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0 1 The unofficial ROBOTS & RANGERS By Jim Sorenson Robots & Rangers is an unofficial fan work based on the Wasteland CRPG franchise. WASTELAND is a trademark of InXile Entertainment, Inc. Used without permission. This is a free fan work, intended to be compiled under the Fair Use doctrine. No infringement of InXile intellectual property is intended. Peek & Poke illustrations all owned by InXile. Published August 2021. 2 Contents Part 1: Introduction....................................................................................................................................... 4 Part 2: Character Creation ............................................................................................................................ 8 Part 3: Backgrounds ...................................................................................................................................... 9 Part 4: Primary Attributes and Derived stats .............................................................................................. 13 Primary Attributes................................................................................................................................... 13 Derived Stats........................................................................................................................................... 14 Part 5: Skills ................................................................................................................................................. 15 Weapon Skills ......................................................................................................................................... 15 Exploration Skills ..................................................................................................................................... 16 Social Skills .............................................................................................................................................. 17 Part 6: Perks ................................................................................................................................................ 18 Part 7: Gear ................................................................................................................................................. 24 Part 8: Ranking Up ...................................................................................................................................... 32 Part 9: Radiation ......................................................................................................................................... 34 Part 10: The Environment ........................................................................................................................... 39 Part 11: Combat .......................................................................................................................................... 41 Part 12: Ouchies .......................................................................................................................................... 45 Part 13: Vehicles ......................................................................................................................................... 49 Part 14: Factions & Missions ....................................................................................................................... 51 Factions: .................................................................................................................................................. 51 Missions:.................................................................................................................................................. 54 Part 15: Critters, Robots, and Dudes .......................................................................................................... 57 Critters: .................................................................................................................................................... 58 Robots: .................................................................................................................................................... 61 Dudes: ..................................................................................................................................................... 64 Part 16: Putting it All Together ................................................................................................................... 66 Afterword .................................................................................................................................................... 70 Appendix A: Character Sheet ...................................................................................................................... 71 3 Part 1: Introduction Welcome, Ranger! You’re about to explore the objectives to achieve and challenges to post-apocalyptic Wasteland, a radiation- overcome to overcome. You’ll then work scoured hellhole full of mutants, Robots, together to solve this problem. It’s imaginative cyborgs, punks, gangs, Critters, and all-around collaborative play. bad dudes. But take heart, there are some good Your characters will have things they’re good at folks out there too, trying to eke out an and bad at, and you’ll use dice to see if they existence. And frankly, some of the not-so- succeed or fail when they attempt to do good folks are more than happy to cut a deal something. Generally rolling a higher number is with you… if they think that’d be more better than rolling a lower number. Over time expeditious than simply cutting your throat, your characters will rank up, learning new skills anyway. and generally becoming more and more badass. As they do, they’ll mold the Wasteland into their image, meeting strange and What is a tabletop RPG? What is Robots & interesting Factions and making friends and Rangers? enemies along the way. Imma keep this SUPER brief. A tabletop RPG is an interactive, collaborative storytelling and So, like, how do we play? Specifically? gaming experience involving a group of friends. (I mean, they don’t have to be friends. They can Robots & Rangers utilizes a dice pool mechanic. be acquaintances, coworkers, fellow gang Most of your stats are rated in terms of dice, members, or strangers. They can be people you ranging from D2 up to D12+. When you hate. Statistically probably one of them is. attempt a task, you grab the dice from all Looking at you, Brad!) You’ve got one person relevant sources – usually the applicable who runs the session, describing the world you attribute, the applicable skill if you have it, and explore and its many inhabitants, and the rest any applicable gear you might have. of you each have a dedicated character who (Oftentimes there is no relevant gear, and that’s explores the world. It’s great to play in person, fine too. And if you don’t have the right skill, just maybe in a public space like the abandoned use your attribute and hope for the best.) Add Little Vegas building, maybe in someone’s those one to three dice together, roll, and hope house. Playing over the wireless is an option to see a high number. You might be rolling too, since sometimes reality intrudes. against a static difficulty – trying to disarm a In Robots & Rangers, the person running the bomb, for instance. Or you might be rolling an story is the Supreme Jerk, and your characters opposed check – arm-wrestling, for instance, are Rangers. The Supreme Jerk will play would probably be your Strength attribute plus everyone who isn’t one of your characters, and Athletics skill vs theirs. If circumstances are give you one or more Missions, specific especially favorable or unfavorable to you, you 4 might step one of those dice up or down. If even if it’s worse than the first time you rolled. you’re on a targeting range you’ve practiced on Things can’t have a better rating than D12+, but a hundred times before you might get a 1 die sometimes environmental factors will give you step up on your weapon skill, but if you’re a step up even beyond that. In that case, you blindfolded you might get two steps down. get to add another die, starting with D2. So if your STR is D12, and you get two steps up The dynamic nature of the system means every because you did something super smart, for check is potentially different. Disarming a bomb that check you’d be rolling a D12+ and a D2 for wired to a computer console might be your your strength, on top of any applicable skills Intelligence attribute and your Explosive skill, and gear. but disarming a bomb while hanging upside down from a crane might be Coordination plus Explosives instead. The Supreme Jerk of the How do we murder things? table will tell you which die combo to roll, I mean, I might not have phrased it that way, though you should feel free to suggest a but when you’re in kill-or-be-killed mode, we different attribute or skill if you think your hyper-focus in on your characters. Combat is Ranger might approach things a little broken up into ten second Turns, and each Turn differently. What’s the worst he can do? (A lot. everyone rolls Initiative to see who acts in what Your Supreme Jerk can and should royally fuck order. You spend Action Points (AP) to do you up if you piss her off. Try not to.) things like move, shoot a gun, try to defend, or Die progression is as follows: D2 -> D4 -> D6 - toss a healing dart. Rank 1 characters start with > D8 -> D10 -> D12 -> D12+. D12+ is pretty 6 AP and then get more as they Rank Up. Once cool; if you have a D12+ you can reroll any everything is dead or unconscious or check you like using that skill or attribute. The surrendered or running away, combat is over. downside is, you have to stick with the new roll, 5 What each Die Step means: A Table Level Attribute Skill Gear 0 You’re dead? I dunno. You You have no training whatsoever. Means you don’t have any can’t have a zero in an It’d be like watching a nuke applicable gear. Don’t feel bad. It attribute. pooch trying to change a tire. happens. D2 Pathetic. You’re well below You’re a novice. You’ve seen Hey hey! You’ve got a thing. It’s human average in this stat. someone try to do the thing once capable of helping you do the stuff. You could probably out- or twice and you vaguely That puts you one step above your compete a toddler in this. remember reading about it in a average tom, dick, or mutant. rat-chewed textbook. D4 You’re average at this. Congratulations! You’ve This item is pretty decent. It’ll help Neither good nor bad. achieved competence. Now keep you out a bunch. Until it inevitably Meh. practicing, photon stud. succumbs to the relentless march of entropy. D6 You’re good at this. Bully Congratulations! You’re actually You have an excellent example of for you. good. You know what you’re whatever it is you’re working with. talking about most of the time Treat it right because there aren’t so and can fake it when you don’t. many D6 objects out there. D8 You’re excellent at this. Congratulations! You’re an This is about as good as you can Well above average. Your expert. Maybe you don’t know expect to find in a merchant’s stock, mom must be very proud. every little thing but given time and it’ll be damned expensive. Still, and resources you can solve extra D8, hard to beat that. most problems in this field. D10 One of the best out there. Few things in this field elude you. Holy crap! Where’d you ever find an Strut your stuff! You know it inside and out. You item as good as this? Hold on tight, go girl! you may never another as good. D12 You’re amazing! You PhD level mastery of a field. As good as it gets. A gun to put all seldom meet anyone as Represents years of study. You’re other guns to shame; Armor that will good as you in this area. conversant with all areas of this shield you from any possible harm; a subject and can talk about it for truck that Tony Robbinson himself hours. would drive. D12+ Peak of human perfection. You’ve dedicated a large portion A unique artifact, some bit of prewar Stamina like an Olympian, of your life to this skill and have tech that probably cost 9 figures to the insight of a Nobel reaped the rewards. You’re THE produce. You’ll probably never Laureate. acknowledged expert in this field. stumble across D12+ gear. If you do your Supreme Jerk is a giant softy. 