COREBOOK

FOR
POST-APOCALYPTIC VEHICULAR MAYHEM
 WHEN THE GANGS TEAR UP THE FREEWAY…
CHOOSE A SIDE. FIGHT. SURVIVE.
TWO GREAT NATIONS THAT WERE DESTINED TO NEVER FIND PEACE DISAPPEARED
OVERNIGHT. ONE IS NOW AN IRRADIATED HOT-ZONE WHERE NOTHING SURVIVES. THE
OTHER A SPARESLY POPULATED WASTELAND THAT HAS PLUMMETED INTO ANARCHY
AND CHAOS. WATER, GAS, AND FOOD ARE THE ONLY CURRENCIES THAT MATTER ON A
CONTINENT RULED BY BULLETS, BALLS, AND BLOODSHED.
THE DEVIL’S RUN ROLEPLAYING GAME PUTS YOU IN THE DRIVING SEAT OF A POST-
APOCALYPTIC FUTURE IN WHICH GANG WARFARE DOMINATES. THE RULES OF THE
ROAD ARE NONE. ALL YOU NEED ASK YOURSELF IS WHAT WOULD YOU KILL FOR?
WHAT WOULD YOU DIE FOR? HOW FAR ARE YOU WILLING TO FALL TO SURVIVE?

• High-octane action fuelled by rules for two • Tips and tools designed to help GMs create
turbo-driven systems. This corebook contains interesting runs, plus a chapter dedicated
the full system for the 2d20 ruleset, plus to the various allies and enemies that might
mechanics to risk the Devil’s Run using the help or hinder a run. The rules of the road
Savage Worlds Adventure Edition system. offer some structure to the post-apocalypse.

• A brief history detailing the collapse of civi- • An overview of the world at large and the
lisation as we know it, stretching from before few remaining superpowers that strive for
the launch that started it all, to the current dominance over rapidly dwindling resources.
state of the world twenty years later.

• A detailed description of the former West • A complete toolkit of vehicles, weapons, and
Coast, including descriptions for several of gear designed to get the characters ahead
the larger factions that battle to dominate its of the pack in the post-apocalyptic future of
war-torn highways. The Devil’s Run.

RSP000101
 CREDITS
WRITING
Nathan Dowdell, Jason Durall, Lee Francis, Ben Greenwood, Benn Greybeaton, Tom Haswell, Kraig Koranda, Marc Langworthy,
Chris Lites, Darren Pearce, Giles Pritchard, Mark Rapson, Paul Rose, Chris ‘Shep’ Shepperson, Paul Summerhayes, Matthew Sylvestre

COVER ART
Toma Feizo Gas

INTERIOR ARTWORK
Lily Abdullina, Ryan Adcock, Jacob E. Blackmon, Marc Ducrow, Gary Dupuis, Marko Fiedler,
Dominik Kasprzycki, Przemek Kozłowski, Konrad Langa, Valerie Nelson, Gregor Stuglik

ART DIRECTION
Marc Langworthy, Helen Norris, Mark Rapson, Rodrigo Vilanova

LAYOUT DEVIL’S RUN RPG LOGO EDITING

Thomas Shook Clint Mcinally Lyz Liddell, Marc Langworthy,
Kimberly Nugent

CARTOGRAPHY PLAYTESTERS PROOFREADING

Toma Feizo Gas Aaron Manuel, Joel Mills, Ryan McGrath Aric Wieder

DEVIL’S RUN RPG DEVELOPER

Marc Langworthy

2D20 & DEVIL’S RUN APPROVALS ORIGINAL 2D20 SYSTEM DESIGN

Chris Birch, Benn Greybeaton, and Mark Rapson Jay Little

GAME DESIGN
Benn Graybeaton, Nathan Dowdell, Marc Langworthy, Chris Shepperson

PRODUCED BY
Marc Langworthy

SPECIAL DEDICATION
This book is dedicated to the memory of Phil Alexander, weaver of epic tales and force for good in the world.

SPECIAL THANKS
To Chris Birch, Mark Rapson, the Pinnacle Entertainment team, and all our backers for making this book a reality!
Word Forge Games would like to thank Richard Howkins and Zak Rapson.

PUBLISHED BY Red Scar Publishing Product Number: RSP000101

Red Scar Publishing Ltd. Word Forge Games Product Number: WFG-DRR-001
122 South View Terrace ISBN: 978-1-9161754-0-2
Plymouth, Devon, PL4 9DJ Artwork & Storyline © Word Forge Games
United Kingdom Devil’s Run is © Word Forge Games 2019

This game references the Savage Worlds game system, available from Pinnacle Entertainment Group at www.peginc.com.
Savage Worlds and all associated logos and trademarks are copyrights of Pinnacle Entertainment Group. Used with permis-
sion. Pinnacle makes no representation or warranty as to the quality, viability, or suitability for purpose of this product.

The Red Scar logo is copyright Red Scar Publishing Ltd 2019. The Word Forge Games and Devil’s Run logos are copyright
Word Forge Games Ltd 2019. The 2d20 System and Modiphius logos are copyright Modiphius Entertainment Ltd 2019.
All 2d20 System text is copyright Modiphius Entertainment Ltd. All Devil’s Run board game system text is copyright Word
Forge Games Ltd. Any unauthorised use of copyrighted material is illegal. Any trademarked names are used in a fictional
manner; no infringement is intended. This is a work of fiction. Any similarity with actual people and events, past or present,
is purely coincidental and unintentional except for those people and events described in an historical context.
 TABLE OF CONTENTS

FOREWORDS 1 Drive (Coordination) 94

Foreword by Mark Rapson 1 Engineering (Intelligence) 95
Foreword by Marc Langworthy 2 Firearms (Coordination) 96
Gang Warfare (Willpower) 97
INTRODUCTION Heavy Weapons (Coordination) 98
HAPPY BOOM DAY, HONEY 4 Insight (Awareness) 100
Lore (Intelligence) 101
CHAPTER 1 Medicine (Intelligence) 102
WELCOME TO HELL 9 Melee (Agility) 104
New to Roleplaying Games 10 Observation (Awareness) 105
What You Will Need 10 Persuade (Personality) 106
An End to Order 12 Pilot (Coordination) 107
An Introduction to 2d20 16 Resistance (Brawn) 108
Stealth (Agility) 111
CHAPTER 2 Survival (Willpower) 112
A POST-APOCALYPTIC TIMELINE 20 Thievery (Awareness) 113
Traffic (Personality) 114
CHAPTER 3 Wild Tech (Intelligence) 115
WEST COAST FACTIONS 29 Skills Summary Table 117
Avant Guard 30
BritAttack 34 CHAPTER 6
Freelancers 38 GEAR & MERCH 1 18
Haul’s Angels 41 Currency: Dollar vs. Merch 119
Jets 45 Acquiring Gear 121
Justice 49 Selling & Trading Gear 123
Law Haulage Co. 53 Encumbrance 123
Seven Fires 57 Transportation of Goods 125
The Teams 61 Gear 126
The Vykers 65 Armour 138
Weapons 140
CHAPTER 4 Wild Tech 147
CHARACTER CREATION 69 Gear Summary Tables 158
Step 1: Faction 70 Savage Gear 161
Step 2: Archetype 72
Step 3: Customisation 73 CHAPTER 7
Step 4: Equipment 76 CONFLICT & DRAMA 163
Experience & Investment 79 Foundations 164
Group Backgrounds 80 Attributes 165
Savage Road Warriors 84 Skills: Expertise & Focus 165
Complications 166
CHAPTER 5 Test Difficulty 167
SKILLS & TALENTS 86 Opposed Tests 168
Acrobatics (Agility) 87 Voluntary Failure 169
Animal Handling (Personality) 89 Improving the Odds 170
Athletics (Brawn) 90 Momentum 171
Command (Personality) 91 Action Scenes 177
Counsel (Personality) 92 Movement, Range & Zones 183
Discipline (Willpower) 93 Attacks 191
CHAPTER 8 CHAPTER 10
VEHICULAR MAYHEM 203 ALLIES & ADVERSARIES 252
Vehicle Types 204 NPC Categories 253
Vehicle Profile 205 Groups 253
Vehicular Attacks 206 Fields of Expertise 254
Vehicular Movement 207 Special Abilities 255
Aircraft 210 Encounter Structure 257
Vehicle Pursuits 213 Beasts 258
Vehicle Upgrades 216 Human Foes 263
Sample Vehicles 222 Revenants 270
Vehicle Summary Tables 226 The Hunters 272
Savage Vehicular Mods 228 Los Nigromantes 276
The Skinners 280
CHAPTER 9 Living Legends 284
RULES OF THE ROAD 229
Three Steps to Gamemastery 230 INDEX & APPENDICES 290
Skill Tests 233 Appendix 1: Direct Conversion Rules 290
Momentum 235 Appendix 2: Indirect Conversion Rules 300
Fallout 236 Rules Reference 308
Salvage Points 242 Index 313
Trafficking Phase 243 2d20 Character Sheet 315
Trafficking Activities 245 Savage Worlds Character Sheet 317
Savage Upkeep 251 Backer Credits 318
 FOREWORD BY MARK RAPSON

What seems like an age ago now, I was completing my twice he was writing some truly amazing stuff for some of the fac-
weekly commute from Leamington Spa to Runcorn along the tions that came out of the Kickstarter. Following on from the
dreary M6 motorway (in the UK) to an equally dreary job doing Justice, we filled out BritAttack from just a couple of models
something boring and undefinable for more money than it and art ideas into what is now probably my favourite faction.
should have been. A long and dull 2-4 hour journey depend- Other people beefed out the Skinners, Law Haulage Company
ing on the traffic, punctuated with traffic jams and 10 mile an and Hauls Angels, and then the Hunters coalesced. We were
hour crawls. My mind started to wander and I imagined what having a ride. Not long after that, Marc approached me in his
it would be like to bash the other cars out of my way and race capacity as owner of Red Scar, to develop the game into an
at break neck speed towards my destination, beating the other RPG and I was happy to give him and Red Scar the licence and
cars and lorries there. This little thought of violence sparked help springboard them into existence.
an idea that just wouldn’t go away and as I carried on with
Since then, Devil’s Run has seen 4 variant games, multiplayer
my monotonous journey, I thought back to all the car battle
versions, novellas, war rigs and more factions. Word Forge has
games of the 80s and 90s: Thunderoad, Carwars, Dark Future,
grown to a multifaceted company that distributes for others
all flashed across my mind’s eye. I wanted to play a game like
and both publishes and distributes a myriad of different board,
them again.
dice, card and roleplaying games. With Red Scar’s portfolio
also growing, things are looking rosy for their future too, and I
am pleased that I soon will be able to play the Devil’s Run RPG
with my now 11-year-old son.

The future is post-apocalyptic, and that’s awesome.

Bash, Crash, Smash, Shoot, Race… WIN!

A few months later, and subsequent to the announcement of

Fury Road, I had developed this road-based day dream into a
fully functioning board game called Devil’s Run. Each player
runs a gang of 3-6 vehicles and they both are tasked with
completing a given mission before their opponent is able to.
My son was around 7 at the time and he and I, alongside my
good friend Richard Howkins, developed and playtested to
our heart’s content. Richard and I had already set up Word
Forge Games for a project that never really got off the ground.
Alongside Dominik Kasprzycki, another friend and a talented
artist, we three worked away on fleshing out the game towards
what is now the look and feel of Devil’s Run. We hit Kickstarter
on the day Fury Road hit the cinemas, and our small idea grew
with the backers to a fully fleshed out game, which included
loads of factions and miniatures. We had hit the zeitgeist and
Devil’s Run had landed.

Marc Langworthy and I met at one of Word Forge’s early con-

ventions and we instantly hit it off. We both got excited about
the idea and world we could create and it wasn’t long before
 FOREWORD BY MARC LANGWORTHY

Way back at the tender age of ten, my dad took it upon him-
self to hand me a battered copy of the first part of a certain
trilogy by J.R.R Tolkien. I was hooked instantly and searched
ever further afield, through many different genres, for more
books to fuel my creative hunger.

My over-active imagination has always sought some form of

release; prior to being introduced to Lord of the Rings, I had
directed some fairly elaborate plots involving my Action Force
figures (the British equivalent of G.I. Joe in my youth), Zoids
(anyone remember them?), and certain robots in disguise.
Having Tolkien thrust upon me at such a tender age allowed
me to take this expressiveness to a whole new level, which
meant you would usually find me charging around the woods
behind our school with my best friend, scouring them of orcs
This roleplaying game has not only been made possible through
and similar foul beasts.
the hard work and generosity of Red Scar’s publishing team,
Discovering tabletop roleplaying games was an almost natu- but also through the love and support of family, friends, and
ral progression for this creativity and expression. Despite the Kickstarter backers. It would also never have found its way to
stigma associated with the game in those years, or perhaps you without the continuing support of the Word Forge Games
partly due to it as I grew into my rebellious teens, I indulged and Modiphius Entertainment families. Thank you all!
in every opportunity I could to gather with my close friends
Strap yourselves in. Choose a side. Fight. Survive.
so that we might weave our own fantastic stories. Our first
forays were in the dominant system of the time: Mr Gygax’s
legendary fantasy game. As our appetites matured, however,
we soon delved into other systems and settings.

Alongside roleplaying, I’ve always enjoyed painting and gaming

with miniatures. While I both run and play plenty of roleplaying
games without them, I find there’s just something very cool
about seeing your favourite character represented as part of
a three-dimensional scene at the tabletop.

Fast-forward almost twenty years to a convention I was attend-

ing not long after making my first forays into RPG writing. Mark
Rapson had just launched the initial Devil’s Run Kickstarter
and the zany craziness and visuals of the setting instantly
grabbed me. We were buzzing at the convention and have
continued bouncing ideas ever since. Not long after, the lore
for the Justice faction came to fruition and that led to a whole
new opportunity. I will always remember the call, which took
place during my train commute to my job at the time. Mark
had enjoyed the background for the Justice so much, he asked
if I’d be interested in making an RPG for the Devil’s Run. I have
a healthy respect for all of the other factions of course, but the
Justice will always be special to me because of this.

As the RPG progressed, I was also able to match up this crazy

setting with the award-winning 2d20 ruleset thanks to Chris
Birch and the fine folks at Modiphius. To borrow a classic quote,
the circle was now complete.
HAPPY BOOM-DAY, HONEY “Shame, but you’re still not answering the question.” Rika noted
of the two women heading for the door.
DARREN W. PEARCE
“Touch my bike, baldy, and they’ll bury what’s left of you in a
jar,” Rika said to her and tapped the Sentencer pistol at her
The dust had barely settled on the rough surface as Rika side. “Then they’ll bury what’s left of your friend right along
brought the bike to a halt. The engine purred a little and she with you.” It would have been bravado from anyone else, but
adjusted her eyes to squint against the rising sun. Old Ma’s she had the true edge of steel and conviction to her tone. The
Taco Hell, what a shit-show. A bar outside of what remained Haul’s Angel sat down in a chair and glowered.
of San Fran and full of the worst kind of folk you could imagine
The now trembling Grimy took a swig of a clear liquid to calm
and then some.
his nerves. “OK, OK. Just remember, Elroy told her, not me.” It
Still, she needed answers and short of breaking the skulls of seemed to be for the benefit of everyone else in the bar. “She
every single drifter from here to the end of the broken road, wanted the location of some Haul’s Angels who’re camped
she might as well start in the bar. A couple of nervous-looking out nearby. Didn’t say why, but she was determined to get it.”
bikers, two guys minding their own business, scurried back
“Shit.” Rika hated not knowing why. “Is she from Brazilia?”
indoors. They knew who she was, knew who she led. More
importantly, they knew her rep for doing what was needed “No idea.”
to get the job done. She could use that.
“She have any crew, any high-end gear?”
So she kicked her bike stand upright and sauntered over to
“Naw. She looked like a drifter and drove an old beat up piece
the door, pushed it open with one hand and entered the
of shit car.”
dingy place.
“Hey,” Rika narrowed her eyes. “What kind?”
It stank of people, booze, and desperation. Like most of the
world, it was a place on the edge of a knife and you could “No idea, snake on the front. Least that’s what it looked like.”
sense the shift in conversation as the woman walked right in.
“Something to go on anyway.” She sighed, tossed a couple
Her dark eyes fixed on a small chubby guy and she pushed
of bits of scrap down and squared her shoulders. “Keep safe
past two women who tried to block the way.
Grimy, have another drink.”
“Move, if you know what’s good for you.” She growled and made
“Yeah, yeah…”
a beeline for the bar. One of the women, a Haul’s Angels, mut-
tered a racial insult under her breath and Rika stopped for Rika made for the door but the big woman with the bald head
a few seconds, making a show of noting who it was before and a chip on her shoulder stopped her. The smaller woman
continuing to the bar. “Hey Grimy,” she slapped her leather didn’t even stop to take a breath, she lashed out with a brutal
gloved hand on the top of the old Formica counter. “I need punch that cracked the cheekbone of the bald woman and sent
info, and then I’ll be gone.” her reeling to the floor. Then, for good measure, she snapped
out with her booted heel and broke her opponent’s shin.
“Oh shit, Rika,” the man gulped. “What do you need? Always
happy to help yer blessed self!” “My parents were American and Chinese,” she hissed into the
yowling Haul Angel’s ear. She tore out the earring there and
Rika smiled while keeping a wary eye on the people at her back.
tossed it into the lap of the woman’s companion, leaving ruined
“I’m looking for a woman, red hair, skin like the colour of coffee.”
skin and blood in its wake. “Teach your friend some respect
Grimy, one of the many tenders of the Taco Hell flinched a little. before I decide to come back and preach the Litany.” Not a
“Oh yeah, her. She looked tougher than boot-leather. She had single person moved in the bar, they knew better than to cross
the Devil in her eyes, honest.” the Justice.

“Go on?” Her bike, the three-wheeled Mortifex of the Executioners, sat
untouched outside, the Justice relic, Penance, still sheathed
“She bought a whiskey and then left.”
in its scabbard on the side. Sliding onto the saddle, she looked
“No.” Rika shook her head. “Your face says otherwise, what did down at the tracks before her. One of them stood out, just the
she want?” kind of wheel-base for the car that Grimy described. Gunning
the engine, she took off into the dawn light across the broken
With a deep sigh, Grimy tapped a trembling finger at the side
road. The hunt was on!
of his face, nervously. “She wanted info like you, and she broke
Gav’s arm until he gave it to her.” ***

4
Four wheels tore up the road miles ahead of Rika. The old shell and Jack was the only one left, though with enough burns to
of a once-pristine Shelby Cobra rumbled down what was left pass for a piece of flame-grilled meat. She didn’t ask how Jack
of the highway and left a cloud of dust behind it. The dark had survived, or why he wasn’t screaming in pain. He offered
skinned, red-haired driver with the Devil’s eyes pushed her payment and a bottle of whiskey he’d saved from the fire. Good
foot down further and the car sped up. enough for her.

Nyx had red eyes. She wasn’t sure why, but she loved the way Truth is, Nyx didn’t need much reward to do what she did. She
they looked in a mirror. She adjusted the cracked mirror to see wasn’t noble or altruistic. just a less-shitty person in a world
behind her. Road was clear. No Angels on this part of the high- that was a cesspit. Laying her left arm outside the window, she
way. Pity, because that’s just what she was after following her rolled a makeshift cigarette with her other hand, the car barely
little scene at Taco Hell. She’d have to go back to first principles. drifting as she did so. It was hot already, and it was going to get
Hunt down the assholes herself and deal with them in kind. hotter. Her black combats, short-sleeved t-shirt, and necklace
made from coloured dice were just the thing for this weather
Six days ago, they’d rolled into a little settlement called
when you had the wind blowing in your face and a clear road
Smokestack. A few Haul’s Angels drinking and brawling. End
for miles. As the smoke from her cigarette sailed backwards
of the night, Smokestack was renamed Fireball as blazed like
in the wind her thoughts drifted to better times. Then she
it was the End of the World all over again. Only problem was,
slammed the car to a halt with a screech of tyres. “Well now,
someone hired Nyx to make them pay. Someone who’d sur-
look what we have here,” she purred.
vived that night and earned himself a nickname: Barbeque Jack.
The tell-tale Haul’s Angels logo sprawled across a van barely
Nyx had come to Smokestack to meet up with someone who
held together by spit and prayer had stopped her suddenly.
owed her money, so it was a double-whammy. Client was dead,
If the beat-up van was here, Angels were about and she was
going to be able to get the answers she’d failed to uncover at
Taco Hell.

“Time to ask some questions eh, Matilda?” She reached over

to the back seat and pulled out a scoped rifle. The lens was
slightly cracked, but that didn’t bother Nyx. She’d learnt to
adapt the broken optic into her shooting, so she compensated
for the slightly distorted visual. Shutting down the engine and
snagging the keys, she hopped out of the car.

She checked the van first to see if anyone was still inside. No
such luck. It didn’t take the bounty hunter long to find the
Haul’s Angels tracks. Two of them, big boots, one hob-nailed
and the other losing tread on their soles. They had a third,
someone who was kicking their heels down, slamming their
feet into the sandy floor in a desperate struggle.

“Job just got harder sweetheart,” she said to the gun and smiled
a little wryly. “I like a challenge, though. let’s put the Eye of
Retribution on the foolish.”

She followed the tracks off-road for a little while. Typical of

the Haul’s Angels. Rather than do their dirty work on the high-
way they had to find a snake-hole to crawl into and butcher
some poor bastard out of sight. It didn’t take long to find them.
Two big guys, brutal-looking and armed. One held a makeshift
sledgehammer, the other a big knife with a serrated blade.
Pretty sweet-looking weapon, she thought.

Nyx lay down, settled Matilda into a rock to gain a good line
on them both, then squinted through the broken optic as she
moved the scope from one target to the next. Also clocking the
hostage, she saw a thin guy with a baseball cap and an “I Love
Ham” t-shirt. No idea what the hell that was about, because

5
there was a picture of some kind of radio underneath it. Shaking her head, Nyx retrieved a blow-torch from the dead
thug’s belt and slowly began to cook the detached foot. All
Her finger gently caressed the trigger. She took in a breath and
while smiling at the thug. Ham Boy retched again, this time
held it for a few moments before letting go. She didn’t fire at
at the smell.
that point; it was a ritual she kept to. She watched through
the lens as the first of the big men hefted his hammer high. “So, honey. Going to ask you some questions and I want you
“Roll the bones,” Nyx whispered to the wind. One breath, one to be honest, OK?” Nyx said to the drugged thug. “Get them
moment, in it went and out it came. She breathed out as right, you get tasty meat, k?”
she fired. The shot was perfect. She hit the wrist holding the
The Haul’s Angel, whose name, ironically, was Cannibal,
hammer, ripping a yell of agony from the man and spinning
nodded dazedly.
him round. He obligingly thwacked his fellow Angel on the
side of the head with the blunt end as he did so. “Good boy. All I need to know is where the camp of the rat-bag
bastards who turned Smokestack into a funeral pyre is?”
Angel two went down like a cheap whiskey. Her second shot,
respecting the same ritual, took the second big man through “Oh, that’s easy,” the thug grinned. “I was there. Saw it all. It
the throat. He toppled backwards gasping for air as the back was wicked sick.”
of his neck blossomed into blood and blown chunks of flesh.
Nyx cut off a tiny piece of blackened flesh and waved it under
The battle had taken two shots. Two loud thunder-cracks in the Cannibal’s nose. “Tasty right?”
rocky desert of the wastelands around San Fran. Nyx stood up,
“Oh yeah! It smells like chicken.”
reloaded her rifle with ammo from her belt, slipped the gun
on her back, and slid carefully down the scree slope of the hill “Right! So where’s the camp?” she asked, once again
towards the Angel’s hiding place. She gazed down at the thin waving the meat.
guy curled up in the corner of a pit the assholes had thrown
The drugs dulled the pain in Cannibal’s right leg, now short one
him in. “Hey, Ham Boy,” she said to the guy in the hole. “Don’t
foot, and also addled his sense. “Copper ridge, next to the old
move, got questions for you, OK?”
silo, you can’t miss it. Want to party?”
“I…” He shook his head. “I’m going nowhere.” He threw down
“Oh yes,” Nyx nodded enthusiastically and shoved the meat in
the shovel that he’d been holding. “Bastards had me dig my
the man’s mouth. “We’ll party big time, honey.”
own grave. You send them to hell, miss.”
Ham Boy just remained quiet, really quiet, trying to pretend
“I’ll see. Hell might be too nice for ‘em,” Nyx chuckled. She
he really wasn’t there.
whipped out a boot knife and syringe, both sharp relics of the
Old World. “I’ve got questions for this one, don’t mind me.” Cannibal tasted it, savoured it, and opened his mouth. “More?”

The dead man lay in the dust and his friend burbled quietly and “How’s about this!” Having what she needed, she shoved the
deliriously. Nyx jabbed him effortlessly with the syringe, then whole foot into the man’s mouth and pushed hard until he
sat back on her heels. Dropping the knife into the sand before started to choke. It didn’t take long, and though he was pretty
her, she waited until the grumbling man’s eyes lost focus then sure it was poetic justice, Ham Boy kept his eyes closed the
hauled him upright against a rock and grinned back at Ham entire time.
Boy. “Unless you have a strong stomach, you might want to
“Out of the pit, now.” Nyx said to the cowering man. “That’s
look away,” she said cheerfully.
unless you want to be covered in dead men?”
“Why would I want to look awa….” Ham Boy quickly wished he’d
Ham Boy got out and ran a little way off to sit by another rock,
not asked, because he felt his stomach churn as Nyx began to
then curled himself into a non-threatening ball and rocked a
saw off the thug’s right foot. The Angel seemed oblivious as
little. “Don’t kill me, don’t kill me...”
the serrated knife went to work, the blood didn’t even seem a
problem. He was in a happy place of drunken riots and people “Foolish Ham Boy,” Nyx crooned as she dumped Cannibal into
screaming as they blazed, though he was also dimly aware of the pit. She left knife guy to bake in the sun. “I’m not going to
the sound of something sawing. kill you, but I’d to know why the Angels want such a scrawny
wastelander?” she quizzed as she cleaned her knife and popped
“Hey honey, wake up.” The voice of a goddess pulled him back
it into the sheath on her hip.
to reality, but opened his eyes into the gaze of a demon. “Boo!”
Nyx laughed and winked. “I can make things. Good with tech. Not brilliant… now my dad
was a God of tech.” Ham Boy replied while waving his hands
“What the hell! You crazy waster. You trying to give me a
as though he was making things.
heart attack?”

6
“They wanted me to make the Boom Box.” better that way. Anyone who doesn’t help is an obstacle that
needs removing.” With a roar of the powerful engine, she sped
“Oh?”
off down the highway before the car door was fully shut.
“Yeah. It’s a weapon. My dad made them and I learnt how.”
***
“Boom Box, eh?”
Rika caught up with the tracks left by the Cobra, stopped
“Pity they have my prototype in their van. Probably half way to the bike, and surveyed the van. No one there. Turned over
their camp by now.” and ransacked. Haul’s Angels being plundered didn’t happen
often. Grabbing her sword and dismounting, she started to
“Funny that.” Nyx cocked her head and walked over to Ham Boy.
look around the site. It didn’t take long to find the tracks and
“What do I call you, because I guess Ham Boy isn’t your name?”
follow them to the unmarked open grave. She took in the two
“Ronnie. And Ham is a thing my dad did with radios.” dead men, one shot through the throat, the other choked to
death on what seemed to be his own foot. “Shit, she cooked
“Well, Ronnie, how about you and me take a ride away from
the foot before she fed it to him,” she murmured to herself.
here and you tell me more about the Boom Box, k?” Nyx offered
“Ouch. This has got to be my girl.”
him her hand and smiled once more. Ronnie nervously took
it and the lithe woman hauled him to his feet. Gesturing for After taking one last look around, she went back to her bike,
Ronnie to follow her, she made her way back to the car, her saddled up and gunned the engine before shooting off after
boots thumping against the rocky ground and kicking up little the Shelby Cobra. She was getting closer now.
trails as she went. Ronnie didn’t waste any time falling into
***
step with the tall lithe woman.
Nyx and Ronnie had no idea they were being tracked. Ronnie,
“Road Gods must have been looking out for me today,” he said
the wild-card in the whole thing, tapped his fingers on the
to Nyx. “Who do I thank for saving me?”
edge of the passenger door. “Who is the picture of?”
“Call me Nyx.” She shook her head regarding the Road Gods,
“That’s Matilda. She was my wife. Before the Angels took
but it did sound kind of neat.
her from me.”
“Cool name.”
“Oh shit,” Ronnie sighed. “Sorry. My dad went the same way.
“Huh?” He wasn’t going to make shit for the Haul’s Angels so they
deep-sixed him.”
“The name. It’s an Old World name. Goddess of the Night.”
Ronnie burbled. “We both lost someone, and now we’ll get justice. Man paid
me some good booze to kill a bunch of bastards. Can’t split it
Nyx pursed her lips and tilted her head to the side. “Cool name.
with you, but you in?”
Yeah. You’re not wrong there.”
“Yeah. Angels can die in a fire.”
Ronnie took off at a run as they approached the van. “My bag,
my bag’s in there!” he grinned at the woman. “It’s got my pro- “That’s the idea.”
totypes in and all my tech stuff!”
“I can make it happen.” Ronnie grinned suddenly. “Hey. They
“Good. Grab what you need and hurry up.” Nyx replied. “Give the wanted the Boom Box. I say we give them all the boxes.”
van a quick once over, see if there’s anything useful there k?”
“Oh?”
“Sure thing!” Ronnie just felt happy to be alive, even if he had
“Yeah. Then I give you the Happy Box and we send them to
been saved by someone who’d fed a man his own foot before
hell, right?”
choking him to death with it. He scavenged the van for what he
thought they might need, grabbed his bag, stuffed a shotgun Nyx offered the young man a fist bump, a gesture of respect
in with some ammo, and brought it back to the car. Nyx was she reserved only for those she had time for. “To hell and
already there, the car’s engine purring with the right door open. beyond!” she added.
“Got everything? Good. Get in.”
“Right on.” Ronnie bounced his knuckles against hers and
Ronnie slipped into the passenger seat and smiled as he grinned. “This is going to be big time special!”
spotted a picture of a dark-haired woman on the dashboard.
It didn’t take the bounty hunter long to follow Cannibal’s direc-
“Thanks again.”
tions. She found the camp and parked the car up a little way
“I help you, you help me. Boom,” Nyx shrugged. “World works off. “Pity it’s not night,” she said as she turned off the engine.

7
“It would have been easier at night.” “Happy what day now?” She normally wouldn’t entertain doing
anything of the sort, but it seemed harmless enough, almost
“OK, but its day, and we got a thing to do still. So here.” Ronnie
comical. So she pressed it.
passed the bag to Nyx and rubbed his nose. “We got eight
Boom Boxes. They just need primin’. Put ‘em where they’re There was a sound not unlike the laughter of gods booming
going to cause damage, then press the sad red face until it in the heavens as eight massive explosions rocked the Haul’s
turns a happy green.” Angel’s camp, throwing dust and debris in the air. Fuel cans
went up, ammo cooked off, people went flying, and flames
“OK.” Nyx liked the sound of this. “Easy, simple, lots of retribu-
roared into the sky. Taking advantage of the commotion and
tion in a small package, right?”
dust that flooded the area, Nyx shot into her car, started it
“Lots. Oh, and the big box with the yellow happy button and all up and floored the pedal. She rocketed away before Rika
the red stripes? Don’t press that until you’re out of the camp could stop her.
and away from the bang.”
“Happy Boom Day, right…” Rika squared her shoulders and
“OK. Look after Matilda and the car,” Nyx said, fixing Ronnie with tossed the box away as it started to spark. “Guess that answers
a cast-iron stare. “No funny stuff or we’re going to fall out, k?” that question.” Unusually, she wasn’t sure what to do next.
Part of her wanted to get back on the trail of this woman and
“No funny stuff. Not ever. Never,” replied Ronnie. “We fist-
her sidekick, but another part just wanted to see what chaos
bumped. That’s sacred.”
they’d cause next.
“Cool. Back soon.”
You’ll have to guess which part won, though, because we’re
Nyx was no stranger to being sneaky. She’d escaped gang after done here. Hell of a Boom Day story, right?
gang when she was younger. Stole shit and did things she was
proud of. So many throats cut in the night, so many gangers
dead and ghosted. She moved from the car to the Haul’s
Angel’s makeshift camp in the shadow of the silo like a pan-
ther. Quickly, quietly, and with barely a footfall she snuck in and
strategically placed the little boxes. She applauded herself for
reaching right under the long metal box that seemed to serve
as the Haul’s Angel’s HQ in this camp. Then as quietly as she
slipped in, she slipped back out. Reaching the car, she found
that Ronnie had a new friend. A Chinese American woman,
dark-haired, business-like, and tooled up with a big sword.

“We got a problem, Justice?” Nyx said as she looked the other
woman over.

“Rika. You might have heard it before.”

“Nope. Wicked name though. Powerful.” Nyx had heard of her,

but played it deadpan.

“Er, thanks. But not why I’m here. You’re operating in a region
we’re keeping an eye on, making people nervous. So I’m just
here to ask you a few questions.”

The bounty hunter nodded as she fished out a last box a yellow
button on it. “Ask away,” she said as she toying with the box.

Rika narrowed her eyes and changed the question she’d been
about to ask. “What’s that?”

“Honey, this?” Nyx grinned cat-like and handed the box to the
Executioner. Ronnie pulled himself lower into his seat.

Rika took it and looked at the button. “What the hell?”

“Press it honey. It’s a Happy Boom Day button.”

8
 WELCOME TO HELL

Welcome to the Devil’s Run Roleplaying Game (abbreviated A GAMEMASTER

to the Devil’s Run RPG throughout this book). Check your oil In the Devil’s Run RPG, one player must be the gamemaster
levels, top off your fuel, strap on your favourite weapons, and (GM). They are the host of the game; the one who gets to set
release those nitro valves. Welcome to the post-apocalypse. the scenes, describe environments, present interesting puzzles
Choose a side. Fight. Survive. and encounters, and portray characters not controlled by the
other players. The same person does not always have to be
the GM, but for longer or connected games it makes sense to
SETTING THE STAGE avoid swapping the role from week-to-week.
In the Devil’s Run RPG, the players become characters living
in the post-apocalypse of a nuclear holocaust. The Day of the
PLAYERS
Apocalypse is a grim and distant memory for those who lived
Every game needs players. In addition to the GM, one to
through it, and a terrifying fable for their direct descendants.
six players will each take the roles of the player characters
Almost a full generation has passed since that darkest of days,
(PCs). The players work together to face the GM’s challenges.
yet the Earth still bears terrible scars and many face a daily
Operating as a team, they explain how their PCs are acting or
struggle to scrape together the simple necessities required
responding to their environment and collaborate to ensure
to keep themselves alive.
everyone involved is having fun. It’s possible to play with more
Most of the economies and powers of the world struggle on... than six people, but the more players, the less time each player
most except three large superpowers that are now extinct in gets to share the spotlight.
all but name. North America has become an exclusion zone,
a wasteland ruled by strength and fear. The players take on PLAYER CHARACTERS
the mantle of the bravos, hustlers, and pit bosses seeking Every player will need a player character. Chapter 3: West
to make their mark amongst the factions that have turned Coast Factions, Chapter 4: Character Generation, and Chapter
San Francisco into something of a haven in these desperate 5: Skills & Talents present all of the information players need
times. The players should beware, however, for a haven in the to create new characters. Additionally, you can download
post-apocalypse is by no means somewhere safe to rest your pre-generated, ready-to-play PCs from www.red-scar.com.
head. While they may find themselves safe from the terrors
of the wastelands, they may also be making themselves easy DICE
pickings for the gangsters and thugs above them on the status The Devil’s Run RPG uses two common types of dice found in
ladder of their chosen faction. To climb that ladder, the play- most hobby and game stores. These are twenty-sided dice
ers will need to earn prestige and renown, and the only sure (abbreviated as d20s), and six-sided dice (abbreviated as d6s).
way to gain both is to take a ride on the most terrifying and Ideally, the group will have at least two d20s per player and two
exhilarating highway of them all: The Devil’s Run. or more for the GM. These d20s are used for several different
tasks, such as performing skill tests, determining hit locations
during combat, and determining results from tables, such as
NEW TO ROLEPLAYING GAMES? those found during character creation. The dice are used to
If you have had prior experience with roleplaying games, help determine the magnitude of certain game effects, such
you can safely skip ahead a few pages. If this is your first as physical damage during combat, mental damage sustained
experience with tabletop roleplaying games, by all means from terrifying or traumatic events, and any other effects suf-
continue reading. fered by the characters. More d20s are helpful, as the players
and GM can roll up to five d20s at a time depending on the
Ultimately, roleplaying games are about stretching the
circumstances.
imagination to have fun, a framework within which the
participants can imagine they are heroic adventurers in a Additionally, you will need a dozen or more d6s for the group.
bygone age of savage and exotic wonder. The rules pres- When these dice are used in the Devil’s Run RPG, they are
ent a system to help everyone agree on what happens, called Combat Dice (commonly abbreviated as CD or ). The
encouraging everyone’s imagination to work together to group should have a large number of d6s (CD) to hand. The
make sure that the experience is as fair as it is exciting. players will generally need three to six to determine damage,
and the GM may need a dozen or more as a resource if beads
or other tokens are not being used (see below).
WHAT YOU WILL NEED If dice are scarce, they can be shared between the players and
To get the most out of these rules and begin your tearing up
GM. Additionally, Red Scar make special Devil’s Run dice, with
the freeways of the Devil’s Run, it’s strongly recommended
certain numbers replaced with a Fallout symbol on the d6 and
that you assemble the following before beginning:

10
CHAPTER 1

the ‘1’ replaced with the Devil’s Run highway symbol on the d20. are advised. These can be anything, ranging from poker chips,
While useful, special Combat Dice and d20s are not required coins, glass beads such as found in hobby stores, special game
for play. 2d20 runs perfectly well with standard d6s and d20s. counters, or other small chits or tokens.

PAPER AND PENCILS While these different resource pools can be tracked on paper,
using dice as counters, or even smartphone apps, tracking
These are used to draw maps, keep notes, and track various
these resources with physical items, such as tokens, beads,
game effects. The players will want these to make note of
poker chips, or even other dice, has a number of advantages.
temporary impairments affecting their characters, and to keep
First, it is easier to track the resources by simply adding or
track of clues, important events, and characters they meet
removing tokens from each resource pool, and second, it
during their adventures. The GM may wish to use paper and
makes it much easier for everyone to know how many of each
pencil to track the status and health of other beings in the
of these resources remain for each of the other players and
game, as well as to draw maps for encounters, or write notes
the GM. Finally, there is an exciting psychological element as
to remember key details from the session. Sometimes, the GM
the players watch the GM’s Fallout pool increase, heightening
can pass notes to players to avoid announcing them out loud.
the tension and a growing sense of unease, as Fallout is the
Tablets, smartphones, and laptop computers can help greatly,
resource used by the GM to make life more difficult for the PCs.
but electronic devices at the game table can be distracting
and should only be used with the GM’s consent.
§ THE SAVAE APOCALYPSE
TOKENS, BEADS, OR CHIPS If you’re using the Fast! Furious! Fun! ruleset, you will need
To play the Devil’s Run RPG, the group will need three types a standard set of dice, which includes a d4, d6, d8, d10, d12,
of these counters: at least five per player character to track and d20. Savage Worlds also makes use of a standard deck
Momentum points; at least three per player character for of playing cards with the Jokers left in.
Salvage points; and a dozen or more for the GM’s Fallout pool.
Although they’re not required for play, an official Savage
Each of these resources is described later in the rules. The more
Worlds card deck utilising the artwork from Devil’s Run is
players, the more of these counters of each type are needed.
available from www.red-scar.com/
These can be all the same type of counter, but different colours

11
 WELCOME TO HELL

AN END TO ORDER Conceived through the platform of an exciting and fun roll-
It was hardly a matter of how, but more a question of when ing-road board game called Devil’s Run: Route 666, the setting
the world as we know it would rocket past its tipping point. itself has grown beyond all expectations thanks to a second
Armed manoeuvring and heated political statements had been board game in the form of Devil’s Run: Hell’s Highway, a full
exchanged with ever more frequency between the two great range of 20mm miniatures, and several novellas.
superpowers of the United States and Russia shortly before
Intended to provide fast-paced games of vehicular carnage and
the end. A U.S.-led coalition of NATO forces stationed along
mayhem, the board games focus on desperate missions that
Russia’s eastern front led to border skirmishes between the
can range from gathering supply drops to eliminating nota-
two sets of militaries, until finally, fatefully, the leader of the
ble enemy characters. The rulebook for the initial board game
western world launched a nuclear first-strike.
established San Francisco as its backdrop, gave a brief intro-
For the surviving nations and factions in the world of the Devil’s duction to the setting as seen through the eyes of ‘Doc’ Matters,
Run, the Day of the Apocalypse is a grim and distant memory. an alleged survivor from the days before the apocalypse, and
Despite having occurred only some twenty or so years ago, that introduced seven of the zany factions that vie for domination
horror-filled night has become a tale from another world for of the streets and highways of the once-Golden City.
most—a bedtime story of bloodshed and the wonders of a lost
Many of our own popular influences can be seen within the
age to terrify or enchant unruly children with—for the coping
Devil’s Run RPG, though always with an extreme and wild
mechanisms of contending with daily survival have made it
twist or play. These themes and influences will still be found
seem to the survivors as though centuries have passed.
within the roleplaying game, though the sheer depth available
The descendants of the survivors living amongst the ruins of to a pen-and-paper medium will allow players to explore the
the West Coast of the former United States understand that themes of desperate survival and resultant loss of humanity
life is all too often a question of what they would kill for, what in more depth. It’s also conceivable that it’s not all doom and
they would die for, and how far they are willing to fall to survive. gloom within a post-apocalypse, however, which is another
theme that can be explored thanks to the introduction of one
or two key new factions.
POST-APOCALYPSE
A post-apocalypse deals with the aftermath of TIMINGS
world-changing events that have caused the decimation For a number of reasons, the actual date for the Day of the
and decline of entire civilisations. In a modern literature, Apocalypse (DoA) has been left intentionally vague. First, our
this also often equates to a technological degeneration and own time has already advanced one or two years since the
collapse of civil order. In the Devil’s Run setting, the entire initial board game’s first production; leaving the date unset
world has been affected by a short but intense nuclear provides for a little flexibility where the ultimate timing for
war that destroyed three superpowers and drove their the apocalypse of the Devil’s Run is concerned. Second, the
survivors to the brink of extinction. Not every country is key trigger event for the nuclear war has not been defined.
in terminal decline, however, as some have even managed A number of notable events have transpired on the world’s
to prosper in the days since the Earth stopped shaking. political stage during recent years, any one of which could have
escalated into global warfare on an apocalyptic scale where
POST-APOCALYPSE TECH the history of the Devil’s Run is concerned. GMs should bear
Technology in this post-apocalypse hasn’t necessarily this in mind when establishing a campaign and either define
regressed or stopped working. For the survivors of the an event that led to the apocalypse, or assume that these facts
West Coast, it’s often poorly understood and sometimes have been lost to the chaos and trauma that followed.
accorded a mystical or supernatural status. From the sonic
The roleplaying game is currently set within the board game’s
and microwave weaponry of the Avant Guard, to the jet-
timeframe, some twenty years or so after nuclear fires and a
packs and acidic weaponry of the Justice, technological
deadly virus wrought untold destruction. Future products will
“advances” have largely followed the historical pattern of
seek to explore other time frames, such as the days and years
creating innovations that deal death and destruction; a
immediately following the apocalypse, or the possibilities that
tendency that humanity seems to be unable to escape.
might have transpired in the decades and centuries to follow.
Built from the scraps of the old order, these marvels of
ingenuity have been dubbed Post-Apocalypse Tech, or PAT, By a fair margin, the critical infrastructure, resources, and pop-
by those nations outside of the Quarantine Zone that still ulation centres of the northeast and southeast regions of the
concern themselves with the affairs of the survivors within. former United States received the heaviest retaliatory nuclear
bombardment. Other regions also saw nuclear detonations, but

12
CHAPTER 1

the atomic fires burned brightest along the eastern seabord. WEST COAST RIVALRY
Those cities and states that did escape nuclear annihilation The current factions of note that operate in San Francisco or
were not spared the horror of death, however, for their homes other areas of the West Coast are briefly explained below.
were instead subjected to the evils of the Revenant Virus.
AVANT GUARD
All across the west coast, airbursts delivered their deadly
Relative newcomers on the scene, the fierce Avant
chemical payloads and turned cities into mausoleums popu-
Guard appears to have trekked southwards from the frozen
lated by the walking dead, for the Revenant Virus not only killed
climates of Canada. They have had several run-ins with the
the living, it then reanimated them as rage-fuelled zombies
Jets along the way, but their vehicular juggernaut seems hell-
whose only instinct was to tear the living apart and feast on
bent on steaming into San Francisco. Their strange mix of sonic
their flesh.
and microwave weaponry might just carry them across the
threshold.

THE REVENANT VIRUS BRITATTACK

Popular fiction of our time often predicts that a zombie
The founding members of BritAttack originally hailed
bite will transfer or stimulate the virus that turns the living
from Texas, though the faction now calls Pacifica its home.
into undead, but this isn’t the case with the Revenant Virus.
The First Governor of BritAttack, Miles PonsonbySmythe, has
Although the virus itself is a virulent and terminal strain that
established intricate layers of gang-style honour—the Rules
will kill and reanimate, it also mutates as it does so. Once
of Gent and Sundry—that apply to all members. The Gents, as
a corpse has risen, the only danger is the Revenant itself.
they are sometimes called, control a number of sub-gangs
The Revenant Virus itself is a potent liquid strain some- that largely govern themselves so long as they adhere to the
where between a bacterium and virus in classification. rules and answer the First Governor’s call.
Under the right conditions, the Revenant Virus can also
become airborne, which makes it a terrible danger to all FREELANCERS
human life. Unlike a virus, it can survive almost indefinitely The Freelancers aren’t truly a faction on their own, as
outside of a host, but, unlike a bacterium, it doesn’t multi- they’re less a unified society and more disparate groups of
ply. The Revenants that were spawned in the wake of the mercenaries and individuals that hire themselves out to the
first bombardments have long since turned to dust, but the highest bidder. Despite the odds, the Freelancers manage to
virus still lurks in the dark corners and basements of the survive on their own in a dog-eat-dog world that grinds the
empty cities and streets along the West Coast, patiently weak into the dust and hammers relentlessly at the strong.
waiting for its second coming. Their skills are often highly sought-after for this very reason,
although the strange practices of some Freelancers can some-
times mean that the employer ends up contending with more
Law, order, and civilisation collapsed into barbarism along the
than they bargained for.
West Coast as the survivors of the deadly attacks there fought
with all the ferocity and tenacity they could muster in order
HAUL’S ANGELS
to merely stay alive. Almost as if carried by the wind, word
The fierce brothers and sisters of the Haul’s
seemed to spread of a single city that had been spared from
Angels dominate the southern streets and buildings of San
destruction: San Francisco, the Golden City. Groups of survivors
Francisco. Their intense rivalry with the Law is a blood feud
made their way there by any means they could, with some
that has been fuelled by a number of incidents, with neither
arriving years after the death of the United States. Few, if any,
side now willing to back down. The Haul’s Angels operate as
found the sanctuary they were looking for, however, as the
autonomous Chapters, but will never fail to answer a call from
streets and highways of the city were now firmly in the grip
another Brother or Sister.
of a new Law.

Throughout the twenty-odd years since the Day of the THE HUNTERS
Apocalypse, the streets and tenements of San Francisco have More global TV phenomenon than faction, the Hunters
become hotly contested turf between two rival factions. The spend their time chasing down criminals and dangerous nota-
security offered by the so-called “safe zone” has also drawn bles for the state-owned Brazilia entertainment company, Rio
the attention of several gangs from outside the city, while one de Janeiro Empresa de Radiodifusión. They are given the best
or two other communities that have managed to survive and equipment and vehicles that the superpower can supply in
thrive tend to their own borders and steer clear of the rivalry. order to complete their missions, whilst live TV recordings of
their brutal runs ensure they stay on top the world’s ratings.

13
 WELCOME TO HELL

JETS SKINNERS
The vast complex known as the Boeing Everett The savage faction known as the Skinners is a group
Factory was a perfect place to ride out the raging storm of the of degenerates, psychopaths, and cannibals that
apocalypse. Even the tide of Revenants that marched past their have lost any shred of humanity in the years since the apoca-
doors couldn’t detect the presence of ripe, living flesh from lypse—assuming that some of them had any before, of course.
within the environmentally sealed structure. The faction that Their leader, Skulltaker, is a former Chapter Master of the Haul’s
grew out of these survivors has a penchant for jet turbines and Angels who failed at his attempt to become president. As a
Avgas that often leaves others choking on their dust. result, the entire Skinners faction consider the flesh of the
Angels to be a delicacy.
JUSTICE
Though they chafe under the arrangement, the THE TEAMS
Justice has been a loose ally of the Law Haulage Co Although they were just as unprepared as anyone
for over a decade thanks to a deal brokered between Richard else for the raging undead that the Revenant Virus
Law and the then High Justice Miriam. Governed by a set of unleashed, the Navy SEAL teams at the Naval Amphibious Base
strictures called the Litany of Justice, this matriarchal society Coronado reacted with swift and decisive action to secure
governs the island of Alameda and operate unique PAT such their own borders. Over the days, months, and years since that
as their jetpacks and Sentencer handguns. fateful day, the survivors and their descendants have grown
into a close-knit family that order their daily lives according
THE LAW HAULAGE CO. to strict military codes. The Teams live on and honour their
The Law Haulage Co wasn’t the first faction to lost and fallen.
arrive in San Francisco following the apocalypse;
its members were already living there. Their leader, Richard THE VYKERS
Law, ruled the entirety of San Francisco with an iron fist for Not everyone on the eastern side of the
several years until the Haul’s Angels arrived to challenge his Pacific Coast and Sierra Nevada ranges has
dominance. The gang mostly controls the north of the city and been lost to nuclear devastation or chemical attack, although
relies on the Justice to protect their eastern flank. Separated those who did survive usually gave something of themselves
into both districts and divisions that parody the jurisdictions in order to do so. The Vykers were founded by a close-knit
and paraphernalia of the law enforcement agencies of old, the group of friends that had spent far too long prior to the apoc-
members of the Law are more extortionists, racketeers, and alypse lost in online games and television shows. At the cost
thugs held together by a vicious dictator than anything else. of an oath to Odin the AllFather, the Viking-like society they
established has saved many from Ragnarok.
LOS NIGROMANTES
The Los Nigromantes—The Necromancers—were an
insidious death cult gaining increasing popularity
NEW SUPERPOWERS
Three Superpowers annihilating each other overnight could
prior to the Day of the Apocalypse. In its aftermath,
have all too easily plunged the entire globe into an escalating
they have become an institution and new religion. The priests
spiral of utter annihilation, but luckily, cooler heads prevailed
of the Los Nigromantes use fear, intimidation, and superstition
amongst the leaders of the world’s other nations. As an imme-
to administer their flock, whilst anyone who doesn’t agree with
diate response to the shock and horror of the brutal nuclear
their philosophies is ushered into the ranks of the Revenants
exchange, the heads of many governments looked to their
that they unleash on their enemies.
own borders and populations. Issuing an immediate decla-
ration of global emergency, each country instituted its own
SEVEN FIRES
internal plans in preparation for the resultant fallout. One or
The indigenous tribes that called the lands of
two countries were even able to provide assistance to other
North America home long before the United
nations once their own plans were underway, which began to
States was ever conceived had already been
lay the foundations for the emergent Superpowers that hold
through one apocalypse that decimated their
sway now, twenty years after the apocalypse.
people and destroyed their heritage. Though they bear many
scars from this second apocalypse, the numerous indigenous
BRAZILIA
survivors have drawn together and established a multi-tribal
A few short months following the DoA, the combined nations
community that is thriving both spiritually and economically.
of South America completed work on a hastily erected security
It may not be long before they reclaim much of the land that
zone called the Panama Defence Barricade (PDB), an impene-
was once stolen from them.
trable wall designed to keep out Revenants and survivors alike.

14
CHAPTER 1

In the years since then, the continent of South America has UNITED COUNTRIES OF EUROPE
become a combined nation of two distinct social classes: the The member states of the European Union were some of the
ruling aristocracy and their indentured citizens. Brazilia is sep- few countries to look beyond their own borders following the
arated into fiefdoms that answer to their president, which is a initial devastation. In an attempt to spare as many lives as they
position that is traditionally held by the strongest of the ruling could from the ensuing fallout and nuclear winter, they quickly
elite. The rest of the population either work to ensure that agreed a mutual support system that would allow them to pool
the opium trade remains productive, join the military, or seek their resources. Working alongside South American countries,
escape from their virtual enslavement through incentives such their humanitarian efforts even extended to establishing the
The Hunters TV phenomenon. Continental Allied Quarantine. Unfortunately, these incentives
spread those very same resources too thinly and resulted in
DUAL KINGDOM the deaths of millions. Five years after the apocalypse, the
The Dual Kingdom was born out of a coalition that saw the decimated populations of Europe that had survived those
nations of Australasia and the United Kingdom beat back the dark times came together and signed an alliance that bound
desperate forces of the Republic of China after the apocalypse. them more deeply than ever before. In addition, they agreed
Having salvaged and mustered all of the forces they possibly to a system of governance from the strongest seat of power
could from their shattered homeland, the remaining military amongst them: France. The UK was the only nation that refused
might of the Republic of China descended on Australasia with to sign the treaty.
a grim determination to establish a new empire. Of the inter-
Despite commanding superior technology, the United
national powers left in the world, only the United Kingdom
Countries of Europe (UCE) have never fully recovered from
answered the call for assistance from their old allies.
the decimation of their populations. They have also depleted
Following a year of intense conflict and heroic actions from their remaining resources to critical levels, which has recently
both opposing forces, the armies of the Republic withdrew to caused the UCE to adopt a policy of aggressive reclamation.
the shores of Taiwan. The war left the nations of Australasia
leaderless and in turmoil, so the King of England offered to
install his brother as steward of a temporary government that THE CONTINENTAL ALLIED QUARANTINE
would oversee the rebuilding of the region. The king’s brother In an effort to coordinate the delivery of relief and support
became firmly established as Australasia’s ruler and several to survivors in North America, Russia, and China, NATO
other countries in the region have joined the alliance, securing established an emergency headquarters in London. It
the Dual Kingdom’s continuity seem for the foreseeable future. quickly became apparent, however, that the east coast
of the United States and large swathes of Russia and China
SUPER REPUBLIC OF INDIA were unapproachable due to radioactivity. South American
India’s initial reaction to the nuclear conflict was to look to their countries also pledged support, which empowered their
own borders and ensure that they could protect as many of combined efforts with the ability to establish relief zones
their own as possible from the resultant fallout and global eco- and focus them in key areas of the United States.
nomic crises. Their border with the Republic of China, which
With the Revenant Virus sweeping the North American
had suffered heavily under the initial first-strike, meant that
continent, however, support to continue efforts on the
they suffered an extended period of catastrophically altered
ground disappeared rapidly. Perhaps to assuage their guilt
environmental conditions and hazardous weather conditions.
over the establishment of the Panama Defence Barricade,
India’s people persevered in the face of adversity, however, and
the countries that had helped to establish the relief zones
turned the second-hand technologies so common within their
instead agreed to create a system of air-dropped supplies
country towards new incentives that would not only protect
and committed to continue them indefinitely.
and defend them from an altered global stage, but would also
allow them to flourish. Spotting a wing of flying fortresses in the midst of drop-
ping their pallets and crates of gas, food, medical supplies,
Recently, one visionary man who had established himself as
and other commodities is enough to launch the gangs of
the richest person in the world shared almost the entirety of his
North America into a frenzy of violent action as they race
personal wealth with his fellow citizens in India and their neigh-
to become the first to claim the valuable stash.
bouring supporters, thereby giving rise to the Super Republic
of India with one single instant of humility and generosity. The
Refurbished Utopia, as some have come to call it, is a spiritually
and economically enlightened place that has rapidly become
one of the wonders of the reshaped world.

15
 WELCOME TO HELL

ORDER TO CHAOS DIFFICULTY

The Devil’s Run RPG roars to life through both the 2d20 and A task’s difficulty (a value from 1 to 5) is determined by the GM.
Savage Worlds systems, two independent rules systems that The levels of difficulty, and some examples of the tasks that
seek to keep the action focused on the players through unique might fall into each level, are described on the table opposite.
and interesting features. You will find he following symbol Factors affecting a task and advice on setting a difficulty can
where the Savage Worlds ruleset is referenced: be found on p. 167 in Chapter 7: Conflict & Drama.

§ BASIC SKILL TEST

The player rolls 2d20. For each die with a result equal to or less
Head to www.peginc.com for options if you would like the full
than the test’s TN, the character scores a success. A number
set of rules that will make your games Fast! Furious! and Fun!
of successes equal to or higher than the difficulty of the test
means they succeed at their task. Each result that is a success
AN INTRODUCTION TO 2D20 and is also equal to or lower than the PC’s Focus in that skill
Unless otherwise referenced by the symbol indicated above, generates a bonus success, which is in addition to the standard
the following headings provide an overview of the basic rules success accrued for rolling equal to or less than the TN.
that relate to the 2d20 system.
COMBAT DICE
SKILL TESTS For 2d20, Combat Dice (or ) are a particular way of rolling d6
Whenever a character attempts a task where the outcome is to determine damage and govern special effects. When rolling
in doubt, a skill test will be required to determine whether the , ignore any results of 3 or 4. Any 1s or 2s are added together
task succeeds or fails. to determine the total damage, while a 5 or 6—referred to as
an Effect (see p. 164)—can trigger certain special abilities in
TARGET NUMBER addition to contributing a point of damage.
Determine the Target Number (TN) of the skill test by adding

COMBAT DIE
the character’s relevant attribute to their Skill Expertise.

ATTRIBUTES ROLL VALUE

Each character is defined by a collection of seven attrib-
utes, all of which help to determine the TN of a particular 1 1
task. These attributes indicate a character’s inherent abil- 2 2
ities and their physical and mental limitations. Attributes
are covered in more detail in Chapter 4: Character Creation. 3-4 0
For now, a summary is provided below:
5-6 1, plus an Effect
• AGILITY: Physical and manual dexterity, sense of
balance, body control, and reflexes.

• AWARENESS: Perceptions, sensory acuity, gut feel- SKILLS

ings, and instincts. Skills represent a character’s specialised training within a
certain field—knowledge, proficiency in tools or devices, condi-
• BRAWN: Strength, toughness, endurance, and the tioning, special techniques, and so forth. Each skill is associated
ability to apply physical force.
with an attribute, representing the logical connection between
• COORDINATION: Hand-eye coordination and spatial that skill and the character’s basic capabilities; Engineering and
awareness. Wild Tech are skills based on Intelligence, for example. Both
Expertise and Focus range in number from 0 to 5, with neither
• INTELLIGENCE: Wit, intellect, logic, and reason. ever able to increase beyond 5.
Applying knowledge or interacting with technology.
Skill Expertise: A character’s Expertise relates to their grasp of
• PERSONALITY: Charisma, comfort in social situa- the subject. Expertise in a skill increases the chance of success.
tions, and the ability to be threatening or charming
as required. Skill Focus: A character’s Focus in a skill is achieved through
constant practice, superior discipline, and deeper insight.
• WILLPOWER: Grit, determination, and psychological Focus with a skill improves the quality of success.
resilience.

16
CHAPTER 1

is limited to a roll of a natural 20. Some circumstances may

SKILL LIST increase the range in which a Complication occurs, which
is simply known as an increase to the Complication Range.
AGILITY
Multiple Complications can be triggered by a single skill test.
Acrobatics, Melee, Stealth INTELLIGENCE
Engineering, Lore, The inconvenience of the Complication is independent of suc-
AWARENESS
Medicine, Wild Tech cess or failure, meaning it is entirely possible to succeed at a
Insight, Observation,
skill test while simultaneously generating a Complication that
Thievery PERSONALITY
will make things a little more interesting for the characters.
Animal Handling,
BRAWN The Complication should never turn a success into a failure,
Command, Counsel,
Athletics, Resistance however. If a character’s gun runs out of ammunition on a
Persuade, Traffic
successful attack test, for example, it happens only after their
COORDINATION
WILLPOWER last shot strikes the target.
Drive, Firearms, Heavy
Discipline, Gang Warfare,
Weapons, Pilot
Survival FALLOUT AS COMPLICATIONS
If the GM has trouble thinking of a good Complication in the
moment, they can instead add 2 Fallout to their pool. If an
COMPLICATIONS NPC suffers a Complication, the players can similarly choose
A Complication is an inconvenient change of circumstances to have the GM remove 2 Fallout from their pool. Fallout and
introduced by the GM in response to certain die rolls. Examples its uses are described in more depth on p. 236.
include a new obstacle to overcome (an explosion that cuts
off an escape route), a loss of resources (losing a Reload for a
weapon), something that impairs the character (a tyre blowing
MOMENTUM
When the number of successes scored on a skill test is greater
out), or an embarrassing situation (a social blunder).
than the difficulty, each excess success becomes a single point
When making a skill test, a Complication occurs every time the of a resource called Momentum. Momentum can be spent
natural result of a d20 roll falls within a certain range, known immediately to perform the task faster or more effectively, or it
as the Complication Range. Normally the Complication Range can be saved for the group and applied to subsequent actions.

17
 WELCOME TO HELL

Momentum can also represent cooperation, group dynamics, character who achieves the greatest quantity of Momentum
leadership, action coordination, assistance, and other forms succeeds, achieving their goal. In the case of a tie, the character
of teamwork. Momentum is a powerful resource not only with the higher Expertise in their skill wins.
for individuals but for groups working in concert. Players are
If there are no other factors involved, the difficulty of an
encouraged to be creative in their use of Momentum as they
opposed test is usually Simple (D0), i.e., the winner of a straight
build success on top of success.
race will simply be the character with the better skill test.

SPENDING MOMENTUM Opposed tests with higher difficulties represent situations in

Characters may freely spend any Momentum available to them, which it is possible for everyone participating in the task to fail.
including any generated on a test at hand, on whatever ben- Adding rain and strong winds to a vehicle race, for example,
efits they wish. Unless a spend is noted as Repeatable, each might increase the difficulty of Drive tests for those involved.
Momentum spend may be used only once on any given task .
If either side has some circumstance which would make the
So long as they have sufficient Momentum — and assuming the
test more challenging for them than for their opponent, simply
chosen spend does not have a cap — Repeatable Momentum
adjust the difficulty of that individual’s test.
spends can be used as often as the character desires.

EXAMPLES OF MOMENTUM SPENDS UNTRAINED SKILL TESTS

• CREATE OPPORTUNITY: Spend Momentum to add A character can make a skill test using a skill in which they
bonus d20s on a skill test before rolling. Each bonus die possess no Expertise. Since they have no Expertise to add,
costs 1 Momentum, which is Repeatable to a maximum the TN for the test is simply equal to the relevant Attribute. An
of three bonus d20s at a total cost of 3 Momentum. untrained test, however, increases the Complication Range by 1.

• CREATE OBSTACLE: Spend 1 Momentum to increase the

difficulty of an enemy’s skill test by 1 (Repeatable to a IMPROVING THE ODDS
maximum of Epic [D5]). Skill tests of Daunting (D3) and above require more than two
successes, which is obviously difficult for a character rolling
• BONUS DAMAGE: Spend 1 Momentum to add 1 damage only two dice. This is an inherent feature of the system, as more
to an attack (Combat Momentum spend; Repeatable).
difficult tasks require some degree of effort above and beyond
• DISARM: Spend 1 Momentum to disarm an opponent simply attempting the test. There are several ways to add d20s
(Combat Momentum spend). to a character’s skill test, but regardless of the method used, a
character cannot add more than three bonus d20s to a single
Additional Momentum spends are listed on p. 172 in Chapter
test. This limits the dice pool to a maximum of 5d20 for tests.
7: Conflict & Drama.

MOMENTUM
SAVING MOMENTUM As mentioned opposite, the Create Opportunity Momentum
Players may place unspent Momentum into a group pool. Up
spend can be used to buy additional d20s prior to a skill test.
to 6 Momentum may be saved in this way. Any player in the
group can draw from the pool, spending it in addition to any
PAYING FALLOUT
Momentum generated on a skill test. A unique d6 or a pool of
If there is insufficient Momentum available to spend on Create
tokens are an easy way to track group Momentum.
Opportunity, then a player has the option of paying Fallout

MOMENTUM DEPLETION to cover the cost. The end result is the same: each point of
Fallout the GM gains is a single bonus d20 towards their skill
The group loses 1 Momentum at the end of each scene, or the
test. This is freely available, and can be done at any time, but
end of each round during an action scene.
comes with the price that the GM now has greater resources

MOMENTUM AS FALLOUT to empower non-player characters (NPCs), or can otherwise

complicate the characters’ adventures.
The GM does not need to track saved Momentum for each indi-
vidual NPC. Instead, NPCs with unspent Momentum at the end In the GM’s case, they instead spend Fallout points to add
of their turn convert that remaining Momentum into Fallout. bonus dice to an NPC’s test. Fallout is detailed on p. 236.

SALVAGE POINTS
OPPOSED TESTS A character can spend a Salvage Point (see p. 170) before
When two characters are in direct opposition to each other,
attempting a skill test in order to add a bonus d20 to the test.
each character involved in the task performs a skill test. The

18
CHAPTER 1

called Components. These resources are normally associated

DIFFICULTY ZERO TESTS with a particular type of item or tool, which are in turn associ-
Circumstance, talents, items, and abilities can all serve to ated with a particular skill. Each use of a resource grants bonus
reduce the Difficulty of a skill test to something inconse- d20s on skill tests that use the associated skill. Some resources
quential. At other times, a test may be so easy and basic may also grant a small additional benefit. This is an easy option,
that it does not require a test in the first place. These but a character is likely able to carry only a finite quantity of
are Simple (D0) tests. If a test is Simple (D0), it does not Components, and their limited use for particular skills makes
require a test: it is automatically successful with 0 suc- them less flexible than Momentum, Fallout, or Salvage.
cesses, requires no effort whatsoever, and carries no
risk of Complications (see below). However, because no TEAMWORK
test is made, it can’t generate Momentum — even bonus If the situation, time, and GM allow, several characters can
Momentum from talents, gear, or particularly advanta- work together as a team while attempting to perform a task.
geous situations.
One character is designated as the leader, and the other char-
In circumstances where something significant is at stake, acters are designated as assistants. In order to assist with a skill
or during a dramatic sequence of events, the GM or player test, each player must describe how their character is assisting
may request a skill test for a Simple (D0) task, representing and what skill they are using to do so. If the GM approves, each
a potentially unexpected outcome even when all seems assistant rolls their nominated skill test using a single d20.
predictable and safe. This test takes the normal amount
To benefit from assistance, the leader must score at least one
of time and generates Momentum as normal (since 0
success. If they do, then all successes generated by the assis-
successes are required to pass the test, every success
tants are added to the leader’s total. If the leader fails, the
generated is Momentum). Such a test also comes with
successes of any assistants are lost.
the risk of Complications.
Complications rolled by the leader and their assistants are all
totalled and take effect regardless of the leader’s outcome.
The die is not rolled, but is simply set on the table with the ‘1’
facing up and otherwise counted normally. This means it will Assistants may not use any means to purchase additional dice,
automatically count as a success, and characters with any Skill but the leader may buy additional dice using Momentum as
Focus will immediately gain additional successes. normal. The maximum bonus of +3d20 to the leader’s test still
applies. Note that successes granted by assistants are bonus
If the PC scores enough successes with just d20s bought with
successes, not bonus dice.
Salvage, the player may choose not to roll any dice and thereby
avoid any potential Complications. Players can spend multiple
points of Salvage on a single roll, but they must be spent before VOLUNTARY FAILURE
the rest of the dice are rolled. Dice bought with Salvage count There are situations where it might be better to fail rather
as part of the d20 pool, so if one or more are spent, the maxi- than gain bonus dice through Momentum, Salvage, or Fallout.
mum number of dice allowed in the roll is adjusted accordingly. Examples include a skill test for a skill with which the character
has no training, or a test with a Difficulty level so high that suc-
Salvage Points are powerful resources that each PC can also
cess is unlikely. In these cases, Complications are being risked
use to the following effect:
when there is little-to-no chance of actual success.
BONUS ACTION: Perform an additional Standard Action (p. 180)
So long as there are meaningful consequences for failure (such
on your turn during an action scene. Each character may only gain
as being pursued, attempting to perform a complex task under
one additional Standard Action each round in this way.
pressure, avoiding an attack, etc.) and the gamemaster agrees
IGNORE PLIGHT: Ignore the effects of one type of Harm (p. 194), to it, the player may choose to have their PC fail a skill test
end a condition, or the ignore negative effects of a trait (p. 75) automatically. To fail voluntarily, the player pays the 1 Fallout,
until the end of the scene. as opposed to the 2 or more Fallout potentially added by
Complications. In exchange, the character immediately gains
STORY DECLARATION: Introduce a fact or add a detail to the current
one point of Salvage (up to the normal maximum). A character
scene. (The GM may veto some story declarations, or require mul-
may never choose voluntary failure for a Simple (D0) skill test.
tiple Salvage Points for particularly large or significant inclusions.)

EXPENDING RESOURCES
Additionally, many characters carry around physical resources,
such as ammunition loads, mechanical parts, and medical

19
CHAPTER 2

17YBA
MARKING TIME Chuck Angstein (Miles PonsonbySmythe) is born.
As mentioned in Chapter 1: Welcome to Hell, the actual
year that ended the world as we know it is left deliberately 9YBA
open to interpretation. Instead, the passage of years are As a financial crisis engulfs the globe, Jean-Paul Dumas leads his
referenced in relation to the Day of the Apocalypse (DOA), religious community from Baja California to Baja California Sur.
with those before denoted as Years Before the Apocalypse
(YBA), and those coming after marked as Years After the 8YBA
Apocalypse (YAA). The United States government attempts to disperse the People,
prompting the tribes to unify under the Coalition of Sovereign
Expanded detail relating to each faction can be found in
Peoples (CSP). During the skirmishing, the CSP establishes a
Chapter 3: West Coast Factions.
rudimentary structure that will eventually lead to the more
formal Root, Trunk, Leaves structure of their society.
DESCENT INTO MADNESS
4YBA
THIRTY-TWO YEARS BEFORE THE APOCALYPSE (32YBA) An unnamed baby boy is presented to the staff of Saint
Richard Law is born.
Miranda’s Home for Orphans.

