D&D 4E - Gamma World Rulebook
D&D 4E - Gamma World Rulebook
D&D 4E - Gamma World Rulebook
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.CREDITS
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. . . . . . . .. . . .. . . . .. .. ..
Design
Richard Baker, Bruce R. Cordell
Development
Stephen Schubert (lead), Andy Collins,
Peter Schaefer
Editing
Managing Editing
Torah Cottrill
0&0 Design Manager
James Wyatt
Andy Collins
Director of 0&0 R&D and
Book Publishing
Bill Siavicsek
Christopher Perkins
Cover Artist
Steve Ellis
Interior Artists
Cartographer
jason A. Engle
0&0 Brand Team
Angelika lokotz
Prepress Manager
Jefferson Dunlap
Image Technician
Carmen Cheung
Senior Buyer
Raini ApplinRosta
contributions.
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.CONTENTS
. . .. .. . . . .. . .. . . . .. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. . . . . . . . .
INTRODUCTION . 4
Chapter 1:
HOW TO PLAY 7
Rules of Combat . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16
Chapter 2:
MAKING CHARACTERS
Overview of Character Creation ..
Gaining Levels .. ......... . ....
Character Origins .. . . .. ... . .. .
Android .. . .. .. .... . ...... . ..
Cockroach ........ . ... . .. .. ..
Doppelganger . . . . . ..... .. . ...
Electrokinetic. . . .... .. .. . .. .. .
Empath ...... . . .. . . .. . . . . . ..
Felinoid . ... ... . .. .. . .. .... . .
Giant . .. ... ... .... .. .. ... . ..
Gravity Controller . .. .. . . ... ...
Hawkoid ..... . ... . .. . .......
Hypercognitive . . . . . ... .. . ....
Mind Breaker. . ....... . .. . .. ..
Mind Coercer .. . ...... .. ......
Plant . .... .. . . ..... . ...... . .
Pyrokinetic..... ... .. .. . . . . ...
Radioactive . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . ..
Rat Swarm ........ . .. ... .....
Seismic. .... . . . . . . .. . ... .....
Speedster . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Telekinetic . .... .. ..... . ......
Yeti. ... . . . ... ... ....... . ....
Human, Engineered . . .. . .. . ...
Ability Scores ........... .. . ...
Skills ............ . ... . . . ....
Roleplaying and Personality .. ...
Alpha Mutation Cards ...... .. ..
Omega Tech Cards ....... . .. . ..
29
30
32
34
36
37
38
39
40
41
42
43
44
45
46
47
48
49
50
51
52
53
54
55
56
58
60
64
66
68
Chapter 3:
GEAR 71
Chapter 4:
79
80
81
82
84
86
88
92
96
Chapter 5:
MONSTERS
How to Read a Monster Entry . ..
Android ..... .. ............ .
Am ... .. . . .................
Badder . . . ..... .. . .. . .. . .. ..
Blaash (Gamma Moth) ..... .. . .
Blight (Cloud Worm) . ... . .....
Blood Bird (Red Death) .. . ... . .
Dabber . .. ... . . ... ... . .. ... .
Fen (Fish Folk) ...............
Gren (Green Folk) . . ......... ..
Hoop .. .. . . .. . . . . .. . . .. . .. .
Horl Choo (Porcupine Bush) ....
Kai Lin (Lizard Vine) ....... . ...
Menarl (Slime Devil) . . ... . ....
Obb (Flying Eye) .. .... .. ..... .
Orlen .... .. . . .. . .... . . . . . ..
Pam (Sword Beetle) . . . . . . . . . ..
Porker (Road Hog) . . . . . . . . . . ..
Robot, Guardbot . ... . .. . ... . .
Robot, Eradicator Mk 3 .. ... . . .
Sep (land Shark) . . ........ .. .
Serf (Thought Master) .. . .. . . ..
Sleeth (Seer lizard) ...........
Soul Besh . . .................
Terl (Ruin Fish) . .... . .. . ... . ..
Yexil ........... . ... . .... . .
Traps and Hazards . . ..........
101
102
107
108
109
110
111
112
114
115
116
117
119
120
121
122
123
125
126
127
128
129
131
132
133
134
135
136
Chapter 6:
Encounter 51:
Encounter 52 :
Encounter S3:
Encounter 54:
Encounter 55:
STUPENDICO INSTALLATION
EXTERIOR 150
Encounter 56:
Encounter 57:
Encounter 58:
.INTRODUCTION
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. .
In the fall of 2012, scientists at the Large Hadron Collider in Geneva , Switzerland, embarked on a
new series of high-energy experiments. No one knows exactly what they were attempting to do, but
a little after 3 P.M. on a Thursday afternoon came the Big Mistake. Something unexpected happened,
and in the blink of an eye, many possible universes all condensed into a single reality.
In some of these universes, little had changed; it didn 't make a big difference which team won
the 2011 World Series, for example. In other universes, there were more important divergences: The
Gray Emissary, who was carrying gifts of advanced technology, wasn't'shot down at Roswell in 1947,
the Black Death didn 't devastate the known world in the 14th century, the dinosaurs didn't die out,
Nikolai Tesla did conquer the world with a robot army, and so on . The Cold War went nuclear in 83
percent of the possible universes, and in 3 percent of the possible universes, the French unloaded
their entire nuclear arsenal on the town of Peshtigo, Wisconsin, because it had to be done. When
reality stabilized again, an instant after the Big Mistake, the familiar Earth of the 21st century was
replaced by one formed from many different realities.
The year is now 2162 (or 151 , or 32,173, or Six Monkey Slap-Slap, depending on your point of view).
It's been a hundred and fifty years since the Big Mistake, and the Earth is a very different place. The
ruins of the Ancients (that's you and me) litter a landscape of radioactive deserts, mutated jungles,
and vast, unexplored wildernesses. Strange new creatures, such as beetles the size of cars and super
evolved badgers with Napoleonic complexes , roam the world. The survivors of humanity gather in
primitive tribes or huddle in trade towns that rarely rise above the technology of the Dark Ages . Even
the nature of humanity is now different, because generations of exposure to radiation, mutagens,
and the debris of other realities have transformed humans into a race of mutants who have major
physical alterations and potent mental abilities.
This is the world of the 0&0 GAMMA WORLD Roleplaying Game. It's a world of dangerous mutant
monsters, jungle-grown ruins of the cities of the Ancients, and mysterious artifacts of awesome tech
nology. It's your world to survive, to explore, and to conquer-if you're up to the challenge.
'.
WORLD
~ 160-page rule book (the book you're holding), which includes rules for how to play,
instructions for how to make characters , descriptions of monsters, and your firs! adventure
,~
cards
In addition, you 'll probably want to pick up a few 0&0 GAMMA WORLD Boosler Packs. These contain
additional Alpha Mutation and Omega Tech cards . You can play the game using only the Game
Master's deck, but the cards in the booster packs let you customize your character with a broader
selection of powers.
ABOUT
THE
D&D
GAMMA WORLD
GAME
The D&D GAMMA WORLD game is one of the oldest and most famous roleplaying games around.
Originally designed by James M. Ward and Gary Jaquet, the game was first published in 1978.
Its vision of a postapocalyptic America haunted by bizarre, mutant monsters and littered with
the wreckage of super-advanced technology-sometimes deadly, but often hilarious-has
captured the imaginations of thousands of players over the years. Many editions have fol
lowed, including versions based on the ALTERNITY science-fiction roleplaying game and the
d20 system of the 3rd Edition DUNGEONS & DRAGONS game. This new edition uses many of the
mechanics from the 4th Edition DUNGEONS & DRAGONS game, so if you are familiar with that,
you'll quickly get the hang of the D&D GAMMA WORLD game.
CHAPTER 1:
.HOW
. . . . . . .TO
. . . .PLAY
.. .. . . .. .. .. .. . .. . . .. .. .. ..
A rolepl aying game is a cooperative storytelling experience. Your character is your part in the story.
It's a little bit like the games of make-believe many people pl ayas children, but a roleplaying game
al so has form and structure. There are rules to determine whether your character succeeds or fails
when he or she tries to shoot a bad guy or escape from a pit before it fills with molten metal. Com
puter games and console games that allow you to play the part of a character exploring a dangerous
world are descended from paper-and-dice games such as the D&D GAMMA WORLD game.
When you play this game, you cre ate a science-fantasy character, usually a mutant who has amaz
ing powers. You team up with the characters your friends create to explore the ruins of Gamma Terra
(the new Earth) and battle various dangers. The game uses dice , maps, and markers to help you keep
track of which character is where and whether actions succeed or fail, but the action takes place in
your imagination. Your character can try anything that you think someone in that situation might do.
The unique component of the D&D GAMMA WORLD game (or any rolepl aying game) is the Game
Master. The Game Master creates the adventure your characters are trying to beat, controls the mon
sters and villains in battles, and serves as the narrator and referee for the game. The Game Master
sets the scene, but no one knows what's about to happen until the characters do something to inter
act with the story.
You "win" the D&D GAMMA WORLD game by participating in an exciting (and often hilarious) story
of brave explorers and heroes confronting deadly perils. The game has no real end; as soon as you
finish one story or quest , you can begin another one. Many people who play roleplaying games keep
their games going for months, meeting with friends once a week or so to pick up the story where they
left off last time.
Your character grows as the game continues. Each challenge overcome and each monster
defeated helps your character earn new abilities. This is reflected by your character's level. As your
character gain levels, he or she unlocks new abilities and finds new and more powerful artifacts from
the world of the Ancients. If the dice fall the wrong way (or your character does something unwise),
your character might instead meet a gruesome end in the irradiated wilderness. But even if your
character is killed, you don't "lose" the game-you simply make a new character and continue with
the story.
PLAYER CHARACTERS
As a player, you create a mutant character, a hero to be your "piece" in the game as you explore the
world of Gamma Terra. Your char acter might be a brave tribal warrior, a clever scavenger of Ancient
technology, or a well-traveled, fast-talking trader. Your character and the characters of the other play
ers are the heroes of the story.
While you play, you take on the role of your character, acting as the protagonist in the story the
Game Master creates. You decide whether to cross the radioactive desert or look for another way
around . You decide whether to stand and fight off a carnivorous mutant rhino trying, to look for a
place to hide, or to trip your friend as you run away so the mutant rhino eats him instead . You decide
whether to negotiate with a villain , to pretend to go along with his scheme, or to suddenly belt out
"Hello My Baby! " and dance like Michigan J. Frog. Anything you could imagine someone trying to do
or say in your character 's place, you can try-and the Game Master uses your decisions (and some
times a few dice) to figure out what happens next.
One player in the game is more than just a player: He or she is the Game Master. The Game Master
presents the adventure and the challenges that the heroes try to overcome. The Game Master's jobs
include these:
~ Adventure
Builder: The Game Master creates adventures (or selects ready-to-play published
.;... Narrator: The Game Master sets the pace of the story and presents the various challenges
and encounters your characters face.
<I:- Adversary Controller: The Game Master controls the villains and monsters the player
characters encounter in Gamma Terra. When fights break out, the Game Master chooses the
opponents' actions and rolls dice for their attacks .
,I;i Referee:
When it 's not clear what ought to happen next, the Game Master decides how to
apply the rules or how the story continues.
While the Game Master "plays" the antagonists your character faces in the game, he or she isn't your
opponent. It's the Game Master's job to provide an exciting adventure for the whole group of players
to enjoy-and exciting adventures naturally have an element of danger for the heroes.
Many people who play roleplaying games find that being the Game Master is the best part of the
game. If you think you'd like to be the Game Master for your group of players, take a look at Chapter
4: How Run the Game (page 79). And don't worry. Even though being a Game Master takes a little
work, it 's not a permanent commitment, because another player can be the Game Master for the
next adventure.
THE ADVENTURE
What 's the point of being a hero if you don't have thrilling, death-defying adventures? An adventure
in a roleplaying game consists of a series of events, encounters, or challenges that the heroes tackle.
An adventure might be a simple "dungeon crawl"-a series of rooms in an Ancient installation,
where dangerous creatures and hazards await, or it could be something more involved, such as hunt
ing down a fugitive who is fleeing into unknown lands, or secretly infiltrating the inner circle of a
mutant warlord .
This rule book includes a ready-to-play adventure, "Steading of the Iron King," which you can use
as your first adventure. You can also try your hand at creating homemade adventures using the tips
and advice in Chapter 4.
GAME COMPONENTS
The action of a roleplaying game takes place mostly in your imagination, but you still need a few
game materials.
IJ.i Dice: You need a special set of game dice to play the
(/{I
Character Sheet: A sheet helps you track important information about your character.
\b' Cards: Your character's most powerful abilities are represented on special power cards:
~ Tokens
A:
Battle Map: Combat occurs on a map marked with a grid of 1-inch squares.
GAME DICE
This game uses special polyhedral dice. You
can find dice like these in most game stores.
You need a set that includes a twenty-sided,
a twelve-sided , a ten -sided , an eight-sided,
a six-sided, and a four-sided die. The 0&0
Roleploying Game Dice Set provides the dice
you need to play. Throughout these rules,
the dice are referred to by the letter "d "
followed by the number of sides on the die:
d4, d6 (standard game dice), dB, dl0, d12,
and d20. When you need to roll dice in this
game, the rules tell you how many dice to
roll , what size they are, and what modifiers
to add . For example, "2dl0 + 3" means that
you roll two ten -sided dice, add the numbers
on each die together, and then add 3 to
the result.
DICE
CHARACTER SHEET
The character sheet is designed to walk
you through the character creation pro
cess . Follow the steps laid out in it to
create your character, pic\( out his or her
skills and gear, and start on your adven
ture. The character sheet also serves as a
record sheet, so you can keep track of
your character's progress.
CHARACTER TOKENS,
MONSTER TOKENS,
AND BATTLE MAPS
Two battle maps are included
in the starter box. All the
encounters Irom the adven
ture in Chapter 6 can be
played out on these battle
maps. II you create your
own encounters or
adventures, you can
use any poster map
that has a grid 01
l-inch squares, or
erasable vinyl maps.
The starter box
also includes a
selection 01 heavy
cardboard tokens,
but many players
instead use plastic
miniatures. Many D&D
Miniatures can be used
as D&D GAMMA WORLD
characters and monsters.
GETTING STARTED
SO you 're a veteran gamer and you want to dive into the 0&0 GAMMA WORLD game right away?
Great! Here's what you 'll need to do.
A Get a set of game dice, if you don 't already have them.
Punch out the character and monster tokens. (Consid er sorting th em by type and storing
them in a reclosable plastic bag.)
A Pick one player to be the Game Master. The other players create mutant heroes to play in
the adventure the Game Master runs.
A Sort the cards in the starter box into an Alpha Mutation deck and an Omega Tech deck.
Shuffle the decks but keep them separate.
Set aside the cards from the booster pack. You don't need them to start playing, since play
ers can draw from the starter decks until they have a chance to build their own decks. See
page 15 for an explanation of how the cards are used in play.
A Give a character sheet to each player. If you don 't have enough, you can photocopy these
sheets. The sheets offer a walk-through of the character generation process and double as
character record sheets in play.
A The Game Master can use the adventure 011 page 139 to jump into the action.
.HOW
. ... .DO
.. .YOU
. ...PlAY;
. .. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
A typical 0&0 GAMMA WORLD game consists of an adventure presented by the Game Master. Your
character is part of a small group of heroes, which is made up of all the players' characters. The
adventure is a series of encounters, challenges, and decisions that your party of characters faces. You
decide where your character goes, what he or she tries to do, and how he or she interacts with the
imaginary world the Game Master describes for you. The only limit is your imagination (and, some
times, how well you roll on the dice).
EXPLORATION
Between encounters, your characters explore the world. Together, you make decisions about where
your group travels and what the characters do next. Exploration is the give-and-take of players telling
the Game Master what they want their characters to do, and the Game Master telling players what
happens when their character do it (or try to do it). Decisions your group makes during exploration
eventually lead to encounters.
Sometimes, exploration involves big decisions that guide the story. For example, let's say that
the challenge facing your characters is to defend a town against a gang of porker raiders. Do you set
out into the Blue Hills on foot to search for the raider camp? Do you stay close to the town to guard
against the next raider attack? Or do you bait a trap for the porkers by filling a wagon with goods
and pretending to be traders? After consulting with the other players, you tell the Game Master that
the characters have decided to head into the hills. The Game Master tells you there are two trails
heading in the direction you want to go-a grass-covered road of the Ancients, and a hunter's trail.
The players decide which route they want to take. The Game Master knows that the road leads to the
raider's camp and the trail leads to a yexillair, but you won't learn that fact until you discover the
camp or you find yourselves under attack by hungry yexils. That's exploration.
In other situations, exploration means describing how your characters interact with the environ
ment. While exploring a lair, a ruin, or some other adventure location, your character might try any
of the following:
'l.,
During exploration, you don't normally need to take turns. The Game Master prompts you by asking
"What do you do?" or "Which way do you go?" After you reply, and the Game Master tells you what
happens next. You can ask questions or consult with the other players as much as you like.
EXAMPLE OF PLAY
Here's a short example of how the D&D GAMMA WORLD game plays at the table . The explorers are
investigating a ruined building alongside a vast Ancient road-a rest stop beside an interstate,
although the characters don't know that even if the players do. The players in this example are:
:J,
;t..
Steve (Game Master): "The rusting wrecks of Ancient chariots litter a grassy lot in front of a large
building facing the great Ancient road. Besides the building, there's a large shed featuring several
wagon-sized doors of rusted metal rattling in the wind . Several towering signposts have fallen
over and lie on the ground ."
Peter (Tarm 7): "Kwik-lube? I guess this was an oil change place. I want to have a look in the
service area."
Steve (Game Master): " How about jar! and Ba sheera? "
Andy Uarl): "I 'll go with Tarm and give him a hand."
Jennifer (Basheera): "I want to have a look in the building."
Steve (Game Master): "Okay, then. Tarm and jar!, you find that the big service bay doors are stuck.
There's a lot of rust there."
Andy Uarl): "I'm pretty strong. I bet I can force one open."
Steve (Game Master): "You'll need to make a Strength check."
Andy Uarl): Andy picks up a d20 and rol/s a 16, then adds larl's modifiers. "My total is 19. Is that
enough?"
Steve (Game Master): Steve checks the adventure notes, and sees that it takes an 18 to open the door.
"Okay, with a huge racket, you throw open the big metal door."
You can try to do nearly anything you can think of in a roleplaying game, but most actions your
character attempts in the game have uncertain outcomes. Maybe you can climb the cliff, or maybe
you can't. Maybe you hit th e guardbot with your laser pistol , or maybe not. Th e way you determine
whether you succeed or fail at something is by making a check : You roll a d20, add in bonuses or
penalties for your character's abilities and circumstances, and compare the total to a target number
determined by the Game Master.
ATTACK ROllS
.... Choose the attack type you want to use (usually one of your powers, or a basic attack).
A Choose a target for your attack that is within range of the attack type you selected.
A
.... The total is your attack roll result. Compare this to the defense your attack targets : Armor
Class, Fortitude, Reflex , or Will.
SKill CHECKS
). Choose the skill you're trying to use.
). Roll a d20 and add your skill modifier .
.... Add any situational modifiers, usually from powers affecting you .
). The total is your result. Compare it to the Difficulty Class the Game Master sets for the skill
check.
USING CARDS
The D&D GAMMA WORLD game introduces an unusual element to DUNGEONS & DRAGONS games: col
lectible cards that represent your most powerful or unusual mutations and the items of advanced
technology you possess. These are known as Alpha Mutations and Omega Tech. You can play using
only the starter cards that came in the game box , but a player can create a customized character by
building his or her own Alpha Mutation and Omega Tech decks from booster packs. Likewise, a Game
Master can also customize his or her own decks.
Draw Deck: Cards that you haven't drawn yet are in a draw deck. There are two draw decks (one for
Alpha Mutation cards, and one for Omega Tech cards). If you have your own decks, shuffle each
one separately before play begins, and keep them face down-you might know what 's in your
deck , but you don't know when a specific card is going to come up.
Readied: When you draw a card, you place it face up on the table and it becomes readied. While you
have a card readied , you can use the power or benefit described on it. You can have only a lim
ited number of Alpha Mutation cards readied at a time (page 66), but you can have any number of
Omega Tech cards readied . Readied Omega Tech cards remain readied-they're in play until you
use them up.
Discard: Put cards you have expended in a discard pile. Don't return them to your draw deck . Dis
card your Alpha Mutation cards at the end of each encounter (even if you didn't use them); you
also discard them if you experience an Alpha flux. If you use the power of an Omega Tech card
during an encounter, at the end of that encounter make a check to determine if the card remains
readied or if you have to discard it (you might be able to salvage an Omega Tech card before dis
carding it; see "Salvaging Omega Tech," page 69). During an extended rest , reshuffle your Alpha
Mutation cards and your Omega Tech cards back into their respective draw decks.
For more detailed information about Alpha Mutation and Omega Tech cards, see pages 66-69.
REBUILDING DECKS
The Game Master and each player rebuild their Alpha and Omega decks at the end of a game ses
sion or when the player characters stop adventuring to take an extended rest. Discarded cards are
returned to their respective decks and each deck is shuffled. Be careful not to mix cards from a
player's deck with the Game Master's deck. If the Game Master's deck runs out of cards during a game
session, reshuffle the Game Master's deck and continue play, but do not reshuffle player decks before
the end of a session.
. . . .. . .. . . ... . ... . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Gamma Terra is a violent place. Combat is basically pure chaos, but our game doesn't model pure
chaos well. So, instead, combat is organized into a cycle of rounds and turns.
Turn: On your turn , you take actions in any order you want (see "Actions," next page).
COMBAT SEQUENCE
A combat encounter follows these steps.
1. Determine surprise. The Game Master decides if either side is surprised (see " Surprise,"
page 82).
2. Establish positions. The Game Master shows the players where they can place their character
tokens on the battle map. Then the Game Master places the monsters in their starting
positions.
3. Roll initiative. Each monster and character involved in the encounter rolls initiative (roll a
d20 and add your initiative modifier). This determines the order of battle for the encounter.
4. Take surprise round actions. If any combatants gained a surprise round against their
enemies, they act in initiative order, each taking a single action. (Fo r more information about
surprise rounds, see " Surprise," page 82 .)
5. Take turns. In initiative order, highest result starting first, each combatant takes a turn.
6. Begin the next round. After each combatant has had a turn , the round ends. Start a new
round, and each combatant takes a turn in initiative order again.