6 But what’s the game actually like? to the room they wanted into on one of the dead guards. Try to keep a “Yes, And” ethos in mind, and failing that, “No, But” works pretty Great question, glad you asked. Tabletop RPGs well too. (role playing games) evolved out of a miniature wargaming tradition. Some RPGs are One of the most important aspects of Robots & combative, with the storyteller and the players Rangers is choice. Your choices matter, and at odds. Robots & Rangers definitely isn’t like there won’t always be a clear right or wrong that. The Supreme Jerk is there to facilitate, answer to each problem. Each Faction out there make storylines and challenges that are fun for has their own motive and perspective, and you everyone and hopefully don’t make anyone at won’t be able to please all of them. Time is the table uncomfortable. All problems should finite, and sometimes threats will strike two have multiple solutions, and if there’s a battle different locations at the same time. Then, you’ll that will definitely kill the characters it’s the have to choose one or the other… or leave them Supreme Jerk’s job to give enough hints and both to their fates. As you progress from lowly foreshadowing so that the players can choose a Private to a grizzled old Sergeant Argent, you’ll different way to approach that problem. find the Wasteland changing and evolving right alongside you. You’ll get to forge relationships, Supreme Jerks, try to avoid challenges where for good or ill, with the Factions you meet along failure grinds the game to a halt. If the players the way. As you compete Missions for them, don’t succeed on a check to hack a computer you may improve their lot or condemn them to system, it’s boring if they’re just locked out of oblivion. Maybe you’ll leave the Wasteland a the area they were trying to get to. Maybe the better place than you found it. Or maybe you’ll failure summons some guards and they can sack it for all it’s worth and settle down in a have an exciting fight. Then they can find a key gaudy palace. The choice is yours. Static Difficulty checks: Another Table Check Difficulty What it really means 3 Easy Almost anyone with any training in a skill will usually succeed on this task 5 Average It’s not too hard; if you know what you’re doing and you’re of average ability you’ll probably succeed 7 Moderate This is an appropriate task for someone who knows what they’re doing, someone with more than a little training 9 Hard Not for amateurs, this one. An expert in the field will succeed more often than not 11 Really Hard Only an expert really has a chance to solve this one, and then only if they’re apt 13 Really REALLY hard Hey, if you don’t like the descriptions, you try writing some! (Seriously, I’m open to suggestions.) 15 Sadistic Aren’t you glad I didn’t say really Really REALLY hard? 17 Nigh Impossible I mean, technically someone might succeed at this task 7 Part 2: Character Creation Ranger teams start off at Rank 1. No exceptions. After that comes your skills. Each ranger picks (Your Supreme Jerk can totally make an one weapon skill, two exploration skills, and one exception if they want to. They just won’t. social skill. You must take a D2 in each of these. Because they’re a dick.) Rangers are fully Then you get 5 more skill points to spend how customizable, so you can play a giant dumb you like. Each of these points can improve one bruiser, a speedy sneaky face, a gruff-but- of your existing skills by 1 die step. If you wish to lovable scientist, an absent-minded purchase a brand new skill, it costs 2 skill points pyromaniac, a weird cultish recruit from some to get to D2. At character creation, all skills are obscure sect of the Wasteland, or anything else on the table. (After that, clear it with your your sick little brain can imagine. Getting into a Supreme Jerk.) different headspace is half the fun. Next up is Perks. You get to choose one Perk Start with a character concept. Imagine your for which you meet all prerequisites. Some Ranger in your mind’s eye. Think about what Perks can only be chosen at this phase, so if they’re good at and, yes, what they’re bad at. you’re super keen to be a Poindexter or a Bop (A character is defined as much by their flaws as Bag, this is your only chance. by their abilities.) Once you have that, why not Finally, gear. Feel free to take any kind of start by filling out their background? personal doo-dads your character might have. Remember, the part here that’s got mechanical The value here is purely sentimental, but it’s a repercussions is the Origin. (Not the Electronic nice touch. More importantly, get a starting D2 Arts, that’s a different game company.) weapon of the appropriate type, and one other Step two of the crunchy stuff is the Attributes. piece of D2 gear. (Maybe Armor, maybe a Each of the 7 should start with D2. You can buy Trinket.) So simple even a Night Terror could do up 12 more dice steps. A good starting array is it! two D8s (excellent), a D6 (above average), and One last note. If possible, brainstorming four D4s (average). Be careful about leaving any character concepts with your whole group of stats at D2, unless you want to emphasize how players can make for a better team. If you’re truly pathetic you are in that area. These playing a sneak, and Mayor Pedros is ALSO attributes will define your Derived Stats too, so playing a sneak, that makes each of you a little there’s nothing to do here but a little math. less unique, and means that there may be some You’ll also get to fill in how many Action Points fundamental skills your team doesn’t have. A you have. It’ll probably be 6 to start with, unless dedicated session to character creation isn’t the you’ve taken some kind of special Perk to worst thing in the world. Just make sure Pedros modify that. doesn’t “forget” the Eterni-Tarts again. 8 Part 3: Backgrounds Backgrounds are where you flesh out your and costs. You can also feel free to try to come character. Who are they? Why do they roam the up with your own origins. Run them past your Wasteland? What brand of cigarettes do they Supreme Jerk and TRY not to abuse this process smoke? These questions must be answered! for ridiculous min/maxing, m’kay? Background elements include: Arapaho – Your tribe works the roads,  Real name – what yo momma calls ya. knows vehicles backwards and forwards.  Code name – It’s cool to have a code Step up the die of your choice by 1 (D4 name. It’s not that weird. becomes D6, D10 becomes D12, etc) when  Gender – You know, if you’re into that. faced with driving-related tasks. Take 1 die  Origin – Where you hail from. (This is step down on the die of your choice on all the crunchy bit. We’ll get more into that rolls for the first hour after you exit your later.) vehicle and go off-road.  Religion – Pick one of the hot new sects Atchinson – The Atchinsons maintain the or an oldie but goodie. Or non-of-the- rails that link Arizona together. Gain 1 die above. Rangers don’t discriminate. step when dealing with hard infrastructure. Unless you’re a Robot. We fuckin’ HATE The whole team suffers 1 die step penalty Robots. every roll involving social interaction with  Favorite Cigarette – Bones, Coffin Nails, the Topekan tribe. Grey Tortoise, Hoja Dulce, Nico-Pops, Red Rooster, or Styx. And don’t pretend Buckeye Buck – Early to rise and early to like you don’t care, because you for bed, makes you most pious and makes sure care. infidels dead. Your severe, uncompromising  Height – You tall or short? nature gives you plus 1 die step to shrug off  Weight – You big or tiny? mind-influencing technology and  Tattoos – Got ink? substances. However, you can be a bit TOO  Description – What do you look like? rigid. Take one die step penalty for the first  Bio – Write whatever you want in this hour of dealing with experiences outside of box. Or don’t. IDGAF. your personal experience. Cartel – Eeeeh, yous’a guys keep crime from being all disorganized, like. Gain 1 die Origin – ok so real talk. You can skip most of step when doing something illegal, jabrone. the rest. I mean, you shouldn’t, this is excellent Only downside is, the whole team gotta flavor and will help you get into the head of step a die down if yous’a tryina talk to any your Ranger as you traverse the desolate law-enforcement types. landscape, but as far as the game mechanics go you totally could. But your Origin is where you come from, and it’ll give you tangible benefits 9 Citadel Rat – The Ranger citadel is your are in combat with a sinner (i.e. 99% of all home; you’ve never known another. Gain 1 humans) who can hear your sermons. Lose die step on social interactions involving 1 die step while in combat with animals, other Rangers. There’s no downside to Robots, and other Critters who know not being born or adopted into the Rangers at what they do. a young age, so no penalty for you. Lucky Guardian – As one of the last of the duck! Guardians of the Old Order, you’ve come Diamondback – You grew up with the most to terms with how the Cochise AI ship-shape, disciplined outfit in the manipulated your sect. Still, there’s value to Wasteland. Gain 1 die step when dealing finding and understanding old technology, with a task requiring a sharp attention to and the Rangers are willing to indulge your details. Lose 1 die step on all rolls for the first passion. Gain 1 die step when dealing with two Turns when conditions unexpectedly pre-war tech. Lose 1 die step when facing become chaotic. purely natural challenges. Dorsey – The Deluge is gonna getcha! Ain’t Hard Head – Ain’t no challenge you can’t nobody more savage than ye or yer kin. sink your teeth into—literally! Gain 1 die Gain 1 step on an attribute or skill where step when facing an opponent of a type your savagery is an advantage. The whole you’ve eaten before. (I.e. if you’ve eaten a team suffers a 1 step penalty on any social Scar Collector, you’re good on future interaction with folks who consider encounters.) But Hard Heads respect themselves especially civilized (Hundred strength more than anything else. Lose 1 die Families, Mannerites, and the like) step when facing opponents who obviously outclass you in some way. Gipper – All hail God President Reagan! No one does capitalism like you. Gain 2 die Hobo – Whuzzat? Did that purple bunny steps checks involving money or say somethin’? No? Gain 1 die step any time transactions. Lose one die step every time you’re drunk. Lose 2 die steps any time anyone says the word “communist” or you’re not. “Russia.” Yes, EVERY time. Hundred Family – Civilization didn’t just Godfisher – The skies aren’t gonna feed rebuild itself; it needed a helping hand from themselves! Gain 1 die step on all rolls for folks like you. You’ll always have gear that’s an hour following a successful, worthy, 1 step better than you should. sacrifice. Lose 1 die step on ALL checks if Unfortunately, you may rely on your gear a you haven’t sent up a sacrifice in the past bit too much; lose 1 die step when you lack month. the appropriate equipment to deal with a situation. God’s Militant – Sin must be slashed, smashed, and generally beaten into subMission, and you’re just the penitent to do it. Gain 1 die step on all checks while you 10 Mannerite – It would be churlish not to Payaso – Life is a big joke, mamón, and I share your perspective with the denizens of got your punchline RIGHT HERE! Every time the Wasteland. Gain 1 step on an attribute you manage to make an NPC or player (not or skill involving influencing others in a character, player) laugh with your in- respectful way. Unfortunately, not everyone character antics, gain 1 die step on the next is as civilized as you; take a 1 die penalty on check of your choice. Take a 1 step penalty the first check of combat against opponents in situations where being quiet or respectful who are particularly savage or brutal in their is necessary. disposition. Refugee – Before joining the Rangers, you Marshal – Keepin’ the peace, one punch at had nowhere to go and nothing you could a time. Gain 1 die step when attempting to rely on. Getting enough to eat and staying enforce law, rules, or regulations. The entire out of the harsh elements was a constant team takes a 1 step penalty when dealing struggle. Gain a 1 step bonus on all socially with gangs or criminal types. Resistance checks. But your experience with deprivation can come back to haunt you. Masher – You’re an intimidating SOB in Take a one die step penalty on Focus your Monster gear and you know it. Gain 1 checks related to morale or low supplies. die on opposed checks against opponents capable of being intimidated. Take 1 die Robbinson – The power of positive thinking penalty for checks made while not wearing compels you forward! No one, and I mean some kind of scary mask or costume. no one, can beat your attitude. Any time you roll the minimum on a check, reroll it Mutant – Not one of those gross scary for free! Unfortunately, reality sometimes mutants who crawl the desert sands, but a intrudes on your sunny outlook. The first perfectly respectable (ok, ok… time you fail a meaningful check during a MODERATELY respectable) civilized mutant combat, take a 1 die penalty on your next who just happens to have green skin or a roll as you indulge in a quite-justified sulk. third eye or something obvious like that. Choose one mutation from the Mutations Scar Collector – Who’s afraid of a little table in Part 9 – this is a permanent part of cybernetic augmentation? Gain 1 piece of your anatomy and can’t be removed with cybernetics from the Gear section. No-Glow. Your mutation isn’t all positive Unfortunately not all of your biological parts though. Choose any one derived metric work 100%. (I swear, baby, this never and give yourself an irrevocable 1 die step happens!) Take a 1 die penalty when doing penalty on one of the dice. physical checks that don’t involve any augmentation. 11 Servant of the Mushroom Cloud – In the check of 11 or higher or you’ll take friendly holy names of Plank, Einstein, and fire from your own attack. Oppenheimer, you purify the Wasteland. Topekan – Your tribe maintains the sacred Gain 1 die step when dealing with radiation, trains of Arizona. Gain 1 die step on checks mutants, fallout, or nuclear weapons involving the maintenance or operation of (including your own.) You’re especially bad heavy machinery. The whole team suffers 1 at remembering to keep out of your own die step penalty every roll involving social blast radius; every time you use an area-of- interaction with the Atchinson tribe. effect attack that’s even a little close to your own own position you must roll a focus 12 Part 4: Primary Attributes and Derived stats Each Ranger has 7 Primary Attributes. Attributes  Luck (LCK): Luck is that intangible have a minimum of D2 and a maximum of quality that tips fortune in your favor D12+. (Remember, D12+ means that you get to when you need it most. reroll checks if you like, though you do have to keep the second roll whether it’s better or  Speed (SPD): Speed is your physical worse.) As mentioned, they all start at D2 and quickness. Mobility can be just as during character creation you can step them up important as the size of the gun you’re by a total of 12 more. They’ll keep growing as packing. Strike first, strike true, then get you complete more Missions, as outlined in the outta there. Ranking Up section. These Attributes also define, for the most part, a Ranger’s Derived  Coordination (COO): Represents your Stats, though some Perks and Mutations can general physical aptitude, condition, influence those as well. and fine motor skills. Take care of your body and it will take care of you. Primary Attributes  Awareness (AWA): Awareness is your Primary Attributes represent a Ranger’s core sense of your surroundings. A Ranger strengths and weaknesses. A Ranger’s Primary who can’t feel danger coming is bound Attributes are: to walk smack-dab into it. More than anything, it’s your eyes and ears that  Strength (STR): Strength is your raw keep you alive. physical power and ability to use it to your advantage. Brawn solves more  Charisma (CHR): Charisma is your problems than clever folks like to admit. ability to influence others, whether it’s because you’re just so damn charming  Intelligence (INT): Intelligence is your or because you’re slicker than an oil ability to make mental connections, and spill. It’s also a reflection of your passion some Rangers are better at it than and personal drive. others. 13 Derived Stats  Perception (Awareness plus Each Ranger also has 7 derived attributes. Intelligence): Hey, did you see that over These represent common rolls that will come up there? What was that noise! Get ready multiple times per session. Most of them will be guys, I think there’s trouble around that expressed as two dice, though Move and Health bend. (Example—If your Awareness is are both static numbers. D6 and your intelligence is D12, your Perception is D6, D12)  Initiative (Awareness plus Speed): This represents how quickly you react to  Evasion (Coordination plus Luck): new situations. Most combats will start Armor is great and all, but not getting with initiative rolls, and proceed in order hit by that laser beam at all is even from highest to lowest. (Example--if better. (Example—if you Coordination your Awareness is D6 and your Speed is D2 and your intelligence is D8, your is D8, your Initiative is D6, D8.) Evasion is D2, D8)  Resistance (Strength plus Luck): Resistance is your ability to shrug off the  Move (Coordination plus Speed): How negative effects of the Wasteland. much ground you can cover when you Bleeding? Poisoned? Zapped? Drunk? hustle. More move, more distance for Shake it off, babe! (Example—if your the same amount of effort. Your move Strength is D12+ and your Luck is D10, is equal to half of the maximum die your Resistance is D12, D8) value for each attribute, treating D12+ as 14. (Example—if your Coordination is D4 and your speed is D10, your Move  Focus (Intelligence plus Charisma): is half of 4 + 10, or 7.) Focus represents your ability to keep it cool under stressful situations. It ain’t  Health (Strength plus Charisma): Do easy fixing up a generator while taking you like dying? No, me neither. This one fire from Leather Jerks, knowing that if helps with that. Your Health is equal to you fail the team is pinned down with the maximum die for each attribute, no escape. Times like that, it helps to treating D12+ as 14. (Example--if your have Focus. (Example—if your Strength is D12 and your Charisma is Intelligence is D4 and your Charisma is D6, your Health is 12 + 6, or 18.) D4, your Focus is D4, D4) 14 Part 5: Skills If Attributes represent the intrinsic qualities of a Ranger, Skills represent what they’ve managed to learn over the years. Skills are broken down into three categories; weapon skills, exploration skills, social skills. Rangers only have limited skill points, and most will prefer to master a small handful of skills rather than be mediocre in a large number. If a Ranger has trained in a skill, they’ll have a ranking ranging from D2 up to D12+, though Rangers may (and probably will) have no training whatsoever in any given skill, meaning they  Brawling – Put up your dukes, Ranger! have no dice and precious little chance of It’s time to go hand-to-hand! This skill success if they try to use it. covers all manner of hand-to-hand combat, from boxing to wrestling to kung-fu. Requires STR or COO D6. Weapon Skills – Weapon skills represent how  Melee Weapons – Knives and heavy good you are fighting with, maintaining, and objects never need reloading. This skill generally safely and effectively handling broad covers close quarters edged and blunt classes of weapons. Is it unrealistic that you’ll be weapons, whether smashing people equally good with every single type of pistol? with them or throwing them. Requires Yes. Do we care? Not even a little. All rangers STR D4. will want at least one weapon skill, but probably not more than two. You’re more than just a  Small Arms – Sometimes all a Ranger walking arsenal, Felicia! needs is their sidearm, and maybe a  Automatic Weapons – More bullets couple of 12 gauge shells. This skill faster, that’s how you handle the covers handguns and shotguns. stickiest of situations. This skill covers sub machine guns and automatic rifles.  Sniper Rifles – When a situation calls for the precision of a single bullet, you  Big Guns – When mayhem is 100% need to be able to pull off that long- called for. This skill covers heavy distance headshot. Requires AWA D6. machine guns, flamethrowers, and other oversized weapons. Requires STR D4. 15 Exploration Skills – There’s a LOT of spooky  Outdoorsman – Sleeping in a bed with shit out there, if you’ll pardon my French. How a roof is for suckers. You were born well you understand the things you encounter outdoors and you’ll die outdoors. Great can make a huge difference in survivability. for tracking Critters in the wilderness, These skills represent your abilities and making friends with animals, and knowledge around specific broad topics of generally keeping your squad safe and interest. well fed while communing with nature.  Athletics –Enjoy swimming? Rather kick  Sneaky Shit – They ain’t yet developed down a door than pick a lock? Do you an alarm you couldn’t bypass, a lock ever hang around the gymnasium? This you couldn’t pick, or a document you skill is for you. Requires a D6 in either couldn’t forge. Just not necessarily well. STR or COO. Requires D4 AWA.  Doctoring – You’ve got at least some  Toaster Repair – What could be more knowledge of human anatomy and universal than fixing a toaster? Literally pharmacology. Try not to get too high. every other skill on this list. Still, old- Requires Int D4. worlders hid the DARNDEST things in these funky contraptions, and there is  Explosives – You can build or disarm only one way to get at that sweet sweet bombs, and operate the occasional toaster loot. Requires D4 INT. missile you may stumble upon. Ka- boom. (Supreme Jerks – there is a long and rich tradition with this skill. Yes, it’s silly.  