30YBA 3YBA
In small but slowly increasing numbers, the People of the Great
Russia annexes Ukraine, prompting the United Nations
Plains and Midwest tribes begin drifting towards Hualapai
to enforce US-led sanctions. The United Kingdom finally
lands. Francis Whittle is born.
leaves the European Union. Denmark, Norway, Sweden, and

24YBA Switzerland follow shortly afterwards. The man destined to

become Skulltaker is born. Jean-Paul Dumas’s message of inte-
Francisco Gomez (Head Hunter) is born.
grated religious beliefs continues to grow thanks to webcasts,
blogs and celebrity endorsement on the dark web.

21
 A POST-APOCALYPTIC TIMELINE

2YBA (RZCs) are established across the northern continent. In the

China and Brazil become dominant as the two largest import/ United States, these are set up in San Francisco, Pittsburgh,
export hubs for Russia, with both economies showing no Boston, Chicago, Seattle, Lincoln, Miami, Atlanta, New York,
reduction in growth. The Treaty of Sovereign Canyonland is and Fort Worth.
signed and the People forever mark the day as Sovereign
Existence Day. APRIL
As residual radiation continues to make communication diffi-
1YBA cult and Revenant attacks multiply, contact with relief workers
The Hundred Day War plunges the UK and Russia into a cold becomes strained. Dubbed the Zombie Barricade, a barrier
war state. The Zurich Fiasco forces many European leaders out designed to keep out the undead is rapidly completed in San
of office, with most landing in jail. Relatively unscathed by the Francisco. Admiral Kneeson institutes a desperate plan to
controversy around it, France seizes the opportunity to usurp save North Island and its personnel from being overrun by
Brussels and Berlin, placing it in firm control of the European Revenants from mainland San Diego.
Union. Switzerland’s economy crashes, leaving the country no
choice but to request membership. MAY
The Panama Defence Barricade (PDB) is completed, which
effectively isolates all of North and Central America from
THE DEATH OF REASON the south.
YEAR OF THE APOCALYPSE (YOA)
JUNE
FEB
The Boston RZC stops signalling. Lacking any opportunity
Aged 32, Richard Law is found guilty of embezzlement.
to confirm survivors, massive zombie attacks are publicly
announced as the cause despite there being no basis in known
MARCH 7
fact. The Marshal Law gang overruns the San Francisco RZC.
US intelligence services gather intel pointing to an imminent
To validate their reign and ensure relief efforts continue, the
joint Russian/Chinese invasion. The United States activates
city’s new ‘government’ maintains radio contact with the UN
“Operation: Freedom”, which initiates pre-emptive strikes
against Moscow and other key targets.
JULY
The El Mexicano TV series is released to massive critical acclaim
MARCH 8
and instant success in South America. Its protagonist, Francisco
Retaliatory strikes from Russia and China hit the United States.
Gomez, becomes an overnight star.
The combined payloads obliterate the country, leaving most of
the Eastern Seaboard glowing, and every other major city dec-
AUGUST
imated by airburst detonations. A top secret naval anti-missile
The Fort Worth RZC stops signalling. In San Francisco, the Bay
system being tested at Alameda spares San Francisco.
and Golden Gate Bridges are blown to protect the city from
the tide of Revenants migrating from Oakland and the north.
MARCH 9
A sailboat leaves Miami heading into the Gulf of Mexico, but
The Revenant Virus, which had been loaded into some of the
is soon wracked by tragedy and terrible storms.
Russian payloads, “zombifies” a portion of the population. The
virus is further mutated by the presence of nuclear material
SEPTEMBER
from Chinese bombs.
The Grand Council convene and establish the treaties that rede-
fine the CSP as the Six Fires. In a prophetic vision, Jean-Paul
MARCH 10
Dumas comes face-to-face with Yahweh-Bondye and merges
Miranda Selah receives a prophecy delivered unto her by
with the spirit. Proclaiming himself the New Messiah, Dumas-
the Archangel Michael. She can lead her people to salvation.
Bondye begins reorganising his cells and renames them as Los
Assembling her flock, she embarks on a crusade of deliverance.
Nigromantes. Sirac, Bear, Bloodbeard, and Fennis disembark
Enraptured by her divine calling, Miranda’s followers take to
from a battered boat in Orange Beach, Alabama.
calling her Mother Selah.

NOVEMBER
MARCH 11
Fallout and catastrophic weather patterns combine to create
NATO Emergency Headquarters in London declares North
a deadly winter. The Chicago RZC closes and a convoy signs
America a Continental Allied Quarantine (CAQ). To better coor-
off departing for the Pittsburgh RZC. It never arrives. Localised
dinate relief efforts on the ground, major Relief Zone Clusters

22
CHAPTER 2

relief efforts are temporarily halted, though they ultimately

never resume. Thousands of aid workers are stranded within THE SOUTH AMERICA WAR
the NQZ, prompting supplies to be air-dropped near major Brief, bloody. and violent, the South America War wasn’t
holdout locations across the United States. The United Nations won with standing armies and war materiel, but rather
pledges to continue its relief drops indefinitely. private militias and political bribes. Sensing an opportu-
nity to place themselves on the seats at the top table, the
South American cartels worked in tandem to end the war
RISE OF THE NEW ORDERS and seize control of their various governments. Creating
ONE YEAR AFTER THE APOCALYPSE (1YAA) Brazilia and eliminating traditional political borders not
only allowed the flow of product to increase internally, but
JANUARY
also allowed the fiefdoms to boost international export.
Fallout begins to reach Europe, hampering further relief efforts
as concerns rage over the “American Zombies” spreading into
the European Union and United Kingdom. 2YAA
MARCH
JULY
Columbia attacks Venezuela and the remnants of Panama,
Tentative exploratory efforts soon make it clear that Russia,
sparking the South American War.
much of China, and some countries bordering the European
Union — including Finland — have become irradiated exclusion
JUNE
zones. Nothing has survived.
A lack of water mixed with temperatures that soar over 135
degrees Fahrenheit decimates the Atlanta RZC.
SEPTEMBER
Dumas-Bondye’s trusted lieutenant, Deacon Calavera, unlocks
JULY
the secrets of the Revenant Virus. Religious customs are
Amala and Nigella PonsonbySmythe are born. To Miles’s
attached to the twisted practices that he ordains the virus
anguish, Nigella’s mother dies in childbirth.
for, further cementing Dumas-Bondye’s divinity in the eyes
of his followers.

23
 A POST-APOCALYPTIC TIMELINE

AUGUST 4YAA
The Marshal Law gang is ravaged by the Law Haulage Company.
APRIL
The survivors are either absorbed by the Law Haulage Co. or
Miriam becomes High Judge of the Justice. They form an alli-
thrown beyond the Zombie Barricade to never be seen again.
ance with the Law Haulage Company shortly after.

OCTOBER
JULY
The Hunters TV mini-series is launched and soon goes global.
Several Leaves of the Seven Fires scouting the outskirts of
With a new series commissioned instantly, it draws millions of
Phoenix are mauled by a Los Nigromantes cell and their horde
viewers a week within the first few episodes of its relaunch.
of Revenants.

NOVEMBER
DECEMBER
Increasing numbers of People arriving from the northern
Miriam gives birth to Cadence. Running critically low on fuel
wastelands encourage the Grand Council to reconvene and
reserves, scientists of the Seven Fires make a breakthrough
invite the Lakota to the Fires. Six becomes Seven.
with the miracle plant named Anishiinaa.

3 YAA
JANUARY LAW & JUSTICE
In the midst of a harsh winter, Yves Mahieu invents incredi- A consummate long-term planner, Miriam arranged for
ble microwave technology that allows his fellow townsfolk to Cadence to be raised amongst the Law Haulage Co. by
breach the frozen surface of Lac Saint-Jean in Quebec, Canada. surrogate parents. Though both Richard and Miriam kept
tabs on their daughter from afar, neither took a direct hand
MARCH in raising her or ever made her aware of her true parentage.
After several Leaves encounter heavy resistance in Las Vegas, With tensions on the rise between the Law and Justice, it’s
the Grand Council of the Seven Fires declares the city a seclu- likely Richard is growning to rue his lack of involvement.
sion zone for the foreseeable future.

5YAA
MAY
The Justice gang arrive in San Francisco and immediately clash APRIL
with the Los Nigromantes cult on Alameda Island. After great Raids on the San Francisco area by savage gangs that will even-
sacrifice, the Justice claim victory and rename Alameda as tually unite under the Skinner banner increase in frequency.
the Island of Justice. Richard Law joins forces with his allies, the Justice, to cleanse
the wasteland of their threat. The Reign of Law and Justice
JULY lasts for six months, eventually driving the remaining savages
Barely two months after their triumph, the Justice run afoul of from the Bay area.
the Law Haulage Company and matters soon escalate. With
the Law Haulage Co. distracted by the skirmishing, savages JUNE
overrun Saint Miranda’s Home for Orphans. Only two boys and Disgusted by Los Nigromantes and their abominable practices,
a girl survive the attack. In San Diego, The Teams fully reclaim the Seven Fires return to wage war against the cell residing
North Island. in Phoenix.

AUGUST JULY
Following a year of internecine warfare, the country of Brazilia The Viking Bikers leave Orange Beach behind them. They arrive
is formally recognized by all global powers and the world’s in Mobile shortly after and establish a new basecamp.
first new superpower is born. Unfortunately, it encompasses
a corrupt continent fuelled by narcotics and led by a series of OCTOBER
Dictators who are superseded as quickly as they are assassi- Despite being nearly decimated, the desperate and savage
nated. The Baja California Peninsula is also formally recognised gangs of the wasteland beyond San Francisco congregate in a
as a National Quarantine Zone. new location that allows them to launch a number of reckless,
daring raids and opportunistic attacks. The continental coun-
tries of Europe sign the Wroclaw agreement, forging the United
Countries of Europe (UCE) out of the ashes of the European
Union. The United Kingdom declines an offer to join.

24
CHAPTER 2

6YAA JULY
Their ranks now swollen greatly and their settlement in danger
MARCH
of being overrun by Revenants, the Vykers quit Mobile in search
Thanks to guile, cunning, and sheer bloody-mindedness, the
of new lodgings.
Haul’s Angels have formed from the remnants of every biker
gang still operating in southern and central California into a
unified fighting force. They blaze a path of destruction through
the savage gangs haunting San Francisco’s outskirts before
PANDORA’S CELL
Much like the hosts it reanimates, the Revenant Virus just
setting up in the remains of the city’s airport. With supplies in
never seems to die out. So long as the body it inhabits
San Diego proving slim pickings, The Teams direct their atten-
continues to feast on flesh, the virus is able to keep its host
tion towards Tijuana but are almost overwhelmed by several
from decomposing further. Born out of self-preservation,
mutated Revenants.
Revenants have a burning need to feed, eventually even
turning on each other to ensure their survival. Of course,
JULY
whoever designed the virus did so under laboratory condi-
The Haul’s Angels launch surgical strikes against the Law
tions. Once it met the outside world and began to mutate,
from their base in San Francisco’s airport. They attempt to
Pandora’s Box was well and truly open. Then the Revenant
take the city but are fought to a standstill. A temporary truce
Virus fell into the hands of Los Nigromantes...
between the Law Haulage Company and the Haul’s Angels is
broken within hours as the Haul’s Angels take advantage of
the ceasefire to claim the majority of a large district from the 9YAA
Law. Despite the battles raging across the city, the Bay Bridge
FEBRUARY
is rebuilt with a quick destruction mechanism and is renamed
The BritAttack arrive in the Bay area and quickly settle in
the ‘Arms of Justice’. Across the Atlantic, Denmark and Sweden
Pacifica. Their leader, Miles PonsonbySmythe, sets up alli-
agree to join the UCE.
ances with both The Law Haulage Company and the Haul’s

7YAA Angels, who are both still nursing their wounds after the San
Jose Massacre.
MAY
The San Jose Massacre occurs, which results in the deaths of APRIL
many Law Haulage, Justice, and Haul’s Angels members. The The Teams broach the outskirts of the Los Angeles metropol-
leader of the Haul’s Angels is cut down in the crossfire. San itan area, where they encounter a large Los Nigromantes cult
Francisco is bisected into two territories in the wake of the and their Revenant horrors.
Massacre, with the Law Haulage claiming the north-east of
the city and the Haul’s Angels the south-west. JUNE
The remnants of the Republic of China invade Australasia. Only
JULY the United Kingdom answers their call for aid.
The technological wizard Manish Gaur develops high-yield solar
technology in India. JULY
Having struggled across the haunted wastelands of the South
AUGUST Central states, the Vykers meet their first true test in Bellemont,
Facing the prospect of another cruel winter with meagre Arizona. A furious war with the Seven Fires tribes forces the
resources, Yves Mahieu relocates to Val-Jalbert with anyone Vykers to continue moving further westwards.
who will follow. Not long after they settle, Yves’s son, Jeremie,
assumes leadership of the Avant Guard. 10YAA
JANUARY
8YAA The Vykers arrive in Palm Springs. Word of their arrival reaches
MARCH The Teams, who keep a wary eye on the fur-clad berserkers.
The BritAttack enter Las Vegas. Skirmishing constantly with
both the locals and nearby Seven Fires, they abandon their JULY
plans to settle there and move further west. Under the guid- Miriam is ousted as High Judge and further censured from the
ance of Aitch, the Burning 8s go nomad. Covenant of Magistrates.

25
 A POST-APOCALYPTIC TIMELINE

SEPTEMBER AUGUST
The Teams send an extended patrol to Phoenix, which returns The Queens of the Wastes begins a campaign of terror in the
with news of well-organised Native American scouts. For their wastelands to the north of San Francisco. Although it never
part, the Seven Fires scouting party returns to the Great Council really ends, they are eventually absorbed into the Skinners
with news of an organised military force not seen since before when Skulltaker adds their leader’s hide to his seat.
the collapse of the United States.
16YAA
11YAA MARCH
JULY General de Gaulle leads the Quarantine Expeditionary Force
The Vykers depart Palm Springs. Enacting a hasty plan, The (QEF) to the shores of Canada. They attempt to enter inside
Teams plant a trail that leads the Vykers towards the outskirts the Gulf of St. Lawrence, but the frozen bay forces them to
of Los Angeles. dock at St. John’s, Newfoundland.

SEPTEMBER JULY
A UK-led coalition force beats back the Chinese in Australasia. Cadence invents the Jetpack. Massacre joins the Hunters.
Following a sovereignty agreement signed in the aftermath,
the King of England gifts stewardship of Australasia to his 17YAA
younger brother and names him King of Australasia. The Dual
MARCH
Kingdom is born.
Miriam’s eldest daughter, Amala, gains the seat of High Judge.

12YAA The Sky Student Justice Corps is formed.

APRIL APRIL
Thanks to its solar technologies, India becomes the most finan- The Vampyr Incursion rocks the BritAttack, who send a small
cially powerful country in the world. convoy to the east of Pacifica on a mission known as the
NewJersey Job.
JULY
Having skirmished constantly with Los Nigromantes cells and
the horrors they unleash, the Vykers plant their flag at the TASTE FOR BLOOD
Griffith Observatory. Ultimately aiming for the heart of Los Vampyr’s betrayal rocked the BritAttack to its core and
Angeles, they immediately being cleansing the hills and streets caused a schism that it has never fully recovered from.
around them of Los Nigromantes taint. Over time, the Clans could have probably overlooked
Vampyr’s attempted murder of the FirstGovernor and
AUGUST the death of one of his BeefEaters. The BritAttack’s very
After signing various support agreements with its neighbours, setup promotes rulership through strength, after all. What
India swiftly annexes the remnants of China that escaped is truly unforgiveable in the eyes of both Miles and the Gent
destruction. and Sundry is the fact that Vampyr deserted his faction to
take up with another. This was an unheard of act for the
14YAA BritAttack, and they intend to ensure that it’s never heard
Rather than face absorption by an ever-expanding India, of again. The Clans have vowed to burn him, and see if his
Malaysia, Thailand, and the Philippines seek an alliance with ashes turn green.
the Dual Kingdom. Other parts of South-East Asia follow suit
within a year or two.
MAY

15YAA Now the richest man in the world, Manish Guar shares 99% of
his personal wealth with India and its partners, giving rise to
MAY the Super Republic of India (SRI).
Aya Decadencia becomes the first and only person to ever
navigate the PDB, though many insist she did so in the wrong AUGUST
direction. She promptly joins the Hunters, rebrands herself as Financially strapped and low on natural resources, the UCE
the Road Ronin, and goes on to become the second most invade Africa. The African countries quickly pledge allegiance
popular character in the show. to the Dual Kingdom for protection.

26
CHAPTER 2

18YAA Company bolsters its Armoured Division and renames the

route as Hell’s Highway.
JUNE
Miriam dies from the Revenant Virus. Vampyr joins the Hunters
JUNE
and various BritAttack Clans head south. They also establish
Amala is maimed in a jetpack accident and Cadence replaces
the Questing Knights and dispatch them on a secret mission.
her as High Judge. Riot Grrl joins the Hunters. Neith Grimm is
Francis Whittle invents the Meteor.
expelled from the BritAttack, leading him to take his brother
Bjorn on a quest for retribution.
JULY
Waning viewer numbers for the Hunters TV series are bolstered
JULY
by introduction of new protagonists known as ‘The Good Old
At the Griffith Observatory, Janice awakes from her coma.
Boys’. Nigella PonsonbySmythe falls for a young BritAttack
Declaring her a völva, the Vykers immediately begin prepara-
cad named Neith Grimm. General de Gaulle and the QEF track
tions to follow up on the first words she utters.
Avant Guard scouts to Val-Jalbert.

SEPTEMBER
19YAA Nigella is lost in an attack by the Hunters, sparking a war
FEBRUARY between the Hunters and the BritAttack. The Hunters gain
The Law Haulage Company discover a massive paint manufac- unexpected support from the East in the form of the Vykers,
turing plant in the San Pablo Bay area. They begin developing while the BritAttack are bolstered by a delegation from the
methods to refine the oil-based products for fuel. However, Law Haulage Company led by Chief Hogson.
the San Pablo Run route garners significant interest from the
savage gang known as the ‘Purple Caussairs’. OCTOBER
The NewJersey Job is declared a failure and all team members
APRIL MIA. Africa becomes the third realm of the Dual Kingdom and
With more than eighty-percent of their convoys returning a principality of the Prince Regent. Having scouted through
to San Francisco having been ambushed, the Law Haulage the summer, the Avant Guard and QEF lay siege to Seattle.

27
 A POST-APOCALYPTIC TIMELINE

20 YAA JUNE
The remnants of the Questing Knights limp into Pacifica.
FEBRUARY
The skirmishing between the Jets and Justice significantly
As his beaten rival, Skulltaker, skulks into the shadows, Slider
decreases as the Jets are attacked from the north by the
assumes leadership of the Haul’s Angels. In his first act as
Avant Guard.
President, Slider orders reconstruction work to begin on Saint
Miranda’s Home for Orphans. Following an unknown agenda,
JULY
the leader in waiting of the BritAttack, LordHood, takes the
The Pillaging of Santa Cruz by the BritAttack, Haul’s Angels,
Misfits under his wing.
and Law Haulage Company.

MAY
Skulltaker resurfaces and attacks the Haul’s Angel’s headquar-
ters at the head of a savage gang. The few remaining Skinners
who remained are either evicted from the Haul’s Angels or THE EPICENTRE
killed. Skulltaker leaves the Haul’s Angels to nurse their wounds Despite having survived a nuclear holocaust and subse-
and focusses on uniting the survivors of his old chapter and quent Revenant tide, the future is not looking rosy for San
the savages into the new Skinners. Friction sparks between Francisco. Only ever unsettled on the best of days, the vio-
the Traditionalist and Expansionist tribes of the Seven Fires lence between the Law Haulage Company and the Haul’s
at a convening of the Grand Council. Angels is escalating daily. Add to this the fact that the
Justice are becoming restless under the Law Haulage’s
JULY yolk, the Avant Guard are pressing in from the north, and
The Burning 8s return with news of rich pickings North of the the Vykers are becoming more aggressive in the south,
Bay Area and an alliance with a gang known as The Teams. and it’s easy to see that San Francisco’s future is uncer-
Reports of Los Nigromantes once again becoming active in atin indeed.
the outskirts of San Francisco are received by multiple factions.
Of course, it would be relatively easy for a tightknit band
of adrenaline addicts to make their mark in these turbu-
NOVEMBER
lent times. Who knows, they could even end up at the
Alsa quits the Justice, stealing away their holy relic, Absolution,
head of the next faction to stake their claim on a peace
as she does so. A second of the Justice’s holy relics, the Aureflam,
of turf. The streets of San Francisco might once again be
is stolen by Lillian during their hasty quest to track Alsa.
destined for a blood-soaked future, but someone needs
to come out on top.
THE HERE & NOW
21YAA (PRESENT)
JANUARY
Spurred on by their failure to recover their holy relics, the
Justice begin focussing their attention on expanding into Bay
Farm Island.

APRIL
Having initially skirted San Francisco, the Jets gang appears
from the east and immediately run afoul of the Justice’s ire.

MAY
The SRI and Brazilia impose sanctions on the UCE for break-
ing international regulations established by the terms of the
Continental Allied Quarantine.

28
 WEST COAST FACTIONS

away, however, the more frequent internal squabbles became.

Seeing little alternative, Eva formed the Avant Guard’s police
force, the Mounties, to keep the streets of Val-Jalbert free
from strife. To her regret since, she also inadvertently placed
herself in a long-term position of authority.

Though understanding the need for the Mounties, and despite

being the one who had left her little choice, Jeremy grew to
resent his sister’s burgeoning influence. His outlook and
approach became more violent, his reasons for sending out
patrols became more bloodthirsty. Outsiders they encoun-
tered were now threats rather than potential allies. With patrols
lasting longer and longer, there was also a need to rethink
transportation methods. Yves and his students moved their
attention to mechanical undertakings, which rapidly expanded
the pool of available buggies and trucks. Jeremy had pushed
the Avant Guard into becoming a motorised war party. All they
were lacking was heavier firepower.

Enter General de Gaulle and the Quarantine Exploratory Force

AVANT GUARD (QEF). The QEF are an advance scouting party tasked with find-
The Avant Guard were conceived in Roberval, on the frosty ing areas rich in natural resources for the United Countries of
shores of Lac Saint-Jean, Quebec, Canada. In a remote pocket Europe (UCE). Venturing forth from a clandestine base to the
of relatively untouched wilderness, a small community of survi- north-east, the well-armed and well-equipped QEF stumbled
vors began to thrive under the leadership of Yves Mahieu, local across the Avant Guard and left them with little choice but to
engineer and radio technician . Given the constraints of availa- co-operate. Well aware that the Avant Guard’s microwave tech-
ble power in the region, Yves’s attention turned to repurposing nology and other homebrew equipment would make surviving
microwaves from abandoned homes into new technology the harsh cold far easier, the QEF wasted no time in embracing
capable of generating and directing extreme heat. Before long, their new allies. Employing the Avant Guard as guides to navi-
he was able to melt the frozen crust atop Lac Saint-Jean and gate the contaminated areas of Canada further sweetened the
provide the community with access to a huge surplus of water. somewhat one-sided deal. For his part, Jeremy instinctively
understood that the weaponry offered by the QEF provided
Years later, in the face of a cruel winter, Yves relocated the com-
boundless opportunities to slake the bloodthirst coursing his
munity to the long-abandoned ghost town of Val-Jalbert. While
veins. The QEF eased their path to documenting areas brim-
the journey was arduous, reclaiming the settlement and its
ming with natural resources, while the Avant Guard’s transition
hydro-electric production allowed the community to once again
into a fully motorised army was finally complete.
thrive. Survivors from surrounding towns and villages began to
join them, which prompted a leadership change to Yves’ son, A far more vicious Jeremy now helmed the Avant Guard war
Jeremy, as the population grew. There was little objection, as machine, one who had seen much violence in the barren
Jeremy had already proved himself a respected leader of the wastes, and who now longed to put his warband to the test.
community’s frequent scavenging parties. Needing a formal The Avant Guard vanguard and their CEF allies ventured west,
name to unify the different groups now under him, he settled eventually crossing the old border and reaching the limits of
on Avant Guard to honour the creativity and inventorship of Seattle, which was now haunted by the cannibalistic Omega
Yves that had allowed the community to survive against all odds. gang. The QEF waited in the wings and observed as Jeremy
and his warriors roared forth into furious battle. The following
Unfortunately, a dramatic growth in the Avant Guard’s num-
days tested the Avant Guard’s grit, tactics, and equipment to
bers over the subsequent years had a polar effect on Jeremy’s
their limits, but the blood-soaked streets of Seattle were finally
interest in overall leadership. Being sequestered in Val-Jalbert
and Jeremy’s thirst for blood momentarily slaked.
and managing the affairs of others was not something that

CURRENT AFFAIRS
gave him motivation. He began to once again lead scouting
parties, eventually pushing for longer and longer expeditions.
Jeremy has firmly fixed his eyes on San Francisco. Growing
Jeremy’s sister, Eva, was appointed as steward in his absence.
larger and more savage after each encounter they resolve,
Whilst well loved in the community, Eva was uncomforta-
the Avant Guard steamroll southwards. Now holding a sacred
ble when dealing with conflict. The more time Jeremy spent
standing amongst the troops as the man who encouraged the

30
CHAPTER 3

change from local scavengers to full militant force, General de a community leader during the absence of his children, instead
Gaulle rides alongside the force in his personalised car, the trusting in his daughter’s appointment of the Mounties over
Présidentielle. Knowing that the QEF can sit comfortably in the community’s affairs.
the shadow of the Avant Guard shock troops, he fully endorses
their bloodthirsty approach. MEMBERSHIP
Members of the Avant Guard are almost all French-speaking
Jeremy’s unhealthy fascination with San Francisco has
Canadians. General de Gaulle and the QEF, who largely origi-
stemmed from information gained during the battle of Seattle.
nate from France, enjoy the full respect of their counterparts.
The Avant Guard are of the understanding that San Francisco
Non-French speaking members of the UCE are either tolerated,
is home to multiple motorised warbands that are of similar
ignored, or viewed as obstacles.
stature their own. Whether fuelled by the need to further prove
his worth in the field of war, the desire to expand the existing During the journey through the Canadian provinces, any native
force, or his uncontrollable desire for violence, Jeremy is so groups encountered were invited to join the growing war band.
fixated on San Francisco that little will stop the Avant Guard Jeremy’s ‘join or die’ approach to membership replaced any
in eventually making it their next theatre of war. formal initiation. New recruits needed only to prove them-
selves in the next bloodthirsty engagement. Again, non-French
Eva has recently left Val-Jalbert to join the motorised force.
speakers are viewed as outsiders, whilst anyone considered to
She is intent on soothing the unbound violence that grips her
be ‘Gross Boudan’—from the wrong side of the U.S. border—is
brother in the hope of steering the Avant Guard back to help-
to be killed on sight.
ing and liberating the stragglers they encounter. Her attempts
to date have been unsuccessful however, and as each conflict The inception of the Mounties and subsequent rampage across
passes, the lure of her brother’s bloodlust weakens her resolve. Canada have both contributed to distinct roles being created
within the Avant Guard. Even in the field, the Mounties still fulfil
With the Mounties remaining in control of law and order in
the role of gendarmerie, though they are the most brutal and
the absence of Eva and Jeremy, Val-Jalbert remains a grow-
unforgiving where the Gross Boudan are concerned. The scouts
ing and vibrant community. Older and weaker than ever, Yves
and roving marauders of the warband have recently taken to
has become a recluse, though his mind remains alive with
referring to themselves as Hellequin, a practice which everyone
the ideas that allow the community to flourish. His dedicated
else seems happy to adopt. Finally, the Ingénieurs operate as
band of Ingénieurs working tirelessly on his inventions and
the technicians and engineers of the Avant Guard. Each is indi-
advancements. Despite public opinion, Yves refuses to stand as
vidually tutored by Yves, which has led to them worshipping

31
 WEST COAST FACTIONS

him with an almost cult-like reverence. The Ingénieurs fre- decisions of his children, though his dedication to enabling their
quently make it clear that they are carrying out their patron’s activities is currently undeniable.
bidding; no-one ever asks what would happen if that mandate
JEREMY MAHIEU: Yves’s first son and the leader of the Avant Guard.
were to ever change.
Jeremy’s place is now well-solidified as a blood thirsty warrior and
Those fighters who prove themselves as particularly brutal in keen tactician. Having left the confines of the Avant Guard’s home
battle are appointed as ‘Capitaine’. These men and women are community of Val-Jalbert, he seems determined to live on the road,
entrusted by Jeremy to lead advance scouting parties or scav- driven only by his bloodlust and desire to kill those he considers
enging missions. Traditionally, Jeremy would have led all such responsible for the ruin of the earth.
activity, but the growth of the Avant Guard has led to an expo-
EVA MAHIEU: Daughter to Yves and sister to Jeremy, Eva proved
nential requirement in the number of scavenging patrols to
herself as the people’s champion, establishing order and democ-
cater for repairs and food. Led by Capitaines, these small groups
racy in Val-Jalbert as her brother’s absences grew. After the
may find themselves separated from the main force for days
implementation of the community’s gendarmerie, the Mounties,
at a time, though they rarely stray too far. Understanding the
Eva became increasingly concerned over her brother’s thirst for
risks in dividing his forces, Jeremy is a stern believer in keeping
violence. She eventually joined Jeremy and the QEF on road,
his warband as large and imposing as possible.
hoping her presence would calm his decision making. In reality,

TOOLS OF THE TRADE Jeremy’s hidden resentment of her leadership capabilities has done
nothing but worsen his anger and bloodthirstiness.
The Avant Guard war machine is built around a solid core
of heavily armed and armoured Patreon support vans and GABRIEL MAHIEU: The youngest son of Yves Mathieu and under-
Defenseur armoured cars. Assault vehicles primarily consist appreciated sibling to Jeremy and Eva, Gabriel left Val-Jalbert with
of high-speed rough-terrain Bugheis (buggies) and Traînos Jeremy and — like his brother — now considers the road to be his
(tracked bikes) that operate as a skirmishing force, roving ahead home. A skilled fighter and talented tracker, he coined the term
of the main party and reporting back via the advanced radio ‘Hellequins’ in honour of the fast-moving scouting that he regularly
equipment that Yves and the Ingénieurs fit to the Patreon vans. leads. Whilst Jeremy does not give any true leadership respon-
They also take part in raiding and scavenging parties, proving sibility to his younger brother, both he and Eva can see Gabriel’s
themselves to be reliable all-round vehicles for the Avant Guard. potential, and both accept his capability in battle.

ALLIES AND ENEMIES

Yves’s technical grounding has also made him an impressive
weaponsmith. Beyond the regular munitions manufactured
Jeremy and the Avant Guard do not take prisoners or entertain
by the Ingénieurs, Yves’s own sonic and microwave weaponry
grudges. Each confrontation is seen as a proving ground for
is now commonplace in the main war party, which ranges in
the force and a release of the pent-up anger that Jeremy holds
size and scope from handheld, close-proximity Brûleurs, to the
inside. The Avant Guard consider anyone who resides between
vehicle-mounted ‘Générateur de Pulsion’ that employs low fre-
the Mexican and Canadian borders to be a bitter enemy and
quency sonic pulses to flip vehicles that stray too close.
fair game in their quest to vent their bloodlust.
A number of Ingénieurs, hand-picked by Yves for their ingenu-
General de Gaulle and the QEF are the only true allies of the
ity, now ride alongside the Avant Guard and their skirmishing
Avant Guard. While considered by most to be one and the same,
parties. Acting as mobile vehicle and weapon technicians, they
the Avant Guard and the QEF still remain separate, with the
enjoy implementing their updated designs and new ideas as
QEF quietly working to document and observe both the prow-
they go. As such, it is not unusual to find a large array of highly
ess of Jeremy’s forces and the pockets of usable resources
experimental weaponry on the armoured cars of the Avant
they encounter across the North American landscape. The QEF
Guard’s central force.
stand side-by-side with the Avant Guard in battle, though it

MAJOR PLAYERS has been noted that they focus more on self-preservation, are
far more reserved than Jeremy’s frenzied troops, and rarely
YVES MAHIEU: Considered to be the founder of the Avant Guard
place themselves in the line of fire.
and the saviour of the community, Yves’s passion for technology
and design innovation enabled the survival of thousands of native
Canadians on the banks of Lac Saint-Jean. Though all of the field-
work is now conducted by his Ingénieurs, his designs and ingenuity
enabled the Avant Guard war machine to launch their campaign
of blood. Leaving the Mounties to police the community and his
students to run his tasks and errands, Yves now rarely leaves his
workshop in Val-Jalbert. He never comments on the actions and

32
CHAPTER 3

§ SAVAGE AVANT GUARD

AVANT GUARD CULTURAL PACKAGE AVANT GUARD INITIATE PACKAGE

• FROM THE RIGHT SIDE: The Avant Guard are dominated • LANCER: Potential initiates who meet the Avant Guard’s
by French-speaking Canadians. Regardless, every- entrance criteria become a Lancer, where they then spend
one is expected to learn the lore and language. They time proving themselves to their Capitaine.
begin play with d4 Faction Lore (Avant Guard) and d4
Language (French). • ATTRIBUTE REQUIREMENTS: Smarts d6+
• INGENIOUS INGENUITY: The Avant Guard’s Ingénieurs are • SKILL REQUIREMENTS: Language (French), Faction Lore
(Avant Guard), Repair
constantly innovating and creating tech, which they readily
share with their peers. Avant Guard characters begin play • BASIC GEAR: Buggy, Croozer or Motorcycle (choose one),
with one Arcane Device from those presented in this book. Casual Clothing, Tool Kit, Winter Gear.

• GROSS BOUDAN (ENEMY, MAJOR): Anyone from the wrong

side of the U.S/Canadian border is an enemy. No questions
asked. This places the Avant Guard into conflict with anyone
but their own.

33
 WEST COAST FACTIONS

of leadership and refused to follow his rule. The remaining

members of the rabble were left in no doubt as to who was
now in charge. To reduce infighting and promote familial bonds,
Chuck split the whole into a number of sub-factions, gave each
a number of predetermined locations at which they would all
meet to share information, and set their ultimate destination
as Fort Worth.

The Machiavellian plan worked, with each faction becoming

self-sufficient yet happy to follow his direction. Arriving at Fort
Worth, they found a landscape left untouched by nuclear dev-
astation but decimated by the Revenant Virus. Chuck planned
and executed the raid as a means to further solidify the bonds
he had delicately fostered. In dedication to his ancestors, he
emerged reborn as Miles PonsonbySmythe and rapidly set
about reinventing his newly named Clans into his own twisted
vision of glories past. BritAttack had survived their trial by fire
that simultaneously baptised them in blood.

Reordered into the Gent and Sundry under new Rules of

Conduct, the now well-equipped warband maintained their
BRITATTACK Clan set up and continued to meet at predetermined location.
A powerful collection of Clans able to hold their own against the
A new level of communication thanks to radio equipment sal-
other power-house factions of San Francisco, BritAttack were
vaged from Fort Worth, however, meant they could also remain
founded on dreams of brutal honour in barbaric times. Before
in constant contact. Enemies attempting to confront any one of
he became Miles PonsonbySmythe, BritAttack’s FirstGovernor
the Clans would soon have the full force of BritAttack bearing
began life in Austin, Texas, as Chuck Angstein. Fascinated by
down on them from all directions.
his family’s heritage at a young age thanks to his grandfather’s
bedtime tales of their crime legacy and bygone power, Chuck Carving its way toward San Francisco, the warband picked up
investigated his family’s brutal history and learned that the new members who were introduced to the Gent and Sundry
Angstein’s distant Smythe ancestors had adopted the name by way of a beating and a clear explanation of the Rules of
‘Ponsonby’ on their arrival to New York in the mid-19th century. Conduct. The Clans arrived at the outskirts of San Francisco
The Ponsonbys became heavily involved in the New York boot- during the ruthless turf war between the Law Haulage Co. and
legger trade of the Prohibition era, which amassed them wealth, the Haul’s Angels. Leaving the potential opposition pick to
power, and reputation. In return for information that brought themselves apart, the BritAttack pooled their forces and set up
down serval prominent gang leaders, they ultimately secured a a base of operations in the heart of Pacifica — since re-named
deal with the US Government which saw them relocate to Texas Port Strangford in honour of the original Smythe, Sir Thomas
under diplomatic immunity and the new name of Angstein. Smythe, 1st Viscount Strangford. From this stronghold, the
Gents hire out their talents to other San Francisco gangs who
The passing of Chuck’s grandfather led to him being sent to
need muscle and wait for Miles to command their next moves.
attend military school, where he rapidly began to gain a sense of
doctrine, dedication, and teamwork. Though a deep-seated lust
CURRENT AFFAIRS
for power and prestige remained, his new-found honour and
Miles has taken to referring to BritAttack as the Realm. With
focus vanished instantly in the fires of the first viral airburst that
the warband holding a heavily fortified base at Port Strangford,
detonated over Austin during his 10th grade summer trip home.
and the Gents available for hire on the condition that they
As one of the area’s few survivors, Chuck joined a group head- do not kill their own, his long-term plan for the BritAttack is
ing west in search of shelter from the hordes of ravenous flesh becoming increasingly unclear. This fact is made more confus-
eaters that now lined the streets. The group’s numbers grew ing by the unspoken but obvious physical and mental decline
as they travelled, but so did their slide towards barbarism. its FirstGovernor. Miles and his Lord Protector of The Realm,
Realising that their current path would lead to destruction at LordHood, seem to have closed ranks and remain quiet on his
the hands of them-selves or the undead around them, Chuck illness. Exactly what ails Miles is unknown, but the betrayal of
decided it was time to take the reins of leadership himself. one of his own — Vampyr — seems to have triggered the decline.
In a number of violent and public battles, he systematically
One of the founding members of BritAttack, Vampyr had sworn
removed every member of the group that claimed any level

34
CHAPTER 3

himself to Miles from the day he took his name. Always known MEMBERSHIP
as a nomad and loner, Vampyr rarely spoke unless required to BritAttack members adopt a strange hybrid accent, somewhere
at formal gatherings. His passion for pushing the boundaries between Texan and mock-British. They dress eccentrically,
of the Rules of Conduct, however, seemed to grow in tandem wearing traditional British headwear such as the Bowler or
with his increasingly frequent roving, with many surprised at flat cap. Despite somewhat odd appearances, BritAttack are
just how much insubordination Miles would tolerate from the well trained and disciplined thanks to their Clan-like structure
ill-disciplined vagabond. engenders mutual support on and off the battlefield. Each Clan
has their own identity and leadership, though all answer to the
Settling at Port Strangford led to Vampyr becoming progres-
FirstGovernor. Despite the individuality displayed across the
sively more vocal at Realm meetings. Confinement within the
faction, all abide by the expectations of the Gent and Sundry
city’s walls led to an anger akin to a caged animal and his yearn-
and the Rules of Conduct. Without fail, inter-clan feuds are set
ing for the warband’s return to the open road despite Miles’
aside in the face of any true enemy.
clear instruction to remain in Port Stangford led to insubordi-
nate tirades. Miles eventually snapped and ordered Vampyr’s While the original core of BritAttack are Texan, many new
public flogging on grounds of his disregard for the Gent and recruits were picked up along the trail to San Francisco and
Sundry’s Rules of Conduct. Humiliated and further enraged, the ranks are open to all they encounter. New recruits are
Vampyr sought murderous revenge on the FirstGovernor. The initiated as GutterRats for a pre-determined period of time
attempt was only just stopped by Miles’ personal bodyguards, and assigned to the Clan that the Gents think will best fit their
the BeefEaters, but at the cost of Taff’s life. With Vampyr having personality. GutterRats are treated badly and gifted with the
taken leave of Port Strangford in Taff’s Speedster, Miles has worst and most dangerous jobs. Making the cut leads to a
ordered his death; an undertaking that the remaining Beef- GutterRat joining the ranks of the Sundry, the fighting core
Eaters are all too happy to oblige. of BritAttack.

Whispers connect Vampyr remaining at large to the constant Each Clan is led by one or more Gents, most of whom have have
decline in Miles’s health. LordHood holds the wheel steady fought their way to the top in vicious battle against their peers.
for now, rearranging appointments and ensuring Miles only Some do occasionally come to governance by dint of leadership
appears in front of the Realm when he fit enough to hide the qualities or simple vote. The Order of BeefEaters, the personal
extent of his illness. Fear of revolt is very real and who will take bodyguard of the FirstGovernor, are the most trusted and first
over the role of FirstGovernor should Miles finally succumb is among the Gents. There are only ever four BeefEaters, with each
far from a clear-cut decision. adopting the titles of English, Irish, Scottish and Taff, though

35
 WEST COAST FACTIONS

the latter role has remained vacant since Vampyr’s betrayal. and Sundry to act as his muscle and future legacy.

Daily life in the Realm is surprisingly normal, if such a word LORDHOOD & MR FLOOD: LordHood holds the esteemed title
can be used in these times. The Rules of Conduct dictate that of Lord Protector of the Realm. He holds the Gent and Sundry
respect for ancestry must be upheld, and as such the educa- together in the FirstGovernor’s absence, which has recently seen
tion of the young and wellbeing of the elderly are paramount. him garner considerable control over the Realm. LordHood styles
Beyond that, daily life consists of fulfilling contracts for other himself after a Victorian Gentleman, complete with top hat, tails
gangs, maintaining the vehicle pool and settling personal feuds. and a sword-cane. Mr Flood, a long-time trustee of Miles and Hood
and former Warrant Officer Cadet at the same military academy
TOOLS OF THE TRADE they attended, serves the Lord Protector as a personal valet with
While BritAttack is made up of multiple Clans, each with their an uncanny knack for knowing everyone’s business.
own unique dress code and flair, the core of the Realm is
MRS N: The only female in Miles’s personal retinue, Mrs N is pos-
founded on four of the largest. Each of these Clans use distinct
sibly the only person in BritAttack that knows more about events
vehicles to fulfil different requirements within the warband.
transpiring across the Realm than Mr Flood. She is both match-
MUGGIES: Muggies use off-road vehicles and handle the scouting maker and reputation breaker to the Gents, earning herself the
and recon role. The vehicle of choice replicates a British Mini heavily title of the Gent Crusher.
modified as a rough terrain buggy. The four founding members,
ENGLISH: Upon his appointment to English, Eton Eddy took the
Mick, Keith, Charlie and Ronnie, are still in action and operate as a
name of Lord Edward Dewnam. Styled on an Old Etonian, he wears
four-piece to fulfill the role of Gent. Having adopted a Liverpudlian
waistcoat, spectacles and ascot tie. Originally part of the Scooter
accept and styled themselves after the Beatles, the Muggies con-
clan, he took the role of English after personally returning the
sider themselves gentlemen amongst rogues.
Bowler hat of its former occupant following his death during a
SCOOTERS: As the name would suggest, the Scooters are the light conflict in the Nevada mountain range. English is a savage and
fast assault force of BritAttack. Riding Mod-inspired Scooters into cold-hearted warrior hidden behind boyish charm.
battle, Clan members are expected to master the Birmingham
IRISH: Formerly Alex H, Irish — now Lord Alexander MacCraic — is
accent and personalise their own crash helmet so that it reflects
the adopted son of Ms H of the Chalkie Clan. A close friend of
their personality.
English, he offers a lighter countenance to his companion’s stern
CABCROOZERS: As heavy support and fire power, CabCroozers nature. Irish wears a pin-stripe suit and remains close shaven,
drive vehicles crafted after the classic London Hackney Cab that giving him a young and innocent appearance that is at odds with
are modified with as much armour and weaponry as can possibly his considerable experience on the battlefield.
be mounted. Due to the final chassis weight, these vehicles are
SCOTCH: Lord Dougal Hamilton has been a BeefEater since the
strictly on-road only. Led by Big Sigh, members are expected to
role was created. A tailored suit and designer shades provide the
wear flat caps and speak with a Cockney accent, complete with
appearance of a suave business man. When Scotch speaks, people
full rhyming slang repertoire.
listen, as what he has to say is usually ex-tremely important and
CHALKIES: Led by the ruthless Ms H, Chalkies operate white vans relevant. He considered Taff to be his oldest friend and has sworn
to provide sup-port and supply functionality to BritAttack. These to seek revenge on Vampyr above all else, the bitterness of which
logistics experts are free to choose the weaponry load-out for their seems to consume him a little more each day.
vans, nut must don the uniform of the clan: blue coveralls, a name
badge, and an aviator hat. ALLIES AND ENEMIES
BritAttack have made a sworn enemy of Vampyr and any other
In addition to the vehicles above, the ‘Speedster’ also exists as
gang that associate themselves with him. The Beefeaters will
a clear status symbol. BritAttack had four such vehicles in their
stop at nothing to enact vengeance for the death of Taff, and
possession, one for each of the BeefEaters, though the one has
Miles will condone any course of action taken to find and punish
since been stolen by Vampyr following Taff’s murder.
him. Vampyr’s betrayal is a perfect example of what happens

MAJOR PLAYERS if you betray the Clans.

MILES PONSONBYSMYTHE: FirstGovernor and founding member of The various Clans of BritAttack have made allies of the other
the BritAttack. Though his health is increasingly in question, Miles local gangs, all of whom have paid for their services at one time
is still both feared and respected. His passion for the ruthless gangs or another to help resolve turf wars and local conflicts. While
of more lawless eras can be seen by observing the poster-covered they are perceived as thugs for hire by many, BritAttack view
walls of his personal living quarters. Miles now rarely takes to the themselves as helpful rogues who are always willing to help so
road, instead trusting in the hierarchy that he created in the Gent long as the pay is sufficient.

36
CHAPTER 3

§ SAVAGE BRITATTACK
BRITATTACK CULTURAL PACKAGE BRITATTACK INITIATE PACKAGE

• RULES OF THE GENT AND SUNDRY: Members of BritAttack • GUTTERRAT: Anyone who wishes to join the Gent and
are expected to understand and adhere to the convo- Sundry must serve time as a GutterRat, running errands and
luted rules of the Gent and Sundry that govern the Clan learning their place in the Clans.
and its sub-factions. They begin play with d6 Faction Lore
(BritAttack). • ATTRIBUTE REQUIREMENTS: Agility d6+.
• LOOK AFTER YOUR OWN: The BritAttack share the spoils • SKILL REQUIREMENTS: Driving, Faction Lore (BritAttack).
of war amongst even the lowest of the Sundry. BritAttack • BASIC GEAR: Clan-specific vehicle (choose from
characters gain 1 free Vehicle Modification, which is in addi- CabCroozer, Muggy, or Scooter), Casual Clothing, Armoured
tion to any Modifications their standard vehicle includes. Clothing (Thick Coat), a Longsword or Warhammer
(choose one).
• HONOUR THY FAMILY (VOW, MAJOR): Regardless of their
own internal allegiance, when the need is dire the Gent and
Sundry are sworn to assist other members of the Clan in
every way possible. Not doing so will carry severe repercus-
sions with the entire Clan.

37
 WEST COAST FACTIONS

any sort of notoriety. Despite the harsh reality of their daily

lives, there are plenty of valid reasons that the members of
the large gangs choose to band together. On the other hand,
life outside of a sizeable pack is often a knife-edge between
death and subsistence but most Freelancers wouldn’t have it
any other way.

CURRENT AFFAIRS
With San Francisco drawing ever-increasing attention, the
number of Freelancers roving the highways is on the rise.
Driven north or south by the recent encroachment of new
arrivals such as the Avant Guard, Jets, and Vykers, individuals
and small bands are hiring their skills out to the highest bidder
rather than swearing allegiance to any particular emblem. Even
the big gangs like the Law Haulage Co. and Haul’s Angels are
finding themselves having to protect their respective territories
on multiple fronts. Rather than overstretch their resources too
drastically, they’re becoming increasingly reliant on the ser-
vices of Freelancers to bulk out their numbers in crucial areas.
It’s a seller’s market for a mercenary on the streets of San Fran,
FREELANCERS and the Freelancers are cashing in.
Rebels, loners, and drifters. The dispossessed and the exiled.
All fall under the umbrella of Freelancers. Though their reasons Although they often hire their services out to other gangs,
are many, all have chosen to seek fame or infamy outside of calling a member of the BritAttack or Vykers a Freelancer is
the dominant factions that tear through the streets of San an insult that none would hesitate to answer with violence.
Francisco and beyond. The fact that their factions have unique identities, large mem-
berships, and their own territories under their control takes
Because of their sheer diversity and dispersion, a study of the
them beyond the realms of simple mercenaries. On the flip
history of the Freelancers would be an almost futile enterprise.
side, some Freelancers hire themselves out to factions on
Lacking the capacity to call themselves a unified faction due
permanent contracts yet insist on not swearing allegiance.
to the simple truth that they’re actually small gangs or individ-
Such embedded characters and crews feel comfortable in the
uals that call themselves Freelancers, delving into the various
knowledge that they could pack up their belongings and drive
accounts of each of them would need the patience of a saint
towards the horizon at a moment’s notice, though whether
and reams of paperwork, both of which have become virtually
their former employee would allow this to happen is more
non-existent in the wastelands of North America since the
than doubtful. They might consider themselves Freelancers,
world fell apart.
but their autonomy is often an illusion.
Dating the term Freelancer in relation to its use in post-apoc-
alyptic San Francisco would likewise be virtually impossible. MEMBERSHIP
It appears to have become more regularly used during the Freelancers generally work solo or in small groups. The former
first real turf war that took place between the Law Haulage often refuse to take part in any form of membership or part-
Co. and the Haul’s Angels. A few desperados and small groups nership, and the latter frequently have acceptance rites and
had managed to avoid being press-ganged into the Law across criteria that range from highly stylised rituals to truly bizarre
the years that they’d had free reign. Rather than choose a side badges of honour.
when the Haul’s Angels threw down their gauntlet in challenge
to the Law’s dominance, the hidden few waited for each side to TOOLS OF THE TRADE
paint the streets red with blood and then sold their services to The average Freelancer works with whatever tools, gear, or
the highest bidder. Though relatively few of these mercenaries vehicle they can lay their hands upon. Until a Freelancer garners
survived the brutal war between the two large factions, their a decent reputation, their lives often consist of scavenging for
unwillingness to align with either the Haul’s Angels or the Law spare parts and subsistence living as they travel from faction
spawned the need to classify them as something else. to faction in search of their next score.

Many Freelancers have come and gone in the years since, Almost every Freelancer of note has a heavily modified vehicle
though only a notable few have survived long enough to gain that sets them apart from their peers. Each one began with a

38
CHAPTER 3

base model and either traded their services directly or spent twin jets of flame as an extension of her wrath; two columns of
their hard-earned cash on new parts to upgrade their vehicle hellfire and brimstone that blacken and wither the purest of souls.
of choice.
In addition to being the star Student of the SSJC, Lillian had

MAJOR PLAYERS been one of Chief Judge Cadence’s strongest supporters, and
none but these two know what has driven Lillian to seek her
BANE: Malcolm “Meter” Murcott had a good life: family, friends,
own council, or why she now stalks her one-time sisters. She
and a job he loved. Some people called him a meter maid, but
now uses the Aureflam pistol to devastating effect as a fol-
he didn’t let it bother him. He got to spend the day in the sun
low-up to the Tears of an Angel, which are the very acid bombs
and be a part of the city’s daily life while keeping the streets
used by the SSJC to shock and blind their foes. Some say that
of Redwood City clear. He rushed straight back to his family
she always offers a choice before taking a life, though there
home as the bombs began to land, and Meter made good for
are none alive to shed any light on what the options might be.
a while a while at least. He tried hard to protect them, but their
It would seem that a deal with this she-devil is a step too far,
house was raided by a local gang. And though his wife fought
even for the damned souls she chooses run against.
hard, she probably shouldn’t have. The scene Malcolm returned
to broke him. The happy go-lucky traffic warden Meter was PSYCHO MEDIC: Already a little unhinged, Psycho Medic was a Brit
no more. He rampaged the city, killing any ganger he found. trapped in San Francisco when the apocalypse hit. Being forsaken
Running with his own gang, the Banes, for a while, their four and stuck in a country he tolerated at best pushed him over the
repurposed Interceptors tore the asphalt from the highway and edge, then a clash with a dozen Revenants made him lose what
drove scum from the road. The Banes gradually fell, leaving just was left of his sanity and he spent the next ten years or so mur-
Malcolm; the last of the Banes in the last of the Interceptors. dering hundreds of people in the belief they were undead.

LILLIAN, “THE FALLEN ANGEL”: The first of the sorority to turn A car common in the United Kingdom but very rare in the United
her back on her sisters and live to tell the tale, Lillian had held the States sparked a sliver of sanity when he happened upon it in
position of Head Girl before her departure, which ranked her as Redwood City. Recalling memories of his past as a paramedic,
second-in-command of the Sky Student Justice Corps (SSJC). She he stole the vehicle from the ‘Revenants’ he had just slaugh-
also stole one of the Justice’s holy relics as she fled, prompting her tered and drove straight to the nearest hospital. Stocked up
former sisterhood to dub her “the Fallen Angel”. The boundless sky on supplies and medical equipment, and now self-sustaining,
is her home, and her jetpack the means by which she descends he plays out a disturbing parody of his former life.
on her prey in a cold and unrelenting fury. She revels in using the

39
 WEST COAST FACTIONS

§ SAVAGE FREELANCERS
FREELANCER CULTURAL PACKAGE FREELANCER INITIATE PACKAGE

• NO JOB TOO SMALL: The average Freelancer is unlikely to • FREELANCER INITIATE PACKAGE:
turn down any kind of payday, which means they usually
get to work for several factions. Freelancer characters never • NOOB: Seasoned Freelancers mockingly call anyone new
to their way of life a “noob”. How or when this title is lost is
suffer the penalty associated with being unskilled when
anyone’s guess.
making a Faction Lore roll and begin play with d4 Faction
Lore in one faction of their choice. • ATTRIBUTE REQUIREMENTS: Spirit d6+.
• STASHED THE CASH: Freelancers work harder than most for • SKILL REQUIREMENTS: Common Knowledge, Driving d6+
their coin, or else have learned to barter hard for the few
comforts left in the post-apocalypse. They begin play with • BASIC GEAR: Buggy, Croozer, or Motorcycle (choose one),
Casual Clothing, Mace, Ruger, Tool Kit
an extra $500 in starting funds.

• ALWAYS LOOKING IN (OUTSIDER, MAJOR): With few

friends, Freelancers are almost always on the outside
looking in. Unless they have an established a rapport, the
character subtracts 2 from Persuasion rolls made to influ-
ence members of non-Freelancer gangs. The character
begins play with 3 contacts drawn from any factions of their
choosing that this Hindrance does not apply to. At the GM’s
discretion, following a major plot point, the character may
sacrifice an advance to negate the effects of this Hindrance
with one particular faction.

40
CHAPTER 3

returned from supply runs, enabling them to mow down the

fighters and take the supplies for their own. In keeping with the
Angel’s calling card, anything left behind was burnt. Eventually,
Richard Law had to finally acknowledge that his great reign
had come to a fiery end at the hand of the winged skull.

Power once again shifted when Chip’s son, Toby, fell into the
hands of the Law. In possession of the perfect bartering tool,
Richard made offered a devil’s bargain: Chip was to head to
San Jose alone, or Toby would die. But Filmore was born of
warfare, he knew both his son’s and his own fate if he were to
follow this ruse. A plan was hatched that split the Chapters into
three, with two flanking San Jose while the Law’s eyes were
fixated on Chip and his small entourage. The Originals took
Route 101, while the others took Interstate 280 and 680, far
from the view of Richard Law. Flying a white flag, Chip arrived
and came face to face with the Law’s head judge. Conversation
was swift and the attack was signalled by a gunshot as Chip
fired a bullet into the face of the Law’s high judge. A sudden
explo-sion of gunfire erupted from both sides, then quickly
tapered off as the body count mounted for the two factions.
The other Chapters swept in and the Law’s fighters went down
HAUL’S ANGELS in a hailstorm of bullets and flame, burnt, battered and crushed
At one time, Richard Law and the Law Haulage Company main- by the might of the Angels’ war rigs. When the dust settled,
tained a firm grip on San Francisco. They successfully mopped Richard Law had escaped with his life, but the Law’s trikers and
up the smaller gangs and gained a monopoly on supply routes, judges had all been slain. Chip Filmore and his son both lost
propelling them to a dominant position with the city’s survivors. their lives that day, along with Chip’s most trusted companion,
Success bred complacence and arrogance, however, which Mad Dog Morgan.
soon led to them being caught off guard and Richard seeing
It took both gangs a long time to recover from the aftermath,
his great empire fall.
and San Francisco’s landscape would never be the same. For
Enter Christopher ‘Chip’ Filmore and his small band of bikers, the Angels, it was a time to grieve but also a time for change as
the Haul’s Angels. While their true origin is known only by a the Chapter Masters swiftly came together and elected a new
select few, it’s no secret that the original members were all President and a new voice for the future of the Haul’s Angels.
special forces and had served together under Chip’s command
at one time or another. Trained tacticians and warriors all too CURRENT AFFAIRS
used to being outnumbered and outgunned, Chip Filmore set Chip’s leadership was taken over by Bulldog, a large and power-
about contacting the local gangs that had been beaten back ful man who struck fear into those around him. His Presidency
by the Law when the Angels arrived in San Francisco, his char- lasted a total of one run before being brought to a short end as
ismatic charm rallying them one by one. With the support of he was knocked off his bike by a Law car and run over. The next
the smaller fac-tions, the Angels soon declared war on The round of elections was bloodier and led to Chapter Masters
Law Haulage Company. fighting to the death in bareknuckle fights. The next few pres-
idents came and went just as quickly as Bulldog, until the 9th
Caught off guard by the sudden uprising, the Law reeled and
and bloodiest of all election fights that occurred between Slider
retreated, suffering heavy losses and losing their foothold on
and Skulltaker. Slider was eventually declared the winner after
greater San Francisco. As they pulled back to the Northern areas
both men had taken such a beating that neither could continue
of the city to consolidate and lick their wounds, the Angels
to fight. Skulltaker felt wronged by the decision, however, and
took up a base of operations in San Francisco airport and the
promptly deserted the Haul’s Angels with his Chapter in tow.
surrounding industrial complexes. The smaller gangs that had
Desertion had never been known to the Haul’s Angels until the
rallied to the cause were all too happy to follow Chip’s lead-
Skinners took their leave.
ership in the fight to regain their homes and territories. They
pledged allegiance to the Angels, thereby creating numerous Slider still holds the reigns of the Haul’s Angels, the gang
smaller Chapters scattered across the city. Each Chapter spe- remain in control of the south of San Francisco, and the feud
cialised in different tactics for striking at Law patrols as they with the Law Haulage Co. continues unabated, but they must

41
 WEST COAST FACTIONS

now also contend with the Skinners. Now greater in number goal, they are also allowed to act autonomously in order to
and reinforced by some of the most brutally insane and unsa- better their position in San Francisco. The Chapter Masters
voury characters ever to ride a bike, Skulltaker and his crew gather regularly in a meeting of the High Council, which is
have recently begun to launch raids on roaming Chapters; the chaired by the current President. This meeting is used to dis-
roadways crisscrossing the Bay are now frequently sundered cuss current standings, ongoing strategies, and any changes
by the roar of bike engines and chatter of gunfire. in leadership that are needed to maintain the Angels’ foothold.

Outside of the Run, the Angels love the wild life and each New recruits are typically only considered by a Chapter if they
Chapter’s clubhouse serves as a hotspot of activity. Drinking can show the ability to hold their own on a bike. Even the
and fighting are the norm, with any that are unable to handle strongest of warriors is usually excepted to serve his dues in
their booze and still be ready for action quickly ousted or rele- a Chapter’s garage alongside the other Prospects before join-
gated to menial work around the garage or kitchen. ing others on a run. Final initiation often involves bareknuckle
combat with another Prospect; fighting for the patch has long
Slider is very much in control of the gang and fully understands
been symbolic of the Angels’ real struggles on the road.
the knife edge the Angels are on. With Richard Law to the North

TOOLS OF THE TRADE

and Skulltaker looking for vengeance at every opportunity, San
Francisco is likely to be a rough ride over the years ahead.
The Angels have always been about bikes. Chip and the Originals

MEMBERSHIP rode into San Francisco on two wheels and most Angels worth
their weight want to ride out that way. Known for their hit and
The Haul’s Angels remain true to the code laid down by Chip
run tactics, the Angels favour great speed and manoeuvrabil-
and the Originals. ‘The Brotherhood of the Road’ refers to both
ity over brute power, though their vehicle pool also contains
the original charter and the laws laid out for existing Chapters
a couple of substantial war rigs, croozers, pickups, and vans.
and members. Membership with the Angels means complete
These vehicles are usually manned by those who can no longer
respect for every member and the willingness to fight and die
ride bikes or the technicians and mechanics of the chapters to
for each and every brother or sister.
provide heavier support in head-to-head conflict.
The Angels are made up of multiple Chapters, each with their
The Angels have drastically increased the number of trikes in
own Chapter Master, officers and members. They each operate
each chapter since Slider has taken the helm, as he identified
from their own club house and are responsible for their own
the need to carry some heavier firepower against the increas-
equipment and vehicles. While all Chapters fight for a common
ingly resilient Law Haulage Co. While most of the old timers

42
CHAPTER 3

wouldn’t be seen dead riding a trike, many eager Prospects are by a thick drooping moustache and grey shoulder length hair.
all too happy to ride alongside their peers and provide support. Rarely angry, he tries to laugh off any problems. He was a tough
biker and well-respected before the Day of the Apocalypse, but
The Angels are not precious about their weapons. Handguns
many years in office have softened him and he now prefers to
and other small arms are used alongside knives, chains, and
drive his old faded gasser than his souped up motorbike. He hasn’t
clubs. Members are free to fight as they please and in whatever
seen action or fired a weapon in a long time and relies on Petee
manner gets the job done. Each Chapter’s larger vehicles are
‘Fingers’ McForst to do most of the day to day bookkeeping tasks.
mounted with machine guns and flame weapons to provide a
He always chuckles when he refers to ‘training’ Fingers in the art
punch when needed.
of numbers. Secretly, Nails considers himself semi-retired but if

MAJOR PLAYERS anyone knew this, he would get his arse kicked. Everyone must
pull their weight in the Haul’s Angels.
SLIDER: Slider is an orphan born of an upbringing that bestowed
upon him the independence and self-determination of a true PETEE MCFORST: The Minor of Coin and former nomad named
leader. As President, he rules with an iron fist and his leadership Petee ‘Fingers’ McForst is the gang’s long-suffering assistant to Pat
has never been challenged, which is possibly thanks to his love of Hardy. Although a bookworm, Petee has surprised many people
Celtic weaponry and a penchat for using it to intimidate any who with his marksmanship with a pistol, as he is an expert shot. He’s
even consider it. His anger towards the Skinners desertion is great also a terrible driver, however, and is never allowed to drive an
and all Chapters have been ordered to execute any Skinner on Angels’ vehicle.
sight. Slider dreams of coming face-to-face with Skulltaker again
to finish the fight that separated them years ago. ALLIES AND ENEMIES
Once an ally to every small gang and settlement in San
Riding a modified bike with a dragster engine, reinforced frame,
Francisco, those same allies have since been patched over
oil-slick dispenser and his favourite toy, the Meat Hooks—a
into Chapters of the Angels themselves. Chip saw himself as
harpoon-like weapon that fires a grappling hook attached to
the people’s champion, uniting smaller clusters of survivors
chains, used to rip open vehicles so he can get at the driver
and helping them take back the rule that Richard Law had
with his sawn-off shotgun—Slider is as brutal on the run as he
stolen. Years later, few people try to live anywhere without
is in the council chamber.
being associated with one side or the other, and as such Slider
THE GRINGO: The Sergeant-at-Arms, Gringo, is a mystery of a man has adopted a “join us or join them” approach. The streets of
who joined the faction after appearing from nowhere and saving San Francisco are too many and too violent to police and the
a group of Angels bikers from a Law ambush. He rarely speaks, only way to make sure people are not against you is to make
but when he does it’s always in the third person; killing seems to sure they are with you. The Angels don’t regularly make allies
be his thing, not communication. In a decision not understood by of outsiders, but will hear out the words of any newcomers
many at the time, The Gringo was promoted to Sergeant at Arms to the city before deciding which side of the line they sit on.
by Slid-er, though his unquestionable and ruthless nature have
Richard Law is a sworn enemy of the Angels. Even though his
since made him the perfect hatchet man. It is rumoured that his
rival, Chip, is long dead, he aches to take back the city that he
is a former colleague of Richard Law’s confidant, Chief Matthews,
once saw as his. The Law are not foolish though, and a waiting
but the facts surrounding this allegation have never been con-
game has begun with fewer and fewer pitched battles taking
firmed by either party.
place. They seem to be waiting for the right moment to make
OILY JIM: The Haul’s Angels’ quartermaster is a larger than life a big strike.
character loved by most and a true inspiration to many members of
Skulltaker has a deep-rooted hatred for Slider. He feels that he
the Haul’s Angels, Jim drives a huge car called the Oakland Cruiser
should be the rightful President of the Angels and has worked
and is the man behind most of the vehicle modifications on the
to create his own charter from the Skinners. Not to overthrow
Angels’ bikes. He developed the oil-slick dispensers that the Angels
Slider, but to kill him and everyone associated with the Angels.
have become famous for, and has a great love for rocket launch-
Skulltaker longs to sit on the throne of San Francisco, and his
ers and flame weapons. Jim is the only member to have a close
frenzied band of psychotic road warriors are all too happy to
connection to Slider, on account of having saved his ass during
follow him to the brink.
Slider’s first run as President. If Slider needs to talk, Jim listens.
Maybe it’s his crocodile boots or love of 1990’s action movies, but
there is something about Jim that makes people want to be him.

PAT HARDY: Pat ‘Nails’ Hardy is the gang’s Master of Coin. A smart
man who has risen through the ranks to earn his current position,
Pat is tall, thin, and in his mid-fifties, with a round face is dominated

43
 WEST COAST FACTIONS

§ SAVAGE HAUL’S ANGELS

HAUL’S ANGEL CULTURAL PACKAGE HAUL’S ANGELS INITIATE PACKAGE

• CHAPTER HOUSE RULES: Joining the Haul’s Angels is a • PROSPECT: Every potential recruit spends time as a
prolonged process that, amongst other things, involves Prospect at a Chapter garage. Those who prove themselves
learning a Chapter’s nuances. Haul’s Angels characters are able to join in on runs.
begin play with d6 Faction Lore (Haul’s Angels).
• ATTRIBUTE REQUIREMENTS: Strength d6+.
• A HOG’S LIFE: Though the faction employs plenty of other
• SKILL REQUIREMENTS: Faction Lore (Haul’s Angels)
vehicles, members of the Haul’s Angels predominantly
d6+, Fighting.
make use of motorcycles. The character gains +1 to their
Drive rolls when riding a motorcycle. • BASIC GEAR: Croozer, Motorcycle, or Trike (choose one),
Leather Chaps, Leather Jacket, Motorcycle Helmet, a Heavy
• BLOOD FEUD (ENEMY, MAJOR): The Haul’s Angels and Club or Hand Axe (choose one).
Law Haulage Company harbour an intense hatred for
each other. They will often go out of their way to cause
their enemy faction harm.

44
CHAPTER 3

Briefing after briefing followed. Design, strategy, and corporate

vision meetings and memos flew around. Finally, after nearly
a year of planning, the Rolling Circus took to the road on a
campaign of conquest. Now, the Rubber Lancers engage in
deadly one-on-one duels with the enemies of the Jet nation,
whilst the rest of the Rolling Circus sweep all before them in
huge mass battles.

The Jets are some of the luckiest survivors there are. Not only
were they able to survive the war and its immediate aftermath,
but they were fortunate enough to be able to take shelter in
hermetically sealed hangars in a facility packed with supplies. In
addition, their wide range of skills and a high level of education
enabled them to not only cope with the mental shock of the
events of the war, but to thrive.

They are growing stronger again now that they’ve taken the
decision to expand their sphere of influence. Eccentric they
might be, but once the scattered survivors they come across
see past their outlandish vehicles it quickly becomes clear that
the Jets offer an ordered and enlightened society, especially
JETS when compared to the other gangs roaming the shattered
As the world fell to pieces and devastation rained from the skies,
wastelands of North America.
a select few managed to seal themselves off in a desperate

MEMBERSHIP
attempt to survive. They were a strange mix of hardy mechan-
ics and technicians, as well as technical architects, mechanical
The Jets are a closed society. Formed by employees of Boeing
engineers, and scientists. Trapped in a series of warehouses,
and their families, they were sufficient in number to not need
they were constantly surrounded by both their own work and
to recruit from other survivor groups. As their numbers expand
the marvels of those who came before them. Their only enter-
further, however, they have taken the decision to break their
tainment consisted of cartoons featuring strange vehicles in a
society into three distinct classes: Primaries, Secondaries and
never-ending race, and they regaled each other with a history
Tertiaries.
of the Flying Circus to keep themselves entertained.
Primaries are the original members, those that lived in the close
Fascinated by flight and obsessed with turbines, it wasn’t long
confines of the sealed factory. Their membership is inherited
before they started to tinker. At first it was a way of passing the
and accepted by all. Despite this, members aren’t allowed to
time, a fun experiment as to whether they could make cars as
rest on their birthright laurels. All Primaries are expected to
cool as those depicted in the cartoon. But as time passed and
achieve at least a Bachelor of Arts or Science level of education
it became clearer that they were facing an apocalypse, friendly
— preferably in a field important to the Jets — and to always
rivalry changed into passionate obsession. Rivet by rivet, they
pursue new knowledge.
slowly morphed into a tribe that became known as the Jets.
Secondaries are survivors from outside the factory that have
Bright colours, dazzle camouflage, personal motifs and coats of
skills and qualifications the Jets value. Whilst they can never
arms were designed, and competitions held to see who could
be part of the core of the Rolling Circus, they are encouraged
design the best concepts. Those that won were able to pro-
to act in a support role and often operate as wingmen for the
gress to the next stage and build their dreams. They became
Primaries. Secondaries are also expected to pursue knowledge
the Rubber Lancers, the elite of the Jets, ace members of the
and reach a level of education suitable to their roles.
Rolling Circus.
Tertiaries are survivors with skills that are neither engineer-
CURRENT AFFAIRS ing or combat based, such as farming, or those with no skills
Their leader, a no-nonsense lady named Baroness Von whatsoever who are possibly best suited for manual labour.
Richthoffen, finally determined that the Jets were strong Although there is no official distinction between Tertiaries of
enough to venture forth, so she sent the best of her Rubber different skill sets, the unskilled are often referred to as Peons
Lancers on a quest to find other survivors. They returned after and frequently find themselves performing the most menial
a few short months, bringing with them other survivors and — of jobs or operating as vehicle-based infantry.
more importantly — much-needed supplies.