7. End the encounter. After one side or the other Hees or is defeated, the encounter ends. The
player characters can take a rest if they win (or get away, if they Hee).
ACTIONS
Each turn for a character or a creature consists of using up to three actions: a standard action, a
move action, and a minor action .
Standard Action: You can normally take one standard action during your turn. Most attack powers
(and basic attacks) require the use of a standard action.
Move Action: You can normally take one move action during your turn. Moving your speed requires
the use of a move action.
Minor Action: A minor action is usually a small adjustment or an activity that doesn't include
moving or attacking. For example, using your second wind during an encounter, drawing a
weapon , opening a door, or picking up a small item are minor actions.
In addition , there are a few actions that don 't really count as actions, or that come up on other
combatants' turns.
Free Action: Things that don't take any real time or effort are free actions. You can take as many free
actions as you want during your turn (or anyone else's turn), as allowed by the Game Master. Drop
ping a held item or talking are free actions-feel free to shout advice or yell for help.
Opportunity Action: When an enemy lets its guard down near you, you can take an opportunity
attack if you 're armed with a melee weapon. You can take an opportunity attack only if the
creature in question provokes it (see "Opportunity Attacks ," page 20). You can use only one oppor
tunity action per turn, and you can't use it on your turn.
Immediate Action: Some powers use immediate actions to interrupt or react to something anoth er
creature does. The specific power defines exactly what triggers the action. You don 't have to use
an immediate action when it's triggered , but you can 't use it unless it 's triggered. You can use
only one immediate action per round , and you can't use it on your turn. There are two kinds of
immediate actions .
.l
Interrupt actions let you act before the triggering action is resolved. If the interrupt
invalidates the triggering action, the action is lost. For example, if your interrupt power kills
the triggering creature , th e creature can 't resolve the triggering action.
~ Reaction actions take place after the triggering action is completely resolved.
If you want, you can "trade down" in actions. In place of your standard action, you can take a move
or a minor action, and in pl'ace of your move action you can take a minor action.
End of Your Turn: After you act, use the end of your turn to keep track of any effects. This is when
you get to make a saving throw against each effect on you that can be ended by a save. To make
a saving throw, roll a d20. On a result of 10 or higher, you succeed and the effect ends. On a
result of 9 or lower, you fail and the effect continues ; you'll have to try again at the end of your
next turn.
You can attack your enemies by using a power. Your powers depend on your character origins and
th e current Alpha Mutation and Omega Tech cards you have readied . But even if your powers have
been exp ended for th e encounter, you can always use a basic attack (a simple attack such as swing
ing a sword or firing a gun) to attack . See " Using Your Weapon " on page 75 for details on making a
basic attack.
MAKING ATTACKS
)., Attack Roll: To attack , roll a d20 and add your attack modifier. Your attack modifier is
described in the power you're using, but it's typically your key ability modifier + your
level. Some attacks add other bonuses to this roll. For example, all weapon attacks add the
weapon 's accuracy bonus to the attack roll. Other powers might have a fixed attack bonus
number, such as "your level + 6."
)., Standard Action: Most attack powers (and basic attacks) require a standard action .
)., Hit: If your roll equals or beats the target 's defense against that attack, you hit.
.A.
Damage Roll: If you hit, roll the damage given for your power or weapon .
.A.
Critical Hit: If you roll a natural 20 on your attack roll, you score a critical hit. Instead of
rolling damage, you score the maximum damage possible (pretend you rolled the best result
you could using the damage die or dice). Your also add a special effect when you score a
critical hit , depending on your character origin (see "Using Character Origins," page 34).
COMBAT ADVANTAGE
When a defender can 't give full attention to its defense, it grants combat advantage to the attacker.
This usually occurs wh en th e defender is surround ed, stunn ed, on the ground prone, or otherwise
caught off guard .
COMBAT ADVANTAGE
)., +2 Bonus to Attack Rolls:
You gain this bonus when
the target of your attack
is granting you combat
advantage.
Don't Provide (over: You can shoot through other creatu res' squares at no
penalty.
.... Melee and Ranged Attack Penalty: If you have partial cover or partial concealment , anyone
targeting you with a melee or a ranged attack takes a -2 penalty to the attack roll , or a-5
penalty if the Game Master determines that you have superior cover or total concealment.
and (lose Attack Penalty: If a close or an area attack targets you, your attacker takes
the cover penalty only if YOll have cover from the origin point of the blast or burst.
.I. Area
If you have a power that grants invisibility, you gain combat advantage against any
enemy that can't see YOll, and you have total concealment. You don't provoke opportunity
attacks from enemies that can't see you .
.I. Invisible:
OPPORTUNITY ATTACKS
If you 're armed with a melee weapon (or a natural attack such as claws or a bite), enemies adjacent to
you that ignore you provoke an opportuity attack.
OPPORTUNITY ATTACKS
Ai Melee Basic Attack: An opportunity attack is a melee basic attack. See " Using Your Weapon"
turn, even if it takes more than one action that provokes an opportunity attack from you .
.l. Moving Provokes: An enemy who leaves a square adjacent to you normally provokes an
opportunity attack from you. Some forms of movement don't provoke opportunity attacks;
these exceptions are noted when they apply.
,10. Ranged
and Area Attacks Provoke: An adjacent enemy that uses a ranged or an area attack
provokes an opportunity attack from you.
J. Shift: Shift 1 square. You don't provoke opportunity attacks when you shift .
.A. Run:
Move a number of squares up to your speed +2. Until the start of your next turn, you
grant combat advantage and take a -5 penalty to attack rolls.
FORCED MOVEMENT
Some powers allow you to pull, push, or slide the target.
Pull: When you pull a creature, each square you move it must bring it closer to you.
Push: When you push a creature , each square you move it must move it farther away from you.
Slide: When you slide a creature , there's no restriction on the direction you can move it.
FORCED MOVEMENT
The power
J.. Distance:
Ai No Opportunity Attacks:
provoke opportunity
attacks .
Forced
Forced
by difficult terrain.
Danger: If you
use forced movement to move a target into a harmful space (for example, over a cliff or into
a fire) , the target gets to make a saving throw to avoid moving into the space. tf the save
succeeds, the target falls prone in the space located before the harmful space.
,I;, Avoiding
FALLING
When a creature falls at least 10 feet , it takes damage. A creature takes 1d10 damage for each 10 feet
it falls, to a maximum of SOd10. The creature falls prone when it lands, unless it takes no damage
from a fall for a specific reason (such as a piece of Omega Tech or a mutation) .
Large, Huge. and Gargantuan (reatures: If only part of a creature's space is over a pit or a preci
Tiny: Tiny creatures are so small they don't fill their squares. You can enter or end your movement in
a square containing a Tiny creature even if it's an enemy, and a Tiny creature can enter or end its
movement in your square. (This movement still provokes an opportunity attack.) Swarms of Tiny
creatures, such as characters of the Rat Swarm origin , are the exception; they take up space and
move like normal Medium-size creatures, filling 1 square.
you're unconscious, the power or effect can restore your hit poinls.
).. Temporary Hit Points: Some powers and effects give you temporary hit points. Keep track of
these separately from your actual hit points. Any damage you take comes off your temporary
hit points first, and any leftover damage is applied to your own hit points. Any temporary hit
points you have remaining at the end of an encounter are los\.
DEATH
When your current hit points drop to 0 or lower, you fall unconscious and are dying. Any damage you
take continues to reduce your current hit points.
Death: When you take damage that reduces your current hit points to a negative number
that's the same as your bloodied value, or if you fail your death save three times before taking
a rest , your character dies. Too bad , so sad.
.HOW
. . . . .TO. . .READ
. .. . .APOWER
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. . . . ..
Special talents or abilities in the D&D GAMMA WORLD game are called powers. You gain powers from
your mutations, from your Alpha Mutations, and sometimes from the Omega Tech items you find.
Powers are described in the following standardized format.
KEYWORDS
The first keyword indicates whether a power is an at-will or an encounter power. You can use your at
will powers as often as you want. You can use an encounter power once per encounter, and must take
a short rest before you can use it again.
Other keywords define the fundamental effects of a power. For example, a power that deals
electricity damage has the electricity keyword. Anything resistant or immune to an electricity attack
applies its resistance against that power. Common keywords include:
Power Source: Area 52, Bio, Dark, Ishtar, Psi, Xi. The type of mutation or technology producing the
effect.
Weapon: If a power has the weapon keyword, you deliver the power by attacking with a weapon. Add
the weapon's accuracy bonus to your attack roll.
Damage Type: Acid, cold, electricity, fire , force, laser, necrotic, physical , poison , psychic, radiation,
sonic.
Effect Type: Effect keywords include the following:
Healing: Powers that restore hit points.
Teleportalion: Powers that transport creatures instantaneously from one location to another.
Zone: A zone is an effect that extends over an area. Zones can't be attacked or affected by other
powers. A zone ends if the creature creating it is killed.
ACTION TYPE
The next line of the power description begins with what type of action you have to take to use the
power. Most powers require a standard action; some require a move action or a minor action. A few
powers use immediate or free actions.
Trigger: Some powers can be used only if a triggering condition occurs, such as "an enemy enters a
square adjacent to you" or "an enemy hits you with a melee attack."
The four attack types are melee, ranged, close, and area.
To determine range, count the square the target is in but not your own square.
MELEE POWERS
A melee power affects a target (or targets) within melee reach (usually in a square adjacent to the
attacker). You make a separate attack roll against each target. A power that has the range of "melee
2" or "melee 3" allows you to attack targets up to the specified number of squares away.
RANGED POWERS
A ranged power affects a target (or targets) at a distance. A power that has the range of "ranged
weapon " allows you to attack a target within your weapon 's range. 11 you're shooting an assault rifle ,
that could be up to 15 squares. If you're throwing a dagger, it might be only 10 squares. Some powers
instead specify a range, such as "range 10."
CLOSE POWERS
A close power creates an area of effect. Close powers come in blasts and bursts. Usually, you make
separate attack rolls against each target in the blast or burst, but you make one damage roll.
(lose burst [number]: A close burst targets creatures or objects within a number of squares of you.
You're not included in your own burst.
(lose blast [number): A close blast targets creatures or objects in a blast area consisting of a
number of squares on each side. For example , a close blast 3 targets an area 3 squares by 3
squares. At least one square in the blast area must be adjacent to you , and can't include your
own space.
AREA POWERS
An area power creates an area
of effect that can originate in a
distant square. Usually, you make
separate attack rolls against each
target within the area , but you
make one damage roll.
PERSONAL
These powers affect only you.
If a power directly affects one or more creatures or objects, it has a "Target" entry. At the Game Mas
ter 's discretion, a power that normally targets a creature can also target an object ; you can try to set
a house on fire using fiery flare, but you can't damage it using psychic assault.
Figuring out whether you can see and target a particular enemy from wh ere you're standing is
important. When you want to target a creature or object, you must determine whether you can see it
(line of sight) and affect it (line of effect).
Line of sight: To determine whether you can see a target, pick a corner of your square and trace an
imaginary line from that corner to any part of th e target 's space. You can see the target if you can
trace a line that does n't pass through or touch an object or effect-such as a wall or fog-that
blocks your vision. When you make an area attack, you need line of sight to the attack's origin
square.
Line of effect: You can target a creature or a square if there 's an unblocked path between it and
you. If you cannot trace an imaginary line to a target without passing through or touching a solid
object , you don't have line of effect to the target. Obscuring terrain doesn't block line of effect.
When you make an area attack, you need line of effect to the attack's origin square, and the
origin square needs line of effect to the targets.
Creatures or enemies: If a power targets creatures , it affects both your allies and your enemies. If
it targets enemies, it doesn't hurt any of your allies. Enemies include anything that isn't your ally,
whether it's hostile to you or not.
You aren't your ally: You can 't target yourself using a power that targets an ally, unless the power's
target is "you or an ally" or "you and an ally."
Most attack powers require you to make an attack roll. The "Attack " entry tells you what kind of
attack you make, which defense the attack targets, and any inherent modifier to the attack. (See
" Making Attacks," page 18, for more information about attack modifiers.)
For example, an attack that reads "Constitution + your level vs. Fortitude" means that your attack
roll is a d20 roll plus your Constitution modifier and your level. In this example, you're trying to equal
or exceed your target's Fortitude defense.
HIT OR MISS
Every power that requires an attack roll includes a " Hit" entry that explains what happens if your
attack succeeds. When you affect a creature by using a power, the creature knows that you've hit it
and knows what conditions you've imposed.
Most powers don't have a "Miss" entry, but some do. A power might do half damage on a miss (as
compared to full damage on a hit), or include some other incidental effect that's not as good as the
effect of a hit.
[W] or 2[W] damage: You deal damage based on the weapon you're using. A number in front of the
(W] indicates that you should roll your weapon damage dice that number of times and add the
rolls together. (See " Weapon Details," page 73, for more information about weapon damage.)
Conditions: Many powers impose a condition such as dazed, stunned, weakened, slowed, or knocked
prone. (See page 84 for definitions of conditions.) Depending on the power, a condition could last
until your next turn, or it might say "(save ends)," which means that it persists until the target rolls
a successful saving throw against it. (A creature can attempt a saving throw against each effect it's
suffering at the end of its turn.)
Ongoing Damage: Ongoing damage is a fixed amount of damage that a target takes at the start
of each of its turns. Ongoing damage could have a particular type (like poison). It's always a
"(save ends)" effect.
EFFECT
Many powers produce effects that don't depend on an attack roll or that take place regardless of
whether your attack rolls succeeds. The "Effect" entry for a power always happens, even if you miss
all the targets.
CHAPTER 2:
MAKING CHARACTERS
Your character is your persona or avatar in the D&D GAMMA WORLD game. He or she (or it, since you
might be a plant or something) is a combination of the fantastic, super-powered hero or adventurer
you imagine in your mind's eye, and the game rules that describe exactly what that character can
do and how the character interacts with the world. What mutations does your character possess) Is
he or she strong, agile, or brillianP What sort of person is your character-a calculating mercenary,
an overly curious scholar, or perhaps a driven bounty hunter? Are you a tribal sage, eager to explore
deeper into the mysteries of the Ancients) A mutated pantheroid, whose silent approach brings death
to your enemieQ An android stranded in Gamma Terra from some more advanced world, determined
to drive back the darkness and ignorance that surrounds you? It's all up to you.
Well ... not exactly. Now that you have your ideal character fixed firmly in your mind, pick up
some dice and start rolling to see what sort of bizarre freak you're ACTUALLY going to play.
Sorry, that's life in Gamma Terra.
Now that you understand how it is, here are the rules for building a character to explore this dan
gerous world .
CHARACTER MORTALITY
Fusion rifles, mutated predators, irradiated death zones, and berserk battle-robots mean that there's
often a high penalty for failure in Gamma Terra. Unlike many other roleplaying games, magical heal
ing or resurrection from death aren't common in the D&D GAMMA WORLD game. If your character
is killed, it doesn't mean that you 're a bad player or even that you made a stupid decision. (Well
... maybe no!.) Bad luck and dangers you had no fair chance to see coming are part of the game.
So, when your favorite mutant is blown to atoms by a warbot with a photon missile, raise a glass of
Mountain Dew to his or her memory, and then get to work rolling up your next character. Your new
mutant is around the next corner, waiting to join the party of heroes and take up their quest.
5. Fill in the numbers (page 31). Calculate your hit points, Armor Class and other defenses, as well as
your initiative modifier and your attack, damage, and skill bonuses.
6. Add roleplaying character details (page 64). Imagine details about your character's personality,
appearance, beliefs, and backstory_ Sure, you might be a mutated bear, but are you a mutated
black, brown, polar, or panda bear? Heck, you might be purple. Extreme radiation does weird
stuff to bears.
7. Draw Alpha Mutation and Omega Tech (page 66-69). Draw a card from your Alpha Mutation
deck (or the Game Master's deck) and a card from your Omega Tech deck (or the Game Master's
deck)_ As a native of Gamma Terra, you have access to powerful and unpredictable mutant abili
ties, and the dangerous junk of many different worlds surrounds you. You won 't keep these cards
for long, because you'll find new tech and develop different mutations during the course of
your adventures.
,. '
J.
All of the Levell traits from your primary and secondary origins
.J.J The ability to make basic attacks using any weapon you wield
As you play, you gain experience and level up. Leveling up improves your attack and defense
numbers, unlocks additional powers from your character origins, and grants you other benefits.
(See "Gaining Levels," page 32.)
CHARACTER STATISTICS
All characters are built on the same chassis of hit points, defense scores, and attack bonuses. Your
statistics describe how tough you are, how resistant you are to different types of attacks, and how
well you can attack using the weapons or powers you have. You 'll need this information to get your
character ready for play. Here's how you determine your key statistics.
GHARAGlER STATlSTIGS
Hit Points at 1st Level: 12 + your Constitution score
Bloodied Value: Half your hit point total, rounded down
Hit Points per Level Gained: 5
Fortitude Defense: 10 + your level + the better of your Strength or Constitution modifiers
Reflex Defense: 10 + your level + the better of your Dexterity or Intelligence modifiers
Will Defense: 10 + your level + the better of your Wisdom or Charisma modifiers
Armor Class: 10 + your level + armor bonus + shield bonus, if any; if you're wearing light armor
or no armor, add the better of your Dexterity or Intelligence modifiers
Speed: 6 (plus or minus any modifiers for your origin)
Initiative Modifier: Your Dexterity modifier + your level + other modifiers (such as for origin)
Attack Bonus (Weapon): Best modifier from the weapon's key ability score pair + your level +
weapon accuracy bonus
Attack Bonus (Power): The power's key ability modifier + your level + the power's accuracy
modifier (or weapon accuracy bonus if the power works with a weapon)
Skill Bonus: The key ability score modifier + your level + all bonuses you have for that skill
GAINING LEVELS
..............................................
You begin a game as a novice hero, but as you defeat monsters and complete quests, you gain expe
rience, measured by your experience points (or XP) . When you accumulate enough XP, you gain a
character level and become more dangerous and tougher: Your skill at attack and defense increases,
and you might be able to learn new powers from your character origins. Gaining levels is what it's
all about.
Once you have enough XP, you must take an extended rest before you can move on to the next
level. Refer to the Character Advancement table below for the benefits you gain when you level up.
Level
Benefit
1st
Alpha Mutations
500
2nd
1,000
3rd
2,000
4th
3,000
5th
4,000
6th
5,000
7th
6,500
8th
8,500
9th
10,000
10th
Uber featu re
LEVEL BONUS
Each time your character level increases, your level bonus improves. Your level bonus measures
your overall skill and competence, and it affects almost everything you do-it's part of your defense
scores, attack bonuses, initiative modifier, and skill check modifiers. When you level up, be sure to
adjust the numbers on your character sheet appropriately.
BENEFITS
As you gain levels, you learn new powers from your character origins. You start with the novice power
of each of your origins. At 2nd level, you choose one critical hit benelit from either of your two ori
gins. At 3rd level, you learn the utility power from one of your two origins, and so on.
HIT POINTS
You gain 5 hit points each time you gain a level. Remember to increase your bloodied value to one
half of your new hit point maximum.
11 :. 1
ALPHA USES
As a beginning hero, you can have one Alpha Mutation readied and can use its powers and effects
once per encounter (unless there is Alpha flux, see page 67). At 4th level, you can have two Alpha
Mutations readied and you can use the powers and effects from both of them , once per encounter
each. At 8th level, you can have three Alpha Mutations readied and you can use the powers and
effects from all three, also once per encounter each.
U8ER FEATURE
At 10th level, you gain your choice of one Uber feature, selected from the following list:
.;. Choose one of your origin expert powers. You can use that power one additional time each
encounter.
.AJ
At the end of each encounter, you can automatically succeed on one Omega Charge check .
).. At the end of each encounter, you can choose one of your readied Alpha Mutation cards. You
don't discard that card, and it remains readied for your next encounter.
CHARACTER ORIGINS
..............................................
Gamma Terra is made up of the debris of multiple fractured realities, all competing to occupy the
same time-space . You're a native of this altered world, and a lucky one: You have powers and abili
ties bequeathed upon you by mutations, reality transpositions, and adaptation to the world left over
from the initial time-space disaster. These special gifts are described by your character origin. Each
Gamma World character begin s play with two character origins.
A character origin is a mutation , a body form , or a talent tree . Each origin has its own ladder of
powers and traits, and describes what kind of character you are.
To determine your two character origins, roll two d20s and consult the table below for each result.
Your first roll determines your primary origin, and your second roll determines your secondary origin.
If your second roll is the same as the first , then your second origin is Engineered Human (page 56).
Origin
Roll
Origin
Roll
Origin
Android
Gravity Controller
15
Radioactive
Cockroach
Hawkoid
16
Rat Swarm
Doppelganger
10
Hypercognitive
17
Seismic
Electrokinetic
11
Mind Breaker
18
Speedster
Empath
12
Mind Coercer
19
Telekinetic
Felinoid
13
Plant
20
Yeti
Giant
14
Pyrokinetic
,_.
1. :. 1
Mutated Animal: If your origins strongly suggest animal ancestry, you're a mutated animal. For
example, felinoids are basically great cats mutated to humanlike intelligence, who have functional
hands, upright stances, and the ability to speak.
Artificial: If your origins are Android, you're a robot, an android, or a cyborg.
Plant: If one of your origins is Plant, you 're a mutated plant who has the ability to move, think,
speak, use equipment, and so on.
Humanoid: If your origins don't suggest any animal, android, or plant origin , but you're not
human , you're considered a humanoid. For example, you might be Giant or Seismic, and it is obvious
that you aren't entirely human. You could also be green-skinned, or scaly, or have small antennae, or
possess some other minor cosmetic difference that sets you apart from true humans.
Human: If you're an Engineered Human who has an origin that doesn't imply a drastic alteration
of your body form, you can call yourself human. Ancient robots and Als often react more favorably to
humans than to other characters.
Seismic and Hawkoid: You 're rocky, and you fly. You're a gargoyle!
Giant and Cockroach: You're big and insectlike. You might be a giant beetieoid.
Rat Swarm and Felinoid: You 're a swarm of small creatures, and you're feline in nature. Either
you're a pack of kittens, or you're a swarm of rats that climbs and clings together in a panther-shaped
collection of individuals.
Android and Plant: Oooh, a toughie. Maybe you're a robot deliberately designed to have vegeta
tive camouflage. Or maybe you're a robot constructed from some sort of bizarre biotechnology. You
might even hail from a really remote worldline where psionic masters animate golemlike servants
made of plant materia Is.
'
'I'
ANDROID TRAITS
Mutant Type: Intelligence; Dark; +2 to dark overcharge.
Skill Bonus (Levell): Gain a +4 bonus to Science checks.
Built to Last (Levell): Gain a +2 bonus to Fortitude.
Machine Powered (Levell): You do not need to eat, drink,
or breathe.
Android Critical (Level 2 or 6): When you score a critical hit, the
attack deals 1d10 extra damage, and the target grants combat
advantage to you until the end of the encounter.
ANDROID POWERS
MACHINE GRIP
ANDROID NOVICE
When you get a hand on an enemy, yourgrip tightens like a steel-jawed vise.
At-Will @ Dark, Physical
Standard Action
Melee 1
Target: One creature
Attack: Intelligence + your level vs. Reflex
Hit: 1d1 0 + Intelligence modifier + twice your level physical damage, and the target is im
mobilized until the start of your next turn. If you move to a SQuare that isn't adjacent to the
target, the immobilization ends.
BE MY BATTERY
ANDROID UTILITY
You transform energy attacks into reserve energy you use to protect and repair yourself
Encounter @ Dark
Immediate Interrupt
Personal
Trigger: You take electricity, fire, laser, or radiation damage
Effect: You gain immunity to the triggering damage type until the start of your next turn. You
also gain temporary hit points equal to 10 + your Intelligence modifier.
ANDROID EXPERT
You 've learned to harness the radioactive leakage from your power plant containment vessel to
harm your foes.
Encounter @ Dark, Radiation
Standard Action
Close burst 2
Target: Each creature in burst
Attack: Intelligence + your level vs. Fortitude
Hit: 2d10 + Intelligence modifier + your level radiation damage.
Effect: The target is slowed until the start of your next turn.
,. '
II !. '
,<.
COCKROACH
COCKROACH TRAITS
Mutant Type: Constitution; Bio; +2 to bio overcharge.
Bug Legs (Levell): You can climb your speed . You can even climb upside down across
Cockroach Critical (Level 2 or 6): When you score a critical hit, the attack deals 1d10 extra
damage, and you gain a +4 bonus to AC until the end of your next turn.
COCKROACH POWERS
EAU DE ROACH
COCKROACH NOVICE
You spit at your foe. The spit is a combination of excrement, scent gland fluid, regurgitated
food, and stomach acid. Yep, it's nasty, and it burns your foe and fo rces it away from you.
HARD TO KILL
COCKROACH UTILITY
When othen count you out, your roach exoskeleton gives you a second chance.
Encounter @ Bio, Healing
Immediate Interrupt
Personal
OPPORTUNISTIC MEAL
COCKROACH EXPERT
Free Action
Melee 1
. . . . . . . . . . . . .. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. . . . . . . . .
DOPPELGANGER TRAITS
Mutant Type: Intelligence; Dark; +2 to dark overcharge.
Two Possibilities (level 1): Whenever you draw an Alpha Mutation card, draw two cards from
the same deck and choose which one to keep. Put the other on the bottom of the deck.
Doppelganger Critical (level 2 or 6): When you score a critical hit, the attack deals ldl0
DOPPELGANGER POWERS
DOUBLE TROUBLE
DOPPElGANGER NOVICE
Standard Action
Personal
Effect: You create a duplicate of yourself in an unoccupied square within 5 squares of you.
The duplicate acts in the initiative order directly after you and can take all the actions that
you can take, except that it can't use doppelganger powers, Alpha Mutations, or Omega
Tech. Its statistics are the same as yours, except that it has only 1 hit point. Your duplicate
disappears when it drops to 0 hit points or at the end of your next turn.
DOPPELGANGER UTILITY
Minor Action
Personal
Effect: Choose an unoccupied square within 5 squares of you. You simultaneously occupy
that square and your current square. Before the start of your next turn, you can teleport to
the chosen square as a free action.
MULTIPLICIlY
DOPPELGANGER EXPERT
You surround yourself with a crowd of duplicates, who lash out at and hinder nearby enemies.
Encounter @ Dark, Physical
Standard Action
Close burst 3
Target: Each enemy in burst
Attack: Intelligence + your level vs. AC
Hit: 2dl0 + Intelligence modifier + your level physical damage.
Effect: The burst creates a zone that lasts until the end of your next turn. The lone is difficult
terrain for your enemies. While within the lone, you and your allies gain cover from attacks.
",
I. :. '
ELECTROKINETIC
..............................................
ELECTROKINETIC TRAITS
Mutant Type: Wisdom; Dark; +2 to dark overcharge.
Skill Bonus (Levell): Gain a +4 bonus to Mechanics checks.
Lightning Reflexes (Levell): Gain a +2 bonus to Reflex.
Natural Battery (Leve,l l): Gain resist 10 electricity.
Electrokinetic Critical (Level 2 or 6): When you score a critical hit, the attack deals 1d10
extra damage, and one ally within 5 squares of the target gains 10 temporary hit points.
ELECTROKINETIC POWERS
ELECTRIC BOOGALOO
ELECTROKINETIC NOVICE
You zap your enemy with an arc of electricity, making your foe jerk and dance around like a
spaz.
STAND CLEAR!
ELECTROKINETIC UTILITY
LIGHTNING BOLT
ELECTROKINETIC EXPERT
You uncork a spectacular lightning bolt that fries a foe or supercharges an ally.
Encounter @ Dark, Electricity
Standard Action
Ranged 5
Target: One creature
Attack: Wisdom + your level vs. Reflex
Hit: 3d8 + Wisdom modifier + twice your level electricity damage.
Miss: The ally nearest to the target gains temporary hit points equal to 3d8 + your Wisdom
modifier.
ELECTROKINETIC
EMPATH TRAITS
Mutant Type: Charisma; Psi; +2 to psi overcharge.
Skill Bonus (Levell): Gain a +4 bonus to Insight checks.
Pacifying Aura (Levell): You and each ally adjacent to you never grant combat advantage.
Vital Presence (Levell): Allies adjacent to you gain a +5 bonus to death saving throws.
Empath Critical (Level 2 or 6): When you score a critical hit, one ally within 5 squares of the
target regains hit points equa'i to twice your level.
EM PATH POWERS
VITALITY TRANSFER
EMPATH NOVICE
SHARE STRENGTH
EMPATH UTILITY
You link the life forces of two allies together, allowing one to use his or her vitality ta heal the
other.
Encounter @ Healing, Psi, Psychic
Close burst 5
Standard Action
Target: You and one ally in burst, or two allies in burst
Effect: One target of your choice takes 10 psychic damage. and the other target regains 10 hit
points and makes a saving throw.
ZONE OF PACIFICATION
EMPATH EXPERT
II :. ,
.FELINOIO
. .. . . . .. . .. .. . .. . . . . . . . . .. . . . .
FELINOID TRAITS
Mutant Type: Dexterity; Bio; +2 to bio overcharge.
,less, and you always land on your feet when you fall.
the attack deals 1d10 extra damage, and you can shift 3
FELiNOID POWERS
SLASHING CLAWS
FELINOID NOVICE
You rake at your foe's face with a lightning-fast flurry of razor-sharp claws.
At-Will @ Bio, Physical
Standard Action
Melee 1
Attack: Dexterity + your level vs. Reflex. Make the attack two times.
Hit (one attack): ld6 + Dexterity modifier + twice your level physical damage.
Hit (both attacks): 2d6 + Dexterity modifier + twice your level physical damage, and the
POUNCE
FELINOID UTILITY
KILLING BITE
FELINOID EXPERT
You bound upon your enemy and knock it to the ground, then you lock your jaws around it.
Encounter @ Bio, Physical
Standard Action
Melee 1
Target: One creature
Attack: Dexterity + your level vs. Reflex
Hit: 3d10 + Dexterity modifier + twice your level physical damage.
Effect: The target falls prone. If it stands up before the end of your next turn while you are
adjacent to it, it takes 10 physical damage.
Special: When charging, you can use this power in place of a melee basic attack.
GIANT
YOU'RE FREAKISHLY BIG, LIKE ANDRE THE GIANT BIG-WE'RE TALKING
7 OR 8 FEET TALL AND 400 TO 500 POUNDS.
You've hit your head on low ceilings more times than you can count, but you've learned to deal
with it .. . by unleashing a screaming fit of giant rage on all the poor fools unlucky enough to be
nearby.
Appearance: You tower over your friends and foes , and your shadow stretches large. Have we
mentioned that you're freakishly big?
GIANT TRAITS
Mutant Type: Strength; Bio; +2 to bio overcharge.
Skill Bonus (Levell): Gain a +4 bonus to Athletics checks.
Just Tough (Levell): Gain a +2 bonus to Fortitude.
Encumbered Speed (Levell): You move your speed , even while wearing heavy armor or
carrying a heavy load.
Giant Critical (Level 2 or 6): When you score a critical hit, the attack deals ldl0 extra
damage, and you push the target 3 squares.
GIANT POWERS
BRICKBAT
GIANT NOVICE
You spin in a circle with your weapon, knocking down a wide swath of foes.
Encounter ~ Bio, Physical, Weapon
Close burst 1
Standard Action
Requirement: You must be wielding a melee weapon .
Target: Each enemy in burst you can see
Attack: Strength + your level + weapon accuracy vs. AC
Hit: 1[W] + Strength modifier physical damage, and you knock the target prone.
FOCUSED STRENGTH
You flex your large muscles, bringing every ounce of strength to bear.
GIANT UTILITY
Encounter ~ Bio
Minor Action
Personal
Effect: You gain a +5 power bonus to damage rolls with melee attacks until the start of your
next turn .
HURL FOE
You pick up your foe and toss it like a small toy.
GIANT EXPERT
..
,. :. 1
.GRAVITY
. . . . . . . .CONTROLLER
. . . .. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Gravity Controller Critical (Level 2 or 6): When you score a critical hit, the attack deals 1d10
extra damage, and one creature within 2 squares of the target is immobilized until the end
of your next turn.
GRAVITY NOVICE
You unleash a flood of gravitons that swarm your foe, dragging down its every step.
At-Will @ Dark. Physical
Ranged 10
Standard Action
Target: One creature
Hit: 1d10 + Constitution modifier + twice your level physical damage, and the target is
SIDEWAYS GRAVITY
GRAVITY UTILITY
An enemy moves next to you, and you send it away in a flash of quantum radiance.
Encounter @ Dark
Immediate Reaction
Personal
SINGULARITY
GRAVITY EXPERT
You focus on a point and create a small block hole that sucks people toward it.
Standard Action
Target: Each creature in burst
Effect: You pull the target 2 squares toward the burst 's origin square, and the target falls
prone.
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
YOU ARE A MUTATED BIRD OF PREY.
Your taloned feet have fully opposable "thumbs" and
work as well as hands when you're in the air. When you're
on the ground, you can handle objects using handlike claws at
the wrist joints of your wings.
Appearance: You have a large hooked beak, brown plumage,
and tough, scaly skin on your talons and wing-claws. You have a
wingspan of nearly 15 feet.
HAWKOID TRAITS
Mutant Type: Wisdom; Bio; +2 to bio overcharge.
Skill Bonus (Levell): Gain a +4 bonus to Perception checks.
Flight (Levell): You have a fly speed equal to your speed (see
"Speed" on page 104 for rules on flying). While flying, you
take a -2 penalty to attack rolls.
Hawkoid Critical (Level 2 or 6): When you score a critical hit,
the attack deals ld10 extra damage, and you can fly your
speed as a free action.
HAWKOID POWERS
TERRIFYING SHRIEK
HAWKOID NOVICE
You make piercing shriek that sends nearby creatures reeling in terror.
Encounter @ Bio, Psychic
Standard Action
Close burst 2
Target: Each creature in burst
Attack: Wisdom + your level vs. Will
Hit: ld6 + Wisdom modifier + your level psychic damage, and you slide the target 1 square.
FLAP AWAY
HAWKOID UTILITY
~
With a fla p of your wings, you quickly move away from a foe.
-'"
Encounter @ Bio
Immediate Reaction
Personal
Trigger: An enemy enters a square adjacent to you
Effect: You fly 2 squares without provoking opportunity attacks. If you don't land at the end
of this movement, you fall.
POWER DIVE
HAWKOID EXPERT
You leap into the air and then plummet into your foe in a devastating attack.
Encounter @ Bio, Physical
Standard Action
Melee 1
Target: One creature
Effect: Before making this attack, you can fly your speed.
Attack: Wisdom + your level vs. AC
Hit: 3dl0 + Wisdom modifier + twice your level physical damage, and you knock the target
prone.
Miss: Half damage.
,. '
1. :. 1
.HYPER
.. . . . .COGN
. . . . ITIVE
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. . . . . .. . . . . . .. ..
HYPERCOGNITIVE TRAITS
Mutant Type: Wisdom; Psi ; +2 to psi overcharge .
Hypercognitive Critical (Level 2 or 6): When you score a critical hit, the attack deals 1d10
extra damage, and you or an ally within 5 squares of you gains a +2 bonus to all defenses
until the end of your next turn .
HYPERCOGNITIVE POWERS
UNCANNY STRIKE
HYPERCOGNITIVE NOVICE
With a glance, you assess yourfoe's weaknesses and strike to enhance that disadvantage.
Encounter @ Psi, Physical, Weapon
Standard Action
Melee or Ranged weapon
Hit: 1[W) + Wisdom modifier + your level physical damage, and the target grants combat
SAW IT COMING
HYPERCOGNITIVE UTILITY
Immediate Interrupt
Personal
Effect: The triggering enemy rerolls the attack and must use the new result.
EXPLOIT WEAKNESS
HYPERCOGNITIVE EXPERT
You perceive a weakness in your foe's defenses and show your allies how to exploit it.
Encounter @ Psi, Physical, Weapon
Standard Action
Melee or Ranged weapon
Target: One creature
Attack: Wisdom + your level + weapon accuracy +2 vs. AC
Hit: 1[W) + Wisdom modifier + your level physical damage, and the target gains vulnerable 5
to all damage until the start of your next turn.
You project a bolt of mental energy that slams into your foe 's psyche like a sucker punch.
At-Will @ Psi, Psychic
Ranged 20
Standard Action
Target: One creature
Attack: Charisma + your level vs. Will
Hit: 1dl0 + Charisma modifier + twice your level psychic damage.
;!
PSYCHIC SHIELD
You surrou nd yourself with a wall of pure fury that makes your enemies want not to attack
you.
Encounter @ Psi, Psychic
Minor Action
Personal
Effect: Until the end of your next turn, you gain a +3 power bonus to all defenses.
MIND BREAK
You unleash a mental onslaught upon yOllr enemy, boring a psychic hole into its mind.
Encounter @ Psi, Psychic
Standard Action
Ranged 10
Target: One creatu re
Attack: Charisma + your level vs. Will
Hit: 3d10 + Charisma modifier + twice your level psychic damage.
Effect: The target gain s vulnerable 5 psychic until the end of your next turn.
..
I. ]
:;;
.MIND
.. . ..C.OERCER
. .. . .. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. . . ... ... . . . . ... .
Group Telepathy (Level 1): While you're conscious, you and each ally within 10 squares of you
You give your foe a mental push. Before it knows what's happening, it attacks its al/y.
At-Will @ Psi, Psychic
Standard Action
Ranged 10
Hit: Charisma modifier psychic damage, and the target makes a basic attack as a free action
You convince your foes that you're not important enough to worry about.
Encounter @ Psi
Minor Action
Personal
Effect: You become invisible to all enemies until the end of your next turn
you attack.
Of
until
You're a puppet master and you make your foe dance like a puppet. Dance!
Encounter @ Psi, Psychic
Standard Action
Ranged 10
Effect: Charisma modifier psychic damage, and you slide the target a number of squares
equal to its speed . The target then makes a basic attack against a creature of your choice,
with a +4 power bonus to the attack roll and the damage roll.
PLANT TRAITS
Mutant Type: Constitution; Bio; +2 to bio overcharge.
Skill Bonus (Levell): Gain a +4 bonus to Nature checks.
Hardened Bark (Levell): Gain a +2 bonus to Fortitude.
Vulnerable to Fire (Levell): Whenever you take fire damage, you take 5 extra fire damage.
Plant Critical (Level 2 or 6): When you score a critical hit , the attack deals ldl0 extra
damage, and the target is immobilized until the start of your next turn .
PLANT POWERS
LASHING CREEPERS
You flail at nearby foes with thorn-covered limbs.
PLANT NOVICE
INSTANT GROVE
PLANT UTILITY
You cause a small thicket of plants to sprout from the ground around you, slowing your
enemies.
INSIDIOUS POLLEN
PLANT EXPERT
You grow a small, flowering bloom and puff hallucinogenic pollen into an enemy's face.
Encounter @ Bio, Poison
Standard Action
Melee 2
Target: One creatu re
Attack: Constitution + your level vs. Will
Hit: ld8 + Constitution modifier + twice your level poison damage, and you dominate the
target until the end of your next turn.
Miss: The target takes a -5 penalty to attack rolls against you until the end of your next turn .
,-'
I. :
.PYROKINETIC
.. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
YOU LIKE TO START FIRES.
Fire is your weapon , your armor, and when
you shape tiny, temporary flame sculptures, your
friend . Your next conflagration is never far from your
thoughts, but you try to restrict your bonfires of
vanity. Most people seem inclined to do what you ask,
even before you threaten to burn down their town.
Appearance: Your hair is flame, your touch can
ignite a blaze, and your breath is an all -consuming
inferno. Where you walk , you leave fine ash and sooty
footprints behind.
PYROKINETIC TRAITS
Mutant Type: Wisdom; Psi; +2 to psi overcharge.
Skill Bonus (Level 1): Gain a +4 bonus to
Interaction checks.
Fire Resistance (Level 1): Gain resist 10 fire.
Fiery Aura (Level 1): Whenever a creature ends its turn adjacent to you , it takes 5 fire damage.
pyrokinetic Critical (Level 2 or 6): When you score a critical hit, the target gains ongoing 10
fire damage (save ends).
PYROKINETIC POWERS
FIERY FLARE
PYROKINETIC NOVICE
BLAZING ROCKET
PYROKINETIC UTILITY
FLAMING BREATH
PYROKINETIC EXPERT
. I
.RADI
... .O.A..C.TIVE
.. . . . . .... . . . .. . . . ..
YOU CHANNEL THE DESTRUCTIVE FORCES
THAT CREATED GAMMA TERRA.
You like to live dangerously. You figure if radiation can't
kill you, everything else should be survivable, too.
Appear(lnce: You give off a faint glow, usually red, which
intensifies when you use your radioact ive powers.
RADIOACTIVE TRAITS
Mutant Type: Constitution ; Dark; +2 to dark overcharge.
Skill Bonus (Levell): Gain a +4 bonus to Science checks.
You've had Worse (Levell): Gain a +2 bonus to Fortitude.
Gamma Tolerance (Levell): Gain resist 15 radiation .
Radioactive Critical (Level 2 or 6): When you score a
critical hit, the target is weakened until the end of your
next turn .
RADIOAOIVE POWERS
RADIATION EYES
RADIOACTIVE NOVICE
You r eyes glow cherry red as you loose a jagged bolt of ionizing radiation at your foe.
At-Will @ Dark, Radiation
Standard Action
Ranged 5
Target: One creature
Attack: Constitution + your level vs. Fortitude
Hit: 1d10 + Constitution modifier + twice your level radiation damage, and the target takes
a -2 penalty to all defenses until the end of your next turn .
HAWKING PORTAL
RADIOAOIVE UTILITY
You bore tunnels through space with a pulse of invigorating radia tion.
Encounter @ Dark, Radiation, Teleportation
Move Action
Close burst 10
Target: You and on e or two allies in burst
Effect: Each target teleports to any other square in the burst, then regains hit points equal to
5 plus your level.
GAMMA ERUPTION
RADIOACTIVE EXPERT
. ..
:
RAT SWARM
You swarm across your foe, biting it dozens of times as you tangle its limbs.
Encounter @ Bio, Physical
Standard Action
Melee 1
Target: One creature
Attack: Dexterity + your level vs. Reflex
Hit: 1d8 + Dexterity modifier + twice your level physical damage, and the target is immobi
lized until the end of your next turn.
You disperse across the graund and quickly reform in a tactically advantageous spot.
Encounter @ Bio
Move Action
Personal
Effect: You shift a number of squares equal to your Dexterity modifier.
You swarm around yourfoe, delivering a multitude of tiny bites that all result in bleeding
wounds.
Encounter
Bio, Physical
Standard Action
Melee 1
Target: One creature
Attack: Dexterity + your level vs. Fortitude
Hit: 2d10 + your Dexterity modifier physical damage.
Effect: At the start of your next turn, the target takes physical damage equal to three times
your level.
.,,.,
SEISMIC TRAITS
Mutant Type: Strength; Dark; +2 to dark overcharge.
Skill Bonus (Levell): Gain a +4 bonus to Athletics
checks.
Armored Skin (Levell): Gain resist 5 physical.
Ponderous (Levell): Take a -1 penalty to speed.
Seismic Critical (Level 2 or 6): When you score a critical
hit, the attack deals 1d10 extra damage, and you
knock the target and each enemy adjacent to the
target prone.
SEISMIC POWERS
SEISMIC STOMP
SEISMIC NOVICE
You stomp on the ground, sending a shock wave of energy into foes around you.
At-Will @ Dark, Sonic
Close bu rst 1
Standard Action
Target: Each creature in burst
Attack: Strength + your level vs. Fortitude
Hit: 1d6 + Strength modifier + your level sonic damage, and you knock the target prone.
1:;
GROUND ANCHOR
i5i
SEISMIC UTILITY
You merge with the ground to keep from being knocked aver or moved against your will.
ii'
Encounter @ Dark
Immediate Interrupt
Personal
Trigger: You are hit by an attack that pulls you, pushes you , slides you , or knocks you prone
Effect: You aren't pulled , pushed, slid, or knocked prone by the attack.
CLOBBERIN'TIME
SEISMIC EXPERT
You clench a huge, rocky fist and punch the punk's lights out.
Encounter @ Dark, Physical
Melee 1
Standard Action
Target: One creature
Attack: Strength + your level vs. Fortitude
Hit: 2d10 + Strength modifier + twice your level physical damage, and you push the target 3
squares.
Effect: The target falls prone.
,. '
I . t. i
SPEEDSTER
EVERYONE MOVES LIKE MOLASSES COMPARED TO YOU.
You can race to the corner and back in the blink of an eye, move faster than a charging rifle
hound, and read the Elysian Fusion Rifle Troubleshooting Guide in one sitting. You speak quickly and
your mind constantly flits from one topic to the next. Your friends describe you as "fidgety."
Appearance: You are long-limbed and slim , and you're always hungry due to your heightened
metabolism.
SPEEDSTER TRAITS
Mutant Type: Dexterity; Psi; +2 to psi overcharge.
Skill Bonus (Levell): Gain a +4 bonus to Acrobatics checks.
Just a Blur (Levell): Gain a +2 bonus to Reflex.
Blinding Speed (Levell): Gain a +2 bonus to speed while wearing light armor or no armor.
Speedster Critical (Level 2 or 6): When you score a critical hit , you can make a basic attack as
a free action.
SPEEDSTER POWERS
QUICK ATTACK
SPEEDSTER NOVICE
You move and strike and move before yourJoe even knows it's being attacked.
Encounter @ Psi, Physical, Weapon
Standard Action
Melee or Ranged weapon
Target: One creature
Effect: You can shift 2 squares before the attack.
Attack: Dexterity + your level + weapon accuracy vs. AC
Hit: 1[W] + Dexterity modifier + your level physical damage, and you shift 2 squares.
WHIZZER
SPEEDSTER UTILITY
SWIFT PUMMEL
SPEEDSTER EXPERT
You attack so quickly that your foe can't tell where one strike leaves oJf and the next begins.
Encounter Psi, Physical, Weapon
Standard Action
Melee 1
Target: One creature
Attack: Dexterity + your level + weapon accuracy +2 vs. AC. Make the attack 4 times.
Hit: 1[W] physical damage.
. . . .. . . . . . . . . . .. .. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . ... . . .
YOU USE THE POWER OF YOUR MIND TO RESHAPE THE WORLD
AROUND YOU.
You can seize objects, deflect attacks, and even strike mighty blows by directing your attention
toward a target.
Appearance: You can hide your talent, but there are always telltale sign s. Small objects near you
sometimes levitate, furniture rattles , and doors open.
TELEKINETI( TRAITS
Mutant Type: Intelligence; Psi; +2 to psi overcharge.
Skill Bonus (Level 1): Gain a +4 bonus to Mechanics checks.
Telekinetic Shield (Level 1): While you 're conscious, you gain a +2 bonus to AC and Reflex.
Telekinetic Reach (Level 1): You can manipulate unattended objects up to 5 squares away
from you as if you were using them yourself. For example, you can open a door as a minor
action or swing a club as a standard action. You take a -2 penalty to attack rolls of attacks
you make using this trait.
Telekinetic Critical (Level 2 or 6): When you score a critical hit, the attack deals 1d10 extra
damage, and you slide one creature within 5 squares of you 2 squares.
TELEKINETI( POWERS
TELEKINETI( WAVE
TELEKINESIS NOVI<E
(HESS PIE(ES
TELEKINESIS UTILITY
TElEKINETI( nUT(H
TELEKINESIS EXPERT
I. :. '
.YETI
. . . .. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. .
YOU ARE BIGFOOT.
You hate it when folks assume that you're a savage beast-just
because you have thick fur and big claws doesn't mean you don't
have feelings.
Appearance: A shaggy pelt of fur covers you. Yetis are usually
dirty white in color, but in Gamma Terrel, pelts of fantastic pat
terns and hues aren't uncommon. You stand 7 feet tall when you're
upright, although you sometimes go on all fours .
YETI TRAITS
Mutant Type: Strength; Bio; +2 to bio overcharge.
the attack deals 1d10 extra damage, and the target takes
YETI POWERS
BIG CLAWS
YETI NOVICE
YETI RAGE
YETI UTILITY
YETI MAULING
YETI EXPERT
You overpower your enemy with your rending claws and then drag it off.
Encounter @ Bio, Physical
Standard Action
Melee 1
Target: One creature
Hit: 2d10 + Strength modifier + twice your level physical damage, and you shift 3 squares.
You then slide the target 5 squares to any unoccupied square adjacent to you.
HUMAN,
.ENGINEERED
. . . . . . . . . .. . . . . . . . . . .
SURE, YOU'RE HUMAN. BUT
YOU'RE SMARTER, STRONGER,
AND TOUGHER THAN ANY
ANCIENT WHO EVER DROVE
TO THE CORNER STORE FOR A
SIX-PACK.
Your ancestors were genetically engineered to
be super-soldiers or to be members of a ruling
genetic caste : a laboratory-bred Soviet "new
man," cloned South American ubermensch,
Draka, Khan Noonien Singh , or some similar
member of a race of photogenic conquerors.
You're more talented and hardier than other
folks, and you have a natural knack with
Omega Tech .
Engineered humans are often looked
upon as leaders by the humanoid and animal
mutants of the world . You're as close to the
old human norm as any creature surviving in
Gamma Terra-but tougher.
Your instinct for violence inspires your allies 10 follow your lead.
At-Will @ Physical, Weapon
Standard Action
Melee or Ranged weapon
Target: One creature
Attack: Your level + 4 + weapon accuracy vs. AC
Hit: 1[W] + your level physical damage, and you choose an ally within 5 squares of you . That
ally makes a basic attack as a free action.
,1:. ,
:0
z
51
TOUGH AS NAILS
TACTICAL ASSAULT
As you attack, you tell your allies where to go 50 they can get in on the fun , too.
Encounter @ Physical, Weapon
Standard Action
Melee or Ranged weapon
Effect: Before the attack, each ally within 10 squares of you can shift 2 squares as a free action.
Target: One creature
Attack: Your level + 4 + weapon accuracy vs. AC
Hit: 3[W] + Intelligence modifier + your level physical damage.
WHAT IS HUMAN?
Engineered humans rarely show any overt signs of mutation, but that doesn 't mean you can 't
I have a second character origin or use Alpha Mutations. It just takes a little bit of imagination to
, explain how your so-called "human" has access to these unusual traits and powers. Here are a
few examples of how you might do this.
Martial Artist: Origins such as Felinoid, Yeti, or Speedster offer you a good way to build a
brawler or martial artist character. You're not actually a panther-man; your "claws" are martial
strikes, your slashing claws power is really more of an eye gouge or an eagle claw strike, and
your pounce is simply a prodigious martial arts leap.
Inventor: Your second origin and Alpha Mutations represent some bit of technology you 've
cobbled together. The wings of the Hawkoid origin might be a jetpack or a powered glider. The
Pyrokinetic origin could be a homemade flamethrower battle suit. Rat Swarm might be a col
lection of tiny robots or highly trained living creatures that follow you around and do what you
say. Due to your superior knack for invention and improvisation , you can keep this "gear" in
working order all the time and gain the appropriate benefits.
Natural Talent: A few origins, such as Hypercognitive or Android , mix pretty well with
Engineered Human without any re-envisioning. A Hypercognitive/Engineered Human is simply
a human who has uncanny awareness and intuition. When you mix Engineered Human and
( Android, maybe you come out as a replicant or a Cylon : a machine that's a perfe ct copy of a
human. Or maybe you're the Terminator. It's your character, have fun!
.ABILITY
. . . . .. .SCORES
. . . . . . .. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Raw physical and mental abilities underlie everything you can do, everything you know, and your
ability to fire a black ray gun at a charging mutant without soiling your pants.
Six abilities provide a description of your character's physical and mental characteristics . Your
proficiency with each ability is determined by its score; for instance, someone who has 16 Strength is
much stronger than someone who has 6 Strength.
Strength score.
,I.
'l.
the Ancients .
J., Intelligence
(Int) describes how well your character learns and reasons. Did you find a torc
grenade? A high Intelligence score could be the difference between figuring out how to use it
and disintegrating yourself accidentally.
J.,
Wisdom (Wis) measures your common sense, perception, self-discipline, and empathy.
Wisdom allows you to notice details, sense danger, and get a read on other people. It helps
you recognize the difference between a plain old bush and a carnivorous lizard bush .
..
'"
Charisma (Cha) measures your force of personality, persuasiveness, and leadership. If you're
going to convince the nice woman in the Mark I Powered Armor pointing a fusion rifle at you
not to turn you into a flesh crater, a good Charisma score is helpful.
I . !. I
After you 've figured out your two origins, determine your ability scores .
.I. Place an 18 in the primary ability score that corresponds to your primary origin . (An origin's
If both of
your origins have the same primary ability, change that score to 20 .
.... For each of your remaining ability scores, roll 3d6 and record the result. Roll each ability
score in order (Strength , Constitution , Dexterity, Intelligence, Wisdom , then Charisma),
skipping the primary ability scores to which you have already assigned values.
ABILITY MODIFIERS
Your ability score determines an ability modifier that you add to any attack , check, roll , or defense
based on that ability. For example, making a melee attack using a stop sign is a Strength/Constitution
attack, so you add the ability modifier for your Strength or Constitution score (whichever is better)
to your attack rolls and damage rolls . Your ability scores also influence your defense s, since you add
your ability modifier to your defense score.
ABILITY MODIFIERS
Ability
Score
Ability
Modifier
Ability
Ability
Score
Modifier
-5
18-19
+4
2- 3
-4
20-21
+5
4-5
-3
22-23
+6
6- 7
-2
24-25
+7
8-9
-1
26-27
+8
10-11
+0
28-29
+9
12- 13
+1
30-31
+10
32-33
+11
14- 15
+2
16-17
+3
and so on . ..
In addition to the natural gifts represented by your ability scores, your character's talents are also
measured in a variety of specific areas, such as silver-tongued diplomacy, scientific education, and
athletic expertise. These aptitudes are called your skills. Whether your skills come from training, edu
cation, or personal genius is up to you-the end result is the same.
Skill
Key Ability
Acrobatics
Dexterity
Speedster
2
3
4
Athletics
Strength
Conspiracy
Intelligence
Doppelganger
Insight
Wisdom
Empath, Hypercognitive
Interaction
Charisma
Mechanics
Intelligence
Pyrokinetic
7
Nature
Wisdom
Plant, Yeti
8
9
Perception
Wisdom
Hawkoid
Science
Intelligence
10
Stealth
Dexterity
USING SKillS
Your Game Master tells you when it's appropriate to use a skill. Using a skill is called making a skill
check.
To make a skill check, roll a d20 and add the following numbers:
.J. Your level;
;l.
A Any bonuses or penalties from the gear you carry, from conditions or mutations currently
aHecting you, and from situation eHects that the Game Master has applied .
11 : . 1
Compare the total result of your skill check to a target number the Game Master has set for the task.
This target number is called the DC (or Difficulty Class). If the total for your skill check is equal to or
higher than the DC, your skill check is successful; if it's lower than the DC , your skill check fails.
Your Game Master tells you whether you can retry a failed skill check. If you could imagine trying
the task again with the same chance of success (such as an Athletics check to climb a wall), you can
retry the skill check by spending the same action again . If the check represents whether or not
you remember certain information
(such as a Science check to remember
whether a glowing green crater is safe
or not), you can 't try it again unless the
circumstances change significantly.
SKILL DESCRIPTIONS
Each entry below provides a brief
description of a particular skill , along
with a few examples of tasks you might
attempt using that skill . Some of those
tasks indicate how difficult it is to
accomplish (easy, moderate, or hard).
The examples also indicate what kind
of action or length of time is required
to make the skill check .
An easy task is something that even
a klutz has a good chance of achieving.
A moderate task requires a little talent
to pull it off-at least a +4 bonus at 1st
level is a good start. Hard tasks are for
experts; if you don 't have at least a +8
bonus to a skill check at 1st level, you
should only attempt hard tasks when
you don 't have a better solution.
The difficulty level of some tasks is
based on the way another character is
involved in the situation. For example,
the difficulty of a Stealth check
depends on the Perception check of
the person or creature you're sneaking
past.
ACROBATICS (DEXTERITY)
You make an Acrobatics check to accomplish a stunt of agility. It's a good all -purpose skill for any sort
of physical activity that relies more on nimbleness than muscle.
Examples: Escape restraints (easy, moderate, or hard; move action); move half your speed across a
narrow or an unstable surface (moderate; move action).
ATHLETICS (STRENGTH)
You make an Athletics check to physically overcome an obstruction . Like Acrobatics, Athletics is a
good all-purpose skill that encompasses a variety of tasks relying on your physical might.
Examples: Climb a rope at half your speed (easy; move action); climb a rough cliff or a ruined
wall at half your speed (moderate; move action); climb a smooth wall at half your speed (hard ; move
action); jump across a chasm (DC 5 per square jumped ; part of a move action); swim through rough
water at half your speed (moderate; move action).
CONSPIRACY (INTElLIGENCE)
You make a Conspiracy check to remember useful information about a significant person, organiza
tion , or event. Making a Conspiracy check usually doesn't require an action-either you know the
answer or you don't.
Examples: Remember the basics of a significant event (easy); identify symbols or general goals of
a cryptic alliance or other secret organization (moderate); remember the details of a significant event
(moderate); remember a story that provides a clue to your current situation (hard).
INSIGHT (WISDOM)
You make an Insight check to discern intent and decipher body language during social interactions.
It's also a useful all-purpose skill for understanding the significance of a puzzling clue. Making an
Insight check usually doesn't require an action.
Examples: See through another creature's lie (DC set by opponent 's Interaction skill check); gain an
advantage in a negotiation (moderate or hard).
INTERACTION (CHARISMA)
You make an Interaction check to influence someone's opinions or actions, or to gather information
in a village, a town, or a city. You don't usually use Interaction during combat, but if you do, it typi
cally requires a standard action.
Examples: Gather common information; negotiate a deal; talk someone out of attacking you; fast
talk a security robot into letting you pass; bully someone into doing what you want. Most Interaction
checks use a moderate DC, but if the target is hostile to you, a hard DC is appropriate.
MECHANICS (INTELLIGENCE)
You make a Mechanics check to use, repair, or overcome Ancient machines. You don't usually use
Mechanics during combat, but if you do, it typically requires a standard action.
Examples: Hot-wire a car; pick a padlock; repair an engine; drive a motorcycle; fly a helicopter;
jury-rig a new machine from salvaged parts. Most Mechanics DCs are moderate or hard, depending
on what you 're working on and how badly it's damaged_
NATURE (WISDOM)
You make a Nature check to identify and cope with the hazards of the natural world . The time
required to make a Nature check varies based on the task, from no time at all to a few hours.
Examples: Find food and water for yourself in the wild (moderate); find food and water for a small
group in the wild (hard); find your way across trackless terrain (moderate); avoid a hazard such as
quicksand or carnivorous plants (moderate or hard).
PERCEPTION (WISDOM)
You make a Perception check to notice clues , spot danger, hear someone sneaking up on you , or find
a trap. You usually get to make a Perception check to notice something at the fir st point you could
see it or hear it, but if you want to look around again, another check takes a minor action .
Examples: Find an obvious clue (easy); discover a well -hidden object (moderate); follow a faint
set of tracks across stone or metal (hard); eavesdrop on a nearby conversation (easy); hear whispers
through a door (hard); notice someone hiding from you (DC is equal to the hiding creature's Stealth
check result).
SCIENCE (INTELLIGENCE)
You make a Science check to remember a fact about physics, geology, mathematics, computer opera '
tion , or other areas of Ancient scientific theory. You also use it to identify an unn atural hazard or to
operate computerized technology. The time required to make a Science check varies based on the
task , from no time at all to a few hours.
Examples: Operate a computer (moderate); identify the effects of radiation on the environment
(moderate); defuse a suitcase nuke (hard); hack into a secure network (hard); reprogram an inopera
tive android (hard).
STEALTH (DEXTERITY)
You make a Stealth check to hide yourself from an observer, both by moving quietly and by staying
out of sight.
Examples: Become hidden (make a Stealth check at the end of a move action, using the observer's
Perception check as your DC); move up to your speed while staying hidden (make a new Stealth check
w ith a -5 penalty; move action).
Special: You need superior cover or total concealment (page 19) to make a Stealth check to
become hidden . After that, you need only cover or concealment (page 19) to remain hidden. If you
draw attention to yourself, such as by speaking or attacking, you don 't remain hidden.
PERSONALITY
You can use personality traits as roleplaying touchstones to make your character more fun to play.
Extensive motivations aren't necessary, but feel free to flesh out your character 's personality as much
as you like.
You might already know your character is shrewd , impatient, and given to shooting up street
signs. But if you need help coming up with personality traits for your character, answer two or three
of the questions below to generate ideas.
Open-minded
Skeptical
Suspicious
Obstinate
Self-assured
Grim
Self-doubting
Timid
Easygoing
Impatient
Dutiful
Flexible
Scofflaw
Charitable
Oblivious
Thieving
Fearful
Reckless
Fierce
Enthusiastic
Adaptable
Pragmatic
Hard-hearted
,"
Daring
I. :
MANNERISMS
AND TRAITS
You can bring your character to
life through a distinctive man
nerism-particular patterns of
speech or other behaviors that you
can take while you play to convey
how your character looks, sounds,
and acts. Examples of mannerisms
include things such as continu
ously chomping on an unlit cigar
stub, coin flipping , humming a
favorite tune, and so on.
APPEARANCE
Your origins go a long way toward
providing your character's general
look. For example, if you have the
Yeti origin, you're probably big,
hairy, and armed with claws and
fangs. If your origin doesn 't sug
gest any particular appearance,
you can assume that you look
more or less humanoid. However,
you choose whether your char
acter is male or female, old or
young, attractive or scarred, and
so on. People on Gamma Terra
have a pretty broad definition of human, so if your skin 's a little green, or you have small antennae
on your forehead, or you've got sharklike skin , most folks let it slide.
BACKGROUND
You can provide further texture to your character by coming up with a background . The easiest way
to do this is to answer a few questions such as these .
)j
What trade or occupation did your family follow when you were young?
;I.
<6- Do you stay in contact with your family? What do they think of you?
.ALPHA
. . . . ..MUTATION
. . . .. . . .. .CARDS
. . .. . .. .... ....... . . . . . . . ....
You've rolled up your character origins, you've assigned your ability scores and skills, and you 've fig
ured out all your character's statistics. You're nearly done' There's only one step left in the character
creation process: preparing your decks of Alpha Mutation and Omega Tech cards.
Blo Energy: You alter your physical nature, possibly activating pieces of junk DNA or making all your
mitochondria do something new and different.
Dark Energy: Dark energy is a force that pervades every bit of matter in every universe. You can
unlock it and shape it into usable forms.
Psi Energy: You focus your mind to do impossible things.
Cr
,.,
11:1 ,
i- '
,_ :. 1
CHAPTER 3:
.GEAR
.. .. . . . . ... . .. . . . . . . .. . .. . . .. . . . . .. .. .
Gamma Terra is a dangerous place. If you want to make it to the next town , you 'd better go well
armed . Ancient firearm s are the best choice for self-defense, but they're expensive. If you can't afford
a gun , a sword or a crossbow is an acceptable fallback.
According to legend, the Ancients bought the things they needed using dirty paper or little plastic
cards, but among the towns and tribes, these aren't worth a whole lot. Merchants and local lords
try to make coinage of precious metal, or repurpose Ancient coinage by stampin g it with their own
emblems and values. Such currencies retain their values only in those limited domains, or among
people that have resources to burn on the pretty "shinies." People throw around words such as "silver
dollars" and "gold bullion," but you can 't eat such valuables-not without the right mutations' Barter
is the rule of the day, especially in savage lands; a handful of rifle bullets is worth weeks of provisions
or a good horse. Ancient devices are often worth at least a few dollars even if they're old junk, since
they can be stripped for parts and used to keep other devices functional.
TECHNOLOGY LEVElS
Gear in Gamma Terra falls into two distinct tech levels: tech that was common in most worlds before
the Big Mistake, and high-tech items that were either common in only a few alternate worlds , or were
available but very rare in most worlds.
(ommon tech is called scavenged gear. It includes everything commonplace, from weapons
and cobbled-together armor to transport and canned food . Everyone's got some, and sometimes
it's worth trading for more or different scavenged gear. What everyone wants, however, are Omega
Tech items.
Omega Tech is better than what can normally be scavenged. These items come from the most
advanced of the alternate worlds that appeared during the Big Mistake. The artifacts of these worlds
are weapons and devices of awesome power-when they work. A hundred and fifty years is a long
time, and a lot of the initial pieces of Omega Tech were burned off in the chaos that followed the
convergence. Functional devices of Omega Tech are priceless and are rarely traded , bought, or sold;
you acquire Omega Tech by finding it during exploration and adventures.
SCAVENGED GEAR
Anyone who travels more than a few miles from a place of safety in Gamma Terra soon learns that
it's wise to be prepared for anything. You need armor to keep knives and eye beams away from your
flesh , and weapons to repay your attackers in kind . But neither one helps you when you get lost in
a radioactive desert or find your path blocked by a cliff or a river. Here's a selection of the gear you
might find useful during your travels .
Starting Gear: If you're in a hurry, take armor, one melee weapon, one ranged weapon, and an
explorer's kit and call it good. That 'll cover the basics. If you want more gear, roll on the Starting
Gear table , page 75, to see what else you have acquired up to this point.
ARMOR DETAILS
Each armor's description tells you if it's light armor, heavy armor, or a shield, and also tells you its
bonus to your AC. Your AC benefits from only the largest armor bonus and the largest shield bonus at
one time, so piling the mysterious trench coat over the riot gear won 't boost your AC-though it does
make you look like a badass.
light Armor: Covering that still lets you move around-protection you can run in . While wearing
light armor, you add your Dexterity or Intelligence modifier to your AC. Examples: Leather dust
ers, umpire's padding sewn with chain links, shoulder pads and straps of steel-belted radials over
your vital areas, or half a Kevlar vest.
Heavy Armor: Items that provide solid defense, even though you're a slowpoke. While wearing heavy
armor, reduce your speed by 1. Examples: Riot gear, plate armor scavenged from a museum of
history, coveralls sewn with pots and pans, or mechanic's overalls stuffed with lucky Bibles.
Shield: Something strapped to your arm that lets you deflect attacks. Wearing a shield takes one
hand, and you can 't use that hand for anything else. Examples: A yield sign with leather straps
bolted on, a chunk of winter tire with a handle added , or a snowboard with straps.
ARMOR BONUSES
Armor
Benefit
Light armor
+3 armor bonus to AC
Heavy armor
+7 armor bonus to AC
Shield
+1 shield bonus to AC
~
-<
::I:
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~
WEAPON DETAilS
A weapon's description tells you which abilities you use when you attack with the weapon, the bonus
you add to attacks you make with that weapon (weapon accuracy), and how much damage the
weapon deals on a hit. When you use a weapon power (see "Using Your Weapon," page 75), the power
uses [W] to represent your weapon's damage. Whenever you see [w), replace it with the damage your
weapon does. 2[W] means roll that damage die twice and add them together, 3[W] means roll it three
times and add up the result, and so on. So, for example, if your weapon does 2d6 damage, 2[W]
damage is 4d6.
Of course, if the weapon says it needs one or two hands, you need that many hands free to wield
it. Unless you sprout a third arm, you can't pick up a big gun and still use that shield.
Here are some examples of the various weapon categories that appear in the table.
Light Melee Weapon: This is an agile weapon that rewards a certain level of finesse in melee
combat. Examples: A pair of scissors, a Bowie knife, a short length of rebar, a machete, a Louisville
slugger, a souvenir katana.
Heavy Melee Weapon: This is a direct weapon that requires some muscle to use effectively. Exam
ples: A board with a nail in it , a sledge hammer, an iron , an I-beam, a speed limit sign (with post),
a parking meter, a television, a chain saw.
Light Ranged Weapon: This is a swift, mobile weapon that you throw at your enemy or that
launches an easily crafted or easily collected projectile at the enemy. These weapons don 't
require ammunition (page 74), because the game assumes that your character can find or make
new projectiles as needed. Examples: A thrown knife , a dart, a makeshift sling, an icicle, a replica
shuriken, an aluminum compound bow.
Light Gun: This is a swift, mobile weapon that uses ammunition that you can 't easily find or make
yourself. Guns require ammunition (page 74). Examples: A Glock or a Baretta, an assault rifle, a
hunting rifle.
Heavy Ranged Weapon: This is a slow but impactful weapon that you throw at your enemy or
that launches an easily crafted or easily collected projectile at the enemy. These weapons don't
require ammunition (page 74), because the game assumes that your character can find or make
new projectiles as needed. Examples: A thrown hand axe, a sizable rock , a table saw blade, a
bowling ball, a potato gun, an Olympic hammer.
Heavy Gun: This is a swift, mobile weapon that uses ammunition that you can 't easily find or make
yourself. Guns require ammunition (page 74). Examples: A .45 magnum (the most powerful hand
gun in the pre-Mistake world), a shotgun, a small but portable ;)utocannon .
Unarmed Attaci(s
Ability
Weapon Accuracy
Quick attack
Dex/lnt
Powerful attack
Str/Con
+3
+2
Ability
Weapon Accuracy
One-handed weapon
Dex/lnt
Two-handed weapon
Dex/lnt
+3
+3
Ability
Weapon Accuracy
One-handed weapon
Str/Con
Two-handed weapon
Str/Con
+2
+2
Ability
Weapon Accuracy
One-handed weapon
Dex/lnt
Dex/lnt
Two-handed weapon
Dex/lnt
+3
+4
+3
Str/Con
Two-handed weapon
Str/Con
Two-handed gun*
Str/Con
+2
+2
+2
Damage [W]
1d4
1d8
Damage [W]
1d8
1d12
Damage [W]
1d10
2d8
Damage [W]
Range
1d8
5 squares
1d8
10 squares
2d8
10 squares
2d10
20 squares
10 squares
Ammunition: Bullets are a limited resource that you must use sparingly. In the D&D Gamma World
game, ammunition is abstract: You either have ammo, or you don'!. If you do, you can use ammu
nition to fire any weapon you have that requires ammunition. If you don't, you can '!.
If you use ammunition only once in an encounter: You are managing your ammo reserves carefully.
At the end of the encounter, you still have ammunition.
7'
~'"
o
'"
;5
If you use ammunition more than once in an encounter: You 're going whole hog-you might as
well rock 'n' roll, because at the end of the encounter, you are out of ammo. You must acquire more
before you can use a weapon that requires ammunition again (if you borrow some from an ally, then
that ally is out of ammo.) Your Game Master determines when you find more ammo.
BASIC ATIACK
BASIC ATIACK
For you, this is the most natural thing in the world. For your target, it's a really bad day.
At-Will @ Physical, Weapon
Standard Action
Melee or Ranged weapon
Target: One creature
Attack: Str/ Con or Dex/ lnt + your level + weapon accuracy vs. AC
Hit: l[W] + Str/Con or Dex/lnt modifier + your level physical damage.
This is the basic weapon attack. You can use it any time you 're holding a weapon . It's a melee attack
if you are holding a melee weapon , or a ranged attack if you are holding a ranged weapon (the
weapon determines the range of a ranged attack). The weapon you use determines which ability
you get to use, either Strength/Constitution or Dexterity/ Intelligence. You choose which ability of
the pair suit s you best and add that ability modifier to your attack roll and damage roll (the same
ability for both).
GEAR
Apart from weapons, there are other sorts of things you might want to be carrying around Gamma
Terra (or riding in, in the case of that classic Dodge). Don 't skimp! You never know when having
stocked up on lamp oil will save your Gamma-ray-ridden hide.
At 1st level , you start with one explorer's kit (and everything in it). You also make ld4 + 1 rolls on
the Starting Gear table. If you prefer, you can trade in your explorer's kit for an extra roll on the table
if you're feeling adventurous.
STARTING GEAR
Roll
Roll
(1d20) Item
(1d20) Item
11
Laptop computer
Climber's kit
12
Duct tape
Canoe
13
Heavy flashlight
Keelboat
14
Fuel, 5 gallons
15
16
Night-vision goggles
Riding horse
17
Tent
18
Pickup truck
Wagon
19
Binoculars
20
Roll twice
9
10
Other Gear
Explorer's kit
Backpack
Description
Includes the items under this entry.
Empty ... but not for long .
Bedroll
Canteen
Hammer
Pitons (10)
Rappelling harness
Rope (100 ft.)
Binoculars
Canoe
Computer, laptop
Duct tape
Flashlight , heavy
Fuel, 1 gallon
Generator
Horse, draft
Horse, riding
Averages 5 mph overland . Includes rid ing gear. You grant combat
advantage to all enemies while you 're on the horse. The horse has 10
Keelboat
Lantern
Lamp oil
Range 1 mile.
Tent
Truck, pickup
Wagon
Capacity 1 ton .
Water purifier
If you have any success at all as an explorer, your best gear won't be stuff you buy-it' ll be stuff you
find, which is represented by Omega Tech cards (page 68) , Usually, you ' ll have the opportunity to
search your surroundings and draw an Omega Tech card after a successful encounter or challenge ;
your Game Master lets you know when this occurs,
Some Omega Tech cards have a salvage entry, which allows you to make improvised repairs or
replace key components with jury-rigged parts to salvage the item, The item never functions at full
power again , but it becomes permanently operational using the secondary statistics provided, Other
than its exalted origin , salvaged tech is normal equipment.
SALVAGED GEAR
.I. You
can have any number of charged Omega Tech items, You can have any number of
salvaged items,
). You can 't keep an expended Omega Tech item unless you are able to salvage it; if you can't
salvage it immediately alter the encounter in which it burns out, it 's junk,
items operate at their "salvaged " level, as stated on the card , If an item doesn't have
a salvage entry, it can't be salvaged ,
,,I; Salvaged
Normal Load: You can carry gear equal to your Strength times 10 (in pounds), For example, if your
Strength is 14, you can carry 140 pounds, Remember, you're a mutant hero!
lifting: You can lift up to double your normal load off the ground for a short time,
Heavy Load: You can carry anything you can lift, but if it weighs more than your normal load, you 're
slowed and you have to use two hands,
Drag or Push: You can drag or push up to five times your normal load, You're slowed if it weighs
more than your normal load ,
CHAPTER 4:
.HOW
. . . . . . .TO
. . . .RUN
. . . . . .THE
. . . . .GAME
. . . ... . ... ......
A 0&0 GAMMA WORLD game is a contest for survival between the ragtag heroes of Gamma Terra and
the mutated, radioactive, and downright weird things that are trying to kill them. As in any competi
tive sport, the players need a referee, someone who's part of the game and makes sure everyone is
playing fair: the Game Master. Maybe that 's you .
If so, your role is to keep the game running smoothly by mediating between the rules and the
players. When a player tells you what she wants her character to do, you tell her how that works
within the game-usually by using a die roll.
That's not all, though . You are the producer of this action-adventure movie. As Game Master, you
sketch out the plot , narrate the action, play the roles of the other creatures in the world, decide who
gets irradiated by nuclear fallout , and so on . The dice and rules are a guide, but your reason and
imagination make Gamma Terra come to life. You choose when the hoop mastermind unleashes its
secret weapon , when the mutant cockroaches flood the corridor s of the Ancient installation, and
whether or not the broken moon leering down from the night really is unstable in its orbit. The sky's
literally the limit.
ANCIENT JUNK
dl0 Rolls Item
1
2
2
2
2
2
2
2
2
2
2
3
3
3
3
3
3
3
3
3
3
4
4
4
4
4
4
4
4
4
4
5
5
5
5
5
5
5
5
5
5
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
Stapler
Tennis racket
Plastic water bottle
Camera lens
Cordless drill
Cell-phone earpiece
String of holiday lights
Water-bubble level
Croquet set
Sci-fi serial on DVD
Radar detector
Wristwatch
Wireless router
Saxophone
Violin
Glue (white)
DVD player
Box of cake mix
Eyeglasses
Gas grill
Printer/scanner
Skateboard
Socket wrench set
Individually wrapped
creme-filled yellow sponge cake
Cellophane tape
Electric blanket
Electric fan
Inflatable life vest
Nail clippers
Baby car seat
Tweezers and nail file
Windshield scraper
Cordless mouse
Digital camera
Clock radio
Subwoofer
Tire-pressure gauge
Exercise bike
Construction hazard light
Digital photo frame
Pack of crayons
Smoke detector
8 GB RAM stick
Air compressor
Camcorder
Car stereo
Ceiling fan
Ammo
Stocking cap
Weed whacker
.RUNNING
. . . . . . ..COMBAT
. . . . . .. . .ENCOUNTERS
. . ... .......
Sooner or later-most likely, sooner-a fight 's going to break out.
Combat encounters are a big part of any D&D
keep them lively and fun.
GAMMA
.......
Outdoors: A typical outdoor encounter should start with the characters and monsters about 10
squares apart; in open areas, you can extend this distance to 20 squares. Wide-open terrain , such
as a flat desert, might allow the characters to notice monsters at even greater distances.
Indoors: A good starting distance is 5 squares. You might also start an outdoor combat this close if
the terrain suggests short range (a parking structure filled with junked vehicles, for example).
SURPRISE!
If either side (monsters or characters) notices the other without being noticed in return , it has
the advantage of surprise , Surprise is possible only if one group is actively trying to hide from
the other. Most encounters don 't involve surprise.
Here's an easy way to determine surprise: The character who has the lowest Stealth check
mod ifier makes a Stealth check for the potentially unnoticed group. Compare this result to the
passive Perception check (10 + Perception check modifier) of each opponent that might notice
t he group, If the group's Stealth check equals or exceeds all opposing passive Perception checks,
the group achieves surprise,
Each member of the side that gains surprise takes one standard action, in any order, before
either side rolls initiative, Surprised creatures grant combat advantage,
All the information your players need to make their choices comes from you. Within the limits of their
characters' knowledge and ability to observe (using Perception and Insight checks), let them know
what's up. Describe odd terrain and hazards. If a player has a question, ask him or her to make an
appropriate skill check on his or her next turn to learn more.
On the other hand, you shouldn't keep players guessing about the various effects, conditions , and
triggered actions that might occur. If a character could reasonably observe that a monster swipes a
claw at anyone who pokes it with a sharp stick, let that player know.
ONSTER ROLES
Every monster plays a specific purpose in an encounter. A monster's role is shorthand for the way it
behaves in combat.
),. Artillery: These monsters sit back and take pot shots, counting on allies to keep them safe.
). Brute: These tough monsters wade into battle and dish out big damage .
..\. Controller: They're manipulators who control enemies or alter the battlefield .
..\. lurker: These sneaky critters hide or avoid attack until they're ready to strike.
). Skirmisher: Quick and agile, skirmishers dart in , attack, and retreat.
). Minion: Cannon fodder. Use them in waves.
KEEP TRACK
Use a note pad or index cards to track each monster's current hit points and any conditions on it. If
more than one monster of the same kind is in play, you can put a colored dot or sticker on each token
and label that monster with the same color. Doing this makes things easier for you and the players.
.CONDITIONS
. . .. . . .. . . . . .. . . . . . . . . . . . . .. . . . . .. . . .. . .. ... .
Monster powers, traps , hazards, alien tech , and sometimes terrain can impose conditions. (Even the
grass in Gamma Terra can kill you .) Whenever an effect imposes a condition, its rules text states when
that condition ends. Most conditions last until the end of the next turn of the creature that imposed
it , or until the affected creature or character succeeds on a saving throw (page 17) to end it. If several
identical conditions that have different durations apply to the same creature, count only the one
that lasts the longest. (Multiple identical "save ends" effects aren't cumulative, either.) A condition is
either on or off-a character can't be "double weakened," for example.
BLINDED
... You can't see. Your targets have total concealment against you.
). You take a -10 penalty to Perception checks . (Did we mention you can 't see?)
DAZED
~ You grant combat advantage.
). You don't get all your actions on your turn: You can take only a standard action, a move action,
or a minor action . You can still take any number of free actions, but you can't take immediate
actions or opportunity actions.
You can't flank .
DOMINATED
:,!i You can't take actions. Instead , the dominating creature chooses one action for you to take
on your turn : standard, move, minor, or free. The only powers it can make you use are at-will
powers.
I). You
DYING
). You're dying while at 0 hit points or fewer. The condition ends as soon as you gain hit points .
.I.
.....' You make a death saving throw every round (see " Death and Dying," page 23).
HElPLESS
AI Usually, you're helpless because you're unconscious (see below).
IMMOBILIZED
You can 't move from your square, but you can teleport and can be forced to move by a pull, a
push, or a slide.
PRONE
,A You're lying down. (If you 're climbing, you fall. If you're fiying, you fall safely to the ground .)
). You grant combat advantage to enemies making melee attacks against you, but you get a +2
bonus to all defenses against ranged attacks from nonadjacent enemies.
A
RESTRAINED
~ You can 't move from your square (not even by a push, a pull, or a slide), but you can teleport.
SLOWED
), Your speed becomes 2 if it was higher. You can't increase your speed above 2. This speed applies
to all your movement modes (walking, flying, and so on), but not to teleportation or to a pull,
a push , or a slide. If you're slowed while moving, you must stop if you have already moved 2 or
more squares.
STUNNED
.I. You can 't take actions. (If you're fiying, you fall safely to the ground unless you can hover.)
SURPRISED
A
UNCONSCIOUS
.I, You're helpless and unaware of your surroundings.
.r.
WEAKENED
A
Your attacks deal half damage. Ongoing damage you deal is not affected , and neither is damage
that doesn't come from an attack roll.
.CHARACTER
. . ... . . . .. .REWARDS
. . . . . . . .. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Some characters fight to protect their homelands or loved ones from the hordes of cruel raiders
infesting the wastelands. Others carry the torch of civilization , seeking to drive back the darkness,
savagery, and ignorance that shroud Gamma Terra. A few are drawn from adventure to adventure by
simple wanderlust. But by far, most are in it for the rewards.
EXPERIENCE POINTS
Characters earn experience points (XP) each time they overcome an encounter. The XP award for
defeating an encounter is the sum of the XP values for each monster, villain, trap, or hazard that
makes up the encounter. (See the "Experience Point Rewards" table, page 92.) Divide the XP award
among all the characters who participated in the encounter. Even characters who were killed earned
their fair share of the encounter XP (they just don't get to enjoy it).
There's more than one way to overcome an encounter. Sure, the explorers can storm the hoops'
guardroom with guns blazing and wipe out the bad guys. But if they think of a clever way to circum
vent the hoop guards-for example, arranging a diversion or offering a bribe-they still overcome
the encounter. As Game Master, be generous and reward clever play. It shows that your players are
putting some thought into their characters' challenges and engaging in the game.
QUEST REWARDS
Characters often embark on adventures because they've been assigned (or assigned themselves)
a particular mission or quest-for example, cleaning out a troublesome group of bandits, or dis
covering and eliminating the cause of the mysterious robot attacks. In addition to earning XP for
overcoming challenges, characters also earn XP for completing their quests.
A minor quest is usually a side mission or minor goal within a larger adventure. If it can be dealt
with in a single encounter or is something that concerns only one character, it's probably a minor
quest. It's worth the experience for a single standard monster of the characters' level.
A major quest is a major objective for the adventure. A long adventure might include a couple of
major quests. The party could fail a major quest but still complete the adventure (for example, if they
were supposed to bring the bandit chief back alive but killed the fellow instead). A major quest earns
XP for a full encounter of the party's level.
See "Quests," page 89, for tips on how you can write your own quests.
OMEGA TECH
Gamma Terra is full of cool stuff, so most encounter rewards (two out of three or so) should include
an opportunity for each character to draw one Omega Tech card. Maybe the villains were wearing or
carrying items they didn't know how to use, or maybe they were guarding a stash of Ancient gear. If
the enemies shouldn 't logically possess Omega Tech, it might instead be buried in the encounter sur
roundings. A ruined building or a junked car might contain devices that explorers can find by looking
around after the smoke clears. You can present encounters that provide no Omega Tech, but they
should be infrequent.
Normally, players draw Omega Tech cards from their own decks or the Game Master's deck, but
you can also reward them with specific items. Pull these cards out of the Game Master's deck and set
them aside until you are ready to give them to the players.
As you create your adventure, you can also reinforce its theme by constructing specialized card
decks for the players to draw from. An alien-themed adventure might feature an Omega Tech
deck stacked with Area 52 items and an Alpha Mutation deck filled with Dark powers. Psi- and
Xi- focu sed decks capture the flavo r of a world of psion ic cybo rgs. You ca n pick and choose from
cards in the starter box and in booster packs to build your own unique Game Master's deck.
Of course, nothing stops you from j ust ad ding a bunch of made-up cards to your decks. Keep
the wackiness factor in mind when designing new Alpha Mutation and Omega Tech cards. If you
want your players to have to deal occasionally with Big Flappy Feet, Animatronic Toys, and the
like, go for it!
ANCIENT JUNK
You can place such goodies wherever you want, as often as you and your players enjoy finding it.
You might prefer to describe a mysterious obje ct rather than just name it, and whether it functions
or not is up to you. Alternatively, you can reward players by letting them roll on the Ancient Junk
table on page 81.
AMMO REWARDS
If any character in your game uses weapons that require ammo, remember to give it out as an
occasional reward or give the characters a chance to barter for it in town. There aren 't specific types
of ammo and you don't track units of ammo; ammo works for any weapon that requires it, and a
character either has ammo or doesn't.
.CREATING
. . . . . . . . .ADVENTURES
. . . . . .. . . . .. . . . .. . . . .. .. . . . .. ... .. ..
At its core, an adventure is a story. Each adventure is a frame you hang encounters upon. Like a novel,
an adventure has a beginning, a middle, and an ending.
Middle: This is when most of the action occurs-the characters trace the road warriors back to their
underground garage, or discover the menarllair where kidnap victims are laid out like a buffet.
They have several encounters, learning interesting new things in the process. You should vary
the encounters so that different ones emphasize skill use, problem solving, investigation , and
roleplaying.
Ending: The ending resolves the problem proposed at the beginning, and follows naturally from
the encounters and secrets the characters dealt with in the middle. Even the simplest adventure
should have a dramatic climax when crucial knowledge or decisive action pays off, or the villain
gets its just deserts. An ending could also provide a new beginning for another adventure.
\
I
QUESTS
Bromphis: A tribe of cannibalistic menarls lives within the hollowed-out interior of a huge steel
dry-docked hull that formerly served as a battleship before the Big Mistake. The menarls have
managed to get a few of the guns working again .
Columbia Building: This skyscraper is infested by a sentient plant, called Columbia, that keeps the
foundation in repair. Its vines reach from below the substructure all the way to the loft apart
ments. Columbia is known to be a font of wi sdo m, but not an especially friendly one. To ask it a
question, one must sacrifice a charged Omega Tech item to its twining strands. Even then , the
great vine might decide to add the questioner to its collection of amber-encased oddities.
Firefly Sea: This immense inland lake glows a green-tinted white with residual radiation. There were
once several Ancient cities along its coast, but th e Big Mistake took care of that. Only half-flooded
ruins remain . Fens that have managed to adapt to or protect themselves from the radiation now
claim a city-state dee p beneath the shining waves .
Tranquility Base: A station on the cracked moon oversees robot-controlled mining equipment that,
even after two centuries of neglect , continues to harvest helium-3 from the surface. The empty
station's gleaming halls could support an entire colony of engineers, as they once did. Anyone
who could contrive to reach the moon would discover this refuge , completely free of the dangers
of Gamma Terra. At least, until the clones in the basement are accidentally awakened.
CRYPTIC ALLIANCES
Dozens, perhaps hundreds, of these secretive organizations are scattered across the wastes. Some
mean well, but most are hostile to strangers. Here are a few examples.
Archivists: This cult colleds technological artifacts to worship, rather than to use.
Bonaparlists: This paramilitary group, founded by a mutated bear named Emperor Napo
leon, admits only those who have clear animal heritage.
Brotherhood of Thought: They're evangelists who seek to create a world order dedicated to
rational cooperation- under t heir benevolent guidance, of course.
Knights of Genetic Purity: These non mutated humans seek to eradicate all mutants from
Gamma Terra. (Good luck with t hat.)
Radioactivists: This group worships the "Radiant Divine Glory" of atomic power, gathering
around sites known for deadly radiation.
Restorationists: They're well-meaning folks who want to rebuild civilization using the tech
of yesteryear and the mutations of tomorrow ... if only everyone else would stop getting in
their way.
Get a Local Map: County-government maps provide great local focus for an area you live in. You can
also find and download maps from the internet.
Choose a Familiar Site: You've probably been to your local mall, museum, school, or corporate
headquarters hundreds of times. Choosing one of these places to set your adventure, especially
one you 're familiar with, lets you describe the site with particular attention to atmosphere.
Use Props: If you can, collect business cards, fliers, gift-shop items, or other physical props associ
ated with the site you choose. Showing your players fliers about the museum's final display as
their characters tromp up the dead escalators helps bring home the location in their minds. If you
can't find props, try to get a photo of the place to help the players visualize it.
Add the Gamma Terra Twist: Revel in the strangeness. Exploring the ruins of your high school is one
thing. Exploring the ruins of your high school when it's a base for a tribe of two-headed mutants
that are hell-bent on detonating a suitcase nuke they dug up from some NSA black ops instal
lation-well, that's quite another thing. A stroll through the lobby of a former aerospace firm
becomes far more interesting if part of the floor is covered in a spill of toxic goo and the upper
gallery is patrolled by flying laserbots.
BUILDING ENCOUNTERS
Building an encounter is a matter of choosing threats appropriate to the characters and combining
them in interesting and challenging ways. The threats at your disposal include all the monsters in this
book, as well as traps, hazards, and weird terrain. The art of encounter design is mixing and matching
these ingredients to create a fun experience.
Easy: An easy encounter is one or two levels lower than that of the characters. It can be a warm-up
for the session, a way to practice the game or teach the rules, or just a chance for the characters
to kick butt.
Standard: A standard encounter is equal to the characters' level or one level higher. Most encounters
should be standard encounters.
Hard: A hard encounter is two to four levels above the characters' level. Hard encounters make good
climactic battles, or you can use them just to put the fear of Gamma Terra into your players.
Encounters more than four levels above the characters' level are lethal , so use them sparingly and
give the characters escape options. Or not.
Standard
Minion
Elite
Solo
Level
Monster
Monster
Monster
Monster
500
100
25
200
125
31
250
625
150
38
300
750
175
44
350
875
200
50
400
1,000
250
63
500
1,250
300
75
600
1,500
350
88
700
1,750
400
100
800
2,000
10
500
125
1,000
2,500
To spend your budget, choose monsters, traps , or hazards (from Chapter 5) one at a time, adding
their XP values together, until you get close to the budget number. You don't have to hit the target
exactly. If you overspend or underspend by less than the XP value of a standard monster of the
encounter's level, that's close enough . However, if you miss your target by that much or more, you've
actually made a higher- or lower-level encounter than you wanted. Try again by subtracting or adding
until you get closer.
After you 've picked the monsters, traps , and hazards you want to use in your encounter, note the
total XP reward . You 'll need it at the end of the encounter, when you award the XP to the players.
CHOOSING MONSTERS
A typical combat encounter uses monsters to fill out most or all of your XP budget. You can build
a simple encounter using five monsters of the characters' level, or you can vary it a bit using some
monsters a little above or below that level. Stick to monsters within two or three levels of the party
level for best results.
Using all the same monsters, or monsters that do the same thing, is boring for you and for the
players. Mix things up by including two or three different monster roles (see "Monster Roles," page 83)
into an encounter. You don't have to make every monster different, though-that's just asking for
complexity overload .
Standard Monsters: These should be most of the monsters you use. A standard monster provides
a good challenge for an individual character of its level (a typical encounter includes the same
number of standard monsters as characters).
Minion Monsters: Four minions are about equal to one standard monster, so each is worth only
one-quarter the XP. Minions work best in groups; fighting one is pretty unexciting, but facing five
or ten is a challenge. Minions also provide a good (if temporary) wall of defense for a mastermind
type villain.
Elite Monsters: An elite monster is as tough as two standard monsters, so it's worth twice as much
XP as a standard monster. One of these makes a good lieutenant or underboss, particularly when
paired with two to four standard monsters or a bunch of minions.
Solo Monsters: A solo monster is as tough as (and worth as much XP as) five standard monsters.
Save solos for big, important battles. You can include other monsters in an encounter with a
solo monster; minions work best.
If something can hurt the characters but it isn't a monster, it 's a trap or a hazard. A trap is an arti
ficial construction that has malicious intent. A hazard is a dangerous area that occurs naturally (as far
as that goes in Gamma Terra); no entity purposefully made it.
Perceiving Traps and Hazards: When the characters are within line of sight of a trap or a hazard,
compare each character 's passive Perception score (that's 10 + the character's Perception check
bonus) to the Perception DC given in the trap's statistics block. (Some traps and hazards are imme
diately apparent, and others allow checks using different skills to recognize them.) Anyone whose
passive Perception score is equal to or higher than the stated DC notices the trap or hazard , or at
least a relevant aspect of it. Of course, a character can always try an active Perception check as a
minor action to spot something he or she missed with the passive check .
An interesting mix of monsters, traps, and hazards makes a good start for an encounter, but the best
combats also feature memorable battlefields. A large open hall is a lot less fun than a ruined food
court broken up by smoking ravines, burning cars, and a carnivorous vine growing up the side of a
wall. Artillery monsters take pot shots at the characters from behind the cars, while beefy brutes
charge them, trying to push them into the ravines.
Here are some tips on how to create memorable encounter areas. For examples, look at the maps
provided for each of the encounters in Chapter 6, "Steading of the Iron King."
Make Room: Don't be stingy with the space, especially if you include monsters larger than Medium
size. An area 8 squares on a side is about the smallest space that allows for a mobile battle, but
don't be afraid of quadrupling that.
Avoid Symmetry: It's boring. Let areas branch out into corridors, bridges, alcoves, antechambers,
and alleys. Don't forget the third dimension: Platforms, pits, galleries, overlooks, and the tops of
decrepit computer banks can produce fun tactical situations.
Add Some Clutter: Empty battlefields are generic and uninteresting. Grab some terrain features
from the next section and scatter them around. Things that fill more than 1 square are best, but
don't overdo it-at least half of your map should be open ground.
Encourage Movement: Give the characters reasons to move around during the fight. Movement
encourages tactical decision-making, puts characters in greater peril, and keeps combat from
bogging down . Perhaps the characters need to cross the room to disable the controls of the
defense lasers cutting them apart, or to get to the artillery monsters hiding in the back corners.
Areas of blocking terrain (see "Common Terrain Chara cteristics," page 96) force characters to move
around to draw a bead on th eir enemi es.
Remember, it's Gamma Terra: Mundane is dull. Toss some implausible features into your encoun
ters, and every once in a while add fantastic details of cinematic scope. Maybe the characters
have to ascend a skyscraper's exterior as they fight a squad of mutated 'skeeters, or avoid plumes
of neurotoxin while fighting a pitched battle against an insane AI. Unusual battles sparkle with
sp ecial significance, and your players will long remember them .
SKILL CHECKS
Can the characters decipher the blinking symbols on the keypad before the vacuum pumps evac
uate all the air in the room? A skill check tells you the answer.
A skill check works just li ke an attack roll-roll a d20, add any relevant modifiers, and com
pare the result to a target number. The higher the roll , the better. Instead of using a monster's
defense score as the target , though, you set the target number for the check: it~ Difficulty (lass
(or DC) . You can call for a skill check as part of exploration (such as searching an old sto rage
closet for supplies), but combat encounters that include skill checks becom e more exciting. A key
skill check might help the characters Will , or at least keep th em ali ve.
2. How hard do you want the check to be? There are only three choices for this question : easy,
moderate, or hard . (You could call a check "super-challenging" and assign it a stupidly high
DC, but you didn't read that here.) You 're the Game Master, and you know what's fun for your
game. You decide whether convincing the rogue laserbots that the characters are supposed to
be poking around in the abandoned base is easy, moderate, or hard .
Easy
Moderate
Hard
Level
DC
DC
DC
9
10
11
12
13
17
18
19
20
21
22
23
24
25
26
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
13
14
15
16
17
18
14
15
16
17
18
19
20
21
22
. . . . .. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Terrain features turn boring battlefields into exciting encounters. Terrain comes in many forms, from
security doors and piles of rubble to mutated grass and toxic goo.
Difficult Terrain: Entering a squ are of difficult terrain costs a creature 1 extra square of movement.
When designing an encounter, you can use difficult terrain to make a path less appealing without
taking it off the table entirely. Be careful not to add too much, though-it only slows down a fight
and frustrates characters by preventing shifts. Examples: Rubble, uneven ground , shallow water,
fallen light poles, thick undergrowth.
Blocking Terrain: Blocking terrain prevents movement through it and blocks line of sight. It chan
nels the encounter's flow into a few paths, but make sure you don't use so much blocking terrain
that it turns the fight into one long corridor. An Athletics check might allow a character to climb
or jump onto blocking terrain , depending on what it is. Examples: Walls, doors, collapsed build
ing, big trees or pillars, opaque force fields (a clear force field blocks line of effect but not line of
sight).
Challenging Terrain: When a character enters a square of challenging terrain , he or she must
typically succeed on an easy or a moderate skill check (often Acrobatics or Athletics) to avoid
experiencing an unpleasant repercussion. Give characters an opportunity to identify the conse
quences of entering such terrain (using Perception , Nature, or Science checks). Challenging terrain
is often difficult terrain. Examples: Ice, deep water, thick mud, a narrow girder between two
skyscrapers.
Hindering Terrain: Hindering terrain prevents or punishes movement, or harms creatures that enter
it (like challenging terrain), but it typically doesn't offer an easy way to avoid the consequences of
entering it. Examples: Craters, deep water, lava, toxic chemical spills.
Obscured Terrain: Obscured terrain provides some type of concealment and can block line of sight
if a target is far enough away from an observer. Obscured terrain has no effect on movement.
lightly Obscured (-2 Penally 10 Allack Rolls): A target in a lightly obscured square has concealment.
Examples: Dim light, fog, neurotoxin plumes.
Heavily Obscured (-5 Penalty to Atlack Rolls): A target in a heavily obscured square has total conceal
ment unless it's adjacent to the attacker. Examples: Darkness, heavy falling ash , thick foliage .
(over Terrain: Cover terrain provides either cover or superior cover, and helps characters and mon
sters defend against ranged attacks.
(over (-2 Penalty to Atlack Rolls): The target is around a corner or protected by terrain. Examples:
Concrete traffic barricades, small trees or light poles, low walls .
Superior (over (- 5 Penally 10 Attack Rolls): The target is almost entirely protected by terrain . Exam
ples: Behind a small window, a grate, or a machine-gun slit.
Door (Blocking): If unlocked, a door takes a minor action to open. Breaking down a door requires
a standard action and a Strength check, which could be easy, moderate, or hard, depending on
the situation. You might decide that some doors can't be broken down no matter how strong the
characters are.
Wall (Blocking): Most surviving walls are ruins of crumbling concrete or peeling sheetrock. Climb
ing a wall usually requires a moderate Athletics check . Breaking through a wall is usually a hard
Strength check (if it is possible at all).
Window: Windows provide line of sight and grant cover. Opening a window (if it still has any glass) is
a minor action. Climbing through a window costs a creature 1 extra square of movement.
Steep Stairs and Slopes: Moving up stairs (or a broken escalator) or a steep slope, such as a hillside,
is like moving through difficult terrain and costs 1 extra square of movement per square. Moving
laterally or downhill doesn't cost extra.
Ladder: A creatures can climb up or down ladders without making an Athletics check. While doing
so, it moves at half speed.
Mud and Soft Sand (Difficult): Especially thick mud is challenging terrain instead of difficult terrain;
any creature entering must succeed on an easy Athletics check or be immobilized until the start of
its next turn.
Deep Water: Any water more than waist deep requires a creature without a swim speed to swim
through it by making an easy or moderate Athletics check.
Ught Pole or Tree (Difficult, Cover): Each of these features takes up only part of a square, so crea
tures can move through the square. The feature provides cover to anyone in its square.
Junked Car (Difficult, Challenging): A creature entering a square of this terrain must succeed on a
moderate Acrobatics check to avoid getting stuck in the twisted metal. If the check fails, the crea
ture is immobilized until the start of its next turn.
Debris Field (Difficult, Challenging): Collapsed parking structures and skyscrapers, landfills, and
other ruins of the Ancients create treacherous debris fields filled with hidden pockets. A creature
that moves more than 2 squares through debris on its turn must succeed on an easy Acrobatics
check to avoid falling into a 10-foot-deep concealed hole (and taking ldl0 physical damage from
the fall).
super-cold tempera
of biological samples,
superconducting experi
ments, or cryogenic
research. It congeals
as a crust of ice on anything that moves through it. Whenever a creature enters or ends its turn
in a square of cryogenic mist, it's slowed (save ends). A creature that is already slowed instead
becomes immobilized (save ends). Creatures that have resistance or immunity to cold ignore the
effects of cryogenic fog.
bposed Superconduding Wiring (Challenging): These areas, usually along walls or hanging down
from ceilings, are nests of jagged cerametal wires . Whenever a creature enters one of these
squares, it takes 5 electricity damage unless it succeeds on a moderate Acrobatics check.
Gamma Flux Zone: Although most of the alternate worldlines have collapsed into Gamma Terra ,
a few pockets of fluctuating potential still exist. Flux zones might be as small as a l-square out
house, or they could fill rooms, compounds , or an entire ruined settlement. Characters within a
Gamma Flux zone experience an Alpha flux on any d20 roll of 5 or lower.
Grab Grass (Hindering): This mutant ground cover has a mind of its own. Any prone creature in a
square of grab grass must succeed on a moderate Athletics check to stand up.
Gray Plate (Hindering): Cerametal plates beneath the floor dramatically increase the weight of
whatever moves over them. Whenever a creature enters a square containing a grav plate, it imme
diately stops moving (losing any movement left in that action). Leaving a grav plate's square costs
a creature 1 extra square of movement.
Holo Grid: The Ancients could project still or moving holographic images in three-dimensional
space. A holo-grid projection can mimic any terrain. Recognizing the image as a hologram
requires an easy, a moderate, or a hard Insight check, depending on the quality of the projec
tion. Use a creature's passive Insight check (10 + Insight check modifier) unless it actively studies
the image.
Creatures that realize an object, a creature, or terrain is a hologram can safely ignore it, but
others react to it as though it were real: attacking, avoiding, or attempting to manipulate it.
Holograms have no mass and can't deal damage, so interacting with them might also reveal their
true nature. Sometimes, Als manifest hologram avatars to confront intruders; ignoring them can
be dangerous.
Particulate Haze (Obscured).- Many structures created by the Ancients incorporated dangerous con
stituents, such as asbestos fibers and worse. The slightest movement through such an area lifts a
haze of toxic particles into the air, making those squares lightly obscured . While in these areas,
creatures can't regain hit points by any means, not even by resting.
Rogue HVAC: Many Ancient structures incorporated semi -AI technology to control heating or
cooling. Surviving air-conditioning systems create unpredictable gusts of air near ductworks.
Whenever a creature ends its turn in a square affected by rogue HVAC, it slides ld4 squares
toward the creature nearest to it.
Targeting Pad: Military installations of the Ancients commonly enhanced soldiers with AI-assisted
military applications. Whenever a creature is in a square containing such a targeting pad , it gains
a +2 bonus to attack rolls.
Time-Space Fracture: After the worldlines collapsed together, fissures of temporal instability devel
oped. Whenever a creature enters a square of time-space fracture, it's removed from play. (While
out of play, it can't see or be seen by any other creature and can't take actions.) At the start of its
next turn, it appears in any unoccupied square within 5 squares of the fracture.
Toxic Goo (Difficult, Challenging): This sticky, glowing sludge leaks from many Ancient ruins. When
ever a creature enters a square of goo, it must succeed on a moderate Athletics check or become
immobilized until the start of its next turn . Any creature that starts its turn in toxic goo takes 5
poison damage and 5 radiation damage.
CHAPTER
5:
MONSTERS
Gamma Terra is sick with mutants, monsters, killer robots, and dimension-hopping aliens. Most
would as soon use your skin for a coat as look at you, so it's usually beller to shoot first and deter
mine what you were aiming at after the radiation level drops off.
The chaos of collapsed time lines, lethal radiation, toxic sludge, and super-science weapons gone
astray has pushed most beings to the brink of extinction. Those who have survived did so through
superior genes, accidental mutation, or beneficial time line flux. Now, hundreds of years after the
event that decimated the civilization of the Ancients (the Big Mistake), monsters roam the world.
Some wander the wastes , others prowl the ruins of cities, and a few reside in Ancient bunkers, still on
guard despite centuries of inactivity.
MONSTERS BY LEVEL
Monster
level
Badder stead i ng
1 Artillery
Role
Page
109
guard
Monster
level
Rocketbot
3 Artillery
Role
Page
155
Soldierbot
3 Soldier
152
Soul besh
3 Lurker
133
Blood bird
1 Lurker
112
1 Soldier
120
Guardbot
1 Skirmisher
150
1 Artillery
119
Blight venomwing
4 Lurker
111
Porker marauder
1 Soldier
126
4 Soldier
112
Shield bot
1 Minion Brute
4 Skirmisher
bloodsucker
127
Fen eel
132
Dabber
114
Orlen pistoleer
4 Elite Brute
Porker warhog
4 Brute
Terl skyslayer
4 Skirmisher
134
Obb sporeplanter
2 Artillery
sharpshooter
Hoop sharpshooter
2 Artillery
155
2 Skirmisher
108
4 Soldier
Parn
2 Solo Soldier
125
Firebellyarn
5 Skirmisher
108
2 Artillery
120
Gren archer
5 Artillery
116
Sleeth guardian
2 Soldier
132
Hoop warchief
5 Controller (Ll
117
Soul besh
2 Soldier
133
Iron King
5 Controller
157
Sentrybot
5 Skirmisher
127
Yexil mauler
2 Elite Brute
135
Sep thresher
5 Brute
129
Serf dragoon
5 Controller
131
3 Controller (L)
109
107
gua rdskeeter
Black blaash
3 Artillery
110
Berserk android
6 Brute
Gren headhunter
3 Lurker
116
Blight hunter
6 Soldier
111
Hoop warrior
3 Skirmisher
117
6 Soldier
121
Eradicator Mk 3
10 Solo
128
3 Skirmisher
119
Laserbot
3 Artillery
157
Obb scout
3 Artillery
122
Controller
level: This summarizes how tough a monster is in combat. A monster's level is built into most of the
monster's statistics: defenses, hit points, and attacks.
Role: The monster's role describ es how it behaves in combat (see " Monster Roles ," page 83). A few
monsters have the leader subrole, which means they grant some benefit to their allies in combat.
XP: The experience points characters earn for defeating the monster.
Size: Small and Medium monsters occupy 1 square each ; Large monsters take up an area of 2 squares
by 2 squares; Huge monsters fill a 3-by-3-square area.
Origin: This entry tells you where in the universe the monster comes from : terrestrial , extraterres
trial, or extradimensional. This information doesn't often come up in combat, but it helps you to
figure out what you're looking at.
Type: This is a basic summary of the monster's appearance and behavior : animate, beast, or
humanoid.
Animates are things that aren 't animals but move around anyway-mostly plants or robots .
They don't need to breathe, eat , or sleep.
(l.
@ Beasts are ordinary animals, or something close to them. Beasts that have Intelligence scores
of 3 or lower act instinctively. Those that have Intelligence scores of 4 or higher approach (or
exceed) human intelligence. But they still might eat you.
b Humanoids are usually bipedal, intelligent tool-users. They 're people, more or less.
In addition, many monsters have keywords that further define them, such as robot, reptile, or insect.
Keywords might matter when a leader monster is helping its followers, but usually they aren't impor
tant to characters .
Monste r Name
Level and Ro le
XP 1,Jl ue
HP maximum; Bloodied value
Initiative modifier
A( , Fortitude, Reflex, Will
Perception modifier
Special senses
Speed
Immune type/effect; Resist type; Vulnerable type
Saving Throws modifier
Sill' Orlgl ll, .lrlci tliJe JCIWOld,1
TRAITS
This is the distance the monster can walk by using a move action. In addition, special movement
abilities are noted here.
Burrow: The monster can move through loose earth or sand at the stated speed. It can't shift or
charge while burrowing.
Climb: The monster can move on vertical surfaces at the stated speed without making Athletics
checks to climb. It does not grant combat advantage while climbing.
Fly: The monster can take the walk or run action (see page xx) but uses its fly speed in place of a
walking speed. It can remain in the air without moving and can shift while flying. It can move up
and down freely, both straight and diagonally. If it's knocked prone, it falls safely to the ground. If
a monster's fly speed includes (hover), it can remain in the air even while stunned.
Swim: The monster moves through water at the stated speed without making Athletics checks.
Immune: A monster that is immune to a damage type doesn't take damage from an effect that has
that keyword. If it's immune to a condition or an effect, such as dazed, it isn't affected by that
condition or effect. Even if a monster is immune to part of a power, other parts of that power
could still affect it.
Resist: A monster that has resistance takes less damage from a specific damage type. For example,
if it has resist 10 fire, it takes 10 less damage whenever it takes fire damage. Resistance reduces
damage only if the monster has resistance to each type of damage from an effect. Multiple resis
tances of the same kind aren't cumulative; use the highest value.
Vulnerable: The monster takes extra damage when it takes damage of the stated type. For example,
if it has vulnerable 5 fire, it takes 5 extra fire damage whenever an attack deals fire damage to
it. It still takes the extra damage even if the attack deals more than one type. Just like resistance,
only the highest vulnerability applies if the monster gains the same vulnerability twice.
Saving Throws: Monsters make saving throws against harmful effects, just as characters do. Some
monsters gain bonuses to their saving throws.
TRAITS
Traits are characteristics of a monster that aren't powers and don't take actions to use. Most are
always in effect.
Aura: This effect continuously emanates from the monster in all squares out to the stated range and
within line of effect. It doesn't affect the monster itself unless otherwise noted, and the monster
can turn its aura on or off as a minor action (the aura ends automatically if the monster dies).
Penalties from overlapping auras are not cumulative.
ACTIONS
Attacks and special actions the monster can take are described here.
Attacks: Each entry includes a type, a range (such as "Melee 2"). and the creatures targeted by the
attack (in parentheses), followed by the monster's attack bonus and what happens on a hit. Some
attacks have an effect even on a miss, shown in the Mi55 entry. Others do something whether or
not the attack hits; the Effect entry describes what happens.
Sometimes a monster's power becomes more harmful if the target fails a saving throw against its
effects. Failed Saving Throw entries describe the results of the first, second, or even more failures .
Requirement: Some powers are usable only if the monster meets a precondition, such as being
bloodied.
Triggered Actions: These powers always require a triggering event or condition to be used. The kind
of action is shown in parentheses. Sometimes a power requires no action at all to use; it happens
automatically (such as when the creature drops to 0 hit points).
Type: Most powers include an icon showing the power's type: melee (+), ranged (:r), close ~), and
area HZO). Monster power types follow the same rules as those for characters. A monster's basic
attack is the first attack described in its standard actions. (The basic attack always has a circle
around its icon.) Some monsters have more than one basic attack.
Usage: Monster powers can be at-will or encounter, like those of characters, but some powers can
recharge and be available for use again .
.... Recharge {G::] [Z] [;:;J [;:;] fTIll: The power has a random chance of recharging during each
round of combat. At the start of each of the monster's turns, roll a d6. If the result is one of
the stated numbers, the monster regains the use of that power.
when first bloodied : As soon as a monster is bloodied for the first time in an
encounter, the power recharges.
,.I,J Recharge
EQUIPMENT
Intelligent, tool-using monsters use the same sorts of scavenged, salvaged, and repurposed items
as characters do. When a dabber swings a short sword at you, it could be wielding a cleaver, a blade
pulled from a junked lawn mower, or a display wakizashi. If it's wearing ring mail, that could be a
leather duster with bottle caps stitched onto it, or some old tire chains wrapped around a hunk of
radial tread.
Ammo: Some monsters shoot guns, rocket launchers, or sharpened-disc throwers in combat.
In most cases, the monster is carrying enough ammo to use the weapon throughout an encounter.
Unusual weapons might have just one shot. In either case, the ammo is expended at the end of the
encounter.
.ANDROID
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. . . . . .
Once a machine achieves sentience and begins to design its own upgrades, humanity becomes obsolete.
Or so the AI mainframes decree.
Androids are thinking machines that bear some physical resemblance to the Ancients. Most are
factory, office, and military machines that have developed artificial intelligence (AI). A few are appar
ently the creations of a cross-time race of idiot savants who thought it would be fun to engineer
their own replacements. Androids litter the ruins of Gamma Terra in various states of repair, form,
ability-and homicidal tendency.
The dragonfly glitters like a beautiful jewel-but you can't really appreciate that when it's 5 feet long
and bearing down on you.
Voracious scavengers and hunters, these overgrown insects haunt marshes and forests, preying on
anything they can catch. Green darters attack by knocking their prey down; firebellies emit bursts
of intense heat. All arns are strong fliers and can carry Small riders if caught and domesticated
while young.
Combat Advantage
The green darter deals 1d6 extra damage against any creature granting combat advantage to it.
STANDARD A CTIONS
Hit: 2d6 + 3 physical damage, and the green darter shifts 4 squares .
Effect: The green darter shifts 4 squares, making one attack at any point during that movement.
Attack: Melee 1 (one creature); +5 vs. Fortitude
Hit: 1d6 + 3 physical damage, and the target falls prone.
Str 14 (+3)
Con 11 (+1)
Dex 19 (+5)
Int 2 (-3)
Wis 14 (+3)
Cha 9 (+0)
A"-Around Vision
Enemies can't gain combat advantage by Hanking the firebelly.
Hit: 2d12 + 6 fire damage, and the target is weakened until the end of the firebelly's next turn .
Str 15 (+4)
Con 12 (+3)
Dex 21 (+7)
Int 2 (-2)
Wis 15 (+4)
Cha 10 (+2)
BADDER
............................................
What else but violence would you expect from a 5-/001-1011, intelligent, mutated badger?
Badders are cruel and destructive, raiding and pillaging nearby settlements. Their steadings are
large, subterranean warrens beneath sturdy stone towers. Badders use savage or medieval technol
ogy, and leaders might carry firearms.
Effect: The target is slowed until the end of the slave driver'S next turn.
<..
TRI(;(;ERED ACTIONS
.BlAASH
. . . . . . . (GAMMA
. . . . . . . . .MOTH)
. . . . . . . . . . ... . .. ...........
Bright lights attract gamma moths, so put out those fires when camping near old missile craters and
ruined nuclear reactors.
Fearl ess and ca rnivorou s, these enormous mutated gy psy moths bring down prey with radiation ,
then ho ve r over th e corpses to Feed . Black blaashes target victims with precise bea ms of radi ation .
Any creature within the aura experiences an Alpha Hux on a d20 roll of 4 or lower.
STANDARD ACTIONS
Encounter
Str 12 (+2)
(on 16 (+4)
Dex 18 (+5)
Int 5 (-2)
Wis 11 (+1)
(ha 8 (+0)
.BliGHT
. . . . . . .(CLOUD
. . . . . . .WORM)
. . . . .. . .. .. . . . . . . . . .. . . ... .....
A flying
carnivorous worm is a horrible sight. But don't worry-you probably won't see it coming.
Armed with the ability to bend light and become invisible, blights are predatory, tentacled worms
that hunt on the wing . Blight hunters descend unseen on isolated victims and carry them off
screaming into the sky. Venomwings rely on poison to kill their prey, then retreat to reestablish
their invisibility.
Perception +4
(on 12 (+3)
Int 7 (+0)
Wis 15 (+4)
Cha 10 (+2)
+Constrict (physical)
Str 16 (+6)
Con 13 (+4)
Dex 19 (+7)
Int 6 (+1)
Wis 16 (+6)
(ha 11 (+3)
.BLOOD
. . .. . .BIRD
. . . . .(RED
. . . . .DEATH)
. . . . . . . . . . . . .. . . . . . . . . . . . . .
These feathered predators' beautiful scarlet plumage belies their vicious nature. More than one
admirer has been drawn to a blood bird 's cheerful song and stunning red crest and tail feathers, only
to fall to its radioactive bite. Flocks of ravening blood birds descend on prey and rend their victims
to bits.
Any creature that sta rts its turn within the aura takes 3 radiation damage.
STANDARD ACTIONS
Hit: 1d4 physical damage plus 2d4 radiation damage. In addition, the target takes ongoing 5
radiation damage and the blood bird moves into the target's square (save ends both). Until the
target saves, whenever it moves, the blood bird moves with it. This movement does not provoke
opportunity attacks from the target. While in the target's square, the blood bird gains a +5 bonus
to all defenses, and it automatically hits the target with beak.
Str 10 (+0)
Dex 16 (+3)
Wis 10 (+0)
(on 12 (+1)
Int 2 (-4)
(ha 4 (-3)
Perception +2
Swarm
The flock can occupy the same square as another creature, and an enemy can enter its square,
which is difficult terrain . The flock can't be pul'led, pushed , or slid by melee or ranged attacks.
STANDARD ACTIONS
. . . .. .. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Greedy, curious, and somewhat cowardly, dabbers are highly intelligent , mutated raccoons that have
a reputation for thievery. They prefer to avoid direct combat, using traps or ruses to lead marks away
from their valuables and then pillaging the abandoned camps or caravans . Dabbers gather in small
bands that often hire out as scouts, marauders, and "treasure finders."
TRIGGERED ACTIONS
Str 8 (+0)
Dex 17 (+4)
Con 14 (+3)
Int 14 (+3)
Equipment short sword , carbine
Wis 11 (+1)
Cha 14 (+3)
.FEN
... (FISH
. . .. . .FOLK)
.. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Fens get cranky when they must venture up into the heavy, arid, searing environment they ca/l "Above
World." Best just to run from the waddling fish-people.
Fens are irritated by the mere sight of "drylanders" and would much rather stick them with pointy
things than talk . Literally slippery customers , fen eels use electric jolts to incapacitate enemies.
Aquatic
An eel can breathe underwater. While underwater, it gains a +2 bonus to attack rolls against
creatures without the aquatic trait.
STANDARD ACTIONS
+9 vs. AC
Hit: 1d6 + 4 physical damage, and the target is dazed and takes ongoing 5 electricity damage
(save ends both).
MOVE ACTIONS
Undulate @ At-Will
Effut: The eel shifts 4 squares.
Str 14 (+4)
Dex 18 (+6)
(on 11 (+2)
Int 10 (+2)
Equipment spear-sword
Wis 11 (+2)
(ha 11 (+2)
Don't
. .ride. .your
..skycycle
. .. .too..close. . .a.gren. .hold,
. . .unless
. . you. .enjoy
. . .high-speed
. . . . .face. .plants.
. . . . . . . . ..
to
Grens are a humanlike race from a nontechnological worldline. Grens hate advanced technology and
are suspicious of those who carry Ancient artifacts. Gren tribes subsist in wooded areas , jealously
defending their territory.
Perception +3
TRAITS
o Suppression Field
@ Au ra 3
Any creature within the aura takes a -4 penalty to attack rolls with Omega Tech powers.
STANDARD ACTIONS
HOOP
Sure, giant rabbits sound like a bad joke. But the hoops usually get the las/ laugh.
Hoops are human-sized mutated rabbits that believe they are destined to rule Gamma Terra as a
master race . They are fierce warriors that roam the world in bloodthirsty war bands , subjugating all
weaker beings and plundering ruins for useful (and dangerous) technology. Some hoops have the
unusual ability to transmute nonliving materials into an inert, rubbery substance with a mere touch.
MOVE ACTIONS
!TIl
Effect: The warrior jumps 6 squares. This movement does not provoke opportunity attacks.
The warrior deals 1d12 extra damage with axe slash until the end of its turn .
MINOR ACTIONS
Str 17 (+4)
(on 11 (+1)
Dell 14 (+3)
Int 11 (+1)
Wis10 (+1)
(ha 11 (+1)
Equipment axe
Effect: Each ally within 2 squares of the warchief can make a basic attack as a free action. Each
ally that hits with the attack regains 10 hit points.
Dell 15 (+4)
Wis 12 (+3)
Int 12 (+3)
(ha 15 (+4)
Str 18 (+6)
(on 12 (+3)
.HORl
. . . ..CHOO
. . .. . .(PORCUPINE
. . . . . . . . .. .BUSH)
. .. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
That 's no porcupine. See all those half-melted bones lying nearby? That's a bush that spits digestive add
that dissolves anything into fertilizer.
The spearlike quills of a hor! choo mean agonizing dealh. Up close, Ihey jab and injecl acidic venom.
Some of Ihese planls hurllheir slinging needles from a dislance, while olhers roll over Iheir prey,
leaving acidic quills Ihal fesler in their victims ' flesh.
Hit: 1d6 + 3 physical damage, and ongoing 5 acid damage (save ends).
.IAI
. . . LIN
... .(LIZARD
. . . . . . . .VINE)
..... . .......... . .. . . . . ... . .. .
Kai lins are mobile, reptilian -looking plants that feed on carrion , but they hunt living prey when they
can't find anything dead. Their " tails" are actually long root clusters that they entwine in dead flesh
to absorb sustenance, and they pack a nasty electrical jolt. Kai lins are about as intelligent as por
poises or chimps and can be trained as guardians or attack creatures .
.MENIRl
.. . .. . . .(SLIME
.. . . ..DEVil)
... ... . . . .. . . . . . . . . ... . .. . . . .
Thirty-loot-long, intelligent snokes that have an overabundance 01 humanoid arms shouldn't alarm
anyone. Go about your business, waste-dweller.
Wanderers tell of menarl colonies that ruthlessly hunt and cannibalize other intelligent creatures.
Menarls deny such accusations, at least until the accuser is alone and within easy reach. They can
exude great quantities of sticky mucus to encase and immobilize prey.
Legless
The slime spitler can 't drop prone or fall prone.
STANDARD ACTIONS
Legless
The slime fang can't drop prone or fall prone.
Slime Frenzy
The slime fang gains a +1 bonus to attack rolls and a +2 bonus to damage rolls against slowed or
immobilized enemies.
STANDARD ACTIONS
Str 20 (+8)
(on 14 (+5)
Dex 14 (+5)
Int 10 (+3)
Wis 12 (+4)
(ha 10 (+3)
.OBB
. . ..(FlYING
.. ... . . .EYE)
. . .... .. . . .. . . .. . . .. . . . . . . . . . . . . .
These bizarre fungus creatures are greatly feared by most Gamma Terrans. They are cunning pack
hunters that often lair in radioactive ruins . Each has a single dark eye, from which some emit blasts
of blinding radiation . Specialized obbs grapple their victims with vicious claws and implant them with
radioactive spores. Wh en a spore bursts, slaying its host, a new obb springs from th e corpse.
Effect: The scout shifts its fly speed. It gains a +2 bonus to all defenses until the start of its
next turn .
Str 11 (+1)
Con 14 (+3)
Dex 20 (+6)
Int 11 (+1)
Wis15 (+3)
Cha 10 (+1)
Recharge ~ ~!TIl
Encounter
Effect: 1d10 + 5 physical damage, and the target is dazed and takes ongoin g 5 radiation damage
(save ends both). If the target drops to 0 hit points or fewer while affected by this power, it dies
and an obb scout appears in its square. The scout rolls for initiative.
Str 16 (+5)
Dex 15 (+4)
Wis 16 (+5)
Con 15 (+4)
Int 12 (+3)
Cha 11 (+2)
.ORlEN
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . ..
Two bickering heods and four powerful arms make for eight different ways to pick a fight.
Orlens' giant humanoid frames make them dangerous enemies, but with too many heads and arms,
their existence can be a trial. The heads rarely get along with each other, so negotiating with an orlen
isn't easy-one of the heads is almost certain to take exception no mailer what the topic.
Perception +7
TRAITS
Double Actions
The pistoleer rolls initiative twice, gets two turns during a round ,
and has a full set of actions (standard, move, minor) on each turn.
Each set of actions corresponds to a different head . The pistoleer's
ability to take immediate actions refreshes on each of its turns.
Dual Brain
At the end of its turn, the pistoleer automatically saves against any dazed, dominated, and
stunned conditions that a save can end .
STANDARD ACTIONS
JOle)!peJ)
.PAR
. ..N
..(SWORD
.. . . . . . . BEETLE)
. .. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . ... . . . . . .
It 's a beetle the size of a draft horse that has an appetite even bigger.
Armed with a natural arsenal of quill s, spines, and swordlike antennae of sharp chitin, parns fear
nothing. Th e voracious beetles are stron g swimm ers and often hide just ben eath the surface of
ponds or slugg ish rivers , with only a small portion of th eir heads and eyes above water to watch for
prey. Parns are resistant to mental att ack, redirecting psychic energy against other creatures nearby.
They sometimes team up with creatures that promise th em opportunities to indulge th eir cruelty
and bloodlust.
Parn
MINOR ACTIONS
.PORKER
. .... . .(ROAD
. ... . ..HOG)
. . . . . . . .. . . . .. ... . .. . . . .. . . . . . .
Roaming th e wastes of Gamma Terra are gangs of greedy, callous mara ud ers: Porkers are a race of
intelligent, mutated pigs. They love Anci ent technology, especially firearm s and internal combus
tion engin es-th e bigger and loud er, th e better. Th ey have a knack for jury-rigging and sa lvage, so a
porker gang can kee p a handful of An cient motorcycles and fuel stills in working order.
.ROBOT,
. . . . . . .GUAROBOT
. . . .... . . . . . . . .. .. ... .. ..... . . . ..... . .
Many of these security machines still defend Ancient installations, but some now wander the wastes.
Although not as deranged as berserk androids or as powerfully armed as Eradicators, guardbots are
still efficient killers of organic threats . They pack a na sty electrical punch backed up by improved
targeting software.
TRIGGERED ACTIONS
+Networked @ At-Will
Trigger: A robot ally is bloodied or knocked prone.
Effect (Free Action): The shieldbot shifts 1 square, then uses electrojo/t.
Str 19 (+4)
Dex 16 (+3)
Wis 12 (+1)
(on 16 (+3)
Int 10 (+0)
(ha 7 (-2)
Hit: 1d8 + 4 electricity damage, and ongoing 5 electricity damage (save ends).
Effect: The sentrybot flies 8 squares and uses electrojolt once at any point during that movement. It
doesn't provoke opportunity attacks when moving away from the target of its attack.
TRIGGERED ACTIONS
+Networked ~ At-Will
Trigger: A robot ally within 3 squares of the sentrybot is bloodied or knocked prone.
Effect (Free Action): The sentrybot shifts 3 squares and uses electrojoll.
Str 19 (+6)
Dex 16 (+5)
Wis 12 (+3)
(on 16 (+5)
Int 10 (+2)
(ha 7 (+0)
.ROBOT,
. ... ..ERADICATOR
. . .. . . .. . . . .MK
. . . .3. . . . . . . . ... . . .. . .. . . . .
Another kid-tested, mom-approved product from your friends at the StupendiCo Corporation!
Eradicator-cla ss robot s are powerful war machines design ed to defend crucial installation s and pro
vide battlefi eld security. Th ey're fitted with an impressive arse nals of lasers, grenad es , and oth er
implements of mayhem. Many have accumulated serious programming error s and logic-processor
dam age over th e yea rs , making th em unpredi ctable at best; approach with care.
Perception +14
Darkvision
TRAITS
(>
Any enemy that starts its turn within the aura takes 10 laser damage.
Force Field (while not bloodied)
The Eradicator gains 10 temporary hit points at the start of each of its turns.
STANDARD ACTIONS
Hit: 3d6 + 5 force damage, and the target is pushed 1 square from the burst 's origin and da zed
(save ends).
Effect: The Eradicator uses al/oy tentacle and weapon mounts, Of uses two different weapon mounts.
FREE ACTIONS
Str 21 (+10)
Con 18 (+9)
Dex 18 (+9)
Int21 (+10)
Wis 18 (+9)
Cha 15 (+7)
I:
.SEP
. . . .(lAND
. . . . . .SHARK)
. . . . . . .. ..... . . . . . .. .. ... . . . . . . ..
When a sinkhole turns out to be a land shark's maw, that 's a bad day-
These mutated sharks are perfectly adapted to subterranean "swimming ." A hungry sep doesn't
give away its presence by allowing its dorsal fin to break the surface-it comes up directly beneath
its prey.
Effect: The darter shifts 6 squares. At the end of the shift, it burrows beneath the ground and is
removed from play. While removed from play, it has neither line of sight nor line of effect to
any creature (a nd vice versa), and it can't take any actions. At the end of its next turn , the darter
appears in an unoccupied square within 8 squares of its last location. It deals 2d8 extra damage
with its next attack before the end of the encounter.
..
Str 12 (+3)
Dex 19 (+6)
Wis 10 (+2)
(on 15 (+4)
Int 2 (-2)
(ha 11 (+2)
.SERF
... ..(THOUGHT
. . ..... . ..MASTER)
. ... .... ... .. .. . .. ... ... ....
"Respect my authority!"
Serfs are domineering, power-hungry humanoids that seek to subjugate weaker creatures. They
have poisonous claws, which they use to envenom their weapons, and they boast a formidable array
of mental powers. Serfs adopt military ranks and trappings and form clans, surrounded by loyal
minions such as badders, hoops, and porkers. No serf is ever truly happy until it has a stronghold of
its own.
<..
Effect (Immediate Reaction): The dragoon becomes invisible until the start of its next turn and
shifts 3 squares.
Str 18 (+6)
Dex 12 (+3)
Wis 12 (+3)
(on 13 (+3)
Int 15 (+4)
(ha 15 (+4)
Equipment short sword
.SLEETH
. . . . . . .(SEER
. . . . . LIZARD)
..... . .. .. .. .. .. .. . . . . .. . . .... . ..
You could learn a lot from a sleeth, if it weren't trying to rip your heart out.
The reptilian sleeths are a peaceful race, at least among themselves. They are renowned as precogni
tive wonders and scholars of the Ancients, and they are especially knowledgeable about Area 52 tech.
Unfortunately for would-be seekers of wisdom, sleeths' lizard brains are wired for xenophobia
nothing riles up a community of seer lizards more than nonreptilian visitors .
Str 12 (+1)
Con 13 (+1)
Dex 11 (+0)
Int 13 (+1)
Wis 16 (+3)
Cha 13 (+1)
Hit: 1d10 + 5 force damage (2d10 + 5 against a prone target), and the target falls prone.
TRIGGERED ACTIONS
AtWiII
Str 14 (+3)
Dex 13 (+2)
Wis 12 (+2)
Cha 10 (+1)
Con 13 (+2)
Int 9 (+0)
.SOUL
. . . . .BESN
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Soul beshes are flighlless, mutant mosquitoes the size of small dogs. They creep up to travelers'
camps and stick their proboscises into sleeping victims, paralyzing them with an anesthetizing venom
while draining them dry. Guardskeeters can be trained as watch-bugs, but they 're dangerous when
hungry and not very attentive when digesting a meal.
The guardskeeter has concealment against any enemy that is not adjacent to it.
STANDARD ACTIONS
Str 14 (+3)
DeJl17 (+4)
Wis11 (+1)
(on 11 (+1)
Int 2 (-3)
(ha 8 (+0)
(hameleon Adaptation
The bloodsucker has concealment against any enemy that is not adjacent to it. If it starts its turn
hidden from an enemy, until the end of its turn, it gains combat advantage against that enemy.
STANDARD ACTIONS
.TERl
. . .. .(RUIN
. .. . .FISH)
. .. .. . . . . . .. .. . . . .. . . ... .. .. .. . ..
Schools of 6-foot-long, flying, fanged fish are a common sight in dilapidated Ancient cities. These
exceptionally dangerous predators flit through the canopy of leaning skyscrapers in pursuit of prey.
Terls spend a portion of their life cycle spawning in the ocean before they return to their lairs along
high building tops.
Aquatic
The skyslayer can breathe underwater. While underwater, it gains a +2 bonus to attack rolls against
creatures without the aquatic trait.
STI\NDARD ACTIONS
Hit: 2d12 sonic damage, and the target is slowed (save ends).
TRIGGERED ACTIONS
Str 11 (+2)
Dex 18 (+6)
Wis 14 (+4)
(on 14 (+4)
Int 2 (-2)
(ha 12 (+3)
.YEXll
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. . . . .
These dangerous flying predators resemble orange-furred lions with bat wings in place of forelimbs .
Armed with fierce mandibles and the ability to fire blasts of laser energy from their eyes, they are
notorious marauders and robbers. Yexils form small nests of two or three individuals. They lie in wait
in vantage points overlooking roads and trails, waylaying any who pass by. They generally rob and
then devour their victims, but they might trade with those who are well armed. They especially prize
cloth , fabric , or other garments, which they find delicious.
Effect: The mauler takes an extra standard action during that turn .
TRIGGEREO ACTIONS
Dex 14 (+3)
Int 9 (+O)
Wis 14 (+3)
(ha 11 (+1)
.TRAPS
. . . . . .AND
. . . . .HAZARDS
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. . . . .
Not all problems can be blown away with a fusion rifle . Obstacles, hazardous terrain, and traps can
make combat more dynamic. Traps and hazards have attack powers that work much as monster
powers do. Many traps and hazards are triggered by an action or event.
Some traps and hazard s can be attacked , but they might resist or be immune to attack, or to
certain attacks or types of damage Attacking a trap or hazard might disable or damage it, and the
Mechanics or Science skill might al so let a character disable it. If a special way exists to bypass or
deactivate a trap or a hazard, it 's described in its statistics block entry.
RADIOACTIVE CRATER
This 10-foot-deep pit fills a 4-by-4-square area and glows with radiation. Its crumbling edges can sud
denly give way under a creature's weight. In addition to taking physical damage, creatures that fall in
are irradiated. Creatures in the crater can climb out of it by making a DC 15 Athletics check; creatures
can also make Athletics chec~s to jump over it.
Radioactive Crater
Level 3 Hazard
XP 150
Object
Detect Perception DC 19
Immune attacks
Initiative
TRIGGERED ACTIONS
lASER
ESH
An area up to 5 squares on a side is filled with a defensive laser grid triggered by sensor panels. The
lasers fire when any creature enters a sensor's square. A creature can attempt a DC 20 Acrobatics
check as a free action to avoid being attacked when entering a square of the trap.
No special check is needed to see the grid, but a DC 16 Perception check allows a character to dis
cern the trigger sensors; by making a successful DC 20 check , he or she can spot the trap's computer
control panel if it is in line of sight.
Laser Mesh
O bjec t
Detect Perception DC 16
Immune attacks
Level 4 Trap
XP 175
Initiative
TRIGGERED ACTIONS
Trigger: A creature enters or ends its turn in a square within the laser mesh.
Hit: 2d8 + 4 laser damage, and the target is blinded (save ends).
1.liiWUlittJI
,1;
'"
PLASMA TUNNEL
A hallway narrows to a tube lined in white ceramic , 2 squares wide and 10 squares long. It generates
a plasma pulse when the trap is triggered, which can both harm creatures within and set off a dan
gerous overload in Ancient artifacts.
Plasma Tunnel
Level 8 Trap
Object
XP 35 0
Initiative
TRICCERED ACTIONS
AtWill
Trigger: A creature enters or starts its turn in a square of the plasma tunnel.
Attack (Opportunity Action): Ranged 10 (triggering creature); +11 vs . Fortitude
Hit: 2d10 + 7 electricity and fire damage.
Effect: The target must make a saving throw for each readied Omega Tech card it has. On a
failure, that item detonates and is destroyed, dealing 2d6 fire damage to the target and to
each creature adjacent to it.
COUNTERMEASURES
CHAPTER 6:
STE
ADING OF THE IRON KING
It started a month ago. A robot rolled down from the foothills to the village edge. The Ancient device
buzzed and blinked , then blew up.
The same thing happened the next day, and the next, and almost every day since. However, on at
least four occasions, a robot succeeded in reaching the village periphery, buzzed, blinked , and fired a
rocket at the wall (without much effect).
What the heck is going on up in the foothills?
"Steading of the Iron King" is a D&D GAMMA WORLD adventure for five 1st-level characters .
.BACKGR
. . ... ..OUND
. . . . . . . . . .. . . . . . . . . . . .. . . . . . .. . . . . . . . .
If the characters decide to investigate the source of the oddly behaving robots , they can learn the fol
lowing information with a successful skill check.
Conspiracy or Interaction DC 9: A group of badders have a steading, or fort, up in the foothills . The
mutated humanoid badgers are cruel and violent , and have raided the village and other nearby
communities in pa st years . However, badders aren 't known for their ability to program robots.
Conspiracy or Interaction DC 13: About five years back, a contingent of the cryptic alliance known
as Archivists visited the village. The Archivists stayed only a few days but asked many questions
about robots: Had anyone in the village ever seen active ones, found any old ruins up in the foot
hills containing robots , and so on. The villagers answered "no" to all these questions.
Conspiracy or Science DC 17: The villagers have been hauling the pieces of blown -up robots into a
growing scrap pile outside the wall. A look through the detritus reveals that some of the bits have
Ancient letters stamped on them: StupendiCo Security. StupendiCo is supposedly the name of an
Ancient cryptic alliance renowned for creating all manner of wonderful yet dangerous technology.
ADVENTURE SYN'OPSIS
Characters who backtrack the rudely behaving robots to their source discover a badder steading-a
sturdy stone tower built over a large underground warren. Determined adventurers can force their
way into the steading, penetrate the tunnels beneath, and ultimately find the entrance to the buried
installation from which the robots emerge.
The subterranean installation is partly controlled by the hoop mastermind calling itself the
Iron King and defended by its warriors and mercenaries. However, some of the installation remains
outside the hoop's control. Its attempts to master the computer-controlled installation accidentally
initiated the automated robot manufactory, which began spitting out defense bots of imperfect
design . Rather than deal with the potentially dangerous automatons, the hoop funnels each day's
newly created robot along a path leading out of the installation, and the badders make sure it
exits safely.
With perseverance, the adventurers can advance through the installation and defeat the hoop
mastermind-assuming they can avoid being dropped in a vat of wild nano.
ADVENTURE HOOKS
The characters hear about or witness the robot incursion described at the beginning of this chapter.
If they are interested in learning more, they can attempt the skill checks presented in the " Back
ground" section .
Alternatively, one of the characters, new to the village, is on a quest. He or she has inherited a
map (perhaps similar to the one the missing Archivists possessed) that describes the location of an
Ancient installation filled with powerful technology.
DEFECTIVE ROBOTS
Once a day, a buzzing robot emerges from the tower and trundles down the trail toward the village.
It ignores the characters unless they attack or try to stop it. In that case, use a shieldbot (page 127),
except that the robot 's weapon systems are malfunctioning-it can't make attacks and explodes when
hit. Any creature adjacent to the robot when it explodes takes 5 physical damage.
"Steading of the Iron King" encompasses eight encounters set on four battie maps. Each map is
located on one of the two double-sided poster maps that accompany this boxed set. As the characters
advance through the adventure, they move through the areas shown on the maps.
After the adventurers enter the steading and make their way to the installation of the Ancients
beneath it, the encounters between poster maps are not physically connected. They pass through
dozens of interconnected chambers, descend stone or metal stairs, and occasionally find straight con
necting passages. These corridors, tunnels, and chambers aren't shown on the battle maps. You can
create a side encounter on a map of your design if you want , though it should be only a brief diver
sion from the main adventure.
STEADING APPROACH
The tower of the steading is perched on the side of a steep slope. Two encounters take place on this
map: !>1: Badder Tower Defense and !>2: Tower Interior.
STEADING WARRENS
The warrens beneath the tower are a maze of rough chambers and abandoned burrows, encompass
ing encounters !>3: Warren Entry and !>4: Moth Infestation. Once the characters enter the final
tunnel , they can press on immediately to the final encounters or rest in a side corridor before facing
the Iron King.
STUPENDICO PERIMETER
Here the warrens butt up against the walls of the old buried installation. The main entrance to
the installation is described in !>5: StupendiCo Installation Exterior, and its first chamber in
S6: StupendiCo Foyer.
ROBOT MANUFAaORY
Encounter S7: StupendiCo Restricted Area on this map depicts a corridor defended by a laser mesh
and some guardbots. Encounter S8: StupendiCo Factory Floor takes place in the heart of the instal
lation. Here, the self-titled Iron King uses its "crown" (a cybernetic control helm) to try to master the
installation and ward off intruders into the hoop's domain .
ADVENTURE CONCLUSION
The characters can end the robot threat either by defeating the Iron King or by sabotaging the robot
assembly pad on the factory floor. They might try to establish themselves as the new overlords
of the robot manufactory. If they do, they could end up with more trouble than they can handle:
robots in revolt , other greedy hoops, or more teams of "troubleshooters" like themselves. But that's
another story. ...
ENCOUNTER Sl:
ENCOUNTER LEVEL 1 (550 XP)
SETUP
2 badder steading guards (B), page 109
2 porker marauders (P), page 126
1 radioactive crater, page 136
The characters approach the badders' fort, atop a ridge line in the foothills. They must interact with
or bypass the tower 's defenders.
The old trail you discovered while backtracking the robots' trail skirts a glowing crater. It ends at the
base of a rough-hewn stone tower, where badders carrying crossbows stand watch, supported by
The badders warn off the characters . If asked about robots leaving the tower, they disavow any
knowledge of such events (a successful DC 13 Insight check reveals that they are lying). They make
extravagant claims about their "Iron King," which they identify as a brilliant hoop wearing a shiny
crown , if anyone asks. The badders open fire on anyone who tries to invade, supported by the Iron
King's porker mercena ries.
TACTICS
The steading guards attempt to stay under cover behind boulders and fire their crossbows at foes
for as long as possible. The porkers maintain their initial positions during the first round of combat ,
hoping to lure attackers forward . Once in melee, the porkers use flail to push foes into the radioac
tive crater, preferably after dazing them with a foul belch.
Boulders: Scattered across the hillside are 10-foot-high boulders, which are blocking terrain . A crea
ture can climb on top of one with a DC 13 Athletics check.
DEVElOPMENT
Once a day, a buzzing robot emerges from the tower and trundles down the trail. The characters can .
bar the doors or take other steps to stop the robots from emerging, but doing so is a temporary fix;
eventually a hoop or a badder lets the robots out again. The only way to permanently stop the incur
sions is to defeat the Iron King .
Reward: Each player draws one Omega Tech card from his or her deck , and the group rolls 1d6 times
on the Ancient Junk table (page 81).
ENCOUNTER S2:
.TOWEI
. . . . . . .R. .INTERIOR
.. .. . . .. . . .. . . . . .. .. ... .. . . ..
SETUP
3 badder steading guards (B), page 109
1 yexil mauler (Y), page 135
The tower interior contains a barracks and a roost for the yexil "guard dog." The badders and yexil
vigorously defend the tower from invaders.
When the characters enter the tower, read:
Two 1O-foot-high guard platforms hold badders armed with crossbows. In the far corner, an aerie is
heaped with bones and carrion, the roost for an orange-furred lion that has bat wings. Grass filfs a
TACTICS
The monsters here heard the combat outside and are ready to fend off invaders. Two steading guards
are perched on platforms with an unrestricted view to the entrance; they've pulled the ladders up
behind them . The third badder emerges from the barracks on round 2. The yexil swoops around the
tower interior and uses wing buffet to push foes into the grab grass and knock them prone so it can
ravage them with its bite.
they come up' Jasin messed with one, and it blew up. Now jasin's short an eye. You have been
warned'"
Well: A bucket and winding mechanism bring up cold water that tastes slightly metallic. The well is
20 feet deep. A creature inside the well must make a DC 17 Athletics check to climb out; if the
bucket is at the bottom, the Athletics check DC is 9, instead.
Stairs: These steep stairs descend into the warrens after a series of five switchbacks.
DEVELOP ENT
Once a day, a buzzing robot emerges up the stairs and trundles out the front doors.
Reward: Each player draws one Omega Tech card from hi s or her deck, and the group rolls ld6
times on the Ancient Junk table (page 81). tf the characters search the aerie, they find a fully
loaded handgun (light one-hand ranged weapon) and they get to draw one Omega Tech card
from th e Game Master's deck.
ElICOUlITER S3:
WARREN ENTRY
ENCOUNTER LEVEL 1 (600 XP)
SETUP
3 badder steading guards (B), page 109
2 badder slave drivers (S), page 109
The badders here stand ready to defend the warren against any intruders, but alfow robots to emerge
from the warrens.
When the characters descend the stairs, read:
A pair of badders are taking cover behind a table pushed on its side about 20 feet from the stairs.
When the characters see the larger chamber, read:
hulking metallic device of the Ancients sits in the center af this chamber, glowing and humming.
Rusted bars cage several vacant-eyed humans in close proximity to the Machine.
TACTICS
Two steading guards begin combat behind the tipped-over table and fire on intruders descending the
stairs. After a round of ranged attacks, they retreat into the larger chamber, trying to lure characters
after them . The slave drivers wait in the Machine room . They attempt to stay within 2 squares of the
Machine to gain its benefit, while trying to draw foes into its harmful aura (see "The Machine" below).
DEVELOP ENT
Once a day, the badders allow a buzzing robot to emerge from the burrows and ascend the stairs to
the tower.
Reward: Each player draws one Omega Tech card from his or her deck, and the group rolls 1d6
times on the Ancient Junk table (page 81). The characters also retrieve a bulletproof vest
(light armor).
EncounTER 34:
MOTH INFESTATION
ENCOUNTER LEVEL 1 (600 XP)
SETUP
2 black blaashes (M), page 110
3 blood birds (B), page 112
Burrowing badders discovered these radioactive caverns and left them alone. In the interim, radia
tion-loving creatures moved in. The characters enter the encounter from either tunnel leading into
the smaller chamber.
When the characters enter the first cavern, read:
The chamber is dimly lit by patches of glowing blue moss. The fluttering of wings echoes from some
where deeper within.
When the characters see the larger cavern, read:
An earthen romp spirals down into an enormous pit in the center of this cavern. Luxurious mats of
glowing moss grow here ond there. A pair of block moths the size of dogs and three scarlet-feathered
birds flit above the opening.
TACTICS
The monsters ignore robots (and android characters) , but they attack any other creature that steps
onto an area of beta moss (see below). The blood birds fly forward and attempt to latch onto foes,
while the gamma moths stay back and use radiation beam against distant targets .
DEVElOP E T
Once a day, a buzzing robot comes up the ramp and makes its way to the surface.
At the bottom of the pit is a long, branching tunnel that provides access to the next significant
area (on another poster map). The tunnel (not shown) contains numerous side niches that allow the
characters to take an extended rest if they want.
Reward: Each player draws one Omega Tech card from his or her deck; anyone who searches the
bones instead draws two Omega Tech cards and keeps one, shuffling the other back into the deck.
ENCOUNTER 85:
STUPENDICO INSTALLATION,
EXTE,RIOR
SETUP
2 guardbots (0)
2 porker marauders (P), page 126
3 radioactive craters, page 136
The burrowing badders discovered the buried vault door to an Ancient installation but did not try to
enter. Now the Iron King has set up shop in the newly discovered trove, leaving a few porker merce
naries to guard the entrance, along with a couple of guardbots it was able to reprogram.
When the characters look into this chamber, read:
The 2a-foot-high cavern is lit by glowing craters. Crystal pillars flank a section of the floor covered in
a grid of white lines, defended by two robots and two porkers. At the center of the grid is a flashing
control panel. An enormous metallic door in one wall stands dosed.
TACTICS
The porkers use flail, trying to push enemies into the radioactive craters. The guardbots remain on
the network of lines, if possible, to gain a bonus to damage rolls (see "Charging Grid" below), target
ing anyone who attempts to operate the control panel.
+Networked
At-Will
Effect (Free Action): The guard bot shifts 3 squares and uses electrojalt.
Str 19 (+4)
(on 16 (+3)
Dex 16 (+3)
Int 10 (+0)
Wis12 (+1)
(ha 7 (-2)
Crystal Pillars: These columns stretch from floor to ceiling and are blocking terrain. They spark
harmlessly whenever a creature uses an electricity attack power in the room .
Control Panel: A character can try to open the security doors by operating this panel. Doing so
requires three successful DC 17 Science checks before three failures; each failure deals 1d8 elec
tricity damage to the character who attempted the check .
If the characters fail three Science checks , the doors short-circuit but are stuck partially open .
A Medium creature can squeeze through the opening, spending 1 extra square of movement.
However, the failed effort alerts the robots in the foyer (see Encounter S6), granting them surprise
against the first intruder.
DEVElOP ENT
Reward: Each player draws one Omega Tech card from his or her deck, and the group roll s 1d6 times
on the Ancient Junk table (page 81 ).
ENCOUNTER S6:
STUPENDICO FOYER
ENCOUNTER LEVEL 2+ (725+ XP)
SETUP
5+ shieldbots (B), page 127
4 soldierbots (S)
The outer chambers of the StupendiCo Security installation are mostly dark and inactive, but motion
detectors power up the area (and its defenses) when visitors arrive.
When the characters look into this chamber, read:
Light panels on the ceiling buzz and flicker on, revealing a stunningly dean chamber ofsteel and
ceramic. Strange machines hum and blink in the center of the room. Alcoves line some of the walls;
a few contain broken robots, some are empty, and others contain functioning robots. The sounds of
hydraulic lifts whoosh from adjoining chambers.
This area once displayed the latest robot models. Hydraulic lifts in side chambers deposit new bots
into the area, while other models remained in niches. All the robots attack anyone who is not a hoop.
TACTICS
The soldierbots attempt to restrain characters trying to investigate the side chambers, especially
those who attempt to deactivate the control panels. Both the shieldbots and the soldierbots make
use of the Action Inverter machines (see below) to gain extra standard actions whenever possible.
Starting with the second round of combat, each of the three side chambers containing a control
panel and a hydraulic lift has a chance (see below) to deliver another shieldbot into combat beyond
the five that are initially present. Each shield bot beyond five that the players face adds 25 XP to the
value awarded for this encounter.
Hit: 1d6 + 5 physical damage, and the target is restrained (save ends).
@ At-Will
Hit: ld6 + 5 electricity damage, and ongoing 5 electricity damage (save ends).
TRICCERED ACTIONS
+Networked
@ AtWiII
Dex 10 (+1)
Int 13 (+2)
Wis 10 (+1)
(ha 7 H)
Control Panels: Each of the three side chambers has a control panel that is associated with a
hydraulic lift (see below). A character who succeeds on a DC 17 Science check can deactivate the
associated lift. Alternatively, a character can make a DC 17 Strength check or deal 10 physical
damage to break a control panel , which also deactivates it.
Hydraulic Lift: An irising steel hatch covers each lift. At initiative count 1 on each round of combat
after the first, roll 3d6: On any result of 5 or 6, an iris opens and the lift deposits a fresh shieldbot
into the chamber. The iris closes again before the lift descends. Characters can deactivate a hatch
(and that lift) with a DC 17 Mechanics check or by dealing 50 physical damage to it.
Steel Storage Lockers: These line one wall of the largest side chamber and contain a multitude of
strange Ancient devices.
DEVElOP ENT
Reward: Each player draws one Omega Tech card from his or her deck.
ENcourrTER s7:
ENCOUNTER LEVEL 2 (725 XP)
SETUP
2 hoop sharpshooters (S)
2 rocketbots (R)
1 laser mesh, page 136
The final corridor leading to the Stupendi(o factory floor is guarded by both the technology of the
Ancients and by a couple of rifle-toting hoops.
When the players look into this area, read:
Except for a space near the doors, the floor here slopes toward a central trench that is filled, floor to
ceiling, with flickering beams of red light. Two rabbit/ike humanoids stand on the other side, flanked
by two flying robots sporting built-in rocket launchers. Near them is a panel offlickering lights.
Before they open fire, the hoops guarding this approach call out in lisping voices that the Iron King
will deal with anyone who invades their base.
TACTICS
The hoops stay on the flat portion of the floor near the far doors, firing at invaders. The robots use
LAW rocket, sliding characters hit by this attack off the entry platform and onto the frictionless sloped
floor (see below), which in turn might dump them into the laser mesh. Once characters get past the
mesh, on any round when a rocketbot's LAW rocket has not recharged, it flies over to engage them
with electrojolt.
Whenever a charac
Hit: 3d6 + 2 fire damage, and the rocketbot slides the target 2 squares.
TRIGGERED ACTIONS
Effect (Free Action): The rocket bot rerolls the attack roll.
Str 10 (+1)
Dex 16 (+4)
Wis 17 (+4)
(on 12 (+2)
Int 9 (+0)
(ha 9 (+0)
he or she must attempt a DC 9 Acrobatics check to remain standing. Failure means the character
falls prone and slides 1 square toward the lase r mesh.
Control Panel : The computer console near the far door controls the laser mesh in the center of the
room . A character adjacent to the console can permanently disable th e laser mesh by succeeding
on three DC 13 Science checks (each check is a standard action). Each failed check causes the laser
mesh to ran domly attack two characters within range as a free action.
ENCOUIITER s8:
ENCOUNTER LEVEL 3 (800 XP)
SETUP
Iron King (K)
2 laserbots (L)
The Iron King holds court here: It's a hoop mastermind wearing a cybernetic control helm like a
crown.
When the players see this chamber, read:
A huge mechanized arm hangs from the 30-foot-high ceiling. EniGame Masteratic machines hum
along the chamber's periphery. Two massive vats swirl with scintillating colors; the fluid appears to
move on its own. Hoop warriors and laserbots protect a large hoop standing on a 1O-foot-high plat
form that has a flashing computer console. The hoop wears a shiny iron helmet.
The Iron King orders an attack the moment any character enters.
The laserbots keep their distance and fire lasers, while the hoop warriors use big hop to close with
the characters. The Iron King controls the factory arm with the cybernetic helm, trying to drop foes
into the wild nano vats (see below).
MINOR ACTIONS
DEVElOPMENT
Reward: Each player draws two Omega Tech cards from his or her deck, and the group rolls 1d6
times on the Ancient Junk table (page 81).
The cybernetic control helm does not function outside this area, and battle damage has made it
even more unreliable. A character might wear it as a spiffy piece of headgear, but it's not good for
much more than that.
Factory Arm: While the Iron King is wearing the cybernetic helm, the hoop gains the following
power.
A character can disable the factory arm by reducing the Iron King to 0 hit points or by making
a successful DC 17 Science check while adjacent to the Iron King.
Machines: The machines are blocking terrain and stand 10 feet tall (DC 9 Athletics check to climb).
Any creature that enters or ends its turn in a vat takes 2d10 physical damage and is
dazed until the end of its next turn. Each vat's walls are 10 feet high; climbing out requires a DC
13 Athletics check.
Robot Assembly Pad: The Iron King stands atop this platform, where it has been trying to master
the machine. A character on the assembly pad can sabotage it with a DC 17 Science check (a stan
dard action). On a failed check, one of the laserbots uses laser sight against that character as a
free action. (The assembly pad automatically repairs any damage dealt to it.)
.INDEX
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. . .
ability score 59
hazard 93
Conspiracy 62
Charisma 58
hero 7
Insight 62
Constitution 58
interrupt actions 17
Interaction 62
Dexterity 58
level, character 32
Mechanics 62
Intelligence 58
Omega Tech 15
Nature 62
Strength 58
Perception 63
Wisdom 58
Science 63
origin, character 34
Alpha Mutations 15
su perior cover 19
surprise 82
power 18
total concealment 19
quest, major 86
trap 93
bloodied 22
quest, minor 86
turn 16
character 7
reaction actions 17
XP 32
check 14
concealment 19
cover 19
round 16
critical hit 18
DC 61
saving throw 17
difficult terrain 21
scavenged gear 71
skill check 60
skills 60
Acrobatics 61
flanking 18
Athletics 61
Stealth 63