Gearhead -- Your car ain’t gonna drive Yes, we know. No, they don’t have to itself. (I mean, it might, but what fun take it. If they do, though, give them the would that be? I don’t wanna play a car. good shit. Top shelf. Just don’t make it Do you?) easy. One roll. They fail, the loot is gone for good!)  Grease Monkey – If it’s broke, you can fix it. Or make it worse. Whatever.  Weird Science – Cloning. Cybernetic implants. Shrink rays. Invisibility belts.  Nerd Stuff – Computer hacking. Genetic engineering. Time travel. Are Metalurgy. Cryptography. Ocean- you an expert at any of these things? ography. You never stopped reading as Absolutely not. But you’ve watched LOT a kid and now you’re a giant giant nerd. of Battlestar Galactica on BetaMax and Requires D6 INT. you’re willing to give it a go. Requires D6 INT. 16 Social Skills – It’s a big Wasteland out there, and sooner or later you’re going to encounter  Gambling – I’m absolutely positive the a situation that can’t be resolved with a hail of next spin is gonna come up red. I mean, bullets. (Allegedly.) These skills represent how the last five were black. Surely we’re good your character is at interacting with due. Surely! Requires Luck D6. Screw others. that. You wanna suck at gambling, be my guest.  Barter – Want to buy and sell? This is an excellent one to make sure you’re not  Hard Ass – Sometimes persuasion just getting excessively ripped off. (Just the doesn’t cut it. Times like these it’s good normal amount.) to be able to talk tough.  Confidence – Who’s a smooth talker?  Leadership – Rally others to your cause You’re a smooth talker! Yes you are! and help them be all that they can be. Yes you are! This is a good one to Requires D6 Cha. persuade the hesitant. Requires a D4 Cha. 17 Part 6: Perks Oh this is a fun one! Perks are things that make  Big Game Hunter – You’re an expert at your character special, opening new bringing down Critters. Gain 1 die step mechanical possibilities. Some Perks can only on all combat rolls against Critters. be taken at character creation, others can be Requires Outdoorsman D10. taken if you meet all the prerequisites for them. Prerequisites are typically a minimum attribute  Bloodsport – Bashing in skulls isn’t work or skill level, though they can be more fanciful. for you; it’s pure pleasure. When attacking opponents who are impaired  Animal Training – You can use your in any way (on fire, demoralized, tied Outdoorsman skill to attempt to gain a up, asleep, whatever) gain a 2 step permanent animal companion. If you increase on your damage die. Requires encounter a neutral or friendly animal, Melee Combat D4. you can make a Charisma/ Outdoorsman check to attempt to  Blunderer – Finesse has never been entice it to join your squad. Your your strong point. Increase all of your Supreme Jerk will determine the damage rolls by 1 step, but permanently difficulty, based on how OP the Critter decrease evasion by 1 step as well. is. Must have Outdoorsman of at least Note: can only be taken at character D4 to buy this Perk. creation.  Baller – Life in the Wasteland is nasty,  Bop Bag – You’re tough. Really tough. brutish, and short… but not for you! You But when you go down, you go down have an appreciation of the finer things HARD. Increase your armor efficacy by in life, and an uncanny knack for 1 die step; if you’re not wearing armor, figuring out how to find them. In any congratulations, take a D2. But increase given situation, you and your party can the difficulty to revive you if you’re get the finest available food, the downed by 2. Note: can only be taken cushiest rooms, the most talented at character creation. escorts (human or animal, we don’t judge). Party tasks requiring more than  Concentration – Nothing distracts you one day happen twice as quickly as long while you’re taking your shot. Ignore as you’re around, and natural healing any penalties from adverse conditions from Health damage and injuries takes or effects as long as you can actually place twice as fast. Life is good! see your target. Requires Sniper D6. Requires Barter D6. 18  Cover the Spread – No one plays the  Disciple of the Metal – Hardcore man! percentages like you do. Twice per Most Rangers love their guns, but you gaming session, replace any die in any take it to the next level. All big gun check with your Luck attribute. Requires attacks cost 1 AP less than normal, Gambling D6. provided you’ve had at least 24 hours of, er, quality time with your weapon. I  Death Race – Mutant, 30 points! You don’t wanna know how you spend it. don’t need to mount a weapon on your Requires Big Guns D10 vehicle, your vehicle IS a weapon! (But feel free to mount a weapon on your  Draw! – You’re the fastest gun in the vehicle.) When running down enemies, west! (Or wherever the campaign takes your car/truck/wagon/boat/unicycle place. I hear New York has a lotta apes steps up the damage by two dice. Your for some reason.) If you have a weapon vehicle only takes half this damage to its anywhere on your person, getting it in Integrity. Requires Gearhead D4. your hands and aimed at a target is a free action costing zero Action Points.  Death Wish – You’ve made the decision Requires Small Arms D4. to never, ever wear armor. After all, you once knew a dude who was wearing  Duck & Cover – You took those drills armor and died anyway so what’s the VERY seriously! Unlike most, you do get point? You permanently gain a one die to roll your Evasion against explosions, step increase to one of your evasion grenades, and the like. Requires dice, as well as 1 extra Action Point. Explosives D4 Note: this Perk must be chosen at character creation.  Eagle Eye – Nothing gets by you, champ. Gain a permanent 1 die step  Demoralize – Sticks and stones may increase to one of your Perception dice. break their bones, but your words will break their spirit. Then spit on them.  Emergency Response – Damnit, Jim, Then kick them in the gonads. Gain the you’re a doctor, not a mortician! If one ability to Demoralize enemies. Spend 2 of your allies is rendered unconscious, AP and any enemy that can hear and gain 1 extra action point and 1 extra understand you who has a functioning move point on your next Turn. Requires endocrine system has to roll a Focus Doctoring D4 check or become demoralized. The difficulty of the check is the result of a  Explodomaniac – Bombs are cool, huh Charisma / Hard Ass check. huh, huh huh. Gain 1 die step to Demoralized enemies take 2 steps damage when using explosives as down on all rolls for the duration of the weapons. Requires Explosives D8. combat. Requires Hard Ass D6. 19  Flurry of Blows – Woah… you know  Mopey Poet – No one understands you, Kung-Fu! Each brawling attack action man. Your loneliness has made you now gives you two attacks; roll and hard to pin down; gain a permanent die resolve each attack separately. Requires step increase to one of your Evasion Brawling D12. dice.  Friends in Low Places – You know  Opportunist – You see your chance and everyone, and everyone knows you. you take it. Spend 1 AP to roll a Once per session, you can make a CHA Perception check to study a specific + LCK check. The result will give you the opponent. If you beat a 7, step down caliber of a contact you know in any their armor by 1 die on all your future given organization. Your Supreme Jerk Damage rolls. If you can beat an 11, step may have you step a die up or down by down their armor by 2 dice. If you beat one or more steps depending on how a 15, they lose a whopping 3 steps of insular the organization in question is. armor.  Goat Killer – You’ve got focus and drive  Overcharge – You and energy weapons bordering on obsession. It’s those just click. Spend 1 action point to charge damn goats, man, bleating, screaming, up any energy weapon for the round, always watching man! If you fail a giving it 1 step up to damage. You can Resistance check to avoid a negative also choose to step up the damage by status effect, get another chance at the three, but if you do you’ll have to make top of your next round. an Intelligence plus Weird Science check of 11 or higher or knock your  Healthy – Just what it says on the tin. weapon offline for the duration of the You’re so robust I could puke. Add 2 fight. Requires Weird Science D6. points to your Health stat, because you’re healthy. It all adds up.  Pilot – Legend has it that in the before times, giant metal birds took to the sky  Heating Element – Your intimate and—ah, I’m messing with you. Yes, we knowledge of toasters (and I do mean all know about airplanes and I’ve intimate!) has taught you a thing or actually seen a helicopter. You, on the three about generating heat. Gain 2 die other hand, actually have some sort of steps on all damage rolls involving fire formal training with such things. or heat. Requires Toaster Repair D10. (Consult with your Supreme Jerk before taking this perk, just to be sure you may  Light’s Out – You’re an expert at the art actually some day encounter such a of the ambush. Gain an extra 2 dice contraption.) Requires Gearhead D12. steps (on top of the standard two) when attacking an enemy from ambush. Requires Sneaky Shit D4. 20  Poindexter – What an egghead! You’re secret, but be sure to remind them) way more comfortable with books than they’ll let slip some killer piece of intel… with bullets. You get 1 extra skill point IF they have some. Of course, they every third rank, starting at 2. (2, 5, 8, 11, might realize what they’ve done and 14, 17, 20) You also can purchase a new instantly try to rectify the mistake, which D2 skill for only 1 skill point could entail some nastiness. Requires Unfortunately you permanently lose 2 Confidence D8 points from your Health stat. This Perk must be chosen at character creation.  Serial Killer – You LOVE killin’. Gain 2 extra Action Points once each Turn that  Rally – Those who can, do. Those who you successfully kill a human (or close can’t, help others do. Gain the ability to enough; cyborgs and sentient mutants Rally allies during battle. Spend 1 AP count) enemy. Requirement: must have and any ally that can hear and killed at least 5 people. understand you who is capable of experiencing human emotions gains a 1  Semper P – You’re an expert at planning die step increase on all tasks for the ahead. You can take the Potshot action duration of combat. Requires for free, without paying the normal 1 AP Leadership D4. cost (you still have to pay your for the action you save), and if it goes off you  Reckless – There’s a reason your Ranger get a 1 die step up on the check. (No, I Command file says you’re too impulsive didn’t mean Semper Fi. Yes, Semper P for your own good. Gain 1 die step on is a real thing. Read a book!) all rolls while engaging in combat without taking cover.  Sex Machine – Life is all about hormones, the driving urge,  Sadomasochist – Mmmmmm… pain. reproduction man. You never stop. Every damage die you ever roll is Gain 1 point of Physical Reserves. increased by 1. Unfortunately (or fortunately? Sick fuck!) so is every  Shrug It Off – Yeah yeah yeah that was damage die ever rolled against you. a pretty good hit. But you’re fine. Once per game session, when you take  Secrets & Lies – People LOVE spilling damage, you can roll a Resistance the beans to you. When it comes to check and subtract the result from the ferreting out secrets (passwords, safe damage you took, potentially all the combinations, coordinates) they just way down to zero. (It doesn’t ever go can’t resist blabbing. If you can engage negative and heal you. I can’t believe in a conversation of at least 5 minutes we have to clarify this. This is why we with an NPC who is at least Neutral in can’t have nice things!) Requires attitude towards you, there’s a 50/50 Athletics D4. chance (your Supreme Jerk will roll in 21  Speedy Gonzales – Arriba, arriba, amount of damage they took. (Damage andale, andale! Gain a permanent 1 reduction from Armor does apply, their point to your Move stat. number to beat is the amount of damage that got through.) If the enemy  Spray & Pray – If the Great fails this check, they’re Stunned for a Oppenheimer had wanted you to aim, number of rounds equal to a roll on why’d he invent Automatic Weapons? your Melee Weapons or Brawling skill Fire three bursts worth of bullets at an die. Requires Brawling D4 or Melee opponent to increase your hit die by 1 Weapons D6. step and your damage die by 2 steps. Costs the same AP as a normal attack;  Take Cover! – You’re good at putting screaming like a madman is optional. obstacles between yourself and the Requires Automatic Weapons D4. enemy. Whenever you have Cover, full or partial, step your Evasion and Armor  Steady Shot – It’s just objectively easier ratings up by one additional die. to fire if you aren’t moving around the battlefield. Gain 2 die steps to hit if you  Targeting Override – Who says all that didn’t change positions in the previous reading makes you soft? Oh, right, Turn. everyone. Well, nuts to them. A Ranger with Targeting Override can attempt to  Stoner – Whuuuuuu? Like, whatever, make a Nerd Stuff/Intelligence check to man. It’s all good. You recover from the override a hostile AI’s systems, at least negative effects of Drugs in half the temporarily. If your roll beats their time. Resistance check, the Robot will fight on your side for a number of Turns equal  Structural Weakness – The best way to to the amount you beat their check by. learn to break something is to learn Requires Nerd Stuff D4. how to fix it. Gain 2 die steps to all damage rolls against Robots, vehicles,  Tenacious Bastard – You don’t go down synths, or cyborgs. Requires easy, never have. Treat all levels of Greasemonkey D6. wounds as if they were one degree less severe. That is to say, if you’re Mortally  Stunning Blow – Your melee attack can Wounded, you suffer penalties as if you knock an opponent flat. Any time you were Critically Wounded instead, and successfully hit an enemy with a melee are likewise easier to treat. You act attack, you can attempt to Stun them. A normally at zero health and are merely Stunning Blow costs an extra 1 AP. You stunned when others would be declare the attempt after a successful unconscious. You still die like normal if hit but before the damage is you go down to your full negative determined. The enemy rolls a Health value. Resistance check trying to beat the 22  Triggerhappy – You’re always itching for STR as 1 rank higher for the purposes of a fight, and are seldom surprised when what armor you can wear, and take no one arrives. Gain a permanent 1 step penalty for treading lightly while increase to one of your Initiative dice. wearing heavy gear.  Two Pump Chump – You bring new  Weathered – You’ve seen it all and done meaning to the phrase “in and out”. it all. Gain a permanent 1 die step Gain 1 Action Point for the first 2 Turns increase on one of your Resistance dice. of combat. After that, lose two for the next six Turns.  Whites of their Eyes – You like to get up close and personal. If you fire a ranged  Utility Belt – You’re the god-damned weapon within 5 squares of the enemy ba—what? Why are my lawyers waving and hit, step up your damage by 2 dice. their arms frantically? Anyway, you love to use the right tool for the job. Using a  Yellowbelly – You’re a coward and you Consumable, Grenade, or Deployable don’t care who knows it. You hate costs 1 less AP for you than for anyone getting shot at and you’re good at else. dodging fire. Any time you take the Defense action in combat, step up your  Waste Roamer – When you first Evasion by 3 dice, rather than just 1. wandered in from the desert, everyone (note: you don’t actually need to be a thought you were a gonner. And yet coward.) here you are, still alive and ticking. Gain a permanent +1 step to Rad Protection.  Zen Master – You’re the calm eye of a Note: Must be taken at character hurricane. Nothing rattles you. Gain a creation. permanent 1 step increase to a Focus die.  Walking Tin Can – You’re extremely comfortable in Heavy Armor. Treat your 23 Part 7: Gear This is the section where you find pages and harm on your enemies. (Or friends. Or innocent pages and pages of stuff to buy, right? Wrong! vending machines.) Armor tries to keep you Robots & Rangers isn’t about stuff, man. Your from getting dead for a while. Trinkets help you possessions end up possessing you! Then you do things that you like to do. Consumables are need some kind of exorcism or something. one-off items that do a cool thing once, then Have you see what pass for holy men these they’re gone. Think drugs or grenades. days? You’re liable to get nuked to smithereens or an AI of a Robot god uploaded into your skull if you tried. Ahem. Gear. Look, we could write out all kinds of crap for you to buy. But frankly, we don’t wanna. So instead this is what we’re gonna do. Each item has a rating, from D2 up to D12+. That rating determines how good it is at what Weapons it’s trying to be. And… that’s it! Simple, huh? There are 10 standard weapon types. (Plus Robots & Rangers makes the radical assumption some other ways of doing damage that fall that you’ve got enough of the basics to get by. under the banner of Trinkets or Consumables.) Food, ammo? We’ll assume you’ve got it. I Each weapon type has a different effective know, I know, probably unrealistic when so range, and a different cost to operate many Refugees are struggling to get enough to (expressed in terms of Action Points, or AP. eat but you know what? It’s a game. When I’m That’s it. If you want to customize your playing Duopoly I don’t spend my time fretting weapons, that’s awesome. Give em a cool real that the Patriarch is gonna nationalize the name, like M1989A1 NATO Assault Rifle. Or give railroads for the good of Colorado, I just get all em a cool made-up name, like the Xenon four of them and hope that Jackie lands on Cannon Mk II. But stat-wise, a D6 pistol is a D6 Union Station. NOT SO RICH NOW, ARE YOU pistol. We assume that the action of reloading JACKIE??? (Note – this isn’t an Einstein- takes place for free as part of your attack guaranteed right. If your Supreme Jerk decides actions. that it’d be a cool story to have you guys run  Automatic Rifles (AR) – Automatic rifles low and have to go raid an armory or spit out a bullet every time you pull the something, don’t come complaining to me. Just trigger. Target one creature at a time. roll with it. It’ll be cool.) (Get it? Roll with it? Accurate up to 40 squares. (200 feet). Because dice? Little RPG pun there for you.) Automatic Rifles cost 4 AP to aim and There are four basic types of items: Weapons, fire. Armor, Trinkets, and Consumables. Weapons are those things that you use to inflict bodily 24  Bladed Weapons – Weapons that cut  Pistols – Easily concealable, not too your enemies. Can be one or two heavy, this is the weapon of choice for handed. One handed variety can be law enforcement and criminal types thrown up to 4 squares. (20 feet) alike. Most effective at close quarters. Otherwise you must be in an adjacent No penalties if firing at a target within square. Costs 2 AP to attack. 10 squares, take 1 die step penalty to hit if the target is between 10 and 20  Blunt Weapons – Weapons that smash squares distant. Costs 3 AP to fire. or crush your enemies. Mostly two handed. You must be in an adjacent  Shotguns – Aiming is for suckers. Fires a square to attack. Costs 3 AP to attack. cone 10 squares deep (75 feet) and 5 Blunt weapons do 1 die step more to squares wide (25 feet). Take a 1 die step damage if they connect, but suffer a 1 penalty on damage to targets more die step penalty to hit (minimum D2). than 5 squares distant. Costs 3 AP to fire.  Brawling Weapons – Weapons that enhance your ability to punch or kick.  Sub Machine Guns (SMG) – Fire a lotta Think brass knuckles or power bullets in a small area. Fires a cone 15 gauntlets. Costs 1 AP to attack. Takes a squares deep (100 feet) and 3 squares damage penalty of 2 steps. Must be in wide (15 feet). Costs 4 AP to fire. an adjacent square.  Sniper Rifles – These weapons are great  Flamethrowers – Engulf your enemies in when you want to hit a target that’s on a cloud of fire. Effective range is a cone, the other side of a large field. Effective 8 squares deep (40 feet) and 5 squares range is 50 squares (250 feet), but wide (25 feet). Costs 4 AP to fire. If you accuracy suffers if they’re too close (2 hit an enemy with this, they have to die step penalty to hit if they’re within make a Resistance check vs your rolled 25 squares, 4 die steps if they’re within damage, or they’ll catch on fire. 10 squares) Sniper rifles gain a 1 die step (Mechanically, that means they have bonus to hit. Costs 6 AP to fire. the Burning status.) Light Armor doesn’t help vs Flamethrowers. Armor Once again, Armor has one stat, a value from  Heavy Weapons – Walk softly and carry D2 to D12+. There are two kinds of armor: Light a big-ass stick. These weapons are and Heavy. Both provide protection equal to designed to make a single target in the die rating of the armor; when an attack hits relatively close quarters very very dead. you, roll the Armor rating and subtract that Accurate up to 20 squares (100 feet). number from the damage. That’s how much Costs 5 AP to aim and fire. Heavy gets through. (We’ll go into more details in the weapons do 1 die step more to damage Combat chapter.) if they connect. 25  Light Armor – Can be worn by anyone. Consumables Provides protection against most The anti-trinkets. Consumables are all over the ranged and melee attacks, but does Wasteland. These are one and done items. You diddly squat against fire and explosives. find them, you use them, they’re consumed. We encourage you to use these items frequently,  Heavy Armor – Heavy armor is, well, and we encourage Supreme Jerks to give them heavy. You need a STR attribute equal out liberally. You can track them on your to the rating of the armor or you can’t character sheet with tally marks if you like, or effectively wear this. (Your Supreme you can cut out little pieces of paper and write Jerk will have a lotta fun coming up with the name of the item down on it and trade them creative penalties if you try anyway.) back and forth. If this was a fancy box set it’d The nice thing about heavy armor is probably come with little cardboard tokens for that it is effective against explosives and them but it ain’t. fire attacks. Wearing heavy armor of Consumables can be stuff you ingest, stuff you any sort does give you a 1 die step throw, stuff you shoot up, stuff you fire. A lot of penalty when trying to tread lightly – the stuff that goes into your body will be short say if you’re trying to sneak past an term gain, long term pain. enemy position, or balance on a narrow ledge. Some examples of consumables include, but are definitely not limited to: Trinkets These are cool! A trinket is a doo-dad that helps  Food & Drugs (mostly drugs) (Costs 2 you with one of your skills. A D6 Sneaky Shit AP to use during combat) trinket might be a forging kit. And yeah, just like it sounds, that forging kit would give you an o Cigarettes – Gain 1 step up on extra D6 to roll while forging an ID, but it’ll do dice rolls to hit for 15 minutes. two things if you try to pick a lock: jack & shit. Suffer a 1 step penalty on all Oh, and this is important—they NEVER effect rolls for the next hour. Primary Attributes or Derived Stats. JUST skills. Trinkets should be relatively rare in the o Booze – Gain 1 step up on dice Wasteland. If you find one at a shop that might rolls to damage for 15 minutes. benefit your Ranger, it’s worth moving heaven Suffer a 1 step penalty on all and earth to try to buy it, because you may rolls for the next hour. never find another one. Trinkets are active use items, not passive ones. That is, you have to say o Jitter – Gain 1 step up on all that the trinket is in your hand as you attempt coordination checks for 15 any given task. That means you can only use minutes. Suffer a 1 step penalty one at a time. on all rolls for the next hour. 26 o Brain Candy – Gain 1 step up on o Healing Dart – Spend 1 AP to all intelligence checks for 1 throw at an ally to give a nice hour. Suffer a 1 step penalty on boost. Heals D6 damage. You all rolls for the day. can throw it as many squares as you can hit on a strength check. o Rhino – Gain one step up on We won’t make you roll to hit a your Armor dice rolls to hit for willing target. 5 minutes. Suffer a 1 step penalty on all rolls for the next  Grenades (costs 2 AP to aim and throw) hour. o Regular – Ka-Boom. Does 2D4 o Liquid Time – Gain 1 extra damage to everything in the Action Point for 5 minutes. square it lands in. Does require Suffer a 1 step penalty on all a hit roll, but only to land in the rolls for the next hour. right square and the difficulty is only a 7. Also, bypasses Light  Medical Gear Armor, which is great unless it’s the baddies chucking grenades o Med Pack – Spend 2 AP to heal at you. You can throw it as an ally during combat; recipient many squares as you can hit on gets back D4 plus your a straight-up strength check. Doctoring Skill to Health. Used out of combat, ally goes back to o Flash Bang – Designed more to full Health. Requires Doctoring confuse than to damage. The D4 to use. loud noise and bright lights give anyone in a 1 square radius a 2 o No-Glow – All mutations step penalty to hit or perform received in the past week, any other complicated tasks for harmful or beneficial, are 2 Turns, unless they make a purged from your system. Has resistance check of 9 or better. no effect on mutations that have been with you longer than o Smoke – This is a grenade you one week; they’re a permanent throw at a friendly. Unleashes a part of your anatomy now, Dr. billowing cloud of smoke that Scott. increases the Evasion of anyone inside by 2 die steps. o Injury Kit – Removes debilitating Injuries. Requires Doctoring D6 o Nuke – When you absolutely, to use. Not usable in combat. positively have to destroy everything with a pulse and most things without. Does 5D8 27 damage to everything in a 4 radius. Ignores Light Armor. square radius. Does it bypass Requires Explosives D6. Costs 5 Armor? Of COURSE it bypasses AP to aim and fire. Light Armor. Never ever use these. o Plastic Explosives – Sometimes you don’t wanna go AROUND  Deployables an obstacle, you wanna go THROUGH an obstacle. This is o Insta-Turret – Foldable portable for those times. Requires D4 machine gun and targeting AI Explosives to use safely. Don’t that’ll go rat-tat-tat at anything have D4 Explosives? Fuck not pre-programmed as around and find out. (You’ll friendly. Use at your own risk. need to make some kind of Lasts for the duration of check to find a good spot to combat. Costs 3 AP to program place this; not all structures are and throw. Requires Nerd Stuff amenable to being blown up.) D4 to use. Takes 5 AP to arm and use if you’re trying to blow something o Pocket Saw-Pup – Toss this up during combat. puppy at an enemy and watch them get attacked by a Robot o Repair Kit – Contains everything dog covered in blades. Then you need to get a damaged mourn the passing of Robo-Rex Vehicle back on the road. as it self-destructs. Requires Requires Grease Monkey D4 to Nerd Stuff D6 to use. Costs 3 AP use effectively. to activate, aim, and throw. Radiation! o Portable Med Station – Fires a Radiation is a core mechanic of Robots & healing dart at everyone in an Rangers. As such, each team is issued a Geiger adjacent 5 foot square. counter so they can always assess the Radiation Requires Nerd Stuff D4 OR level of any given locale. Ranger teams will also Doctoring D8 to use. Activation find radiation protective gear over the course of costs 4 AP. play. We’ll assume that Rad Suits fit under your clothes and don’t interfere with armor. It’d be  Other kinda lame otherwise, no? These will generally o LAW rocket – Who needs guns be quest items, and getting a newer, better Rad when you’ve got rockets? Fire Suit should be something of a big deal. We’ll this bad boy at an enemy within get into more detail on Radiation in Part 9. 40 squares. Creates an explosion that does 3D8 damage to all within a 3 square 28 Radio damage from all melee attacks by 2 All Ranger teams are issued a nigh-unbreakable dice. Unfortunately, take a 1 die penalty radio. It’s easy to use and lets you stay in touch on all tasks requiring fine motor with Ranger HQ and anyone else the plot coordination. And, uh, TRY not to rip off requires. It’s waterproof, radiation proof, and your soft bits while you’re enjoying generally works exactly as well as needed for quality alone time. the story to progress.  Liver Box – Let’s be honest, your old liver was probably gonna fail sooner or Cybernetics later. With a mechanical Liver Box you Cybernetics represent permanent upgrades— can cut the recovery time from or, possibly, sidegrades—as you replace bits of Consumables and Poisons in half. your body with metal and plastic. Cybernetics There’s no crazy pandora-like trade-off tend to function like perks, giving you some to this one, other than the standard. extraordinary ability, and sometimes carrying Liver Boxes are very good at what they some drawback. You can never remove your do. cybernetics either; once you’ve torn out your left eye and replaced it with a camera, going  Nociception clamp – You’ve modded back to the eyeball isn’t really an option. your spine to limit how much pain Anyone with cybernetics loses 1 point of Health information gets to your brain. All and takes 1 step increase to damage from any damage you take is stepped down by electrical attack PER implant. Sorry, dude, one. Unfortunately, when you go down, you’re the one who chose to fill your body with you go down hard. Any attempts to metal. revive you once you drop suffer a 2 dice penalty. Some examples of cybernetic upgrades include:  Adrenal Enhancer – A nice internal  Optiscope 2000 – That left eye was upgrade, this one clamps onto your never great to begin with, so why not kidneys. It’ll help you push yourself to trade it for one with a zoom lens and a your maximum, but you’ll pay the price smart targeting system? Gain a +1 step afterwards. Use it up to once a day – on all rolls to hit at range. It doesn’t do when you do, gain 2 die steps on all fine grades of color so well though. rolls for two Turns. After that, take a 2 Take a 1 die penalty on Perception rolls. die step penalty on ALL rolls for the next hour.  Robo Legs – You weren’t using your bottom half for much of anything  Cyberfist – You’ve replaced one of your anyways. Gain +1 to Move and +1 die hands with a robot fist. This was step to Evasion. You take a 2 die step probably a terrible idea but that’s never penalty to any balance rolls, and are stopped you before. Step up the sadly incapable of performing normal sexual activity. At least your mouth still 29 works, amirite? (There are tales told of check 7 or you’re blinded for the encounter. people replacing their lower halves with Maybe you find a cool (pun intended) Freeze tank treads or motorcycle wheels. Ray that stops time (D6 to hit, requires Weird These tales are true. They’re also strictly Science D8, it’s a Resistance 11 check or the for NPCs. Your Supreme Jerk has been victim can’t take any actions for D4 Turns). It’s a through enough, don’t you think?) vast Wasteland out there, and anything is possible. But mostly, it’s gonna be the kinda  Subdermal Plating – Is there a downside stuff listed above. to welding steel plates to your insides? Turns out, mechanically, not too much of one. Gain a 1 step increase to your Economics armor rating, but take a 1 step penalty Ok, so, like, how do you actually GET stuff? Well, to swim checks. (See? Told you there the most common way is to quote-unquote find wasn’t much of a penalty. Beyond the it. And yes, you crazed murder-hobo you, that Health and electrical attack penalty you does usually mean prying them out of the cold- get for all your implants.) dead hands of your enemies. You can track every little bottlecap and doodad if you want,  Wired Reflexes – You’ve convinced but the game is more about solving problems, some poor schlub scientist to run wires completing Missions, and all of that, so our from your brain to your muscles, and recommendation is that you, for the most part, now you’re fast fast FAST. Gain +1 step don’t. Let it be assumed that you loot theirn] on Initiative, and to Melee Combat to corpses and take the trash gear back to HQ hit rolls. You’re a little twitchy, though. where it’s sold off by the supply clerk. No need Take a 1 step penalty on all Evasion rolls, to track each and every piece of scrap; if I and any other roll requiring fine motor wanted to be an accountant I’d have listened to coordination. my dad and not spent so much time in Fat Freddy’s Casino. Your Supreme Jerk will let you know if and when you find something that’s Feel free to come up with more. There’s no end truly special; just let them know in advance what to the different body parts you can replace if gear Killy McRangerface is looking for so they you put your mind to it. Cybernetics should can help you buff out your character. never be purchasable with a simple barter roll, and should always have some kind of quest or But sometimes you really do just wanna buy task element to obtaining them. stuff. When this happens, you’ll need to talk to a merchant in one of the specific Factions. (See Part 14.) To start getting gear that your Unique Items characters mechanically actually want (from Nothing in the above text should be construed hereon out referred to as “the good stuff”), to mean that you can’t encounter a truly unique you’ll need to be Loved by a faction that has a item. Maybe there’s a super special BB Gun sufficient Resource and Technology score to that’s D12 to hit and D2 damage, Resistance stock the item in question. If you want a D8 30 item, they’ll need D8s in each of those Faction Stats. GAME PHILOSOPHY When time comes that there’s a Faction merchant who has an item you want, make a Supreme Jerks, listen up. Robots & Barter skill check. Typically you’d add your Rangers makes the philosophical Charisma, but if you can come up with a good decision to try to put CHARACTERS reason you’re using another attribute (maybe first and GEAR second. That’s why INT if you’re bargaining them down on some we’re not sticklers about food and very technical gear, let’s say) your Supreme Jerk ammo. We’ve put a lot of may allow it. If you beat the difficulty the mechanics into Attributes and Supreme Jerk sets, you get the item. We’ll Skills, and not so much into Gear. sssume that your characters always have a stash This isn’t laziness on our part. (Ok, of Buchanan Bucks tucked away. But really, this ok, it’s not JUST laziness on our isn’t Commerce & Contracts we’re playing. It’s part.) This is a conscious choice. much better storytelling to have the merchant A good rule of thumb is that party be unwilling to part with it… unless the party equipment should be about D2 does this one little job for them first. quality for every 4 Ranks they possess. As they get to the ceiling of this level, they’ll probably have all the biggies covered—a weapon, some armor, and a trinket or two that’s good for a primary skill. Then rinse and repeat. So a party of 11th level rangers will probably have mostly D6 gear, maybe a leftover D4 trinket or two. And yes, this means that even a L20 party won’t have D12 gear. That’s totally cool. A party rolling three D12s on every check won’t have too much difficulty with anything, or you’ll need to throw a bazillion points of health and armor on everything, and that’s just a slog. So be a little stingy with the good gear, and focus on the interesting parts of the game instead. 31 Part 8: Ranking Up Robots & Rangers is designed to take your At every odd rank, they gain a new Perk. Again, character from a wide-eyed neophyte to a player must meet all prerequisites for existing weathered veteran of the Wasteland. It utilizes Perks. a rank-based system. The team should all rank- At every even rank, they gain another attribute up at the same time, as they complete Missions die-step. This can go anywhere the player likes. that they encounter. The team earns a rank-up every time they complete a D12 Mission Every 5th rank gain one Action Point. Whoo- successfully. (See Part 14: Factions & Missions) hoo! (Remember, start with six AP at Rank 1.) Characters gain one skill point at every rank. Starting at rank 4, and every 3 ranks thereafter, This can be used to step a die up on an existing gain 1 point of Physical Reserves, an extra pool skill, (D2 -> D4, D4 -> D6, D6 -> D8, D8 -> D10, that acts like Health (only better). D10 -> D12, D12 -> D12+) or you can save up Characters can choose to be officers or enlisted; and use two to buy a new skill. (Poindexters get note that this is largely a stylistic choice, and to buy new skills for just 1 skill point.) Characters team decisions should be made collaboratively must meet all prerequisites for each new skill rather than by rank. You’re a dedicated team of and should clear it with the Supreme Jerk just to 3-5 Rangers, not products of some kind of make sure. There may need to be an in-story cultish killbot factory. justification for how you’ve come by your new knowledge. 32 Ranking Up: Because it’s been a long time since we’ve had a table Rank Officer Enlisted Skill Perks Attributes Action Physical Points Reserves 1 Cadet Private Character Creation 2 2nd Lieutenant Private First 1 skill point +1 die step Class 3 Fireteam Specialist 1 skill point Add 1 Perk Lieutenant 4 1st Lieutenant Senior 1 skill point +1 die step 1 step of Specialist reserves 5 Lieutenant Corporal 1 skill point Add 1 Perk +1 AP Argent 6 Captain Lance Corporal 1 skill point +1 die step 7 Combat Captain Command 1 skill point Add 1 Perk 2 steps of Corporal reserves 8 Technical Captain Grenadier 1 skill point +1 die step 9 Command Fire Grenadier 1 skill point Add 1 Perk Captain 10 Captain Argent Grenadier 1 skill point +1 die step +1 AP 3 steps of Major reserves 11 Major Master 1 skill point Add 1 Perk Grenadier 12 Fireteam Major Sergeant 1 skill point +1 die step 13 Specialist Major Technical 1 skill point Add 1 Perk 4 steps of Sergeant reserves 14 Technical Major Staff Sergeant 1 skill point +1 die step 15 Major Argent Sergeant First 1 skill point Add 1 Perk +1 AP Class 16 Lance Colonel Gunnery 1 skill point +1 die step 5 steps of Sergeant reserves 17 Lieutenant Sergeant Major 1 skill point Add 1 Perk Colonel 18 Fireteam Colonel Master 1 skill point +1 die step Sergeant 19 Division Colonel Chief Master 1 skill point Add 1 Perk 6 steps of Sergeant reserves 20 Colonel Argent Sergeant 1 skill point +1 die step +1 AP Argent 33 Part 9: Radiation If there’s one fact of life in the Wasteland, it’s  D4 Radiation is pretty brutal. You’re only the oppressive, omnipresent threat of safe for about a day before you start need Radiation. to roll on the Mutation table. You’ll also start taking damage, D2 every hour you Rad Zones – Radiation is a fact of life in the spend in this environment without Wasteland, but not all Radiation hazards are adequate protection. And don’t forget the created equally. Radiation has 8 levels: 0, D2, one die step penalty on all rolls. Humans D4, D6, D8, D10, D12, and D12+. Fortunately, all can’t really live in D4 Radiation zones Ranger Squads carry a Geiger counter as without specialized and uncomfortable standard gear, so you’ll always know what the gear, but you’ll find many Critters well Radiation level is in any given area. adapted to this niche, and it doesn’t seem  Radiation 0 is the garden spot, areas where to bother most Robots either. D4 Radiation the fallout never hit too hard, or the halflife Zones aren’t especially rare, so watch out has slowly rendered safe, or maybe some for them. group has painstakingly initiated some kind of cleanup project. Most major  D6 Radiation Zones are not places you settlements will be in places with Radiation want to be without protection. These are level 0. Ranger HQ, Colorado Springs, places where fallout drifted and settled places like that are all Radiation 0. Beyond down. Fortunately you won’t find too that, it gets progressively worse. many of them, though they are out there. You need to start rolling on the Mutation  D2 Radiation Zones aren’t too horrible… table after just 1 hour, and you’ll take D4 you can probably travel to such an area for damage every 10 minutes you’re in this a few days without permanently damaging zone. Take a 2 die step penalty on all yourself, though you’ll take a 1 die step checks. At D6 radiation, poorly shielded penalty on all checks if you don’t have the Robots will start to experience glitches, appropriate level of Radiation Protection. If though most are fine. Critters with D6 Rad you’re in this environment for more than a Protection are somewhat uncommon, but week, roll on the Mutation table and see don’t bet your life you won’t encounter what you get. Then roll again next week. any. And the week after. You get the picture. Societies can exist in such environment,  D8 Radiation is about the worst you can though you’ll tend to see a lot of expect to find out in the wild. These were deformities. Lots of Critters have adapted places that were directly hit by the bombs, to a D2 Radiation level, so expect slightly or a plutonium truck crashed or somesuch. beefed-up versions of basic beasties. Most Only the nastiest of Critters can tolerate of the landscape is D2 radiation. this level of Radiation, and your average Robot will experience glitches as well. Roll 34 on the Mutation table every ten minutes, Rad Protection – So how does one deal with take D6 damage once a minute, and step that litany of increasingly nasty effects? Rad all checks down by 2 dice. Protection! Rad Protection can come from any radiation suits you may be wearing, the Waste  D10 Radiation Zones aren’t generally Roamer Perk, from your Mutations, and found in nature, Bloodstaff be praised, but possibly a Trinket (but remember, Trinkets are inside some prewar structures you may active use only so you’d have to pull it out of find some. Roll on the Mutation table after your pack and hold it for the duration of the just 1 minute exposure, take D8 damage encounter). Robots have a minimum of D4 Rad each Turn, and take a 3 die step penalty on Protection. Being inside a vehicle gives you all checks. There are tales told of some some bonus (expressed in die steps) to your especially massive and hearty Critters who Rad Protection score as well. have made their layers in D10 Radiation The good news is that Rad Protection does zones, but I’ve never encountered one. I stack. If you’ve got a rad suit that gives you D4 suppose it’s theoretically possible. Mostly Rad Protection, and your Waste Roamer Perk it’s (very nasty) Robots you have to watch steps it up by 1 die, and you’re inside a truck out for in D10 Radiation Zones. that gives a +1 die step, you’ve got D8 Rad Protection. (Until you step outside your truck.  D12 Radiation Zones are thankfully super Then you’re boned.) rare. That’s good, because it’s basically fatal. Forget the Mutation table, if you walk The bad news is that Rad Protection is all or into this zone take D12 damage each and nothing. That’s pretty key, so I’ll repeat it. D8 every Turn you spend in here, a 4 die step Rad Protection does precisely nothing if you’re penalty on all checks, and roll a Resistance in a D10 Radiation Zone. (Just to be one roll of 11 or higher (with the thousand precent clear, if you’ve got D4 Rad aforementioned penalty!) each Turn that Protection, you can hang out in a D4 Radiation begins inside this zone, lest you be Zone till the three-headed cows come home. rendered instantly unconscious. Critters But the instant you step into a D6 zone, you’re can’t live here, though some especially subjected to ALL the effects that zone. It’s tough Robots might. emphatically NOT stepped down to D2.) Supreme Jerks, you are encouraged to use  D12+ Radiation is like being inside an Radiation Zones as a way to gate certain areas. active reactor core, or walking on the sun. Finding Rad Suits with the appropriate level of It is inimical to life, and frankly to most Rad Protection should be one of the regular mechanisms as well. Nothing lives here. tools in your arsenal to help move the plot There is no such thing as portable D12+ forward. Players should NOT start with D2 Rad Rad Protection. If your character enters a Suits, and frequent trips back to safe zones or D12+ radiation zone, they’ll die. If a Robot at least a Ranger-issued vehicle are a must. enters a D12+ radiation zone, it’ll die. The floor is lava. Got it? 35 Mutations – Mutations are potentially timeframe, you’ll go back to normal. If you permanent alterations to your biology. Caused don’t, though, the mutation becomes by radiation, they alter your cells at a molecular permanent. If you’re rolling on the table and level, causing you to grow in new and you get a mutation that you already have, go interesting ways. They can be positive or ahead and reroll that for me sport. Once you’ve negative, though bad ones are more common. acquired three permanent mutations, positive If you do get a mutation, you’ve got one week or negative, you can take one step up on your to take a dose of No-Glow, a miracle cure innate Rad Protection, most likely from naught developed by a clone of the legendary Doctor up to D2. More mutations after this won’t give Irwin Finster. If you take your dose in this you any more protection, so don’t try to collect them; they’re not pogs, okay? Mutation Table: A percentile table (because we haven’t used percentile dice anywhere else in this system and they were starting to complain) Roll Name Description 01-25 Cosmetic There’s something… different about you. Maybe it’s your purple skin. Maybe Alteration it’s your forked tongue. Maybe it’s that left tentacle arm. It’s basically cosmetic, so no mechanical advantage, but take a 1 step penalty when dealing socially with people who might be prejudiced against Mutants. (That’s almost everyone champ.) 26 Hardened Your bones have calcified to an absurd degree. Gain a permanent +1 to Skeleton Health. No mechanical penalty, but you’ll have arthritis something fierce if you live to old age. But let’s be real, you won’t be living to old age, will you? 27-32 Irradiated You glow in the dark! This is mostly not a good thing. It’s not bright enough to actually see by, but certainly makes you a target. All enemies gain 1 die step when targeting you in anything approaching low-light conditions. Plus, you know, you glow in the dark. You can hide this (and lose the mechanical penalty) if you wear enough clothes. 33 Chromatic There’s a teeny tiny bit of chameleon in you. Your skin tone changes based Skin on the environment you’re in. Step up a die by one every time you’re trying to hide or otherwise be stealthy. 34-39 Sores You’ve got gross, icky sores on your body. They itch something fierce and they’re ugly. Fortunately they’re somewhere concealable but take a permanent 1 step penalty on any Focus checks. 40-41 Third Eye You have a third eye in the middle of your forehead. It’s 100% functional. Gain a permanent step increase to your Awareness rolls. Take a 1 die step penalty on all social rolls against anyone who has an inherent bias against freaks. (That’s almost everyone.) 36 42-49 Stink Something in your lymphatic system has gotten mucked about with and now you smell TERRIBLE. Take a 1 step penalty on all social rolls and any attempt to hide from something with a nose. 50 Webbed Weird little flaps of skin connecting your fingers and toes to each other. Grants Fingers & a 1 die step increase anytime you’re attempting any physical tasks in the water. Toes (Mostly like swimming or fighting. Don’t get cute and bring a computer under water and try to hack it. Your Supreme Jerk will spank you down for such shenanigans, and you’ll deserve it.) 51-53 Dizziness Every time you stand up too quickly the world spins. Take a 1 step penalty on Evasion and Initiative checks. (I know, I know, this one straight up sucks.) 54 Scale Skin Your skin has hardened, giving you a dry, scaly appearance. This gives you a 1 step increase to your Armor rating. Your sense of touch is diminished but that shouldn’t give you any mechanical penalties unless your Supreme Jerk is particularly, well, jerky. 55 Extra Most people have two, you have four. Funky. Gain 2 die steps whenever you Elbow attempt to catch or throw something. 56 Extra Your pinky finger has beefed up and become opposable. Gain one die step Thumb when attempting fine motor skills. 57-63 Nausea Eating is hard and you throw up a lot. Your recovery time from Injuries and from Consumables is doubled. 64 Cat Eyes All vertical and shit! No penalties for you in low-light conditions. 65-68 Fused toes Your toes have fused together. Take a 1 die penalty when balance becomes critical, but mostly it just makes you look weird in a bathing suit. 69 Enhanced Your junk is extra large. Or extra small. Or a really cool color. Or it’s in an Genitalia interesting place. Or you’ve got an extra set. Or you’ve got two different kinds. Player can choose. There’s no real mechanical benefit to this, but I guess if you’re the kind of campaign that likes to roll to see how well sexual encounters went you get two dice steps up to see how well you did. If you ever quit Rangering, Ken Doll will always have a special place for you in the Little Vegas Brothels. Niiiiiiice. 70-73 Albino All your pigment has drained away. Take a 1 die penalty to hit while in bright lighting conditions. You also sunburn like crazy. (We don’t have a sunburn mechanic. ) 74-75 Bulging Your brain has grown and your skull can barely keep up. Gain a permanent 1 Skull die step to your INT Attribute and 2 extra skill points. Take a 1 die step penalty on armor (minimum 0) as helmets just never seem to fit you right. 76-82 No nose Your nose has withered away. Take a 1 die penalty when using Resistance to avoid disease, and a 1 step penalty when dealing with closed-minded and bigoted people. (Most of ‘em.) Avada Kedavra, bitch. 83 Spindly You’ve gained at least a foot of height as your legs have elongated. Gain 1 legs point on your Move Stat. 37 84-88 Hunchback You’ve gained a hump. Take 1 off your Move Stat, Quasimodo. 89 Claws The keratin in your fingernails (and toenails but who cares?) is abnormally strong and thick. Gain a 1 die step on all melee and brawling damage rolls. 90 Prehensile There’s a tail poking out of your backside and it actually does what you want tail it to. You can hold things with it, provided they aren’t too heavy. If you are you can have a light item ready-to-go and still have both your hands occupied with things like combat or computer hacking. (Yes, I know, we don’t define items by weight. Just be reasonable. A knife or a grenade? Fine. A sledgehammer or an engine block? No.) 91-96 Withered One of your limbs has atrophied to uselessness. Take a 2 die penalty to all Limb physical tasks requiring 2 hands. Ouch. 97-98 Flesh Like a Kangaroo. And like a Kangaroo it’s all mucus-y and gross. But you gain Pouch plus 2 die steps attempting to hide small objects on your person. 99 Parasitic You know how some people absorb a twin in the womb? Well, yours has come Twin back to life. There’s a tiny NPC who lives in your chest and he’s got an agenda of his own. Cross him and you may need to make opposing Focus checks to see who gets their way. (Note: this one requires a lot of work for you and the Supreme Jerk. If you roll it, make sure you’re both on board. If not, maybe just reroll. If you’re into it, it can be super rewarding though.) 00 Extra Heart You’ve got two hearts! Funky. Somehow they’re both fully functional. Any time you make a death check, you get to roll twice and take the better roll. TARDIS not included. 38 Part 10: The Environment Radiation isn’t the only threat facing your environment causes damage to your Ranger Rangers, and I’m not just talking about Critters, team, it comes straight of Health. Physical no siree bob. The Wasteland is a harsh mistress, Reserves are ONLY for combat. full of horrible things that want to kill you. Cover – There should almost always be Rangers need to contend with cave ins, shifting something that your Rangers can duck behind. sands, raging rivers, whiteouts, boobytraps, Rusted out old car, a fire hydrant, a bolder, a toxic swamps, collapsing bridges, mindlessly blowed-up robot carcass, the crumbling hostile security systems, flash floods, narrow remains of some ancient structure… the ledges, bright floodlights, and just about any landscape is littered with them. (The exception other environmental hazard you can imagine. being, of course, when some intelligence has Supreme Jerks, pay attention: in a good Robots deliberately cleared some kind of field, & Rangers campaign, the environment is as probably specifically to fuck up intruders.) much a character as the team’s trusty sidekick Unfortunately, there’s almost always something or cackling nemesis. When setting a scene, think for your ENEMIES to duck behind as well. Sauce about what things look like, how long they’ve for the goose and all that. been there, and what might go wrong. If your Ranger can lean against something solid Especially that last bit. Because where the that’s between them and the enemy, they gain Wasteland is concerned, there’s no such thing two steps to their evasion dice. We call that Full as a safe place. While there are any number of Cover. If they can put themselves adjacent to ways the environment can help or hinder your something not-so-solid, but that still obscures players, here are a few that are likely to come the enemy’s view of your Ranger, step up their up again and again. (Remember, when the evasion dice by 1. We call that Partial Cover. 39 Rangers, always try to put yourself in Cover. Standing in an open field is strictly for suckers. Unfortunately, a mobile enemy OTHER HAZARDS can attempt to get around the Cover and get a clear shot. This is called flanking. The good news is, flanking works for you too. Supreme Jerks, this bit is for you: think about how the environment will fuck with your players. Say Elevation – Elevation is another constant. they’re exploring an ancient gas station where a For every 5 feet (round down) the enemy megamaggot infestation has been sighted and is below you, step up your die to hit by they’re attempting to clear it out before the one. Conversely, for every 5 feet above neighboring settlement is overrun with supaflies. you they are (round down), subtract 1 from What sort of things might they encounter? Perhaps your hit die. Double whammy, see? It’s there’s some fuel left in the ancient tanks, which always good to have the high ground. might explode if the team is profligate with explosions and fire attacks. Maybe the roof might Lighting – You can’t hit what you can’t see. cave in if they play too rough. There are probably (That’s why the Blindness status SUUUUCKS!) rusted heaps of vehicles abandoned decades ago Your Rangers (probably) can’t see in the that can be used as cover. If the environment isn’t dark. Flashlights are standard gear, of favorable to them, give them a die step down or two. course, but they only help so much. If your On the other hand, if their plan is particularly clever Rangers are operating in low light or well thought out, feel free to give them a boost, or conditions, give them each a 1 step penalty set the difficulty of the check at an easier level than you otherwise might. on all Hit and Perception rolls. OTOH, if it’s bright light conditions, give them a 1 step Generally make things as vivid and interesting as bonus on search checks. Light can also be possible, and be open to player suggestions about weaponized; good flood lights might how they might use the environment to their illuminate your Rangers, giving a bonus to hit advantage. If you describe the structure as rickety, them while also giving them a 1 step penalty and they ask if they might be able to collapse it on the megamaggots, roll with it. Think about what to hit anything in the darkness. skill/attribute check they might use to accomplish Traps – There’s a rich tradition of traps in that goal. Crossing a narrow ledge, maybe it’s RPGs, and Robots & Rangers is no different. Coordination plus Athletics for a balance check. But if A trap is any kind of passive defense system they’re navigating a minefield, maybe Coordination plus Explosives. And different characters may well try designed to make your party’s life miserable. to navigate the same situation in different ways, Maybe it does damage, maybe it just alerts necessitating different checks. Naturally the players guards. If the party isn’t actively looking for will try to figure out ways to use the things they’re traps, their Perception score may clue them good at to solve these problems; let them! (Provided in anyway. If they are searching, it could be their solutions aren’t too bonkers.) Of course, they almost any combination of skills and might not succeed, but every failure should open attributes depending on the trap in question some new storytelling door. and how they’re trying to find it. 40