45
 WEST COAST FACTIONS

TOOLS OF THE TRADE guns capable of punching through a foot of reinforced steel,
Bloodbeast roars through enemy formations and scatters them
Jet-powered motorcycles with wings that deploy over a certain
like a hawk amongst pigeons. Burdened for now with a slow
speed, cars made from Mustang fighters, and tanks built to look
charging cycle, many enemies often think that she is afraid to
like Fokker triplanes; the only limits to the inventiveness of the
engage as she circles a battle. She swoops in as soon as she
Primaries are resources and the laws of physics.
gets the green light, however, driving through the bitterest
Much of their technology is inspired by twentieth century fighting, her guns blowing enemy vehicles to flinders.
technologies, but the Jets also have access to cutting-edge
CRUISE: Second-in-command of the Jets, Cruise is a huge man
experimental weaponry. Baroness Von Richthofen’s fearsome,
with a big personality and an afro that has to be seen to be believed.
red-painted, jet-powered Volkswagen triplane, Bloodbeast,
His herculean physique ensures he makes an impression wher-
is armed with three sets of twin-paired railguns, for example.
ever he goes. Loyal to a tee, he often refers to himself in the third

MAJOR PLAYERS person, mostly while making self-deprecating remarks. His bravery
in battle is unmatched and the Flying Circus know that he would
BARONESS VON RICHTHOFEN: Feared and respected by Jets and
never order them into a situation that he wouldn’t enter himself.
enemies alike, her tenacity and determination forged the Flying
Cruise’s name comes from his chosen mode of transport: a cruise
Circus and brought them through the dark times. Petite, with her
missile adapted into a death-defying trike. No one knows his real
jet-Black hair often hidden by her hijab, she uses her quick wits and
name, and most think that he’s probably forgotten it himself, but
dry humour to defuse tension, inspire her people, and keep pro-
all agree it’s the perfect moniker for a man who would make an
jects to deadline. Her force of character instils fear in her enemies,
eight-hundred pound gorilla think twice.
while her razor-sharp focus and analytical skills make it seem as
though she is anticipating every move an opponent makes before Cruise owns one of the fastest straight-line vehicles in the Jets’
she takes them out with one volley from her guns. Only once has arsenal. He’s part of the Chase Group as a result, which is a unit
she ever fired twice, and that was her first kill. Fluent in over six dedicated to intercepting enemy convoys. His dazzle camou-
languages and an expert quantum physicist, she has proven her flage painted trike is armed with three tri-barrel flechette guns,
academic prowess time and time again, which is something more plus a dozen-shot missile launcher. There is much specula-
impressive to her fellow Jets than her combat ability. tion around whether his ride still has an active warhead, and a
nuclear one at that, but the man won’t allow anyone near her.
Leading from the front, she uses Bloodbeast to rattle her
enemies and inspire her allies. Armed with experimental rail

46
CHAPTER 3

THE DEACON: The Deacon is a man of legend amongst the Jets. during the Battle of Five Corners when she single-handedly
No one knows quite how old he is, but all agree that he is well massacred over twenty enemy gang members who tried to
beyond retirement age. Whilst his body might be frail, his mind is surrender.
still sharp and his knowledge of the resources that the Jets have
FRANCIS WHITTLE: A genius amongst geniuses, Francis Whittle
to hand eclipses that of anyone else in the Flying Circus. Not even
has assumed the name of one of the most famous British RAF
the computers he so lovingly maintains have a complete record.
inventors in history. Frank Whittle almost singlehandedly invented
Residing in the Library and surrounded by books, binders, folders,
the turbojet engine. Francis Whittle, on the other hand, has been
and humming computers, he directs his librarians to fetch records,
sequestered in a workshop for most of his post-apocalyptic life.
manuals, blueprints, or whatever else is required by the Rubber
Aside from his claim that ‘It’s going to be a real game changer,’ no
Lancers to create their wondrous death machines. The Deacon is
one knows what he’s working on or when it will be finished,
also the strongest advocate for freely providing the technologies
that allow other settlements to eke out another year’s worth of life. He can be found in his pride and joy, the Meteor, whenever he
does leave the workshop. Built from highly-polished aluminium
Rarely called upon to leave the Library, the Deacon drives
and armed with four forward-facing twenty-millimetre cannon,
around in a solar-powered, tracked wheelchair. Capable of
as a well as camera-operated rear-facing twin-mounted light
speeds up to fifty miles per hour, The Deacon can race from
machine guns, the Meteor streaks into combat with a trail of
one end of the Jets’ facilities to another in mere minutes. Whilst
thick black smoke and flames bursting from its rear.
he normally eschews violence, he has been known to use the
overhead arc-generator to fry enemies where they stand in EMELDIA: As Whittle’s protégé, Emeldia provides dedicated cover
times of desperation. from the cockpit of her buggy, Comet, guarding his six o’clock and
intercepting anyone attempting to get anywhere near her mentor.
THE DIRECTOR: The Jets would cease to exist without the Director
A light buggy, Comet moves quickly and allows her to deal stinging
to ensure the smooth running of their facility. A manager of excep-
attacks with its twin light machine guns, letting her wear down and
tional quality, he often appears before people realise that he’s
frustrating her target before Whittle blows them to smithereens.
needed. Transferring his strategic and tactical acumen to the bat-
tlefield, the Director and the three men and women dubbed ‘the BUZZ, VALENTINA & RICKY: The Valentines are a trio of Jets children
Admin’ that act as his wingmen can be found to the rear of the who have been raised with a love of science, jet fuel, diesel, and
action waiting for the perfect moment to strike. Then, as soon as fast motors. Not deemed old enough to craft their own cars, they
he judges it’s arrived, the Director and the Admin swoop through scout ahead of the main formation on specially adapted motor-
the enemy’s ranks, exploiting every weakness possible and opening cycles. Like any child told to stay out of trouble, the Valentines do
them up to the weapons of the Rubber Lancers. everything they can to disobey their parents. Racing along in their
jet-powered Trojans bikes, and armed with only concussion blast-
The Director drives a six-wheeled Warthog conversion. Its jet
ers, they can often been seen daring each other to take greater and
engines power him through his opponents while depleted ura-
greater risks whilst taunting their enemies with feats of derring-do.
nium shells as large as milk bottles shredding flesh and metal

ALLIES AND ENEMIES

with ease. The Admin follow in their faster Fighting Falcon
conversions, swooping around their enemies with ease and
The Jets are just making themselves known in the San Francisco
finishing off anyone left standing.
area, but have already placed themselves close to the top of
EVELYN TENTIONS: Known only by the name she shares with her Los Nigromantes’ hate list. As a cult based on the perversion
converted Westland Whirlwind — a now tracked and somewhat of many different religions, they view the Jets’ reliance upon
venerable World War Two veteran — Evelyn is a feared member of technology and their encouragement of the acquisition and
the Jets. Once a brilliant scientist working on promising prototypes, dissemination of knowledge as a direct challenge to their own
the loss of her entire family changed her irrevocably during the twisted teachings.
war. She is now dedicated to her own survival first, even before
For their part, the Jets have taken it upon themselves to ensure
that of that her adopted family.
that each settlement or group of survivors they encounter is
Evelyn came across her little-known heavy fighter whilst always left with the means to generate electricity, pump and
wandering the corridros of the facility. Working in secret, she clean water, and look after their sick and wounded, irrespec-
mounted her new-found craft on a monster truck chassis tive of whether they choose to join the Circus or not. These
so that the height could give the twin propellers the ground good deeds have not gone unrewarded. Their actions, and
clearance they needed. She then armed it with four twen- the goodwill they have generated amongst groups that might
ty-millimetre cannons in the nose, plus twin thirty-millimetre ultimately merge with them, means that they are surrounded
rocket launchers, and hull-mounted anti-personnel mines. by allies and groups willing to help them. Whether they realise
Evelyn takes no prisoners, something she clearly demonstrated it or not, the Jets are fast becoming a beacon of hope.

47
 WEST COAST FACTIONS

§ SAVAGE JETS
JETS CULTURAL PACKAGE JETS INITIATE PACKAGE

• THE SPLENDIFEROUS ROLLING CIRCUS: Although they • SECONDARY: Having started from outside the core Rolling
have a tight inner circle, the Rolling Circus make sure to Circus family, new recruits are inducted into the Jets as
pass on the wisdom and teachings of their core. Jets char- Secondaries.
acters begin play with d6 in Faction Lore (Jets).
• ATTRIBUTE REQUIREMENTS: Smarts d6+.
• I FEEL A NEED: The Jets have a passion for engineering and
• SKILL REQUIREMENTS: Faction Lore (Jets), Science d6+.
are constantly tinkering. Jets characters gain 1 free Vehicle
Modification, which is in addition to any Modifications their • BASIC GEAR: Croozer, Motorcycle, or Trike (choose one),
standard vehicle includes. Kevlar Riding Jacket, Pilot Helmet (Bike Helmet).

• THE BARONESS’S HONOUR (CODE OF HONOUR): The Jets NOTE: At the GM’s discretion, characters who being play with both
consider themselves to be representatives of a bygone age. the Jets Cultural Package and Jets Initiate Package may be con-
They have a deep and abiding code of honour that harkens sidered a Primary (and therefore part of the core Rolling Circus).
back to more genteel times.

48
CHAPTER 3

As Mother Selah vanished over the horizon, High Judge Helen

led the pilgrimage towards San Francisco in search of security
and retribution. The hard-fought road offered many encoun-
ters that tested both their capabilities and their vehicles.
Following serious injury, the rank of Matriarch was created so
that Helen could continue to offer council to those leading from
the front. Hordes of Revenants began flocking to the roar of
their bikes on the final approach to San Francisco. Desperate
for an escape route, the Justice found that every bridge and
subway tunnel they came across had either been barricaded
or destroyed. With supplies and fuel running short, only divine
inspiration kept them ahead of the walking dead trailing their
route. They eventually crossed the Fruitvale Bridge and used
its controls to disconnect it from the mainland. Taking stock,
they realised they were free of the thousands upon thousands
of empty vessels lining the shores and stumbling aimlessly into
the Oakland Estuary, but now trapped on an island.

They quickly began exploring their self-imposed prison and

rapidly established that the island was already home to a
JUSTICE cannibalistic gang calling themselves Los Nigromantes. A
The self-proclaimed prophetess and embodiment of the
campaign of retribution spanning weeks of violence fol-
Archangel Michael’s vengeance, Mother Selah, created the
lowed. Many high-ranking members of the Justice were slain
rules and laws that forged the Justice out of the fires of the
at the hands of Los Nigromantes before the gang’s leader, the
apocalypse decimating Los Angeles County.
Necromancer, was cornered at the prophetically named Hall
As the greater part of Los Angeles burned, her divine wrath of Justice. Alameda Island was theirs. The Justice took up a
became a rallying call to those who stumbled into her path. base of operations there and retitled it to the Georgina II Hall of
Focused on eliminating the Revenants filling the streets, she Justice in honour of the third High Judge, who had so recently
gave final judgement to thousands of undead as they feasted fallen during the battles with Los Nigromantes. It has remained
on the dying city’s remains. Initially a roughly equal split of their spiritual home ever since.
both sexes, many of her male followers fell to the seemingly
Before long, the barricades on the Posey subway line were
unending hordes during the survivors’ attempts to break free
opened and the Justice began to venture onto the mainland
of the relentless fighting and the running battles that followed
once more, where they proved themselves to be righteous
their departure from L.A. As more and more women boldly and
instruments of vengeance to those gangs already fighting for
unflinchingly took up arms, Mother Saleh declared that they
territory and supplies on the streets of San Francisco. In time,
were foretold to be the instrument of the Archangel’s wrath.
Justice scouting parties began making long-ranging runs in
The fall of their male companions was simply a punishment for
search of weapons, food and new recruits, but would always
their sins and all that had befallen the world.
return to the safety of their sanctuary.
Dwindling numbers, lack of fuel and spare parts for larger vehi-
The fiery retribution offered by the Justice eventually brought
cles, and the dire need to flee far from L.A. led to the majority
them into direct conflict with the vastly superior numbers
of the survivors choosing motorcycles as their preferred mode
and firepower of Richard Law and his Law Haulage Company,
of transport. Word of the San Francisco Safe Zone eventually
who posed an immediate threat by launching a brutal war of
reached their ears at the outskirts of the L.A. metropolitan
attrition. As the Justice struggled to maintain the sanctity of
area. Mother Selah called a meeting and presented a system
Alameda Island, a calculated sacrifice by the freshly installed
of beliefs that she required everyone to adhere to, without
XXV High Judge, Miriam, led to long term autonomy and sur-
exception. The Litany of Justice would affirm them as adher-
vival. The war with the Law Haulage Co. had cost the lives of
ents of Michael’s will, thereby holding them to a righteous
an astounding number of High Judges and opened the path
path during the journey and beyond. The first High Judge
for her ascension. Driven by cold logic, she traded a single
was appointed to lead and the faction adopted Justice as its
night of passion with Richard Law that not only brought an
name. Certain that the Archangel’s work would now continue,
end to the war, but also brought about the birth of her second
Mother Selah departed on a pilgrimage that Michael himself
child, Cadence. It was agreed that Cadence would remain in
had delivered to her.
the care of Richard until she came of age, with Miriam visiting

49
 WEST COAST FACTIONS

regularly and posing as a favoured aunt. The unstable alliance transitioning to Cadence. Not one member of the Justice con-
allowed the Justice to prosper for many years under Miriam, tested her claim. The more peaceable laws added to the Litany
though she was eventually forced to step down to the role of of Justice by Miriam were quickly repealed and Cadence’s most
Matriarch once her scheming became known. Her contingency trusted warriors were appointed as Senior Judges. Cadence
plans, however, paved the way for her first daughter, Amala, keeps Miriam’s final words to herself, but those words seem
to adopt the High Judge’s seat. to have ignited a crusader’s fire inside her, with her stare now
firmly fixed on the concrete jungle just a few short miles across
CURRENT AFFAIRS the estuary.
Cadence learned considerable technical prowess during her
Until recent months, Richard Law has thought little of the
time with the Law. On her coming of age, however, she chose
gentle alliance between himself and the Justice, but recent
to join the Justice, whom she understood to be an allied fac-
activity on the mainland and their renewed fervour in battle
tion fronted by her aunt. In the years that followed, Miriam
has brought with it the realisation that he may soon come to
was able to observe the development of her daughter, with
blows with his estranged daughter.
Cadence still unaware that her mother and birth-sister were
right before her eyes.
MEMBERSHIP
Cadence developed and quickly learned the art of the Jetpack. Compared to larger organisations like the Law Haulage Co., the
The new tool gave rise to the Sky Student Justice Corp (SSJC) Justice are relatively few in number, but the members they do
and her presence in the sky was remarked as both a talisman have are zealous to the core thanks to their belief that they
and affirmation that the word of the Archangel was as true are furthering Michael’s work.
today as it was when Mother Selah began her journey. That
Since the loss of the majority of the male members, the active
same year, Miriam was struck down by the Revenant Virus. Her
membership has remained predominantly female. While the
deepest secrets were shared with her daughters, including the
inclusion of male members is not forbidden, actively recruiting
truth of her relationship to Cadence. Apparently unphased by
female members is of utmost priority; males can petition to
the revelation, Cadence gained strength and courage from the
join, while females are aggressively sought. The Litany does
passing of her mother. Now very much a part of the Justice, her
not prevent a man from reaching the position of High Judge,
upbringing with the Law Haulage Co. was but a distant memory.
but this has never been attained by a male member to date. In
A horrendous Jetpack training exercise that left Amala crit- fact, almost all males are assigned to manual or technical roles,
ically injured and scarred led to the position of High Judge either maintaining the sanctity of their sanctuary or enhancing

50
CHAPTER 3

the Justice’s military capabilities. Other males are welcomed MAJOR PLAYERS
so that they can contribute towards Law 12, which states that HIGH JUDGE XXVII CADENCE: Daughter to the former High Judge
every female member of the Justice must bear one child by Miriam and Richard Law, sister to Amala. Cadence is an extremely
the age of twenty-four. gifted warrior and technical genius, having designed the Seraph
Jetpack and most of the current weaponry used by the Justice.
Daily life as a member ranges from community or vehicle
Since assuming the role of High Judge, Cadence has set her eyes
maintenance, to running patrols for supplies, new recruits, and
firmly on the mainland. Driven by the dying words of her mother,
ever-dwindling medical provisions. Alameda Island’s upkeep
she has slowly stripped back and adjusted the Litany of Justice to
comes at a high cost in terms of farming and the constant repair
suit the new age of retribution she intends to spearhead.
of old generators and equipment, with the result that a large
percentage of the Justice can be found on the island year-round. ASCENDANT AMALA: Fiirst daughter to Miriam and sister to High
Judge Cadence. Amala stepped down from her role as High Judge
TOOLS OF THE TRADE following a Jetpack accident that left her unable to breath on her
In keeping with the vehicles used by Mother Selah and the own. She remains active as a Matriarch and provides council to
blessed few who used them to escape L.A., bikes are the pre- her sister, who she has placed on a pedestal and considers to be
ferred vehicle of the Justice. Today, technicians and mechanics Mother Selah reborn. Now also an active Sky Student, Amala uses
modify available vehicles to fit Cadence’s requests. The core a modified flight helmet with built-in breathing apparatus that has
of their vehicle pool is made up of Ithacus bikes and Mortifex enabled her to once again enact vengeance on the Justice’s foes.
trikes, with Reprisor buggies offering support in a firefight.
SENIOR JUDGE JUDY: Principle of the Sky Student Justice Corp and
Seraph Jetpacks are now also a common sight, allowing the
constant voice of reason to Cadence and Amala in the Chamber of
SSJC to strike hard and fast from the skies. Not for the faint-
Justice, Judy stands to honour Miriam’s vision for the Justice by
hearted, this technology is both temperamental and dangerous
advocating restraint and self-preservation as better alternatives to
to those who are not trained in its ways.
Cadence’s thirst for vengeance and retribution. Believing the cur-
Every member of the Justice is issued a Provider, a handgun rent leadership are twisting the word of the Archangel Michael to
modified to fire a chemical round that stuns the target with promote personal agendas, Judy seeks to gently push back in the
an electrical discharge on impact. If they survive the shot, the hope that Mother Selah’s true message will be heard once more.
neural disruption often prevents the target from fighting back.
SENIOR JUDGE RICA: Childhood friend of Cadence and originally
Ithacus and Mortifex bikes are equipped with a set of scythe-
born into the Haul’s Angels, she fled with Cadence during following
like blades known as the Blades of Justice, which can be used
a fated meeting in the no-man’s land that separates northwest
to rend vehicles open when side-swiping. Certain vehicles are
and northeast San Francisco. Their deep friendship resulted in
also equipped with a harpoon weapon called the Gatherer,
commitment to the Justice following her parent’s execution by a
which has been designed with the express purpose of ripping
Skinner’s raid into Haul’s Angel territory. Now holding the post of
armour plating from heavily armoured targets.
Chief Executioner, she enacts with the Penitence blade in a role
Traditionally, certain ranks within the Justice have been that has led to a tormented cycle of guilt and violence.
expected to use specific vehicles. The High Judge will always
lead the ride on an Ithacus bike, though Cadence has been ALLIES AND ENEMIES
known to bypass this expectation and use both Jetpack and While a fragile alliance historically exists between the Justice
trike. Most Senior Judges will choose to ride whatever vehicle and the Law Haulage Co. on account of Miriam and Richard
the High Judge has chosen. bringing Cadence into the world, the connection between the
two factions has deteriorated drastically in recent months. Both
A Matriarch—usually appointed as such due to age or injury—will
Richard and Cadence firmly understand that while peace cur-
normally ride a Reprisor buggy or the newer Arthimcus bike,
rently exists between them, fire and brimstone between the
which was partly created for Amala after she first received her
two is only a few short skirmishes away.
injuries. The Arthimcus sacrifices speed and manoeuvrability
in favour of greater armour. Despite an open approach to enlisting new members and a
deep-rooted faith that people can and should do good, the
Many other weapons have been crafted by the hands of the
Justice have always had fewer allies than they have enemies.
Justice’s own weapon-smiths, the Fabricators. These tools
This is even more true now their direction has changed under
range from the Sentencer handguns used by the Executioners,
the rule of High Judge Cadence. The Justice no longer simply
to the acid bombs known as Tears of the Angel that are dropped
hold grudges against specific factions or people, but once
from the heavens by the SSJC. By order of the High Judge, each
again actively seek retribution against all who oppose the
of these weapons are made exclusively on Almeda Island.
teachings of the Archangel Michael.

51
 WEST COAST FACTIONS

§ SAVAGE JUSTICE
JUSTICE CULTURAL PACKAGE JUSTICE INITIATE PACKAGE

• IN SEARCH OF JUSTICE: The Litany of Justice and stric- • SKY STUDENT: Every petitioner that wishes to become
tures of the gang are sacrosanct. Learn them or pay the an oath-sister must serve an undefined term within the
price. Justice characters begin play with d6 in Faction Lore Sky Student Justice Corps (SSJC), where they are further
(Justice). indoctrinated into the beliefs and modus operandi of the
Justice faction.
• ANGELIC TEARS: The Justice have unique weaponry that
often requires extensive training. Justice characters add • ATTRIBUTE REQUIREMENTS: Agility d6+.
+1 to the relevant Fighting or Shooting roll when using a
unique Justice weapon (such as a Provider or Sentencer) • SKILL REQUIREMENTS: Faction Lore (Justice), Shooting.
and +1 to any resultant damage. • BASIC GEAR: Seraph jetpack, Provider (pistol), Law Officer
or Courtroom-inspired Uniform, SSJC Flight Helmet
• I AM THE LAW! (VOW, MAJOR): Members of Justice swear (Kevlar Helmet).
a vow to uphold the Litany and live by the teachings of the
Archangel Michael before all else, no matter the cost to
themselves.

52
CHAPTER 3

Chance amidst the conflict that raged delivered the son of the
Angel’s President into Richard’s hands. Using this as leverage to
unfold a plan designed to bring the Angels to their knees and
grind them into the dirt, Law set the boy as bait for a trap would
draw his father to him. An invite that left no room for refusal
was also sent to the Justice. Nothing would be left to chance.

Having a bad feeling about that day, Richard Law stayed at

his headquarters and sent his right-hand man, Chief Jeremiah
Quinn, to oversee the exchange, while the Justice sent High
Executioner Mallorie, two Senior Judges, and several Jurors
to aid in with Filmore’s trial and execution. Lying in wait, the
allied factions watched Fillmore and a small group of Angels
ride up the highway to the rendezvous. Things started to heat
up after a short verbal exchange, for the Law were itching
for a fight. They opened fire first, but were soon caught in a
counter-ambush; Chip Filmore was no fool and had not come
to San Jose alone. Every Angel and ally within a hundred miles
had covertly travelled to San Jose that day, including several
of their biggest Warrigs. With all guns blazing, the full force
LAW HAULAGE COMPANY of the Angels swooped on the Law and Justice like angels of
Although dubbed the Law Haulage Company, the deeds and death and soon had them surrounded.
history of the faction are at counterpoint to their self-given
There were many casualties on both sides after the dust settled.
title. The faction’s leader, Richard Law, is a ruthless opportunist
The Angel’s President, Chip, and his son were among the dead
who seized on the chance to take power in a city overrun with
that day, plus both Judges, Chief Quinn, and far too many Law
chaos and anarchy. Amidst the rioting and slaughter staining
trikers. The Warrigs of the Haul’s Angels had proved to be nigh
San Francisco’s rubble strewn streets following the Day of the
unstoppable. Both gangs limped back to their hideouts in the
Apocalypse, Richard claimed a large police station and all of its
aftermath, the Law to the north and the Angels to the south.
resources. He then gathered the most violent and hardened
With new outfits sensing blood and taking the opportunity to
criminals to his banner and made them his officers, thereby
probe for weaknesses, Richard Law vowed to drive the Haul’s
ensuring their loyalty and obeisance. Masquerading as legiti-
Angels out of the City and back into the wastes. Quick to learn
mate law enforcers, which often and ironically marked them out
from his mistakes, and swearing to never underestimate an
as targets for those looking to use the anarchy as an opportunity
opponent again, he ruthlessly stamped out the uprisings.
to overthrow the shackles of the past, Law’s cronies eventually
brought San Francisco under their dominance. The situation escalated after the brutal exchange between the
Law and Haul’s Angels that came to be known as the San Jose
Ever an opportunist, Richard Law saw a chance to consoli-
Massacre. Despite leading to the death of the leader of the
date power through alliance when the Justice cleared Alameda
Angels, the event also came at a severe cost to both the Law
Island of Revenants a few short years into his rule. Several
and their Justice allies. Richard Law was forced to reorganise
clashes with them led to the Law bargaining from a superior
after the bloodshed against the disparate elements aligned
position and the pact between the two served to draw smaller
under the Winged Skull. The cold reality was that they could
independent gangs to Richard’s camp. Desperate times can
no longer dominate the city and racketeer with little or no
lead to a blinkered view of the true cost of safety and protec-
challenge. A restructuring of the Law Haulage Company intro-
tion. Those who joined chose to accept the Law’s brutality in
duced SWAT units and several other organisations that made
return for safety in numbers amongst a strong pack.
the gang as a whole better able to sustain itself against new
Until the Haul’s Angels rode into the City, the Law were on threats to their authority.
top of their game. Richard Law was caught by surprise at the
speed with which many of the smaller gangs and outcasts CURRENT AFFAIRS
threw in with Chip Filmore and his biker gang. Some of those he The Law Haulage Company set to consolidating their power
believed broken or cowed were suddenly an enemy once more base in the years following the San Jose Massacre. They saw off
and Richard saw that his house of cards might tumble thanks lesser outfits trying to take advantage of a perceived weakness
to Filmore’s meddling. He could not sit idle and brook such and hit back hard in response. Their dominance has once again
resistance. Richard Law and his Chiefs needed a plan and fast. risen to great heights as a result of their lack of compromise. If

53
 WEST COAST FACTIONS

people choose not to side with the Law then they are against The spoke in the wheel has come in an unexpected form. The
them, and Richard Law has promoted only one response to Skinners and their bloodthirsty leader, Skulltaker, have proven
that. Becoming the most savage of beasts ensures they will unpredictable, making the final decision as to the timing
never be challenged again. of an all-out gang war against the Angels difficult to judge.
Although the Skinners hate the Angels, the Law Command is
While the Haul’s Angels have experienced an internal power
not convinced that they will stay out the conflict. In fact, expe-
conflict, the Law have been taking the time to consolidate and
rience dictates they will almost certainly get involved. No one
expand on their fleet of vehicles and their arsenal of weap-
wants to gamble on contending both rivals at the same time.
ons. The Law’s martial might is now at its strongest ever as a
The Law Command is currently negotiating with the Justice
result, all in preparation for the time they can eliminate their
and a few of the other factions, though offering to not exter-
arch rivals for good. Many new vehicles are nearing comple-
minate them once the Angels are dealt with has not proven
tion and there has been an increase in recent arrivals from the
the best diplomatic strategy to date. In the case of the Justice,
wastelands, with the new recruits stating that supply drops
at least, it is also very much a case of once bitten, twice shy.
in other areas have slowly reduced over the last few years. As
Nevertheless, the added numbers if successful will provide
a result, most are close to starving, desperate, and have had
insurance should the Skinners decide to interfere in the Law’s
to overcome great adversity, so the Law Haulage Company
private war. With the Angels destroyed, the Law will be free to
seems to be a beacon of salvation to them; initially, at least.
crush or absorb the smaller factions at their leisure and once
The newcomers have swelled the Law’s numbers and con-
again dominate San Francisco unchecked.
versely placed a strain on not only their food supplies, but also

MEMBERSHIP
their weapon and vehicle reserves until the construction of
the new fleet is completed. Their varied skill sets and experi-
New members of the Law are likely to be Cadets. These new
ence of great adversity, however, means they work tirelessly
recruits, yet to prove themselves, are normally partnered with
to impress their new master and maintain their place in the
an Officer to learn the ropes. Cadets are not afforded any privi-
ranks. At a recent Law Command meeting, Chief Matthews
leges and must earn their way by other means, which normally
suggested that a decisive push into the Angel’s territory in
involves theft, debt collection, or worse. Cadets that survive
the south using the new blood as the vanguard would serve
and prove themselves are promoted to the rank of Officer.
to reduce their enemy’s strength and rid the Law of some of
the extra mouths they were now feeding. None of the Chiefs Officers are the muscle of the Law. Their training allows them
objected to this strategy. to drive a wide array of vehicles and use a variety of firearms.

54
CHAPTER 3

Officers account for the majority of the Law’s numbers and disposes of anyone he thinks might challenge his rule.
carry out most of their heavy lifting. Ordinarily, four to six
CHIEF MATTHEWS: The second most powerful man in the Law,
Officers and one or two cadets fall under the command of a
Chief Matthews is also in command of the Special Units. Matthews
Sergeant, who in turn reports to a District Captain.
understands he holds the real reins of power even if Richard does
Law members might gain a promotion to one of the special not, and while others might plot to depose Law, the Chief takes
units such as the Armoured Division, which automatically pro- care to quietly dispose of them. All while strictly controlling the flow
vides the rank of Corporal. This rank is not seen in the District of information reaching the Commandant. Matthews has no need
hierarchy. Special Sergeants, who will always outrank District to remove Richard Law; in his mind he already runs the company.
Sergeants, coordinate Corporals. For their part, Corporals will
OFFICER WINISKI: Henry Winiski is quickly carving a legend
take orders from District Sergeants if required to, but prefer
for himself as one of the Law’s top enforcers. Both Richard and
seek out leadership from within the Special organisation.
Matthews see a lot of potential in Winiski, though he repeatedly
Some members apprentice as a Mechanic 2nd Class, which refuses positions of command. Henry mistrusts Father James and is
places them on a path to completing an apprenticeship to rightly concerned over his mission to convert everyone to his flock.
become a Mechanic. Working under the Sergeant Mechanic,
MASTER AGENT CHONG: An ex-Angel herself, Penny Chong has
they maintain and modify all of the Law’s vehicles that operate
trained many special agents, the foremost of which have infiltrated
out of a converted multi-storey car park dubbed the Motor Pool.
her former gang.

TOOLS OF THE TRADE SWAT CAPTAIN AR137: Like all SWAT Officers, the Captain is known
Largely utilising buggies and sedans, the Law will also call upon only by his serial number. He wears the SWAT black uniform and
motorbikes, gyrocopters and Warrigs when operations require . mask, hiding his identity. He reports directly to Chief Matthews.

Extremely durable and available in one of two setups, bug- FATHER JAMES: Father James heads the fanatics of the Ministry.
gies offer the Law a stable and mobile weapons platform. The Driving a black Croozer covered in large red crosses, he preaches
more common design, a lightly armoured version called a that all who ask for forgiveness will be accepted into the Law gang
Combat Buggy, provides a roof-mounted heavy machinegun and from there, heaven. New converts are both baptised and given
that is sometimes twin-mounted for additional fire power. The the rank of Law cadet. After a year of faithful service, the cadets are
Combat Buggy’s big brother, the rarer Armoured Buggy, is a granted full membership in the new church and the Law. All sinners
more heavily-armoured vehicle with solid rubber tyres but no who oppose the Law and refuse to repent deserve to be punished,
vehicle-mounted ballistic weaponry to speak of. Even though and Father James has personally executed many non-believers.
slower than its smaller sibling, it is still a very capable all-terrain
that can use its armoured bulk to ram its opponents from the ALLIES AND ENEMIES
road. The Armoured Buggy is used almost exclusively to trans- The Justice still provide nominal support from their island
port valuables across the Bay area. fortress on Alameda, despite a strained relationship over the
years. Rumours suggest that Cadence is in fact Richard Law’s
There are also two main types of sedan in service: Patrollers
daughter, though neither of them have given the gossip any
and Speedsters. Patrollers are compact, well-armoured sedans
credence to date.
fitted with various types of weapons systems. Speedsters are
pursuit vehicles that have all unnecessary items stripped out The Haul’s Angels remain the Law’s arch rivals, with the blood
of the car to help reduce weight and boost speed. feud set to continue until one side or the other is destroyed.
Residing in the south of San Francisco, the Angels are a constant
Both types of vehicle often travel with a backup vehicle or two
thorn in the side of the Law.
the situation warrants it. Light and manoeuvrable, Gyrocopters
scout ahead of convoys and provide a rapid means of aerial The Skinners and Skulltaker are also considered enemies, with
support. Warrigs, on the other hand, are a unique amalgama- Chief Matthews and Gringo having a personal dispute that goes
tion of various truck parts that bristle with firepower. Large back years to an unknown origin, though some say a woman
and beastly to the point of dwarfing all other vehicles, no two was involved.
Warrigs are the same.
Los Nigromantes, who are quietly attempting to creep back

MAJOR PLAYERS into the area, are also considered enemies. Perhaps ironically,
Richard Law considers the dangerous cult to be a menace to
RICHARD LAW: The leader of the Law Haulage Company with the
anyone still living in these arduous times.
title of Commandant, Richard Law is a lean, well-trimmed man in
his sixties. Of late, he is increasingly paranoid that there will be
violent recrimination for his numerous misdeeds and immediately

55
 WEST COAST FACTIONS

§ SAVAGE LAW
LAW HAULAGE CO. CULTURAL PACKAGE LAW HAULAGE CO. INITIATE PACKAGE

• OFFICER CADET: New members to the Law spend an inter- • CADET: New recruits to the Law Haulage Co. join as Cadets,
minable period as a cadet, where they’re fully expected to where they spend an interminable time under the tuition of
learn the particulars of their district. Law characters begin an Officer.
play with d6 in Faction Lore (Law).
• ATTRIBUTE REQUIREMENTS: Vigour d6+.
• ILL-GOTTEN SPOILS: The Law rare one of the richest
• SKILL REQUIREMENTS: Faction Lore (Law), Shooting.
factions in terms of both personnel and materiel. Law char-
acters begin play with an extra $500 in starting funds. • BASIC GEAR: Croozer, Gasser, or Motorcycle, Law Officer-
inspired Uniform, M-16 or Glock and Pump Action Shotgun
• BLOOD FEUD (ENEMY, MAJOR): The Haul’s Angels and Law (Glock and Shotgun count as one choice).
Haulage Company harbour an intense hatred for each other.
They will often go out of their way to cause their enemy
faction harm.

56
CHAPTER 3

by consensus among all those involved. The disparate Peoples

began to quarrel. As fights erupted and threatened to tear
the entire enterprise apart, a curious thing happened: the U.S.
Government intervened.

Having Noted the influx of population and the danger emerg-

ing from the possibility of a unified People, the US Government
sent in Federal Agents to force the tribes to disperse and remain
docile. The incursion only served to bring the tribes closer
together, and so the Coalition of Sovereign Peoples (CSP) was
formed. When the Federal Agents were able to engage, the CSP
Mercenaries proved to be ferocious, organized and incredibly
effective. Inflicting numerous casualties on several occasions,
they forced the Federal Agents to mount a siege of the main vil-
lage of Peach Springs. Little did the agents know, the Coalition
was well provisioned, well-armed, and ready to outlast.

As the months and years dragged on, the pressure of numerous

proxy wars and international conflicts stretched the govern-
ment beyond any capacity to maintain their siege. In essence,
SEVEN FIRES the U.S. Government gave up and sought to save as much
The Seeker, Ishkay, watched as the Sun Father cried over the face as possible. The renewed Treaty of Sovereign Canyonland
land. His tears were filled with his essence and everything was ceded the federal land into the care of the Coalition. They would
consumed. It was the way the Sun Father brought balance to serve as “stewards” of the land—a land they had already occu-
the Land, as it was in the beginning. The People called it the pied for centuries. Though this was only a few years before the
Great Reckoning, the time when all past sins were reckoned or Great Reckoning, it cemented the reputation of the Coalition
redeemed. They had told stories of the Reckoning Time when Peoples and established their initial boundaries. The People
the world would fall into chaos and despair. They instructed their still celebrate Sovereign Existence Day as the day when they
children and gave them seeds of wisdom and timely warnings. secured their land, at last, from the conquerors. Then came
the Great Reckoning and the fulfilment of the Ancient Stories.
So the Hualapai People prepared. Having already faced one
apocalypse with the invasion of the Spanish in the 1500’s, the When the dust settled, the Coalition realized the world had
People resolved to be ready the next time. Over the centu- been changed forever. The old ways were gone and a new,
ries, they stockpiled goods, adapted new technologies, dug more dangerous existence would be the order of the day. They
underground, and waited. The Hualapai slowly withdrew as convened a Grand Council and renamed themselves the Six
the global empires churned toward destruction, calling their Fires. When the Lakota traversing the northern wastelands
people home until Day Zero struck and fire rained from the arrived more fully, they reformed as the Seven Fires. As an
sky—as was foretold millennia before. emblem, they chose a Phoenix—just as the bird rose from the
ashes, so too did the People—to emerge as a bastion of light
Of course, Indian Country (or what was once known as the
and hope in an otherwise burned and ashen world.
United States) is small, and many of the other Native American
tribes and sovereign nations heard of the wonders and prepa- As violence and fallout continued unabated, the People of the
ration measures underway by the People of the Grand Canyon. Seven Fires expanded their territory, technology, defences, and
Through their networks, families, and clan connections, the society. Each of the Fires set building a centralized fortress
Midwest and Great Plains tribes began migrating and reset- to protect their individual villages and peoples. They created
tling in the newly created settlements of what would come to aqueducts and natural waterways that drew from deep springs
be known as the Seven Fires Territory. hidden beneath the Grand Canyon. And they began a process
to refine one of the most crucial elements to their success:
As the decades slipped by, almost a hundred thousand
Anishiinaa. They built a paradise in the high desert and dared
people had migrated towards Central Arizona. With the
anyone to come try and take it.
population growing, the tribes recognized the need to cen-

CURRENT AFFAIRS
tralize decision-making to provide for everyone’s common
welfare, defence, and general necessities. Elders and lead-
Improvisation, adaptation, survival — The Seven Fires Refrain.
ers both young and old met in their respective villages to
discus and deliberate. No decision could be reached unless The current Seven Fires are made up of the People of various

57
 WEST COAST FACTIONS

tribes and nations originally located throughout the western The greatest advantage for the Seven Fires is Anishiinaa, which
and northern plains of the United States. The Fires consist directly translates as “grass fire” but really refers to the bio-
of the Hualapai, Lakota, Yaqui, Hopi, Dine, Apache, and Ute fuel that powers their vehicles and equipment. Many of the
Peoples, but each of the Fires is referenced by their new names: Indigenous peoples worked in the mines and labs prior to the
the Hualapai as Home Fire, Ute as East Fire, Diné as West Fire, Great Reckoning, where they developed considerable knowl-
Lah-koh-tah as North Fire, Yaqui as South Fire, Hopi as Above edge of organic combustion and sustainable engineering. As
Fire, and Apache as Below Fire. After the Great Reckoning, the Home Fire began cultivating new crops, their scientists
many more journeyed to the Seven Fires territory, both Native experimented with mass producing biofuel that could be used
American and not, to seek respite. Some were invited and by individuals and communities in a controlled and safe way.
adopted into the various villages and kinships, many were The fuel they developed came from corn-based ethanol that
turned away. Though some of these tribes were often ancient was reverse engineered to recreate the original grasses that
enemies, the old enmities melted away in the face of survival. corn was cultivated from thousands of years prior. Grown close
to the cliffs and constantly in season, the abundance of this
The Seven Fires territory now stretches from what was Southern
material has served the People of the Seven Fires incredibly
Utah to Central Arizona, and from the California/Arizona border
well, but the secrets of how to utilize this material is a closely
to Western New Mexico. Most importantly, the tribes control
guarded secret known to only a few of the top engineers and
access to the Hoover Dam, the Colorado River, and passage
Leadership Society members. Despite its sustainability and
across the Grand Canyon. Their access to water resources makes
availability providing an incredible advantage, Anishiinaa lives
them a natural target for those seeking to control the area.
up to its name by also being potentially unstable. There is
Peach Spring is the vllage at the centre of the Hualapai and always a chance of a vehicle overloading under the stress of
the tribes, which is where all Fires business and coordination battle, which causes a chain reaction in the biofuel that rapidly
takes place. It’s the proverbial tip of the iceberg, however, as burns it through and damages the engine (or worse).
many more wonders are far below the surface of the ground.
Ishay’s warning meant that building continued above and MEMBERSHIP
belowground across the centuries, which provided a natural Each fire burns bright, together they burn brightest — Eh-wah-
advantage after the Great Reckoning. Geothermal heating, mah-yo, or Karlos Widemar.
freshwater, hydroponic gardens, technological advances in
Each of the Fires maintains their own rolls and rites of passage.
miniaturization, sustainability, and efficiency are all tasks for
Men and women fight side-by-side and each has their own
the scientists and engineers in their various groups and Kins.

58
CHAPTER 3

responsibilities based on Kin Lines. Kin structures are most that leave a driver’s hands free for attacks. The Bobcats are
important, not least in determining responsibilities in society. armoured ATVs that are light, fast, and built to dodge and weave.
Each person has two major Kin Lines and two minor Kin Lines. All light units are camouflaged and easily able to blend and
The major Kin Lines come from the mother’s side and the minor adapt, utilizing the element of surprise to overwhelm and stun
Kin Lines from the father’s side. These lines stretch throughout enemies before the heavier units can finish the job.
each of the Seven Fires and form familial relations that connect
each of the Fires together over great distances. MAJOR PLAYERS
TSALAGI ROBERT (ALSO CALLED UNCLE BOB): Uncle Bob was a
Those who are not born into one of the Fires may be adopted
successful writer and teacher before the Great Reckoning, but the
into one based on their dedication and value to Fire and Kin.
collapse of society and the loss of his family in a tragic accident
In the first years after the Great Reckoning, many flocked to
gave him a chance to reimagine his life. Now he’s a wandering, hard
the Seven Fires territories. The influx of people almost over-
drinking, hard fighting, and charismatic storyteller.
whelmed the Fires and their generosity. As a result, the Grand
Council and the War Women devised an initiation process that AWIAKTA (ALSO KNOWN AS BLESSED WOMAN): The Head
would prove not only the worth of the individual, but also their Woman of the War Woman Society, she has been the bedrock of
spirit and commitment to Fire and Kin. the defence of the Seven Fires for more than five decades. Although
not born of the Fires, she was adopted in at ten years old after she
Individuals may also lose membership if their actions bring
was found wandering in from North Carolina.
harm to their Kin or Fire. Known as The Four Fingers, these
outcasts from the Seven Fires are called such because the KAYLA SUN DAGGER: Kayla is the Story Keeper for the Seven Fires.
ancient stories relate being human means you have five fin- She knows all that came before and keeps many secrets of the
gers on each hand. Once the Great Council decides that an People. She lives in Peach Spring and collects various artefacts in
individual is outcast, the War Women remove one finger from an immense warehouse that most call the Cave of Wonder.
each hand to show that they are no longer ‘human’because of
UNCLE JACK: There are so many stories swirling around him that
their destructive behaviour, though exceptions are made for
nobody really knows how he arrived. Legend states that he’s one
wounds, accidents, and body anomalies.
of the only people to successfully infiltrate the tribes’ defences and
There have been some internal conflicts between the almost make off with a sacred artefact from the central building
Traditionalists and the Expansionists lately. The Traditionalists of Peach Springs. Rather than punish their aboriginal cousin, the
believe that they should continue to focus on ‘tending the Fires’ Council acknowledged his skill, adopted him into the Home Fire in a
by promoting internal development. The Expansionists are place of honour, and assigned him tasks befitting his unique talents.
interested in accessing more territory and bringing the former
WARREN, DUTA, AND KERMIT — THE LEDGER BOYS: These young
U.S. back under Native American control, much as it was prior
men are the finest artists of all the People, not just the Home Fire
to European colonization. Though not yet a lasting issues, it has
they belong to. Their designs and art emblazon almost all the
started to emerge as a possible rift among the Fires.
vehicles in service, as well as many of the buildings and fortresses

TOOLS OF THE TRADE throughout the Seven Fires territory. Some say their designs have
special powers that keep the fighters safe from harm.
The vehicles of the Seven Fires are far more sophisticated than

ALLIES & ENEMIES

anything found outside of major city centres like San Francisco.
Which makes them far more coveted. The Seven Fires work as
Having learned from the long-ago time that they can only trust
a unit known as the Root, Trunk, Leaves Group (RTL). Each RTL
outsiders to break their word, the Seven Fires have no true
learns together under the guidance of a Command Group of
allies. They do, however, maintain strong trade relations with
three veteran Drive Warriors known as the Fire Core. The Root
some factions. Nonetheless, they are always aware that the
members service and maintain the vehicles and provide logis-
terms could change on a moment’s notice. From their domi-
tical support in the field, while the Trunk members drive the
nant position, the Fires have no problem adapting to changing
heavy vehicles (the Fierce Bears, Mountain Goats, and Mega
circumstances, both good and bad.
Turtles). The Leaves are made up of ten to fifteen single drive
units divided among the Sparrows and the Bobcats. In the language of the Fires, Ji’w’ha means enemy. It is a harsh
word filled with finality and aggression. The Seven Fires only
The heavy machines are mostly used for transport or mobile
have one sworn Ji’w’ha: Los Nigromantes. It is an enmity born
command and are customizable depending on each situation.
of violence and bloodshed. Los Nigromantes are the only fac-
If heavier armour, a lookout perch, extra weapons, each of the
tion to cause constant strife and atrocities against the People.
heavy units is built around a base model to almost any situation.
But the Seven Fires return the same force in kind. In a harsh
The Sparrows are armoured all-terrain four-wheeled Segways age, there may be no end to harsh conditions.

59
 WEST COAST FACTIONS

§ SAVAGE SEVEN FIRES

SEVEN FIRES CULTURAL PACKAGE SEVEN FIRES INITIATE PACKAGE

• ROOT, TREE, LEAVES: The Seven Fires maintain excellent • KIN: Whether born amongst the Fires or accepted in for
traditions for ensuring their members understand their commitment and spirit, each new member of the Root,
wider connections. Seven Fires characters begin play with Tree, Leaves is expected to perform their task.
d6 in Faction Lore (Seven Fires).
• ATTRIBUTE REQUIREMENTS: Spirit d6+.
• HOT GRASS: The Seven Fires scientists and engineers
• SKILL REQUIREMENTS: Faction Lore (Seven Fires), Shooting.
work in tandem to upgrade the Fires’ vehicles. The
character begins play with an Anishiinaa Modification on • BASIC GEAR: Buggy, Croozer, or Motorcycle (choose one),
their vehicle. Glock, Kevlar Vest.

• BROKEN WORD (SUSPICIOUS, MAJOR): The tribes of

the Seven Fires learned long ago that they could rarely
trust outsiders to keep their word. Support rolls to aid a
member of Seven Fires by anyone outside of the Fires
suffer a -2 penalty.

60
CHAPTER 3

all surviving elements out of the base and onto the ships sta-
tioned there. He also personally led missions designed to fortify
Coronado Bridge and destroy Silver Sand Boulevard around the
Tunupuna Lane area. That decision might have caused the loss
of the base at that time, but it ensured that The Teams would
continue, giving them a large piece of real estate surrounded
on all sides by the sea whilst keeping the San Diego Naval
Supply Centre under their control.

Following a quick and successful campaign, the base was recap-

tured and civilisation as defined by Kneeson and the members
of The Teams returned to a small portion of San Diego. With that
success under his belt and an elite force of dedicated warriors
under his command, Kneeson has spent the time since setting
his sights on reaching further afield. Ruling his forces with an
iron fist from the re-purposed USS Midway, he has plans in
motion that will secure the rest of the city and from there the
entirety of the state of California.

THE TEAMS CURRENT AFFAIRS

Unlike many other factions, The Teams are fully behind their
The Revenant Virus inflicted untold horror and tragedy during
leader. Admiral Kneeson not only represents everything that
the Day of the Apocalypse, turning almost every town and city
was good about America, but also everything that can be great
on the West Coast into an open graveyard that seethed with
again. His military doctrine and routines provide a stability and
hungry dead. Some were more prepared than others for coping
security in mental, spiritual, and physical terms.
with the deadly chemical attack. None were more prepared,
or able to respond more swiftly and effectively, than the elite The Mission—the overarching goal to reclaim the United States—
SEAL Teams of San Diego. has become all-consuming for every member of The Teams.
Whether serving as boots on the ground or shovelling manure
The Day of the Apocalypse brought nightmares to unlife and
onto the vegetable gardens, each member understands that
turned the popular post-apocalyptic TV shows of the time into
their contribution counts.
a shocking and ghoulish reality. The brave men and women of
Naval Amphibious Base Coronado were nearly overwhelmed, Being this united means that Kneeson can sleep easily in the
but eventually managed to use tactics, training, and equipment knowledge that his throat won’t be getting slit in the middle
to contain the virus and deal with its deadly after-effects. San of the night. The lack of challenge to Kneeson’s authority is not
Diego had fallen to the dead, however, which left those inside only because of ingrained military discipline, but also due to a
the base trapped within a swarming ring of Revenants. Rescue belief that he is the only person with the particular set of skills
missions were mounted to bring in survivors, who were then see their task through to completion.
given a brief training package in anti-Revenant tactics. Over the
So far, encounters with other factions has always ended same
days, months, and years since that fateful day, the survivors and
way: the bodies of the other gang taken from the scene and
their descendants have grown into a close-knit family that order
spent cartridges policed up. All the faction will ever know is that
their daily lives according to strict military codes. The Teams
their members went out and never came back. Not knowing
live on and continue to honour their lost and fallen.
whether their former companions are alive or dead or whether
The Teams are survivors of a different era when enemies were they decided to forge out on their own is one of many aspects
often more clearly defined and tended to live outside of the of psy-ops that Kneeson employs.
country’s borders. Now, anyone who is an unknown to them
The Teams have even sent one or two of their own to infiltrate
both inside and outside of San Diego is a potential threat to
other factions with the intent to foment mistrust and open
them, and an enemy of the United States of America.
hostility, forcing the gangs to expend personnel and materiel
The Teams are the descendants and survivors of the remnants on internal battles that they can little afford. Colonel Ramsey,
of the former US Navy’s famed Special Forces, the SEAL s, and an Army Intelligence officer that was attached to the San Diego
their attached support units and families. When the Fall came, base prior to the end of civilisation, has been given free warrant
it was Admiral Kneeson, a former SEAL himself, that led the by Kneeson to continue to wage psychological warfare on the
defence of San Diego. The Admiral took the decision to pull lawless factions outside their immediate borders. Operations

61
 WEST COAST FACTIONS

include sabotaged ammunition caches, poisoned food and Despite the SEALs and Marines having a naval influence, sailors
water stores, booby-trapped vehicles, and the liberation of remain at the bottom of the command structure no matter
captives from the other gangs with the intention to provide their rank. As a purely support role, they only engage in combat
them with a safe place in San Diego. if absolutely necessary. Their duties include fleet maintenance,
supply and logistics, and policing of the civilian population.
A few larger factions are aware that there is a blackout zone
within San Diego, but the defence that The Teams have in place The civvies are at the very bottom of the organisation. There is
means that none have so far been able to dispel the rumours a distinction however, between family members of the three
of a supernatural presence within the city. top tiers and the average civilian. The family members are all
accorded courtesies according to whether they are linked to
MEMBERSHIP an operative, a marine, or a sailor. Civilians are survivors and
Being ordered as military personnel, The Teams are highly hier- civilian support staff from before the fall and they exist purely
archal. At the top of the chain are the operatives. Their officers to support the other tiers. It is they who do the important but
are the leaders of the whole faction, but the rank and file oper- menial tasks of rubbish collection, hunting and food prepara-
atives are still considered to be superior to anyone else in the tion, building maintenance, and any other duty assigned to
faction, no matter what their rank. In terms of a feudal com- them by members of the other tiers. Every member of The
parison, the operatives would be considered be the nobility. Teams has a healthy respect for the civilians that they protect.
Membership can only be gained by being a Marine that has
Anyone wanting to join The Teams, regardless as to their back-
distinguished themselves above and beyond the exceedingly
ground, has to pass assessment. Every civilian is assessed for
high standards already expected.
usefulness, with those possessing a skill deemed to be con-
Below the actual teams are the Marines. These men and women tributory given a higher ranking than those displaying skills
act in a much-needed combat support role. Membership can not considered useful for survival. Artists, authors, poets and
only be attained by first serving in the sailors and support staff musicians tend to find themselves cleaning latrines and burn-
tier first. Applicants must then demonstrate their capability ing bodies, for example.
through a gruelling twelve-week selection course. With a
This doesn’t mean that artistic expression isn’t valued. On the
pass rate of only fifteen percent, those applying need to truly
contrary, Kneeson even expended valuable resources to save
believe that they are capable of achieving such a status.
what he could from the San Diego Museum of Art, as well as
Sailors are at the lowest tier of the military arm of the faction. every gallery his people could locate. However, with the ideals

62
CHAPTER 3

of The Mission, no member of The Teams has time to dedicate known to consistently shoot a nickel at over fifteen-hundred metres
towards producing such things. with his Remington Defence bolt-action rifle. For close-in work, he
switches between a supressed Mod, and a Barret M82B1-P .50 BMG
TOOLS OF THE TRADE Pistol. Rowan rarely bothers to ride in a vehicle, preferring to move
The Teams are issued with pre-fall military weapons that they on foot in order to get a feel for his surroundings. A ghost, he takes
have kept well-maintained. Having a naval base containing his target down before they even realise he’s there.
ammunition and fabrication facilities has meant that they
COMMANDER DICKINSON: To Kneeson, Commander Sarah
were able to remain self-sustaining for a considerable period.
Dickinson is the ultimate SEAL. Graduating at the top of every class
Unfortunately, continued expansion means dwindling supplies,
and course she has ever applied for, she has the highest number
so they have recently taken to foraging beyond San Diego.
of confirmed kills over all ranges. One of the first female SEALs
In terms of vehicles, The Teams technically have access to a following the Day of the Apocalypse, she has blazed a path that
full range, from light speed boats to destroyers, and all-ter- many will find hard to follow, let alone beat. Her name is on every
rain buggies through to tanks. While they work hard to keep honours board and is used in awe by drill instructors. In her thir-
the entire fleet serviceable, fuel shortages prevent them from ties, she keeps her afro tighter than regulations stipulate bar a
fielding anything but the smaller of those available to them. All thick centre section sits slightly longer and is dyed dark blue. She
have been adapted to contend with Revenants in addition to claims it’s her respect for the Mandinka tradition as espoused by
the other threats for which they were initially designed. Though a once well-known actor with bad attitude. Especially good with
small in number, The Teams are fully prepared to tackle the explosives, she rides in a heavily modified Flyer Light Special Forces
lawless gangs they are encountering during their wider-rang- Vehicles manned either by other Operatives, or by Marines keen
ing forays. However, they have yet to meet a faction of any to prove themselves.
significant size. Airpower is also available, especially helicop-
BLACKBALL: The pilot of a modified Osprey gunship, every opera-
ters, and aircraft are often seen flying over San Diego.
tor that goes beyond the wall wants Blackball as their overwatch
There are even rumours that Kneeson has command and provider. Gregarious, fun to be with, witty, and beautiful, she is
control of a small number of nuclear-capable cruise missiles, the belle of The Teams. Her gunship is armed with underwing
including a nuclear attack submarine patrolling somewhere missile and rocket launchers, while its belly miniguns on side and
off the West Coast. Whether this is true, or whether Kneeson ramp mounts. This does mean that the crew is slightly larger than
would even condone unleashing yet more nuclear weapons on normal, dropping the personnel carrying capacity somewhat, but
his beloved country remains firmly in the realms of speculation. because of the small size of operational Teams, this hasn’t ever
proven to be a problem.
MAJOR PLAYERS JUMPMASTER: Jumpmaster is an oddity, even amongst the oper-
ADMIRAL KNEESON: Admiral Liam Kneeson is a hard-bitten former
atives. No-one bar Kneeson even remembers her name, and he
SEAL who has dedicated himself to restoring America its former
has not once shown any inclination to tell. An expert in airborne
glory. His vehicle of choice, a heavily modified M935 Expansible
insertions, she leads a tight-knight crew of operatives, marines and
Trucker, serves as a mobile command centre when leading combat
pilots that often operate out of Blackball’s Osprey. Her team have
elements on operations. Though the ships are not currently capa-
become known as the Pathfinders. Parachuting in a mile or so
ble of moving, he spends a lot of time hopping between the USS
away, the Pathfinders carefully make their way to their objective,
Midway and the USS Coronado, which are moored in the San Diego
gather intelligence, and supposedly decide whether to abort or
Bay and along the Pacific coast respectively.
continue. So far, no mission has ever been aborted. Her favourite
MASTER CHIEF SUEMATSU: Master Chief Suematsu is a legend weapons are silenced pistols, twin machetes, and a sawn-off
in his own time. He personally killed over fifty revenants in close pump-action shotgun.
combat using his entrenching tool and, when the spade part broke,
a length of pipe. All without suffering serious injury and whilst ALLIES AND ENEMIES
rescuing a bother-in-arms who had lost both legs to an explosive Beyond accepting recruits into their fold, The Teams have yet
device planted by other survivors. The event has left its mark, how- to make any allies. Although they assess each faction they
ever, and Suematsu is prone to wandering off into the city on his encounter, Kneeson has yet to find one that he would be willing
own, though he always returns with another survivor or a piece of to diplomatically treat with.
technology to bolster the base. He rides a matte black motorbike
As mentioned previously, however, they have yet to engage
on these solo missions, with two suppressed M249s mounted on
a faction of any significant size. What will happen when they
the handle bars. Not that this does much to reduce the noise.
eventually make contact with the factions that currently call
CAPTAIN ROWAN: The best shot The Teams have, he has been San Francisco home remains to be seen.

63
 WEST COAST FACTIONS

§ SAVAGE THE TEAMS

THE TEAMS CULTURAL PACKAGE THE TEAMS INITIATE PACKAGE

• KNOW YOUR ROLE: As survivors and descendants of a tight • THE TEAMS INITIATE PACKAGE:
knit, elite military organisation, every member of The Teams
understands their function. Teams characters begin play • PETTY OFFICER (P.O.): Recruits that have proven them-
selves ready for the combat arm of The Teams join as a
with d6 in Faction Lore (The Teams).
Petty Officer.
• STORES REQUISITION: The Teams operate a base that • ATTRIBUTE REQUIREMENTS: Vigour d6+.
contains plenty of surplus military equipment, which they
use to train relentlessly. Teams characters gain +1 to their • SKILL REQUIREMENTS: Faction Lore (The Teams), Fighting,
Shooting rolls when using firearms and rocket launchers, Shooting, Survival.
including vehicle-mounted variants.
• BASIC GEAR: Buggy, Croozer, or Motorcycle, BDU-inspired
• FORGED BY ADVERSITY (OVERCONFIDENT): The Teams Uniform, Kevlar Vest, H&K MP5 or Glock and Pump
have faced the crucible of the end times and survived. Action Shotgun (Glock and Shotgun count as one choice),
There is nothing they can’t overcome. While not suicidal, Survival Knife.
they often tackle challenges that seem beyond the ken of
mere mortals.

64
CHAPTER 3

dark. Surfacing from beneath the deck when the storm abated,
the four found themselves surrounded by endless waters and
lessening swells. They laughed aloud and thanked the gods.
The god of mischief must have been listening, for the storm
returned with renewed fury to batter the ship. No one cowered
below decks now, however. The four held tight to the gunwales
and laughed in the face of the storm. Madness and fury had
gripped them and they revelled in it.

The four that carried Janice from the boat when it eventually
washed ashore at Orange Beach, Alabama, were no longer
Michael, John, Sorin and Peter. Born anew in the grief, terror,
and mad delight of the storm, they strode ashore as Sirac, Bear,
Bloodbeard, and Fennis.

In Orange Beach they found a small city that had been torn
apart. Local neighbourhood watch groups had formed a militia
to protect themselves, but they were too few in number and
running low on ammunition. With sword and axe, hammer and
shield, and full Viking armour, the four rampaged through the
THE VYKERS streets, slaughtered Revenants by the dozen. They stayed to
Life in Miami before the apocalypse was sweet. Four good train the locals in the use of hand weapons, galvanising what
friends and one shared house on South Bayshore Lane, bought was left of the city. Dreaming of a new world order, the four
and paid for out of trust money. Nordic folk music, streamed patrolled the city on bikes and four-wheelers but never quite
TV, online gaming, tabletop RPG sessions and discussions felt settled. However much they helped, the four were viewed
around the Saga of Burnt Njal filled their evenings, while riding by most as pagan warriors and oddities. Sensing a change
quadbikes, sailing, turning clock springs into chain mail for the on the wind, Fennis convinced the others and a handful of
Varangian Re-enactment Society, and belting each other with followers to leave. Five years after entering, the Viking Bikers
hand-forged iron swords occupied most days. Then fire rained roared out of Orange Beach.
from the sky and choked the road to Hel’s dominion, the dead
With no real direction in mind, they drifted into Mobile. The
walked, and the world began to end.
Viking Bikers slowly morphed into the Vykers as they steadily
Everything went from bad to worse, cities were ablaze, utili- prepared for a longer journey and salvaged what they could
ties failed, infrastructure collapsed, and society tore itself apart. from the ruins of the city. Engines, parts, frames, fuel, weapons,
Life became survival, and survival was a fight. Popular media ammo, and new members grew their ranks. Within the first
doesn’t paint gamer-geeks as survivalist types, but the four took year, Fennis had become leader to over seventy members, Bear
that stereotype and blood-eagled it. They rescued John’s sister, related the sagas and developed the DaneLaws for them to live
Janice, and survived amid the mayhem for five months. As the by, Sirac trained everyone in the shield wall, and Bloodbeard
dead grew in number and the National Guard disappeared, they taught them all to shoot. Acceptance into the group now came
knew they had no choice but to leave. With Michael’s family in at the cost of an oath to the All-Father and the selection of a
Tampa, the choice between trekking through the Revenant- new name.
crowded streets or taking Sorin’s Father’s yacht was simple. The
Early recruits to the group included Helle Oakenshield, a tal-
five stowed food, water, games, and their re-enactment gear:
ented mechanic who had previously owned a business building
all the essentials. They were obsessed with Vikings and Jordan
custom bikes, and Morten Ironside, a young prodigy with a
was an experienced sailor, what could go wrong?
degree in mechanical engineering. Joining the core of the
As it turns out, everything could. A storm whipped up, the winds Vykers, they developed plans for a large-scale vehicle that
snapping the mainsheet and throwing the mainsail boom into would help take the group wherever they wished to roam.
Janice, leaving her in a coma. The boat was driven out to sea
As their plans and construction efforts dragged on, the number
into rising swells. Days passed, terror set in, and the yacht
of Revenants in the streets began to grow unmanageable.
seemed forever on the verge of capsizing. Grieving, terrified,
News also came in from travellers: from Miami to Maine, the
lost, the four nearly gave up hope. They spent what daylight
apocalypse had devastated the East Coast of North America.
there was belowdecks, with John keeping his sanity intact by
Fennis settled on a direction: East. Packing as much as their
either reading the sagas or reciting them from memory if too
vehicles could carry, the Vykers abandoned Mobile after three

65
 WEST COAST FACTIONS

years of preparation. With no specific destination beyond a They fought hard for five long years. Then Janice awoke during
desire to head west, their steady progress took them through a Freysblot and spoke two mystical words. Naming her Gythja,
the Central States. A rolling village clearing out stockpiles the Vykers turned their backs on the bloodied streets of Los
of fuel, food, and water from every small town they passed Angeles and drove towards San Francisco without hesitation.
through, they experienced fewer Revenants whilst managing
to swell their numbers to over three hundred. Scouting parties CURRENT AFFAIRS
roamed ahead on four-wheelers, and the whole procession Having left Los Angeles, the Vykers took nearly a full month
slowed further as their numbers grew. to arrive on the outskirts of San Francisco. Moving ahead of
the main group, scouts identified territory in San Jose and
The Vykers had been on the road for a year when they entered
the Vykers moved in to securing a base of operations at the
Arizona, where — despite all they had been through — they
dilapidated Centre for Performing Arts. They then pushed fur-
faced their toughest hurdle yet, for the old National Guard camp
ther afield to secure the Medical Centre and the ruins of the
in Bellemont had been turned into a Seven Fires fortress. Heavy
Westfield Shopping Centre.
fighting on the roads and in the broken forests of the Coconino
National Park lasted weeks and inflicted losses. Licking their Though their location in San Jose has put them in direct com-
wounds, the Vykers were forced to press further west. petition with BritAttack and they continue to clash with Los
Nigromantes, the Vykers began to once again slowly build
Heading into California, they stayed in Palm Springs for over a
up their territory in the months after their arrival. They have
year so they could repair their equipment and try to convince
also taken to hiring themselves out to any San Francisco fac-
Bloodbeard not to rush back to Arizona seeking vengeance.
tion that can pay the price. The most pressing discussion at
When ready to move again, they followed a route that led them
the Althing currently surrounds whether expansion into San
towards the coast. The City of Angels was dark and held tightly
Francisco proper. The Vykers are doing their best to assess the
in the grip of vicious Los Nigromantes cells. Armed mostly
territories, numbers, and weaknesses of the gangs holding
with improvised weapons and hiding behind Revenants, these
sway in the area, which has led to a number of small clashes
gangs were unprepared for a mighty shield wall of fur-clad
with both the Haul’s Angels and the Law Haulage Company.
warriors well-versed in butchering undead. Chanting ‘Tyr!’, the

MEMBERSHIP
Vykers carved a bloody wake through Los Angeles and set up
camp at the Griffiths Observatory. More civilians, survivors who
Acceptance into the group requires an act of loyalty, an oath
had not fallen to Revenants or been butchered by the gangs,
to the AllFather, and a sacrifice, which is usually in the form
begged to take the oath and Trine swore them in.

66
CHAPTER 3

of a chicken, though rats, racoons and other animals are also TOOLS OF THE TRADE
acceptable. Vizon presides over all such ceremonies, though The Vykers pride themselves on their prowess in close combat.
she has a number of Karls she is training to support her. Once Utilising a range of weapons inspired by the Viking era, their
the ritual has been completed, new members of the Vykers are warriors are easily recognised. They bear swords, axes, and ham-
marked with a scar or tattoo, choose a new name, and fashion mers, often with a round shield, and wearing chain or plate
an amulet to wear as a reminder of their oath and bond. armour. The secrets of how to forge these weapons is closely
guarded, and Vyker-made hand weapons are highly valued for
Social hierarchy in the Vykers is a bastardisation of the early
their quality, strength, and durability.
Viking social structure. Holding the rank of Jarl, Fennis is the
undisputed leader of the Vykers. Vizon (formerly Janice, sister Vykers also wield bespoke guns. Designed by Bloodbeard and
of Bloodbeard) holds the rank of Gythja, somewhere between Morten, and manufactured by the workshops of Fennis, the
a judge and a priestess, she holds as much, if not more, social ferocious Makingevär is a powerful assault weapon, while the
power than the Jarl. Sirac, Bloodbeard and Bear are war- Annihilator pistol has an obscenely high rate of fire and serves
chiefs. As leaders in battle, it is their responsibility to train the as a good close quarters weapon.
Vykers and lead them in battle. Beneath these five are the
For transport, the Vykers specialise in bikes and four-wheelers
oldest or most talented and trusted members of the Vykers:
that are designed and made by Helle and Morten, as well as
the Húskarlar. Morten and Helle design and build much of the
the gigantic Freasian, which has been modified specifically for
Vyker’s bespoke equipment together, while Trine, Red and
battle since their great journey.
Katt often lead others in battle.

Next are the Karls, with every member sworn into the Vykers MAJOR PLAYERS
beginning at this rank. While their social structure includes the FENNIS: Jarl of the Vykers and undisputed leader, he is the visionary
rank, the Vykers do not have anyone who serves as a Thrall… yet. who inspires and fires the Vykers. While a powerful warrior, it is his
intelligence and ability to think on his feet that have helped the
A body of laws variously referred to as the DaneLaws or Havamal
Vykers become what they are today.
governs Vyker society, all inspired by a mix of old American
laws and Nordic sagas, or else concocted as the need arose. VIZON: Gythja of the Vykers, she is something of a mystic, a proph-
Vizon remains responsible for maintaining them, and while far etess, priestess and judge. Aside from her duties as a völva, she
from a codified set of laws and regulations, they are enough helps keep the stories of the Vykers alive through tales of their
to allow the Vykers to live as a close-knit and amicable society. exploits and travels mixed with a healthy dose of Norse mythology.

One of the strongest binding factors in the Vykers is religion, BEAR AND SIRAC: War chiefs of the Vykers, they train the young
while belief in the All-father and the old Nordic pantheon began Karls into warriors that can make the Vykers proud. Both equally
as a symbolic gesture of social cohesion, the lines between pure fearsome in battle, Bear is solemn and Sirac fairly jovial while at rest.
symbolism and actual belief have blurred. Fennis and the other
BLOODBEARD: A crack-shot and weapon master, Bloodbeard is
original three all believe fervently in the Norse gods.
a war chief who trains those Karls that seek to be the first-and-
Great meetings occur on a regular basis, usually on the first or foremost warriors in the arts of ranged combat.
second night of a full moon. Called the Althing, these meetings
TRINE: This mechanical wizard now leads a sizeable workshop
are where Vizon recites stories and sections of the DaneLaw,
called the Forge of Alviss. Alongside Helle and Morten, she designs
awards are received, and choices made. It is a surprisingly dem-
and builds the weapons and vehicles of the Vykers.
ocratic process and has worked well so far.
HELLE AND MORTEN: Engineers and designers, they work with
Joining as Karls, members have the opportunity to move up to
Trine in the Forge of Alviss to create the Vykers’ symbolic equipment.
the rank of Húskarl given their service record and importance to

ALLIES AND ENEMIES

the group. While from the outside it appears as if the Vykers are
a band of warriors, this is a very superficial view. Every member
As mercenaries in the San Francisco area, the Vykers are allies
of the Vykers is first taught to fight with hand weapons by
and enemies to all in equal measure. They regularly clash with
Sirac, and then with guns by Bloodbeard, but every member
the BritAttack and the Haul’s Angels, both of whose territories
is also expected to learn a trade. Some dedicate themselves
are close by. They also frequently battle with their old enemy,
purely to the warrior path, others learn the skills of smithing,
Los Nigromantes.
mechanics, engineering, medicine and so on. The Vykers are
a work in progress, with their growing number of experts in The Vykers hold a special hatred for the Skinners and the
each of these fields slowly teaching new members their crafts. Hunters. Fennis has issued a standing order to kill them on sight.

67
 WEST COAST FACTIONS

§ SAVAGE VYKERS
VYKERS CULTURAL PACKAGE VYKERS INITIATE PACKAGE

• BLOOD AND HONOUR: The Vykers are a tight-knit com- • VYKERS INITIATE PACKAGE:
munity that use strong oral traditions to pass on their lore
and beliefs. Vyker characters begin play with d6 in Faction • KARL: An oath to the All-Father, an act of loyalty, and a
suitable sacrifice is enough to be welcomed into the Vykers
Lore (Vykers).
as a Karl.
• AXE AND BLADE: Vykers have a penchant for melee • ATTRIBUTE REQUIREMENTS: Strength d6+.
combat, which is reinforced by intense weapon training.
The character gains +1 to their Fighting rolls when using an • SKILL REQUIREMENTS: Faction Lore (Vykers), Fighting d6+.
axe or sword.
• BASIC GEAR: Buggy, Croozer, or Motorcycle (choose one),
• CHOSEN OF ASGARD (DELUSIONAL): The Jets consider Viking-inspired Clothing, Thick Leather Armour (Jacket and
themselves to be representatives of a bygone age. They Leggings), Longsword or Warhammer.
have a deep and abiding code of honour that harkens back
to more genteel times.

68
 CHARACTER CREATION

Characters in the Devil’s Run RPG are created using a four-step Each attribute, the bonus they provide, and any skills they
process dubbed FACE, (Faction, Archetype, Customisation, and govern are listed opposite. Bonuses related to skills are dis-
Equipment), which represents the four essential steps of char- cussed later in this chapter, while skills associated with each
acter creation. All players must make one choice from each attribute are covered in Chapter 5: Skills & Talents.
of these categories when creating their character. Once the
entire process has been completed, each character also gains • AGILITY: The measure of your physical and manual dexterity,
a wildcard. The wildcard allows the character to repeat any sense of balance, and body control. Governs the Acrobatics,
one of the first four steps of the character creation process. Melee, and Stealth skills.
Want to play a rich character? Repeat the Equipment step for
your wildcard. Want to play one of your faction’s elite? Choose • AWARENESS: Represents perception and sense acuity across
all five of the key senses: vision, hearing, feeling, taste, and
Faction. Want to exemplify a specific role? Opt for Archetype.
smell. Governs Insight, Observation, and Thievery, plus
Have an idea for something wild? Pick Customisation.
bonus damage with ranged weapons.

STEP 1: FACTION • BRAWN: A measure of might, endurance, toughness, and

the physical force you can exert. Governs Athletics and
Each factions is detailed in Chapter 3: West Coast Factions.
Resistance, and determines your close combat damage
Before making any further choices, players should read these
bonus and the Vigour reserve—the amount of physical injury
pages and choose a starting faction to hail from. Alternatively,
or stress that you can withstand.
the choice can be made randomly using the Random Faction
Table below. Once a faction has been chosen, the player records • COORDINATION: The Coordination attribute describes hand-
the Attributes, Skills, and Gear granted by the Faction Basic eye coordination, aim, and ability to navigate within one’s
Attribute and the Faction Basic Skills & Gear Tables. surroundings, both physically and mentally. Coordination
governs the Drive, Firearms, Heavy Weapons, and Pilot skills.
When allocating skill points to Expertise and Focus, bear in mind
that neither of these characteristics may ever be raised above 5. • INTELLIGENCE: IThe measure of your wit, intellect, and a
combination of studies and cunning learned on the streets.

RANDOM FACTION TABLE Governs Engineering, Lore, Medicine and Wild Tech.

• PERSONALITY: A measure of your charisma, ease of social

ROLL FACTION ROLL FACTION interaction, and ability to be charming or deceptive as
needed. Governs skills such as Animal Handling, Command,
1 –2 Avant Guard 11–12 Justice
Counsel, Persuade, and Traffic. Personality also determines
3–4 BritAttack 13–14 The Law bonus damage with attacks that affect Nerve.

5–6 Freelancers 15–16 Seven Fires • WILLPOWER: A person’s force of will, and mental resolve, the
7–8 Haul’s Angels 17–18 The Teams Willpower attribute governs Discipline, Gang Warfare, and
Survival. Equally as important, Willpower determines your
9–10 Jets 19–20 Vykers Nerve capacity, which is the reserve of sanity that prevents
mental trauma.
ATTRIBUTES
Each character in the Devil’s Run RPG is defined by seven
attributes that embody a character’s intrinsic physical and
mental abilities and limitations.
FACTION WILDCARD
Each attribute has a rating that determines its measure. Higher Choosing Faction as your PC’s wildcard grants an additional
attribute numbers reflect greater ability. For humans, most +1 Focus to all Faction skills. If this increase takes Focus
attributes range from 6 to 12, with 8 representing an average above Expertise, then Expertise is also increased to match
rating. Human attribute ratings below 6 are possible, reflecting the new Focus value. Additionally, the PC gains a single
particularly inept, weak, or poor abilities. Additionally, humanity talent from the same tree as their Starting Talent. When
has been culled through the survival of the fittest, and attrib- choosing a talent, a character must always meet a talent’s
utes may have ratings above 12 to reflect this. Furthermore, prerequisites, but the choice is otherwise unrestricted.
non-humans—which includes animals, beasts, mutants, and
Revenants—may have attributes that go below 6 and above 12.

70
CHAPTER 4

FACTION BASIC ATTRIBUTE TABLE

FACTION AGILITY AWARENESS BRAWN COORDINATION INTELLIGENCE PERSONALITY WILLPOWER
Avant Guard 8 7 8 8 9 7 9

BritAttack 9 8 9 8 7 7 8

Freelancers 8 8 9 9 7 7 8

Haul’s Angels 9 8 8 7 7 8 9

Jets 9 8 7 8 9 8 7

Justice 9 7 8 9 8 7 8

The Law 8 9 8 7 8 7 9

Seven Fires 7 7 8 8 8 9 9

The Teams 8 8 8 9 7 7 9

Vykers 8 7 9 8 9 8 7

FACTION BASIC SKILLS TABLE

FACTION +2 EXPERTISE +1 FOCUS +1 EXPERTISE +1 FOCUS +1 EXPERTISE STARTING GEAR* STARTING TALENT

Avant Guard Engineering Drive, Survival Firearms Survival Engineering

Kit, Pistolet
BritAttack Resistance Drive, Firearms Melee Clan-Specific Resistance
Clothing,
Shooter Pistol
Freelancers Traffic Firearms, Stealth Survival 1H Melee Traffic
or Ranged
Weapon, MedKit
Haul’s Angels Drive Firearms, Melee Discipline Crash Helmet, Drive
Leather Vest, Knife
Jets Wild Tech Discipline, Drive Mechanics Toolkit, Wild Tech
Observation Flight Helmet
Justice Discipline Drive, Pilot Firearms Litany of Justice, Discipline
Provider Pistol
The Law Thievery Observation, Survival Lockpick Kit, Thievery
Stealth Standard Pistol
Seven Fires Lore Melee, Survival Animal handling Pistol, Short Lore
Wave Radio
The Teams Athletics Discipline, Stealth Carb Rifle, Athletics
Firearms Kevlar Vest
Vykers Melee Resistance, Engineering Chain Shirt, Melee
Survival Hatchet

*At the GM’s discretion, the starting gear may be swapped for another suitable faction item.

71
 CHARACTER CREATION

STEP 2: ARCHETYPE
If Faction defines who a character is acting for, Archetype ARCHETYPE WILDCARD
describes how they go about doing it. There are six basic If you choose your Archetype as your wildcard, you gain
Archetypes; Bravo, Driver, Greaser, Hustler, Pit Boss, and another +1 bonus to the attribute listed in the +1 Attribute
Shooter. An Archetype can either be chosen or rolled ran- column, plus another talent from the skill listed in the
domly using the table below. Talent column. (At character creation, attributes can never
be raised above 12.)
RANDOM ARCHETPYE TABLE
The following brief descriptions provide an overview of each
ROLL FACTION ROLL FACTION Archetype’s role within the post-apocalyptic wasteland:
1-4 Bravo 12-14 Hustler • BRAVO: The vast majority of road warriors are Bravos. These
characters have little more than grit behind them and know
5-8 Driver 15-17 Pit boss
it all too well. If they thrive at all it is because of a deep
9-11 Greaser 18-20 Shooter personal drive to succeed, because there are hundreds more
where they came from.

Each Archetype improves 1 attribute by 2 and another attribute • DRIVER: Drivers are likely the next most common archetype,
by 1, grants 6 Expertise points, provides the character with a and while often viewed as interchangeable, the partnership
piece of useful gear, and grants one talent from the skill indi- of a good driver and their wheels can make all the difference.
cated in the Talent column (the character must still meet any Sadly, many drivers find themselves thrown on the scrap
prerequisites). Refer to the Archetype Improvements Table to heap as soon as their wheels blow or get stolen.
determine where bonuses are applied and what gear is gained.
• GREASER: A Greaser is often considered to be a faction
ARCHETYPE IMPROVEMENTS TABLE
ARCHETYPE +2 ATTRIBUTE +1 ATTRIBUTE +1 EXPERTISE GEAR* TALENT

Bravo Brawn Agility Acrobatics, Athletics, 1 Merch plus a Resistance

Firearms, Melee, Leather Jacket
Resistance, Stealth and Crowbar or a
Chain Shirt
Driver Coordination Agility Animal Handing, 3 Merch (at least 2 Drive
Drive, Engineering, must be spent on
Observation, a vehicle)
Survival, Thievery
Greaser Intelligence Brawn Discipline, Drive, 1 Merch, Engineering
Engineering, Engineering
Observation, Toolkit
Survival, Wild Tech

Hustler Personality Awareness Counsel, Discipline, 1 Merch, Owed Traffic

Drive, Insight, three debts of
Persuade, $250 each that
Traffic, Thievery can be called in
during play
Pit Boss Personality Willpower Command, 2 Merch, Command
Counsel, Discipline, Gang Colours
Firearms, Gang
Warfare, Persuade
Shooter Coordination Awareness Acrobatics, Discipline, 3 Merch (at least 2 Firearms
Engineering, Firearms, must be spent on
Observation, Stealth, a ranged weapon)

*Unless a category is specified, Merch gained may be used anywhere.

72
CHAPTER 4

treasure. Trouble is, they know it. Anyone can fix a car with STEP 3: CUSTOMISATION
the right parts, but it takes a real mechanic to make the parts Having chosen a Faction and Archetype, you can now take the
from scavenged metal and melted rubber. opportunity to customise your character. To begin with, choose
one of the following options for your character:
• HUSTLER: Even the post-apocalypse has a basic form of
economy. And where money or goods are concerned, there • ATTRIBUTE: Increase a single attribute that is less
are always those who seek to take advantage of them. than 12 by 1
Whether internal or inter-faction, trade and barter often
OR
equate to the lifeblood that keep a gang functioning. Those
that excel at cutting a deal are often given plenty of leeway, • TALENT: Pick any one talent that you have the prereq-
so long as they don’t get too greedy. uisites for

• PIT BOSS: Without leadership, the people of the wasteland OR

are listless scavengers waiting to die. Pit Bosses give mean-
ing to each daily struggle and provide the platforms for • SKILLS: Choose 3 different skills that have an Expertise of 3
or less and increase their Expertise by 1
other Archetypes to interact and comingle. On the flip side,
however, their struggles for dominance leave bodies and
wreckage strewn across the highways.
CUSTOMISATION WILDCARD
• SHOOTER: Cousin to the Bravo, a Shooter is a killer more If you choose Customisation for your wildcard, you can
than a tough. Whether sighting down a scope or duelling in make a second Customisation option from the list above.
the street, a shooter can be the best of friends, but is twice (Including taking the same choice twice.)
as likely to be your worst nightmare.

Next, choose an upbringing for your character. If you’re unde-

cided or having difficulty choosing, a random upbringing
based upon your character’s Archetype can be rolled using
the Random Upbringing Tables. Aside from an incentive for a
backstory, upbringing will also determine a trait. Traits are an
important descriptor used to determine when Salvage Points
can be recovered.

BRAVO UPBRINGING TABLE

ROLL UPBRINGING TRAIT
1-7 Another’s Charity Indebted

8-13 Ill Reputation Disreputable

14-20 Pigeonholed Betrayed

ANOTHER’S CHARITY: Life in the post-apocalypse is hard for

everyone, which is why many choose to use their fists to punch
themselves above others. More often than not, this often leaves
a lot of broken bones and sore egos in their wake. A powerful
person took pity on you during a fight over scraps and stepped in
to assist. What do you owe them in return? Did you end up owing
them more?

ILL REPUTATION: You were a rising star in your faction, destined

for some form of leadership. Something happened to tarnish your
reputation, however, and now you are marked as though you har-
bour the Revenant Virus. What happened to sour your reputation?
Are there any who still remember you with fondness?

73
 CHARACTER CREATION

PIGEONHOLED: You’ve started life amongst the lowest of the low DEVIL IN THE DETAIL: Planning and strategy. Two key parts to
and have always struggled to drag yourself free. Your one chance successful design and implementation. A notable person entrusted
to pull yourself out of the faceless mob was snatched away thanks you with a critical task that held severe consequences for failure.
to a knife in the back. Who betrayed you? Has the betrayal led to Unfortunately, hasty implementation without proper planning and
bitter rivalry that can only result in one ending? strategy led to disaster. Which prominent person did you fail? What
will it take to redeem yourself?

DRIVER UPBRINGING TABLE SPANNER IN THE WORKS: Technologies of the Old World hold a
certain charm and fascination for the survivors of the apocalypse
ROLL UPBRINGING TRAIT and their descendants. Regrettably, not everyone seeks to pre-
serve or repair the treasures they find—some seek to destroy it.
1-7 Devil on the Run Adrenaline Addict What drives you to wreck things? Are there any baubles or trinkets
8-13 Night Terrors Night Terrors that are sacrosanct?

14-20 Total War Vengeful

HUSTLER UPBRINGING TABLE
DEVIL ON THE RUN: You live for the run and little else. Colours ROLL UPBRINGING TRAIT
seem dull and sounds muted when you’re not tearing down the
1-7 In the Family Secrets
freeway in an adrenaline fuelled frenzy of rubber and carnage.
You’re either listless or restless when not in your vehicle, which 8-13 Road Pedlar Well-travelled
often frays tempers. What made you like this? What is your road
rage pushing you towards? 14-20 The Devil’s Levy Contraband

NIGHT TERRORS: Since time immemorial, the twilight has always

IN THE FAMILY: In the post-apocalypse, almost everyone plays
preyed upon humanity’s subconscious. Superstition and fervent
with their cards close to their chest. Your family, however, have
imaginations gave birth to all sorts of horrendous nightmares. Then
survived and thrived on their ability to steal a look at the hands of
came the Day of the Apocalypse and the twilight hours really have
both rivals and associates. They have powerful friends and danger-
been dark and full of terrors ever since. What happened on a night
ous enemies. What hazardous secret are you privy to? Who does
drive to plague your dreams? How else has it affected you?
it provide leverage and rivalry with?
TOTAL WAR: Road battles range anywhere between short skir-
ROAD PEDLAR: Staying on the road and not committing to faction
mishes over supply drops to all-out wars over turf. You’re one of
often means a quick and painful end. Still, your family has man-
the lucky ones who has managed to drive away from a brutal
aged to survive despite the dangers. Life on the road is all you’ve
pitched battle, though doing so came at considerable cost. What
ever known, which has provided many experiences but few true
was the price for your life? Who caused you to sacrifice almost
allegiances. What happened in your family’s past to stop them
everything you hold dear?
settling? What led them to leaving you behind?

GREASER UPBRINGING TABLE THE DEVIL’S LEVY: Being able to fight often means a person can
take what they want from others then defend their ill-gotten

ROLL UPBRINGING TRAIT gains. You’ve learned from the best that hiding your goods and
covertly moving it can be just as effective a means of getting ahead.
1-7 Ancestral Recall Overbearing Legacy Unfortunately, you recently came into possession of someone’s
prized equipment? Who are they? How did you acquire it?
8-13 Devil in the Detail Over Analysis

14-20 Spanner
in the Works
Destructive
PIT BOSS UPBRINGING TABLE
ANCESTRAL RECALL: Even before the apocalypse, your family held
ROLL UPBRINGING TRAIT
an illustrious background in engineering or manufacturing. You’ve 1-7 Black Sheep Dissident
always been looked at as a prodigy, which has also brought a
fair amount of jealousy or favouritism. Something recently went 8-13 Devil’s Strife Vendetta
disastrously wrong that caused others to question your abilities,
14-20 Protégé Arrogance
however. What went wrong? Do you truly deserve your name?

74
CHAPTER 4

BLACK SHEEP: You understand that being part of something word or short phrase that describes an important attribute of
improves your chances of day-to-day survival, but that doesn’t the character’s personality or upbringing. A flaw or character-
mean you have like the accompanying rules—or follow them even. istic that is at the core of who they are and what they believe.
As a result, you’ve become known as something of troublemaker,
When a trait is created, the player and GM should discuss
a rebel with a cause. Whose ire have you drawn? What is your
what it specifically represents for the character and how it
ultimate goal?
might influence or complicate their lives. It’s important that
DEVIL’S STRIFE: You or your kin have had a deep and intense rivalry both player and GM have a common understanding of what
with another player within the faction. They’ve ultimately been a trait means.
expelled from the gang, but tensions still simmer with their cro-
Adrenaline Addict, Vengeful, Disowned, Old World Purveyor,
nies and you know it’s only a matter of time before you face an
and Haunted by Revenants are all examples of character traits
‘accident’ out on the road. Who was the rival? How many of their
that might have sprung from the PC’s upbringing.
allies remain?
Once a trait has been chosen, it can be called upon during
PROTÉGÉ: You were taken under the wing of someone important
play to help a PC recover a Salvage Point for the simple cost
and groomed for command from an early age. Some respect you,
of 1 Momentum or Fallout. If this option is triggered, how-
but just as many fear or envy you. The favouritism you’ve been
ever, the character must play out their trait within the scene
shown has led to an intense rivalry with your benefactor’s ene-
to the full, which normally involves them taking a dramatic,
mies. Who has been watching out for you? Who has this caused
irrational or dangerous action as a result of their trait defining
trouble with?
their motivations.

SHOOTER UPBRINGING TABLE Conversely, a GM can also draw upon a character’s trait as a
means to bring the PC’s flaws to the fore. If a GM creates a
ROLL UPBRINGING TRAIT Complication that is directly related to or affects a character’s
trait, they can reduce the cost of the Complication by 1 Fallout.
1-7 Devil’s Own Luck Jammy
More information concerning traits as a means of recovering
8-13 Overwhelmed Survivor Salvage Points and in relation to Complications can be found
on in Chapter 9: Rules of the Road, p. 242.
14-20 Trophy Collector Looter
SALVAGE POINTS
DEVIL’S OWN LUCK: Whether down to fast reflexes or plain dumb As a final customisation step, note your Salvage Points. These
luck, you seem to always be able to avoid lethal injury. You’ve are an in-game resource representing a positive twist of fate.
survived some seriously bloody affairs, which has caused some They enable PCs to gain automatic successes towards skill rolls,
to comment that you could apply to be the sixth member of the automatically succeed at skill rolls, and accomplish a variety of
infamous Alpha Team. What is the most prominent confrontation other tasks. All PCs begin each game session with 3 Salvage
you’ve survived? Whose corpse have you stood on whilst doing so? Points, though they can earn more through the course of play
(to a maximum of 5). A character’s base amount of Salvage
OVERWHELMED: When factions go to war, they do so with frenzied
Points are replenished at the start of each session. Chapter
determination and without mercy. Inevitably, body counts are high
7: Conflict & Drama describes the use of these in more detail.
as a result, with survivors considered as either incredibly fortunate
or cool and competent. You’re one of the few on the losing side of
falling into either category. Where did the battle take place? What
scars do you bear?
PERMANENT SALVATION
At the time of character creation, GMs may allow the play-
TROPHY COLLECTOR: You’ve read stories of the Old World. It was ers to permanently spend 1 Salvage Point to increase an
dog eat dog with people always looking for ways to prove their attribute by +1 or increase a single skill’s Expertise and
superiority over others. It isn’t much different now, except you can Focus by +2. If this option is allowed and a player chooses
establish your dominance at gunpoint and you’ve replaced medals to spend a Salvage Point, then no attribute can exceed 14
with grisly trophies. What is the biggest trophy in your collection? and no skill can have its bonus exceed +3. Points in excess
Who is coming to collect one from you? of these totals are lost, or should be redistributed if possi-
ble. If this option is taken, the PC’s new Salvage Point total
CHOOSE A TRAIT is two. They will begin each session with only two Salvage
With an upbringing and loose background decided, a player Points available, but gain the advantage of a higher initial
can now choose a trait for their character. A trait is a single attribute or skill bonus.

75
 CHARACTER CREATION

STEP 4: EQUIPMENT EXAMPLE OF CHARACTER CREATION

Finally, all characters gain 3 Merch, which is in addtition to any Cass sits down to create her character. Following the order
already gained during character creation. The final Merch total established by the FACE acronym, she will start by choosing
is used to select starting gear. (Though there may be some a faction then proceed through the other steps.
restrictions as to where Merch is spent based on Archetype.)
STEP 1: FACTION
Unless this step is chosen as a wildcard, no character may gain
Cass chooses to roll her faction at random and gets a 7. Her
more than 6 Merch at character creation. Any excess is simply
character grew up amongst the rowdy biker mob known as
lost. Some gear will gain a discount based on a character’s
the Haul’s Angels.
faction, as that particular item is more commonly found within
those ranks—see Faction Prevalence, p. 140. Checking the Faction Basic Attribute Table, she notes her
attributes down as the following:
All characters also begin play with $50 in their pocket, wallet,
or wherever they’d like to store it. This represents the meagre ATTRIBUTES
savings they have scraped together—beyond the physical gear AGI AWA BRW COO INT PER WIL
that has been collected—prior to their current undertakings. 9 8 8 7 7 8 9
Finally, the Merch cost of a motorcycle, buggy, car, or croozer is
Next, she references her initial skills using the Faction Basic
halved when purchasing a vehicle at this step (rounding down).
Skills & Gear Table, placing +2 Expertise and +1 Focus in Drive, +1
Expertise and +1 Focus in Firearms and Melee, and +1 Expertise

EQUIPMENT WILDCARD in Discipline. Cass also notes that her character has picked up
a talent in Drive. As this is the first talent her character has
If you choose Equipment for your wildcard, you gain 3
received in the skill, Cass must opt for the tier 1 talent — which
additional Merch worth of gear, to a maximum of 9.
is Canonballer in this case. Finally, she notes that her character
Characters that choose this option can often indulge in
has a sharp blade and a crash helmet.
big ticket items such as a larger vehicle, a workshop, or
even several smaller vehicles. SKILL EXP TN FOC SKILL EXP TN FOC

Drive 2 9 1 Firearms 1 8 1
Discipline 1 10 - Melee 1 10 1

MERCH:

TALENTS: Drive: Canonballer (reroll 1d20)

TRAITS:

WEAPONS

• Sharp Blade: Melee, 3, 1H, Hidden 1, Subtle 1,

Thrown, Unforgiving 1

GEAR: Crash Helmet

STEP 2: ARCHETYPE
Having randomly rolled a faction, Cass decides to instead
choose the Archetype for her character. Continuing with the
driving theme established by her faction benefits, she decides
to opt for Driver as the Archetype.

Checking the Archetype Improvements Table, she increases

her character’s Coordination by 2 and Agility by 1.

ATTRIBUTES
AGI AWA BRW COO INT PER WIL

10 8 8 9 7 8 9

76
CHAPTER 4

She then adds +1 Expertise to the Animal Handing, Drive, STEP 4: EQUIPMENT
Engineering, Observation, Survival, and Thievery skills and Cass adds 3 Merch to those gained during Step 2: Archetype,
chooses a new talent from Drive. As this is the second talent which increases her total to 5 and concludes the four steps of
from the skill, she can choose from the tier 2 talents and opts FACE. She also adds $50 to her sheet.
for Speed Freak.
MERCH: 6
Finally, she makes a note that her character will have 3 Merch,
2 of which must be put towards her vehicle choice and optional WILDCARD & GEAR
modifications. With the main steps of character creation concluded, Cass can
SKILL EXP TN FOC SKILL EXP TN FOC
now decide upon her character’s wildcard and gear. Opting for
a faction wildcard, Cass increases the Focus of her Discipline,
Animal Hand. 1 9 - Melee 1 10 1
Drive, Firearms, and Melee skills by +1, then chooses Born to
Drive 3 12 1 Observation 1 9 - the Wheel as an additional talent (chosen from same talent
Discipline 1 10 - Survival 1 10 - tree as the starting talent chosen under Step 1: Faction).
Engineering 1 8 - Thievery 1 9 - As a final step, Cass delves into Chapter 6: Gear and Merch
Firearms 1 10 1 and Chapter 8: Vehicular Mayhem to spend her character’s
Merch. With her character having a background in the motor-
MERCH: 3
cycle-heavy Haul’s Angels faction, she opts for a motorcycle.
TALENTS: Drive: Canonballer (reroll 1d20), Speed Freak (add 1 This would normally cost 9 Merch, but as she is purchasing this
zone to vehicle’s move) at character creation, the Merch cost is halved to 4. Thinking
that she’ll need something to better protect herself with, she
TRAITS:
purchases a Pistol with her remaining 2 Merch.
WEAPONS
SKILL EXP TN FOC SKILL EXP TN FOC

• Sharp Blade: Melee, 3, 1H, Hidden 1, Subtle 1, Animal Hand. 1 9 - Melee 1 9 2
Thrown, Unforgiving 1 Drive 3 12 2 Observation 1 9 -
GEAR: Crash Helmet Discipline 1 10 1 Survival 1 10 -
Engineering 1 8 - Thievery 1 9 -
STEP 3: CUSTOMIZATION Firearms 1 10 2
Of the three choices available for attribute, skill, or talent custo-
misation, Cass opts to gain a new talent. She’d like her character
MERCH:
to be a better shot from their vehicle, so opts for a Firearms
talent. As this is the first talent choice she has made in Firearms, TALENTS: Drive: Canonballer (reroll 1d20), Speed Freak (add 1
Cass must select the tier 1 talent and notes down Marksman. zone to vehicle’s move), Born to the Wheel (-1 diff to Drive tests
[D0 min.]); Firearms: Marksman (reroll 1 )
Next, she decides upon an upbringing. Rather than rolling here,
Cass chooses Trophy Collector from the Shooter upbringings TRAITS: Trophy Hunter
(though she could have chosen an upbringing from any table).
WEAPONS

MERCH: 3 • Sharp Blade: Melee, 3 , 1H, Hidden 1, Subtle 1,

Thrown, Unforgiving 1
TALENTS: Drive: Canonballer (reroll 1d20), Speed Freak (add 1
zone to vehicle’s move); Firearms: Marksman (reroll 1) • Pistol: Range R/C, 4 , Burst 1, 1H
TRAITS: Trophy Collector GEAR: Crash Helmet, $50

WEAPONS VEHICLE: Motorcycle

• Sharp Blade: Melee, 3, 1H, Hidden 1, Subtle 1, NERVE & VIGOUR
Thrown, Unforgiving 1

GEAR: Crash Helmet • NERVE: Total Nerve is a sum of the PC’s Willpower attribute
plus Expertise in Discipline (10 in Cass’s case [Brawn 9+1])

Finally, Cass opts for Big Game Stalker as her trait and records • VIGOUR: Vigour is a sum of the PC’s Brawn attribute plus
3 starting Salvage Points for her character. Expertise in Resistance (8 in Cass’s case [Brawn 8+0])

77
 CHARACTER CREATION

HUMANISING THE POST-APOCALYPSE OPTIONAL RULE: NOTORIETY

Once you’ve created your character, there are a few key Road warriors thrive on reputation, often risking life and limb
characterisitics that you should seek to define before the to increase their fame with octane-feulled feats that seem
first session begins. Answering some basic questions about beyond the ken of lesser mortals. For some, reputation can
your PC will help you connect with the character you’ve built be more important than the dollar in their pockets—fame
and focus your roleplaying efforts during play. While the list will bring its own rewards, after all. A PC’s renown doesn’t
isn’t exhaustive, some questions to answer include: necessarily need to be tracked. They’ll either start making
a name for themselves within their faction and the wider
• What your character looks like and what they wear world or not. For GM and players who enjoy the use of a
• Their general demeanour and approach to life mechanic to track such a changeable asset as fame or infamy,
Notoriety is the mechanical measure of this intangible goal:
• Age. Are they a grizzled survivor of the Old World or a a vital resource, as those who know of a PC’s exploits either
child of the new?
respect or fear them.
• How do your character’s attributes translate to others. If this optional rule is employed, a PC’s Notoriety rating
I.e. if your PC has a high Brawn, are they a hulking
provides a way to reduce the cost of certain activities and
brute or do they possess a wiry strength
acquisitions during the Trafficking Phase (see p. 243), and
• A brief history—your upbringing can help here—and reflects the way others treat them in the world. Notoriety
how you came by your skills and talents only increases with time and effort, and reaching the highest
levels of Notoriety can be a costly proposition that will also

THE PRELUDE & FACTION SHIFTS ultimately garner unwanted attention. Under certain circum-
stances, in addition to the Adjust Notoriety Activity (p. 244)
With a few questions answered, some GMs and players
the GM may award an increase to Notoriety as a reward for
might like to run through a short prelude to really ground
a triumphant victory or significant accomplishment, as well
each character in the current campaign. A prelude is a short
as lowering it due to some misdeed or infamy.
session that takes place before the very first game of a cam-
paign or story arc begins. It can be as short or involved as The PCs naturally start with a Notoriety of 0 (Unknown), with
required (particularly if both player and GM are enjoying the the other levels of Notoriety detailed on the table under the
ride) but should be used as a means to flesh out some of the Adjust Notoriety heading, p. 244. If the GM and players wish
key defining moments of the PC’s life to date. By shifting to take Notoriety one stage further, a few simple adjust-
between key moments, the GM and player can skip through ments will allow the system to be expanded so that the PCs
months and years in short order. can record their Notoriety with individual factions.

Key points to focus on definitely include any questions Beyond the effects of reducing costs during the Trafficking
that might need answering from the character’s upbring- Phase, a PC may call upon their Notoriety once during each
ing (see Step 3: Customisation, p. 73). but could also cover game session. If they do so, they may immediately add their
their means of gaining any vehicles or gear they possess, any Notoriety level to any social test as an equivalent amount of
enemies or allies they have a history with and why, and any Momentum. A character with a Notoriety of 2 (Familiar), for
major encounters that have left their mark. instance, may call upon their Notoriety to add 2 Momentum
to a social test. Additionally, at any time when making a
A prelude can also be used as a means to switch a PC’s
threaten attack (see p. 192), a PC may pay X Fallout to add X
allegiance from one faction to another between character
 to the damage of the attack, where X is equal to the PC’s
creation and the first session. Developing a backstory for
Notoriety level.
this is a great way for GMs and players to further develop
a PC’s motivations and hooks. The characters Alsa (Los If this optional rule is being used, the GM should make the
Nigromantes) and Pach Man (Freelancer) are both examples PCs aware that whilst fame or infamy will certainly provide
of PCs with initial factions that are different to the faction a measure or reward, it will also carry inherent dangers in
they call home at the start of play. In Alsa’s case, it’s clear the form of others seeking to establish their own name by
she’s made herself a wanted enemy of both Los Nigromantes eliminating the current top drivers. Worse yet, potential rivals
and Justice. Pach Man’s journey to becoming a BritAttack and enemies will certainly appear from both within and with-
member, however, is less clear, which is certainly an area out the PCs’ faction, making the potential list of enemies a
that would benefit from a prelude session. long one indeed.

78
CHAPTER 4

EXPERIENCE & INVESTMENT talents have prerequisites, such as needing a certain level of
An exciting aspect of roleplaying games is experiencing the Expertise or possessing other talents first.
development and growth of a charcacter over the course of a
The first talent in any tree costs 200 experience points to
campaign. The variety of options for customization after char-
acquire. Other talents cost 200 experience points for each
acter creation relies on the accumulation of experience. As they
step away from the first talent. A step measures the talent’s
move through different phases of their lives, each PC gains
distance from the starting talent and is based on the number of
experience that allows them to reach unrivalled potential. Like
arrows or spaces it takes to draw a path back to that first talent.
the leaders of the established factions, the PCs can move from
outlanders, petty mercenaries, and lowly grunts into kingpins
For example, in the Gang Warfare tree, Conniver is the first
and leaders—perhaps even establishing a faction of their own.
talent and costs 200 experience points. Chancer is one step
Experience points are a reflection of the difficulties each PC away, so it also costs 200 experience points. Overseer is
has overcome and provide a means for using those experi- two steps from Conniver, so it costs 400 experience points.
ences to become more competent. In general, the GM awards
experience points at the end of each session, or at the end
of a significant story arc or campaign. If Salvage Points are GANG WARFARE TALENTS
immediate gratification, experience points are the end reward.

INVESTING EXPERIENCE POINTS CONNIVER

Experience points can be used to improve a character in a

number of different ways. The three most common ways of
investing experience points are described below. How GMs
award experience is discussed in Chapter 9: Rules of the Road. BIG GUN CHANCER OVERSEER

ATTRIBUTE IMPROVEMENT: Am attribute can be increased by 1

point by investing experience points equal to 100 times the new
target characteristic. For example, raising Brawn from 7 to 8 costs
800 experience points. Attributes cannot be increased above 14. CHIEF OPPORTUNIST DEATH & TAXES
(The maximum for human beings.)

SKILL IMPROVEMENT: A player must decide whether to increase a SKILL FOCUS DISCOUNT: Training a skill’s Focus represents a deep,
skill’s Expertise or Focus. Each must be increased separately, but specialized understanding of that skill. Such intense dedication
each level of improvement costs the same amount of experience. makes it easier for the player character to improve further. The
Improving Expertise or Focus requires experience points equal to cost to acquire talents within a particular talent tree is reduced
200 times the target new skill rank. by 25 for each level of focus training a character has with the skills
in that talent tree.
For example, improving a skill from Expertise +1 to Expertise
+2 costs 400 experience points.
For example, Cass’s character has Discipline Focus 1.
Talents acquired from the Discipline talent tree will cost
ACQUIRING TALENTS: Talents vary in cost based on where in the 25 fewer experience points.
talent tree they reside. In general, talents further down the tree
cost more than talents toward the top of the tree. Also, many

EXPERTISE & FOCUS IMPROVEMENT TABLE

EXPERIENCE POINT COST EXPERTISE IMPROVEMENT FOCUS IMPROVEMENT
200 0 1 0 1
400 1 2 1 2
600 2 3 2 3
800 3 4 3 4
1000 4 5 4 5

79
 CHARACTER CREATION

GROUP BACKGROUNDS There are a number of ways a group history can be generated.
This section seeks to provide some advice and guidance on The GM and players should collaborate on which of the follow-
how a Prelude (see Sidebar on pg. 37) can be used to help ing headings they want to use, if any. This section builds upon
strengthen and create a dynamic and interesting story around the assumption that the characters have known each other for
why a group of characters are touring the road together. GMs a little time. When We FIrst Met can be added to other choices.
are free to use, expand upon, or ignore any aspects of this
The suggestions and options detailed throughout this sec-
advice to suit their own groups and campaigns. This section
tion often describe the steps the players should take, but this
aims to provide some steps through which a group of players
doesn’t preclude the GM from taking part. Although the players
can create an intertwined backstory whilst simultaneously
should take lead, the GM should also ensure they participate
setting some goals for their characters.
in the story creation and decision making taking place.
If the players are creating an interconnected background, it
is recommended that the GM and Players pick between one
and three options, each from different subheadings (When we BOUND BY BLOOD
first met, Remember when, Life Goals, and Needs). The GM If the PCs are all of the same faction—including those who
and players may then decide whether to include Loyalties and have opted to be a Freelancer allied with a larger fac-
Rivalries, and whether to follow the ‘It’s Not What You Know’ tion—the GM and players should bring a collective goal to
rules. The Group Benefits section includes general group rules mind as they follow the group background creation steps
that may be applied to any group of characters. outlined below. For instance, do they want become known
as an elite team, gain some form of leadership themselves,
build their collective notoriety, or perhaps make them-
DEFAULT FACTIONS selves wealthy or influential in a different way?
As a default, the Devil’s Run RPG assumes that the PCs
If the PCs are from different factions, there are some
belong to the same faction, which includes any Freelancers
individual questions to consider that relate to the group
that might be tagging along as part of the team. It’s rel-
working together. This includes how each character feels
atively rare to find a group of individuals belonging to
about group members from different factions, how the
multiple factions working together towards the same goal.
members of a character’s own faction feel about them
In fact, some factions will never work with others regard-
working with outsiders, whether a character is still an
less of the circumstances. With that said, alliances can and
active member of their starting faction or an outcast, and
do happen, which is where the advice in this chapter can
whether a faction is likely to call upon a character to act
serve to bridge the gap.
against other members of their group.
Each faction often has one or more factions with whom
It may also be the case that the PCs are interested in cre-
they would rather be seen dead than working towards the
ating their own faction, which is something that entire
same goal. The factions and their enmities are listed below.
campaigns could be centred around. If this is the case, the
characters might want to predetermine where the faction
ONE FOR ALL AND ALL FOR THEMSELVES will be based, how they intend to supply it, their likely
Two key questions that should be answered by every group of relationships with other factions in the area, exactly what
PCs are why they’ve banded together and what it is that keeps the characters intend their faction to represent (including
them together. As a default, the PCs all originate from the any values, creed, and style or schtick), where they intend
same faction but this may not always be the case. Even when to recruit new members, and what the faction’s ultimate
this is the case, however, further embellishment should be aim or purpose will be.
provided for an interesting narrative reason as to why they’re
all currently on the same road together.
WHEN WE FIRST MET
A GM might have designed their adventure or campaign around The PCs have met previously, though perhaps only recently.
a core idea that serves to bind the PCs, but spending time
FIRST QUESTION
answering some simple additional questions can be a fun way
Write each PC’s name on a piece of paper, mix them up, and
to add depth to the characters’ relationships and histories with
deal them out between the players. Each player then describes
each other. The answers that these steps provide can also serve
how their own PC established a connection with the PC whose
as useful fodder for the GM, as they can be used to introduce
name they have been dealt. The GM decides which PCs are
plot hooks, tension, and deeper connections to each PC within
connected are for players who have been dealt the name of
their adventures and campaigns.
their own PC.

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CHAPTER 4

SECOND QUESTION OPTION TWO

The players provide a collective decision and description for Each player rolls a die. Players who roll evens describe an action
how their group got together for the first time. What was it that or event that their characters were involved in together. The
drew them together? What is it that has kept them together? players who roll odds do the same. Any player who gains a
result that no-one else rolls describes how their character
REMEMBER WHEN arrived at the last minute and saved the day for the others.
An event, location, or person ties certain individuals together.
• If the PCs are ever in a situation that is similar to the one
OPTION ONE described, anyone within the group may elect to roll 1 .
Each player writes a location such as a bar, service station, A number results in that much Momentum added to the
desert, or notable stretch of highway on a small piece of group pool, although it may only be spent by PCs who
paper. These are then mixed up and one is drawn at random. are present at the location. If the  produces an Effect,
Something happened to the characters at this location. the players gain 1 Momentum but also increase their
Something that was dangerous and nearly killed some or all Complication Range by 1 for the duration of the scene.
of them. What was it and how did they manage to survive?
OPTION THREE
• When any of the PCs are in a location that is similar to Each player writes two names down on separate pieces of
the core description of the location that was drawn, paper. These can both be made up at random or include one
anyone within the group may elect to roll 1 . If the of the other PCs (but only one). All names are then collected
result is a number, that much Momentum is added to and mixed, with two drawn at random per PC (if two PC names
the group pool, although it may only be spent by PCs are drawn, put the second back in and redraw until a non-PC
who are present at the location. The Momentum is lost name is drawn). One of these names was someone who nearly
as soon as the last PC leaves the location. If the  pro- killed the PC, while the other relates to someone who saved
duces an Effect, the players gain 1 Momentum and the their life that day. If any PC names are been drawn, it’s highly
GM adds 1 Fallout to their pool. recommended that they are the ones saving lives. What hap-
pened and how did it shake out? What happened to the two
names and is there any unsettled business to worry about?

81
 CHARACTER CREATION

• If the characters find themselves in a similar life-or- OPTION TWO

death situation, they can reroll 1d20 when making any The players should collectively describe one thing that their
tests that directly support an endangered friendly PCs all agree they need, such as a safe location, a reliable
character. This includes making attacks, taking Guard source of food or water, or a regular source of income.
Response Actions, etc. Increase the Complication Range
by 1 for any tests that make use of the reroll granted by • This goup mechanic relates to both Need options If the
PCs complete an action or scene that gains them their
this benefit.
stated need, they immediately gain 1 Salvage Point and
must choose something new they need before the start
LIFE GOALS
of the next session. If something happens to place their
The PCs have a specific individual or group goal in mind.
need under threat—whether old or new need—the PC
OPTION ONE increases the Complication Range of all tests by 1 until
Each player should define one goal or objective their character the threat is no longer apparent.
wants to achieve. This might be something simple, such as
obtain a particular piece of gear or a better vehicle, or could HEALTHY COMPETITION
be something potentially dangerous, like becoming a faction Both rivalries and particularly strong bonds of loyalty are com-
leader, killing a sworn enemy, or finding a cure for the Revenant monplace when people group together. In the broken world
Virus. It might even be something the PC has their heart set on, of the post-apocalypse, where trust is short and life is cheap,
such as finding a safe place to live, to settling down to grow there exists a double-edged sword that teeters precariously
crops, or making a difference to the lives of others. between the needs of the individual and the understanding
that a group working together is more likely to survive than
OPTION TWO
one person alone. This step is aimed at generating elements of
The players should collaborate to agree on a goal they are work-
the dynamic relationships that exist within any group. Loyalties
ing towards together. This could be something like pushing
can be used with a group of any size, whilst rivalries are best
out a dangerous gang boss, ridding the area of a rival faction,
suited to groups with four or more PCs.
or building a base of operations. Alternatively, it could be as
simple as earning enough Merch and $ to be able to afford the To establish an instance of rivalry or loyalty, each player should
vehicles they want or as grandiose as starting their own faction. write their character’s name on a small piece of paper. All
names are then shuffled and dealt out at random. Once they
• This goup mechanic relates to both Life Goal options. have a name, each player rolls a die to determine whether their
If a PC or group of PCs complete a task or action that
own PC has a rivalry or loyalty with the character named on the
makes a tangible step towards achieving their life goal—
paper. Odds establishes a rivalry, evens a bond of loyalty. The
whether personal or group—they may immediately roll
GM decides the name of the character this relates to for any
1  and recover that much Nerve or Vigour. If an Effect
player who has been dealt the name of their own PC.
is rolled, the GM also adds 1 Fallout to their pool.

LOYALTIES
NEEDS
The character whose name is on a player’s piece of paper
OPTION ONE
earned a bond of loyalty. Did they save them? Protect them?
Each player should define something that their character feels
Feed them? Lie for them? Something happened that led to
they need above all else. It may be something psychological,
this strong sense of loyalty. What was it?
like the need to have somewhere they can feel safe and secure
or a sense of worth to others, or it may be something physi- • A PC may spend 1 of their Salvage Points when using
cal, like a particular item, medicine, or lost family heirloom. It teamwork to aid a skill test led by a character with
could even be information or the need to find something that whom they have a special loyalty.
is important to them, such as a lost child, parent, or pet.
RIVALRIES
The character whose name is on a player’s piece of paper is

FLIPPING IT OFF someone with whom their own PC has some sort of rivalry,
mistrust, or mild dislike. What happened to sour the relation-
There are some faux dollar coins available for the Devil’s
ship? Who was at fault?
Run RPG that work well as either Bennies or Salvage Points.
A coin toss works well as a replacement for a die roll. Just • A PC using teamwork to aid a skill test led by a char-
make sure to state what each face means before flipping. acter with whom they have a rivalry increases the
Complication Range of the test by 1.

82
CHAPTER 4

IT’S NOT JUST WHAT YOU KNOW When establishing or finding their first Marker, the characters
Success in life is often as much a factor of what you know as may use teamwork. If they do, they also gain 1 Momentum
much as who you know. Relationships are important, especially to spend on the test. A Marker for a group works best when
in the post-apocalypse. Friends can assist with shelter and they are named and given a short background/relationship
safety or even step in to protect and defend when needed. On with the characters.
the other hand, enemies should be avoided or dealt with but
should never be underestimated. HOME IS WHERE THE AMMO IS
Do the characters have a place they call home? A faction they
Each player should write a name on a piece of paper. The
belong to, or territory they think of as their little slice of the
person named can be a member of the character’s faction or
world? Is it somewhere in a city, or more rural? Is it a settlement,
a different faction. An Archetype and Upbringing should then
outpost, cave, or ruin?
be generated for that name using the tables in the Chapter 4:
Character Creation. No matter where or what is, the PCs’ starting base is dilapi-
dated, run down, ramshackle, and poorly secured. All bases
Shuffle the papers together and divide them in half. One half
start having Shelter, which includes bedding and a rudimen-
(rounding up) are enemies the characters have made along
tary kitchen. For 1 Merch or $ the characters may choose to
the way. The other half (rounding down) are friends and allies.
add one of the following boons. Players may not spend more
Each player should take a random name (either ally or enemy)
Merch/$ than there are characters in the group in this way.
and provide a short reason or description as to why that name
This list is not exhaustive and is due to be expanded upon in
is considered an ally or enemy.
future supplements.
The GM can use the names and backgrounds generated to
ABLUTIONS: A working toilet or some sort and wash facilities. This
help populate the game world. Allies may be people the PCs
adds 1 Momentum to Medicine tests made to heal Harms during
can turn to for aid, while enemies might recurringly threaten
the Upkeep step of the Trafficking Phase (see p. 243).
or harangue the characters.
BASEMENT: Because you never know when one of these hidden
spaces will come in handy.
GROUP BENEFITS
All of the following subsections may be applied to any group GARAGE: A place large enough to stow all of the characters’ vehi-
of PCs that are working and functioning together as a team. cles out of inclement weather. Tools and gear are not included.
These additional benefits are considered optional and the GM
HOME COMFORTS: The base is somewhere the characters can chill
is free to include or exclude the use of them in their game. The
out in some small level of comfort. It includes a variety of chairs,
GM should be clear which rules are in use or not prior to the
tables and soft furnishings, plus a deck of cards and perhaps some
start of the game.
other tabletop games. Characters that use their Trafficking Phase

STAKES ARE HIGH for Resting Up here (see p. 246) regain 1 Harm of their choice.

Pooling resources is a good way for a group of characters to LIGHT SECURITY: Simple locks and chains. This makes thievery
equip themselves with items or vehicles that would other- difficult without crowbars and other tools. When purchased, Light
wise be beyond any individual’s purchasing power. Characters Security is applied to the Garage, Storage, and Basement.
can chip in Merch and/or $ during to pool their resources and
POWER: The base has access to power thanks to being jury-rigged
buy larger or more expensive items. Not only does pooling
into a network. Without a backup generator, however, this supply
resources help increase the group’s maximum purchase power,
can be cut.
but a larger network of contacts and friends means that the
characters can reduce the cost of the first item purchased ROOM WITH A VIEW: The area around the base can be watched
through pooling by 1 Merch. If the purchase was made in $, the through windows or peep holes, meaning there are no blind
characters instead gain 1 Momentum which must be used to approaches.
reduce the cost of the purchased item. Items purchased this
STORAGE: Cupboards, tubs, boxes and crates provide enough
way are considered to belong to the group.
room to fit all the characters gear and a little more beside. The

MARKERS extra space provides 250 Stowage for storing goods.

Markers represent a safe place or person that the characters WATER: Whether a well, rivulet, or rudimentary plumbing, the place
have secured or trust to look after any gear, merch, or $ they has a supply of water. Water can be regularly replenished at the
don’t want to carry around with them. The rules for Markers base if this option is taken.
can be found on pg 123.

83
 CHARACTER CREATION

§ SAVAGE ROAD WARRIORS DERIVED STATISTICS

Bar a few minor differences, creating a character for the Devil’s Derived statisitcs are determined as normal.
Run setting using Savage Worlds follows the same steps as
those taken in the Savage Worlds Adventure Edition Core Rules EDGES
(SWADE). The process described here summarises character Choose Edges as normal. As a post-apocalyptic setting that
creation for a Savage road warrior. A copy of SWADE will be incorporates vehicular mayhem, however, the sidebar oppo-
required for both reference and detail. site has some new options for those who risk the Devil’s Run.

CONCEPT Optional Rule: Each cultural package is essentially an Edge

that steeps a character in the faction’s histroy and dogma. If
Refer to the Archetype desciptions on p. 72 and associated
the GM allows, a character may select a cultural package as
upbringings on p. 73-75. Of course, these are fairly broad con-
an Advance provided two criteria have been met:
cepts, so players should feel free to tinker as they see fit.
• They have spent a significant amount of time within the
RACE faction for which the cultural package is being taken.
Every character in the Devil’s Run must choose human.
• They have advanced a rank whilst operating within the
FACTION faction for which the cultural package is being taken.

The factions of the Devil’s Run setting have formed around

iconic personalities and principles that were shaped by the
Day of the Apocalypse and everything that came after. Each
DEVIL’S EDGES
faction serves as a cultural template that offers unique features. BACKGROUND EDGE: ROAD WARRIOR
REQUIREMENTS: Novice, Agility d8+
Beginning from p. 30, the players should study each faction
Road warriors have a connection with their vehicle on an
and choose the one they prefer. Having decided, their char-
instinctual level that allows an instant response to the
acter gains the cultural package that accompanies the faction.
dynamics of high-octane death races. Add 5 MPH to the
If the GM has set the game within one particular faction, the Top Speed of any vehicle the character drives. The charac-
players aren’t necessarily restricted by choice; prisoners and ter also gains +2 to their roll when using Change Position as
deserters often seek out greener grass. Players should consult a Free Action whilst driving a vehicle (see p. 115 of SWADE).
the GM before choosing a cultural package that’s outside of Change Position can still only be used once per turn.
the game’s starting faction. Characters who begin play in a fac-
tion other than the one chosen for their cultural package may COMBAT EDGE: VEHICULAR VENGEANCE
reduce the Faction Lore they gain to d4. If they do so, they gain REQUIREMENTS: Novice, Driving d8+
d4 Faction Lore for the faction they are starting the game with. You are adept at causing maximum carnage with your
vehicle. Roll an additional d4 when making a damage roll
ATTRIBUTES with your vehicle.
Attributes are selected as normal. Players should keep a faction
initiate package in mind, however, as it is these additional pack- COMBAT EDGE: DEVASTATING IMPACT
ages that provide the characters with their starting vehicles. REQUIREMENTS: Seasoned, Devastating Impact
Each initiate package has a minimum attribute requirement. When the driver gets a raise on the vehicle damage roll

SKILLS and inflicts a Vehicle Critical Hit, add +2 to the 2d6 roll
on the Vehicle Critical Hits Table.
Like attributes, skills are also chosen as normal. Players should
again bear an initiate package in mind.
PROFESSIONAL EDGE: JET JOCKEY
REQUIREMENTS: Seasoned, Piloting d8+
NEW SKILL: FACTION LORE (SMARTS) Reduce the penalty to your attack rolls from taking the
Faction Lore represents a character’s understanding of the Evade action by 2 while piloting an airborne vehicle.
inner workings of a particular faction. From the convoluted
dogma of the Justice’s Litany of Justice to the militaristic PROFESSIONAL EDGE: SHOESTRING & GUM
structure of The Teams, each faction has developed their REQUIREMENTS: Seasoned, McGyver, Mr. Fix It
own traditions whilst living in virutal isolation from each The mechanic can undertake repairs even without the cor-
other. If a character wants to know which handshake to rect components to hand. Some basic components must
use or who truly holds the power, this is the skill to have. be available and the feasibility of the repair is up to the GM.

84
CHAPTER 4

GEAR SAVAGE NOTORIETY

Characters begin play with $1000. Refer to p. 151-161 of Chapter
Notoriety is a measure of a PC’s fame or infamy. It’s a
6: Gear & Merch for gear prices.
purely social mechanic (although it can lead to conflict)

EXPERIENCE & ADVANCEMENT

and is entirely optional. Savage Notoriety and its effects on
Trafficking and Upkeep are covered on p. 244. This sidebar
Advancement rules are contained within SWADE, p. 54.
relates to uses of Notoriety for the PCs during play.

§ SAVAGE GROUP BACKGROUNDS Once per game, a PC can call upon their Notoriety to help
them when sourcing information or goods. If the NPCs are
All of the group steps described on p. 80 to 82 relate equally
well-disposed to them, a PC can use their Notoriety when
to both 2d20 and SWADE, with some simple steps to take if
networking (SWADE, p. 132). The PC gains a bonus to their
SWADE is being used for Savage Runs:
Intimidation or Persuasion roll equal to half their Notoriety
• If a step requires a  roll, roll 1d4 instead. 3 counts as level (rounding up). If this optional rule is being used, the
zero. If a 4 is rolled, the GM gains a Bennie for their pool. PC can either use Notoriety in place of throwing money
around or busting heads. If they also decide to tackle the
• Instead of the d4 generating Momentum, the group gain problem with money or fists, however, the GM can opt to
the die result as a number of raises. These raises may be
allow the required amount of cash or violence to act as a
spent by any PC within the group during the scenario
raise on the relevant roll.
that granted them. A test must be successful in order to
gain the benefit of a bonus raise. Bonus raises are lost at If the NPCs aren’t receptive to the character—maybe due
the end of the scene that granted them. to personal grudges or inter-factional rivalry—the PC may
still gain a bonus to Intimidation or Persuasion attempts,
• If a group mechanic allows the PCs to regain health in but the NPCs will also gain a similar bonus to attack the
the form of Nerve or Vigour, they instead heal 1 Wound.
PC if they decide to chance their luck against such a noto-
• If a group mechanic allows a player to gain a Salvage rious individual.
Point, they instead gain a Bennie.
Additionally, at any time when a PC wins a round of social
• Group mechanics that allow a PC to spend Salvage conflict against someone of lower Notoriety then them-
Points on a teamwork test they aren’t leading in 2d20 selves, they may spend a Benny to inflict a level of Fatigue
allow a Bennie to provide +2 to a group Trait roll in on their opponent. This can only happen once per scene.
SWADE. This bonus can be applied after dice are rolled.

85
CHAPTER 5

SKILL DESCRIPTION FORMAT Skills and talents complement attributes to determine what
a character can accomplish and how well they can do so. This
Each skill description is presented in the following format:
chapter describes the individual skills that characters may
• TITLE OF SKILL (ASSOCIATED ATTRIBUTE): The skill is be trained in, including a list of example uses, guidelines for
described here, including how it is used in play, what Difficulties that might affect the use of that skill, the effects
aspects of activity it governs, and how the associated of Momentum spent, and the associated talent trees for each
attribute affects it. individual skill.

• COMMON USES: A list of specific example uses.

ACROBATICS (AGILITY)
• DIFFICULTY: Conditions or situations that might This skill is a measure of body control, covering whole-body
increase the Difficulty of the skill’s use.
movements such as jumping, tumbling, and diving. Attempts
• MOMENTUM SPENDS: How to spend Momentum to to dodge enemy attacks also fall under Acrobatics. This skill
improve the skill’s chance of success, and how those covers any use of reflexes, agility, and coordinated movement
Momentum spends affect the way it behaves. to overcome obstacles or avoid attacks.

SKILL TALENTS COMMON USES: Evading ranged attacks, performing acrobatic

tricks, landing safely after a fall.
TEIR 1
DIFFICULTY: Armour, Difficult Terrain, Disruption or Distraction,
Encumbrance, Poor Weather.

TEIR II TEIR II TEIR II

MOMENTUM SPENDS: Momentum is used to determine the overall
look and style of the manoeuvre. Specific Momentum spends vary
based on the circumstances of the test. An Acrobatics test made
to dodge an attack can benefit from many of the combat-spe-
TEIER III TEIER III
cific Momentum spends (see p. 192), while a test to reduce falling
damage allows Momentum to be spent to reduce the damage
suffered, even allowing your character to land upright.
TEIER IV

ACROBATICS TALENTS
As noted in the Lifepath chapter, talents are tiered from
top to bottom. A character must acquire the talent from
tier one (topmost) before progressing onto the next tier GRACEFUL
of talents, and cannot purchase a talent from tiers further
down the tree until the talent immediately above has been
purchased. Using Acrobatics as an example, Graceful must
be purchased before any of the talents from the second tier HARD TARGET FREE RUNNER LONG JUMPER
— Free Runner, Hard Target, and Long Jumper — can be
purchased, Roll With It cannot be purchased until Catfall
is purchased, etc.

LIST OF SKILL TALENTS UNCANNY

DODGE
CATFALL

• NAME OF TALENT
• PREREQUISITE: Talent or Skill requirement (“X” repre-
senting the minimum value required)
ROLL WITH IT
• MAXIMUM RANKS: X, where X is the maximum number
of ranks allowable in that skill.
CATFALL
• DESCRIPTION OF THE TALENT. PREREQUISITE: Long Jumper, Acrobatics Expertise 2
Some talents confer benefits based on the total number MAXIMUM RANKS: 3
of ranks in a skill. In these cases, the “basic” rank of the skill
The character has learned to take advantage of surface condi-
counts as 1 towards this total.
tions and body position when making a landing. For each rank

87
 SKILLS & TALENTS

of Catfall, the character treats the distance fallen as being one Acrobatics Focus above its normal limits. For example, their
zone shorter when calculating damage. effective Focus may be higher than their Acrobatics Expertise.)

FREE RUNNER LONG JUMPER

PREREQUISITE: Graceful PREREQUISITE: Graceful
MAXIMUM RANKS: 2
The character is able to leap extraordinary distances. When
Free runners learn to recognize the environment and to move making an Acrobatics test to jump, the character reduces the
naturally in response to it, taking advantage of the terrain’s difficulty by 1, to a minimum of Simple (D0).
effects. For each rank of Free Runner, the difficulty of any
Acrobatics tests made to overcome obstacles, hindrances, haz- ROLL WITH IT
ards, and other forms of difficult terrain is reduced by 1. PREREQUISITE: Catfall

When the character fails a Reaction test against a melee attack

GRACEFUL
or a ranged attack with the Area or Indiscriminate qualities,
PREREQUISITE: Acrobatics Expertise 1
they gain additional  Cover Soak equal to the character’s
You may reroll one d20 when attempting an Acrobatics test, Acrobatics Focus.
but must accept the new result.
UNCANNY DODGE
HARD TARGET PREREQUISITE: Hard Target, Acrobatics Expertise 2
PREREQUISITE: Graceful
The character has a natural sense for when their life might be
MAXIMUM RANKS: 3
endangered. They can make a combat Reaction against any
During combat, the character is in a constant state of fluid ranged or melee attacks, including ones they might not have
motion, making it difficult to hit them with ranged attacks. any immediately apparent reason to know about. (They must
When they take a combat Reaction against ranged attacks, still pay the normal Fallout cost for taking a Reaction.)
each rank of Hard Target counts as an additional point of
Acrobatics Focus. (This can increase the character’s effective

88
CHAPTER 5

ANIMAL MAGNETISM
ANIMAL HANDLING (PERSONALITY) PREREQUISITE: Faithful Companions
This skill governs your ability to care for, train, and associate with
animals, including steeds, hunting beasts, and wild animals. The Whether due to potent pheromones or some other wild allure,
skill also provides an understanding of wild animals, and the you have a powerful and unsettling effect on other humans.
knowledge about how to safely interact with them. When making social tests, you may substitute Animal Handling
with Persuade or Command.
COMMON USES: Controlling animals that are scared, confused, or
startled; understanding animal behaviours; riding animals; driving
FAITHFUL COMPANIONS
carts, chariots, wagons, and similar vehicles.
PREREQUISITE: Wild Empathy
DIFFICULTY: Disruption or Distraction, Unfamiliarity or Complexity MAXIMUM RANKS: 3
(more exotic or unusual animals increase the difficulty). The pres-
You recognize the needs of your animal companions and are
ence of a dominant animal of the same species, an animal the
rewarded with devotion. When this talent is purchased, you
target creature preys upon, or a natural predator of the target
must nominate a single animal you own. This becomes an
animal all increase the difficulty by 1, as will dramatic conditions
animal companion. You generally control your companion,
such as the scent of blood, loud noises, smoke, or fire.
though the GM may guide its behaviour in some instances.
Normally, a trained animal can be controlled in combat as a Free Each additional rank allows you to nominate one additional
Action with a Simple (D0) test. Untrained animals cannot be animal companion. Whenever you succeed at a Survival test
controlled in combat, acting purely on instinct. Further rules for to find food, water, or shelter, you automatically find adequate
animal companions in action scenes can be found in Chapter 7: food and shelter for your animal companion(s) as well, without
Conflict & Drama, p. 200. Outside of combat, a test to command needing to spend Momentum or increase the difficulty of the
an animal takes one minute, and will last for ten minutes, plus task. In addition, when in combat, if you have one or more
an additional ten minutes per Momentum spent. animal companions within reach, you gain a bonus d20 on your
Defend Reactions made against melee and threaten attacks.
Particularly wilful animals may attempt a Response action to
resist, opposing the Animal Handling test with the creature’s
FIRM HAND
Discipline test.
PREREQUISITE: Natural Rider, Animal Handling Expertise 2

ANIMAL HANDLING TALENTS Wild or tamed matters not to you. All animals are kin and to
be afforded due respect. Any time you attempt to direct an
animal to take an action that goes against its instinct or training
WILD EMPATHY — including instances when the animal is in service of another —
any Momentum spent or Fallout paid to add bonus d20s to the
skill test add 2 d20s to the dice pool, instead of one (maximum
of 3 bonus d20s still applies). In addition, any Momentum spent
FAITHFUL RECOGNISE to obtain information using an Animal Handling test (based on
NATURAL RIDER
COMPANIONS CUES interpreting an animal’s behaviour) grants you one additional
question. While this is not actual speech, the connection with
the animal is uncanny.
ANIMAL
ANIMAL HEALER FIRM HAND NATURAL RIDER
MAGNETISM
PREREQUISITE: Wild Empathy

You’re particularly adept at riding mounts, even those not used

ANIMAL HEALER
to combat. Reduce the difficulty by 1 when making a skill test
PREREQUISITE: Recognise Cues, Animal Handling Expertise 2
to ride an animal. This may eliminate the need for a test.
Any time you are called upon to make a Medicine test upon an
animal, you may instead substitute your Animal Handling skill. RECOGNISE CUES
You may also substitute your Animal Handling skill for Medicine PREREQUISITE: Wild Empathy
tests upon humans, but you must increase the difficulty of any
You have come to recognize when animals are reacting to the
such tests by 1.
environment. Any time you are in the company of animals
and need to make an Observation test, you may substitute
the Animal Handling skill instead, if desired.

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 SKILLS & TALENTS

WILD EMPATHY ATHLETICS TALENTS

PREREQUISITE: Animal Handling Expertise 1

Having spent a lifetime in the company of animals means you STRONG BACK
can recognize personality quirks and identify potential sources
of distress. When making an Animal Handling test, you may
reroll any dice that did not generate a success on the initial
roll, but must accept the new results. HUMAN SPIDER BORN SWIMMER MIGHT

ATHLETICS (BRAWN)
While the Brawn attribute measures raw strength, the Athletics
skill represents how well you are able to use that strength. IRON GRIP PUGILIST
This skill is a measure of how well you can apply overall body
strength, using leverage, brute force, or a combination of both.
A high Athletics skill does not necessarily mean your character
is covered with muscles, but emphasizes how well the muscular BRUTAL
strength is used. BRAWLER

COMMON USES: Any form of expressed strength is covered by

Athletics. Lifting weights up to your encumbrance value is an reduce the difficulty of any climbing test by 1, to a minimum
Average (D1) Athletics test. Climbing, swimming, and running of Simple (DO).
are activities covered by this skill. Athletics can also be used in
opposed tests when two characters are pitting athletic prowess IRON GRIP
against one another: wrestling, races, kicking down a door being PREREQUISITE: Human Spider
held shut by someone else.
You never drop or surrender an object unless you wish it. You
DIFFICULTY: Diff icult Terrain, Disruption or Distraction, are immune to the Disarm Momentum spend, and cannot drop
Encumbrance, Poor Weather. your weapon(s) as a result of Complications.

MOMENTUM SPENDS: Momentum from Athletics tests is com-

MIGHT
monly banked to help other (possibly less able) characters perform
PREREQUISITE: Strong Back
the same task. Alternatively, Momentum can be used to run, climb,
MAXIMUM RANKS: 3
or swim more quickly, or to continue a tiring Athletics task for longer.
Due to a combination of training and expertise, you are able to
BORN SWIMMER perform feats of strength that seem at odds with your physique.
PREREQUISITE: Strong Back On any test to lift or move an inanimate object, you may roll a
MAXIMUM RANKS: 3 number of bonus d20s equal to your ranks in Might (maximum
of 3 bonus d20s still applies). Complications on the bonus dice
You are as comfortable in water as you are on land. You can
may be ignored.
reduce the difficulty of any swimming test by 1 step per rank of
Born Swimmer. This may eliminate the need for a test.
PUGILIST
PREREQUISITE: Might, Athletics Expertise 2
BRUTAL BRAWLER
PREREQUISITE: Pugilist, Athletics Expertise 2, Melee Focus 2 You may add the Knockdown quality (see Chapter 6: Gear &
Merch, p. 155) to your melee attacks.
You can ignore the effects of the Improvised quality, and
increase the damage of the basic Improvised Attack by 1 .
STRONG BACK
PREREQUISITE: Athletics Expertise 1
HUMAN SPIDER
MAXIMUM RANKS: 3
PREREQUISITE: Strong Back
You are a magnificent example of human physical prowess, all-
Endless hours of climbing, often in the presence of sheer drops,
too-frequently abused for this ability. For any Athletics test that
have made vertical surfaces a natural environment. You never
generates at least one success, you generate one additional suc-
suffer from vertigo or fear of heights and never suffer a pen-
cess for each rank of Strong Back. Further, your Encumbrance
alty for a lack of climbing equipment. Additionally, you may
limit is increased by 1 for each rank of Strong Back.

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CHAPTER 5

COMMANDING PRESENCE
COMMAND (PERSONALITY) PREREQUISITE: Heed My Words, Command Expertise 2
Command is the measure of your ability to manipulate groups
of people, including, but not limited to, those expected to defer You lead with an air of authority and charisma that convinces
to you, such as those of a lower faction rank or social status. others to follow your orders. When making a Command test,
Momentum spent to add dice to the skill test adds 2 d20s to the
COMMON USES: Commanding a group of NPCs, bolstering sub-
dice pool, instead of 1. (Maximum of 3 bonus d20s still applies.)
ordinates in the face of horror or disaster, conveying orders and
objectives clearly and with the correct emphasis. A simple use for
CROWD SECURITY
Command is the Assist action being used to bolster another char-
PREREQUISITE: Listen Up
acter’s task through clear instruction and direction.
You are very familiar with the way a crowd would normally act,
DIFFICULTY: Disruption or Distraction, Distance (distance to com-
and recognize actions that are unusual. When dealing with
manded allies), Foreign Language, Noise, Social Factors (normal
places full of people — even if the people are not organized —
chain of command, differences in faction, etc.), Unfamiliarity or
you may substitute your Command skill for any Observation or
Complexity (giving complex orders is more difficult).
Insight tests that deal with the crowd or the area. You may also
Straightforward orders to direct followers that are within their use Command to resist against Thievery tests in a crowded area.
normal expected duties are considered to be Simple (D0), and
require no test unless some other factor increases the diffi- FONT OF COURAGE
culty. Holding no official or recognized authority over the NPCs PREREQUISITE: Listen Up
increases difficulty by 1. Orders that require significant risks MAXIMUM RANKS: 2
to be taken increase the difficulty by 1, as do any orders that
You are an inspiring or fearful presence to those who follow you.
do not fall within the NPCs’ normal expected duties. An order
While they can see or hear you, anyone under your direct com-
that is both dangerous and not an expected part of the NPCs’
mand gains 2  Morale Soak for each rank of Font of Courage.
duties is 2 steps more difficult. Issuing an order in combat is a
Standard Action.
HEED MY WORDS
MOMENTUM SPENDS: Momentum can be spent to communicate PREREQUISITE: Listen Up
additional orders (1 Momentum, Repeatable), or to issue the order(s)
When attempting to draw the attention of a large group of
as a Minor Action instead of a Standard (2 Momentum). It may
people, you may pay 1 Fallout. In return, the targeted characters
also be added to the Momentum pool to help those subordinates
stop what they are doing and pay attention to your words for
carry out the orders given. You may spend 1 Momentum from a
the duration of a brief monologue. If used during combat, you
Command test to grant an ally Morale Soak against a Threaten
may attempt a Command test with a difficulty equal to the
attack (Repeatable, with each Momentum affecting another ally).
number of NPCs whose attention you are trying to draw. If the
The targeted ally gains Morale Soak equal to your Command Focus.
test succeeds, the targeted NPCs are distracted and may not
attempt any actions against you until your next turn. Any other
COMMAND TALENTS actions attempted by the NPCs that require a skill test have the
difficulty increased by 1.
LISTEN UP
LISTEN UP
PREREQUISITE: Command Expertise 1

You have learned to issue orders in such a way that they are
CROWD FONT OF HEED MY clear with little margin for misinterpretation. You may reroll 1d20
SECURITY COURAGE WORDS
when making a Command test, but must accept the new result.

MINIONS
COMMANDING PREREQUISITE: Commanding Presence
ORGANISER
PRESENCE
Individuals under your authority become extremely loyal to
you, perhaps even willing to sacrifice themselves. Any time
you come under attack and have an NPC minion under your
command within Reach, you may pay 1 Fallout and have that
MINIONS
NPC immediately attempt a Guard Reaction.

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 SKILLS & TALENTS

ORGANISER CALMING ORATORY

PREREQUISITE: Crowd Security, Command Expertise 2 PREREQUISITE: An Ear to Listen, Counsel Expertise 2

You have become proficient in making certain that the actions You can speak to people and calm any situation. When making
of a group are well-coordinated. Any time you are involved in a Persuade tests to convince someone to engage in conversation
teamwork test — even if you are not the leader for the test — all or to avoid violence, you may substitute Counsel for Command,
characters involved may choose to reroll any die on the initial Discipline, or Persuade. If a Struggle emerges from this attempt,
roll that results in a failure. They must accept the results of the the opposing side gains no bonus Momentum for having
reroll, even if they are worse than the initial roll. greater numbers. Once violence has been prevented this talent
does not help with further negotiation.

COUNSEL (PERSONALITY) COMFORTING LIES

This skill governs your ability to provide sound advice and reas-
PREREQUISITE: Quiet Wisdom
surance, calming the fears and easing the minds of others. A
skilled counsellor is a valuable asset in a harsh post-apocalyptic You know that the greatest reassurance often comes from
world, and can help allies weather the terrors of a harsh and denial. While it isn’t always the best way to give counsel, it can
brutal life. be valuable in dire times. When you successfully treat 1 or more
Traumas another character has suffered, that character may
COMMON USES: See Damage and Recovery (p. 193).
pay 3 Fallout; the Traumas are healed instead of simply treated.
DIFFICULTY: Disruption or Distraction, Distance, Foreign Language,
Noise, Social Factors, Time. MOTIVATE
PREREQUISITE: Comforting Lies
MOMENTUM SPENDS: See Damage and Recovery (p. 193).
MAXIMUM RANKS: 3

COUNSEL TALENTS You have a way of hastening the recovery of your allies, quickly
and effectively restoring their determination and morale. When
treating another character to recover their Nerve, you gain 1
QUIET WISDOM bonus Momentum per rank of Motivate, which must be used
to recover additional Nerve.

QUIET WISDOM
COMFORTING AN EAR TO PREREQUISITE: Counsel Expertise 1
SOPHIST
LIES LISTEN
You may reroll any dice that didn’t generate a success on the
initial roll for a Counsel test, but must accept the new result.

CALMING SOPHIST
MOTIVATE
ORATORY
PREREQUISITE: Quiet Wisdom

You have become known for your wisdom and council, and
many are happy to hear you speak. You may substitute Counsel
WORM TONGUE for Persuade or Traffic.

WORM TONGUE
AN EAR TO LISTEN PREREQUISITE: Calming Oratory, Counsel Expertise 3
PREREQUISITE: Quiet Wisdom
Like a grim puppeteer pulling on strings, some people know
You listen patiently to the problems of others, and few can how to whisper dark counsel that unleashes mayhem — all
dispute that hearing your voice steadies the nerves and stills while staying safely hidden. You can substitute Counsel for
doubts. When making a Counsel test to recover Nerve or treat Command or Persuade when attempting to convince NPCs
Trauma for another character, every point of Momentum paid or to take actions that oppose their character traits or current
point of Fallout generated to add dice to the Counsel test pro- intent (such as inciting an NPC to violence when they are
vides 2 d20s instead of 1. (Maximum of 3 bonus d20s still applies.) seeking peaceful verbal resolution). Establishing yourself as
the source of the altered intent requires an opposed Insight
or Observation test.

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CHAPTER 5

DISCIPLINE (WILLPOWER)
This skill provides you with the ability to withstand mental
CALLOUSNESS
The post-apocalyptic world is filled with horrors that will
damage, as well as the self-discipline to avoid succumbing to
sap the will of even the hardiest soul — unless they become
interrogation, coercion, or fear.
numb to it. The Discipline skill allows characters to endure
COMMON USES: Resisting persuasion, resisting mind-influencing the things that spread fear and doubt, but facing them
effects. See Damage and Recovery (p. 193). regularly risks desensitisation and a loss of humanity.

DIFFICULTY: The difficulty of a Willpower test is set primarily by its These effects all work in a similar way — tracking Callousness.
circumstances: a test to avoid a mental assault is set at a particular Characters can gain Callousness from Complications on
value based on the severity of the assault. In addition, Lighting, some Discipline tests, and in other situations at the GM’s
Disruption, Distraction, or Poor Weather can all influence your discretion. Callousness affects a character’s Nerve, but
resistance to coercion, influence, and terror: the uncertainty of does not inflict damage. Instead, each point of Callousness
darkness, an inability to concentrate fully, or the simple depressing reduces your maximum Nerve by 1, causing you to become
nature of torrential rain and freezing winds easily can sap one’s will. deadened and passionless.

MOMENTUM SPEND: Momentum on Discipline tests is typically If your Callousness ever reduces your nerve to zero, you
stored for later use. The bolstered determination from overcoming give up entirely and become both unwilling and unable to
a threat is often sufficient to boost your resolve and performance. continue. Any further Callousness beyond that, and you risk
your faction’s ire over your dispassionate inhumanity and
DISCIPLINE TALENTS wanton acts of cruelty. Apparently, though, the Skinners
are recruiting.

STUBBORN Recovering from Callousness does not take long. Once

you have found something to revive your faith in humanity
(good food, a good night’s sleep, a warm hearth, a night’s
companionship, or something else that brings satisfaction
and comfort), after eight hours of rest you may attempt an
WARY JADED IRON WILL
Average (D1) Discipline test. Success will remove 1 level of
Callousness, plus 1 per Momentum spent (Repeatable). Any
characters with the Counsel or Persuade skills may assist
you with this Discipline test.
GUARDED
COURAGEOUS
HEART
IRON WILL
PREREQUISITE: Stubborn

OUT OF You have survived countless challenges and are prepared to

DARKNESS
face even more. You don’t cry out when struck or startled, and
you quickly rebound from Stress. Rather than having to choose
COURAGEOUS a particular stress when you take a Recover Action, you recover
PREREQUISITE: Iron Will both Vigour and Nerve, regaining the same amount of each
MAXIMUM RANKS: 3 (2 points, plus 2 two per Momentum spent). In addition to this
you can pay 2 Fallout in order to perform the Recover Action
You are simply more capable of enduring mental stress. Gain 1
as a Minor Action. If you use this option, you do not get to reroll
Courage Soak for each rank of Courageous you possess.
Cover dice, as outlined in the Recover Action (see p. 181).

GUARDED HEART
JADED
PREREQUISITE: Wary, Discipline Expertise 2
PREREQUISITE: Stubborn
You are particularly resistant to attempts to manipulate your MAXIMUM RANKS: 3
perceptions and beliefs. Characters using a Superhuman attrib-
You have repeatedly observed and suffered cruelties, and have
ute in an attempt to influence your mind and outlook don’t gain
built up a tolerance to mental suffering. Increase your maxi-
the automatic success usually associate with the ability. Further,
mum Nerve by 1 for each rank of Jaded.
each d20 you roll that results in a 1 against any attempt to men-
tally influence you causes a single Complication for the attacker.

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 SKILLS & TALENTS

OUT OF DARKNESS DRIVE WITH YOUR KNEES

PREREQUISITE: Courageous PREREQUISITE: Canonballer
MAXIMUM RANKS: 2 MAXIMUM RANKS: 3

Even when your psyche has taken a beating, your mental for- You gain an additional Standard Action when driving a vehicle,
titude allows you to recover quickly. Whenever you make a which can only be used for Drive tests. Characters using this
Discipline test to recover from Trauma, the difficulty of the test talent are still considered to be splitting their focus (see p. 206),
is reduced by 1 for each rank of Out of Darkness you possess. with the associated +1 difficulty applying to all tests in a round
that this talent is used. If purchased a second time, the penalty
STUBBORN to Drive tests with the bonus Standard Action are reduced to
PREREQUISITE: Discipline Expertise 1 0. Purchasing this talent a third time reduces the penalty for
splitting focus to 0 for all tests. Momentum from the Drive test
You may rerolll 1d20 on any Discipline test, but must accept the
must be spent prior to the end of the character’s turn or it is lost.
new result. Gain a bonus to Morale Soak equal to your one-half
your Discipline Focus, rounding up.
DRIVE TALENTS
WARY
PREREQUISITE: Stubborn
CANONBALLER
You have seen countless attempts at manipulation, and no
longer trust easily. Whenever you are the target of a Persuade or
Command action by another character or NPC, any Momentum
spent (or Fallout paid) to add bonus d20s to the Willpower test HORIZON DRIVE WITH BORN TO THE
will add 2 dice instead of 1 (maximum of 3 bonus d20s still applies). CHASER YOUR KNEES WHEEL
Further, if you resist the manipulation attempt, any other
characters who have been convinced now doubt their own con-
fidence in the manipulator and may each spend 1 Momentum
(Immediate) to reroll their Discipline test against the influence. RUN ON FUMES SPEED FREAK KEEP TRUCKING

DRIVE (COORDINATION)
This skill covers the ability to drive and operate ground-based RAMMING
vehicles and small waterborne craft. In the post-apocalypse of SPEED
North America, characters often need to literally drive to survive.

COMMON USES: See Vehicles. HORIZON CHASER

PREREQUISITE: Canonballer
DIFFICULTY: Lighting, Difficult Terrain, Poor Weather, Unfamiliarity
or Complexity, Damage to a Vehicle. With one eye on the horizon, you are used to maintaining a vehi-
cle’s performance for extended periods. When attempting to
MOMENTUM SPENDS: Momentum on Drive tests is normally used
increase the speed or performance of a vehicle with a Drive test,
to improve the quality of a test, i.e. the manoeuvre is performed with
each Momentum spent or Fallout paid will add 2 d20s to the
greater efficiency or style. Specific manoeuvres may have their own
dice pool instead of 1. (Maximum of 3 bonus d20s still applies.)
unique Momentum spends. See Chapter 8: Vehicular Mayhem.

KEEP TRUCKING
BORN TO THE WHEEL
PREREQUISITE: Born to the Wheel, Drive Expertise 2
PREREQUISITE: Canonballer
MAXIMUM RANKS: 3
You are particularly adept at riding a vehicle on its limits. When
You can keep a vehicle running effectively even when seriously
making a Drive test, you can pay X+1 Fallout to reduce the diffi-
damaged. When performing a Drive test with a damaged vehi-
culty of the test by X, to a minimum of Simple (D0).
cle, the damage modifies the difficulty of the test by 1 less than
normal for each rank of Keep Trucking you possess.
CANONBALLER
PREREQUISITE: Drive Expertise 1

You may Reroll 1d20 on any Drive test, but must accept the
new result.

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CHAPTER 5

RAMMING SPEED
PREREQUISITE: Keep Trucking
ENGINEERING (INTELLIGENCE)
This skill covers an understanding of the creation and mainte-
Vehicle’s make exceptionally deadly weapons. You have made nance of tools, machinery, and structures. It covers a wide range
sure that you can maximise their lethality whenever you’re of fields of expertise, including the disciplines of blacksmithing,
behind the wheel. When using a Drive test to ram a target, each carpentry, vehicle modification, and engineering disciplines.
Momentum spent for additional damage adds 2 (instead of 1).
COMMON USES: This skill also covers identifying, building, repairing,
maintaining, or disabling tools, structures, mechanical equipment,
RUN ON FUMES
and other manufactured items. The Engineering skill may sub-
PREREQUISITE: Horizon Chaser, Drive Expertise 2
stitute for the Medicine skill when attempting to repair, or “heal,”
MAXIMUM RANKS: 2
damage to inanimate objects, tools, and structures.
You have mastered long distance driving to maximise fuel con-
DIFFICULTY: Lighting, Disruption or Distraction, Distance (identi-
servation. On long distance journeys, your rate of Consumption
fying only), Equipment (tools, workshops), Random Motion, Time,
is reduced by 1 for each rank of Run on Fumes you possess.
Unfamiliarity or Complexity.

SPEED FREAK Engineering is a broad skill encompassing a wide range of tasks

PREREQUISITE: Canonballer, Drive Expertise 2 and situations. The GM has a considerable amount to take into
consideration when adjudicating its use, particularly to ensure
You can squeeze a vehicle’s acceleration for every inch of tarmac.
that a test is not overly effective or a waste of effort.
Add 1 to the number when determining the number of zones
your vehicle moves in a given round. (Manoeuvre Actions may MOMENTUM SPENDS: Momentum spent on Engineering tests gen-
still only be used to move to another position within Close range.) erally reduces the time taken and improves the quality of success.

95
 SKILLS & TALENTS

ENGINEERING TALENTS have a knack for keeping things running even when parts are
missing. You can make an Average (D1) Engineering test to
NATURAL temporarily repair a device when replacement components are
ENGINEER unavailable. On success, it functions normally for 1 hour. Each
Momentum spent adds an additional hour of function.

SCRAP MERCHANT
SNAP
GREASEMONKEY METALSMITH PREREQUISITE: Fortify, Engineering Expertise 2
DIAGNOSIS
You are able to identify methods of mass-producing parts and
resources from little more than scrap. Once the necessary com-
ponents are obtained, the character can attempt an Average (D1)
JURY RIG FORTIFY Engineering test, creating a single load of Parts or a single Reload
on success. Each point of Momentum spent on this test can pro-
duce an additional load. All creations are subject to GM approval.

SCRAP SNAP DIAGNOSIS

MERCHANT
PREREQUISITE: Natural Engineer

You are able to identify the problem with any broken item or
METALSMITH
structure, or to recognize a vulnerability that could be used to
PREREQUISITE: Natural Engineer
cause such a break. You reduce the difficulty of any Engineering
You have a knack for repairing metal plate in the field, making test by one, to a minimum of Simple (D0). When an Exploit
do with whatever is available to make repairs when resources Action is taken using the Engineering skill, Snap Diagnosis
are scarce. When repairing metalwork away from proper tools grants bonus Momentum equal to your Engineering Skill Focus.
and materials, you may pay 2 Fallout in order to attempt a repair
on a single defensive attribute of a vehicle or structure.
FIREARMS (COORDINATION)
This skill is used for firefights. It covers the use and mainte-
FORTIFY
nance of handheld firearms and other ranged weapons, as well
PREREQUISITE: Metalsmith
as familiarity with the damage they inflict. This encompasses
You have learnt to put up barricades or small structures quickly pistols, submachine guns, shotguns, assault rifles, sniper rifles,
and efficiently. If you take a Standard Action to create a barricade, bows, crossbows, and both grenades and grenade launchers.
you can find or create light cover enough for one character. If given
COMMON USES: See Chapter 7: Conflict & Drama. Identifying fire-
suitable time, you can find or create protections for an entire zone.
arms and the injuries they cause, identifying weapon-based combat
styles, proper upkeep of these weapons and their ammunition.
GREASEMONKEY
PREREQUISITE: Natural Engineer DIFFICULTY: See Chapter 7: Conflict & Drama. Non-combat uses
MAXIMUM RANKS: 2 are affected by Distance (distance to the weapon or injury being
identified), or Unfamiliarity or Complexity (unusual weaponry).
You are familiar with many different types of systems concern-
ing construction and engineering, including their maintenance MOMENTUM SPENDS: See Chapter 7: Conflict & Drama. Non-
and care. When making an Engineering test, you gain bonus combat uses grant detailed or specific information with Momentum.
Momentum equal to your ranks in Greasemonkey.
CLEAR SHOT
NATURAL ENGINEER PREREQUISITE: Marksman
PREREQUISITE: Engineering Expertise 1
You reduce the penalty for firing at a range other than the
You have an affinity for engineering. You may reroll a 1d20 when weapon’s optimal range by 1 (to a minimum of 0).
making an Engineering test, but must accept the new result.
DOUBLE TAP
JURY RIG PREREQUISITE: Speed Loader
PREREQUISITE: Greasemonkey, Engineering Expertise 2 MAXIMUM RANKS: 2

Replacement components are often scarce. Fortunately, you If you succeed at a ranged attack with a ranged weapon and

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CHAPTER 5

FIREARMS TALENTS SPEED LOADER

PREREQUISITE: Quick Draw, Ballistics Expertise 2

MARKSMAN You change magazines smoothly. During combat, you may use
a Minor Action to increase your rate of fire, allowing you to count
the weapon’s Burst as 1 higher than its listed value. You can also
swap ammo loads in any weapon as a Free Action. This talent
THROUGH AND can’t be used with weapons which have the Munitions quality.
CLEAR SHOT QUICK DRAW
THROUGH
THROUGH AND THROUGH
PREREQUISITE: Marksman
MAXIMUM RANKS: 3
PRECISE SHOT SPEED LOADER
The Secondary Target Momentum spend costs 1 Momentum
(instead of 2) when using a ranged weapon for a ranged attack.
You can use this Momentum spend a number of times equal
to your ranks of Through and Through on any given attack.
DOUBLE TAP

GANG WARFARE (WILLPOWER)

spend Momentum or a Salvage Point to make another attack Whether to protect your own skin or in an effort to claw your way
with the same weapon against the same target, the difficulty to the top, you take time to concern yourself with the organi-
of the attack is decreased by 1, to a minimum of Average (D1). sation and politics of your faction. This skill encompasses your
Double Tap can only be used once per turn per rank in the talent. ability to gather trusted minions to your side, tend to the wider
administrative needs of your faction, and occasionally push your
MARKSMAN own luck when it comes to staying on top of the pile.
PREREQUISITE: Firearms Expertise 1
COMMON USES: Gathering a faithful retinue, organising your fac-
When making a ranged attack, you may reroll a number of  tion and sub-factions, organising logistics to keep your faction on
equal to the number of Firearms talents you possess. (Each die the road, riding your luck to enhance the outcome of a situation.
may only be rerolled once.)
DIFFICULTY: Disruption or Distraction, Distance (distance to allies),
Foreign Language, Noise, Social Factors (normal chain of command,
PRECISE SHOT
differences in faction, etc.), Unfamiliarity (with faction members).
PREREQUISITE: Clear Shot, Firearms Expertise 2
MAXIMUM RANKS: 2 MOMENTUM SPEND: See Chapter 7: Conflict & Drama. Non-
combat Momentum provides more accurate or detailed information.
The Called Shot Momentum spend only costs 1 Momentum
(instead of 2) when using a ranged weapon for a ranged attack.
GANG WARFARE TALENTS
Purchasing this talent a second time reduces the cost of the
Target Passenger Vehicular Momentum spend (see p. 208) to 1.
CONNIVER
QUICK DRAW
PREREQUISITE: Marksman

You are always prepared for a firefight. You can draw a weapon
as a Free Action (instead of Minor) and don’t need to have a BIG GUN CHANCER OVERSEER
weapon in your hand in order to respond to attacks. As long
as you have a free hand and a weapon within Reach, you can
always make a Firearms test as part of a Defence or Guard
Reaction. This can only be done once per turn, although when
CHIEF OPPORTUNIST DEATH & TAXES
the Quick Draw action is taken you can draw a different item
into each hand (i.e. to dual wield pistols). This talent exists for
both the Firearms and Melee skill, and it can be used as a pre-
requisite for talents in the other skill if it is purchased for either.

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 SKILLS & TALENTS

BIG GUN roll an Effect when rolling for the expenditure of resources at
PREREQUISITE: Conniver the end of a session, you may instead pass the loss of resources
MAXIMUM RANKS: 3 to another character within your group. This may be done on
a one-for-one basis up to the number of ranks you possess in
You are particularly adept at coordinating the efforts of those
this talent. For instance, a character with Death & Taxes 2 rolls
allied to your cause. When leading other members of your fac-
2  at the end of a session to represent the number of Reloads
tion, you can substitute Gang Warfare for Command, Counsel,
expended, with both dice resulting in Effects. Normally, this
or Persuade. In addition, you can create a retinue (warband,
would result in the loss of 2 or more Reloads for the character,
squad, etc.) of dedicated and highly-loyal followers of a size
but because of their Death & Taxes 2, the loss of 2 Reloads can
equal in number to your Gang Warfare Focus times your rank
instead be transferred to another character. The targeted char-
in this talent. For example, if you have Big Gun 2 and Gang
acter must have at least one of the required resources available
Warfare Focus 2, you can have up to four adherents in your
to lose, otherwise the loss must still be paid by the character
retinue. The members of your personal retinue must be chosen
using this talent. The character targeted with this talent may
prior to combat, must be dedicated followers who have trained
instead choose to negate the loss by paying a Salvage Point. If
with you, and must be within earshot to gain any benefits. This
they choose to do so, however, they begin the next session with
benefit does not apply to other PCs, even if they are under your
1 less Salvage Point than they would normally be entitled to.
control. These are considered to be Elite Minions, whereas most
faction members are likely to be Lackeys.
OPPORTUNIST
PREREQUISITE: Chancer, Gang Warfare Expertise 2
CHANCER
PREREQUISITE: Conniver, Gang Warfare Expertise 1 Life has taught you to grab an opportunity with both hands and
squeeze the most you possibly can from it. Roll 1d20 whenever
You have a knack for pushing your luck with regards to faction
you spend a Salvage Point. If the result is equal to or less than
politics and always coming out smelling of roses. Whenever you
your Gang Warfare Focus, you gain the benefit of the Salvage
spend a Salvage Point for the Bonus Die effect within a social
Point, but the Salvage Point itself is not spent and returns to you.
situation related to your faction, you also gain a reroll that can
be applied to any other d20 within the dice pool for the skill
OVERSEER
test. (Each die may still only be rerolled once.)
PREREQUISITE: Conniver

CHIEF You have a knack for administration and logistics that ensures
PREREQUISITE: Big Gun, Gang Warfare Expertise 2 the correct equipment is always where it needs to be and
wasted resources are kept to a minimum. When forced to
With this talent, you have learned how to bring your retinue
roll for the expenditure of resources — such as rolling for the
(generated with the Big Gun talent, opposite) to bear with
loss of Reloads if the session involved a firefight — you may
explosive force; each member of your retinue adds a bonus
reroll any number of  after the initial roll, but must accept
d20 to all Firearms, Melee, Heavy Weapons, and Gang Warfare
the new results.
tests. Personnel in your retinue no longer need to be within
earshot to gain the benefit of your leadership. As with the Big
Gun talent, this benefit does not apply to other PCs, even if they HEAVY WEAPONS (COORDINATION)
are under your control. This skill encompasses a variety of heavy man-portable and vehi-
cle-mounted weapons that typically require special equipment,
CONNIVER stabilisation, bracing, or a bipod or tripod for use. Examples
PREREQUISITE: Gang Warfare Expertise 1 include rocket launchers, heavy flamethrowers, light and heavy
machine guns, mortars, and turret-mounted weapons.
You usually evaluate and appreciate the best course of action an
individual can take, even if they don’t. You may reroll 1d20 when COMMON USES: See Chapter 7: Conflict & Drama for more infor-
making a Gang Warfare test, but must accept the new result. mation. Also, identification of heavy weaponry, plus the damage
and injuries inflicted by them
DEATH & TAXES
DIFFICULTY: See Chapter 7: Conflict & Drama. Non-combat uses are
PREREQUISITE: Overseer
affected by Distance (distance to the weapon or damage being iden-
MAXIMUM RANKS: 3
tified), or Unfamiliarity or Complexity (obscure or unusual weapons).
Your own skin always comes first and you’re willing to spend
MOMENTUM SPEND: See Chapter 7: Conflict & Drama. Non-
every last morsel you can towards the cost of keeping it intact
combat uses provide more accurate or detailed information.
— including the resources of your friends and colleagues. If you

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HEAVY WEAPONS TALENTS BOOYA!

PREREQUISITE: Fire for Effect, Heavy Weapons Expertise 2

RAIN OF FIRE You have learned to operate a specific class of heavy weapon to
deadly effect. When selecting this talent, you must choose a spe-
cific class of heavy weapon: Light Machine Guns, Heavy Machine
Guns, Rocket Launchers, Autocannons, Heavy Flamethrowers,
SMOOTH or Turret Mounted Weapons. When firing a weapon in that
STEADY ARMS BIG BOOM
RELOAD class, you may choose to spend a Salvage Point before attacking
with the weapon to prevent the target from taking a Dodge
Reaction. In the case of weapons with the Blast or Torrent qual-
ities, this may include multiple targets. The Secondary Target
FIRE FOR
SUPPRESSIVE Momentum spend may not be employed during this attack.
EFFECT
Booya! May be taken once per class of Heavy Weapon.

FIRE FOR EFFECT

BOOYA! PREREQUISITE: Big Boom

You are adept at using heavy weapons fire to unsettle foes.

BIG BOOM When wielding a heavy weapon, you may pay 1 Fallout to use
PREREQUISITE: Rain of Fire this talent against an opponent or group of opponents within a
MAXIMUM RANKS: 3 single zone. Make an opposed test using your Heavy Weapons
skill against the target’s Discipline (use the highest Discipline of
When making a Heavy Weapons attack, the character’s weapon
the group if attacking multiple targets). If successful, the attack
gains the Spread quality with a rating equal to the number of
deals no damage but applies the Hindered and Staggered con-
ranks of Big Boom. If the weapon already possesses Spread, the
ditions on the target(s) until the start of your next turn.
rating gained from this talent is added to the weapon’s rating.

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 SKILLS & TALENTS

RAIN OF FIRE INSIGHT TALENTS

PREREQUISITE: Heavy Weapons Expertise 1

When attacking with a heavy weapon, you may reroll a number SIXTH SENSE
of  equal to the number of Heavy Weapons talents you possess.
(Each die may only be rerolled once.)

SMOOTH RELOAD WIDE-EYED TOXIC SYNERGY

TASTE FOR
PREREQUISITE: Rain of Fire BLOOD

Your training with weapons has made their use intuitive.

When wielding a heavy weapon, you may use a Minor Action
to increase its Burst value by 1 for the next attack with that INTUITIVE LAMBS TO
weapon. For example, a character with this talent using a.50 SCRUTINY SLAUGHTER
Cal can spend up to 3 Reloads, rather than the normal limit of 2.

STEADY ARMS
CULL THE MEEK
PREREQUISITE: Rain of Fire

You have learned to balance a specific weapon, and recoil is

much less of a problem. Each time the you purchase Steady Fallout is spent for each attack, the GM must target these NPCs
Arms, you must select a specific model of heavy weapon (the with attacks before targeting anyone or anything else.
Bringer, for example). When firing a heavy weapon of the
selected type, all attacks count as being braced. This talent INTUITIVE SCRUTINY
may be purchased once per model of heavy weapon. PREREQUISITE: Wide-eyed, Insight Expertise 2

During combat, you may attempt an Average (D1) Insight test

SUPPRESSIVE
as a Minor Action. On a success, you can identify one special
PREREQUISITE: Smooth Reload, Heavy Weapons Expertise 2
power, hidden piece of equipment, technological advantage,
You are adept at maximising the effectiveness of suppressive or similar effect that an opponent has in use. Each Momentum
fire with heavy weapons. When performing a Covering Fire spent allows you to recognise one additional effect.
Reaction using a heavy weapon, attacks made against the
assisted character have their difficulty increased by 2 instead of 1. LAMBS TO SLAUGHTER
PREREQUISITE: Taste for Blood

INSIGHT (AWARENESS) In place of using Taste for Blood prior to combat, you can
Insight represents your ability to recognize if someone is lying, or instead attempt a Daunting (D3) Insight test to learn one par-
to discern someone’s true intentions. It is also your ability to rap- ticular enemy’s patterns and weaknesses. If successful, for the
idly and intuitively parse information from your surroundings. remainder of the scene, you may reroll a single d20 on every
melee or ranged attack made against that enemy. If the chosen
COMMON USES: Detect lies, discern motives, quickly analysing data,
enemy is felled during the scene, you may spend 2 Momentum
recognising patterns, code breaking.
(Immediate) or pay 2 Fallout to switch this ability to a new target.
DIFFICULTY: Disruption or Distraction, Distance.
SIXTH SENSE
Insight is often an opposed test, taken to oppose a Persuade
PREREQUISITE: Insight Expertise 1
test made by another character attempting to lie.
You may reroll 1d20 when making an Insight test, but must accept
MOMENTUM SPENDS: Revealing hidden intentions behind a lie,
the new result. You gain 1 bonus Momentum when ambushed.

CULL THE MEEK

TASTE FOR BLOOD
PREREQUISITE: Lambs to Slaughter, Insight Expertise 2
PREREQUISITE: Sixth Sense
In place of using Taste for Blood prior to combat, you can instead MAXIMUM RANKS: 3
attempt a Simple (D0) Insight test to add extras to a scene (so
Whether from a desire to save your skin or a thirst to inflict pain,
long as it’s feasible that some are available). Each Momentum
you instinctively know when matters will escalate. Prior to any
spent introduces three Lackey NPCs to the scene. Unless 2
combat, you can attempt a Dire (D4) Insight test to gain an

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additional Standard Action. This Action takes place as if you LORE TALENTS
had spent a Salvage Point. Each additional rank of this talent
beyond the first reduces the difficulty of the Insight test by 1.
INITIATE

TOXIC SYNERGY
PREREQUISITE: Sixth Sense
MAXIMUM RANKS: 2
GIFTED KNOW
ADEPT
You have a knack for recognizing the subtle clues of biological LINGUIST FACTIONS
and chemical threats. When in the presence of a biohaz-
ard—even if you are not aware of it—the GM should call for
a Challenging (D2) Insight test. On success, you recognise
HIDDEN KNOW YOUR
the threat’s presence and may spend Momentum to identify MASTER
MESSAGE ENEMY
protective measures. Each Momentum spent increases EP by
1 against that hazard for the remainder of the scene. A second
Toxic Synergy rank reduces test’s difficulty to Average (D1). ADEPT
PREREQUISITE: Initiate
WIDE-EYED MAXIMUM RANKS: 3
PREREQUISITE: Sixth Sense
You possess an impressive amount of knowledge rarely seen
You can substitute your Insight skill for Observation tests. since the fall of the Old World. When performing research on
any topic covered by the Lore skill, reduce the difficulty by 1 for
each rank of Adept you possess, to a minimum of Simple (D0).
LORE (INTELLIGENCE)
This skill is a measure of your familiarity with lands beyond your
personal experience, including knowledge gained from books, LANGUAGES
Old World tech, and tutors. It includes an understanding of All PCs are fluent in one or more languages. However, they
history, politics, current events, geography, and languages. are not limited solely to those languages when commu-
nicating. Most people know a few common words and
COMMON USES: Researching general knowledge topics, recent
phrases from the languages of their neighbours, enough
history, and facts about the local area, using and understanding
to convey basic meaning, and some languages are similar
multiple languages.
enough that their speakers can be mutually understood.
DIFFICULTY: Equipment (records and histories), Foreign Language Out of necessity, language as a whole has evolved to estab-
(learning of a culture is more difficult if you do not understand lish common words and phrases that are now interspersed
the language), Time, Unfamiliarity or Complexity (more complex throughout several national dialects.
subjects are more difficult to learn about). Distance from events
The main languages still in use in the post-apocalypse of
or locations increases the difficulty. Researching events that
the San Francisco Safe Zone include American English,
occurred in another country increases the difficulty by 1. Events
Spanish, Chinese, and Tagalog, though several less preva-
that occurred a decade ago increase the difficulty by 1, a cen-
lent tongues are kept alive by small minorities.
tury by 2, or a millennium or more by 3. Widely-known events
such as major wars can reduce or eliminate these increases in Lacking a common language does not prevent communi-
difficulty. Similarly, obscure events that influenced only a small cation between two or more parties. However, it increases
group of people increase the difficulty by 1, as does censorship the difficulty of all skill tests that involve communication —
of particular information. At the GM’s discretion, availability or typically Command, Counsel, and Persuade — by 1. This can
lack of a library or other archive may decrease or increase the be increased to 2 steps if the GM deems that the languages
difficulty of a given test. The Lore skill represents some general being used are especially different from one another.
knowledge of the post-apocalyptic world and its inhabitants,
Characters with expertise in Lore have a better grasp of how
and the GM is encouraged to provide the kind of information
languages work, allowing them to attempt to decipher for-
that ordinary people in the setting would know.
eign or unfamiliar languages if given a little time and study.
MOMENTUM SPENDS: When you succeed on a Lore test for a sub-
All characters are assumed to know their faction’s main
ject, each Momentum requires the GM to answer one question.
language. Characters gain an additional language at Lore
Focus 1, a second at Lore Focus 3, and a third at Lore Focus 5.

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 SKILLS & TALENTS

INITIATE
RESEARCH & INFORMATION PREREQUISITE: Lore Expertise 1
Many skills are geared towards allowing a character the
Access to a small library of books or working tech has provided
opportunity to gain information on a given subject. Even
a fascination with learning and knowledge, particularly of the
skills that are primarily used for combat or other active
Old World. If you generate at least 1 success when attempting
tasks may be used for study and research purposes, as the
a Lore test, you may immediately roll an additional d20. Any
physical proficiencies are typically accompanied by famil-
success is added to the total, whilst a Complication is ignored.
iarity with and understanding of the lore and traditions
associated with the skill. For example, a character skilled in
KNOW FACTIONS
Athletics will likely have a decent understanding of training
PREREQUISITE: Initiate
regimes, nutrition, and other information that supports
their physical activities, while a character with training in You are familiar with the philosophies, styles, motivations, and
Firearms will understand how pistols and machine guns, inner workings of several different factions. When interacting
as well as how to maintain and operate them. with an opponent, you may attempt a Simple (D0) Lore test
as a Minor Action. One Momentum is enough to recognize the
For this reason, almost any skill can be used to obtain rele-
foe’s significant political and personal affiliations, based upon
vant information. This is a relatively simple matter — when
their apparent mannerisms and actions. Additional Momentum
using a skill to obtain information, a success means that
provides more detailed information.
you are allowed to ask the GM a single question about
the subject, and an additional question on the subject for
KNOW YOUR ENEMY
each Momentum spent (as per the Obtain Information
PREREQUISITE: Know Factions, Lore Expertise 2
Momentum spend). If you need assistance coming up with
questions, other players are encouraged to assist, and the When analysing an opponent’s pattern of actions — including
GM should be liberal in supporting players who find them- combat, social interactions, and rumours — you have learned to
selves at loose ends. recognize your foe’s overall strategy. Once you have assembled
the available clues, you may spend 1 Fallout. The GM must then
If the GM is feeling particularly ambitious and creative,
truthfully reveal your opponent’s short-term goals.
and everyone at the table is amenable to the idea, they
may even permit Momentum spends to define interesting
MASTER
facts on the subject, rather than merely posing questions.
PREREQUISITE: Adept, Lore Expertise 2
Allowing the players some measure of creative control over
MAXIMUM RANKS: 2
the details helps to immerse them more in the setting and
relieves some of the GM’s burden to provide an answer for You are a knowledgeable expert in a great many fields, which
everything, though it comes at the cost of having to figure pays dividends when performing Engineering tasks or utilising
out how all those crazy ideas fit together. Wild Tech. Each rank of Master counts as an additional point
of Engineering, Lore, and Wild Tech Focus. This can increase
your effective Focus in those skills above their normal limits.
GIFTED LINGUIST
PREREQUISITE: Initiate

You are familiar with the idioms and speech patterns of a broad
MEDICINE (INTELLIGENCE)
This skill provides the ability to give care to someone who has
range of different factions and societies. You know not just how
suffered injury or sickness, as well as all the knowledge that
to speak a language, but how to speak it in a fashion that sets
accompanies such skill.
a native speaker at ease. You can substitute Lore for Persuade.
COMMON USES: See Damage and Recovery (p. 193). Medicine may
HIDDEN MESSAGE also be used to identify and treat sicknesses and poisons, and to
PREREQUISITE: Gifted Linguist, Lore Expertise 2 determine the nature of injuries.

You have studied body language, psychology, and sign lan- DIFFICULTY: Lighting, Disruption or Distraction, Equipment
guage, which has provided you with a means of transmitting (MedKit, drugs), Random Motion, Time, Unfamiliarity or Complexity.
a private message at the same time as a public one. You can
MOMENTUM SPENDS: See Damage and Recovery (p. 193). As a skill
take two Speak actions at the same time. The intended recip-
that involves lots of knowledge, the Obtain Information Momentum
ient must succeed at an Average (D1) Lore test to decipher
Spend is a particularly common choice when attempting to identify
the message, though others seeking to crack your code must
ailments or study advanced healing lore.
succeed at a Daunting (D3) Lore test.

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MEDICINE TALENTS you have no MedKit available. Additionally, you don’t suffer the
associated difficulty increase when using the MedKit to perform
the Treat action on a patient not within Reach.
BIND WOUNDS

ANATOMIST
PREREQUISITE: This Will Hurt, Medicine Expertise 2

A LITTLE TO You know the human body like no other and can exploit this in
THIS WILL HURT AVOID DANGER
EASE THE PAIN many ways. When making a Medicine test to treat injuries, you
reduce the difficulty of any test by 1, to a minimum of Average
(D1). Additionally, you may add 1  and the Vicious 1 quality to
any melee or threaten attack you make, as your knowledge
ANATOMIST APOTHECARY of the body makes both your cuts and threats more specific.

APOTHECARY
PREREQUISITE: A Little to Ease the Pain
PHYSICIAN
You are well-versed in treating poisons. You can attempt an
Average (D1) Medicine test any time you encounter a poisoned
or drugged patient. On success, you identify both the poison
A LITTLE TO EASE THE PAIN
or drug and the antidote necessary treat it. You may spend
PREREQUISITE: Bind Wounds
Momentum to have the antidote at hand, though the amount
You are accustomed to working with extremely limited resources required is subject to GM discretion based upon the rarity and
and have learned to take full advantage of them when available. toxicity of the poison or drug. You can use Medicine instead of
You gain 1 bonus Momentum on Medicine tests, even when Animal Handling or Lore when treating or procuring venoms.

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 SKILLS & TALENTS

AVOID DANGER MELEE TALENTS

PREREQUISITE: Bind Wounds

You recognize various environmental risks and know how NO MERCY

to mitigate them. You may substitute your Medicine skill for
Survival for the purposes of avoiding hazards.

BIND WOUNDS GRAPPLER

SAVAGE
QUICK DRAW
PREREQUISITE: Medicine Expertise 1 ASSAULT

You may reroll 1d20 when using the Medicine skill, but must
accept the new result.
VITAL SPOT RIPOSTE VIPER STRIKE
PHYSICIAN
PREREQUISITE: Apothecary, Medicine Expertise 2

You have encountered a variety of sicknesses, plagues and inju-

ries, and have learned many effective ways of treating these HARD TARGET
maladies. You can attempt an Average (D1) Medicine test
to identify the best course of treatments for any patient you
encounter. On a success, you are able to prescribe a suitable MOMENTUM SPENDS: See Chapter Five: Conflict & Drama for more
remedy. You may spend Momentum to have the necessary information. Non-combat uses gain more detailed or more specific
treatments on hand, though the cost in both money and time is information with Momentum spent.
subject to the GM’s discretion. You are a figure of authority and
can substitute Healer for the Command skill. If you command GRAPPLER
another character to assist you or to act in your stead, that char- PREREQUISITE: No Mercy
acter can reroll a single d20 of their own Medicine test. Given
You know that a mobile foe is a dangerous one, and the easiest
suitable downtime, you can completely heal the injuries of others.
way to stop someone moving is to grab hold of them. After
making a successful melee attack, you may spend 1 Momentum
THIS WILL HURT
to gain the Grappling quality on an unarmed attack.
PREREQUISITE: Bind Wounds

You know that setting bones and tending to injuries will cause HARD TARGET
plenty of pain, and there’s little good that comes from being PREREQUISITE: Riposte
gentle when trying to save a life. Better to suffer pain now and
You have become almost preternaturally attuned to the dan-
live to tell of it. When you attempt to treat a patient’s injuries, you
gers of combat, which allows you to draw upon your melee
may choose to reduce the difficulty of the test by up to 3. If you do
prowess to avoid attacks. You may substitute your Melee skill
this, however, you also inflict 2  Nerve damage on that patient,
for Acrobatics any time you attempt a Dodge Reaction.
plus an additional 1  for every step of difficulty reduced, as
your swift and indelicate actions cause the patient intense pain.
NO MERCY
PREREQUISITE: Melee Expertise 1
MELEE (AGILITY) When making a Melee attack, you may reroll a number of 
This skill governs the ability to attack in melee combat. It covers
equal to the total number of Melee talents (and ranks in those tal-
all melee attacks, from blows with a fist and improvised weap-
ents) you have acquired. You must accept the result of any reroll.
ons, to the most finely-honed implements of combat.

COMMON USES: See Chapter 7: Conflict & Drama for more infor- QUICK DRAW
mation. In addition, the skill can also be used to identify various PREREQUISITE: No Mercy
types of hand-to-hand weaponry and the injuries they cause, recog-
You are always prepared for melee combat. You can draw a
nizing weapon-based combat styles, proper maintenance of melee
weapon as a Free Action (instead of a Minor) and do not need
weapons, and other related topics.
to have a weapon in your hand in order to respond to attacks.
DIFFICULTY: See Chapter 7: Conflict & Drama for more informa- As long as you have a free hand and a weapon within Reach,
tion. Non-combat uses are affected by Distance (distance to the you can always make a Melee test as part of a Defence or Guard
weapon, or injury), Unfamiliarity or Complexity (obscure weaponry). Reaction. This can only be done once per turn, although when

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the Quick Draw action is taken you can draw a different item OBSERVATION TALENTS
into each hand (i.e. to dual wield knives). This talent exists for
both the Melee and Firearms skill, and it can be used as a pre-
SHARP SENSES
requisite for talents in the other skill if it is purchased for either.

RIPOSTE
PREREQUISITE: Savage Assault, Melee Expertise 2
PERFECT
RANSACK SCRUTINISE
You have learned to strike rapidly after blocking an opponent’s MEMORY
attack. Following a successful Parry Reaction, you can pay 1
Fallout to immediately respond with a standard melee attack
at +1 difficulty against the foe you have just parried.
BATTLEFIELD
SPY
PERCEPTION
SAVAGE ASSAULT
PREREQUISITE: No Mercy

You wield a blade as if it were an extension of your arm. CRIPPLING

Momentum spent or Fallout paid when making a melee attack BLOW
adds 2 dice instead of 1. (Maximum of 3 bonus d20s still applies.)

BATTLEFIELD PERCEPTION
VIPER STRIKE
PREREQUISITE: Scrutinise, Observation Expertise 2
PREREQUISITE: Quick Draw, Melee Expertise 3
During combat, you may choose one enemy and make an
Your swift and deadly strikes and whirlwind assaults often leave a
Average (D1) Observation test as a Minor Action. If successful,
trail of corpses in your wake. When you inflict 1 or more Wounds,
you can determine how much of the target’s Stress remains,
as a result of a Melee attack, you may spend 2 Momentum in
and how many Harms the target is suffering from. For one
order to immediately inflict an additional Wound. Against a Mob
Momentum (Repeatable), you may choose one additional foe.
or a Squad, the additional Wound may be applied to another
member of that Mob or Squad.
CRIPPLING BLOW
PREREQUISITE: Battlefield Perception
VITAL SPOT
PREREQUISITE: Grappler You know how to place your blows to deal crippling harm. After
making a successful attack, you may pay 1 Fallout in order to
You have studied anatomy or have a knack for knowing where to
make the attack particularly effective. Add a number of addi-
hit for maximum effect. Spending Momentum for a Called Shot
tional damage dice to the attack equal to your Observation
benefit on a melee attack also grants the Stun quality (p. 156).
Focus. Each time this ability is used in a single scene, the cost
of using the ability increases by 1, i.e. the first time requires 1
OBSERVATION (AWARENESS) Fallout, the second requires 2, the third requires 3, etc.
This skill governs your ability to notice details and discern subtle
environmental cues. It also covers general perceptiveness and PERFECT MEMORY
the ability to recognize when something is out of place, to PREREQUISITE: Sharp Senses
search an area for clues, or to spot a potential ambush.
You have a knack for recalling information, even if it was
COMMON USES: Searching for physical clues, detecting ambushes irrelevant at the time. You can make an Observation test to
and other threats, noticing small details. investigate any area you’ve been to, even if you are not in that
location any more. You cannot change any of the physical
DIFFICULTY: Lighting (sight-based Observation), Distance, Noise
features of the area, meaning that your memory is limited to
(hearing-based Observation), Poor Weather.
what you actually experienced. For example, if you didn’t look
Observation tests are frequently used to oppose Stealth or behind a wall or open a door, you have no idea what they con-
Thievery tests. The difficulty of Observation tests can also be ceal. However, if you also have the Ransack talent, it should be
influenced by the size of the object or threat being spotted. assumed that you opened/closed all doors and looked at the
scene from multiple points of view.
MOMENTUM SPENDS: Observation tests can use Momentum to
perform tandem activities —such as alerting allies of threats or
taking cover in response to an ambush—or to provide extra detail.

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 SKILLS & TALENTS

RANSACK SPY
PREREQUISITE: Sharp Senses PREREQUISITE: Ransack, Observation Expertise 2

You are adept at thoroughly searching an area quickly. The You can perform the Ransack talent without leaving tell-tale
search is obvious to any onlookers and any who examine evidence of the search. To notice that a search has been under-
the area searched, with a difficulty determined by the size of taken in the space, an opponent must engage in an opposed
the area to be searched. Searching within Reach requires an test against your Observation. You gain bonus Momentum for
Average (D1) Observation test, while searching within Close the test equal to your Observation Focus.
range becomes a Challenging (D2) test. With a successful
Observation test, you identify all of the clues that you currently
consider important in that area. Ransack takes a Standard
PERSUADE (PERSONALITY)
This skill governs your ability to convince others, to make them
Action and can be attempted multiple times.
believe what you wish, or even to assume one of your beliefs for
a short while. It covers a wide range of interpersonal skills, such
SCRUTINISE
as the ability to charm, deceive, coerce, bribe, seduce, or haggle.
PREREQUISITE: Sharp Senses
COMMON USES: Lying to, negotiating with, intimidating, seducing,
You can survey a new environment quickly. The first time you
or befriending others to gain assistance, access, or information.
attempt an Observation test when changing scene or entering
a location, you gain 1 bonus Momentum. This Momentum can DIFFICULTY: Distance, Foreign Language, Noise, Social Factors,
only be used on the Obtain Information Momentum spend. Time, Unfamiliarity or Complexity (unfamiliar target or subject
matter, complex lies).
SHARP SENSES
Persuade is often opposed by a target’s Discipline test. Whether
PREREQUISITE: Observation Expertise 1
through second thoughts, seeing through a lie, or overcoming
You may reroll 1d20 when making an Observation test, but must a scare, NPCs will eventually shake off the effects of a Persuade
accept the new result. test. The GM should set the duration of the effect and the time
required for the test when setting the difficulty. A brief scare

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 CHAPTER 5

meant to distract for a minute should take little time to per- or idioms. When fast-talking or lying, you gain 1 additional d20
form, but a complex lie meant to last for days or weeks is more to your Persuade or Command test per rank of Remorseless.
difficult and takes longer to attempt. Generally, Persuade tests
should take as long to attempt as you wish the effects to last. SEDUCER
PREREQUISITE: Naturally Charming
MOMENTUM SPEND: Momentum is often used to reduce the time
taken, or to make the effects of a Persuade test last longer. You are particularly adept at seducing others. When attempting
a seduction, each Momentum or Fallout grants 2 d20s, instead
PERSUADE TALENTS of 1. (Maximum of 3 bonus d20s still applies.)

STRONG-ARM TACTICS
CHARISMATIC
PREREQUISITE: Force of Presence, Persuade Expertise 2
MAXIMUM RANKS: 3

You recognize others’ limitations and can easily exploit them.

NATURALLY FORCE OF When attempting to intimidate an opponent, you are able to
HAGGLER
CHARMING PRESENCE recognize the most effective strategies to use. You gain one
additional d20 to any Persuade or Command test per rank
of Strong-arm Tactics. Further, you gain Piercing X on your
Threaten attacks, where X is equal to your ranks in Strong-
STRONG-ARM
SEDUCER REMORESLESS arm Tactics.
TACTICS

CHARISMATIC
PILOT (COORDINATION)
This skill covers the ability to operate, maintain, and pilot a vari-
PREREQUISITE: Persuade Expertise 1
ety of flying vehicles and large waterborne craft. This covers
You may reroll 1d20 when making a Persuade test, but must gyrocopters, helicopters, planes, and jetpacks, plus boats and
accept the new result. ships of many sizes and shapes, both oar-driven and sail-driven.

COMMON USES: See Chapter 8: Vehicular Mayhem.

FORCE OF PRESENCE
PREREQUISITE: Charismatic DIFFICULTY: Difficult Terrain (rocks, reefs, strong currents), Poor
Weather (rough water, strong winds, poor visibility), Unfamiliarity
Your bonus damage on mental attacks is increased by 1 .
or Complexity. Damage to the craft may also impose additional
difficulty increases.
HAGGLER
PREREQUISITE: Charismatic, Persuade Expertise 2 MOMENTUM SPENDS: Momentum on Pilot tests is normally used
to improve the quality of a test, allowing the manoeuvre to be per-
You are particularly proficient at obtaining goods or favours.
formed with greater efficiency or style. Specific manoeuvres may
Following a Traffic test to purchase an item, you may roll a
have their own unique Momentum spends. See Aircraft in Chapter
Simple (D0) Persuade test to reduce the cost by 1 Merch for
8: Vehicular Mayhem for more information.
each 2 Momentum (Repeatable).

PILOT TALENTS
NATURALLY CHARMING
PREREQUISITE: Charismatic
MAXIMUM RANKS: 3 ACE

You have a disarming nature. A successful Persuade test yields

1 bonus Momentum per rank of Naturally Charming.

PUSH THE INTERNAL

REMORSELESS SEA LEGS
ENVELOPE COMPASS
PREREQUISITE: Haggler
MAXIMUM RANKS: 3

You thrive on the fact that others are limited in the speed with
WINGED
which they can process information. You prey on individuals by RIDE THE WIND OLD SALT
VICTORY
dissembling, speaking quickly, and using obscure references

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 SKILLS & TALENTS

ACE
PREREQUISITE: Pilot Expertise 1
RESISTANCE (BRAWN)
Resistance covers both natural resilience and physical condi-
You may reroll 1d20 when making a Pilot test, but you must tioning to better endure conditions, activities, and events that
accept the new result. would otherwise impair a character. This might include sensory
deprivation, extreme environments, poisons, diseases, physical
INTERNAL COMPASS deterioration, or extreme pain.
PREREQUISITE: Ace
COMMON USES: See Damage and Recovery (p. 193). Primarily, the
You have learned to navigate through the many hazards of the skill is used in resisting or recovering from physical status condi-
post-apocalyptic world. You may ignore any penalties to the tions, enduring physical hardships, or extremes of physical effort.
difficulty of a Pilot test incurred by situational hazards, includ- Resistance is primarily used in response to threats or combat situ-
ing harsh weather, geomagnetic storms, and similar dangers. ations, or to recover from injury naturally.

DIFFICULTY: Armour, Poor Weather. The difficulty of Resistance tests

OLD SALT
is normally set by the situation or effect requiring the Resistance
PREREQUISITE: Sea Legs, Pilot Expertise 2
test in the first place. If confronted with an ongoing situation—such
You’ve weathered storms, survived pirates, and struggled as extremes of environment or prolonged strenuous activity—the
through the foulest misfortune. Through all of it, you’ve learned difficulty of the test starts at Average (D1), and increases by 1 with
to trust your own skills and those of your shipmates, and learned every successive test required. For example, enduring the extreme
to spot the wide range of expertise available on a ship’s crew. cold of a frozen winter may require a Resistance test each hour,
While onboard a ship with a reasonably-sized crew, you may pay inflicting Fatigue on a failed test. The first test is Average (D1), the
1 Fallout in order to substitute your Pilot skill for any other skill. second Challenging (D2), and so on to a maximum of Epic (D5).

MOMENTUM SPENDS: See Damage and Recovery (p. 193).

PUSH THE ENVELOPE
Momentum from Resistance tests is often used to recover Stress
PREREQUISITE: Ace
or else banked for later. For ongoing situations, Momentum can
MAXIMUM RANKS: 3
be spent to delay the next test, with the first Momentum doubling
You are adept at making atmospheric craft perform beyond their the time before the next test, the second tripling it, and so forth.
design specifications. When making Pilot tests while airborne,
you gain 1 bonus Momentum per rank of Push the Envelope. RESISTANCE TALENTS

RIDE THE WIND

HARDY
PREREQUISITE: Internal Compass, Pilot Expertise 2
MAXIMUM RANKS: 3

You have a knack for guiding your craft safely through difficult
and dangerous situations. Decrease the difficulty for any Pilot GRIM JUST A
TENACIOUS
tests by 1 step per rank of Ride the Wind when you are piloting. DETERMINATION SCRATCH

SEA LEGS
PREREQUISITE: Ace
HEARTY
RESILIENT
You have been at sea for a long time, and are more-than-familiar CONSTITUTION
with the swaying and shifting of the deck. You no longer suffer
any penalties caused by the random motion of being aboard
a ship when taking any test. Additionally, you may substitute
Pilot for Acrobatics, Athletics, or Resistance while onboard a IRON-SKINNED
ship or when using a rope.

GRIM DETERMINATION
WINGED VICTORY
PREREQUISITE: Hardy, Resistance Expertise 1
PREREQUISITE: Push the Envelope, Pilot Expertise 2
You are tireless and able to press on when others would falter.
You are an expert in the use of single pilot flight craft. You may
Whenever you would suffer Fatigue, you may ignore it by paying
substitute the Pilot skill for Heavy Weapons when firing weap-
Fallout equal to the Fatigue suffered.
ons mounted on an airborne vehicle you are piloting.

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HARDY lesser mortal. The amount of physical damage needed to inflict

PREREQUISITE: Resistance Expertise 1 a Wound is increased by 1 per rank of Just a Scratch. For exam-
ple, if you have Just a Scratch 1, you will suffer a Wound if 6 or
When making a Resistance test, you may reroll any dice that
more damage is suffered, rather than the normal 5 or more.
did not generate a success on the initial roll, but must accept
the new results.
RESILIENT
PREREQUISITE: Hardy
HEARTY CONSTITUTION
MAXIMUM RANKS: 3
PREREQUISITE: Just a Scratch, Resistance Expertise 2
MAXIMUM RANKS: 3 Your physique is particularly sturdy and resilient. Whenever you
suffer a condition that may be avoided by paying Fallout, you
Nothing lays you low and you recover quickly from wounds.
can reduce the amount of Fallout you need to pay by your rank
When attempting to heal via natural healing, you can add 1d20
in Resilient, to a minimum of 0.
to the test per rank of Hearty Constitution.

TENACIOUS
IRON-SKINNED
PREREQUISITE: Tenacious
PREREQUISITE: Hearty Constitution
You have gone through grievous injuries and survived truly epic
You are so used to punishment that it takes an impressive
cocktails of alcohol and narcotics. You have learned how to face
amount of damage to actually hurt you. Increase your Armour
down the seemingly insurmountable, and rely on your physical
Soak on all locations by 1. You benefit from this Armour Soak
stamina to do so. When already suffering from an injury, you
even when not wearing armour.
may substitute your Resistance skill for Discipline, if desired.

JUST A SCRATCH
PREREQUISITE: Hardy
MAXIMUM RANKS: 2

You have a knack for shrugging off injuries that would fell a

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 SKILLS & TALENTS

FATIGUE cold or heat (below −20˚C/-4˚F or above 45˚C/113˚F) requires a

test every ten minutes instead. Extreme temperatures (below
Even the climate can present a challenge beyond combat,
–30˚C/-22˚F or above 60˚C/114˚F) require a test every minute.
from intense desert heat that can sear unprotected skin, to
a bleak cold that freezes everything. Being isolated for too
long from shelter introduces the threat of thirst or starvation, STARVATION AND THIRST
while being forced to go without sleep or rest for long peri- Lack of basic sustenance is a major concern in the post-apoc-
ods also induces suffering. Life is at risk for anyone exposed alyptic wasteland, particularly if you are unskilled in survival
to one or several of these problematic conditions for too long. techniques. Depending on your body mass and level of activ-
ity, you will require at least half a gallon of water a day (or
The Resistance skill allows you to both endure and func-
its equivalent) to avoid suffering from the effects of thirst.
tion within these dangerous climes and intense conditions.
Going without adequate water for a prolonged period (Brawn
Exposure, starvation, dehydration, and exhaustion work in a
+ 24 hours) requires an Average (D1) Resistance test, plus a
similar fashion to affect a value called Fatigue. You gain levels
further test after each additional four hours. Each additional
of Fatigue for failing Resistance tests against environmental
test successively increases the Difficulty by 1. Failure on any
conditions and similar effects. Fatigue affects Vigour without
test inflicts 1 level of Fatigue. This requirement is tripled in
inflicting damage. Instead, each level of Fatigue reduces your
extremely hot environments, though natives to these areas
maximum Vigour by 1, causing you to tire faster in battle.
have various means of alleviating this need. Furthermore,
If your maximum Vigour is reduced to 0, then you are the GM may choose to adjust the Difficulty if a minor, but
exhausted beyond any ability to continue and you fall uncon- less-than-adequate, amount of water is consumed.
scious immediately. Any further Fatigue once you have
Starvation is a little more forgiving. After three days without
reached 0 Vigour causes you to die.
food, you must attempt an Average (D1) Resistance test,
Recovering from Fatigue does not take long. Once removed and a further test after each additional day. These additional
from the source of the Fatigue (taking shelter from heat or tests increase the Difficulty by one for each successive test.
cold, finding food or water, sleeping, etc.), you may attempt Failure on any test inflicts 1 level of Fatigue. An adult human
an Average (D1) Resistance test after eight hours of rest. requires at least one reasonable meal (or its equivalent) each
This removes 1 level of Fatigue, plus 1 per Momentum spend day in order to avoid the risk of starvation.
(Repeatable). Someone with the Survival or Medicine skills
may assist you in this Resistance test (and you may assist
someone else with their Fatigue). If you have received Fatigue
FORCED MARCH
Pushing yourself to travel further or faster than normal on foot
from more than one source — for example, heat and thirst
can overwhelm you with Fatigue. You can travel at a normal
from prolonged exposure while in a desert — you must remove
pace for a number of hours per day equal to your Brawn, or
yourself from all sources of Fatigue before recovery can begin.
up to half your Brawn (rounded up) in hours at double pace.
For each additional hour, you must attempt an Average (D1)
COLD AND HEAT Resistance test. These additional tests increase the Difficulty
As the years have passed since the Day of the Apocalypse, the by one for each successive test. Failure on any test inflicts
extremes of temperature have been an ever-present threat to 1 level of Fatigue. You must rest for at least eight hours to
humanity, forcing survivors to search ever-wider for suitable recover from a forced march.
refuge from intolerable climes. Extreme cold or heat poses
a serious risk to the unwary, and those exposed for too long
without proper protection (shelter, protective clothing, etc.)
SLEEP DEPRIVATION
Lack of sleep is perhaps the easiest source of Fatigue to
can be incapacitated or killed. Failure on any test related to
recover from, but it comes with its own risks. If you have
extreme temperatures inflicts 1 level of Fatigue.
been awake constantly for 48 hours, you must attempt
If unprotected in an extraordinarily cold or hot environment an Average (D1) Resistance test, and a further test after
(temperatures below 0˚ Celsius/ 2˚Fahrenheit or above every additional 8 hours of sleeplessness. These additional
35˚C/95˚F), you must take an Average (D1) Resistance test tests increase the diff iculty by 1 step for each succes-
after the first hour of exposure, plus an additional test for sive test. Failure on any test inflicts 1 level of Fatigue and
every full hour of exposure after that. These additional tests 1 level of Callousness (see p. 93) on you, which represents
increase the Difficulty by one for each test: the second test is your mind and body weakening. You will require 8 hours of
Challenging (D2), while the third is Daunting (D3), etc. Severe sleep in order to begin recovering from sleep deprivation.

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CHAPTER 5

DEATH DEALER
STEALTH (AGILITY) PREREQUISITE: Many Blades
The art of going unnoticed, such as staying hidden within
shadows or moving silently. This skill also governs the creation You are a proficient killer, relying on trickery and misdirection.
and use of camouflage and disguises, and the ability to cover When armed with any weapon that has the Hidden quality, you
one’s tracks. may substitute Stealth for your Melee and Ranged Weapons
skills, and increase the damage of the weapon by 1 .
COMMON USES: Moving quietly or silently, hiding from observers,
setting up an ambush, creating camouflage, creating and employ-
LIVING SHADOW
ing disguises, concealing tracks.
PREREQUISITE: Scout
DIFFICULTY: Stealth is commonly opposed by an Observation
You are adept at using terrain effects and social cues to remain
test. Other problems may include armour (heavier armour makes
unnoticed by observers. When attempting to remain unseen
it harder to move quietly), Lighting (bright light hinders stealth),
or unnoticed, you gain bonus Momentum equal to the total
Difficult Terrain (impedes stealthy movement, may cause noise),
number of Stealth talents you possess. (Including their ranks.)
Encumbrance (heavily-laden characters make more noise), Noise
(loud noises aid stealth). Penalties should only be applied once to
MANY BLADES
either the observer or the scout. Stealth tests to create camouflage
PREREQUISITE: Stealth
to hide a larger object, or to create a convincing disguise, take at
least ten minutes. Stealth tests for moving unnoticed are different: You always carry at least a dagger concealed somewhere. Even
you declare that you are moving stealthily, but no test is required if you lose all your weaponry, you can pay 1 Fallout and produce
until another character or being (a guard passes nearby, etc.) is a concealed dagger as a Minor Action.
present to oppose it with an Observation test. At this point the test
takes no time whatsoever. MASTER OF DISGUISE
PREREQUISITE: Living Shadow
MOMENTUM SPENDS: Momentum on Stealth tests is typically car-
ried forward onto other tests, the advantages of a stealthy approach You know how to impersonate others, whether to blend into
allowing you to focus on your intended task without distraction. the background or to appear as a specific person. When you
succeed at a Stealth test to create a disguise, you gain bonus
STEALTH TALENTS Momentum equal to the amount of Momentum generated
on that test (in essence, every point of Momentum generated
by the test is doubled). In addition to this, if the disguise is to
SCOUT
impersonate another, you may substitute your Stealth skill for
Persuade or Command.

OBSCURE TRAIL
LIVING
CAMOUFLAGE MANY BLADES PREREQUISITE: Camouflage
SHADOW
You know a variety of tricks to make it substantially harder for
someone to follow you. When you suspect (or fear) that you
might be followed, you may make an Average (D1) Stealth test.
MASTER OF
OBSCURE TRAIL DEATH DEALER The difficulty for any pursuer’s test to follow you is increased
DISGUISE
by one step, plus an additional step for each Momentum spent
(Repeatable) while on foot, or for every 2 Momentum spent
CAMOUFLAGE whilst driving a vehicle. (At the GM’s discretion, larger vehicles
PREREQUISITE: Scout, Stealth Expertise 2 may require additional Momentum.)
MAXIMUM RANKS: 3
SCOUT
It is important for you to remain concealed, but at times it is
PREREQUISITE: Stealth Expertise 1
also important that your allies and any equipment they may
be using also go unseen. You can apply your Stealth skill result You may reroll 1d20 when making a Stealth test, but must
to a number of other creatures or large objects equal to your accept the new result.
Stealth Focus plus your ranks in Camouflage.

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 SKILLS & TALENTS

SURVIVAL (WILLPOWER) each point of Momentum spent (Repeatable) provides these

This skill covers the ability to find resources such as food and necessities for two other creatures (allies, tame animals, etc.),
shelter in harsh environments, from hostile wilderness, crum- or for two additional days if on your own.
bling suburbs, caverns underground, and the hostile depths of
post-apocalyptic cities. It also governs the ability to find tracks HUNTER
and follow a target through such environments. PREREQUISITE: Tracker
MAXIMUM RANKS: 2
COMMON USES: Avoid environmental hazards, find daily sus-
tenance, track movement through an area, setting traps, and You have learned to anticipate the movements of prey and
determine likely weather forecasts for the next day. have a natural affinity for geography. When making a Survival
test to track a creature or group of creatures, you may spend
DIFFICULTY: Lighting, Difficult Terrain, Equipment (survival kits),
2 Momentum or pay 2 Fallout to find a shortcut or other way
Poor Weather, Time, Unfamiliarity or Complexity.
of intercepting the creatures being tracked. You may also
Most hazards and challenges involving the Survival skill are substitute Survival for Stealth when attempting to ambush
Average (D1) tests, but certain perils and situations can be more creatures being tracked. If purchased twice, the cost is reduced
challenging, particularly if you are unfamiliar with the area or to 1 Momentum or 1 Fallout.
the conditions you’re plunged into. With this skill, you can avoid
hazards by finding or creating shelter, locating food and water, RISKS
and finding secure sites to rest, removing or reducing the need PREREQUISITE: Subsistence
for Resistance tests against exposure, starvation, thirst, or sleep MAXIMUM RANKS: Special, see description
deprivation. You can use Survival to determine the likely loca-
You are familiar with various environmental hazards presented
tions of animals and other wild creatures, and influence your
by the wilderness. Choose one environment when this talent
chances of encountering such creatures (reducing the chance
is purchased. Any time you travel within a particular kind of
of crossing a predator, or increasing it to find prey). Spotting
environment you may attempt an Average (D1) Survival test.
and hiding from creatures are governed by Observation and
On a success, you are able to avoid all implicit dangers, poten-
Stealth, respectively.
tially avoiding dangerous encounters. Each point of Momentum
MOMENTUM SPENDS: Each Momentum spent allows you to pro- may be spent to protect one of your allies from these same
vide assistance for one additional character: finding food or shelter risks. Further ranks in this talent add new environment types.
for four people is harder than finding it for one. Momentum can Possible environments are: Arctic, Coastal, Desert, Jungle,
also be spent to ask the GM questions about the environment, Mountain, Forest, Plains, Steppes, Subterranean, Urban, or
obtaining information about other local hazards or threats, good another if permitted by the GM.
places to shelter, or other interesting features in the area.
REMEDIES AND REWARDS
SURVIVAL TALENTS PREREQUISITE: Risks, Survival Expertise 2

You know various natural or traditional remedies for illness and

SUBSISTENCE sickness that can be found in the wild. When outside of the city,
you may substitute your Survival skill for Medicine. Additionally,
you may make a Challenging (D2) Survival test once per
journey when travelling through the wilderness. Each point
of Momentum achieved provides 1 poultice for use in treating
FORAGER TRACKER RISKS
wounds. See Chapter 6: Gear & Merch for more information.

SCROUNGER
PREREQUISITE: Forager, Survival Expertise 2
REMEDIES AND
SCROUNGER HUNTER MAXIMUM RANKS: 2
REWARDS
Useful items and resources are often discarded or abandoned
amongst the wreckage strewn across the Devil’s Run. You are
FORAGER
resourceful enough to recover them for your own purposes. You
PREREQUISITE: Subsistence
may reduce the Rarity of any item by 1 per rank of Scrounger,
You are particularly capable of finding the necessities of life. to a minimum of 1.
When attempting a Survival test to find food, water, or shelter,

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SUBSISTENCE THIEVERY TALENTS

PREREQUISITE: Survival Expertise 1

You may reroll 1d20 when making a Survival test, but must CANNY
accept the new result.

TRACKER
PREREQUISITE: Subsistence LARCENOUS
EASY MONEY POCKET THEFT
MAXIMUM RANKS: 3 EAR

You can recognize all the signs of passage, from the subtle to
the obvious, and have become particularly adept at following
a target. When attempting a Survival test to track a creature WALK IN,
APPRAISAL
or group of creatures, you may reduce the difficulty of the test WALK OUT
by 1 for every rank of Tracker.

THIEVERY (AWARENESS) BURGLAR

Thievery allows you to engage in underhand activities with a
reasonable expectation of success. Even the most lawless fac-
tion has certain boundaries, you’re just exceptionally skilled at
APPRAISAL
circumventing them. Of course, you don’t just know how to
PREREQUISITE: Easy Money
steal or pick pockets, you also appreciate how others might
try to pilfer your goods. You have stolen from many people, and although value can be
subjective in this post-apocalyptic world, you have gained an
COMMON USES: Picking locks, picking pockets, bypassing traps
instinct for knowing the difference between real treasure and
and alarms, assessing a target of criminal activities, obtaining or
fake baubles. When looking over valuable items to determine
selling items through illicit channels.
their worth and provenance, you may substitute Thievery for
DIFFICULTY: Disruption or Distraction, Distance, Equipment (lock- Insight or Lore. Further, when using the Easy Money talent,
picks, toolkit), Time, Unfamiliarity or Complexity. gaining an additional Merch requires 1 Fallout, instead of 2, and
you may use this benefit twice on any given criminal act.
Thievery tests performed upon (or in the vicinity of) a potential
target are opposed by that target’s Observation test; attempt-
BURGLAR
ing to pick a pocket or unlock a door is trickier when there are
PREREQUISITE: Walk In, Walk Out; Thievery Focus 2
others present to observe you. Other Thievery tests are taken
against static difficulty values. The GM should set a basic diffi- You have made a career of entering the secured buildings that
culty for a given lock or trap. When assessing a potential target, have been left abandoned since the Day of the Apocalypse.
the Thievery skill is treated similarly to the Survival skill, though You’ve experienced tall walls, cunning traps, and strange locks,
in this case, the threats and hazards it identifies are guards, and have developed a broad range of different techniques to
alarms, and similar impediments to crime, or the weaknesses overcome them all. Any time you attempt to enter or leave
in those wards that can be exploited. a property by bypassing its security methods, you may pay 1
Fallout in order to substitute Thievery for any other skill.
MOMENTUM SPEND: Most Momentum spends for Thievery tests
reduce the time taken — a faster thief is less vulnerable to being
CANNY
caught — or to hide the fact that something was stolen, making it
PREREQUISITE: Thievery Expertise 1
harder to detect. For example, a pickpocket may spend Momentum
to put a target’s coin-purse back in his pouch after emptying it. You may reroll 1d20 when making a Thievery test, but must
When assessing a target, Momentum may be spent to ask the GM accept the new result.
questions about threats or vulnerabilities that may be avoided or
exploited, respectively. EASY MONEY
PREREQUISITE: Canny

You are particularly astute at recognising profitable opportuni-

ties such as picking pockets, short cons, and other minor crimes.
You may substitute your Thievery skill for Observation on any

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 SKILLS & TALENTS

tests that are related to committing illicit gain. In addition, status in comparison to your opponent. When attempting to
whenever you steal or otherwise obtain money by dishonest avoid social embarrassment, a Traffic test with a difficulty deter-
means, you may pay 2 Fallout in order to gain 1 additional Merch mined by the GM (based on the scale of the gaffe) is required
from that particular crime (and only one additional Merch). to smooth the situation, achieved by paying off witnesses and
calling in favours. Most Traffic tests take much longer than one
LARCENOUS EAR minute to perform: even simple financial or social activities on
PREREQUISITE: Canny this scale take at least an hour of effort.

You have listened to your elders and know many tales of amaz- MOMENTUM SPENDS: See Chapter 7: Conflict & Drama for more
ing scores and terrible calamities. When considering a theft of information. For other uses, the main Momentum spend for Traffic
any sort, you may spend 1 Momentum (Immediate) to know tests is to reduce the time taken to attempt the test. Beyond that,
the fate of the last thief who attempted a similar act, and any Traffic tests to obtain or interpret information can provide greater
precautions the target is likely to have taken since. Additionally, clarity and detail with Momentum spent.
whenever studying the activities, traditions, taboos, and his-
tories of a region’s criminal underworld, you may substitute TRAFFIC TALENTS
Thievery for Insight, Lore, or Observation.

PEDLAR
POCKET THEFT
PREREQUISITE: Canny
MAXIMUM RANKS: 3

You have become particularly adept at picking pockets, short JUST WHAT
FAME & INFAMY GARRULOUS
cons, and other minor dishonest acts. When committing such YOU NEED
feats, an opponent’s difficulty to detect the crime or scam is
increased by 1 for each rank of Pocket Theft.

ONE PERSON’S FRIENDS IN

WALK IN, WALK OUT
WASTE LOW PLACES
PREREQUISITE: Larcenous Ear

You have a broad range of expertise when it comes to gaining

entry to secured locations. You may reroll a number of d20s
POWERFUL
equal to your Thievery Expertise when attempting to pick a lock ALLIES
or overcome a security system, but must accept the new results.

FAME AND INFAMY

TRAFFIC (PERSONALITY) PREREQUISITE: Pedlar
Traffic represents your access to social influence, status within
MAXIMUM RANKS: 2
post-apocalyptic cultures, and access to resources such as cash
and goods, as well as the ability to wield those assets effec- You have gained something of a reputation, and are often rec-
tively to get what you want. As Survival helps you function in ognized by friends and foes alike. Each rank of Fame & Infamy
the wilderness, Traffic helps you survive and thrive within the permanently increases your Notoriety by 1 (see Notoriety, p. 78).
high-octane circumstances of gang life. A character with Fame & Infamy 1, for instance, would never fall
below Notoriety -1 as the single rank would always apply. If the
COMMON USES: Purchasing goods and services (see Acquiring
Notoriety optional rule isn’t being used, each rank of Fame and
Gear p. 121), garnering favours through bribery, avoiding social
Infamy provides 1 Momentum on social tests when interacting
embarrassment, interpreting trade related or financial information.
with people who recognise you.
DIFFICULTY: See Chapter 7: Conflict & Drama for more info. Other
uses: Gear (access to funds and Markers [see, p. 123]), Social Factors, FRIENDS IN LOW PLACES
Time, Unfamiliarity or Complexity (social or financial systems). PREREQUISITE: Garrulous, Traffic Expertise 2

Attempting to hold your own against someone with a social No matter the location, you have a flair for attracting hang-
rank above your own requires an Average (D1) Traffic test, plus ers-on and informants. In any location where you have had
1 difficulty for every level of Notoriety above or below your own. downtime, you have at least one useful contact on tap. All skill
Notoriety is described on p. 78 of Chapter 4: Character Creation. tests made during downtime gain 1d20 so long as the skill test
If Notoriety isn’t being used, the GM should establish your social does not involve combat of any kind.

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GARRULOUS
PREREQUISITE: Pedlar
WILD TECH (INTELLIGENCE)
With the pressures of global capitalism all but destroyed for the
MAXIMUM RANKS: 3
survivors of the war’s aftermath, innovative technologies all but
You have an ever-expanding range of transitory contacts. Any undreamed of are now rising to the surface. The Wild Tech skill
time you need assistance from other individuals, you may reduce covers not only the basics of scientific discovery, but also the
the difficulty to find a contact by one step per rank of Garrulous. use of new innovations that are only now coming to the fore.
With so much knowledge lost, however, the science behind
JUST WHAT YOU NEED such inventions is not necessarily always fully understood. The
PREREQUISITE: Pedlar applications of Wild Tech are more fully described in Chapter
6: Gear & Merch, p. 147.
You have various goods and necessities squirrelled away and
have a keen eye for any opportunity to add to your stash. When COMMON USES: Using and repairing technology of all sorts, man-
travelling in the wilderness or presented with an opportunity to ufacturing faction specific technologies, inventing new and often
steal an item, you may pay 1 Fallout to substitute the relevant impractical devices.
Survival or Thievery skill with Traffic.
DIFFICULTY: See Chapter 6: Gear & Merch. Wild Tech vehicles are
subject to vehicle difficulty modifiers, weapons to Firearms mod-
PEDLAR
ifiers, etc. When making repairs, the availability of tools and the
PREREQUISITE: Traffic Expertise 1
nature of the environment where the repair is being attempted
You are almost constantly trading wares and are able to lev- will all factor in.
erage old debts into sustaining you. If you generate at least
MOMENTUM SPENDS: See Chapter 6: Gear & Merch. Momentum is
1 success when attempting a Traffic test, you may immedi-
commonly used to increase the amount of “Fuel” that the device has.
ately roll an additional d20. Any success is added to the total,
whilst a Complication is ignored. Additionally, you reduce your
WILD TECH TALENTS
Maintenance by $25 (see Upkeep, p. 244), to a minimum of $15.

POWERFUL ALLIES LAB RAT

PREREQUISITE: Friends in Low Places

You know many powerful people in positions of significant

authority. When selecting this talent, you gain a number of PRACTICE,
VETERAN
Powerful Friends equal to your current Society Focus. You MAD SCIENCE PRACTICE,
GUINEA PIG PRACTICE
must specify the type and allegiance of each influential con-
tact, but must also obtain the gamemaster’s approval for that
selection. You may attempt a Daunting (D3) Traffic test to
ask the selected contact for a favour. On a success, the contact WHITE COAT,
HAND IN GLOVE
responds with resources proportionate to their level of impor- RED STAINS
tance and the nature of the request. Any goods provided must
be returned within a reasonable time limit: a period decided by
the gamemaster but usually at the end of an adventure. You
can attempt one such skill test during each period of downtime MY LEFT HAND
or in-play visit, taking a suitable amount of time to pleasantly
broach the topic. Powerful Friends may be purchased multiple
times, with each purchase establishing new contacts equal to HAND IN GLOVE
your current Society Focus. PREREQUISITE: Practice, Practice, Practice

Choose a device in which you have the Practice, Practice,

ONE PERSON’S WASTE
Practice talent. When it uses Fuel, you can roll 1  and reduce
PREREQUISITE: Just What You Need, Traffic Expertise 2
the fuel loss by 1 if an Effect is rolled (minimum of 0). If the
MAXIMUM RANKS: 2
roll is unsuccessful, you can still pay Fallout as per Practice,
You seem able to turn a profit from items that most would view Practice, Practice.
as little more than junk. When searching for food, water, or shel-
ter, you can spend 1 Momentum for each rank of One Person’s
Waste you possess. You gain 1 Merch for each Momentum spent.

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 SKILLS & TALENTS

LAB RAT
PREREQUISITE: Wild Tech Exp 1

You have been loaned a helmet, shown a soft place to land,

and — above all — been given the time to work out how your
faction’s Wild Tech works. When using Wild Tech, you can use
the regular skill and talents associated with the device; Firearms
for guns, Drive or Pilot for vehicles, etc. Characters without this
talent must use their Wild Tech skill and spend 1 Momentum
or pay 1 Fallout to use any feature associated with the device.
(see Chapter 6: Gear & Merch.)

MAD SCIENCE
PREREQUISITE: Lab Rat, Wild Tech Exp 2

You have mastered the applications of your Wild Tech and

are now more interested in customising and improving it.
When repairing a device of your own creation, you can spend
1 Momentum (repeatable) to increase the amount of Fuel in
the device by 2. In addition to this, invention tests are reduced
by 1 difficulty to a minimum of Challenging (D2).

MY LEFT HAND
PREREQUISITE: Hand in Glove

Your adept at maintaining and repairing your chosen devices.

Choose one device that you have also applied the Hand in Glove
talent to. This device is always considered to have at least 1
Fuel and can only ever lose its last point of Fuel through vol-
untary player use or a GM’s Complication. In addition to this,
you can roll 1 additional d20 on all tests to repair, maintain, or
use the device.

PRACTICE, PRACTICE, PRACTICE

WHITE COAT, RED STAINS
PREREQUISITE: Lab Rat
PREREQUISITE: Mad science
MAX RANKS: 1 per device
MAX RANKS: 2
Having dedicated a great deal of attention to it, you know a
Your faction recognises you as a leading light in science. At
device inside and out. Select a new device each time you pur-
least, they would if they concerned themselves with such
chase this talent. When one of the chosen devices uses Fuel,
things. What they do understand is that you’re one of their
you can reduce the amount of Fuel used by paying 1 Fallout
best techs and that they should probably listen to what you
per point you wish to retain.
have to say. Characters with this talent can substitute Wild Tech
for Command. In addition, so long as you have had a working
VETERAN GUINEA PIG
version to look over, you can extend your Mad Science talent
PREREQUISITE: Lab Rat
to cover any Wild Tech device of your faction’s creation. If pur-
MAX RANKS: 1 per faction.
chased twice, you can extend this talent to any Wild Tech you
You’ve had a shot at using Wild Tech normally associated with can access through the Veteran Guinea Pig talent.
another faction. How this happened is between you as a player
and the GM, but your character has worked out the fundamen-
tals; don’t hold devices close to your head, wear gloves and
goggles, and listen for high pitched whines are usually top of
the list. Each time you purchase this talent, choose a faction
other than your own. When using the Wild Tech of a chosen
faction, you can apply your Lab Rat talent to it.

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CHAPTER 5

SKILLS, ATTRIBUTES & THEIR USES

NAME ATTRIBUTE USES
Acrobatics Agility Rapidly navigating difficult terrain. Jumping. Avoiding falling damage. Dodging.
Animal Personality Calming wild animals. Training and caring for domestic animals. Riding beasts of
Handling burden. Identifying different animals.
Athletics Brawn Forging through difficult terrain. Climbing. Swimming. Exerting physical strength.
Command Personality Issuing orders to subordinates. Coercion through force of will. Coordinating allies.
Counsel Personality Analysing behaviour and predicting motives. Treating lost Resolve and Trauma.
Discipline Willpower Resisting shock in battle. Resisting coercion or persuasion. Maintaining concentra-
tion. Recovering from lost Nerve and Trauma.
Drive Coordination Driving ground-based vehicles and small waterborne craft (jet-skis, small boats, etc).
Engineering Intelligence Creating, maintaining, and repairing structures, tools, and devices. Knowledge
of blacksmithing, carpentry, masonry, vehicle modification, and various fields of
engineering.
Firearms Coordination Making ranged attacks. Identifying ranged weaponry. Maintaining ranged weaponry.
Gang Warfare Willpower Running factions and gangs. Coordinating on a tactical level, establishing and influ-
encing social protocols, logistics of resources on a large scale.
Heavy Weapons Coordination Making ranged attacks with heavy man-portable weapons and fixed armaments.
Insight Awareness Inspecting people, places, and information closely. Recognizing patterns. Discerning
if someone is lying. Recognizing the presence of the unnatural or supernatural.
Lore Intelligence Basic knowledge useful for day-to-day life. Knowledge of history and current events,
including researching historical events through Old World sources. Knowledge of
Linguistics.
Medicine Intelligence Treating physical damage and Injuries. Diagnosing and treating disease and poison.
Determining cause of death.
Melee Agility Making melee attacks. Identifying melee weapons and their qualities, and
caring for them.
Observation Awareness Finding hidden things. Noticing things that are unusual or simply out of the ordinary.
Persuade Personality Convincing others to do as you wish, by charm or by intimidation.
Pilot Coordination Piloting airborne vehicles and equipment (including jetpacks and gyrocopters) and
large waterborne craft.
Resistance Brawn Recovering naturally from loss to Vigour and Wounds. Resisting the effects of poison,
disease, and environmental effects.
Stealth Agility Moving quietly. Hiding quickly. Hiding objects on one’s person. Disguising oneself.
Survival Willpower Navigating an unfamiliar environment. Finding shelter. Avoiding environmental haz-
ards. Tracking others.
Thievery Awareness Picking locks or disarming traps. Sleight of hand. Identifying strengths and weak-
nesses in security measures. Understanding crime and criminal activity. Interacting
with criminals.
Traffic Personality Sourcing and supplying goods in the post-apocalyptic world. Skill at buying and sell-
ing items. Maximising assets to improve lifestyle.
Wild Tech Intelligence Understanding and applying the science of the Old World. Pushing boundaries to
create unique and wondrous items.

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CHAPTER 6

Survival in Devil’s Run is not just about wits and a fast car. It’s that life in the post-apocalyptic wasteland places different
also about being equipped for everything the post-apocalyptic demands on them. Obtaining equipment to contend with such
landscape might throw at you. Some fortunate few in the world trials beyond that gifted to them by their faction often means
still live in relative luxury. For most of those who struggle by in striking a deal with others, scavenging, or resorting to violence.
North America, however, life is hard, violent, and unforgiving.
Being well-equipped can often mean the difference between DOLLAR
life and death. The Devil’s Run contains two measures of value that PCs can
use to procure and trade items. The first, which relates to the
This chapter details a selection of the equipment available
remnants of North America’s great wealth, is the dollar (USD
to characters in the post-apocalypse of the Devil’s Run. The
or $). Within the confines of a faction, and often wider afield,
equipment listed here shouldn’t be considered exhaustive.
a person with more $ is often considered as being more pow-
Keeping in mind that the world of the Devil’s Run is a tragic
erful. After all, they can afford better weapons, better vehicles
parody of our own, GMs should encourage the option for PCs
and better protection. Dollars represent a tangible and track-
to search for and obtain almost anything available to ourselves.
able measure of each PC’s wealth. An item can always be
Characters are able to carry a range of belongings designed paid for in $.
to bring them comfort and a sliver of security. These tools
Alongside those items gifted by the character creation process,
of the trade also allow them to get the job done properly. A
each PC begins the game with a predetermined amount of
PC’s faction may provide some basic equipment for a run, but
$ that can be used to purchase additional items. Canny PCs,
most players will want to personalise their load-outs to suit
however, might wish to save some $ towards unforeseen costs
their character’s attitude towards the world. Maybe they are
on the road, such as bribes, bets, and repairs.
ex-military equipped with full combat gear and a pack full of
survival equipment, or maybe they are more tech-savvy and
MERCH
opt to carry a supply of home-made batteries to keep torches,
The second measure of value is called ‘Merch’. Merch repre-
radios, and other gear running for as long as possible. The
sents the trade or barter of goods that are desirable to specific
decision, of course, is entirely up to the character.
people or factions, particularly when there is little or no $ to
hand. Of course, one particular item or piece of equipment
CURRENCY: DOLLAR VS. MERCH might have intrinsically more or less value with one faction
It’s been 20 years since the collapse of Capitalist rule over North or person than it does for another. Rather than haggle over $
America. Wall Street, Fort Knox, and many other previously and percentages, Merch is intended to simplify this variable.
recognisable financial institutions are not only in ruin but also
Merch is an alternative means for providing value and purchas-
almost entirely unknown to the current generation. Those who
ing items, particularly when there isn’t enough $ available. Not
were alive before the Day of the Apocalypse, those who were
every piece of gear can be used as Merch. Likewise, not every
a part of the Old World, remember all too well the corrupting
item that has a Merch value can be used to initiate a Merch
lure of greed that money could bestow upon a man. Not much
transaction. If Merch is being used to purchase or trade an item,
has changed.
it can be used to supplement the use of $ in that particular
The printing of any official currency halted altogether following instance. As a rule of thumb, 1 Merch equates to $100 when
the abandonment of the United States Mint and the Bureau of used in a transaction made using both Merch and $, although
Engraving and Printing (BEP). Trillions of United States Dollars GMs can adjust this based on the size, rarity, and usefulness
(USD or $) were destroyed in the fallout or lost in the flames of the item.
and floods that followed. Instead of the official USD becoming
Merch is obtained in a number of ways, such as being found
a worthless scrap of paper, however, it has instead continued
during a game session, obtained from scavenging actions
to remain an item of great value, increasing in worth thanks
between games (see Chapter 9: Rules of the Road), or gar-
to fewer and fewer notes remaining in one piece.
nered during character creation. Merch can be viewed as an
While the shopping) malls are gone and the concept of “retail” abstract value attached to items — usually at the point of sale
is a forgotten activity, the value of money within a faction’s or trade — that has slightly differing effects when used in char-
own community is still given great consideration. A faction’s acter creation as opposed to normal play.
leader will ensure that road warriors taking to the Devil’s Run
CHARACTER CREATION: Assume that Merch values are as stated
are equipped to the appropriate standards expected of their
in the gear tables during character creation. PCs use their Merch
war parties, but that obviously doesn’t stop them wanting
to purchase equipment that might otherwise have wide-ranging
bigger weapons, better vehicles, or more food of course. As
values between factions. Following the completion of character
they progress through their adventures, the PCs will often find

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 GEAR & MERCH

creation, unused Merch can be converted to $100 per point of the transaction and reduce the Merch value of the item being
Merch at any suitable point, or else be kept as Merch and used to purchased if the value can’t initially be met.
leverage tests during play. Unused, unconverted character creation
UNDEFINED MERCH: Rather than specify each item found during
Merch simply becomes undefined Merch.
scavenging runs or downtime, the GM can opt to reward the PCs
MERCH VALUES FOR ITEMS: Any item can potentially be used for with Merch. Undefined Merch is simply listed on a character sheet
its Merch value during play. An item’s Merch value can be used by as Merch. Undefined Merch can be used to reduce the difficulty of
a PC for two things: reducing the difficulty of a Traffic test to find tests in exactly the same way as the Merch value of items, but only
a new item, and lowering the cost of purchasing an item. Merch 2 Merch can be applied to a purchase activity in this way. In this
can be used for either or both options as part of a transaction. instance, purchase activity includes the sourcing and purchasing
of the item being sought.
When used to reduce the difficulty of a Traffic test to find an
item, each point of Merch applied reduces the difficulty of the While a list of weapons, gear and other useful items is included
test by 1, to a minimum of Average (D1). Momentum generated later in this rulebook, the following table shows some examples
on the test can be used to reduce the Merch value of the item of the $ and Merch value applied to items:
being sought on an increasing basis, 1 Momentum reduces the

SAMPLE $ & MERCH VALUES

value by 1, 3 Momentum reduces it by 2, and 6 Momentum by
3. Any Merch value remaining on the item being traded, once

$ VALUE
the difficulty has been reduced, can then be applied to reduce
the Merch value of the item being purchased on a 1-for-1 basis.
ITEM MERCH VALUE
Surplus Merch that are applied after these effects are applied Toolbox $250 2
is simply wasted; ultimately, the person the PC is haggling
with has grabbed themselves a bargain! Handgun $250 2

As previously stated, the Merch value of an item being sold or Old World Artefact $750 3+
traded reduces the Merch value of the item being purchased
on 1-for-1 basis. Providing the vendor has a use for any addi- Engine $2000 12
tional items offered, further items can be used to leverage

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CHAPTER 6

FLUCTUATING MARKETS ACQUIRING GEAR

One person’s junk is another person’s treasure. Meaning that The PCs may wish to acquire new weapons, equipment or other
one faction or person might place great value on a particular items during the gaming session beyond the essentials that
item, while another might consider said item to be common are replenished during Upkeep (see Chapter 9: Rules of the
at best. For instance, the jetpack is a regular feature of the Road). While the concept of the “high street” may no longer be
Justice ladies, while other factions will climb over the corpses the norm, the home turf of most of the San Francisco factions
of their former friends to get their hands on this unique piece equate to large towns, each with their own form of commerce.
of technology. When a Merch transaction is being undertaken, During the course of the game, the PCs may travel to these
the GM should consider both the item being purchased and settlements or encampments and encounter traders, quarter-
that being traded, then apply an increase or decrease to the masters, mechanics, or other characters with which to trade
Merch value of either item if necessary. Unless an item is par- or barter. It’s important that the GM doesn’t make it too easy
ticularly rare or valuable, an increase or decrease of no more for PCs to find the desirable items they’re looking for. Being
than 2 should be applied to the item’s Merch value. able to pop next door and buy the most powerful weapon
around or the fastest vehicle on the road hardly builds the
post-apocalyptic hardship PCs should come to expect from
life in the Devil’s Run.
WHEN A SPADE ISN’T A SPADE Obtaining anything beyond the most common items should
The simplest way to view currency in Devil’s Run is that
be dependent on a mixture of geography, timing, and a char-
$ represents the cold, hard cash used to purchase items
acter’s ability to navigate the twists and turns of trading. Items
and services, whereas Merch represents tradable items
should be given a difficulty rating ranging from Average (D1)
that can sweeten a deal, leverage a purchase, or replace
through to Epic (D5), with these being the absolute minimum
a cash transaction altogether.
and maximums. The PCs should expect to make a Traffic test
in order to find what they are looking for. Depending on the
community or situation that the characters find themselves
in, however, it may be appropriate to substitute Traffic for
COST OF LIVING Thievery (see “I Found it, Honest”, below). This test should be
Typically speaking, characters won’t need to spend much $
offset by a number of difficulty modifiers as follows:
on basic day-to-day living costs, as these things are part and
parcel of being associated with a larger faction; food and water
rations, a few clips of ammo, and enough fuel for a Run are
ACQUIRING EQUIPMENT SAMPLE MODIFIERS
provided at minimal cost. Replenishment of these items should
SITUATION MODIFIER
happen during Upkeep (the time between gaming sessions,
detailed in Chapter 9: Rules of the Road), although there may Character Under Duress +1D
be times during the game where the PCs have a need for cur-
rency to pay their way through the adventure. As such, it is Foreign Language +2D
important to track the personal wealth of each PC in the group.
Factional Rivalry +3D
If a PC insists on living beyond their provided means— eating or
Seller Under Duress -1D
drinking beyond basic rations and spending money on non-es-
sential or lavish items—the GM may choose to impose a tax on Each Merch Value Applied -1D
them. This will most often occur in the form of a $ loss at meal-
times, stopovers, or during social encounters. Alternatively, the Common Item at Source -1D
GM can call for a Traffic roll each session, with the difficulty
A successful test indicates that the character has either found
determined by the lavishness of the lifestyle being afforded.
someone willing to sell the required item, or in the case of
A few extra cases of alcohol and ammunition might equate to
those items more vital to the current story arc, someone with
Average (D1), whilst travelling with a generator, travel kitchen,
the information that will lead you to somewhere it can be
and multiple cases of alcohol and ammunition would be at
purchased.
least Daunting (D3) or Dire (D4). Failure of the roll indicates that
their lifestyle comes crashing down as the PCs are subjected to It may be appropriate to attach a $ or Merch value to informa-
theft, sabotage, or worse. In game terms, this should equate to tion that leads to more desirable items, which represents the
the loss of a significant amount of $ and possibly an encounter need to offer bribes or enticement. Not paying the cost for the
with jealous rivals or bandits. information will increase the difficulty of the test, though the
GM can offer a Momentum bonus or reduced difficulty for a

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 GEAR & MERCH

payment that at least doubles the fee. A failure means that the scheming. Just as settlements are pillaged and raided by gangs
item cannot be located and a similar search may not be made of marauders, the PCs may find that their own situation calls
for the remainder of the current session. A Complication on this for a less honest approach.
roll should either restrict the character’s ability to search for
Instead of purchasing items as described above, characters
items during the Trafficking Phase (see p. 243) subsequent to
may choose to attempt to steal a located item from the trader
the session, or prevent similar searches happening during the
or owner. A successful Thievery test is required, with the diffi-
next gaming session. Multiple Complications may result in the
culty determined by the surroundings and modified according
characters being led into a trap, or being ripped off whilst under
to both social and environmental factors in a similar manner to
the belief that they have located what they are looking for.
a Traffic test. A successful test allows the character to obtain
Once an item is located, the PC should pay the cost to acquire the item without paying for it, though it may not be long before
the item. Choosing not to or otherwise reneging on the deal the owner comes looking for the guilty party. As such, following
will almost certainly have consequences—timewasters aren’t any successful theft, the PC and their group will incur a +1D
viewed too favourably in the post-apocalypse. As previously increase on all social interactions and Stealth or Thievery-based
noted under Undefined Merch, Momentum may be spent to tests in the same settlement or area, which represents the
reduce the cost of an item. If the purchaser is paying in $, local community being on-guard against outsiders who may
however, each Momentum instead reduces the cost of the be responsible. A Complication on the test will mean the PCs
item as defined in the Gear Momentum Reduction Table, below. are chased out of town, at the very least.

Finally, the PC can flex their Notoriety. Once per game, the PC On a smaller scale, characters proficient in the Thievery skill
can reduce the final asking price by 1 Merch for every 2 levels of may wish to attempt to pickpocket whilst in crowded settle-
Notoriety that the character has, rounding up, or an additional ments or camps in order to obtain more $. The usual difficulty
five percent if paying in $. If an item’s cost is reduced to zero for such a test should be Daunting (D3), with the difficulty rising
through this process, the character’s reputation has preceded where circumstances are less than ideal (scattered crowd,
them and the trader is willing to gift the characters the item bright lights, etc). A success grants the character $100, with
for nothing more than the bragging rights of having met them. an additional $100 acquired for every 2 Momentum spent. A
A GM should keep note of any items obtained in this way and failure indicates that a PC has been unable to gather any funds.
may wish to write this into the story arc if it happens too Any Complications that occur may represent other people
often—news travels fast when people are always on the take! spotting the act, or finding that your target is in fact someone
Notoriety is covered on p. 78 in Chapter 4: Character Creaton. very important who is well known for holding a bitter grudge,
either of which usually results in unavoidable confrontation
GEAR MOMENTUM REDUCTION TABLE with the subject and their companions.

The sites of previous conflicts and abandoned battlegrounds

MOMENTUM PERCENTAGE REDUCTION may also lead to acquiring new goods. While dead bodies are
1 5% commonplace in the post-apocalypse, people don’t usually
hang about to see what the rival Croozer driver was carrying
2 10% as they fly past at one hundred and twenty miles per hour.
Scuffles, raids, and fallout between runs, however, can often
3+ 15%
result in violent acts where only one side walks away. Following
a fatality, a character may choose to search the body and take
While a GM is free to increase or decrease the value of gear as
any equipment or $ as their own. Like theft, a body left in a
they deem appropriate, an item’s cost in $ or Merch should also
settlement or encampment will raise certain suspicions. While
be considered in relation to how critical the item is in terms of
a certain amount of gentle persuasion isn’t unusual, people
the continuation of the story, or even a PC’s personal agenda.
still look out for their own.
For instance, a character with a well-known lust for a sleek
black muscle car might expect to pay a real premium upon The rules above assume that characters are performing these
finding one, possibly in excess of multiple items with two-digit acts within the confines of a settlement or camp, though the
Merch values, which is a combined value that would usually same difficulties apply out on the road. People rarely travel
take many gaming sessions to stockpile. alone, and where a single scout or envoy is found, others will
follow or else come looking for the missing comrade. GMs are
I FOUND IT, HONEST encouraged to find suitable payback for PCs who prey upon
Life on the Devil’s Run is a harsh reality. A world of violence lone individuals along the highways of the Devil’s Run. Karma
filled with despicable characters, few morals, and underhand is a bitch.

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 CHAPTER 6

SELLING & TRADING GEAR MARKERS

Just as characters may wish to acquire new weapons or equip- The PCs are unlikely to want to transport every single piece of
ment, they will undoubtedly wish to sell their ill-gotten gains, gear each time they hit the road. In some cases, they might
particularly if they’re seeking to reduce the amount of gear not even be able to due to the size of their vehicle in relation
they are transporting or to raise much needed $ or Merch for to the bulk of their equipment and goods. They might even
other purchases. purchase an item somewhere with the intent of returning for it
later, or simply wish to stash some Merch in safekeeping until
Sales between characters should be negotiated in real-time,
they can return to it later. In all of these instances—and any
without the use of dice. A character wishing to sell one or more
others that suit the same purpose—a PC can establish a Marker.
items in a marketplace or settlement may do so by match-
ing the local going rate for items, which uses the item’s base Though the formal North American banks are a distant memory,
value and is then adjusted upwards or downwards by the some settlements and individuals do offer security for goods
GM. Traders and buyers will almost always try to haggle, so and/or cash. In other instances, PCs can rely on NPCs that they
a Traffic test of at least Average (D1) will be needed, though trust to some degree. These individuals or services can be used
more experienced or canny traders may stay with a higher as Markers; somewhere that gear, Merch or cash has been
base difficulty. The base difficulty should be adjusted upwards stashed for later retrieval. Depending on the circumstances,
using the same difficulty increases from the Selling Equipment establishing a Marker requires a Challenging (D2) Persuade,
Table. A failed test means the market is saturated or the item Thievery, or Traffic test. Use Persuade or Traffic if the PC is
is otherwise deemed worthless in this locale, preventing the attempting to convince an NPC to hold something for them,
character from being able to sell that item to anyone else in or Thievery if they’re trying to hide it somewhere safe. Each 2
this area. Success allows the character to trade the item for Momentum on the test can be used to provide extra security
the requested amount in $ or Merch. for the gear in the form of increasing the difficulty by 1 should
anyone else go looking to retrieve the stashed goods.
Within the confines of the home base of the PCs’ faction, items
may not be sold for $. Any substantial equipment or vehicle A Marker should consist of at least a place name and a list of the
that they come by are expected to be used, kept, or transferred cash or items that are stashed there, though extra details such
into the ownership of the faction, although they can be traded as the name of the responsible individual and their business
for favours or other items of equipment. Additionally, selling can also be included. The only limit to the number of Markers a
items for Merch anywhere should be restricted to wholesale PC can establish is the amount of gear, Merch or cash they own.
of multiple items, or individual sales of particularly large or Once a Marker is established, it will remain indefinitely, barring
valuable items. While the GM is free to allow the characters unfortunate events—such as the settlement being razed or cat-
to try and negotiate the sale of vehicles and other substantial aclysmic natural disasters. Complications generated during the
items during the game—providing it doesn’t interfere with the Trafficking phase can also serve to put Markers at risk, though
progression of the story—most sales will occur through goods they should never be used to supplant the secure location
trafficking during the Trafficking Phase (see p. 243). outright. Such Complications should be used to drive side plots
or new scenarios, such as the PCs needing to rescue valuable
Merch from a rival faction or shore up the defences of a set-
SELLING EQUIPMENT SAMPLE MODIFIERS tlement to ensure that their gear isn’t stolen in the first place.

SITUATION MODIFIER
ENCUMBRANCE
Character Under Duress +1D Carrying equipment gets tiring. Walking, running, or even riding
around whilst loaded up with weapons, tools, food, and water
Attempting to Sell Above GM +1D will take its toll on a person, causing them to become fatigued
Guide Price
over time. For this reason, it is important to be aware of the
Common Item at Source +1D amount and weight of equipment being carried by a character.

Foreign Language +2D Every item in the Devil’s Run RPG has a weight value stated in
units. While some simple pocket-sized items are considered
Factional Rivalry +3D to have a weight of zero, carrying many of them will incur a
weight value at the GMs discretion. Refer to the Item Weight
Seller Under Duress -1D
Table for some examples.

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 GEAR & MERCH

ITEM WEIGHT TABLE

ITEM WEIGHT VALUE (UNITS)
Pocket Item 0

Minor Item (Handgun, Knife, 1 1-3

Litre of Water, Bedroll, Several
Pocket Items)
Major Item (Rifle, Coil of 4+
Chain, Heavy Weapon)

A PC can carry a number of weight units equal to twice their

Brawn attribute. This amount of weight can be carried whilst
walking or running without penalty. If a character wishes to
carry more than twice their Brawn in weight units, they are
considered to be encumbered and will suffer penalties as indi-
cated in the Encumbrance Table.

A PC may never carry more than twice their Brawn attribute

in weight units. An encumbered character carrying more
than twice their Brawn attribute in weight units is considered
immobile and may not move or stand. Any Agility-based tests
while immobile due to encumbrance are made at Epic (D5) and
increase the Complication Range by 2. GMs should advise char-
acters against putting themselves into a situation where they
become immobile due to encumbrance. No person would risk
leaving themselves exposed because they’re pinned beneath
the weight of their possessions. The inclusion of these rules
is to demonstrate a hard limit that cannot be passed and this
condition should only be inflicted, not chosen.

The post-apocalyptic world is a harsh place to live, so the GM

is free to remind the characters of the danger of carrying a
weight close to their PC’s limit for long periods. The inability
to recover Fatigue effectively between sessions or inflicting
physical damage to a PC are both appropriate repercussions
to the prolonged exertions of carrying great weight.

ENCUMBRANCE TABLE
WEIGHT VALUE (UNITS) PENALTY
Up to or equal to 2x a PC’s Brawn No penalty

Greater than 2x PC’s Brawn Character gains one additional Fatigue whenever one or more Fatigue is gained.

Greater than 3x PC’s Brawn Character gains two additional Fatigue whenever one or more Fatigue is gained.
In addition, the difficulty of all Agility-based tests is increased by 1 step.
4x the PC’s Brawn or greater Character is immobile. In addition, the difficulty of all Agility-based tests in
increased to D5 (Epic).

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TRANSPORTATION OF GOODS SAMPLE STOWAGE TABLE

Vehicles are the essence of the Devil’s Run. Road warriors and
highway warlords are little more than thugs on foot without VEHICLE CLASS DEFAULT STOWAGE PASSENGERS*
their vehicles. Bikes, trikes, buggies, cars, vans — the options
are endless for the PCs and their fellow faction-mates. But Bike 40 1
vehicles are not only a weapon of war. They are also the pri-
Trike 70 1
mary mode of transportation and the method in which most
characters will move equipment or other items around the Car 120 3
former United States.
Croozer 150 4
Vehicles, just like PCs, are able to carry a certain weight value
of equipment, which is additional to the driver and a full tank Van 250 2+4
of fuel. Unlike PCs, vehicles do not have a Brawn attribute but
instead possess a Stowage rating. A vehicle may freely trans- Truck 500 3+4
port up to its Stowage rating in weight units, but suffers the
Behemoth 700 3+6
penalty indicated in the Stowage Overload Table.
War Rig 1200 3+6 or more
An immobile vehicle has been damaged by being overloaded
and can no longer move. Simply unloading the vehicle to
*2+4 equates to 2 in the front cab plus 4 in other positions,
reduce weight may not be sufficient to get the vehicle working
such as the rear of a pickup.
again. At least a Challenging (D2) Engineering test is required
to do so. At the GM’s discretion, this can increase in difficulty to carry it. It wouldn’t be possible to carry the engine block from
based on the vehicle’s condition and structural integrity. Failure a behemoth-class vehicle on the back of a bike, for instance,
to remove the immobile status of a vehicle means that the even if the weight made it possible for the bike to transport
vehicle may no longer be used until repaired by mechanics it, as the sheer size of the item would make using the bike
during Upkeep between sessions, providing it can be delivered impossible. The GM should guide the characters, pointing out
to a suitable settlement. any suggested loads that could cause damage to a vehicle, and
ensure that characters are suitably hindered if they choose to
The weight of fuel in the tank and the driver does not count
ignore such warnings.
towards the Stowage rating. However, the weight of any pos-
sessions of significant size carried by passengers is counted.
Passengers are considered to contribute 5 units of Stowage.
For example, a passenger who is carrying 12 units worth of
JETPACKS AND GYROCOPTERS
Airborne equipment, such as jetpacks and gyrocopters,
equipment weight will contribute 17 units for the purposes of
do not have Stowage ratings. Instead, these vehicles are
calculating Stowage.
considered capable of carrying an unencumbered pilot,
Possessions of significant size are largely left to GM discre- which equates to a single person and up to their Brawn
tion. An extra shotgun wouldn’t count towards Stowage, but a attribute in items. An airborne vehicle attempting to carry
rocket launcher and base plate would definitely contribute 1 or a number of weight units greater than the drivers Brawn
2 units. In addition to weight, the size and shape of equipment attribute will be unable to take off or stay airborne.
being carried must be compatible with the vehicle being used

STOWAGE OVERLOAD TABLE

WEIGHT VALUE (UNITS) PENALTY
Up to or equal to the Stowage rating No penalty

Greater than the Stowage rating, but less Vehicle’s speed and manoeuvrability are reduced by 2. In addition, the diffi-
than double culty of all Drive tests and their Complication Range both increase by 1.
Twice the Stowage rating Vehicle speed and manoeuvrability is reduced by 4. In addition, the diffi-
culty of all Drive tests and their Complication Range increase by 3.
More than twice the Stowage rating Vehicle is immobile and suffers 1 Structure damage.

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GEAR with some of the more notorious road warriors having never
The following gear descriptions and their subsequent tables been seen without their signature pair. While designer labels
provide guidance on items that are commonly sought after once demanded a high price tag, any pair of shades is now likely
on the deadly highways of the Devil’s Run. This list is far from to be considered a coveted item. Sunglasses reduce any diffi-
exhaustive and GMs are encouraged to create their own. Items culty increase related to low sun or glare by 1 but increase the
with one or more faction logos beside their name have a reduced Complication Range of Perception tests by 1 if worn at night.
cost for a related faction—see Faction Prevalence, p. 140.

CLOTHING BATTERIES
Batteries are one of the most valuable and useful assets
The clothes that someone wears can say a lot about them. Style
to be found. A number of items listed here would usually
still has its place even in the harrowing reality of post-apoc-
require power in the form of bespoke batteries or other
alyptic North America, and the most notorious road warriors
power sources. While both are in exceptionally short supply,
know that an iconic outfit can win the battle before it’s even
most items have been jury-rigged to run from homebrew
begun. In game terms, clothing can be used to reflect a person’s
batteries. PCs must be conscious of this and should carry
background, wealth, style and position within a community or
a reserve of batteries for any items that require them.
faction. When purchasing clothing, characters should ensure
Batteries that are rechargeable to some degree—such
they are dressed as appropriate for the faction they belong to —
as the lead-acid batteries that might simply require new
a number of the Hunters would rarely be dressed in scavenged
Components—are provided with a Maintenance cost in the
clothing, just as a Skinner or Hauls Angel without leathers
Gear & Equipment Summary Table, p. 142.
would likely be thrown out.

BASIC CLOTHING
Clothing that is either well-maintained or recovered from
a department store that has avoided being fully ransacked.
Characters wearing basic clothing will appear more fortunate
than most, and perhaps considered representative of a thriv-
ing faction or community. This clothing will last longer and
generally keep a character warmer.

LEATHERS
The standard for every biker and petrol head worth their
weight. Leathers are a status symbol, a birth right, a calling,
and a minimum requirement for many factions. Leathers are Any item that requires batteries will have a run time stated
hard-wearing and offer a limited level of protection in a brawl as Batteries—X hours, where X is the number of hours that
(see Armour, p 131). the batteries will be able to provide power. Batteries are
always purchased singularly. PCs must think carefully
QUALITY/DESIGNER CLOTHING
about such equipment, otherwise they could be suitably
Even on the Devil’s Run, making a statement has its place.
set back when a battery-powered item stops working out
Clothing taken from a high-end store, drawn from an opulent
in the wastes.
personal collection, or of a specific fashion falls into this cat-
egory. Characters dressed like this will stand out in the crowd Characters should never feel the need to track each item
and make a strong impression. Whether this is a good thing and its battery usage. So long as they aren’t using an item
or not remains to be seen! excessively, the GM can provide a simple warning when
they deem the batteries in an item are running low, such
SCAVENGED CLOTHING
as consistent loss of signal or excessively poor reception
Typically clothing found lying around in abandoned homes,
on a personal radio, or light beginning to dim on a torch.
pulled from someone’s body or otherwise dirty, tattered, and
The PC can continue to use the item without replacing
well-used. The majority of clothing in Devil’s Run falls into
the batteries, but doing so requires a successful Average
this category, and most run-of-the-mill characters encoun-
(D1) Engineering or Wild Tech test, which increases by +1
tered will be dressed in whatever they have managed to get
difficulty for each test after the first. Failing the test means
their hands on.
the batteries are totally depleted. The GM can pay 1 Fallout
SUNGLASSES to increase the difficulty of the test (Repeatable to a max-
A trusty pair of shades has often set the standard for cool. imum of Epic [D5]).
Sunglasses are as much about style as they are practicality,

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COMMUNICATION will increase for poor locations and intervening features such
Although North America is a quieter place since the Day of as steep hills and intervening forest. Each point of Momentum
the Apocalypse, there are still a few ways for the survivors and spent on the test will provide an additional minute of coverage.
their descendants to stay in touch with each other. The vast Following this, the GM can spend 2 Fallout during each subse-
mobile phone networks are a thing of the past, their towers quent minute to prompt another Daunting (D3) Engineering
and base stations rendered useless due to electromagnetic or Wild Tech test. Success—and Momentum—will provide cov-
bursts and crumbling due to age. Characters with a means of erage as before, though failure means the connection drops.
communicating at a distance should beware, for every item of
Batteries—1 hour.
equipment able to facilitate conversations at longer distances
is highly coveted.

HAND CRANK & SOLAR GENERATORS

In some cases, batteries can be replaced by small hand
crank generators or solar energy collection devices. A
Simple (D0) Engineering test will provide 5 minutes of
power to an item using such a power source, plus 5 min-
utes for each Momentum.

PERSONAL RADIOS
Close-range walkie-talkies and other personal radios allow

FOOD & WATER

outrider groups to stay in touch with not only their individual
members, but also the main body of a war party if they’re
Human beings need food and water to survive. Farming does
travelling with one. Depending on their quality, personal radios
exist, though on a much smaller scale than pre-apocalypse.
have a working range of two to ten miles, with the longer-range
Water treatment plants that survived the fallout have been
ones costing more and depleting batteries faster. Most are
bought back on line in some areas. But neither of these are for
hand-held, although others are built into vehicles (see Chapter
the good of a nation. They aren’t resources to be shared in order
8: Vehicular Mayhem). Radio range is also affected by dense
to help mankind prosper. Food and water are now important
terrain, such as mountains or woodlands. Using a personal
commodities to those factions lucky and capable enough to
radio is fairly straightforward and doesn’t usually require a test.
control a source of clean water and a sustainable food source.
Complications on a test can range from the receiver hopping
Surrounding settlements either pay or go without.
channels to intervening terrain garbling a transmission.
ALCOHOL
Batteries—1 week. A radio mounted to a vehicle runs from the
One thread of knowledge that survived the apocalypse along-
vehicle’s battery.
side how to drive a car is the process of brewing and distilling
SATELLITE PHONE alcohol. Bars and watering holes can be found in every corner
While North America’s phone networks died long ago, a small of every pocket of civilisation. Some road warriors see drinking
amount of global communication satellites still exist under the as a birth right, with the ability to drink being as much a sign of
control of powers in other parts of the world. Satellite Phones prowess as surviving the Devil’s Run. Alcohol enjoys a sturdy
are an extremely rare and virtually forgotten piece of tech. economy for many reasons. Alcohol consumption has three
Even when one is found, there is no guarantee that it’s still stages. The first stage provides 1 Momentum to all Personality
connected to an active network. Those that are still able to tests made whilst not under duress, but also increases the
connect allow direct calling via satellite connection to most Complication of all tests by 1. The second stage increases the
other phones anywhere in the world. Although they can be difficulty and Complication Range of all tests by 2. At the third
used to make calls from remote locations, intervening terrain stage, the character passes out. Following a short rest (approx.
can severely hamper their use. GMs are advised to use their four to eight hours after consumption), the character suffers +1
very limited scope as a means to introduce unique plot ele- difficulty to all Brawn and Awareness tests for the next twelve
ments or lifesaving twists—such as inadvertently contacting hours. The GM can spend 2 Fallout to increase this to +2 diffi-
subversive or charitable elements that knowingly respond to culty (the character drank a bad batch). The GM and character
a call. Making use of a satellite phone and establishing a con- should agree on limits and transitions between stages for a PC,
nection that provides a minute of coverage requires a Daunting though progressively worsening Resistance tests can be called
(D3) Engineering or Wild Tech test. The difficulty of the test for if the PC is trying to avoid getting drunk.

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ENERGY DRINK reduce the difficulty of any test made to break chains, locks,
Once a multimillion-dollar market, energy drinks are now home- or cables by 3, to a minimum of Average (D1).
brewed, taste foul, and look awful but provide a mighty kick.
CHEMICAL DETECTION KIT
An energy drink is a single use item that provides 1 Momentum
This kit contains a small selection of chemicals, powders, or
for use in any Resistance test against sleep deprivation.
treated papers that, when mixed with water, change colour
to indicate the presence and concentration of certain harmful
chemicals. It takes one minute to use a chemical detection kit
to determine the presence or absence of harmful chemicals.

CROWBAR
An iconic tool for motorway mayhem and a favoured melee
weapon of petty criminals and road warriors alike, crowbars
are heavy steel poles used for wrenching open doors or other
entryways. They are cheap, bomb proof, and very reliable.
While the use of a crowbar is a less than delicate affair — it’s
also called a wrecking bar for good reason — they are highly
effective tools usable by just about anyone. Using a crowbar
ROAD RATIONS provides 1 Momentum on any Brawn-related tests associated
Basic food and water supplies, some of which are air-dropped with breaking open a door or vehicle trunk. In addition, the
in accordance with the old UN aid agreement. Road rations crowbar may be used as a weapon (see p. 146).
represent the foodstuffs that most people use for daily nourish-
ENGINEERING TOOL KIT
ment. Consisting mainly of dried foods and a few mostly fresh
An engineering tool kit contains more specialised tools and
items farmed or grown in a settlement that has the resources,
equipment that enables the repair and maintenance of not
the PCs are considered to have enough rations to get them
only the most seriously damaged vehicles, but also electronic
from place to place during each session. They’re normally
devices and firearms. Certain items, such as soldering equip-
replenished in Upkeep—see Chapter 9: Rules of the Road—but
ment and test meters, may require power, so batteries are
particularly remote locations may prevent this from happening.
often a necessity. An engineering tool kit can also include weld-
Additional rations can be purchased when available, which
ing and cutting torch handles, both of which require a gas
caters for emergency situations and bartering power. A little
bottle (see p. 129) for operation. An engineering tool kit can be
food can be a valuable thing out in the wastes.
used to attempt Engineering and Wild Tech tests in relation to

INDUSTRIAL EQUIPMENT & TOOLS complex repairs on vehicles, or for repairs to electronic equip-
ment. They contain 3 Components for use towards repairs.
Good quality tools in the hands of experts and tradepersons
will keep wheels greased and engines turning. While many Batteries (certain items only)—2 hours.
people rely on the mechanics and technicians of their faction
for repairs to their vehicles and gear, being skilled enough to
use your own set of tools can be a lifesaver on the road and
COMPONENTS
Whether in terms of doses or nuts and bolts, MedKits,
opens up many opportunities, particularly in terms of a source
Tool Boxes, and other perishable items all have limited
of income. Characters can use tools to repair and build equip-
uses. Keeping track of the amount of uses remaining in
ment out on the road, but some specialist tools are heavy and
a resource is covered by common term of Component,
bulky, meaning they need to be carried in a vehicle or kept in
with the description for each item of gear that requires
a workshop. On the other hand, earning how to operate and
Components listing how many uses are provided in a full
repair the specialised equipment that allows for the detection
kit. At the GM’s discretion, Components of a similar type
and avoidance of the many hazards of the post-apocalyptic
can be used to enable a test with a similar item, though
world can also make a character invaluable to the team.
this should be approached on a case-by-case basis. For
BOLT CUTTER instance, using a Component from a MedKit to empower
Cumbersome and heavy, bolt cutters are the go-to solution for a test with surgical tools would be feasible, but the same
breaking chains. Effectively giant scissors, they’re designed for couldn’t be said if the medical supplies where used to
sheering through basic locks and heavy-duty chain. Awkward supplement a toolbox in an attempt to repair a blown
to carry around by hand for any length of time, they are the transaxle. (Unless the characters are part of the Alpha
perfect tool for breaking and entering into compounds and Team, of course.)
off-limit locations when slung in the back of a car. Bolt cutters

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FIRE EXTINGUISHER LOCKPICK KIT

Although uncommon in the post-apocalypse, most road warri- Simple lockpick tools are used to pick most generic locks. Most
ors recognise their value. This has meant that the art of refilling kits come with a range of instruments and often roll up in a
and re-pressurising them has been held onto in one or two pouch, keeping them pocket-sized and lightweight. While a
locations, with more than a fair share of four-wheeled vehicles lockpick kit won’t crack a safe or vault door, it will allow for
having some means of suppressing fires on board. Gas and the opening of standard doors and the hot wiring of vehicle
foam extinguishers are Old World relics, leaving dry powder and ignitions. A lockpick kit is considered the basic tools required
water as the remaining two options. While water extinguishers to perform a Thievery test for unlocking a standard lock.
are easily refillable, the devastation they cause on electrical
MECHANIC’S TOOL KIT
systems makes using them very risky. Dry powder, on the other
The most common tool kit in use and a must-have for long
hand, puts out the majority of fires and will allow an engine to
road trips, a mechanic’s tool kit is used in the maintenance and
be more easily restarted if the fire damage isn’t too serious. A
repair of most vehicles, machinery, and plant equipment. Fairly
character using a fire extinguisher gains 2 Momentum for any
common as tool kits go, the quality of the tools can sometimes
test in relation to putting out a fire.
be questionable as the higher-quality tools are often requisi-
GAS BOTTLE tioned for maintenance teams of each faction’s vehicle pool.
Oxygen, propane and oxy-acetylene gas bottles are used for A mechanic’s tool kit is considered to cover the basic tools
a range of things, from respiratory equipment to welding and required for any Engineering tests in relation to straightforward
cutting torches. A gas bottle of the correct type is needed repairs on vehicles and mechanical equipment. They also con-
to use any relevant equipment. While compact enough to be tain a single Component for use towards a repair.
carried by one person, gas bottles are cumbersome and heavy.
MULTITOOL
A single bottle is considered a Component for its associated
Compact multitools include simple screwdrivers, scissors, files
equipment. At the end of a scene involving intense use, or
and small blades. They are useful in a range of scenarios, from
following three hours of moderate use, the character using
making simple repairs to survival situations. While a multitool
the equipment must make a Daunting (D3) test with a skill
does not provide any mechanical bonuses, they can be used
relevant to the equipment being used (Survival for oxygen
to perform simple Engineering tests that would otherwise be
related to respiratory equipment, or Engineering for oxygen,
more difficult without one.
propane, and oxy-acetylene in repair or construction work).
Failure means that a Component is expended. If there are no
oxygen loads remaining for respiratory equipment, the char-
acter wearing it will begin to suffocate.

GEIGER COUNTER
A hand-held device used for detecting and reading levels of
radiation in surrounding areas. The latest Geiger Counters pro-
duced approximately thirty years ago are state of the art and
capable of detecting minute traces of radioactive particles in
surrounding areas. Both compact and robust, these units can
unfortunately burn through batteries at a serious rate. A char-
acter with a Geiger Counter can automatically detect radiation
in their own zone. At the GM’s discretion, higher doses of radi-
ation may be detected at longer range.

Batteries—1 hour.

PORTABLE GENERATOR
Since the national grid went down, power has been provided
by smaller generators that are maintained by the lucky set-
tlements and factions that possess them. Many areas remain
almost entirely without power. The need for batteries contin-
ues to grow, but as a dwindling resource that is increasingly
less efficient, their costs increase is in line with their rarity but

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 GEAR & MERCH

at a proportional rate to their decrease in functionality. Portable MEDICAL

generators are compact power units that largely operate on Medical supplies are extremely valuable resources. Following
vehicle fuel. They allow for the powering of equipment that the war, both civilian and military medical services were
would otherwise need batteries. Compact, but heavy, portable depleted of available medicines and equipment at an alarming
generators require more than one person on hand to trans- rate. When the zombie infestation took hold and manufac-
port them any distance without difficulty. They are also noisy turing enterprises ceased, the supply of any new medical
and unsuited to activities that require any degree of silence. equipment ran dry, making abandoned hospitals and clinics
Portable generators allow the use of battery powered items priority targets for scavenging. Heated battles for control of
without the need for batteries over prolonged periods of time. these locations followed, until eventually, all but the occasional
A full tank of fuel will allow a battery-operated item to run for forgotten cache was claimed.
approximately three normal working days.
While most factions and settlements have a doctor, medi-
POWER TOOLS cines and supplies are now painfully rare. Although the correct
Drills, angle grinders and power saws are all essential for the equipment and medication will undoubtedly save your life in
outrageous modifications that many drivers install on their the right circumstances, possession of these highly coveted
rides. Access to these tools enables the construction of unique and valuable items can also put it at risk.
and powerful vehicles. Power is an essential requirement, how-
MEDKIT
ever, so faction base camps maintain generators to make their
Equivalent to medical packs issued to the emergency services
use possible. Either a small portable generator or a substan-
or military of the Old World, MedKits items such as coagulant
tial supply of batteries is required to get any use from them
powder, chest seals, splints, and additional medicines. They
while on the road. Power tools can be used to supplement
can be used for basic first aid, but also offer a trained medic a
Engineering tests made in relation to the modification of vehi-
better chance of success in medical emergencies.
cles, weapons, or other equipment/machinery. Using powers
tools provides 1 Momentum to the test when used for these MedKits contain 3 Components. A single Component can be
purposes. used when making a Medicine test to provide 1 Momentum.
A PC with a MedKit and a Medicine Expertise of 2 or more
Batteries (certain items only)—1 hour.
may attempt to remove a Wound from themselves or another
SCIENTIFIC SAMPLE KIT character. They must succeed at a Daunting (D3) Medicine test
While entire labs are rare, many settlements have access to to do so and only 1 Wound may be healed per day in this way,
limited scientific equipment, used to cook medicines, drugs plus a single additional Wound if 2 Momentum is spent.
or moonshine. Small amounts of equipment can be pulled
together, fitting in a brief case or similar size kit-bag. A scien-
tific sample kit allows for the collection of samples and access
to basic analysis of those samples, or storage of them for later
inspection. A character using a scientific sample kit to inspect
or analyse substances reduces the difficulty of related Science
tests by 1.

TOXIC GAS DETECTOR

Small devices similar in size to a personal radio, gas detectors
act as early warning systems for harmful gases. Able to analyse SURGICAL TOOLS
the threat a gas poses to human life, they are useful pieces of Life-threatening conditions and injuries require specialist treat-
kit in a post-apocalyptic world obscured by any number of ment. Lacking the once-familiar presence of the emergency
strange drifting vapours. A character operating a gas detector services, treating major trauma, bullet wounds, and the results
reduces the difficulty by one step for all Science tests in relation of a vehicle collision have become much more challenging
to detecting and analysing airborne contaminants and gases. and dangerous. A character with the Medicine skill, the right
Gas detectors are found in two variants: common and military. training, and a set of surgical tools can attempt advanced med-
The common form will detect natural toxins that are lethal to ical procedures such as removing bullets, setting bones, and
life, such as carbon monoxide, hydrogen sulphide, and flam- stitching serious wounds.
mable gases. Military detectors will also detect the presence of
The character selects a Wound to treat and the GM determines
man-made gases designed for warfare, such as mustard gas,
the difficulty based on the type of Wound. As a rough guideline,
sarin, and even the Revenant Virus if it ever becomes a vapour.
setting a broken bone should require at least a Challenging
Batteries—1 Day. (D2) Medicine test and removing a bullet fragment Dire (D3)

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or greater, though the GM is free to adjust the difficulty of Medical pharmaceuticals are used to treat ongoing serious
any Medicine tests based on the procedure involved and the illness’ that a PC or other character may have contracted. While
experience of the character. Treating more than 1 Wound in a the pharmaceutical industry is no more, there are some surplus
single roll should increase the difficulty of the test by at least medicines for less common illness, and many self-proclaimed
2 steps. An element of caution should be issued, however, doctors have spent years concocting their own homebrewed
as failure could result in deterioration and any Complications mixtures for the treatment of those illnesses that have become
could potentially be fatal. Surgical Tools contain 3 Components. more common in the post apocalypse. A daily dose allows a
character to function as normal. Every two days without a dose
DRUGS requires the character to make a Resistance test at Dire (D4)
In terms of the Devil’s Run RPG, drugs are a general term that or increase the difficultly of all further tests by 1 until a dose is
covers both medicines and narcotics. Although they clearly received. Every week without medication results in 1 Wound
have different uses, the rules that govern them share common and 1 Trauma. The GM is free to set a time scale on how long
factors. In fact, the sidebar concerning Drug Terminology also a character can survive without medication before they suc-
incorporates poisons. The term drug is a catch-all term that cumb to their illness.
covers all contagions and medicines. Most drugs require a suc-
cessful resistance test to avoid or mitigate their effects, though NARCOTICS
some may be listed as requiring Discipline. Other characters Anyone under the influence of narcotics has 2 additional
can assist with a drug test by using an appropriate skill such Momentum to spend on any applicable test. For instance, a
as Medicine or Counsel. narcotic which is a stimulant will apply to tests surrounding
alertness or strength, whereas a narcotic which is a relaxant
The equivalent of a single Component is provided each time a
would apply to tests regarding recovery. The GM is free to
drug is purchased. A Component for this purpose is equivalent
decide how and where the characters can benefit from the
to enough of the drug to treat a condition or receive a high. This
use of Narcotics, if at all. Following each dose, the GM gains
likely equates to a week’s worth of medication for antibiotics
one point of Fallout and the character must pass a Resistance
or painkillers, or a single use of a narcotic.
test with a difficulty equal to the narcotic’s Compulsion rating
ANTIBIOTICS (MEDICINE) or become addicted. An addicted character must take a single
Ingested, Instant 0 dose each day or suffer some form of damage and a difficulty
increase to all tests until they get a dose. The long-term effects
Although rare, the manufacture of antibiotics is still taking
of using narcotics are well documented and the GM should use
place in North America. Most medicines are used to treat very
their judgement on how to apply these in-game.
specific illnesses, with antibiotics reserved for deadly bacterial
infections. All medicine carries a premium in this post-apoc- NITRO (NARCOTIC)
alyptic world, with antibiotics high on the list of sought-after Ingested or Inhaled, Instant 4, Minute, Addiction 3 (1 dose),
drugs. Normally containing 3 Components, each use provides Compulsion 3, Withdrawal 3 (2  Nerve), Harm Effect: User
1 Momentum in a single Resistance test made to combat dis- cannot sleep without medical or pharmaceutical assistance.
ease or illness.
Now that Brazilia encompasses South America, the drug cartels
PAINKILLERS (MEDICINE) have spent a great deal of time and energy on making sure
Ingested, Instant 1, Hour, Addiction 1 (3 doses), Compulsion 1, their own population is totally dedicated to their vice. Despite
Withdrawal 1 (2  Vigour) having the Panama Defence Barricade to contend with, they’re
now turning their greedy eyes northwards in search of new
Painkillers are common items found in most settlement’s
markets. They are using their highly addictive cocaine-based
stores. While the big brands of the civilised world are long
stimulant, Nitro, to lead the way. As a stimulant, Nitro keeps the
gone, painkillers are fairly straightforward to manufacture and
user awake for an eight-hour period and provides 1 Momentum
the knowledge and skill for producing them has survived in
on Observation tests related to sight. The character does not
some places. Still used for the treatment of everything from
need to make tests against sleep deprivation during the eight-
a headache to muscle pains, painkillers are big business as
hour period, but quickly falls into a deep sleep for an equivalent
they’re considered an essential piece of kit on the run. A dose
amount of time once the stimulant wears off. Continued use
allows the PC to recover 2 Vigour. Only 1 dose in any 24-hour
of Nitro to avoid the effects of sleep deprivation will not only
period will provide this effect.
guarantee addiction but will also result in severe mental and
PHARMACEUTICALS (MEDICINE) physical trauma that ultimately leads to death.
Ingested, Instant 1, Hour, Addiction 1 (3 doses), Compulsion 3,
Withdrawal 2 (2  Vigour)

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DRUG & DISEASE TERMINOLOGY HARM/SPECIAL EFFECT

Most drugs inflict a special Harm Effect triggered through
The terminology for narcotics, medicines, and poisons are
the accumulation of the damage it inflicts. Others may have
broken down as follows:
a Special Effect, which occurs automatically upon exposure
TYPE X (Y MOMENTUM) unless stated otherwise. Diseases often trigger on a failed
A drug’s type briefly describes its nature (medicine, disease, contagion test.

ADDICTED TO PAIN
narcotic, etc.), classifies the length of time it continues to
have an effect, determines the difficulty (X) of tests made to
Medicines and Narcotics use the normal rules for drugs but
avoid its effects, and establishes the amount of Momentum
many can be addictive and require additional qualities.
(Y) required to recover from it (which might be zero).
ADDICTION X (Y DOSES)
• INSTANT: A one-time effect. Whether the test to resist A drug’s Addiction rating determines the number of doses
succeeds or fails, the contagion’s effect ends.
that must inflict the Harm Effect or Special Effect of the
• COMPLEX: Requires time to recover from, resulting drug before the user risks addiction—known as the Addiction
in a number of tests. Each test that results in a failure Threshold. Once a user reaches the Addiction Threshold,
inflicts the contagion’s damage or Effect. Tests must they must make a Resistance test (with a difficulty of X) or
then continue to be made according to the conta- become addicted. This test must be repeated each time a
gion’s term (see below) until the complex skill test Harm Effect or Special Effect is suffered whilst remaining at
succeeds, at which point the contagion’s effects end. or above the Addiction Threshold.

• PROGRESSIVE: Resolved in a similar vein to Complex, If a user goes one day without using the drug, reduce the
progressive tests inflict +1 difficulty for each failed current tally of doses counting towards addiction by 1, to a
test. Such contagions are particularly dangerous. minimum of 0.

• CHRONIC: A variation of Instant, Complex, or COMPULSION X

Progressive; a Chronic Complex drug or a Chronic If a character addicted to a drug has the opportunity to take
Progressive disease, for example. They are resolved it, they must make a Discipline test with a difficulty equally
normally, but remain in a state of dormancy or remis- to the Compulsion rating of the drug (X). If the test fails,
sion after. The character can be re-exposed if the GM they must take the drug. If the character is currently suffer-
spends Fallout equal to X. ing from withdrawal, the test is made at +1 difficulty. If the
character is currently affected by the drug, the test is made
TERM
at -1 difficulty per dose currently affecting them.
The Term of a drug is how frequently contagion tests must be
made to avoid its effects. This will be listed as Round, Minute, WITHDRAWAL X
Hour, Day, Week, or Month, with the test being made once If a character becomes addicted to a drug, they want to stay
per term (once per day, and so forth). buzzed. When the drug’s effect comes to an end, withdrawal
begins. Withdrawal takes place over a term of days. Once
VECTOR
per day, the character must make a Discipline test or suffer
A disease’s vector is the method by which a character can
the withdrawal damage of the drug.
become exposed to it. (Airborne, ingested, contact, injury,
and drugs are common methods.) Exposing a charac- OVERDOSE
ter to the drug requires either a Harm Effect, or a Fallout/ Even healthy substances are toxic in large concentrations,
Momentum spend equal to X (equal to 1 If no value is given). and characters who rely on drugs can suffer for it. A char-
acter who takes a dose of a drug before recovering from a
A character who has been exposed must immediately suc-
previous dose must pass a Resistance test with a difficulty
ceed on a drug test against the drug’s normal difficulty or
equal to the number of doses still active in their system.
become infected. (This test does not inflict the damage or
or overdose. Overdosed characters suffer a Wound, with
special effect of the contagion unless it is of the Instant type.
a Wound Effect which renders them Dazed and suffering
It merely determines whether or not the character is infected
2  physical damage per hour until treated. This damage
by the contagion.)
can inflict the same Wound Effect again, in which case the
DAMAGE damage increases to 5  and the character is Staggered. If
A drug’s damage lists the amount and type of damage it the Wound Effect is suffered again, the damage increases
inflicts on a failed drug test. to 8 and the character is Helpless.

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EXAMPLE POISON & DISEASE wearer from a firearm attack or a weapon with the Piercing
quality will cause the seal to be broken, rendering the suit
useless until repaired. While intact, a biohazard suit contains
FOOD POISONING
three Components of oxygen, and additionally protects the
Ingested, Complex 1 (1 Momentum), Hour, 2  phys-
wearer entirely from exposure to all toxic gases, contaminants
ical damage
and contagions. The bulk of the suit increases the difficulty
Special Effect: On failed Resistance test, victim suffers of actions involving movement and fine manipulation by 1.
from vomiting. For 1 Heat, the GM can inflict the Staggered Wearing armour with a pressure suit increases this to 2. All bio-
condition. hazard suits are supplied with a sealant gel and repair patches,
to perform emergency suit repairs.
GREY WASTE
Ingested, Progressive 1 (4 Momentum), Day, 4  phys- REBREATHER
ical damage A sealed face mask connected to an oxygen supply, rebreath-
ers are designed to additionally recycle exhaled air in order
Harm Effect: Blinded. If the character suffers this spe-
to prolong the supply’s duration. Larger rebreathers contain
cial Harm Effect a second time while suffering from the
three Components worth of oxygen but can take up to two
Blinded condition the eyes are permanently damaged.
minutes to don a rebreather as the bulky and complex equip-
Victims of Grey Waste suffer from distinctive milk-white
ment requires some effort to fit properly. Smaller rebreathers
sores and ashen skin. The disease is contracted through
can be fitted within tens of seconds but contain only a single
drinking contaminated water.
Component of oxygen.

PERSONAL PROTECTIVE EQUIPMENT RESPIRATOR

The most basic respirator uses a cartridge that filters air drawn
Science and industry created the Revenant Virus, the bombs
through it by the wearer as they breathe. A respirator reduces
that contained it, and the means to deliver it. While these
the difficulty by 3, to a minimum of 1, on all Resistance tests
specialised areas of knowledge represent everything that
against airborne hazards. It can be donned as an action by any
humanity learned along its journey of mutual self-destruction,
character or as a Response Action by characters with at least
they also created the equipment and supplies that can offer
Survival Expertise 1.
those left behind a chance of protecting themselves from the

SURVEILLANCE
harsh environments of the wasteland. Industrial equipment
includes specialised gear that can make a huge difference
Whether used to get the drop on a rival faction or provide
to a road warrior’s chances of survival. Such items are highly
advance warning of dangers ahead, surveillance equipment is
sought after, valuable, and often misunderstood by the new
still very much a practical component of survival and warfare.
generation or North America.
BINOCULARS
Compact binoculars provide seven to eight times magnifica-
tion. Most pairs come with a storage pouch and are relatively
light weight. A character using a telescope or binoculars
ignores any increase in difficulty that comes from observing a
target at long range. However, using binoculars or a telescope
increases the difficulty of noticing something in the same zone,
as it impedes peripheral vision. Binoculars may not be used at
night unless viewing illuminated locations.

CAMERA
BIOHAZARD SUIT Rare, highly-valued, and often irreplaceable, a camera allows a
The Revenant Virus ravaged North America, bringing hordes character to take a picture as and when needed — often without
of zombies flocking across the country. Weaponised contam- lengthy prep or bulky peripheral equipment. Compact designs
inants can still be found in certain areas, along with the fallout are easy to conceal, while instant polaroid types require only
of defunct chemical plants and power stations. Extremely rare, a few seconds to create a useful image. Even rarer, advanced
biohazard suits provide protection from contaminants by cre- digital cameras offer better quality pictures and are also capa-
ating a sealed environment for the wearer. ble of recording short videos. Unless a character is part of the
Hunters crew, video cameras are also now an extremely rare
Biohazard suits are fairly tough, but provide no damage
and much sought after item in North America.
protection against attacks. Additionally, any damage to the

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Repairing a standard camera and developing a film requires CLIMBING GEAR

an Engineering test. Repairing an advanced or video camera Rappelling equipment, including climbing rope, carabiners,
requires a Wild Tech test, as does the manufacture of new film clamps and a harness is the only safe way to climb or descend
rolls for standard cameras. The maintenance cost listed with some of the runs’ most treacherous landscapes. Use of this
a camera reflects the need to purchase new film and should equipment reduces the difficulty by 1 step for any Athletics
be paid during Upkeep once ten photos or an hour of video test made in relation to climbing.
footage has been taken.

Batteries—6 hours.

COMPASS
The trusted compass is still a sure-fire way to determine direc-
tion. While cheaper models were rendered unusable by the
NIGHT VISION EQUIPMENT
magnetic after-effects of the fallout following the war, high-
A character using night vision equipment ignores any increases
end compasses continue to hold strong and form a solid basis
to difficulty caused by darkness. However, sudden bright lights
for navigation. A compass reduces the difficulty by 1 step for
can blind the character. This costs the GM 2 or more Fallout
any Survival tests in relation to direction and navigation.
(4 maximum), and prompts the character to succeed at a
Challenging (D2) Acrobatics or Resistance test or suffer the HALOGEN LANTERN
Blind status effect for 1 round plus 1 per Fallout spent. Some Large, high-powered torches used for illuminating exception-
versions also serve as binoculars, while other variants appear ally dark areas or large expanses of darkness. Providing around
in the form of goggles that connect to a helmet attachment or five times the brightness of a regular torch, halogen lamps are
head harness. The capability to produce or repair these items commonly resorted to at faction base camps when the sun
is now considered an arcane art, placing their manufacture or goes down. They are bulkier and heavier than a regular torch,
maintenance into the realms of Wild Tech tests. but just as reliable and still easily a one-handed item. A halogen
lantern removes the difficulty modifiers due to darkness for
Batteries — 2 hours.
perception related test at Close and Medium range.

SURVIVAL GEAR Batteries—8 hours.

Survival is a subjective term. For most, simply still being alive
ROAD MAP
is pure testament to human spirit. Many things have led to
The big book. Trusty companion of long-distance truckers and
human survival beyond the simple necessities of food, water,
the new generation of road warriors alike. While many of the
and shelter, but sometimes something as simple as a flare
dirt tracks and side paths of North America are not listed, every
or a radio can mean the difference between life and death.
major road, freeway and interstate is detailed, along with major
Survival Gear is a mixed bag of items ranging from items vital
landmarks. While a Road Map does not contain the details of a
to navigating the wilderness, to useful trinkets that were once
Topographic map, it does cover all 50 states and both Federal
part and parcel of everyday life.
Districts. Due to all road maps having been written before the
BACKPACK bombs were dropped, some aspects of the landscape have
Top of any road warrior’s must-have list, backpacks come in changed, bridges are gone and entire highways have become
almost any shape and colour imaginable. A backpack allows a unusable, so most maps obtained today are covered in notes,
character to carry possessions that they would otherwise be scribbles and custom amendments.
unable to due to lack of pockets or hands. In reality, the back-
A character with a road map may reduce the Time Rating of
pack enables the character to ride a bike, fire a gun, pick a lock,
the goods trafficking activity by 1. As with a topographic map,
or perform many other manual tasks without needing to drop
Momentum on a test involving a road map can be used to
all of their worldly possessions on the floor every two minutes.
obtain specific landmarks which could be key to the current
story arc.

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SIGNAL FLARE the vast majority are effectively a bottle with a screw-on filter
Signal Flares are lightweight, hand-held items that emit an and a straw. Drinking liquid through the straw forces it through
exceptionally bright flame which burns for approximately 15 the filter, cleansing it of common harmful bacteria almost as
minutes when it. Considered an emergency item, they are one effectively as a water purification tablet.
shot and disposable. LED Signal Flares also exist, with a burn
The effects of using a water filter are the same as water puri-
time of 250 hours and no actual flame, though these are now
fication tablets, though the filter provides approximately a
very rare. Signal Flares can be used to draw attention to an
thousand litres of clean water before it needs replacing.
area, mark a target, or even ignite flammables. They generally
light the zone they are in and burn brightly for up to half an WATER PURIFICATION TABLETS
hour before extinguishing. A quick and easy solution to drinking dirty water. Water puri-
fication tablets dissolve quickly in a cup or bottle of water,
killing ninety-five percent of common harmful bacterial. Once
considered virtually fool proof, the introduction of designer
viruses and the evolving nature of bacteria means that results
are less certain in the post-apocalyptic world.

Use of water purification tablets gives a character 1 Momentum

for use during any Resistance test in relation to drinking dirty
SURVIVAL KIT or contaminated water. Most tablets are available in batches
Basic survival and bush craft equipment, consisting of a metallic containing 4 to 6 Components.
rod and striker, matches and various kindling, a blade sharp-
ening tool, a survival blanket, a tent or tarpaulin, a signal flare, TACTICAL
and 3 Components of vitamin supplements. Despite being well-armed, well-prepared, and in possession
of cutting-edge military technology, the unexpected impact
A survival kit can be used to create a functional shelter and
of the Revenant Virus devastated the defences of the U.S. mil-
reduces the difficulty by 1 step for any Survival or Resistance
itary and tore through their chain of command—just as it did
tests in relation to outdoor weather conditions or cold. Using
every other walk of life. Weapons, ammunition, and armour
a Component of vitamin supplements (1 per day max.) allows a
were scooped up quickly by raiders and anyone else who could
character to remove one Fatigue or ignore a Complication rolled
lay their hands on it. Some specialist items, particularly those
during a Resistance test against exhaustion or malnutrition.
requiring specific military training, were often left in stores and
TORCH depots and subsequently mopped up by traders and wanderers
Simple pocket-sized torches provide a basic light source with across the decades. The value of some of these items has risen
a long-lasting battery life. Given how little lighting is available over the years, but all are still available through the community
outside of established settlements, torches are commonplace marketplaces of various settlements.
in almost every glove box. A character using a torch negates
the difficulty modifiers due to darkness for perception related RESTRAINTS
test at Close range. Immobilising an opponent and their vehicle is often a better
prospect than torching them. A captured vehicle equate to
Batteries—24 hours.
spare parts and Merch, while the interrogation and ransom of
TOPOGRAPHIC MAPS (PER STATE) its owner can provide critical information and timely $.
These compact paper maps are available in a folding or small
HANDCUFFS
booklet format. They offer detailed information about an entire
Birth right of the Law Haulage Company. The trusty police
state, including both urban and rural areas, distances, eleva-
issue handcuff has long been the symbol of detention and
tion, road and river networks.
authority around the world. Produced in mass quantities, and
A character in possession of the Topographic map of the with the abolishment of the traditional law enforcement struc-
state they are in gains 1 Momentum for use in any Survival or ture, handcuffs became very common items, used by gangs
Trafficking tests in relation to navigation. Momentum can be and raiders to detain prisoners… or strap them to the bonnet
used to obtain specific landmarks which could be key to the while they take them for a ride. Standard issue for the Law
current story arc. and Justice, handcuffs are commonly used by most factions.

WATER FILTER A restrained person may be handcuffed without a test,

A reusable device that removes the need for a supply of water though an unwilling subject putting up a fight may only be
purification tablets. While they come in many shapes and sizes, handcuffed following a successful Melee test with a difficulty

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determined by the GM. Handcuffs cannot be broken by human A character wearing camouflage that matches their cur-
strength alone, though items such as boltcutters will make rent surroundings gains 1 Momentum on Stealth tests to
easy work of them. remain hidden.

PLASTICUFFS HOLSTER (SECURITY OR SPEED)

Extra-long plastic cable ties with a thicker body for additional Holsters come in a variety of forms—chest, thigh, waist, and
strength. Plasticuffs can be used in the same way as handcuffs modular systems—though each serves one of two primary
but are disposable, single use items. Obtainable as pack of 10. functions: increasing the security of a weapon or making it
easier to draw.
STINGER
A Stinger, originally known as a Spike Trap, is piece of former Increase the difficulty Thievery tests by 1 for any character
law enforcement tech, that consists of an extendable network attempting to steal a weapon from a security holster. A char-
of metal arms covered in spikes. The Stinger is stretched out acter using a speed holster for a ranged weapon may draw that
over the road, causing the wheels of any vehicle passing over it weapon as a Restricted Action, instead of a Standard Action.
to be punctured. With quality tyres in short supply, the Stinger
HUNTER’S CAMO CAPE
is the thorn every road warrior’s side,
Used by hunters and outdoor enthusiasts prior to the apoc-
Deploying a stinger is easier, though spotting them is not. Any alypse, the Camo Cape features a pattern far different to
deployed stinger requires an Observation test at difficulty D3 common military configurations, and one much closer to envi-
(Daunting), increasing to D4 (Dire) at night or at exceptionally ronment it is designed to emulate. Most are only available in
high speeds. Hitting a Stinger involves the tyres being punc- woodland patterns, though there are a few wasteland/scrub
tured and the vehicle become hard to control. Stingers can be types that are always considered prized possessions. The capes
collected and reused, but the maintenance cost must be paid are all knee-length, wraparound style with a hood, allowing a
after each use to keep the Stinger operational. crouching person to conceal themselves in surroundings that
match the design of the cloak.
TACTICAL GARB
Military garb is very popular for its tactical practicality. While
many road warriors favour the dress codes of their faction, or
else use any opportunity to make a statement, others choose to
wear practical attire that gets the job done. Tactical garb may
be worn in place of or complimentary to other clothing, and
can enhance certain aspects of a character’s combat perfor-
mance. Like weapon attachments, some of these items come
at a price, which characters must be prepared to pay.

BALLISTIC GLASSES/GOGGLES
Standard issue soldiers kit which is now common road warrior
garb. Usually worn in place of sunglasses, ballistics glasses
and goggles provide solid protection from small projectiles.
While they won’t stop a bullet, they will deflect shrapnel and
dust that would otherwise render somebody without sight.
Usually tinged to provide a similar protection to bright light
as an average pair of sunglasses.

CAMOUFLAGE CLOTHING
Available in a range of styles to suit almost every terrain, cam-
ouflage clothing copies the standard issue clothing of the Old
World’s military forces. Most old military bases were raided
for supplies long ago, making this type of clothing fairly easy
to obtain. While some people wear either the trousers or
jacket in a favoured pattern, camouflage is only really effec-
tive when worn as a full outfit in the environment that it’s
designed to emulate. Most pre-apocalypse suits are made
slightly larger than required to allow the wearing of other
clothing beneath them.

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Wearing a Hunters Camo Cape provides 1 Momentum for MAGLINKS OR EXTENDED CLIPS
Stealth tests made in terrain that closely matches the style of Connective clamps or simple duct tape attach two rifle mag-
the cape. Additionally, it they increase the Complication Range azines together, maglinks drastically reduce reload times for
by 1 for characters making opposed tests to spot the character the weapon they’re used with. Extended clips are simply that,
wearing the cape in its intended terrain. weapon clips that have an ammunition capacity beyond those
normally provided with the weapon.
MILSPEC BACKPACK
Like the common backpack, a MilSpec backpack enables the To represent the efficiency provided by maglinks and extended
carrying of items that would otherwise be impractical. MilSpec clips, a character gains an additional  for the associated
gear is military issue hard-wearing equipment that always Reload when spent to gain bonuses during combat (provid-
features extra functionality, such as quick release straps or ing 1 bonus d20 and 2 , instead of the usual 1d20 and 1 ).
modular webbing that allows additional pouches (and there- Reloads with either should be noted separately. Replacing a
fore gear) to be carried. maglink or extended clip requires the equivalent of 2 Reloads.

In addition to acting as a backpack, a MilSpec Pack reduces the NIGHT VISION SCOPE
amount of Fatigue gained by 1 for any character gaining addi- A Night vision scope provides the same functionality as regular
tional Fatigue in relation to encumbrance, to a minimum of 1. magnified scopes, with the addition of the same technology
used in night vision goggles. A night vision scope is consid-
WEAPON ATTACHMENTS ered to be a magnified scope in all ways but can also be used
Characters may add these items to their weapons in order to at night.
gain a range of bonuses. Due to the nature of such items, a
Batteries—8 hours.
level of knowledge is sometimes required to make effective
use of them. In game terms, the GM can impose an increase SILENCER
in the Complication Range if they are used by a character that Also known as suppressors, silencers are firearm attachments
does not possess knowledge of their operation. GMs should that are designed to drastically reduce the sounds of gunfire.
also consider the possibility of malfunction if an item is not A ranged weapon fitted with a silencer gains the Subtle 1 trait
suitably maintained by its owner (again through the increase (or increases its Subtle rating by 1). Silencers have two different
of the Complication Range). Rarity and Cost values; the higher ones are for weapons with
a base damage lower than 5 . Thus, a pistol (3  damage)
BIPOD/TRIPOD
uses the lower values, while a sniper rifle (6  damage) uses
Bipods are mounted beneath the barrel of a rifle, where they
the higher ones.
can then be deployed to add stability to the weapon when
prone or in a position where it can be laid on a solid surface. TELESCOPIC SIGHT (SCOPE)
Tripods provide the same function but are used for larger sup- These sights, broadly referred to as ‘scopes’, are designed for
port weapons that require additional bracing. acquiring targets at long ranges. When using a weapon fitted
with a telescopic sight, a character may spend a Restricted
A two-handed ranged weapon equipped with a bipod can
Action before attacking in order to aim with the scope. This
be set up as a Restricted Action and gains Unforgiving 1 (or
allows the character to increase the Range rating of the weapon
adds 1 to any existing Unforgiving rating). Unwieldy weapons
by one step – from Close to Medium, from Medium to Long, or
equipped with a tripod may be Braced as a Restricted Action
even from Long to Extreme.
instead of a Standard Action. The weapon loses this benefit
when it is moved.

LASER SIGHT
Laser sights are fitted to the body of a weapon and emit a
thin laser bean, running from the sight in the direction that
the weapon is pointed. Most have an effective range equal to
most SMGs or short barrelled Assault Rifles. A laser sight allows
the weapon’s user to more accurately highlight their target. However, while aiming in this way, the character increases
the difficulty of any Observation tests made to notice threats
A weapon equipped with a laser sight may add or subtract 2
within Close range. A telescopic sight can also be used as a
from the number rolled for Hit Location, or shift the face of the
telescope. A scope may only be used under normal lighting
die by 1 if using a hit location die.
conditions or when aiming at an illuminated target.
Batteries—8 hours.

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ARMOUR
Set within a harsh and unforgiving post-apocalypse as it is,
SOAK
As shown on the Damage Table (see p. 193), certain forms of
combat in games of the Devil’s Run RPG will often be equally
protection—referred to as Soak—can shield against damage
violent and lethal. Bullets, blades and vehicular collisions lead
from each type of attack. Soak operates as both Persistent
to serious injury or death on an almost daily basis, resulting
(static values) and Conditional (random values). Regardless
in most road warriors choosing to use at least a token level of
of where it comes from, all Soak reduces damage on a
personal protection to guard against these dangers.
1-for-1 basis, to a minimum of 0.
In game terms, armour provides a character with Soak, which
Armour provides Persistent Soak against physical damage.
is a factor that can reduce the chances of being seriously
In cases where multiple types of armour are worn, use
wounded during combat. The Armour Summary Table, p. 153,
the highest Soak value of the armour covering a location.
shows the protection armour provides to different areas of the
body. Some armours also provide additional benefits, which
are detailed under the relevant description, beginning below. LEATHERS
Most armour can be worn in addition to other clothing. Armour The standard attire for any biker or petrol head, leathers are
with one or more faction logos beside its name has a reduced often a status symbol, a birth right, a calling and even a mini-
cost for a related faction—see Faction Prevalence p. 140. mum requirement. Hard wearing, leathers offer a limited level
of protection to the torso, arms and legs. Many bikers prefer a
ARMOURED VEST
full set, although jacket and trousers can be worn separately.
Manufactured for military applications, armoured vests provide
substantial protection to the wearer’s centre of mass whilst The iconic leather jacket remains a favourite amongst many
allowing them to carry additional items such as ammunition, factions. Favoured for their resilience, warmth, and ability to
holstered weapons, hydration bladders, and other equipment. offer a reasonable amount of protection from damage, these
Intended to allow a wearer to remain self-sufficient and mobile jackets can be worn as a part of a full outfit. Though most carry
in a combat zone, armoured vests remain a popular choice for a personal value to the wearer, the actual cost of a leather
road warriors that can lay their hands on them. jacket is relatively small compared to most other armour thanks
to relatively straightforward means to replace or repair them.
An armoured vest provides 2 Soak to the torso. Additionally,
Leather trousers also remain the standard leg wear for any
the vest can accommodate up to 3 Reloads for most firearms.
biker that wants to keep their skin on their bones.
CHAIN SHIRT
A full set provides 1 Soak to all locations bar the head. A jacket
Once reserved for historical re-enactments, live action role-
grants 1 Soak to the torso and arms, trousers 1 Soak to the legs.
playing, and film sets, chain shirts have grown in popularity
once again thanks to the protection they afford from Revenant LEATHER VEST
bites and melee weapons alike. Before the Day of the Apocalypse, leather vests, or cut-offs,
were a common means for biker gangs to proudly display their
A chain shirt provides 2 Soak to the torso and 1 Soak to each arm.
faction’s motif. Most were typically supplemented with other
sewn-on patches that detailed the wearer’s rank and lesser
affiliations. Still a traditional sign of membership and pride
amongst factions such as the Hauls Angels, cut-offs are only
ever gifted to Prospects and members and, as such, cannot
be purchased amongst these factions. Taking someone’s cut-
off is viewed as the ultimate insult and they’re often worth
more in terms of ransom than the unfortunate member that
was wearing it.

A leather vest provides 1 Soak to the torso only.

MILITARY HELMET
In addition to offering high levels of protection, Military spec
helmets are lightweight and often compatible with a range
of equipment. These helmets are also low profile and do not
obscure vision or hearing in any way. Some are also fitted with
mounts that accommodate night vision goggles.

Military helmets provide 2 Soak to the head.

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MOTORCYCLE HELMET
Often worn as a fashion accessory or as part of a uniform, SHIELDS
motorcycle helmets provide essential protection against Shields are extremely effective at affording protection
trauma to the head. It’s still rare to see bike and trike riders from a range of different attacks. A shield counts as having
without one, though road warriors often wear them as a sign the Parry X Quality (see p. 146) and allows the wielder to
of rank regardless of the vehicle they are driving. Some motor- use the Melee skill to make Defend Reactions against
cycle helmets are fitted with a flip-down visor, which provides ranged attacks in addition to Melee attacks. Additionally,
the same function as sunglasses and/or ballistics glasses while a shield grants the wielder X Cover Soak against Melee
wearing the helmet. and Ranged attacks.

A motorcycle helmet provides 2 Soak to the head.

PLATE CARRIER
Plate carriers work in a similar fashion to armoured vests but
offer additional protection and enhanced quick-release fea-
tures. A plate carrier contains a solid armoured plate installed
on the front and rear of the vest, offering excellent protection
against ballistics at a cost of considerable weight. They also
have fast release buckles on both sides of the torso and on
the shoulder straps, allowing the vest to be ditched almost
instantly if required. Most plate carriers include fastenings for
magazine pouches and other essential gear.

A plate carrier provides 3 Soak to the torso. Additionally, the

vest can accommodate up to 3 Reloads of ammunition for
most handheld firearms.

RIOT ARMOUR
Consisting of a base layer of reinforced polymer which is pro-
tected by a hard outer shell that’s designed to deflect blows
A riot shield has the Knockdown and Parry 2 qualities but
and light projectiles, this style of armour was originally made
cannot be used for Defend or Parry Reactions from attacks
for use in urban pacification, prison riots, and other situations
made with firearms or heavy weapons.
where law enforcement officers or the military were drastically
outnumbered by civilian populations. Heavy and hot to wear, STAB VEST
the armour provides all-over protection including additional Originally created as an over-clothing utility vest for use by law
reinforcement of areas such as the knees and elbows. Riot enforcement during street patrols, stab vests are particularly
armour is usually supplemented with a riot shield. good at preventing close-range penetration whilst remaining
fairly light weight. They offer a basic level of protection to the
Riot Armour provides 2 Soak to all locations. If a character
torso which is further supplemented by an additional layer of
undertakes strenuous activity or engages in melee during
a puncture-resistant polymer.
scene, they must succeed at an Average (D1) Resistance test
at the end of the scene or suffer 1 level of Fatigue. In addition to providing 1 Soak to the torso, a stab vest
will reduce the Piercing quality of any melee weapon that
RIOT SHIELD
strikes it by 1.
Riot shields are huge polycarbonate sheets that are capable
of covering a person from head to knee. While heavy, they
are considered one-handed items, allowing the user to wield SACRIFICING ARMOUR
a weapon or perform other tasks with their spare hand. Riot The post-apocalypse of the Devil’s Run is a lethal place
shields traditionally complemented riot armour prior to the Day filled with many dangers that can often lead to death. A
of the Apocalypse, though they have since found common use character needs every advantage they can get. During a
without the bulky armour. The polycarbonate material of the scene, in lieu of suffering a Wound, a character can choose
shield is typically transparent or partially-transparent, allowing to sacrifice a piece of armour on a location that has been
the shield to be used without obscuring the vision of the user damaged. The full rules for sacrificing armour can be found
or those behind them. in Chapter 7: Conflict & Drama, p. 196.

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 GEAR & MERCH

WEAPONS .44 MAGNUM

As if the Revenant Virus and other dangers of the wasteland Even in the face of the apocalypse, with the dead walking the
aren’t enough of a threat, there are still plenty of tools and Earth, some things have managed to remain constant. The
weapons available for anyone seeking to risk their skin on the sun continues to rise in the morning, capitalism lives on to a
Devil’s Run. The following descriptions provide a brief overview fashion, and bigger bullets still mean better stopping power.
of some of the weapons available to characters.

The qualities associated with weapons and the corresponding

tables for the weapons described here begin on p. 155.

FACTION PREVALENCE
Some items are either unique to, or more readily available
within, specific factions. Items that are more common-
place or exclusive to a fation will have one or more faction
logos next to their title.

If an item’s title is provided with one or more accompa-

nying faction logos, reduce the Rarity and Merch value of
the item by 1 for members of the designated faction or ANTIQUE REVOLVER
factions, to a minimum of 1, and the Cost by one-quarter. Taken from museums or personal collections, classic revolvers
can often be seen as something of a status symbol amongst the
Avant Guard
factions. They’re also reliable, robust and fairly easy to repair,
BritAttack making them a trusty companion on the battle-scarred roads.

Freelancers DUELLING PISTOL

Duelling pistols are a definite sign of rank amongst the Gent
Haul’s Angels
& Sundry of BritAttack. Not every member has one, but those
Jets who do take great pride in them. Claiming the duelling pistol
of a fallen foe is seen as a mark of respect for an opponent.
Justice
PISTOL
Law
Handguns of various calibres were relatively easy to horde
Seven Fires in the post-apocalypse, ensuring that most factions have a
healthy number of replacements safely stored away. Pistol is
The Teams
a catch-all term for semi-automatic pistols of various designs.
Vykers
PISTOLET
An innovation of the Ingénieurs, the pistolet is a favoured side-

HANDGUNS arm of the Avant Guard. The compact pistol was designed to
tackle the serious lack of standard firearms they were experi-
There was a lot of hardware left lying around following the Day
encing prior to de Gaulle’s arrival.
of the Apocalypse. Gun stores, supermarkets, law enforcement
buildings, and military bases became virtual treasure troves
for every firearm imaginable. That’s if they weren’t overrun by
Revenants, of course.

While many of the more powerful classes of firearm have

grown increasingly uncommon due to lack of spares, handguns
have remained widely available due to the relative simplicity
of manufacturing replacement parts and the ease of modifi-
cation. They’re also a lot easier to shoot when tearing along
the highway with one hand on the wheel.

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CHAPTER 6

PROVIDER SMGS
The Justice seem to have a knack at making up for their small Filling the gap between handguns and rifles, the submachine
numbers with highly advanced tech, and this pistol epitomises gun (SMG) combines a high rate of fire with a relatively short
that. Something of a technological marvel, this standard issue range to produce a lethal hailstorm of bullets. In comparison
firearm fires chemical rounds designed to stun a target with an to the larger assault rifle, most are compact and fairly light-
electrical discharge. A Provider is classed as Wild Tech. weight, making it another popular option for brassing up an
enemy during a high-speed encounter.

FIVE-SEVEN
Seen in high numbers amongst the Jets, this SMG remains
fairly uncommon with the other factions. A slightly smaller
cousin to the Carb assault rifle, the five-seven is a reliable and
accurate weapon that is a little heavier than its counterparts.

HUMP
The former customs and border protection offices of the United
States became ripe picking grounds for weapons and armour
following the Day of the Apocalypse, leading to a good number
of these SMGs making their way into the hands of the vari-
ous factions. The decades and various repairs have not only
SENTENCER transformed each example of this gun into a custom model,
Conceived by the genius of the Justice ladies and produced by they have also led to the former manufacturer and the model
their Fabricators, the Sentencer is another stunning example name being mangled into a catch-all term for the variants that
of their technological wizardry. Along with the Effector blades, now circulate.
members of the Justice as issued one of these on attaining
TOMMY
the rank of Executioner. A Sentencer is classed as Wild Tech.
Fairly rare amongst all of the factions, these unique looking
weapons are something of a status symbol for anyone that
owns a working example. Stories still circulate of a hellish time
when liquor was banned, with some even pointing to Old World
manuscripts that back up the story. Most pass them off as
fables, but all agree that the dapper suits all sporting Tommys
must have been legends of their time.

STUZI
SHOOTER
Stuzi is a popular catch-all term for the customised subma-
Widespread amongst the BritAttack, the Shooter is an easily
chine guns that have sprouted in the years since the Day of the
produced close range weapon that suits their penchant for
Apocalypse. For any number of reasons from lack of original
personal duels. Something of a hybrid between a sewn off and
spares to a stubborn intent to try and improve a classic design,
a pistol, the Shooter is a brutal weapon that is designed to be
Stuzis have become increasingly more prevalent amongst
easily replaceable. Although BritAttack make heavy use of this
many factions.
weapon, variants of it can be found amongst other factions.

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 GEAR & MERCH

RIFLES & ASSAULT RIFLES PARTISAN

The old federal laws are something that few now remember. A slightly heavier example of a bolt-action rifle, the partisan
They are also something that no one adheres to. Thanks to a often sports a bipod and is usually preferred when stalking
plentiful supply of military assets, there are a high number of prey of the two-legged variety.
fully automatic assault rifles are in circulation amongst the
various factions. Though bulkier and not easily used whilst SHOTGUNS
driving, they are highly prized for their stopping power and Excellent weapons against unarmoured foes at close range,
ability to accommodate tactical attachments, including gre- shotguns fire a spread of pellets or a solid, heavy slug in place
nade launchers and night vision scopes. of bullets. Low muzzle velocity compared to other firearms
means that a shotgun lacks range, but the impact of multiple
The term rifle, on the other hand, tends to cover single-shot
pellets at short range is often fatal. Shotgun ammunition is
bolt-action rifles and semi-automatic variants. A rifle is the
also a little easier to manufacture than some other types of
preferred choice for anyone seeking accuracy over rate of fire,
firearm, further increasing their popularity.
which can be the difference between life and death when
cruising the highways whilst running low on ammunition. ROTARY SHOTGUN
A drum-fed beast that looks impressive and is devastating in
CARB
short bursts, a rotary shotgun also has a tendency to run out
A classic design that could be considered timeless, most judge
of ammunition quickly and is notoriously slow to reload. If a
the carb (carbine) to be the perfect all-rounder where assault
Complication is rolled when attacking with a rotary shotgun,
rifles are concerned. Lightweight in comparison to others of
the GM can spend 2 Fallout to force the character to expend
this class, simple to maintain, and relatively easy to repair, the
2 Reloads, instead of 1.
carb remains a popular choice for road warriors.
RAMINGTON
A pump-action shotgun which holds it shells in a tubular maga-
zine that sits below the barrel. After the Shooter, the Ramington
is the second most popular weapon amongst BritAttack. Purely
by dint of the fact that weapons such as these were standard
issue for law enforcement, the Law faction also have large
stockpiles of these weapons.

KLASH
Making use of higher calibre ammunition, the Klash is a grue-
some assault rifle that is also highly effective against armoured
vehicles. Examples of this weapon are few and far between,
however, making them treasured possessions to those
who own them.

MOUSER
SAWN OFF
A lightweight, single-shot bolt-action rifle, the mouser is the
The classic double-barrel shotgun with its barrels shorn down
perfect tool to take on a hunting trip for additional supplies.
to increase the spread of the attack. A sawn off is even more
These weapons are frequently used to protect from rabid
devastating than its counterparts when up close and personal,
vermin on both urban and rural trips, hence its name.
but far less so at longer ranges. Reduce the sawn off’s base
damage to 3  and increase the difficulty of the test by 1 when
attacking a target at Medium range. A sawn off cannot be used
to attack targets at Long range.

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SNIPER RIFLES PEA SHOOTER

Designed for long range and high penetration, sniper rifles Pea Shooter is the colloquial term for the circular LMGS often
outstrip other weapons in terms of precision and deadliness mounted on BritAttack vehicles. Although bulkier than other
but tend to be bulkier and more awkward to use at short range. LMGs, they are easy to repair and maintain.
They also require a fair amount of training and additional spe-
cialist equipment in the form of telescopic sights to be truly
effective, making them specialised weapons that few have
mastered. Owning a sniper rifle and knowing how to use it
often garners healthy respect within a faction.

BIG SHOT
Bulkier than any other sniper rifle but also far deadlier, the
SAW
Big Shot is a terrifying weapon that has the capacity to punch
Another weapon salvaged from military outposts and bases,
through heavy armour and reinforced concrete. Able to stop
the Saw is often adapted to be pintle-mounted. Capable of
most vehicles in their tracks, this gun is designed purely to
firing in semi-auto, burst and fully-auto modes, these versatile
obliterate a target at range. All Big Shot’s are fitted with a
weapons are also easily operated by one person. Lack of spares
bipod at no additional cost.
means that they remain fairly uncommon but much prized.
PIONEER
Pioneer is a loose term for the renovated and modified sniper HEAVY MACHINE GUNS
rifles were once used exclusively by the military, but have since Highly sought after by virtually every road warrior on four
become popular on the Devil’s Run. Although they feature a wheels—and even some on two—heavy machine guns (HMGs)
longer barrel, Pioneers tend to be on a par with assault rifles in are some of the most powerful portable weapons in existence.
terms of size. Their ammunition has less destructive power than Some fire huge calibre ammunition at rapid rates, whilst other
their larger cousin but is equally as deadly to exposed targets. sport multiple barrels in the classic ‘Gatling’ style. No matter
their construction, these fully automatic beasts are destruction
personified. Without fail, every HMG either requires a team to
operate or else needs mounting on a vehicle.

HMGs use the Heavy Weapons skill, rather than Firearms.

.50 CAL
A truly terrifying weapon, this HMG fires massive cartridges at
rapid rates with devastating results; a burst from a .50 Cal can
tear through both armour and structures with ease. Although it
can be mounted on a tripod, most specimens of this powerful
weapon are vehicle-mounted in some fashion.

MINIGUN
Most versions of this HMG sport six barrels, though some have
been modified to accommodate more by more resourceful
road warriors. Unless they are mounted in a fixed position,
a minigun will need to be vehicle-mounted in some fashion.
Almost every minigun requires a source of power for its rotary
action, although hand crank variants can once again be found
where spares are lacking.

LIGHT MACHINE GUNS

Once known as a squad support weapon, the light machine
gun (LMG) is essentially an upgraded assault rifle designed for
sustained fire and suppressive bursts. They can be belt fed,
box fed, or fitted with magazines. Bulky and often requiring a
bipod, LMGs are prime candidates for retrofitting to vehicles.

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 GEAR & MERCH

FLAMERS ROCKETS & RPGS

Flamers—sometimes also known as flamethrowers—have Designed for maximum destruction and/or armour penetra-
become a popular tool for both dealing with Revenants and tion, rocket propelled grenades (RPGs) and rocket launchers
carving armour from enemy vehicles. Although flamers can have been a popular method for dealing with armoured targets
vary according to each faction, including which fuel type is and reinforced structures for decades. Not much has change
used, the end result is invariably the same. in the post-apocalypse.

All flamers utilise a pilot light situated at the end of a barrel Unless noted otherwise, the rocket launchers and RPGs use
to ignite a pressurised flammable chemical. The resultant the Heavy Weapons skill.
jet of burning flame can then be brandished across a wide
BRINGER
area to bathe multiple targets. These weapons are not for the
The Sky Student Justice Corps are a well-trained, highly mobile
faint-hearted, as malfunctions and well-placed shots can have
force that often use swarm tactics to down their targets.
deadly results for the wielder.
Technological innovations have gifted these jetpack-powered
Flamers use the Heavy Weapons skill, rather than Firearms. ladies with the Bringer as a means to deal with armoured tar-
gets. Much like the Provider, the Bringer is designed to shock
LIGHT FLAMER
foes into submission using a chemical discharge. A Bringer is
The light flamer covers the handheld versions that are pop-
considered to be Wild Tech.
ular with factions such as the Justice and Law Haulage Co.
Light flamers make use of chemicals drawn from some form
of cannister, which is most often carried in a back-mounted
frame. Recent innovations in fuel amongst the Justice have led
to smaller cannisters that are mounted on the weapon itself.

LAST WORD
A portable, single-use anti-armour weapon, the Last Word is
a popular choice with road warriors when combatting heav-
ily-armoured enemies. As it’s fired from the shoulder and
requires a great deal of accuracy, these weapons are most
HEAVY FLAMER
often employed from an ambush position.
These vehicle-mounted versions of the flamer are too heavy
for personal use. Heavy flamers are popular with the Hauls FRAG LAUNCHER
Angels, who put the super-heated jets to good use in carving Another catch-all term used by most factions, frag launcher
the armour from rival vehicles. relates to a grenade launcher that can be used independently
or attached to a weapon in some fashion. Little more than
short tubes designed to launch grenades across the battlefield,
frag launchers are single-shot weapons that require reloading
between each use.

REAPER
Another innovation of the Justice faction and also used almost
exclusively by the SSJC, the Reaper is a single-use wrist-
mounted rocket designed to be shot whilst operating a jetpack.
Although they have a relatively short range, Reapers pack a
serious punch that can knock out lightly armoured vehicles and
seriously damage heavily armoured ones. A Reaper features
in the Justice artwork on p. 116.

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 CHAPTER 6

EXPLOSIVES & GRENADES STICK BOMB

Unsurprisingly, a fair amount has changed since the Day of the Stick bombs are magnetic charges that can be attached to
Apocalypse. The television networks and media channels are vehicles and structures with devastating effect. The explo-
a thing of the past, and smart phones serve as little more than sion is designed to punch inwards, shredding both armour and
calculators—if the operator can even figure out how to use it occupants. Placing a charge on something that can defend
that is. On the other hand, some things never change. There itself is a melee attack that does not directly inflict damage.
are still plenty of ways to make something explode. Multiple charges triggered simultaneously on the same target
combine their qualities, Effects, and damage into a single roll.
DROPPER
Droppers, Frags, and HEs (High Explosives) all amount to the TEARS OF THE ANGEL
same thing: a handheld explosive on a fused timer that can be Another tool of the well-equipped SSJC, these acid bombs are
thrown short distances. Though military specimens can still be designed to strip armour from a target before the bigger guns
found, there are plenty of homebrewed grenades in circulation. of the Justice follow up with a knockout punch.

MISSILE WEAPONS
DYNAMITE
The good old classic never fails to impress. Dynamite is used
Despite most factions owning stockpiles of ammunition or
to collapse unsafe buildings, blast bridges, and ambush unsus-
being capable of fashioning their own, supply can still be an
pecting enemies. Characters just need to make sure the stick
issue. Ranged weapons that have zero reliance on gunpowder
isn’t sweaty when they pick it up!
offer a great means of conserving precious ammo.
MOLOTOV COCKTAIL
The Piercing quality of missile weapons is halved against
Only really useful during confrontations on foot or as a tool to
vehicles and structures, rounding down to a minimum of 0.
create a diversion, these homemade grenades are little more
Momentum spent for Targer Passenger Momentum spend
than bottled alcohol with a rag for a fuse.
(p. 208) against vehicles and structures represents a missile
POTATO MASHER weapon being used to target a window or similar opening.
Despite there being a preponderance of military hardware
BOLT THROWER
since the Day of the Apocalypse, plenty of grenades have
The classic crossbow is available in various shapes and sizes.
either been thrown or since deemed unsafe for use. Though
Beyond a basic understanding of how to reload for the next
less effective than Droppers, wooden-handled potato mashers
shot, bolt throwers require little training to operate. The bolts
have become popular alternatives to military spec grenades.
that these weapons fire are also extremely easy to manufacture.
SHREDDER
HUNTING BOW
Shredders are nasty devices that are designed to spring from
With the need for ammunition conservation a constant threat
the earth and attack anyone treading on them. These anti-per-
when out on the road, the art of manufacturing bows has slowly
sonnel mines are buried beneath the ground, leaving only a
been on the rise again. A bow made by a renowned bowyer is
pressure-activated sensor exposed. Once activated, the mine
a status symbol that can garner a lot of Merch.
launches a time-delayed explosive into the air that explodes at
waist height to a normal human. These devices grew in pop- HAND HARPOON
ularity as a means to contend with Revenants. They are even Vicious weapons that throw barbed bolts across short distances.
more deadly against living beings, of course, ensuring that they Although they pack a heftier punch than bolt throwers, their
will see continued use for the foreseeable future. Spotting and pneumatic components also make them harder to maintain.
disarming a Shredder both require an opposed Observation
test against the 1 plus the successes garnered by the Heavy
Weapons test used to place the mine.

SMOKE
A canister-type grenade that produces a billowing smoke
cloud. Useful for signalling or screening movement,

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 GEAR & MERCH

MELEE WEAPONS SWORD

Not every combat on the Devil’s Run takes between the drivers Although there are shorter and even two-handed blades avail-
and passengers of vehicles. Plenty of clashes between factions able, most swords fall under the classic variety that wouldn’t
devolve into brutal fights as the combatants seek a more up look out of place in the hands of a medieval knight.
close and personal victory over their rivals. Although there is a
THROWING AXE
wide range of melee weapons available to a character, some
A well-balanced axe designed for throwing short distances,
of the more common items listed here.
They are a popular tool for use against exposed passengers.
BAT
Some of the Old World sports are still practiced at a low level
within the factions. Most faction leaders appreciate the value
GREAT WEAPONS
Some weapons, such as swords and axes, are also available
in creating diversions from the daily struggle for existence.
as much larger versions of themselves. Axes in particular
Baseball is one of the more widespread team games to still be
have become popularised thanks to Gomez and his esca-
played. Any shaped piece of wood will do, of course, but Old
pades. All great weapons follow a few basic rules:
World sluggers can be worth a fair amount of $, particularly if
it’s also racked up a high body count out on the Run. • Weapons that are 1H or Unbalanced become 2H. A
weapon that is already 2H becomes Unwieldy.
BATTLE AXE
Popular among the Vykers but uncommon with other factions, • The weapon inflicts an additioal 2 of damage.
the battle axe is a deadly weapon in the hands of those trained
in its use. The soft skin of an unarmoured vehicle offers little • Blunt great weapons gain the Knockdown quality if
they don’t already have it.
protection against one of these when in the hands of a strong
opponent. Although they are most often seen with a single • Bladed great weapons gain the Vicious 1 quality (or
broad head, two-headed variants do exist increase their Vicious rating by 1 if already listed).

• The weapon must be an obvious choice for becom-

ing a great weapon. A knife or short sword gaining
in size simply becomes a sword, for example.

The maul is an example of a sledgehammer-type weapon

that has been supersized to a great weapon. At the GMs
discretion, a great weapon might also gain other qualities .

IMPROVISED WEAPONS
Improvised weaponry covers the tools and pieces of scen-
ery that are often snatched up from whatever is nearby.
The basic Improvised Attack inflicts 2 damage and has
the 1H, Improvised, Stun, and Thrown Qualities (the latter
CROWBAR
representing small objects picked up and hurled).
Useful for many things such as breaking and entering, popping
hoods, and helping with a tyre change, the trusty old crow- With the GM’s permission, a PC may pay 1 or more points of
bar also makes a potent weapon in desperate situations. The Fallout in order to establish a different improvised weapon.
non-combat rules for a crowbar can be found on p. 128. A weapon with the Qualities listed above costs 0 Fallout;
each additional  of damage or additional Quality (or
KNIFE
rank of a Quality) added increases the cost by 1 Fallout.
This term relates to the large hunting, survival and combat
Removing Qualities or making the weapon 2H instead of
knives that remain popular amongst road warriors. Anything
1H reduces the cost by 1 each, to a minimum of 0. The
smaller will most likely be considered an improvised weapon.
Improvised Quality cannot be removed.
MACE
For example, a broken bottle may replace the Stun Quality
A blunt instrument with a long handle and broad, heavy head.
with Vicious 1, requiring 0 Fallout (adding one Quality,
Not a subtle weapon, a mace is used to bludgeon opponents.
removing another). A metal stool may increase the damage
MAUL to 4 but become 2H, costing 1 Fallout. The GM has final
Essentially a huge hammer, a maul is a long, two-handed shaft say as to what can be used as an improvised weapon.
topped with a large hammer head.

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 CHAPTER 6

WILD TECH truly madcap designs, or even veto truly crazy ideas if they so
From chaos comes opportunity. As the world burned away choose—faster-than-light travel was still far out of humanity’s
the shackles of civilisation and consumer culture, the nuclear reach prior to the Day of the Apocalypse, so it should definitely
ash they left behind took humanity into the depths of desper- remain so following the collapse of civilisation.
ation, innovation, and perspiration. Inventive souls who might
otherwise never have had the time, inspiration, or madness to As an example, a gear head is inspired to attempt the
bring their zany visions to reality started to utilise their long construction of a laser pistol after witnessing a sonic pistol
hidden gifts to present new technologies to the world. These in use. Other than its source of dealing damage, It it is
technologies are known as Wild Tech. almost identical to the stats used for the sonic pistol. To
attempt the development of the laser pistol, the charac-
ter would roll against a difficulty of 5 (pistol’s Rarity+1) . If
THE NATURE OF WILD TECH they’re successful, the PC has built a working prototype.
Wild Tech relates to technologies that have been developed
by the various factions of the wasteland. Often surprising in
scope and achievement, Wild Tech is more advanced than A prototype will need proper testing and calibration once
commonly available technologies in the Old World. Indeed, developed. When a prototype is first constructed,all skill
the remaining powers often seize such technologies so that tests using the device suffer +2 difficulty and experience a
they can refine them into playthings for their elites. Complication Range of 15-20. The PC building the device can
spend 1 or 2 Momentum when constructing it to decreases this
by 1 or 2 steps. The character can, after employing the device
USING WILD TECH in the field engage in refinement.
Wild Tech is often difficult, unusual and unsettling to use.
Characters must use the Wild Tech skill for any device cat- The prototype will not be intuitive to use until it has passed its
egorised as Wild Tech, even if it might look like another skill first refinement (see below). Until the device has been refined,
would apply, and must spend 1 Momentum or pay 1 Fallout to it will impose +2 difficulty when used by any character. Once
use any feature associated with the device. This payment is the prototype has been refined, the device will be at +1 dif-
in addition to any use of Fuel required by the device. It must ficulty for all users until it’s been perfected. These penalties
also be paid every time the device is employed, as stipulated are in addition to any a character might suffer due to utilising
in the device’s description. technology not normally associated with their faction.

Characters attempting to use Wild Tech from outside of their

STEP TWO: REFINING TECHNOLOGY
faction or utilising something new for the first time will suffer
A PC that has used the device in the field for a number of
a difficulty increase of 1 or more steps.
weeks equal to its Complication Range can attempt to refine
it. This requires a test at the same difficulty as building the
Characters wishing to use Wild Tech frequently should prototype. If the test is successful, the device’s Complication
consider the Wild Tech talent, Lab Rat (see p. 116). Range decreases by 1 step. If the character generates enough
Momentum to equal the difficulty of the test, they can decrease
the Complication Range by 2 steps. Refinement can never
decrease a device’s Complication Range below 19-20.
BUILDING WILD TECH
STEP ONE: PROTOYPE AND CALIBRATION STEP THREE: PERFECTING TECHNOLOGY
Characters with a Wild tech Expertise of 2 or higher can attempt Once a prototype has been refined to a Complication Range
to develop their own prototypes. The difficulty of manufactur- of 19-20, the character can spend an additional week finishing
ing an item depends on the Exoticism of the device. Exoticism the device. At the end of this week, the character can attempt
is a consideration of how many features a piece of Wild Tech one last test at a difficulty equal to that needed to construct
has, how rare this technology is, and how small a frame these the prototype. If successful, the device has been perfected.
are constructed onto.
Make a clone of the device requires two weeks of manufac-
Exoticism informs the basic difficulty of building a prototype turing followed by a single test equal to that used to perfect
device and is equal to 1 the Rarity of similar Wild Tech. Should the prototype. A single device is made if this test is successful,
a character seek to develop a piece of Wild Tech that does plus an additional device for every 3 Momentum.
not yet exist, its Exoticism is equal to 1 plus the Rarity of an
Note: Equipment gained through character creation is consid-
item that performs a similar task through different means. The
ered perfected already, though not by the player.
GM may increase this difficulty should the character think up

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 GEAR & MERCH

JETPACK

FIRST WORLD VARIANTS A backpack that uses unqiue fuel to allow short bursts of flight,
allowing the character to move as a vehicle. The Backlash
While characters will likely never come across Old World
damage from a jetpack also has the Grievous quality.
variants of Wild Tech, any item not developed using the
rules for their construction will likely have a refined variant JET ENGINE
somewhere in the ruins of civilisation. These variants use An externally mounted jet engine that allows for rapid bursts of
all the usual Wild Tech rules but, unlike the rusted metal acceleration. Alternatively, it can also be used to burn enemies
and seared plastic of legitimate Wild Tech, will be clean to a crisp. Each round, a jet engine can be switched between
and refined copies of items recovered from the wastelands. use as either a nitro system (p. 220) or a heavy flamer (p. 144).
Switching between uses is a Free Action.
Old World variants have a Complication Range 1 less than
that of a regular item and a value in Merch 3 times normal RESONATOR
value. They are, however, a lot more fragile will likely cease A sonic device that uses sound waves to devastating effect.
to function altogether following a Complication. Although extremely rare, handheld versions do exist amongst
the Avant Guard.

WILD TECH SUMMARY TABLE

NAME QUALITIES WEIGHT RARITY MAINT. COST MERCH
Jetpack Vehicle: Scale 0, Speed 3, Handling 2, Impact 5  (Knockdown, 6 4 $25 $6000 10 1
Backlash 2), Structure 4, EP 0, Armour 1, Max. Fuel 2
Jet Engine External Vehicle Upgrade: Can be used as either a nitro system or 20 4 $25 $2500 10 1
heavy flamer. User decides which each round. 3 Components
Resonator Ranged Weapon: Range C, 4 , Burst 1, Mounted, Radiation 2 3 4 — $1250 41
1
This item has Faction Prevalence (see p. 140). Refer to its description for details.

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 CHAPTER 6

GEAR QUALITIES SUMMARY Particularly delicate objects (including those with the Fragile
The following table provides a quick reference to the cost, rarity, quality) will have half to three-quarters as much Structure as
upkeep and durability of the items of gear listed previously. other items of that size. They will usually have no Resistance.

The stats listed here are broken down as follows: Particularly tough or hardy items may have 1 or more Resistance.

Items designed for rugged or military use (including weapons),

• WEIGHT: The number of weight units needed to will usually have 1.5-2 times as much Structure as other items
carry the item.
of that size, as well as having 2–3 Resistance.
• RESISTANCE: The amount of Soak that the item Buildings and other large constructions can vary widely
has when it suffers damage. This typically provides
depending on construction materials, and should be split
Persistent Soak for the item, not the person carrying it.
into distinct parts—doors, windows, bulkheads, etc. Use the
• RARITY: How hard it is to find the item. This number is above guidelines to judge the Structure of those sections.
rated from 1 to 5 and is used to determine the difficulty Load-bearing sections should have more Structure, and their
when testing to find items with local traders. destruction can be catastrophic.

• MAINTENANCE: Some items have an ongoing cost to FAULT EFFECTS

maintain them. The sum of Maintenance shouldn’t be
The following effects can be used for Faults suffered by an
enforced if the characters spend their Trafficking Phase
object. Objects are disabled and cannot be used if they suffer
in their own faction base camp. Out on the road, the
four Faults. If they suffer five Faults, they are permanently
GM can enforce all, none, or some of the value shown
destroyed. (Rebuilding something from the resulting scrap is
here as a tax to keep the item working between gaming
essentially equivalent to building a new item from scratch.)
sessions. The effects of not meeting Maintenance costs
are detailed in the Trafficking Phase, p. 243. COMPROMISED: Although not fully disabled, the functionality
of some objects may be compromised with a Fault Effect. For
• COST: To purchase the item. Usually stated in $ example, a locked door might be kicked open or a gun turret dam-
and Merch. Items without a Merch rating have no
aged so that it can no longer rotate (limiting its field of fire). In
barter value.
the case of particularly robust objects, the GM may require

STRUCTURE multiple Fault Effects to be inflicted before the object is fully

compromised.
Every object has a Structure rating for how much physical
damage it can take, which is roughly dictated by its Size and DAMAGED: Characters using the item suffer +1 difficulty on asso-
composition. Losing Structure is mostly superficial, but if an ciated skill tests. (Since this can increase the difficulty of Simple
object suffers 5 or more physical damage from an attack or its (D0) tests to an Average (D1) test, it may also require characters
Structure has been reduced to 0 or less after an attack, it will to make skill tests that they normally wouldn’t need to, such as
suffer a Fault. The following are rough guidelines—as always, controlling a car after its tires have been shot out.)
the GM has final discretion.
DISABLE FUNCTION: For objects with multiple functions, it may be
possible to disable one of them with a Fault Effect while leaving
• Even the most fragile items have at least 1 Structure. the others intact.
• An item that can be easily carried or held in one hand INJURY: In some cases, inflicting a Fault on an object may inflict
will have 2–4 Structure.
damage on its user. As an example, a damaged ladder may cause
• An item that needs to be carried in both hands will have someone to fall and suffer damage. The GM should determine
4–6 Structure. these effects as logically and consistently as possible, but default-
ing to 2  damage is a good rule of thumb.
• An item which is too large to carry, but which is smaller
than a person normally has 6-8 Structure.
REPAIRING ITEMS
• Person-sized or larger objects typically have 8+ Objects can’t use the Recover action. They also cannot Rest or
Structure. Recuperate. Characters can make treat tests for items normally
(using the Treat action during action scenes or performing
• Vehicles are listed with their own Structure ratings. Minor or Serious Treatment repairs between action scenes). In
addition, a successful Simple (D0) treat test between scenes
RESISTANCE can be used to recover all Structure the item has lost. Treat
Resistance is a measure of an item’s ability to resist damage. tests for objects use the Engineering or Wild Tech skill.

149
 GEAR & MERCH

SIZE DISPOSABLE: A disposable item is designed to be used only once

An item’s Size rates how easy or difficult it is to wield. Items and is destroyed or lost after use.
without a Size can generally be assumed to require one hand
FRAGILE: A Fragile item is disabled after suffering one Fault and
if they are being physically manipulated. As they’re most
is destroyed after suffering two Faults.
pertinent to weapons, the different size categories and their
mechanical effects are covered in the Weapon Qualities IMPROVISED X: The item is not designed for the described use,
Summary on p. 154. giving it a +X complication range.

SUBTLE X: This item is particularly quiet and draws little attention.

GEAR QUALITIES Any Observation test to notice the use of the item increases by +X
Just as with their Size descriptor, many items have other difficulty. In addition, noisy actions using the item are reduced to
common features. Item qualities are used to describe these sneaky actions; and sneaky actions are reduced to silent actions.
features and collect each under a single, convenient label.
UNSUBTLE X: This item is unusually overt, drawing undue atten-
Notes on the conventional structure and sub-categories of
tion each time the item is used. Any Observation tests made to
all qualities precede the general qualities listed below.
detect the use of the item are made at −X difficulty (minimum 0).

ABBREVIATIONS In addition, silent actions using the item are increased to sneaky
actions; and sneaky actions are increased to noisy actions.
Some qualities will be listed in stat blocks using an abbreviation.
These abbreviations are listed below in [square brackets] after
the name of the quality. For example, the “Electromagnetic
[E/M]” quality appears as “E/M” in stat blocks.

QUALITY RATINGS
An X in a quality’s name indicates that the quality is available
at several different ratings (usually 1–3). Unlike other qualities,
if an item would add the same rated quality as another item,
and both items have the quality, the ratings stack (unless oth-
erwise noted).

SUBTYPES
Some qualities have subtypes or are variations on a theme. The
different subtypes are listed in (parentheses) after the name
of the quality. For example, the Area (Close/Medium/Long)
quality is actually three separate qualities—Area (Close), Area
(Medium), and Area (Long).

TRIGGERED EFFECTS
Some qualities (usually only attack qualities) only take effect
when triggered. As noted in their description, these qualities
are activated when one or more Effects are rolled on a combat
dice roll (usually a damage roll). As long as at least one Effect
is rolled, all of the qualities on the associated equipment will
be triggered.

GENERAL QUALITIES
ARMOURED X: The item has Armour Soak equal to this rating,
making it more difficult to destroy.

CONCEALED X: The item is easy to hide or is designed to be dis-

guised as something else. Observation tests made to discover the
item when it has been hidden or concealed are made at +X diffi-
culty. A character can spend 1 Momentum when using the item
to stow it away immediately after use.

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CHAPTER 6

GEAR & EQUIPMENT SUMMARY TABLE

CATEGORY/NAME WEIGHT RESISTANCE RARITY MAINTENANCE COST MERCH
Battery — — 1 — $10 —
Battery (Rechargeable) — — 2 $5 $20 1
CLOTHING
Scavenged — 1 0 — $10 —
Basic — 1 1 $5 $50 1
Quality/Designer — 1 3 $25 $500 2
Sunglasses — — 2 — $50 1
COMMUNICATION
Personal Radios 2 1 4 $10 $100 1
Satellite Phone 2 1 5 $25 $1000 4
FOOD & WATER
Alcohol (1 Litre) 1 — 1 — $20 1
Energy Drink 1 — 2 — $10 1
Road Rations (1 Day) — — 1 — $10 1
MEDICAL
Antibiotics — — 4 — $500 3
MedKit 2 1 3 $10 $200 2
Nitro — — 3 — $100 1
Painkillers — — 3 — $50 1
Pharmaceuticals — — 4 — $50 1
Surgical Tools 2 1 3 $25 $500 3
INDUSTRIAL
Boltcutters 4 2 1 — $100 1
Chemical Detection Kit 1 1 3 $20 $250 3
Crowbar 1 3 2 — $50 1
Engineering Toolkit 6 2 3 $50 $500 3
Fire Extinguisher 3 1 2 $5 $150 1
Gas Bottle 4 1 2 $10 $300 3
Geiger Counter 2 1 4 $5 $500 3
Lockpick Kit 1 1 2 $5 $150 2
Mechanic’s Toolkit 4 2 2 $10 $250 2
Multitool 1 1 1 — $50 1
Portable Generator 16 2 4 $50 $750 51
Power Tools 6 2 3 $25 $500 3
Scientific Sample Kit 4 1 3 $10 $100 1
Toxic Gas Detector 1 1 4 $10 $250 2

151
 GEAR & MERCH

GEAR & EQUIPMENT SUMMARY TABLE

CATEGORY/NAME WEIGHT RESISTANCE RARITY MAINTENANCE COST MERCH
PPE
Biohazard Suit 4 1 4 $25 $500 31
Rebreather 2 1 3 $10 $200 2
Respirator 2 1 2 $5 $75 1
SURVEILLANCE
Binoculars 1 1 1 — $150 2
Camera 1 1 3 $10 $500 3
Night Vision Equipment 1 1 3 $50 $750 5
SURVIVAL
Backpack 1 1 1 $5 $50 1
Climbing Gear 4 1 3 $10 $150 1
Compass — — 2 — $100 1
Halogen Lantern — 1 2 $5 $50 1
Road Map 2 — 2 — $25 1
Signal Flare 1 1 1 — $25 1
Survival Kit — — 2 $10 $200 2
Torch — 1 2 $5 $50 1
Topographic Map — — 3 — $50 1
Water Filter 1 — 3 $50 $250 2
Water Purification Tab. (5) — — 2 $5 $50 1
TACTICAL
Bipod/Tripod 3 2 2 — $150 2
Ballistic Glasses/Goggles — 1 2 — $200 2
Camouflage Clothing 2 1 2 $5 $250 2
Handcuffs 1 2 2 — $100 11
Holster — 1 1 — $150 1
Hunter’s Camo Cape 1 — 3 $5 $200 2
Laser Sight 1 1 4 $10 $500 31
Maglinks — — 2 $5 $100 1
MilSpec Backpack 2 1 3 $5 $200 2
Night vision Scope 2 1 4 $25 $750 3
Plasticuffs (10) — 1 2 $5 $50 1
Silencer 1 2 3/4 — $250/$500 2/3
Stinger 5 3 3 $5 $150 1
Telescopic Sight 1 1 2 $25 $500 3
1
This item has Faction Prevalence (see p. 140). Refer to its description for details.

152
 CHAPTER 6

ARMOUR SUMMARY TABLE

SOAK
ARMOUR WEIGHT MAINT. RARITY COST MERCH
HEAD TORSO ARMS LEGS
Armoured Vest — 2 — — 3 $5 3 $250 2
Chain Shirt — 2 1 — 4 $5 2 $300 31
Leathers — 1 1 1 2 $10 1 $150 2
Leather Jacket — 1 1 — 1 $5 1 $100 1
Leather Trousers — — — 1 1 $5 1 $75 1
Leather Vest — 1 — — 1 $5 1 $50 21
Military Helmet 2 — — — 1 $5 3 $250 31
Motorcycle Helmet 2 — — — 1 — 2 $200 2
Plate Carrier — 3 — — 5 $5 4 $500 31
Riot Armour 2 2 2 2 4 $5 3 $500 41
Riot Shield * * * * 3 $5 3 $150 2
Stab Vest — 1* — — 1 $5 2 $250 3
1
This item has Faction Prevalence (see p. 140). Refer to its description for details.

153
 GEAR & MERCH

WEAPON QUALITIES SUMMARY

A weapon appears in both text and tables using the following
RELOADS
Rather than track each bullet, shell, or rocket, the system
format: “Antique Pistol: 1H, R/C, 4 , Burst 1.”
uses an abstraction known as Reloads for tracking ammu-
The name of the weapon is followed by text indicating the size nition. With so much of the action taking place at full
of the weapon and how it’s wielded. The next entry indicates throttle, it’s best to maintain a focus on the action and
the weapon’s range in abbreviations that correspond to the minimise bookkeeping. Whether they represent cassettes,
range categories. Damage is listed next, followed by all of the drums, belts, or bandoliers is of no consequence, as all
weapon’s qualities. The abbreviations and qualities related to Reloads ultimately provide the same mechanical benefits.
each entry are further described below.
Each Reload is specific to the weapon it is listed for, mean-

SIZE ing that Reloads are not interchangeable in most cases.

At their discretion, the GM can allow some Reloads to be
A weapon’s size determines its Resistance and ease of han-
used with another weapon of the same class (swapping
dling. 1H and Unwieldy weapons generally have 1 Resistance,
Reloads between two pistols, for example). With a little
whilst 2H, Unbalanced and Mounted typically have 3 or more.
time—and again with the GM’s discretion—some Reloads
ONE-HANDED (1H): The item can be used in one or two hands might even be transferred between categories (emptying
without penalty. magazines from a pistol to fill magazines for a rifle of the
similar calibre, for instance).
TWO-HANDED (2H): The item can be used in two hands without
penalty. If used one-handed, any test made is at +2 difficulty. Unless otherwise stated, most Reloads have a Weight of
1. A weapon’s Maintenance cost represents the amount
UNBALANCED: The item is heavy and difficult to wield for any
required to purchase new Reloads for that particular
but the strongest of people. If the wielder has a Brawn of 9 or
weapon. Replacement Reloads may be purchased during
higher, the item is considered to be one-handed. If the wielder
the Trafficking Phase (see p. 243), though the GM is enti-
has a Brawn of 8 or lower, then the item is instead two-handed.
tled to request specific tests or otherwise place limits on
UNWIELDY: The item is extremely bulky and cumbersome, and Reloads for unusual or unique weapons.
not particularly portable. Any use of an Unwieldy item is at +2
Reloads use the following rules:
difficulty and increases the Complication Range by 2. These
penalties can be removed by taking the Brace action. Unwieldy • Reloads are not expended through the normal use
items can’t be used one-handed. of a ranged weapon, but characters can spend a
Reload to gain 1 bonus d20 on the weapon’s attack
MOUNTED: The item is fixed in position, vehicle-mounted, or
test and +1 to the damage roll.
otherwise immobile. Physical access to the item is required.
• The number of Reloads a character can spend on a
RANGE specific attack is limited by the Burst value of the
All ranged weapons are provided with a range category. The weapon being used.
range listed relates to the optimal range at which the weapon
is designed to be most effective. Attacks against a target within • Running out of Reloads means the weapon is com-
pletely out of ammunition and is unable to be used
the range category (or categories) are unaffected. Otherwise,
for attacks until additional Reloads are gained.
add 1 to the difficulty of the attack for each range category
different from the listed range. • If a player rolls one or more Complications when
making an attack with a ranged weapon, they auto-
DAMAGE matically expend 1 Reload for the weapon.
Listed as a number of , this is the base amount of dice that are
rolled for a successful attack. Melee attacks gain additional  • If a weapon that requires Reloads is used during
a scene, 1 Reload is automatically expended at
based on Brawn, while ranged attacks gain additional  based
the end of the scene regardless of Complications
on Awareness. See p. 194, Bonus Damage Table.
or other factors. Ignore this rule if the weapon is
Reloads, Momentum spends, Superhuman attributes, weapon already out of ammunition.
qualities, and other features can also grant damage bonuses.
• The scarcer nature of ammo means that 1 Reload
BURST might be lost because of a firefight even though
none were used for beneficial mechanical gain. See
A weapon’s Burst determines the maximum number of Reloads
the Trafficking Phase, p. 243.
that can be spent when attacking with it.

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 CHAPTER 6

WEAPON QUALITIES & EFFECTS is unable to move or take action except to attempt an Acrobatics,
A weapon appears in text using the following format: “Antique Athletics, or Drive test with a Difficulty equal to the number of
Pistol: 1H, R/C, 4 , Burst 1.” The name of the weapon is fol- Effects rolled. An Exploit Action against the target has its difficulty
lowed by “1H” or “2H,” indicating how many hands are required reduced by 1. If the Grappling weapon is a melee weapon, the
to wield the weapon; the next entry indicates the weapon’s weapon’s wielder may anyone else while a target remains grappled.
range in abbreviations that correspond to the range categories. The attacker may not move away from the target without releasing
Damage is listed next, followed by all of that weapon’s qualities. that target, which requires a Free Action.

The weapon qualities that follow can trigger as the result of a GRIEVOUS: These attacks are designed to inflict massive harm and
rolling an Effect on a Combat Die, while others provide special incapacitate targets swiftly. If a Grievous attack inflicts one or more
rules or abilities for the associated weapon. Each Effect rolled Harms, it inflicts one additional Harm of the same type as well.
triggers every quality associated with the weapon.
HIDDEN X: The item is easy to hide or designed to be disguised
ANTI-MATERIEL X: The attack is designed to damage structures, as something else. When concealed, any search of the character
vehicles, and other sources of cover. Attacks against targets in requires a D(X) Observation test to locate the hidden item. You
cover destroy X points of cover for each Effect rolled and attacks can spend Momentum gained on a test using the item to stow
against vehicles or armoured structures permanently reduce the it immediately after use: this costs 2 Momentum for items with
target’s Soak in that location by X for each Effect rolled. Hidden 1 or 2, and 1 Momentum for any item with Hidden 3 or more.

If a piece of cover loses all of its cover dice, it is destroyed and IMMOBILISING: If one or more Effects are rolled on the damage roll
no longer provides any protection. If the vehicle or structure’s from an Immobilising attack, the target must make an Athletics test
Soak is already at 0, each Effect rolled deals 1 damage instead. with a difficulty equal to the number of Effects rolled or become
Hindered. If the target was already Hindered or if the attacker
AREA (CLOSE/MEDIUM/LONG): The attack affects a wide area
spends 1 Momentum, the target instead becomes Stuck.
and multiple targets. Each Momentum spent causes the attack to
strike an additional target within the blast’s range, starting with IMPROVISED: Unless it is also Vicious, no additional damage is
the character closest to the target of the attack. A Complication scored with this weapon when an Effect is rolled.
may mean an ally is struck instead. Characters targeted by the
INCENDIARY X: The target is set alight and gains the Burning X con-
attack may attempt separate Defence Reactions against a fixed
dition for a number of rounds equal to the number of Effects rolled.
difficulty of Challenging (D2).
INDISCRIMINATE (CLOSE/MEDIUM/LONG): An Indiscriminate
BACKLASH X: Attacks with the Backlash quality are dangerous for
attack affects one or more zones. Each target within the affected
the user as well as the enemy, and inflict X damage to the wielder
zones—every character, vehicle, and damageable object—suffers
for each Effect rolled. This damage ignores Soak and, if it is physical
the attack’s damage, regardless of whether they are friend, foe,
damage, affects a random hit location.
or neutral (or even if the attacker wasn’t aware of their presence).
BIOTECH: The weapon relies on biological, chemical, or techno- Each character targeted by an Indiscriminate attack may attempt
logical means that bypass conventional armour. Biotech damage separate Defence Reactions against it, resolving them separately
can only be defended against by specialised armour or clothing. against a fixed difficulty of Challenging (D2).

BLINDING: The attack emits focused beams of light, sound, or data KNOCKDOWN: If one or more Effects are rolled, the target is
to blind the target or jam their sensors. If an Effect is rolled, the knocked prone unless they succeed at an Athletics or Acrobatics
target must succeed on a Daunting (D3) Resistance test or suffer test with a difficulty equal to the number of Effects rolled.
the Blinded condition for one round per Effect rolled.
MUNITION: The weapon expends a single Reload when fired. The
DEAFENING: The attack releases a wave of sound that overloads Reload provides none of its usual benefits.
the auditory systems. If an Effect is rolled on a Deafening attack,
NONLETHAL: The attack is designed to incapacitate rather than
the target must succeed on a Difficult (D3) Resistance test or suffer
inflict lasting harm. Any Harms inflicted by a Nonlethal attack are
the Deafened condition. This lasts for 1 round per Effect rolled.
temporary; they are removed entirely when treated or after the
FRANGIBLE: These attacks become less effective over time. For next scene, whichever comes first.
each Effect rolled, reduce the number of  in the attack’s damage
PARRY X: The weapon is exceptionally good at turning aside incom-
rating by 1. If this would reduce the number of  to 0, the attack
ing attacks. A Parry weapon grants the wielder X  additional
cannot be used again until it has been replaced or replenished.
Cover Soak against melee attacks. A character wielding two Parry
GRAPPLING: In addition to dealing damage, if one or more Effects weapons adds their ratings together.
are rolled the weapon may grapple the target. A grappled target
PIERCING X: Ignore X points of Soak for each Effect rolled.

155
 GEAR & MERCH

RADIATION X: Damage with the Radiation quality ignores all Soak weapons have a range of Close unless specified otherwise. If the
except EP and is treated as Terrifying X and Vicious X. If a Wound Thrown weapon can also be used for melee attacks, those attacks
is suffered from radiation, it possesses a special Wound Effect that are still resolved normally using the Melee skill.
inflicts a +1 difficulty on all Agility-, Brawn-, or Coordination-based
TORRENT: The weapon fires a stream of deadly liquid, flame, or
actions. In addition, neither the Wound nor the Wound Effect can
some other substance that can be swept back and forth across an
be removed without Serious Treatment (or a specialised item).
area to affect a group and overcome cover. Torrent weapons cannot
REACH: A character with a Reach weapon can use Withdraw as affect targets beyond Medium range and they ignore all Cover
a Free Action if no enemy combatants have a reach weapon. The Soak. A Torrent weapon is otherwise treated as an Area attack.
first melee attack made against a character with a Reach weapon
TOXIC X: The attack has a lingering, deleterious effect. If the attack
has its difficulty increased by 1. See p. 183 for Reach in combat.
inflicts one or more Harms, then the target suffers this alternative
SALVO X (QUALITY): The attack is particularly effective when Harm instead: the target suffers 1+X , Vicious 1 damage at the
large quantities of ammunition are unleashed. This quality grants end of each of its turns. This extra damage can be of any type,
another quality whenever the attack uses X Reloads (not counting determined by the type of attack that caused it.
Reloads used because of the Munition quality). If no X value is
UNFORGIVING X: This weapon is either exceptionally precise or
given, the Salvo quality can be triggered with 1 Reload.
capable of inflicting much greater harm on a direct hit. When
SPREAD X: This weapon is designed to affect a larger area. For making an attack that has gained the benefit of the Exploit action,
each Effect generated on the damage roll, the attack inflicts an the attack gains Grievous and Vicious X.
additional hit, inflicting half the damage of the first hit. Each of
UNSUBTLE X: Observations tests to detect the use of the weapon
these hits is reduced by Soak separately. If the target has multiple
are made at -X difficulty. A wielder’s stealth level is worsened by 1.
hit locations, roll a separate location for each additional hit.
UNWIELDY: The item is extremely bulky and cumbersome, and not
SMOKE X: Attacks with Smoke create a cloud of gas or other sub-
particularly portable. Any test using an Unwieldy item has both its
stance that interferes with enemy lines of sight within a target zone.
difficulty and its Complication Range increased by 2. These pen-
For each Momentum spent when attacking with a Smoke weapon,
alties can be removed by taking the Brace action. Unwieldy items
the attack affects an additional adjacent zone. Observation tests
cannot be wielded in one hand.
or attacks within, into, or out of affected zones are made at +X
difficulty. This penalty decreases by 1 every 1d6 rounds. If the pen- VICIOUS X: Inflict X additional damage for each Effect generated.
alty is reduced to 0, the Smoke has been completely dissipated.

SPECULATIVE FIRE: The ranged attack can be arced over obstacles

or otherwise used in an indirect manner to attack hard-to-reach
foes. A Speculative Fire attack suffers no difficulty increase for
attacks against targets that are detected, but for which there is
no direct line of fire. Further, the attacker can take a penalty of +1
difficulty to ignore the target’s Cover Soak entirely.

SPREAD X: This attack can strike the target across multiple areas.
For each Effect generated on the damage roll, the attack inflicts
X additional hits at half the first hit’s damage, each separately
reduced by Soak. If the attack inflicts physical damage, roll separate
hit locations for each additional hit. The weapon is also particularly
effective at blasting holes in cover; add up all the damage inflicted
from all hits to determine if cover is degraded.

STUN: The weapon inflicts the Staggered condition on the target,

which lasts for 1 round for each Effect rolled.

SUBTLE X: The item is particularly quiet and draws little attention.

Observation tests to hear the item’s use increase by X difficulty.

TERRIFYING X: Each Effect rolled also inflicts X damage to Nerve.

THROWN: Thrown weapons can be used to make ranged attacks,

using Athletics as the attack skill in place of anything else. Thrown

156
 CHAPTER 6

MELEE WEAPON SUMMARY TABLE

CATEGORY/NAME DAMAGE SIZE QUALITIES WEIGHT RARITY MAINT. COST MERCH
Bat 3 1H Stun 1 1 — $25 —
Battle Axe 5 Unbalanced Grievous, Vicious 1 2 3 — $250 21
Crowbar 3 1H Stun 1 2 — $50 1
Knife 3 1H Hidden 1, Piercing 1, Subtle 1, — 1 — $10 —

Mace 4 Unbalanced Piercing 1, Stun 2 2 — $100 2

Maul 5 2H Knockdown, Stun 3 2 — $250 2
Spear 4 Unbalanced Piercing 1, Reach, Thrown 2 1 — $50 1
Sword 5 1H Parry 1 2 2 — $150 2
Throwing Axe 3 1H Thrown, Vicious 1 1 1 — $50 1

RANGED WEAPON SUMMARY TABLE

CATEGORY/NAME RANGE DAMAGE BURST SIZE QUALITIES WEIGHT RARITY MAINT. COST MERCH
HANDGUN
.44 Magnum C 5 1 1H Vicious 1 2 3 $25 $500 31
Antique Revolver C 4 1 1H 1 1 $10 $150 1
Duelling Pistol R/C 3 2 1H Hidden 1, Munition 1 3 $10 $250 31
Pistol C 4 1 1H 1 2 $10 $250 3
Pistolet R/C 3 1 1H Hidden 1, Vicious 1 1 3 $25 $750 31
Provider R/C 4 2 1H Stun 2 3 $15 $250 21
Sentencer C 5 1 1H Backlash 1, Grievous 2 4 $25 $500 21
Shooter C 5 1 1H 2 3 $10 $250 21
SMGS
Five-Seven C 4 3 Unbalanced 1 3 $15 $750 41
Hump C 5 2 Unbalanced 2 3 $15 $750 4
Tommy C 5 2 Unbalanced Spread 1 2 3 $15 $750 4
Stuzi C 5 2 Unbalanced Vicious 1 2 3 $25 $1000 4
RIFLES
Carb M 5 2 2H 2 2 $15 $500 31
Klash M 5 2 2H Vicious 1 3 4 $50 $1000 4
Mouser M 4 1 2H Unforgiving 1 2 2 $15 $500 3
Partisan M 5 1 2H Unforgiving 1 3 3 $25 $750 4
SHOTGUNS
Ramington C 5 1 2H Knockdown, Spread 1 2 3 $15 $500 31
Rotary Shotgun M 6 2 2H Knockdown, Spread 1 2 4 $50 $1250 4
Sawn Off R/C 4 1 Unbalanced Knockdown, Spread 2 1 3 $15 $750 3

157
 GEAR & MERCH

RANGED WEAPON SUMMARY TABLE

CATEGORY/NAME RANGE DAMAGE BURST SIZE QUALITIES WEIGHT RARITY MAINT. COST MERCH
SNIPER RIFLES
Big Shot L 7 1 Unwieldy Grievous, Salvo 1 (Anti- 3 4 $50 $1500 5
Materiel 1, Terrifying 1),
Unforgiving 1, Vicious 1
Pioneer L 6 1 2H Unforgiving 1, Vicious 1 2 3 $25 $1250 4
LMGS
Pea Shooter M 6 2 Unwieldy Spread 1 3 4 $25 $2000 51
Saw M 5 2 Unwieldy Spread 1 3 3 $25 $1500 4
HMGS
.50 Cal L 7 2 Unwieldy Grievous, Salvo 1 (Anti- 5 4 $75 $2000 8
Materiel 1, Terrifying 1),
Spread 1, Unsubtle 1,
Vicious 1
Minigun L 7 3 Mounted Area (Close), Salvo 5 4 $75 $2000 8
(Terrifying 1), Spread 2,
Unsubtle 1, Vicious 1
FLAMERS

Light Flamer C 5 1 2H Incendiary 2, Munition, 3 4 $25 $750 41

Terrifying 1, Torrent
Heavy Flamer C 7 1 Mounted Incendiary 3, Munition, 5 4 $75 $1000 81
Terrifying 1, Torrent
ROCKETS & RPGS
Bringer L 6 1 Unwieldy Area (Close), 3 4 $50 $750 51
Munition, Piercing 1,
Spread 1, Stun
Last Word M 7 1 Unwieldy Area (Close), Munition, 2 3 $25 $500 3
Piercing 2, Spread 1,
Unsubtle, Vicious 1
Mike Launcher M — 1 Unbalanced (Refer to the grenade 2 1 $20 $200 2
type being used)
Reaper M 5 1 Unbalanced Munition, Piercing 1, 2 4 $25 $750 31
Spread 1, Vicious 1
MISSILE WEAPONS
Bolt Thrower C 3 1 Unbalanced Piercing 1, Unforgiving 2 2 $10 $1000 3
1, Subtle 1
Hand Harpoon C 4 1 2H Piercing 1, Salvo 1 2 3 $25 $1000 3
(Anti-Materiel)
Hunting Bow M 3 1 2H Piercing 1, Salvo 1 2 2 $10 $750 3
(Vicious), Subtle 1

1
This item has Faction Prevalence (see p. 140). Refer to its description for details.

158
 CHAPTER 6

EXPLOSIVES & GRENADES SUMMARY TABLE

CATEGORY/NAME CAT. DAMAGE 2 SIZE QUALITIES WEIGHT RARITY MAINT. COST MERCH
Dropper Grenade 5 1H Disposable, 1 3 — $250 1
Indiscriminate (Close),
Speculative Fire, Spread 1,
Thrown, Unsubtle 2, Vicious 1
Dynamite Explosive 7 1H Disposable, 1 3 — $250 2
Indiscriminate (Close),
Spread 1, Unsubtle 2, Vicious 1
Molotov Cocktail Grenade 2 1H Area (Close) Disposable, 1 1 — $25 —
Incendiary 1,
Speculative Fire, Thrown,
Unsubtle 1
Potato Masher Grenade 4 1H Disposable, 1 2 — $250 1
Indiscriminate (Close),
Speculative Fire, Spread 1,
Thrown, Unsubtle 2, Vicious 1
Shredder Mine 6 2H Disposable, Indiscriminate 1 4 — $500 3
(Close), Spread 1,
Unsubtle 2, Vicious 1
Smoke Grenade — 1H Disposable, Indiscriminate 1 2 — $100 1
(Close), Nonlethal,
Speculative Fire,
Smoke 2, Thrown
Stick Bomb Charge 7 1H Anti-Materiel 2, Disposable, 1 4 — $500 3
Piercing 2, Spread 1,
Unsubtle 2, Vicious 2
Tears of Grenade 4 1H Disposable, Incendiary 1, 1 4 — $250 21
the Angel Indiscriminate (Close),
Speculative Fire, Spread 1,
Thrown, Unsubtle 1, Vicious 1

This item has Faction Prevalence (see p. 140). Refer to its description for details.
1

2
Bonus Damage from attributes doesn’t get added to damage from explosive devices.

159
 GEAR & MERCH

§ SAVAGE GEAR The gear listed in either book largely serve to enable skill tests.
There is a healthy list of gear available within the SWADE Core Need to open a lock? Lockpicks (lockpick kit in this book) are
Rules. Not all of it may be obtainable in this post-apocalyptic exactly what’s required. Looking to mount some new armour
setting, however. Computers, for instance, are barely remem- plating on your vehicle? A tool kit (engineering or mechanics
bered. Perhaps there is a bunker somewhere with working toolkit in this book) will help get the job done.
components piggybacked together into something resembling
In mechanical terms, most items of gear facilitate the skill test
a computer, but it’s likely beyond the reach of the PCs. Players
but don’t generally add to the chance of success. Attempting a
should always check with the GM when purchasing gear.
skill test without the item is a different story, of course, with the
The gear list here also presents some new items, or else a chance of success often drastically reduced or non-existent.
post-apocalyptic variant of something found within SWADE. In
the latter case, either version of the item is potentially available, SAVAGE MOMENTUM
as there are still fairly pristine or well-maintained examples of Some gear descriptions within this book provide a mechanical
many items found in SWADE. Players wishing to purchase the boost called Momentum on a successful test. While this a term
original version rather than the post-apocalyptic one should from the 2d20 ruleset, it can also be used to factor in bonuses
check with the GM on availability. They should also take note for SWADE. After all, Momentum gained from an item often
of the price variance mentioned in the boxout below. relates to it being particularly well-crafted, or else especially
suited for the task at hand. If an item’s description states that it
Weapons and gear follow the normal SWADE rules.
provides Momentum for 2d20, Savage GMs can allow the item
to provide a +1 bonus to the related test for SWADE.

BUYING GEAR THE SAVAGE RUN WAY RELATED ITEMS

The economics of the Devil’s Run setting have largely
Armour and weapons from the tables in this corebook are
been established by the factions and their leaders. Prices
mostly already listed in SWADE, they’re just hiding behind a
are mostly set to keep their underlings toiling for more,
different name. The following lists clarify which Devil’s Run
and the mighty dollar has been retained to help maintain
moniker relates to which SWADE listing. Other than $ cost,
the charade. For many reasons, this corebook is aligned
which has already been covered, use the tables in SWADE to
closely with the prices established for the Devil’s Run
determine the item’s statistics. SWADE statistics for items that
board game, which are certainly more exorbitant than
have no equivalent between the systems can be found in the
those presented in SWADE.
Savage Weapon Summary Table on the next page.
Players purchasing gear for their characters using SWADE
should first check the prices presented in the tables from
p. 151-159 of this book, as these take precedence. If a par-
ticular item isn’t listed, the player should look for a similar
item in the closest category—at a quick glance, most SMGs GEAR EQUIVALENTS TABLE
cost $750, for instance. Should a price still not be readily
apparent, the player should consult the GM for a price. COREBOOK NAME SWADE NAME
For their part, GMs should keep in mind that the economy Antique Revolver Ruger (.22)
is completely skewed. While hammers and candles might Pistol Glock (9mm)
still be ten-a-penny, decent soap and a functional lighter
might be worth considerably more than their list price in Hump H&K MP5
the SWADE Core Rules—especially if the item is consid- Stuzi Uzi
ered Old World memorabilia. The price lists in both this
Ramington Pump-Action
corebook and SWADE plus an appreciation for the setting
should help when making judgement calls on gear prices. Rotary Shotgun Streetsweeper
Carb M-16
Klash AK-47
SAVAGE DESCRIPTIONS Mouser M1 Garand
The gear descriptions from p. 120 onwards in this corebook
serve equally as well for the SWADE ruleset. In fact, a fair few Partisan Hunting Rifle
items of gear in this book are a repeat of items listed in SWADE Big Shot Barret (.50)
but now masquerading under a different name.

160
CHAPTER 6

GEAR EQUIVALENTS TABLE CONT. GEAR EQUIVALENTS TABLE CONT.

COREBOOK NAME SWADE NAME COREBOOK NAME SWADE NAME
Med. Machine Gun Last Word M72 Law
Pea Shooter
(Vehicular Weapons)
Mike Launcher M203-40MM
Saw SAW
Bolt Thrower Heavy Crossbow
.50 Cal M2 Browning (.50 Cal)
Dropper Mk67 (Modern)
Light Flamer Flamethrower
Shredder Anti-Personnel Mine
Heavy Flamethrower
Heavy Flamer
(Vehicular Weapon) Stick Bomb Anti-Tank Mine

SAVAGE WEAPONS SUMMARY TABLE — FIREARMS

CATEGORY/NAME RANGE DAMAGE AP ROF SHOTS MIN STR WEIGHT COST
HANDGUN
.44 Magnum 12/24/48 2d8 2 1 6 d4 6 $500 1
Duelling Pistol 5/10/20 2d4+1 — 3 3 d4 2 $250 1
Notes: -2 to be noticed if hidden
Pistolet 5/10/20 2d6 1 1 8 d4 2 $750 1
Notes: -2 to be noticed if hidden
Provider 12/24/48 2d6 1 1 12 d4 6 $250 1
Sentencer 10/20/40 2d8 1 1 15 d4 8 $500 1
Shooter 10/20/40 2d6+1 1 1 7 d4 4 $250 1
SMGS
Five-Seven 15/30/60 2d6 1 3 50 d4 9 $750 1
SNIPER RIFLES
Pioneer 24/48/94 2d8 2 3 20 d6 15 $1250
MISSILE WEAPONS
Hand Harpoon 5/10/20 2d4 2 1 1 d6 3 $1000

SAVAGE WEAPONS SUMMARY TABLE — RPGS & GRENADES

CATEGORY/NAME RANGE DAMAGE AP ROF BLAST WEIGHT COST
ROCKETS & RPGS
Bringer 24/48/96 2d10 16 1 MBT 6 $750 1
Reaper 5/10/20 2d6+1 2 1 MBT 8 $750 1
GRENADE
Dynamite 3/6/12 3d6-2 — — MBT 1 $250
Molotov Cocktail 3/6/12 d4 — — MBT 1 $25
Notes: Flammable targets may catch fire (see SWADE, p. 127)
Tears of the Angel 4/8/12 3d6-2 2 — MBT 1 $250 1
1
This item has Faction Prevalence (see p. 140). Refer to its description for details.

161
 GEAR & MERCH

§ SAVAGE SCIENCE Only items that are specified as Wild Tech for the setting can
Outlandish devices created for individual use on the Devil’s be turned into permanent use items. A jetpack, for instance,
Run can largely be covered by the rules for Arcane Devices is classified as Wild Tech within the Devil’s Run setting and is
(SWADE, p. 153) the Artificer and Gadgeteer Edges, the Weird widely used by the Justice faction. A freeze ray that paralyses
Science skill, and the Weird Science Arcane Background targets with cold is not setting specific (if the GM even allows
(SWADE, p. 148). it), and would therefore only classify as an Arcane Device.

However, as a post-apocalyptic setting that is largely grounded

in our reality, the GM should carefully consider which powers § SAMPLE WILD TECH
are available to the zany scientists that are testing their
JETPACK
madcap devices out on the Run. For instance, as there are no
Every member of the Sky Student Justice Corps is equipped
otherworldly entities, powers like Banish and Divination are
with one of these. A jetpack allows the user to manoeuvre as
unsuitable for this setting.
a vehicle with the following statistics: Size 0, Handling +1, Top
Speed 120, Toughness 7, Crew 1, Cost $6000. On the tabletop,
§ SAVAGE WILD TECH the user gains a Pace of 18 and may still run. Crafting this item
Anything designated as Wild Tech is a setting-specific device requires the Fly and Speed powers.
that is powered by some other means than Power Points. The
JET ENGINE
jetpacks, jet engines, and sonic weaponry available to some
A jet engine that can be attached to a vehicle as a Modification
of the factions are useable by anyone with suitable training.
(see Savage Vehicular Mods, p. 228). Each round, the jet engine
They still require the Weird Science skill and Artificer Edge to
can be used as either a Booster (Science Fiction Companion, p.
initially craft them, however.
53) or a heavy flamethrower (SWADE, p. 80). Only one use may

CRAFTING WILD TECH be employed each round. Switching between each use is a free
action. Crafting this item requires the Burst and Speed powers.
A PC with the Artificer skill can make a Trait roll to create a
permanent piece of Wild Tech. This is undertaken in exactly the
PROVIDER PISTOL
same manner as creating an Arcane Device and requires the
The iconic weapon of the Justice faction fires ammunition that
expenditure of Power Points as normal. Due to the components
punishes the target with an electrical discharge. In addition to
involed, each $2000 or fraction thereof in the item’s base price
the damage it inflicts, a target hit by a Provider must make a
applies a -1 modifier to the roll. If the roll is a straightforward
Vigour roll or be Stunned (SWADE, p. 106). Crafting this item
success, the character has created an Arcane Device as normal.
of Wild Tech requires the Blast and Stun powers.
If the character scores at least one raise, however, they have
created a permanent piece of Wild Tech that can be fuelled or SENTENCER PISTOL
powered by other means. A character may recover their Power The sidearm issued to Executioners of the Justice faction. A
Points as normal once a piece of Wild Tech is crafted—they are Critical Failure when firing this weapon causes the user Fatigue.
no longer stored in the device until used, as the Wild Tech now A raise when firing the weapon inflicts Fatigue on the target.
uses other fuel to power its abilities. Crafting this item requires the Blast power with additional
Power Points applied to increase the damage and add the
Fatigue Power Modifier.
SUPERNATURAL, OR NOT? RESONATOR
Although the supernatural is often hinted at within the
Manufactured by the Ingénieurs of the Avant Guard, these
setting, much of this relates to the dogma particular to
sonic weapons bypass most forms of protection. A resonator is
individual factions and the general collapse of scientific
a vehicular weapon with the following profile: Range 15/30/60,
theories and practices in favour of belief systems used to
2d6, ROF 1, Cost $1250. Resonators ignore both armour and
explain the unknown.
Cover and inflict Fatigue on the target. Crafting this item
With that said, GMs are free to have an element of the requires the Bolt, Sound, and Stun powers, with additional
supernatural creep into their own settings if they so Power Points applied to add the Fatigue Power Modifier.
choose. Maybe the völva of the Vykers and mystics of Los
Nigromantes do receive visions from otherworldly powers
via Divination, rather than just interpret their own mad
visions. The choice is each GM’s to make.

162
 CONFLICT & DRAMA

The Devil’s Run RPG is a game where the characters drive huge
steel behemoths against their foes, seeking to battle it out in
DICE
Two types of dice are used to resolve the actions any character
contests of nerves and to settle blood-soaked feuds. With a
(PC or NPC) may attempt and the situations they may face.
nitro-fuelled post-apocalypse at centre stage, conflict is an

TWENTY-SIDED DIE (D20)

inevitable factor. This chapter defines the mechanics that
govern the actions of characters when using the 2d20 system.
Most d20 rolls are used to resolve skill tests or determine
For Savage Worlds, the Rules and Adventure Tool Kit chapters
results on certain tables. Multiple d20s are often required and
of the SWADE Core Book cover the basics.
are noted as Xd20, where X is the number of dice to be rolled.
The most common roll is the 2d20 roll. Specially-made Devil’s
FOUNDATIONS Run RPG dice display the iconic highway sign on the 1 face,
Each participant of the Devil’s Run RPG takes on a certain role. indicating a roll that will often provide a boost.
The majority are players, the actual people sitting around the
The Hit Location die is another type of d20 used. This can be
table, in a living room, or even online together. Each player
a regular d20 rolled and compared to a table, or a special-
controls a single character who is normally referred to as a
ly-marked d20 with the locations labelled in place of numbers.
player character (PC), to distinguish those characters from the

COMBAT DIE ()

many non-player characters (NPCs) that populate the game
world. Players make the decisions that influence and direct
The Combat Die, or , is a six-sided die (d6) rolled to determine
their characters, deciding what a character does in a given
damage and other special effects. When rolling a , ignore any
situation and how the character reacts to a threat.
results of 3 or 4. Results of 1 and 2 have their normal values.
The gamemaster (GM) is responsible for everything else. The Results of 5 or 6 are referred to as Effects. Specially-made
GM controls the NPCs, making decisions for them and deter- Devil’s Run RPG Combat Dice replace the 1 and 2 sides with
mining their actions and responses. They are also responsible success icons, and the Fallout icon for the 5 and 6 faces, with
for setting scenes, establishing environments, and determining the 3 and 4 faces left blank. An Effect adds 1 to the total, and
unfolding events. The GM must interpret how the rules apply also triggers certain Effects such as weapon Qualities and other
to a given situation, which includes ruling on the Difficulty of special conditions.
tasks and adjudicating on the outcomes when unusual situa-
Most of the time, more than one  is rolled together and the
tions or disagreements arise.
results totalled. Multiple Combat Dice are noted as X , where
The GM is not an adversary to the players. Playing a roleplaying X is the number of Combat Dice rolled. For example, 4  indi-
game is a much greater experience for everyone if the GM is cates that four Combat Dice should be rolled.
an enthusiastic supporter of the PCs and their exploits, with
In most circumstances, more than once die of any given type
everyone involved working together to create a story that is
are all rolled at once. These dice collectively are referred to as
as dramatic, exciting, and challenging as possible.
the dice pool (or the pool).
While most of the rules within this chapter have already been
introduced or briefly discussed elsewhere, this chapter serves ROUNDING NUMBERS
to bring them all together, expands upon their concepts, and Unless stated otherwise, whenever there’s a need to divide the
provides examples for greater clarity. result of a dice roll, a value in the game, or some other number,
the players and GM alike should always round up.

COMBAT DIE
CHARACTER, OR PLAYER CHARACTER? ROLL VALUE
The text within this book will frequently refer to both
characters and player characters. Where a character is 1 1
referenced, the description relates to both PCs and NPCs.
If the text uses the term PC, then the description specif- 2 2
ically relates to PCs only. There are some things that are
3-4 0
the preserve of the player characters only—they are the
(anti-)heroes, after all! 5-6 1, plus an Effect

164
 CHAPTER 7

Skills are discussed at length in Chapter Five: Skills & Talents, p.

Raizar successfully blasts a Haul’s Angel thug with his
87, while a PC’s starting skills, Expertise, and Focus are deter-
Ramington shotgun. The weapon has a damage rating
mined during character creation, detailed in Chapter Four:
of 5[CD], plus Raizar adds 1  for a high Awareness attrib-
Character Creation.
ute. Raizar’s player rolls six d6s and generates results of 1,
2, 4, 6, and 3. The 1 and the 2 add together for a total of 3.
SKILL TESTS
The 3 and 4 are ignored, and the 6 adds 1 to the total and
A skill test is required whenever a PC attempts a task and the
indicates an Effect.
outcome is in doubt, where there are consequences for failure,
Adding this all together, Raizar’s attack inflicts 4 damage or when the character is distracted or threatened. Outside of
and triggers any weapon qualities that relate to Effects—in these circumstances, it’s easier to assume that the character
this case, both Knockdown and Spread 1 are triggered by simply succeeds. The PCs are generally assumed to be com-
the roll of an Effect (see Ramington Shotgun stats, p. 157). petent and capable individuals after all, so are unlikely to fail
at routine tasks.

REROLLING DICE The skill’s Target Number (TN) is equal to the attribute for that
Many circumstances allow a player or GM to reroll one or more skill plus the Expertise the character possesses for that skill.
dice. When a talent, ability, item, or circumstance grants a When asked to perform a skill test, the player should roll 2d20.
reroll, the player or GM chooses which die to reroll, and rolls it Each die that rolls equal to or less than that skill’s TN scores a
(or another die of the same kind) a second time. This replaces single success. The greater the number of successes scored,
the original result entirely. The new results stand, even if they’re across the entire dice pool, the better the test’s result.
the same as, or worse, than the original results.

Some situations allow for a specific number of dice to be

rerolled, while others allow all dice in a pool to be rerolled. In
either case, the player or GM chooses how many dice to reroll
(up to the number of dice listed). Typically, rerolling is optional.
There is no need to reroll if the original result is acceptable.

ATTRIBUTES
A collection of seven attributes defines each character: Agility,
Awareness, Brawn, Coordination, Intelligence, Personality, and
Willpower. These attributes indicate a character’s inherent abil-
ities and their physical and mental limitations. Most attributes
for PCs have values from 6 to 12, with 8 representing the human
average. The higher the attribute, the greater the ability. These
are described in detail in Chapter 4: Character Creation, p. 70.

SKILLS: EXPERTISE & FOCUS

Skills represent a character’s specialized training within a par-
ticular field—knowledge, proficiency in weapons, conditioning,
special techniques, and so forth. Each skill is tied to a particular
attribute, representing the most common association between
that skill and the character’s basic capabilities. For example,
the Lore skill is based on Intelligence, and Stealth is based on
Agility. Everyone has things for which they are innately suited
(the basic attribute), but training and practice can make up for
some lack of that natural inclination.

Skills are represented by two values: Expertise and Focus. Each

of these values is ranked from 0 to 5, though characters seldom
rank above 3 in many skills. Expertise ranks represent a broad
understanding of a skill. Focus ranks represent depth of learn-
ing and the ability to apply the skill more effectively.

165
 CONFLICT & DRAMA

A character’s Focus in a skill creates the possibility to score COMPLICATIONS

extra successes. Each d20 result equal to or less than the char- Even when a plan succeeds, not everything goes smoothly.
acter’s Focus for that skill scores 2 successes instead of 1. Despite almost everything going to plan, the PCs are likely to
face new challenges and unexpected complications. Described
in brief on p. 17, Complications are given more depth here.
Pachman has a Willpower of 10. He attempts to keep him-
self and his companion, Blue, fed, watered and on a safe Whenever a result of a 20 is rolled on any d20 in a skill test, the
path during an expedition through the wastelands. The GM immediately creates an impediment or problem — called a
GM calls for Pachman’s player to attempt a Survival roll. Complication — related to the situation or action that required
Pachman has a Survival Skill Expertise of 3 and a Skill the roll. A Complication is created for each 20 rolled.
Focus of 2, which means that his Target Number for this
Complications are an inconvenient change of circumstances. A
attempt is 13 (Willpower 10 + Survival = TN 13).
Complication can present an obstacle to progress that forces a
A roll of 2d20 results in a 2 and a 9. Both succeed, as they new approach (like a route of escape being blocked), a loss of
are under Pachman’s Target Number of 13. The 2 is also personal resources (such as using up Reload or medical sup-
under his Survival Focus of 3, so he gains an additional plies), or something that hinders the PC temporarily (a dropped
success on this test, for a total of 3 successes. weapon, a social faux pas, or a stuck door). It rarely represents
an injury to the PC, and is often merely a temporary setback.

Skill tests are assigned a difficulty rating, a value ranging from The important thing to remember is that a Complication is an
Simple (Difficulty 0, or [D0]) to Epic (D5), which determines the inconvenience. Complications are independent of success or
minimum number of successes required to succeed at the task. failure, and it is entirely possible to succeed at a skill test while
Most of the time, tests are Average (D1). The different difficulty simultaneously generating a Complication. The Complication
ratings are shown on the Test Difficulty Table on p. 167. should only take effect immediately after the skill test’s results
have been applied. A PC may become vulnerable when fighting
Difficulty ratings are often modified by increments. A test can
but, if the skill test succeeded, the attack still connects before
become more challenging, such as an Average (D1) test becom-
they suffer the Complication.
ing a Challenging (D2) test, or it can become easier, such as
Daunting (D3) being reduced to Challenging (D2). Many factors If multiple 20s are rolled, a PC can suffer multiple Complications.
can cause the difficulty to increase or decrease by 1 or more These may be resolved separately, or the GM can choose to
steps, such as environmental or situational conditions, char- group them together into a bigger problem. If the TN for an
acter abilities (talents), and other modifiers. action is 20 or greater, any roll of 20 is considered both a suc-
cess and a Complication.
The more d20s rolled during a test, the higher its chances of

FALLOUT AS A COMPLICATION
success. There are a variety of ways by which both the PCs
and the GM may obtain additional d20s to roll during a skill
If a suitable Complication isn’t easy to determine, the GM can
test, which were touched upon in Chapter 1: Welcome to Hell
choose to add 2 points of Fallout to their pool instead. Fallout is
but are revisited in more detail later in this section. However,
under no circumstances is a character allowed to use more
than three bonus d20s on a skill test. Pachman’s companion, Nerubian, is crossing the waste-
land with him. Nerubian’s player rolls for a similar Survival
Successes scored above the minimum difficulty required
test, getting two successes but also one result of a 20.
become Momentum (see p. 171), which can be spent to gain
Nerubian still succeeds in her Survival test, but the GM
additional benefits and bonuses.
determines that she will also suffer a Complication. The
GM decides that Nerubian twists her ankle trying to cross
a dry creek bed. It doesn’t do any damage, but it’s awk-
From the example above, the GM determined that ward and causes her to walk more tenderly. She keeps
Pachman needed 2 successes on his test, thus making it herself fed and watered during the trek, but has ended
a Challenging (D2) test. Pachman scored a total of 3 suc- up with a nagging ache and a slight limp (the 20 caused
cesses, which was 1 success above the minimum needed. a Complication).
Pachman therefore gains 1 Momentum which he (or
The GM announces to Nerubian’s player that any physical
another PC) may spend later.
actions she attempts while suffering from the limp will be
at an additional step of difficulty.

166
 CHAPTER 7

a GM resource, discussed in more detail on p. 236 of Chapter 9: of successes necessary to succeed at the task attempted.
Rules of the Road. If an NPC suffers a Complication, the players A Simple (D0) test requires no successes, and is the default
may choose to have the GM remove 2 points of Fallout from difficulty for any task that a character can simply succeed at
the pool. If multiple Complications are generated, the effects without any particular effort. A test with a difficulty of Epic
are resolved at the GM’s discretion, allowing for some to be (D5) is a virtually impossible task that only the most skilled and
turned into Fallout and others to have an immediate effect. driven character can overcome.
The players and GM should work together to determine what
works best for them. DIFFICULTY ZERO TESTS
Certain circumstances — as well as particular talents, items, and
Players may request that the GM add to the Fallout pool
abilities — can reduce the difficulty of a skill test to Simple (D0).
instead of applying a Complication, essentially buying off a
These types of simple test are covered on p. 19.
Complication. Similarly, the GM may make the same request
in relation to NPCs.
SETTING THE DIFFICULTY
UNTRAINED SKILL TESTS The GM determines the difficulty level of a given task, with base
difficulties applied by consulting the difficulty Table. Skill tests
It’s possible to attempt a skill test using a skill with which the
in combat often have specific difficulty ratings, but these are
character has no ranks in Expertise or Focus. These skill tests
baseline difficulties, and the GM should feel free to alter the
are referred to as untrained tests. These tests are resolved
difficulty based on the situation at hand.
exactly like any other skill test, except that the skill attempt
derives its TN solely from the associated attribute. The char- The GM may often assume a skill test starts at a difficulty of
acter also generates a Complication for each 19 or 20 rolled Average (D1). This represents fairly typical conditions for a task
on any d20 in an untrained test, as opposed to only on a roll that isn’t a guaranteed success, but is still quite straightforward
of 20 as normal. to accomplish. If there are no other factors influencing this
particular task, the GM should leave the task at Average (D1).

TEST DIFFICULTY However, a number of factors can make a skill test more or
As already noted, the difficulty of a skill test is a value from less difficult. The GM should consider whether a given factor
Simple (D0) to Epic (D5). This value is the minimum number influences a particular skill test. For example, trying to patch

TEST DIFFICULTY TABLE

NAME SUCCESSES REQUIRED EXAMPLES

Opening a slightly stuck door.

Simple (D0) 0 Researching a widely known subject.
Cruising languidly along the freeway.
Overcoming a simple lock.
Average (D1) 1 Researching a specialized subject.
Shooting an enemy at optimal range.
Overcoming a complex lock.
Challenging (D2) 2 Researching obscure information.
Shooting an enemy at optimal range in poor light.
Overcoming a complex lock in a hurry.
Daunting (D3) 3 Researching obscure pre-apocalypse information.
Shooting an enemy at long range in poor light.
Overcoming a complex lock in a hurry, without the proper tools.
Dire (D4) 4 Performing a bootleg at speed in wet conditions.
Shooting an enemy at long range in poor light and heavy rain.
Overcoming a complex lock in a hurry, without the proper tools, and in the
middle of a firefight.
Epic (D5) 5 Performing a bootleg at speed in wet conditions with only three tyres intact
whilst under fire.
Shooting an enemy at extreme range in poor light and heavy rain.

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up a severe wound might be a Challenging (D2) test normally, OPPOSED TESTS

but trying to do it in the back of a van across rough terrain at Not every challenge or difficulty is imposed by a circumstance
full speed might increase the difficulty to Daunting (D3). or situation. A PC may instead be forced to try and best an
opponent either directly (such as trying to strike a defensive
The differences between the difficulty levels can be quite
foe) or indirectly (multiple characters attempting to reach an
significant, and the highest difficulties can be extremely chal-
object all at once). These situations are called Opposed Tests.
lenging, or even impossible. The GM should keep this in mind
when determining the difficulty of tasks. When two characters are in direct opposition to one another,
each character involved in the task performs a skill test related
The Difficulty Modifier Table summarizes a number of common
to that action. The character achieving the greatest quantity
sources of difficulty modifiers. Note that not all of these are
of Momentum succeeds and achieves their goal, though the
likely to influence a given skill test: some are more applicable
final amount of Momentum is reduced by 1 point for each point
than others.

DIFFICULTY MODIFIERS TABLE

CONDITION EFFECT
Combinations If there are multiple elements that individually are not enough to warrant a penalty, the combination
of conditions can collectively increase the difficulty by 1.
Lighting Increasingly dark conditions impose progressively higher difficulties to Observation tests and other
tests reliant on sight. A bright, moonlit night may increase difficulty by 1, a cloudy night by 2, and
complete darkness by 3 steps. Conversely, extremely bright light, or moving from an area of darkness
into bright light (or vice versa) can impose increased difficulties. Bright light can impose similar diffi-
culty increases to Stealth tests.
Difficult Terrain Slippery floors, sheer surfaces, deep snow, dense foliage, heaps of refuse, or even dense crowds all
make movement-related tests more difficult. At the GM’s discretion, difficult terrain conditions can
increase the difficulty of movement-related tests, or even require a test where none would normally
be required.
Disruption or The interference of hostile creatures or characters may impose an increased difficulty, depending on
Distraction the severity of the interference.
Distance If a skill is usable at a distance, every range category beyond Close increases the difficulty by 1.
Equipment A character performing a task without the proper tools increases the difficulty by 1. In some cases,
performing a skill test outside of a proper environment (a workshop, laboratory, archive, etc.)
may increase the difficulty by 1 as well, but, if failed, the test can be retried within that environ-
ment later on.
Foreign Language Any social test in which the character does not speak the language fluently has the difficulty
increased by 1.
Noise Loud noises can hinder a character’s attempts to be heard or to hear other noises. Moderate noise
(such as a crowd) increases difficulty 1. Loud noise (an angry mob, a battle) increases difficulty by 2.

Poor Weather A character exposed to severe weather (wind, rain, snow, fog, etc.) increases the difficulty of
tests by 1.
Random Motion Strong winds, rear cabs of vehicles and the like are often enough to hinder a test. Skills relying on
concentration or a controlled environment increase difficulty by 1 when used in an environment of
random motion, such as a van charging along the freeway.
Social Factors Social tests when interacting with a character that does not trust you, who is of a rival faction, or who
thinks you have committed some slight or social faux pas, increase in difficulty by 1 or more steps, at
the GM’s discretion.
Unfamiliarity or Performing complex or specialized tasks, or tasks in which the character has little experience,
Complexity increases the difficulty. This is subject to GM discretion and varies by situation and conditions. For
example, a Justice Executioner will have little experience with Old World medicines, while a Seven
Fires herbalist will struggle when confronted with the nuances of the Litany of Justice.

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of Momentum scored by the loser. In other words, the losing If a character fails the test, the opposed test is automatically
opponent’s level of success is subtracted from the winner’s. In lost. If both characters fail, then neither achieves anything.
the case of a tie, a PC always wins unless the GM spends 1 point
If any one side has factors that would influence their test but
of Fallout. If two PCs or two NPCs are tied, the GM should ran-
would not necessarily affect their opponent, then increase that
domly determine what breaks the tie, perhaps by comparing
one side’s difficulty normal. As noted above, if one side fails the
the related attributes or simply rolling a die.
test outright and the other does not, then the failing character
If there are no other factors involved, the difficulty of the loses the opposed test.
opposed test is Simple (D0), or Average (D1) if making an attack
Characters may spend Momentum or Salvage Points (see
or defending against an attack. However, some situations may
Salvage Points, opposite and p. 18), pay into the Fallout pool
mean that it is possible for one or both sides to simply fail with-
(see Fallout on p. 236), or use any other means of gaining suc-
out offering any opposition. These situations apply a difficulty
cesses or extra Momentum to boost their chances on this test.
to the tests attempted by the characters involved.

The Misfit Raizar is in hot pursuit of a Haul’s Angels scout

VOLUNTARY FAILURE
It might be more prudent to admit defeat in some situations,
through the twisting back alleys on the outskirts of the
rather than spend resources such as Momentum or Salvage
biker’s territory. This sort of sustained race is an Opposed
Points, or potentially increasing the Fallout pool. This includes
Test. Raizar’s Brawn is 12 and his Athletics 3 (Expertise
tests for which a character has no training, or one where the
3 and Focus 2), giving him a TN 15. The GM determines
difficulty level is so high that success is unlikely. The risk of
that the scout’s Brawn is 9 and their Athletics is 2. The
one or more Complications is not worth gambling against the
dilapidated nature of this part of San Francisco, limited
low odds of success.
light due to night, and Raizar’s relative unfamiliarity with
this particular area result in a Challenging (D2) test (the With the GM’s consent, and so long as there are meaningful
GM combines the smaller complications into 1 difficulty consequences for failure (such as attempting an escape, per-
step). The scout would normally have an easier time of forming a complex task under pressure, or avoiding an attack),
it, but since they’re constantly looking backwards to see the player may choose to have the character fail a skill test
where Raizar’s at whilst also contending with an injured automatically. To fail a skill test voluntarily, the player pays the
leg from an earlier Complication, the difficulty they face GM 1 Fallout (as opposed to the 2 or more Fallout potentially
is also Challenging (D2). added by Complications). In exchange, the character imme-
diately gains 1 Salvage Point, up to their normal maximum.
Each of them rolls. Through a combination of spent
A character may never choose voluntary failure for a Simple
Momentum and other talents, Raizar rolls 4d20, and gets
(D0) skill test.
results of 17, 1, 12, and 12. To add a bit of suspense, the GM
throws the Haul’s Angel scout 2 points of Fallout to add Other methods of gaining Salvage Points are discussed in
2d20 to his roll, so they roll 4d20 and net a 12, 20, 8, and 6. Chapter Nine: Rules of the Road, p. 242.

Raizar gets a total of 4 successes (1 from each of the 12s,

and 2 from the 1). The scout is less fortunate, gaining only
SUCCESS AT COST
There might be occasions when a failed skill test risks causing
2 successes (from the 8 and 6) and another Complication.
an interesting scene to grind to a halt, or the consequences of
Both of them achieve their goal¬—meaning they avoid
failure may not be particularly noteworthy. To keep the story
getting lost—but Raizar is the clear winner of the Opposed
flowing, the GM can allow a character to succeed in spite of
Test. Better yet, the scout’s 2 successes were only enough
a failed skill test, though there will be a small cost involved.
to meet the difficulty of the test and did not generate
Momentum, meaning there is nothing to subtract from Such situations represent someone succeeding at the task
Raizar’s successes. Raizar therefore has 2 Momentum to being attempted, but failing to prevent additional prob-
use as he pleases. lems from arising as well. The character immediately suffers
between one and three Complications. The GM is the final
The GM determines that the Complication results in the
adjudicator of the cost, but a recommended guideline is 1
scout turning down an alley to find that some walls have
Complication for most tests, and 2 Complications for tests
recently collapsed and blocked the route. The GM asks
above Daunting (D3). These Complications are in addition to
Raizar’s player what he’s going to do and is told that Raizar
any generated by the test itself. For example, if the character
grins wickedly and begins bouncing his steel pipe on his
rolls a 20 on a failed Average (D1) test, and the GM permits the
off-hand as he stalks forward.
character to succeed despite the failure, then the roll counts as

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generating 2 Complications, one for the roll of 20 and one for USING SALVAGE
being allowed to succeed at cost. The GM normally determines Salvage Points are a PC’s saving grace. Each PC has a lim-
the specific effect of the Complication, including adding to ited supply that can be spent in a variety of advantageous
Fallout if appropriate, but where success at cost is concerned, ways (see p. 19), including the addition of bonus dice. A single
there is no harm in asking the player for input on how they see Salvage Point adds 1 bonus d20 to a skill test. Unlike other
the character’s action developing additional problems. bonus d20s, this one is “pre-rolled”. That is, bonus d20s bought
using Salvage Points are automatically assumed to have rolled
Any success at cost is gained without Momentum, including
a result of 1. The player spending Salvage places a d20 with
bonus Momentum and Momentum taken from the group’s
a 1 displayed. For Average (D1) tests this is usually enough to
pool. The character only gains the most basic level of success.
succeed. If the character has 1 or more ranks of Focus with the
skill being attempted, the 1 result usually indicates 2 successes.
IMPROVING THE ODDS If a character scores enough successes using d20s bought with
While succeeding at most common tasks is fairly straightfor-
Salvage Points, they may choose not to roll any other dice and
ward, even the most skilled character cannot succeed at the
thereby avoid potential Complications. Multiple Salvage Points
most difficult tasks without effort, opportunity, or assistance.
can be spent on a single roll, but this must be done before any
Skill Focus allows a character to reach higher difficulties some
dice are rolled. Dice bought with Salvage count as part of the
of the time, but to truly triumph a character needs to find some
d20 pool and count towards the maximum of 5d20 per roll.
other way of improving the odds.
(Bonus successes from Focus don’t count towards the maxi-
There are a number of ways to succeed at difficulties beyond mum—they’re bonus successes, not bonus dice.)
those granted by the default 2d20 roll: most provide additional
d20s to roll on a skill test. Extra dice allow a character to score GAINING SALVAGE
more successes, and thus succeed at higher difficulties, or even
Salvage Points can be gained through Voluntary Failure (p.
simply generate more Momentum. However, these extra dice
169), triggering traits (p. 75), or GM award for good roleplay-
always come with some sort of cost. The option a character
ing, clever plans, reaching milestones, and heroic action.
chooses depends entirely upon what costs the player is willing
and able to pay.

Broadly, there are five different ways to improve the odds of EXPENDING RESOURCES
success. These were briefly covered on p. 18 but are described Almost every PC will be carrying around resources such as
in more detail below. Any of these options for improving the ammunition (Reloads, see p. 154) or supplies for mechanical
odds can be combined as desired. Regardless of the methods or medical tasks (Components, see p. 128. These resources
used, a character can never roll more than 3 additional d20s on are normally associated with a particular type of item or set
any skill test, limiting the total number of dice rolled to 5d20. of tools, which are in turn related to a specific skill. Each use
of a resource grants bonus d20s on tests that use the associ-
CREATE OPPORTUNITY ated skill. Depending on the resource’s type, it may also grant
The Create Opportunity Momentum spend (see p. 18 and p. 192) a small additional benefit alongside the bonus d20. This is an
is a straightforward and effective way of obtaining additional easy option, but a PC likely only possesses a finite quantity of
dice. Each point of Momentum spent adds a single bonus d20 these resources, and their limited use for particular skills makes
to a skill test. This is simple and easy, but it naturally requires them less flexible than Momentum, Fallout, or Salvage Points.
that the group have Momentum to spend prior to the test.
TEAMWORK AND ASSISTANCE
PAYING FALLOUT Assistance differs a little from other ways of improving the
If there is insufficient Momentum available to spend on Create odds. Rather than add bonus dice directly, it allows other char-
Opportunity, then a player has the option of adding to Fallout to acters to contribute a little of their effort and skill to a task.
cover the cost. The end result is the same: each point of Fallout
A number of tasks can benefit from the assistance of others. If
the GM is paid grants a single bonus d20 to a skill test. This is
the situation, time, and GM allow, several characters can work
freely available, and can be done at any time, but comes with
together as a team when attempting a task. When more than
the price that the GM now has greater resources to empower
one character is involved in the attempt, one character is desig-
NPCs, or can otherwise complicate the PC’ adventures.
nated as the leader and the other characters as assistants. The
In the GM’s case, when buying bonus d20s for NPCs, these GM may decide that only a certain number of characters may
latter two options are identical. The GM spends points of assist—confined space may limit the number of people able
Fallout to add bonus dice to an NPC’s skill test. to work together, for example, or can apply other limitations.

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In order to assist with a skill test, the player must describe MOMENTUM
how their character is assisting the test’s leader. If the GM As already mentioned, when the number of successes scored
approves, each participating assistant rolls 1d20 and uses on a skill test is greater than the task’s difficulty rating, the
their own character’s attribute and skill ranks to determine excess successes become Momentum. Momentum can be
if any successes are scored, with additional successes from spent immediately to enhance the outcome of the test, or it
Fortune or other talents applied. The leader makes their skill can be saved as a group resource that can be used on later tests.
test as normal. Assistants may not use any means to roll addi-
Beyond serving as a reward for characters that succeed
tional dice, though the leader may use Momentum, Fallout,
spectacularly well, Momentum can represent the benefits of
Resources, Fortune, or other methods of gaining extra d20s.
cooperation, group dynamics, leadership, coordinated actions,
Because other characters roll the assisting dice, they do not
and other forms of teamwork. Momentum is of benefit to the
count towards the limit of three bonus d20s applied to a single
entire group, not merely the PC that generated it, and it can
task. Because providing assistance takes time, concentration,
be an extremely powerful tool if used skilfully.
and effort, however, any character providing assistance cannot
do anything else whilst assisting. Players are encouraged to be creative in their uses of
Momentum, particularly if they are using past successes
If the leader scores at least 1 success on the roll, any successes
to build upon the current task. If necessary, the GM should
generated by the assistants are added to the leader’s total. If
assist the players with describing how they take advantage of
the leader does not generate any successes, then any suc-
Momentum taken from the group pool, helping to relate it to
cesses scored by the assistants are lost and the effort fails
the teamwork dynamics mentioned previously.
utterly due to poor leadership and coordination.

Characters providing assistance don’t necessarily need to use GENERATING MOMENTUM

the same skill as the character they’re assisting. Assistance can Each success scored above the minimum difficulty of a test
sometimes be gained with the contribution of outside knowl- becomes a single point of Momentum, which can then be
edge and different training. The GM is the ultimate arbiter of used for a number of beneficial effects, such as greater effects,
whether a particular skill can be used to assist another, which obtaining useful bonuses, or making future actions easier.
may require a player to explain how the assistance would work. Momentum is never generated with a failed test, only when
there are successes above those required by the difficulty.

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Any unspent Momentum is lost once the character’s task is

MOMENTUM & NARRATIVE resolved unless the scene is an action scene, in which case it
Momentum empowers the high-octane, pulse-pound- disappears at the end of the turn. Fortunately, PCs have the
ing, deadly encounters that take place on the Devil’s Run. option to save Momentum for later use if they wish.
Road warriors often find that one success leads to another,
building their Momentum in tandem with their vehicle’s SAVING MOMENTUM
and allowing them to achieve incredible, sometimes As noted above, players have the option of saving Momentum
next-to-impossible feats of achievement. Drivers also run rather than letting unspent Momentum go to waste. This saved
into reversals of fortune, however, as they often push their Momentum goes into a group pool, which can be added to or
luck too far in the wake of successive victories; an indicator drawn from by any character in the group. This pool represents
that Fallout is ever-present, a force challenging them to the benefits of the group’s collective successes.
ride on the edge of their seat as they strive for success.
Nerubian and Stardust are chasing down a Los
Nigromantes Passeur in their own vehicles. Nerubian is still
Players should take note of the amount of Momentum gen-
closing but Stardust has managed to pull his buggy along-
erated as those points can then be used while the character
side the larger Croozer. Impatient to bring the Croozer to
resolves the current task, or saved for later use as described
a halt, Stardust risks a sideswipe at the larger Passeur.
later. Importantly, the player does not have to determine what
He passes the drive test and generates 2 Momentum.
the Momentum will be used for at this point: a player deter-
Rolling his damage against the Passeur’s Soak, Stardust
mines what Momentum is being used for only when it is spent.
barely manages to scratch its paintwork. Stardust could
Some talents, items, and circumstances grant bonus use the Momentum on options such as boosting or even
Momentum, which is added to the total Momentum generated rerolling the damage but opts to put it towards group
by a successful skill test. The bonus Momentum doesn’t come Momentum instead.
into existence until after the test is successful.
Nerubian smiles wickedly and tells her gunner, Tera,
Momentum is easily tracked using a standard d6, tokens, a to open up with the .50 Cal. Tera does so and uses the
notepad, or even the excess d20s themselves. So long as it is Momentum for a damage reroll and boost on her own
clear, players should use their preferred method. attack for a hideously effective burst against the enemy
Croozer. Stardust’s sideswipe attempt clearly caused the
SPENDING MOMENTUM driver of the Passeur to momentarily present a good
Character will frequently spend some or all of the Momentum portion of the Croozer to the trailing Misfit Croozer that
generated to benefit the task currently being attempted. allowed them to tear strip from the larger target.
For example, a character attacking an opponent may spend
Momentum to increase the amount of damage inflicted.
No more than 6 Momentum may be saved in the pool at any
Players should always keep in mind that they don’t have to time. Any excess Momentum in the group pool are simply dis-
declare what Momentum is being used for until the time it’s carded. (If the options exist, it’s often prudent to spend excess
spent, and won’t need to spend Momentum in advance to Momentum from a test to avoid it going to waste.)
obtain effects later. Continuing from the prior example, the
During any successful skill test, the acting character may draw
attacking character can spend Momentum to increase the
as many points from the group Momentum pool as desired,
amount of damage inflicted after the damage roll, as there is
adding them to any points generated on their skill test. The
no need to declare it before. Momentum spends can be made
player may then spend the Momentum as though it had been
as soon as the need for them becomes apparent. Momentum
generated from their character’s skill test.
is always useful. There is no chance of wasting Momentum by
spending it on a benefit that isn’t needed. Momentum is only spent as needed, meaning a character
doesn’t have to choose how much Momentum to draw from
Most Momentum spends can only be used once on any given
the group pool until it’s actually needed, and it doesn’t need
skill test or effect. In action scenes (covered from p. 192
to be all drawn at once.
onwards), a character can only use Momentum once in any
round. However, some Momentum spends are described as At the end of each scene, or each full round in an action scene,
Repeatable. This means they can be used as frequently as the the shared Momentum pool decreases by 1 Momentum, which
character has the desire and Momentum to spend. represents the cooling of tempers, the waning of enthusiasm,
loss of energy, and adrenaline beginning to ebb.

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IMMEDIATE MOMENTUM SPENDS CREATE OPPORTUNITY (IMMEDIATE, REPEATABLE)

Some Momentum spends are not tied to a specific test and can One of the most straightforward uses of Momentum is to add
be used freely as soon as they are required, spending points an additional d20 to a future skill test. Each point of Momentum
directly from the group’s Momentum pool rather than wait- spent grants a single bonus d20. The decision to purchase
ing for a successful skill test. These spends are referred to these bonus dice must be made before any dice are rolled on
as Immediate. Immediate Momentum spends typically have that test, remembering that no more than 3 bonus d20s may
some other restrictions on how and when they can be used, be used on a single skill test.
but those restrictions are specific to the individual spends.
CREATE OBSTACLE (IMMEDIATE, REPEATABLE)
Immediate Momentum spends can also be paid for with Fallout, A character can choose to make things more difficult for a rival,
which is covered on p. 170. A single point of Fallout paid to the adversary, or opponent by creating problems, distractions, or
GM provides the same benefits as a single point of Momentum presenting more direct opposition. This increases the difficulty
spent. If the player desires, the cost can be split between of a single skill test by 1 or more steps for that rival. Individual
both Momentum and Fallout when paying for an Immediate steps of difficulty increase must be purchased separately. It
Momentum spend. costs 1 Momentum to increase the difficulty of a test by 1 step,
2 Momentum for 2 steps, and 3 Momentum for 3 steps, no
NPCS AND MOMENTUM matter how many different characters spend that Momentum.
Unlike the PCs, NPCs don’t have the option of saving Momentum No individual test can have its difficulty increased by more than
into a group pool. Instead, any NPC that concludes a task with 3 in this way. The increase lasts only for a single test, regardless
Momentum leftover can add a single point to the GM’s Fallout of whether or not the test was passed or failed. The decision
pool for each point of Momentum unspent. to increase a test’s difficulty must be made before any dice
are rolled on that test.
NPCs can spend from the Fallout pool just as PCs draw from
the group Momentum pool. The Fallout pool is described in OBTAIN INFORMATION (REPEATABLE)
more depth in Chapter 9: Rules of the Road, p. 236. Momentum allows a character to learn more about a situa-
tion. Each point of Momentum spent can be used to ask the
COMMON USES FOR MOMENTUM GM a single question about the current situation, item, object,
The most common uses for Momentum are listed below. structure, creature, or character present in (or relevant to) the
However, both players and GMs are encouraged to be creative scene at hand. The GM must answer this question truthfully,
with devising opportunities new Momentum uses. An excep- but doesn’t necessarily have to give complete information each
tional success should spur the table to think outside of the time. A partial or brief answer that leaves room for further
box in terms of how that superb performance can be reflected. questions is entirely reasonable. The information provided
This can either relate to the result of the immediate task, or in must be relevant to the skill test attempted, and it must be
how the outcome of that task can impact what happens next. the kind of information that a character using that skill would
be able to determine. A character could use Observation to
Regardless of how it is used, the benefits from Momentum
discern general details about a scene, Medicine to diagnose
spends must make sense from the perspective of the charac-
an illness, or Firearms to identify a particular form of gun or
ters, which means the GM may veto Momentum spends that
ammunition. The more specific or specialized the skill, the
do not support or reflect events as they are occurring in the
more in-depth information that skill provides about that par-
course of play. Players also shouldn’t use Momentum spends
ticular field. The specialization comes at the cost of general
to take advantage of information their characters wouldn’t
application of this knowledge in other fields.
know, nor should Momentum be used to engineer events or
circumstances that are disruptive to the game. For their part,
GMs should avoid arbitrarily shutting down creative resolu- GM DISCRETION
tions for Momentum, instead offering alternative resolutions
Most published scenarios will provide ample options for
or modified outcomes.
Momentum spends beyond those listed within this book.
Immediate spends can be made the moment they’re required. These will cater directly to ‘GM discretion’, though GMs are
Repeatable spends can be made as often as desired—so long of course encouraged to develop their own on the fly, or
as the Momentum is available. Often Repeatable spends are include new options beforehand. Momentum is a powerful
based on the circumstances and are subject to the GM’s dis- tool that enhances the game in many aspects, enabling
cretion; they’re Repeatable in some situations but possibly its use through unique Momentum spends really helps to
not in others. drive a collaborative narrative.

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IMPROVE QUALITY OF SUCCESS (OFTEN REPEATABLE)

Momentum allows a character to succeed stylishly and to
EXAMPLE OF PLAY
Alsa, Nerubian, and Pach Man are escaping from a bloody
immediately capitalize upon or follow up on a success. The
encounter with some Los Nigromantes Caballeros after
effects of this are broadly left to the GM’s discretion, as is the
looting an old bomb-shelter. Following a running gun-bat-
cost, but specific examples are described later in the rules, with
tle, Alsa and her friends have managed to reach Nerubian’s
the most common effects relating to action scene Momentum
Custom CabCroozer and ram their way through a block-
spends (see p. 192). Some uses of this type of Momentum
ade. They now find themselves on a winding road through
spend may be Repeatable, such as inflicting more damage or
abandoned and broken-down housing.
helping a patient recover from serious injuries.
Nerubian has taken the role of driver. Knowing they’ll be
INCREASE SCOPE OF SUCCESS (OFTEN REPEATABLE)
pursued, she has spent her turn performing a Vehicular
Momentum can be used to affect additional targets, increase
Movement Action and is driving her Cab Croozer with the
the area affected by a successful task, or otherwise enlarge
Pedal to the Metal. The GM describes the roads as wind-
the extent of an accomplishment. The precise effects and cost
ing and in bad condition, which will result in a +1 to the
are left to GM’s discretion. This may be Repeatable in some cir-
difficulty of her roll. Using Pedal to the Metal means the
cumstances, such as affecting additional people within a group.
test will be made at an additional +1 difficulty.
REDUCE TIME REQUIRED
Nerubian makes a Daunting (D3) Drive test. Unwilling to
The GM reduces the amount of time that a task requires to
give the Los Nigromantes any ground, she decides to pay
complete. For example, a task that might take a whole day,
the GM 1 Fallout for the Create Opportunity Momentum
or several hours may now only take a single hour. The precise
spend and add 1d20 to the test. As she has the Horizon
effects of this, and the cost, are left to the GM’s discretion.
Chaser talent, doingt so allows her to add 2d20. She rolls
and gets a 1, 8, 10 and 16. Nerubian is a capable driver with
a Coordination of 10, an Expertise of 4, and a Focus of 2.
Her Target Number is 14 (Coo + Exp), meaning she has
scored 1 success each for the 8 and 10. As the 1 is below
her Focus, she adds 2 additional successes, for a grand
total of 4 successes. She has succeeds and generates 1
Momentum. The Cab Croozer has a Speed of 2. Pedal to
the Metal allows Nerubian to spend the Momentum she
has earned to move an additional zone, which she elects
to do. The party speed 3 zones along the highway.

Alsa, who climbed into the rear cab, asks whether she can
take the Exploit Action to carefully brace herself and ready
the pintle mounted .50 Cal, which the GM agrees to. With
the vehicle moving quickly this turn, all tests made by the
driver and passengers are at +1 difficulty, and so Alsa will
need to make a Challenging (D2) Observation test. She will
be testing against her Awareness of 9 plus Observation
Expertise of 2, for a total Target Number of 11. To increase
her chances, she also decides to pay the GM 2 Fallout for
Create Opportunity and rolls 4d20, getting a 2, 4, 4, and 11.
She has passed the test and earned 1 Momentum, which
is added to the group pool. Additionally, her attack will
gain the Piercing 2 quality.

Pach Man, who climbed into the rear cab and took a Brace
position, declares he is going to take the Ready Action with
his sniper rifle. He states he will attack the minute a Los
Nigromantes vehicle comes into sight.

Continued on next page...

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 CHAPTER 7

With Nerubian, Alsa, and Pach Man having declared and for the Caballero! Pach Man rolls 5 damage, and 3 Effects.
executed their actions, the GM takes the turn of their pur- The total damage result is 11 (5 for the damage rolled, +1 for
suers. 3 Fallout has been gained so far this turn, which has each Effect rolled adding 1 damage, +3 for the Vicious quality
been added to the 4 Fallout remaining from previous scenes. of the Pioneer triggered by the Effects). Pach Man decides
The GM describes the roaring approach of two Cerdos bikes to save the Momentum earned; 11 Damage should easily
and an enemy Croozer. be enough to deal with a lowly Caballero! He rolls a 9 for hit
location, bang in the torso! The Caballero leathers provide a
Each bike has a single rider, which means the NPC riders
Soak of 1, but he still suffers 10 Vigour Damage. This reduces
must split their focus if they want to attack and move in the
the Caballero to 0 Vigour and inflicts 2 Harms. The GM wastes
same turn. Doing so, however, will increase the difficulty of
no time in stating that the Caballero is punched backwards
both their Drive and attack tests by 1 this turn.
from the shot. The bike flips and tumble sideways until it
The first bike is using a Pedal to the Metal Movement action. explodes as the fuel tank ruptures.
Normally an Average (D1) test, this is made 2 steps more
Remembering the 20 Pach Man rolled, the GM decides to
difficult by both the condition of the road and the NPC’s
add a Complication (rather than taking Fallout). The GM
split focus, resulting in a Daunting (D3) test; the Caballero
states that the road sweeps around to the right, but the way
de la Muerte can make both a Movement action and attack
ahead is currently blocked by a crowd of refugees! Nerubian
thanks to the Drive with Your Knees talent, which grants a
must pass a Challenging (D2) Drive test (+1 difficulty from
second Standard Action for Drive tests. With a Coordination
her Movement action) to avoid ploughing through them and
of 9, plus a Movement Field of Expertise of Expertise 2 and
damaging her CabCroozer. She succeeds with a 7 and 12.
Focus 1, the Los Nigromantes Caballero is no slouch on the
road. As they’re an Elite who normally rolls 2d20 for a test, the Meanwhile, the second biker comes steaming towards
GM spends 1 Fallout on Create Opportunity and the Caballero Nerubian’s CabCroozer through the fading explosion of the
rolls 3d20, resulting in 3, 3, and 6. The 3 Successes mean that first Cerdos bike. The driver has also opted to use Pedal to
the Caballero has passed the test. With their bike’s speed of 3, the Metal. The Caballero rolls 2d20, scoring a 1 and 10 for 3
this allows the Caballero to close on Nerubian’s CabCroozer. successes, meaning they reach Close range (3 successes to
Pach Man reminds the GM, however, that he is readied and move Speed). They catch the CabCroozer and take a shot.
would like to take his shot. The pistol’s range of Close would normally mean an Average
(D1) difficulty, but the Pedal to the Metal and Drive with Your
Pach Man leans forward, carefully sights along the barrel
Knees talent increase this to Daunting (D3). The GM rolls 2d20,
of his Pioneer Sniper Rifle, and gently squeezes the trigger
scoring 1 and 11. A Coordination of 9 plus Firearms Expertise of
before the enemy bike gets too close. Given that Pach Man
2 and Focus of 1 result in a hit. As the rear of the CabCroozer is
was ready to interrupt, the GM agrees that he waited until
Exposed, they choose to target Alsa. Wielding a .44 Magnum,
the enemy Caballero was at a perfect range before opening
the Caballero rolls 5  and scores 2 damage plus 2 Effects.
fire. Not knowing what’s about to hit them, the Caballero
Each Effect inflicts 1 additional damage and also activates
makes no Defence Reaction. As the bike has the Exposed
the weapon’s Vicious 1 quality, adding another 2 points of
trait, Pach Man can declare the Caballero as his target.
damage for a total of 6. The hit location result is a 4, meaning
Desperate to make as big a difference as he can, Pach Man
Alsa is hit in the right arm. Her 1 Soak from a leather jacket
decides to spend 1 Salvage Point to place a d20 on the table
reduces the damage to 5, which is enough to cause a Wound.
with a ‘1’ showing. Pach Man rolls his 2d20, getting a 3 and
The GM tells Alsa she is Bleeding, resulting in 3  damage,
a 20. With a Coordination of 10, plus an Expertise of 3 and
ignoring Soak, at the start of each of her turns.
a Focus of 3 in Firearms, Pach Man has managed 4 suc-
cesses—2 from the Salvage Point, plus 2 from the 3 he rolled The enemy Croozer acts last for the turn. Realising the Misfits
as it’s equal to his Focus. are getting away, they try and make ground with Pedal to
the Metal. This is a Challenging (D2) test, but the GM spends
Normally, an attack at the right range and with the enemy
2 Fallout to Create Opportunity (leaving them with 4 Fallout
performing no Defensive Reaction would be made at
remaining). Rolling 4d20, the GM gets a 3, 15, 16, and 20. Only
Average (D1) difficulty, but since Nerubian is pushing her
the 3 beats the TN of 11, which is not enough successes to
CabCroozer to the limit with Pedal to the Metal, Pach Man
pass the test. The GM declares that the Complication from
is being bounced and thrown with the speed of the vehicle,
the 20 plus the Complication from failing the test result in a
increasing the difficulty by 1. With 4 Successes he has hit and
refugee throwing a brick through the Croozer’s windscreen.
gains 2 Momentum. His sniper rifle inflicts 6 , plus 2  for
his high Awareness. Pach Man will roll 8 , an unlucky day Continued on next page...

175
 CONFLICT & DRAMA

The GM follows up with a Daunting (D3) Drive test for the for a total of 6 Successes (2 from Salvage and 4 from her
driver to stay in control of the vehicle, which is also promptly dice roll). She has hit and earned 3 Momentum. Focusing
failed. The GM states the Croozer veers suddenly to the left, on getting down the embankment without going over the
ploughs over the curb, trashes a fence, and smashes through handlebars, the Caballero chooses to not make a Defensive
the front of a derelict house. Reaction. Alsa rolls a mighty 10  for damage; 7 for the .50 Cal,
plus 1 for the Reload, 1 for Exploit and 1 for a high Awareness.
Having managed to wreck one bike, suffered a dangerous
She rolls 5 damage and 3 Effects, for a total of 8 Damage. A
injury from the rider of the second, and watched the Croozer
.50 Cal has numerous qualities that are all activated by her
crash out of the chase, the Misfits end their turn.
Effects. Grievous means that if a Harm is inflicted, 1 addi-
Moving to a new round, the players discuss the order in tional Harm is inflicted. Salvo 1 is activated since Also used
which their character’s should act. They agree that Nerubian a Reload, which gives the attack the Anti-Materiel 1 quality.
should go first, since the effects of last round’s Pedal to the This will permanently reduce the bike’s Armour by 3 after any
Metal action will apply until she acts. With Alsa injured in the damage os dealt (1 for each Effect). The Biker will also suffer
back, only one pursuer at the moment, and the open road 3 Nerve damage due to Terrifying 1, while the Vicious 1 quality
ahead, she opts to make a Pedestrian Driving Movement increases the damage of the attack to 11. Finally, because
Action. This will slow the vehicle down, but driving carefully the .50 Cal has Spread 1, Alsa’s attack will inflict 3 additional
will allow the other Misfits a better chance to succeed later at hits of 5 damage (half the damage of the main attack). The
their actions. Slowing the CabCroozer, she mounts the curb bike has an Armour Soak of 2, resulting in 9 damage for the
and heads down a brush and rubbish littered embankment main attack (11 minus 2 Soak), plus 9 damage from each of
into an overgrown park. The GM states that the rough terrain the Spread hits (3 hits of 5 damage minus 2 Soak each). It
will require a Challenging (D2) Drive test. also only has 6 Structure.

Trusting to her experience and skill and not wanting to give Alsa shouts as the GM describes the bike lighting up under
the GM any Fallout, Nerubian rolls her 2d20. She scores a her withering fire. As the first strike shreds the bike’s armour
6 and a 19, not enough! Her Canonballer talent, however, and inflicts 9 damage, there seems little need to follow each
allows her to reroll 1d20. She rerolls the 19 to a 4 and succeeds; Effect through. Both the bike and Caballero disappear in
the CabCroozer slips and slithers its way into the park. a fireball, putting an end to the immediate threat. After
threading their way through the park, the Misfits make their
Alsa plans to open fire on the biker with the .50 Cal, but since
way onto the freeway and head for home.
she is Bleeding and has already lost a lot of her Vigour, Pach
Man declares he will go next. Dropping his Pioneer as a Free
Action, he opts for a Standard Action to Treat Alsa. This is an
Average (D1) Medicine test. However, the GM states that the
Complication Range will be increased by 1, to 19-20, while
they are bumping around in the back of the Cab Croozer.
Pach Man has no Expertise in Medicine, so the Complication
Range is increased by 1 again, resulting in a Complication on
a roll of 18-20. Pach Man rolls his 2d20 and scores an 8 and a
12. Enough to get the 1 success required and no Complication.
He wipes the sweat from his brow and used a Minor Action to
grab his rifle so he can make a Defence Reaction if required.

Alsa pulls herself up behind the pintle-mounted .50 Cal and

swings the muzzle around to face the bike, which is shadow-
ing them at Close range. The .50 Cal has an optimal range
of Long, firing it at a Close adds 2 to the difficulty for the
difference in zones between Close and Long, making the test
Daunting (D3). Alsa decides enough is enough. She held on
to her Exploit action through gritted teeth and she wants
the biker to pay! She spends a Salvage Point to place a d20
on the table with the ‘1’ showing. She also decides to use a
Reload to gain an extra d20 and +1 . Alsa rolls 4d20 against
a TN of 13 using Heavy Weapons, getting a 2, 11, 12, and 17

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 CHAPTER 7

ACTION SCENES TURN ORDER

Vehicular combat and tense encounters provide the most The order that characters take their turn during a round is
dangerous and engaging aspect of testing a character’s metal incredibly important as actions can and will change based on
on the Devil’s Run. To best be able to make important deci- what has transpired previously, creating new opportunities for
sions about what they’ll attempt amidst the din and chaos of action and forcing re-evaluation of plans based on the out-
combat, it’s vitally important that both the players and GM come of prior actions.
clearly understand exactly what is happening, where it’s taking
The PCs normally act first each round. The players can nego-
place, who it’s happening to, and who gets to act in what order.
tiate among themselves exactly who will act next, but once
These dramatic encounters are called action scenes, and this
a PC begins their turn, that character must resolve all of the
section covers how best to handle them by introducing the use
actions they wish to take before another character can act.
of zones for movement and range purposes, the structure of
Once all the PCs have taken their turns, all of the NPCs take
turns and actions, the actions characters can undertake, and
their turns (in whatever order the GM wishes).
the ways characters are harmed or recover from harm.
A round is over once all PCs and NPCs have taken their actions.
This section relates to characters and the actions they perform,
1 Momentum is removed from the group Momentum pool (if
although much of it can also be applied to characters operating
any) and a new round begins.
their vehicles. Chapter 8: Vehicular Mayhem builds upon and
expands this chapter for mechanics that relates specifically
SEIZING INITIATIVE
to vehicular combat.
Before any action has been taken at the start of the round, or

TURN SEQUENCE at any time immediately after a PC has finished acting (and
before another PC has begun to act this turn), the GM can
The passage of time during an action scene is compressed,
spend 1 Fallout to interrupt the PC’ turns and allow an NPC to
structured and broken down into individual rounds and turns.
immediately take a turn. The NPC’s actions are resolved nor-
During a round, any character present in the scene has an
mally. Unless the GM spends additional Fallout to allow other
opportunity to act. This opportunity is known as the charac-
NPCs to take their actions, turn order passes back to the PCs.
ter’s turn. