunslingers are the manifestation of the
western cowboy. Strong, independent, and
resourceful, a true Gunslinger is someone who
is capable of surviving in the harsh wastelands
with nothing but their gun. Gunslingers are
quite capable in the wastelands, and for many,
it is where they grew up. If they had not
developed their skills as a Gunslinger, they
would not have made it to where they are
today.
While Gunslingers don’t actually herd cows,
many have their roots planted firmly in the
fields where cattle are raised. Whether it was
working as a hired hand, protecting herds of
cattle when needed, or tracking valuable
animals across miles of irradiated super-
forests, Gunslingers have a knack for getting
on animals’ good sides.
The Gunslinger
Level Features Gained
1 Eagle Eye, Talent
2 Skill Increase (2)
3 Quick Draw, Extra Attack
4 Stand Your Ground, Crack Shot
5 Talent, Skill Increase (1)
6 Extra Attack, Skill Increase (1)
7 Raise All Stats by 1
8 Talent, Skill Increase (1)
9 Bullet Hell, Extra Attack
10 Trigger Fingers, Skill Increase (1)
11 Extra Attack, Talent
12 Stat Increase (1), Skill Increase (2)
Movement: 30ft per round
Starting Health Bonus: 13 + 2d6
Health Per lvl Bonus: 1d6
Starting Skill Points: +1 Survival, +1 Animal
Handling, +1 Any
Starting Equipment:
(a) Carbine or (b) any midsized weapon
(a) 2 magnums or (b) any 2 small weapons
(a) Leather armour or (b) Kevlar vest
(a) Adventurer’s pack
(a) 10 gold or (b) 2d6 + 3 gold
Making a Gunslinger:
When making a Gunslinger, you should put
your highest stat into Finesse, so that you can
shoot your foes as accurately as possible.
Gunslingers excel at dealing ranged damage,
and usually take the role of “ranged damage-
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dealer.”
When considering your Gunslinger’s backstory,
you should consider why they first picked up a
gun, and what made them decide to take up
the Gunslinger lifestyle.
Eagle Eye:
Gunslingers are the best shots in all of the
wastelands.
You permanently have a +1 bonus on all
ranged accuracy rolls.
Additionally, you can measure the distance
between yourself and any visual target
within 1800ft, accurate to within 5% of the
distance between you and your target.
Quick Draw:
It is nigh impossible to get the drop on a
seasoned Gunslinger.
Whenever you are surprise attacked, you
can make a standard action during the
surprise round according to your initiative.
Additionally, you permanently gain a +1
bonus to all initiative rolls.
Crack Shot:
None can hit a target like a gunslinger.
Once per combat, you may reroll any
accuracy roll, and use the higher value.
Stand Your Ground:
A good Gunslinger doesn’t back down often. A
good Gunslinger doesn’t need to.
For one turn, double the amount of attacks
you make.
You cannot move on the turn you use this
ability.
You may use this ability once per day.
Lightning Draw:
A Gunslinger’s deftness is unparalleled.
Your bonus to initiative increases to +3.
You permanently gain +1 Finesse.
Bullet Hell:
A fully realized gunslinger can make it seem
like the air itself if made of bullets.
Once per day, you may fire at every target
you can see in a single round.
Trigger Fingers:
You have mastered the art of pumping lead
into your foes.
Whenever you score a critical hit on an
opponent, you may make an additional
attack against them for free. This only
applies to ranged weapons.
9 | P a g e
Ronin
Blazing into combat with their Glow Swords
drawn, Ronin embody a fusion between feudal
swordsmanship, advanced weapons
technology, and a post-apocalyptic sense of
fearlessness.
As their name suggests, Ronin are spiritual
successors to the feudal samurai who
wandered without master. Just like their
feudal equivalent, wasteland Ronin are
confident, masters of the sword, and more
likely poor than not.
Swords in a Gun Fight
A Ronin’s most valuable possession is their
glow sword, and for good reason. Glow swords
are a rare technology, invented as anti-war-
machine weapons, meant to give lone
individuals the capacity to combat tanks, and
other armored vehicles.
These weapons resemble normal swords in
form, and function by generating, containing,
and focusing plasma along their blades. They
are inert when sheathed, and appear calm to
the naked eye. It is when they are drawn that
their calm gives way to wild turbulence. They
glow, flash, and spark when swung, and erupt
in fiery plasma when cutting through an
enemy.
In the modern day, glow sword production is
virtually non-existent. Factories for specialized
weaponry are too expensive to maintain, and
the majority of glow swords are handed down
to successors, or taken as spoils of victory. 3D
printing takes care of most material needs, but
glow swords need specialized, skilled
mechanics to maintain. However a Ronin got
their sword, and however they keep it intact,
you can be sure that it is an important part of
a Ronin’s backstory.
The Ronin
Level Features Gained
1 Way of the Sword, Talent
2 Skill Increase (2)
3 Sword Sense, Fearless Charge
4 Extra Attack, Skill Increase (2)
5 Talent, Skill Increase (1)
6 War Cry, Crescent Slice
7 Extra Attack, Raise All Stats by 1
8 Talent , Stat Increase (1)
9 Bane Blade, Fearless Charge
10 Extra Attack, Skill Increase (1)
11 Masterful Sword Sense, Talent
12 Stat Increase (1), Skill Increase (2)
Movement: 40ft per round
Starting Health Bonus: 17 + 2d6
Health Per lvl Bonus: 1d8
Starting Skill Points: +1 Athletics, +1
Perception, +1 Any
Starting Equipment:
(a) Glow sword
(a) Any small weapon or (b) 2 grenades of
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any kind
(a) Air steel half-armour or (b) Kevlar vest
(a) Adventurer’s pack
(a) 7 gold or (b) 2d6 gold
Making a Ronin:
When making a Ronin, you should put your
highest stat into Strength, so that you can cut
down your foes as quickly as possible.
Ronin excel at bringing the fight to their
opponent, and dealing damage in close-
quarters combat.
When making your Ronin’s backstory, you
should consider their training. Not just anyone
who wields a sword is a Ronin: only the best
swordsman are legitimate Ronin. Whether
your Ronin learned swordsmanship from their
sword’s previous owner, from a military
academy, or through years of self-taught
training, your Ronin likely spent a long portion
of their life learning the way of the sword.
Way of the Sword:
Ronin are impeccable masters of the sword.
Ronin get a +1 bonus both when attacking,
and when damaging with a melee weapon.
Sword Sense:
A Ronin that has seen many battles and lived
begins to develop an uncanny instinct,
bordering on a sixth sense.
If you have not attacked anyone this
round, you may use your bonus action to
take a FIN check to deflect an attack made
against you. The difficulty rating is equal to
the attacker’s level + attacker’s FIN.
You permanently gain +1 to perception.
Reckless Charge:
A Ronin charging into battle is both fearless
and frightening.
You may use this ability once per combat.
Double your movement speed for the
duration of your turn.
War Cry:
The forceful shout of a Ronin inspires bravery
in allies, and fear in enemies.
You may use this ability once per day.
All allies that can hear you (including you)
have advantage on their next attack.
All enemies that can hear you must pass an
ACU (Perception) check or have
disadvantage on their next attack. The DR
is equal to your SOC (Intimidation).
Crescent Slice:
Veterans of taking on multiple opponents,
Ronin are adept at fighting against superior
numbers.
Once per combat, you may strike every
opponent within a 5ft. radius of you.
This replaces one attack you make.
Use the same accuracy roll for all
opponents.
Bane Blade:
Ronin that have reached their pinnacle can
cleave their opponents in twain.
Once per combat, you may change a
successful attack into a critical hit.
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Fearless Charge:
To see a Ronin charging at you is to see death.
Killing an opponent lets you use Reckless
Charge on your next turn.
The first attack you make on the same turn
you use Reckless Charge deals +2 bonus
damage.
Masterful Sword Sense:
A master Ronin’s instincts are virtually
indistinguishable from a sixth sense.
Your perception bonus increases to +2.
You may use Sword Sense even if you have
attacked someone this round.
The “Blind” status effect does not affect
you.
12 | P a g e
Races
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Droids
Droids are extraordinary feats of mechanical
engineering. Artificial constructs capable of
not only human-like intelligence, but
sentience, and personality.
Made to Serve
The first fully intelligent, sentient droids were
made as medical care assistants, meant to
replace human medics in war-torn or
irradiated areas. The technology quickly
expanded to encompass mechanical
construction workers, fire-resistant fire
fighters, and solar-powered robots
maintaining space stations.
Their peaceful purpose was not to last. As
soon as the first medical droids were
successfully deployed, construction of soldier
droids began.
Traits
Languages: Droids have the software
necessary to understand whatever languages
were spoken from wherever they came from.
Aging: Droids are constructed fully grown, and
fully adult. Few will mature or change
dramatically over the course of their lifetime.
They can live as long as they can maintain
themselves. Sometimes, this is a few years,
sometimes it is a few centuries.
Size: The average droid is roughly human-
sized, and human-proportioned. However,
droids can be constructed in any form, so their
size can vary widely. Ask your DM, and consult
the “Size” rules in the “Combat and Other
Rules” section of the rulebook if you want to
play a droid that isn’t medium-sized.
It’s Good to be a Droid
Droids have a few special traits.
Mechanical Precision: Droids start with a +1
bonus to Finesse.
Battery Powered: Droids have no need for
food, water, or sleep. They have a variety of
power sources that replace these, such as
solar panels, mini nuclear reactors, or
batteries.
Night Vision: Building night vision into droids
is very cheap. All droids can see in the dark as
they do in the light.
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Humans
Humans may have been beaten and bruised by
the apocalypse, but they’re far from broken.
The humans that have stuck around are tough,
hardy, and don’t go down without a fight.
Wasteland Kings
Though other races may have a physical edge
on humans, humans are still the most
prevalent and populous species. Close to 70%
of all sentient beings are some kind of human,
and human civilizations are typically the most
successful.
The different species intermingle to different
extents. Droids and humans live together quite
commonly, and crow are known to enjoy life in
human cities. Mantis are the exception, as
they are solitary by nature, and most wander
nomadically, and often by themselves. When
they are with others, they are often bound
together as adventurers.
Traits
Languages: English, Cantonese
Aging: Humans can live to about 75. Some
hang on longer, but few do successfully.
Size: It’s harder to eat properly in the
wastelands, so people are a little bit shorter
now. Men average 5’7”, women 5’4”.
The Human Spirit
Social Creatures: Humans are naturally good
at forming groups, and functioning within
them. All humans start with +1 to Social.
Caretakers: Humans are good at taking care of
living things. Humans start with +1 to their
Animal Handling.
Versatile: Humans start with an extra talent at
first level.
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Crows
Crows are the descendants of humans who
mutated, and took on the appearance of half-
person, half-crow creatures. Eventually, the
mutations stabilized, and they became an
entirely new species of humanoid.
Crows in the modern world are rare, but
quickly gaining in number. Their populations
are concentrated in Asia, and they have a
habit of living in high places whenever they
can.
Half-Human, Half-Bird
They look like their namesake bird standing in
human form, with black feathers covering all
but their hands and feet. Their hands are more
human than crow, though they have talons in
the place of nails. Their feet are much more
bird-like, with three large toes going forward,
and one more going back. The talons on their
toes are large and strong, and often used
when standing in precarious positions, as
crows are wont to do. Their beaks are varied in
color, shape, and size. Some are yellow or red,
though most are black or gray. Their shape is
usually straight and pyramid-shaped, though
some are hooked, like a raptor’s.
What were originally arms are no longer just
arms, though they are not full wings either.
Crow wings are not big enough to allow them
to take flight, but they are enough to give
them a certain grace in the air.
Traits
Languages: English or Cantonese
Aging: Crows have shorter lifespans than
normal humans. They reach maturity at
sixteen, and can live to a bit over fifty.
However, they remain in their prime much
longer than normal humans.
Size: Coming in at 5’4” for both the average
male and female, crows are a bit shorter than
humans.
Bird Benefits
Crows have a few special traits.
Airborne: Crows can jump eight times the
height and length of humans (roughly 16ft up,
120ft far), and maneuver in the air. In
addition, they cannot take fall damage.
Talons: When making an unarmed attack,
crows may add 1d4 to their damage.
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Mantis
Often referred to as “clickers” because of the
sounds they make when talking to members of
their own, mantis resemble six-foot tall
praying mantises. Fierce, confident, and never
prone to backing down, mantis are some of
the most powerful adventurers out there.
Heart of the Jungle
Humans, Crows, and Droids all know where
the others came from. Mantis however, are an
enigma. The first recorded case of a human-
Mantis encounter was by Dr. Archibald III, an
explorer and world-traveler documenting the
mutations of creatures in the jungle. He was in
for the discovery of his life when he was
approached by Krikkz, a Mantis who desired to
leave the jungle to find new prey. Krikkz
revealed to Archibald his species, and their
way of life inside the jungle. There, the Mantis
thrived, constantly enveloped in the thrill of
hunting and being hunted. Archibald found
this new species both frightening and
magnificent, and convinced Krikkz to work
with him to develop the Mantis life, and
introduce them to the world.
That was less than a century ago, and the
Mantis have since spread over the world. The
kinds of prey they can find outside is
numerous, and many of them enjoy living as
adventurers or mercenaries.
Heart of Darkness
Mantis are fierce and frightening.
They often face discrimination
because of their monstrous
appearance. They tend to take
discrimination in stride, as they
are mostly solitary creatures, and
spend most of their time hunting
and fighting. Socializing is simply
not their first nature.
However, it does not take much
to goad a Mantis into a fight, and
they are known to brutally kill
anyone and anything they fight.
Furthermore, they enjoy devouring the heads
of prey immediately after a kill. Many have
developed a fear of Mantis after seeing one
publically execute and devour someone that
pushed it too far.
Traits
Languages: Mantis, plus one more language
Aging: Mantis are born from eggs, and reach
maturity around twelve years of age. Their
lifespans are limited to about thirty years.
Size: Coming in at 5’5” for both the average
male and female, Mantis are a bit shorter than
humans. Standing erect however, they easily
rise above six feet.
Mantis Style
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Mantis have a few special traits.
Inspire Fear: Mantis are adept at facing and
inspiring fear. They have a +1 bonus to
intimidation.
Natural Predator: The forearms of a mantis
have evolved with the purpose of catching and
killing prey. When they make unarmed
attacks, they may add 1d4 to their damage.
Tradition and Power: Some mantis will
integrate weapon implants into their
forearms, so that they may hunt larger and
more dangerous prey while practicing the
same techniques as their ancestors. If you
create a mantis character, you may choose to
imbue one or both of your mantis’s arms with
the weapon attributes of any melee weapon.
Mantis retain their full dexterity if they do so.
Exoskeleton: Mantis have a bonus of +1
Defense.
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Items and Equipment
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The Economy:
After end of world, currency went to gold
coins because of their universality. Carrying
gold coins around is ridiculous though, so a
universal online currency was generated,
similar to bitcoin in the 21st century. The
currency is referred to as “gold coins”, or “g”
for short. One virtual gold coin is equivalent to
one physical gold coin, and will buy a decent
meal at a pub or inn.
Some people prefer to carry physical gold or
silver with them, although the most popular
method is to purchase a “gold card” from a
globally secured bank, of which there are
several. Gold cards can be used to access
wealth stored in bank accounts, though a few
paranoid people will sometimes not accept
virtual gold as legitimate currency. These cards
are linked to a person’s DNA, and are
thoroughly impossible to hack.
Another common method of exchange is
barter. Barter is just as universal as gold, and is
used by many people low on cash.
Printing
In the 2800s, 3D printing is a fast and effective
way to obtain a wide variety of processed
goods. It is even more ubiquitous than 2D
printing, and so it is simply referred to as
“printing”. Many corporations own lines of
printer vending machines that they place at
Railway stops, small towns, and high traffic
areas in the wastelands.
Many goods can be easily purchased from
these machines. Printable items are marked as
such in the items table. The only weapons that
can be 3D printed are grenades.
2 | P a g e
Weapons Table:
Name Damage Accuracy
Bonus
Cost Range Size Other
Energy Weapons
Plasma Rifle 1d8 + ½ ACU* +1 50g 30/90 Mid
Plasma Pistol 1d6 + ½ ACU +1 40g 20/60 Small
Laser Pistol 1d4 + ½ ACU +2 35g 25/75 Small
Laser Rifle 1d6 + ½ ACU +2 60g 45/90 Mid
Flamer 2d6 + ½ ACU +3 350g 30/45 Oversized Burn
Tesla Rifle 1d12 + ½ ACU +0 350g 30/60 Oversized
Explosives
Grenade
Subscription**
-- -- 10g per
month
-- --
Impact Grenade 2d6 +0 1g 30/90 Small
Incendiary Grenade 1d8 +0 1g 20/40 Small Burn
Flash-Bang 1d4 +0 1g 20/40 Small Blind, Stun
C4 2d6 +0 2g 10/20 Small Remote
Bullet Weapons
Assault Rifle 1d8 + ½ FIN +1 45g 45/120 Mid
Carbine 1d6 + ½ FIN +2 40g 60/120 Mid
Magnum 1d6 + ½ FIN +0 30g 20/60 Small
Minigun 2d6 + ½ FIN +1 400g 30/120 Oversized
Shotgun 1d12 + ½ FIN +3 40g 15/45 Mid
Melee Weapons
Machete 1d6 + ½ STR +2 5g Melee Small
Glow Sword 2d6 + ½ STR +4 --*** Melee Mid
Shock Knife 1d10 + ½ FIN +3 35g Melee Small Stun
Rocket Hammer 1d12 + STR +0 75g Melee Oversized
Other
Improvised 1d4 + ½ STR +0 0g Melee --
Unarmed ½ STR +2 0g Melee --
Crossbow 1d8 + ½ FIN +3 30g 40/90 Mid
*All values round down.
**Grenade subscriptions are a special item that allow for easy purchase of grenades. See “Grenade
Subscriptions” sub-section below.
***Glow Swords are semi-legendary artifacts, and cannot be purchased through normal means.
3 | P a g e
Ammo
Ammo is not tracked in this game. It is always
assumed that characters have sufficient ammo
to fire their guns and that their guns are
loaded, unless story purposes require it, or
otherwise mentioned.
Grenade Subscriptions
A popular trend amongst weapon-dealing
vending machines(see “Printing”) is to allow a
monthly subscription of grenades. Users
simply purchase a subscription, and are
allowed a certain amount of grenades each
month. It works kind of like a cell-phone plan.
For gameplay purposes, you can just assume
that characters with a grenade subscription
have three grenades per combat, and that
they restock their supply each time they go by
a weapon-dealing vending machine.
Weapon List:
Plasma Rifle: Weaponized plasma was one of
the greatest military revolutions of the 2300s.
It was originally developed as a short-range
anti-armour weapon, though the ability to
melt targets proved an effective way to
demoralize opposing forces.
Plasma weapons are battery powered, and err
on the large side. Many of them are chrome,
and feature cooling apparatuses disguised as
ornamentation. Their need for large cooling
mechanisms make them weightier than
weapons that fire alternative projectiles, but
many collectors appreciate them for their
flashy looks.
Plasma Pistol: Plasma pistols were invented
post-war, as plasma technologies became
more refined and advances in nuclear
technology made people okay with holding
small nuclear reactors in their hands. Many
country folk appreciate them for their ability
to scare off dangerous animals with their
bright projectiles.
Laser Rifle: Portable laser weapons were
invented shortly after plasma weapons. The
advances in portable energy sources
developed for plasma worked equally well for
lasers.
Laser weapons tend to be sleek, black, and
made to look good. Their quick battery use
makes them a poor choice for extended forays
into the wastes, but many swear by their
ability to sustain pinpoint accuracy over long
ranges.
Laser Pistol: Laser pistols are less powerful
than their larger brethren, but their compact
designs and quiet noise makes them popular
for self-defense.
Flamer: Fire has been humanity’s close friend
and enemy for thousands of years, and a bit of
radiation did little to change that.
Flamers are large, bulky, and generate a lot of
heat. They are mostly used as mounted
weapons for vehicles. Portable flamers are
usually used to clear forests, or to incinerate
certain monsters that require that special
touch.
Many nomadic caravans make sure to have
flamers mounted on at least one of their
vehicles. Their sheer intimidation value is
enough to turn away all but the bravest
monsters and raiders.
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Tesla Rifle: Tesla Rifles were invented to strike
fear into the hearts of its enemies. Their large
form, esoteric design, and habit of making an
ominous humming noise whenever they are
turned on does well to accomplish this. When
fired, they hurl bolts of lightning at anything
they are turned towards. Their unpredictable
aim makes them hard to use, though users
tend to refer to this as a feature, and call it
“exciting”.
Though they were notoriously prone to
malfunctioning in early stages, they have
become much more reliable as they were
further developed for widespread use. Due to
their expense and large girth, they are usually
only used by large conglomerates, successfully
militant nomads, and often attacked city-
states.
Impact Grenade: Impact grenades are small,
thrown explosives that cause damage through
the immense amount of force and displaced
air they generate.
Flare Grenade: These grenades envelop an
area in flame for an awe-inspiring moment.
Flash-Bang: Non-lethal, thrown explosives that
temporarily cause blindness and deafness.
C4: High-quality, remote-detonated plastic
explosives. These things are highly stable, and
can even be lit on fire without exploding. Their
safety and reliability make them popular for
setting traps, or destroying large vehicles.
Hidden often use them as ambush weapons.
Carbine: Even with advances in plasma and
laser technology, bullets are still the most
popular way to kill something dead. Bullet
weapons are much cheaper and easier to
maintain than their energy-based
counterparts, and are therefore the preferred
projectile for anyone with a weapons budget.
This is less of an issue for adventurers, whose
lives and livelihoods depend on their ability to
kill things.
A carbine is a reliable, semi-automatic rifle.
Trusty and accurate, they are popular for self
and home defense everywhere.
Minigun: A minigun is a massive, terrifying
machine of death. It has multiple barrels to
distribute the heat generated from firing so
many bullets. If it did not, its own reckless
power would cause it to melt down.
Magnum: Slang term for any powerful
revolver, and even some pistols. These hand
cannons are used by people who enjoy feeling
the kick of a gun in their hands.
Shotgun: Shotguns are popular tools for
raiders and farmers alike. The wide spray of a
shotgun’s pellets do well to destroy property,
or give warning shots. They’re also well-liked
amongst adventurers, as the powerful “boom”
of a pump-action shotgun does well to steady
nerves while hunting giant monsters.
Glow Sword: These weapons resemble normal
swords in form, and function by generating,
containing, and focusing plasma along their
blades. They are inert when sheathed, and
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appear calm to the naked eye. It is when they
are drawn that their calm gives way to wild
turbulence. They glow, flash, and spark when
swung, and erupt in fiery plasma when cutting
through an enemy.
Glow swords are further detailed in the Ronin
calling description.
Shock Knife: Shock knives are named for the
electricity that they keep flowing between
their twin tips. They are a popular self-defense
weapon for their compactness, and ability to
non-lethally take down assailants. Of course,
stabbing an assailant while shocking them is
another way to use a shock knife. Certain
hunters like them for having the choice when
subduing animals.
Rocket Hammer: These hammers are massive,
extremely heavy weapons meant to stun large
monsters, and pulverize smaller ones. Often
used by Guardians, these hammers can only
be used by the exceptionally strong.
Weapon Ranges
Every weapon has a range. Most weapon
ranges are presented like this:
40/120
This weapon has an accurate range of 40ft,
and a maximum range of 120ft. Firing at
targets within a weapon’s accurate range incur
no special rules. Firing at a target beyond the
accurate range but within the max range
incurs a -2 accuracy penalty.
When counting squares for a weapon’s range,
count the squares as if the bullet moved
orthogonally or diagonally along squares.
Melee weapons can hit targets like so:
Improvised Weapons
When attacking with an object that is not
intended to be used as such, it can be referred
to as an improvised weapon. This can be a
rock, a rifle butt, or a piece of scrap metal
found lying around. The stats of an improvised
weapon are detailed at the bottom of the
weapons table below.
Grenades
Grenades are not aimed like other weapons.
Instead of being aimed directly at targets, they
are aimed at squares on the map. After being
thrown, they explode, and affect every target
within their radius. A grenade’s blast radius
looks like:
When throwing a grenade, the thrower makes
an accuracy roll. Targets affected by the
grenade must make a finesse check equal to
the thrower’s accuracy roll. Upon failing the
roll, the targets take full damage, and are
affected by any side effects of the grenade.
Upon succeeding, they take half damage
(rounded down), and are not affected by any
side effects.
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Special Weapon Rules
Some weapons have special properties,
marked in the “other” column of the weapons
table. Below are explanations of how they
work.
Burn: An item with the “Burn” trait has a
chance to ignite its target when used
successfully. Targets hit by a burn weapon roll
2d6. On a 7+, the target is lit on fire, and is
afflicted by the “On Fire” status. Targets on
fire can either take a full standard action to
put out the fire, or suffer 1d4 damage per
turn. Each turn while on fire, the target rolls
2d6. On a roll of 8+, the fire goes out.
Blind: An item with the blind attribute afflicts
targets with the “Blind” status for 1 turn.
Blinded targets have disadvantage on all
aiming rolls for the turn, and cannot use
weapon accuracy bonuses.
Remote: Remote weapons can be activated
remotely. The effective remote range is about
100ft.
Stun: Weapons with the “Stun” trait stun their
targets for 1 turn. Stunned targets cannot
move or perform the attack action during their
turn. In addition, all characters attacking a
stunned target have advantage.
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Armour
Together, armour and finesse decide a character’s Defense. Most armour types limit the amount of
Finesse that contributes to your character’s armour. Heavier armour generally offers better Defense,
but with a sharper bonus Finesse limit.
Armour
Name Defense
Value
Maximum
FIN Bonus
Cost Weight Traits
Unarmoured* 4 + FIN** 8 0g 0 lbs
Light Armour
Leather Armour 5 + FIN 7 3g 2 lbs
MAGNA Shields 8 + FIN 8 100g 3 lbs
Medium Armour
Kevlar Vest 6 + FIN 5 4g 5 lbs
Air Steel Half-Armour 8 + FIN 5 30g 10 lbs
Heavy Armour
Air Steel Full-Armour 11 + ½ FIN 3 60g 20 lbs -5ft of movement
per turn
Power Suit 13 + ½ FIN 2 *** 50-200 lbs Disadvantage on
stealth checks
*People are assumed to have a natural defense value of +4. Certain races have greater or less natural
armour.
**All values round down
***Power Suits are semi-legendary items, and cannot be purchased. They can be obtained and worn
only by Guardians.
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Armour List
Natural Armour: Sometimes, people just end
up in a combat situation without the right
preparations. If a character is unarmoured,
they are assumed to have an armour of +4.
Wild animals often have more or less natural
armour.
Leather Armour: Commonly worn by people
who can’t afford better armour, and people
who like looking good. Leather armour
encompasses trench coats, jackets, and other
clothing reinforced by leather for protection.
MAGNA Shields: Although MAGNA Corp. is no
longer the only company to manufacture
energy-field based dynamic shielding, their
ruthless and effective advertising has
engrained the term “MAGNA shields” as the
term used to describe energy shields.
These shields are worn as a set of small,
lightweight attachments, commonly clipped to
belts, shoulders, and wrist guards. Their small
form and ability to react to omnidirectional
attacks makes them popular among the rich
few that can afford them. Adventurers dream
of having such nice technology.
Kevlar Vest: A cheap and effective way to
protect the body from harm. Commonly
paired with Kevlar-reinforced hand guards,
boots, and the like. Since it’s easy to hide
under clothing, many like to wear it when
they wish to hide their readiness for
combat.
Air Steel Half-Armour: Air Steel is one of
the great inventions of the post-apocalypse.
Stronger than normal steel, and many times
lighter, it has allowed armour resembling
feudal steel armour to make its way back
into the lives of those who need it.
Half-armour takes many forms, as does full-
armour. Typical examples include chain mail
armour over leather, or a few plates
strategically placed over vital areas. Just
having a breastplate with gauntlets and steel
shin guards is a common use of air steel.
Air Steel Full-Armour: Full-armour is the
complete version of half-armour. It covers
more of the body, and usually has finer
craftsmanship to accommodate the extra
weight and material.
Some suits resemble make their wearers look
like the knights of feudal Europe, Vikings, or
even samurai.
Power Suit: The trademark armour of
guardians. Huge, imposing, and intimidating
enough to make lesser foes back down, these
can only be worn by trained guardians. Even if
an untrained individual managed to get their
hands on a power suit, they would only be
able to wrap the suit around themselves, not
wield it like a proper guardian. At minimum, a
power suit requires hardware to be installed in
a guardian’s atlas vertebra to allow full control
of the suits powered movements.
Power suits are the most powerful kind of
armour that an individual can wear.
9 | P a g e
Common Items
The items that exist in Wasteland Adventures are too numerous to list. Below is a list of common
items that you might need on an adventure, or are likely to encounter.
Common Items & Materials
Name Cost Weight Can 3D
Print?
Traits
Adventurer’s Pack 6g 12 lbs.
Bandolier 1g 1 lbs.
Bed Roll 1g ½ lbs.
Cell Phone 5-80g ¼ lbs.
Chain, air steel, 25ft 3g 1 lbs.
Clothing, Common 1g ½ lbs.
Clothing, Nice 1-20g ½ lbs.
Cooking Equipment 2g 2 lbs.
First Aid Kit 1g 1 lbs.
Fishing Equipment 2g 2 lbs.
Gun Maintenance Kit 3g 2 lbs
Flare ¼g ½ lbs. Single use
Flask 1g ½ lbs.
Map 3g 1
10 lbs.
Monster Bait ½g 1 lbs.
Pocket Knife 2g ¼ lbs.
Radiation Remover ¼g ¼ lbs. Single use
Rail Pass, 15 miles 1g 1
10 lbs. Single use
Rope, 25 ft. ½g
Scent Masker 2g ¼ lbs. Single use
Thermite Lighter 4g ¼ lbs.
Tool Kit 8g 3 lbs.
Utility Belt 3g 2 lbs.
Walkie-talkie 2g 1 lbs.
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Common Item List
Adventurer’s Pack: A backpack, rucksack, or
other easy to carry container. Contains the
essentials for adventuring: rations, a bed roll, a
sleeping bag, 25 ft. rope, a map, and a first aid
kit.
Bandolier: A shoulder-sling made to carry lots
of bullets, knives, and other small bits of
weaponry.
Bed Roll: A thick roll of foam, laid over the
ground to make it more comfortable. Used for
sleeping.
Cell Phone: Cell phones made it through the
apocalypse rather well. Just about everything
they did before the apocalypse, they do after
just as well. Exceptions are calling people, and
using the internet.
Cell phones now use both satellite, and short-
range radio to communicate. Since satellites
are spotty and expensive, most use the short-
range radio for everything but emergency
cases. They are mostly solar-powered, and
bullet-proofing is a common advertisement.
Chain, Air Steel: A strong chain used to hold
monsters, contain hostages, trip passerby, or
whatever else the user wants to use it for.
Clothing, Common: Cheap and durable
clothing worn by everyday people. Most
clothing is built to last, and waterproofing is a
common feature.
Clothing, Nice: Formal, or otherwise nice-
looking clothing used by well-to-do civilians.
Cooking Equipment: Bare minimum cooking
equipment used to prepare rations or raw
food in the middle of nowhere.
First Aid Kit: A convenient set of bandages,
gauze, painkillers, and an ice pack. Might
contain a common antidote or other
specialized equipment, although that makes
the kit cost an extra few gold.
Fishing Equipment: Fishing is a common way
to easily get food in the wastes. If you don’t
mind fighting the occasional swimming
monster, it’s a perfectly reasonable way to get
food. Some people swear by the technique of
hurling grenades into the water to get the fish
to just float to the top.
Flare: The wise adventurer knows when it’s
time to back out. Flares can be seen for miles
when fired. Also useful for scaring off certain
creatures.
Flask: The wastelands are a tough place. Thirst
and a poor mood are lousy things to have
when all you need is a trusty flask.
Gun Maintenance Kit: A proper gun needs
proper maintenance. Although real polishing
requires quite a fair bit of tools, a good gun
maintenance kit is enough to keep guns
working right in the field.
Map: While many can navigate by the sun and
stars, most prefer to have a map. Maps can
either be paper copies, or downloadable .pdf
files. They are often viewed on short-range,
solar-powered cell phones.
Monster Bait: Commonly used by hunters and
trackers to trap or distract monstrous
creatures. Works on most carnivorous
creatures. Needs to be wrapped well, or the
smell begins to attract unwanted creatures.
Pocket Knife: A versatile tool used for
anything and everything. Commonly has a
knife, saw, screwdriver, toothpick, pliers, and
other small tools.
Radiation Remover: Radiation is a part of
everyday life. Just about everyone has some
amount of radiation poisoning. It is a heavily
mitigated problem though, and there are
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many off-the-shelf purchases that can remove
over 99% of the radiation in food and water.
Some removers are filters for water bottles,
others are used like packets of seasoning,
while others are consumed with the meal
itself. Radiation remover is one of the most
common things on the market, and it comes in
many varieties.
Rail Pass: The Railways are described in the
“Transportation” section of the “Setting & the
World” chapter.
Rail passes can only be purchased as single-use
tickets, as their prices can fluctuate wildly
based on passing herds of giga bison or other
large creatures, and sightings of nomadic
raider groups. Tickets usually expire a day
after purchase. Workers ride free.
Rope, 25 ft.: Rope is a versatile tool that has
been used for thousands of years. Gunslingers
like to lasso things with it for fun.
Scent Masker: Hunters, trackers, and anyone
passing areas where dangerous animals prowl
pack a few scent maskers. They work well, just
don’t worry about what’s in them.
Utility Belt: It’s often convenient to store
pocket knives, bags of trail mix, and grenades
close to your hands for quick usage.
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Legends
The apocalypse is an exciting, and surprising
place. It is inhabited by all manner of weird
people, terrifying monsters roam the lands,
and there are more than a few outlandish
artifacts lying around. The strangest,
strongest, and rarest of these form the crux of
legends.
Legends will form the core of many
adventures that your characters have.
Legendary Items:
Sometimes, characters will come across items
of immense power and legacy. These are
legendary items. Their origins vary, as do their
effects and usability. Some of them are
artifacts from The Last War, some are
purported alien equipment, while others are
items forged in the lore of the wastelands.
Legendary items can be encountered in many
ways. Your adventuring group might come
across a mothballed Guardian Power Suit from
the old days while exploring old government
ruins. Maybe your group went to investigate a
crash, only to find that the craft is
unrecognizable, and possibly alien in origin.
Perhaps your character recognizes a passing
traveler by his rifle, marked with a particular
pattern only detailed in wild rumors and tales
of impossible bravado. No matter how a
legendary item is encountered, it is sure to
take a key role in your character’s next
adventure.
Encountering Legends
Encountering legendary items is rare for
civilians, but seasoned adventurers are likely
to have encountered at least a few legends in
their time. Adventurers typically start
encountering legendary items at level 2, and
encounter a small handful of legends per year
at levels 4-5. These encounters can be brief
encounters of chance, a crux of a new
adventure, or even actually coming to possess
the item. Possessing legendary items is rare
however, and only the strongest of
adventurers are likely to actually possess a
legendary object.
Legendary items that adventurers encounter
should be unique, and invented by the DM.
Here are examples of legendary items that
your DM might have your group encounter:
The Iron Fist: A plain, but oversized revolver
used by the notorious Bandit Conqueror. It has
seen the ends of many lives, and will see many
more before its time comes.
Damage Accuracy Range Cost Size
1d6 + ½
STR
+1 30/90 60g Small
The Silver Bullet: A long-barreled rifle used in
the quelling of the Werewolf Rebellion of
2760. While not actually werewolves, the
werewolf raider faction was one of the largest
seen in the past century. This gun in particular
was used to slay its leader.
Damage Accuracy Range Cost Size
1d10 + ½
FIN
+3 120/270 120g Mid
Tarkhan’s Eye: A memento from a deadly,
supposedly extinct species known as “tahrn”.
It supposedly brings good luck to those who
bare it…
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Combat & Other Rules:
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Combat Rules
Combat is a staple of everyday life for
adventurers.
When in combat, time is split up into rounds,
which last about five seconds. During each
round, all characters get to take a turn. When
in combat, things go like this:
1. Upon initiating combat, everyone
determines who takes turns in what order.
This process is called “rolling for initiative”.
Rolling for Initiative: Initiative is a
measurement of how quickly your
character gets into combat. It is equal
to: 2d6 + Finesse.
Once everyone has rolled for initiative,
combat begins in earnest. During their
turn, everything a character does is known
as an “action”. Characters get one
standard action, one move action, and as
many free actions that are reasonable.
Your actions may be performed in any
order.
Standard Action: A standard action is
the core of what your character does
during a round. You can do one of the
following things with your standard
action:
Attack: Make one attack. This is the
most common use of the standard
action. Attacking is described later
in the “Attacking” section.
Use an Ability: Using an ability
takes up your standard action,
unless otherwise stated.
Use an Item: Using an item that
requires your full attention
(grenade, bandages, monster bait,
etc.) takes a standard action.
Sometimes, it may take multiple
turns. The rule of thumb is that
using the item should take less than
six seconds. Otherwise, it takes up
multiple turns.
Rush: Double your move speed for
the turn.
Improvised Action: Sometimes, you
may want to do something that
isn’t listed here. In that case, make
sure it only takes about six seconds
to do. Otherwise, it takes multiple
turns to complete.
Move Action: Characters may move up
to their movement speed during their
move action.
Bonus Action: Bonus actions can only
occur under special circumstances.
Unless you have a special ability or
situation that allows you to do so, you
cannot do anything with your bonus
action.
Bonus actions are usually used to
perform reflexive actions such as
dodging a surprise attack, or
countering a missed swing.
Free Action: Free actions are actions
that take hardly any time or
concentration. You get as many of
these per turn that makes sense.
Example: Yelling to teammates,
drawing your weapon, or checking
your watch.
Once everyone has taken their turn, the
round is over, and the next round begins.
Each round works the same way, although
players only have to determine their
initiative on the very first round of combat.
Surprise Attacks
Sometimes, characters take other characters
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by surprise. When this happens, they get to
take a
full
round
of
combat
before
their
opponents get to take their actions.
Attacking
Attacking goes like this:
1. The attacker tries to hit their target. Their
aim is equal to:
Finesse + Weapon Bonus + 2d6
2. The attacker succeeds if his aim is more
than or equal to the defender’s Defense. A
character’s Defense is:
Finesse + Armour
3. If the attacker wins, he determines how
much damage he dealt. Damage for each
weapon is listed in their entry in the “Items
and Equipment” chapter.
Mounted Combat
It is difficult to drive a vehicle while using a
weapon. Characters attempting to do so have
disadvantage when aiming, and disadvantage
when trying to perform difficult maneuvers
(dodging, ramming, drifting, etc.)
Dual Wielding
If a character is wielding two small weapons at
once, they may attack with both of their
weapons during their standard action.
However, each attack is made with -2
accuracy. If a character tries to do this with
mid-sized weapons, the penalty is -4. The
penalty for dual wielding oversized weapons is
-8.
Non-Lethal Damage
There are circumstances where characters will
only want to incapacitate, not kill, their
targets. Certain weapons are capable of
dealing non-lethal damage, and are marked as
such in the weapons table. When dealing
damage with these weapons, the attacker may
declare that they are dealing non-lethal
damage. If non-lethal damage does not bring a
target to 0 HP, it is identical to lethal damage.
If a non-lethal blow brings a target to 0 HP,
they are knocked unconscious instead of being
killed.
Death
The wastelands are a dangerous place, and
people die often. If non-player characters
reach 0 HP, they die. Player characters are a
bit more durable than the average person
though, and they get special rules when they
hit 0 HP.
When a player character hits 0 HP, they fall
unconscious, and begin dying. Each turn, they
must make a DR 11 skill check to return from
the brink of death. This skill check is special,
and involves no stats or skills. Failing this
check three times results in death.
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If another character takes their full standard
action to assist the dying character, the dying
character has advantage when making their
skill checks.
Rolling Dice
Rolling dice is the primary way for conflicts to
be resolved in Wasteland Adventuress. There
are some rules related to all dice rolls.
Critical Success & Failure
Sometimes, a character gets really lucky or
unlucky when they try to do something. This is
known as a “critical success/failure”. This
happens when a character has to roll dice in
order to do something, and rolls double sixes
(success) or double ones (failure). When this
happens, the character automatically
succeeds/fails at what they were trying to do,
assuming there is even the possibility of them
succeeding/failing at what they were
attempting.
Advantage/Disadvantage:
Sometimes, characters have a large situational
advantage or disadvantage when they are
trying to perform an action. When contesting
an opponent, having advantage does not
necessarily give your opponent disadvantage.
Determining advantage/disadvantage:
Advantage: Advantage means that a
character is much more likely to succeed
because of the specific situation that they
are in. Attacking an enemy from behind,
taking a turn to aim before shooting, or
pickpocketing a distracted target are
examples of advantage.
Roll 3d6, take the higher two.
Disadvantage: Disadvantage means that a
character is much more likely to fail because
of the specific situation that they are in.
Detecting a lie while inebriated, picking a
lock under time pressure, or swinging at a
target while blinded are examples of
disadvantages.
Roll 3d6, take the lower two.
Map Rules:
Wasteland Adventures is meant to be played
on a square grid, where each cell represents a
5’x5’ square.
Movement
Characters move orthogonally along the grid.
Movement is counted when moving into
squares, and not when moving out of it.
If a character has movement left, but not
enough movement to enter a square, they
may enter it anyway. Doing so finishes their
movement for the turn.
Characters may not move through squares
occupied by hostile creatures. Players may
move through squares occupied by friendly
creatures, although they may not end their
turn in an already occupied square.
Difficult Terrain
Just walking around can be hard sometimes.
Icey ground, areas with dense foliage, low
tunnels, and a crumbling rooftop are examples
of areas that are considered difficult terrain.
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Moving into these areas takes twice the
normal movement speed.
Size
Player characters are medium-sized, and take
up one 5x5 cell.
Typically, characters take up one full, 5x5 grid
square in combat. Some characters or
monsters however, take up more or less
space, as the chart below illustrates:
Size Squares Example
Tiny 4 per square Fox Small 2 per square Feral Dog Medium 1x1 Adult Human Large 2x2 Horned Bear Huge 3x3 Giga Bison Vast* 4+ x 4+
Strider
*Some beings are just too big. In this case,
their entry in the Bestiary chapter describes
their size.
Cover & Line of Sight
Shooting at a target in cover makes it harder
to hit. Determining cover:
Not in Cover: The character can be seen
with effectively no obstructions. Generally,
if you can connect a direct line from the
center of the attacker to the center of the
defender, the target is not in cover.
Partial Cover: The character can be
targeted, but it is difficult to do so. A low
wall, standing behind an overturned table,
or firing past teammates are examples of
partial cover. Generally, if you can connect
a direct line from the center of the
attacker to any non-center part of the
defender, the target is partially in cover.
Being in partial cover gives imposes
disadvantage against ranged
attackers.
Heavy Cover: It would take a careful shot
to successfully shoot this target. A target
shooting through a window, an entrenched
target, or firing at someone holding a
hostage are examples of heavy cover.
Being in heavy cover gives imposes
disadvantage and a -2 accuracy
penalty against ranged attackers.
Full Cover: A fully covered target cannot
be directly seen or targeted because of
obstructions.
Some weapons can pierce walls,
and you can try to blind fire at this
target anyway. You may do so with
disadvantage, with a -4 accuracy
penalty. Successfully hitting deals
half damage.
Skills
Wastelanders have developed abilities, known
as “skills”. These skills are shown on your
character sheet, and are representative of
how good your character is at doing
something. Below are the possible skills that
wastelanders can be proficient in:
Skill Table
Strength Athletics
How good a character is at running, jumping, climbing, and moving with coordination.
Resistance A character’s ability to resist
poison, radiation sickness, and other maladies.
Finesse Stealth
How well a character can
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move without detection, and perform actions unnoticed.
Vehicle Handling
Everyone can drive a car, or ride a horse, but characters with high Vehicle Handling can drive all sorts of exotic vehicles, and execute daring tricks and maneuvers.
Sleight of Hand
A measurement of a character’s ability to pick locks, disarm traps, pick pockets, catch, throw, and finely maneuver objects.
Acuity Perception
A character’s ability to notice things around them, and spot things that are out of place.
Survival
A measurement of how good a character is at tracking, navigating, foraging, and performing actions related to sustaining themselves in the wastes.
Knowledge
A general indicator of how much someone knows about the world around them.
Mechanics
Mechanics is a measure of a character’s ability to make, use, and identify any kind of machine or technical object
Medical
Medical is a measurement of a character’s first aid abilities.
Social Persuasion
The ability to convince people to do something.
Intimidation
How well a character can inspire fear into someone else.
Animal Handling
A character’s ability to tame,
control, and meaningfully interact with animals.
Deception
How well a character can lie, deceive, bluff, and bend the truth.
Skill Checks
When in the wasteland, characters will
sometimes have their skills tested. If it is
possible to fail this test of skill, it is known as a
“skill check”, and characters will have to roll
dice to determine whether or not they
succeed. Skill checks are presented like this:
ACU (Perception) DR 12
This skill check is a skill check for the acuity
(ACU) stat, the perception skill, and it has a
difficulty rating of 12.
When a character is making a skill check, they
roll 2d6, and add their relevant skill and stat. If
their total meets or beats the skill check’s
difficulty rating, they succeed the check. If no
skill seems directly applicable, just add the
relevant stat.
Sometimes, multiple skills or stats may seem
applicable to a skill check. In this case, use
whichever skill you prefer, along with its
associated stat.
Example: Fiona the gunslinger is tracking a
pack of static wolves. Both survival and animal
handling seem like appropriate skills to use.
However, Fiona’s animal handling is higher, so
she chooses to use animal handling instead of
survival for her skill check.
Difficulty Rating
A difficulty rating (DR) is a measurement of
how hard it is to pass a skill check. The DM
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should make the final call on how high
characters need to roll to pass a check. Here is
a table that provides examples for how tough
different things are:
Difficulty Table
Difficulty # to
Beat
Example
Trivial 6 Shooting the broad side of a barn.
Easy 9 Shooting a can off a fence post.
Middling 12 Shooting a clay pigeon.
Difficult 15 Shooting a clay pigeon by the back of a spoon’s reflection.
Challenging 18 Shooting an apple off your son’s head at 100 paces.
Intense 21 Shooting a bullet into the hole you made with your last bullet.
Legendary 24 Shooting a fist-sized, moving target 300 yards away through wind and rain with a hand gun.
Contested Skill Checks
If two characters are directly competing
against one another, it is a “contested skill
check”. When this happens, the two
characters roll against one another (2d6 +
relevant skill + relevant stat), and the higher
roll wins.
Talents
A “talent” is more than a passing level of skill.
It is closer to a hard-won ability, a trained skill,
or even a mutation. Your character will
gradually build up their talents as they
adventure and grow in the wastelands.
At character creation, your character will
usually have just one talent.
Animal Affinity
You like animals, and animals like you.
You have advantage when attempting to
handle any calm, non-sentient creature.
You can ride any tamed animal that is at
least one size bigger than you.
You have a pet with CR ¼ or lower. It can
fetch, follow, track, hide, distract, deliver,
attack and follow other commands of that
nature.
o If your pet dies, it is gone for good.
o You have to train new pets to get
them to follow orders in the same
manner as the first.
Ambidextrous
You are ambidextrous, and unusually good
with your hands.
Permanently add +1 to your finesse.
Your penalties for dual-wielding weapons
is halved.
Artifact Hunter
Your knowledge of old artifacts, how to use
them, and wear to find them is uncannily
expansive and accurate.
You have advantage on all knowledge
checks related to identifying unknown
objects.
You have advantage when attempting to
use unknown objects.
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You have advantage when searching for
inanimate objects.
You have advantage when attempting to
disarm traps.
Brawler
Winning fist fights isn’t an issue for you. When
your friends want to win a bar fight, you’re
always the first one they call. Earning this
talent gives the following benefits:
You have advantage on all unarmed
attacks.
Add +2 damage whenever you are
unarmed, or using an improvised weapon.
Explorer
You’ve been enough places that you always
have a good idea of what’s around you.
You always know which way to the nearest
town.
You always know which way is north.
You have advantage when rolling
knowledge checks about navigation, maps,
or knowledge of the land.
Fish
Somehow, you have acquired gills, and a
strong ability to swim underwater.
You have gills, as well as whatever lungs
you already have. They allow you to
breathe underwater.
You can swim as fast as you can run.
You have slight webbing between your
fingers and toes OR scales on parts of your
body instead of skin.
Grenadier
You have a strong knack for explosives. You
don’t need much to make a bomb, and even
stock explosives seem to do more damage in
your hands. Earning this talent gives the
following benefits:
Once per combat, you may make your own
explosive combust more violently. Increase
its blast radius by 5ft.
Reroll any fumbles you make while using
explosives. Do not reroll rerolls.
You have advantage when making or using
an explosive out of combat.
You have a grenade subscription (see
Items and Equipment section).
Hunter Tracker
Through a life of tracking down animals,
people, or monsters, you have become
exceptionally skilled at hunting and tracking
your prey.
Choose two of the following four: people,
vehicles, machines, animals, and monsters.
You have advantage whenever you are
tracking entities of that type.
If you spend a full day in an area, you have
knowledge of the general number and
types of people, vehicles, machines,
animals and monsters around you.
If you have an important article from a
specific creature (clothing, antler piece,
etc), you can spend a full turn figuring out
what direction they are in. This only works
if you are within 100 miles of them.
Hunter’s Eyes
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Your eyes have mutated drastically, and you
now have the eyes of a feral predator.
You can see in the dark normally.
You can see with thermal vision for 5
minutes, twice a day.
You can see twice as far as you used to.
Your eyes do not look normal. How they
look is up to you, though they should look
animalistic and predatory.
Informant
Lying, deceiving, and uncovering the truth are
second nature to you.
You have advantage on all Deception
checks.
If you spend half an hour watching a
person or creature, you know their level,
healthiness, and you have a general idea of
their attacks.
Life Drinker
Whether it was a mutation, or you’re just a
psychopath, you feel an overwhelming rush of
ecstasy and adrenaline whenever you kill.
Gain +10 movement speed for one turn
after you kill.
Drinking a mouthful of blood from
someone you have recently killed restores
xd4 health, where x is your level.
o This is an evil act, and most people
will react poorly to you doing this.
o It takes one standard action to
directly drink blood from a corpse.
o You can only benefit from drinking
blood once per corpse.
Mechanic
You know your way around machines like you
know the back of your hand.
You have advantage when attempting to
identify, repair, or use machinery.
You can manually disable machines if you
spend a full round disabling it while in
contact with its controlling mechanisms
(the engine of a vehicle, the CPU of a
droid, etc.)
Monster Hunter
Monsters are your prey of choice.
You have advantage on Intimidate checks
imposed by any creature larger than you.
You have +1 damage on all damage rolled
against a Large or bigger creature.
You have advantage when tracking, or
knowing information about Large or bigger
creatures.
Outrider
Whether it’s behind the wheel of a dune
buggy or on the back of a Carrier Wolf, you are
in your element when you are riding.
You are not slowed by difficult terrain
while riding a vehicle.
You have advantage when attempting to
hijack a vehicle.
You have advantage when attempting to
hotwire a vehicle.
You do not receive the normal penalties
when attempting to use a weapon while
riding.
Protector
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Sticking up for your friends and allies is
something you excel at. You might have been
a bodyguard at some point, or maybe you just
cherish your friends exceptionally dearly.
You can impose disadvantage on an attack
made against an ally within 5ft. of you. If
the attack succeeds, you take the damage
instead of your ally.
Radioactive Body
You and Geiger counters don’t get along. You
have a strange affinity for radioactive
substances, and radiation poisoning doesn’t
seem to affect you.
You cannot become poisoned from
radioactivity.
You constantly emit a small amount of
radiation. People in close proximity to you
have to take twice as much radiation
medication to avoid becoming radiation
poisoned.
o You glow a little bit. It is only
noticeable in darkness, and can be
covered with normal clothing.
You can willfully infuse objects in your
possession with radiation.
o It takes roughly one hour to charge
a fist-sized nuclear battery.
o The amount of radiation you can
put into an object is limited. You
cannot make an object so
irradiated that it gives them more
than minor radiation sickness.
Runner
Whether it was a life of running away, or a life
of chasing, you’ve become impeccably fast.
Some people like to call you a “parkour
expert”.
Permanently gain +10 movement speed.
Difficult terrain does not slow you.
You can run 10ft. up walls.
Skilled
You’re good at a lot of things.
Distribute 3 skill points among your skills
however you wish.
Sniper
Somehow, you seem to never miss.
Add +1 to all accuracy rolls.
You cannot have disadvantage when
rolling for accuracy.
You may treat Partial Cover as No Cover,
and Heavy Cover as Partial Cover.
Tough as Nails
Never one to stay down, you’re as tough as
they come.
Permanently add 4 maximum health for
every level you have. Continue gaining 4
maximum health each time you level up.
Quick Reflexes
You react abnormally fast. Earning this talent
gives the following benefits:
Once per combat, you may force your
attacker to reroll their accuracy roll.
Permanently add 3 to your initiative.
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Socializing
Socializing both inside and outside of the game
is an important part of roleplaying.
Roleplaying
While playing Wasteland Adventures, your
character says whatever you want them to
say, and behaves however you want them to
behave. To make things the most fun, it is
usually best if you try to make your character
act according to the personality you
established for them.
Roleplaying can be hard, and doing so
successfully deserves a reward. At the DM’s
discretion, players may be awarded “luck”
points for playing their role exceptionally well.
Spending a luck point allows a player to reroll
any roll they make. Up to three luck points
may be stored.
Socializing with NPCs
Since there are no players to speak for non-
player characters (NPCs), the DM fills in for all
NPC roles. Social interactions between players
and NPCs are carried as normal conversations,
unless someone tries to perform a socially
difficult act, such as intimidating a guard,
persuading a merchant to lower their prices,
or lying about how much gold they’re carrying.
In these cases, skill checks are performed, as
described in the Skill section above.
Status Effects
Sometimes, characters can become afflicted
by special circumstances called “status
effects”. This section describes them.
On Fire: Targets on fire can either take a full
standard action to put out the fire, or suffer
1d4 damage per turn. Each turn while on fire,
the target rolls 2d6. On a roll of 8+, the fire
goes out.
Blind: Blinded targets have disadvantage on all
aiming rolls for the turn, and cannot use
weapon accuracy bonuses.
Stun: Stunned targets cannot move or perform
the attack action during their turn. In addition,
all characters attacking a stunned target have
advantage.
Radiation Poisoning: Radiation poisoning is
the most common status effect. There are four
levels of radiation poisoning, each with its own
effects:
Radiation Poisoning Table
1 -1 STR 2 -2 STR, -1 ACU 3 -2 STR, -2 ACU, -2 FIN, -2 SOC 4 Dead
Using radiation medicine removes your
sickness, regardless of level. The status
penalties are not kept once you are cured.
Optional Radiation Rules: Each full day you go
without using some sort of radiation medicine
increases your radiation poisoning by one
level. This rule is for players who want extra
tension, and difficulty.
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Beasts & the People You May
Encounter
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Flora and Fauna
The immense amounts of radiation that
permeate the world have caused widespread
mutations, as well as rapidly accelerated
evolution. As a result, the world is populated
by all sorts of strange, usually dangerous
beasts. Hunting beasts for raw material,
protection, and conquest are some of the
most common forms of work that pop up for
adventurers.
While the plants of Wasteland Adventures
have not changed as dramatically as the
animals, their changes were just as significant.
The radiation made, and still makes it very
difficult for plants to live, especially edible
foods necessary for agriculture. Agrarian foods
in particular were hit hard by the radiation,
and agrarian life never fully recovered after
the apocalypse. Farms are few, and almost a
third of all food has to be hunted or gathered
in some way. Many of the plants that have to
be gathered attract wild animals, and require
adventurers to gather them. The farms that
somehow still work are prime targets for
raiders, and overcurious beasts. Whether it’s
protecting food or killing it, food brings jobs
for adventurers everywhere.
The plants and animals in Wasteland
Adventures are as varied as they are
dangerous, and some of the more common or
interesting species are detailed in the Bestiary
chapter.
Beasts
For simplicity and convenience, many numbers
have been abbreviated in some way.
Weapon/ability damage for beasts does not
name the stat that their damage scales on.
Instead, the stat is substituted with the
number that it would be. If you ever need to
know what stat is being used for damage,
assume that STR is used for melee attacks, and
FIN is used for ranged.
Example: Devil Dog’s Fangs deal 1d4 + ½ STR
damage. However, his strength will almost
always be 4, so we can assume that his
damage will be 1d4 + 2, so that is the way it is
written.
Challenge Rating (CR)
A creature’s challenge rating (CR) is a measure
of its combat prowess. Challenge rating is
proportional to play levels. A level 1
adventurer should be challenged by, but not
deathly afraid of a CR 1 creature.
Devil Dog CR: ½
Strength Finesse Acuity Social
4 2 0 0
HP: 6 Size: Small
Move: 50ft Defense: 10
Weapons & Abilities:
Name: Fangs Range: Melee
Damage: 1d4 + 2 Accuracy: +0
Other: None
Devourer Plant CR: 1
Strength Finesse Acuity Social
2 4 -1 -1
HP: 10 Size: Mid
Move: 5ft Defense: 8
Weapons & Abilities:
Name: Acid Spit Range: 20/60
Damage: 1d6 + 2 Accuracy: +0
Other: None
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Fire Badger CR: 1
Strength Finesse Acuity Social
6 2 0 2
HP: 20 Size: Mid
Move: 20ft Defense: 8
Weapons & Abilities:
Name: Claws Range: Melee
Damage: 1d4 + 3 Accuracy: +1
Other: None
Fox CR:
1/8
Strength Finesse Acuity Social
1 4 1 2
HP: 4 Size: Tiny
Move: 30ft Defense: 6
Weapons & Abilities:
Name: Bite Range: Melee
Damage: 1d4 Accuracy: +4
Other: None
Giga Bison CR: 3
Strength Finesse Acuity Social
12 0 0 1
HP: 60 Size: Huge
Move: 40ft Defense: 8
Weapons & Abilities:
Name: Horns Range: Melee
Damage: 1d8 + 6 Accuracy: +2
Other: None
Horned Bear CR: 2
Strength Finesse Acuity Social
8 2 0 0
HP: 40 Size: Large
Move: 30ft Defense: 8
Weapons & Abilities:
Name: Claws Range: Melee
Damage: 1d6 + 4 Accuracy: +2
Other: None
Hydra CR:
20
Strength Finesse Acuity Social
12 8 4 2
HP: 200 Size: Vast
(5x5) Move: 30ft Defense: 15
Weapons & Abilities:
Name: Fangs Range: Melee
Damage: 1d12 + 6 Accuracy: +3
Other: Attacks 3 times per turn.
Prairie Fangrat CR:
1/4
Strength Finesse Acuity Social
Wasteland Adventures | Khan Sweetman | [email protected] GAT212 - Fall 2015
© 2015 DigiPen Institute of Technology 3 | P a g e
0 2 0 4
HP: 6 Size: Tiny
Move: 25ft Defense: 6
Weapons & Abilities:
Name: Claws Range: Melee
Damage: 1d4 Accuracy: +1
Other: None
Rat Swarm CR: 1
Strength Finesse Acuity Social
2 3 0 4
HP: 24 Size: Small
Move: 50ft Defense: 7
Weapons & Abilities:
Name: Fangs Range: Melee
Damage: 1d4 + 1 Accuracy: +4
Other: None
Roc CR:
12
Strength Finesse Acuity Social
8 6 2 2
HP: 96 Size: Huge
Move: 120ft Defense: 12
Weapons & Abilities:
Name: Claws Range: Melee
Damage: 1d12 + 6 Accuracy: +4
Other: None
Screaming Eel CR: 4
Strength Finesse Acuity Social
6 3 0 0
HP: 44 Size: Large
Move: 40ft Defense: 10
Weapons & Abilities:
Name: Fangs Range: Melee
Damage: 1d6 + 3 Accuracy: +4
Other: None
Strider CR: 5
Strength Finesse Acuity Social
4 4 4 4
HP: 56 Size: Vast
(5x5) Move: 20ft Defense: 14
Weapons & Abilities:
Name: Legs Range: Melee
Damage: 1d10 + 2 Accuracy: +2
Other: None
Wasteland Adventures | Khan Sweetman | [email protected] GAT212 - Fall 2015
© 2015 DigiPen Institute of Technology 4 | P a g e
The People You
May Encounter:
Bandit CR: ½
Strength Finesse Acuity Social
4 3 3 3
HP: 10 Size: Mid
Move: 25ft Defense: 9
Weapons & Abilities:
Name: Carbine Range: 120/360
Damage: 1d6 + 2 Accuracy: +2
Other: None
Hunter CR: ½
Strength Finesse Acuity Social
4 5 3 2
HP: 8 Size: Mid
Move: 20ft Defense: 10
Weapons & Abilities:
Name: Carbine Range: 120/360
Damage: 1d6 + 2 Accuracy: +2
Other: None
Trained Guard CR: 1
Strength Finesse Acuity Social
4 3 3 5
HP: 20 Size: Mid
Move: 20ft Defense: 10
Weapons & Abilities:
Name: Laser Rifle Range: 90/180
Damage: 1d6 + 2 Accuracy: +2
Other: None
Raider CR: 1
Strength Finesse Acuity Social
5 4 3 3
HP: 20 Size: Mid
Move: 30ft Defense: 9
Weapons & Abilities:
Name: Laser Rifle Range: Melee
Damage: 1d6 + 2 Accuracy: +2
Other: None
Shephard CR: ¼
Strength Finesse Acuity Social
3 4 5 4
HP: 5 Size: Mid
Move: 15ft Defense: 6
Weapons & Abilities:
Name: Stick Range: Melee
Damage: 1d4 + 2 Accuracy: +0
Other: None
Wasteland Adventures | Khan Sweetman | [email protected] GAT212 - Fall 2015
© 2015 DigiPen Institute of Technology 5 | P a g e
Creating Your
Own City-States
Most people live within a city-state, or within
the associated territory of a city-state.
Sometimes, you will want to make your own
city-state, so that you can roleplay in it. Here
are some guidelines on how to make one:
1. Decide its location
Obviously, a city-state has to exist somewhere.
Picking a location in the world should help
decide what kind of culture, name, and people
inhabit your city-state.
2. Decide its culture
City-states have a huge variety of cultures.
Fierce, war-mongering city-states, peaceful
nature-based communities, cutthroat urban
sprawls, mercantile shipping ports, and quiet
hamlets that just want to be left alone are all
valid choices for the kind city-state you want
to make.
Often, city-states are made from the remnants
of pre-war cultures. If your city-state is heavily
tied to a location, you could give it strong
cultural influences from the pre-war
civilization that was once there.
3. Decide its Government
Every city-state needs to have some kind of
structure to it, even it that structure is
anarchy. A city-state doesn’t need a fleshed
out government, just saying that it has a king,
or a council of elders is fine. Its government
likely reflects the way its citizens live however,
and can usually provide a good adventure
hook for your party of adventurers.
4. Decide its Military
The world can be a rough place, and so the
overwhelming majority of city-states need to
have some kind of military. The most heavily
fortified city-states have monolithic walls, with
machine guns mounted on their tops. The
least militarily inclined city-states may have
only a small police force, or a militia in case of
emergency.
5. Give it Importance
In order to be worth visiting, your city-state
needs to have something important or
compelling in it. Political corruption, an
infestation of monsters, a war, or a thriving
black market are all good reasons for
adventurers to want to visit your city-state.
6. Decide its Name
Finally, your city-state needs a name. Its name
should reflect what it does, why it’s important,
or it should be a name from the civilization it
was once a part of.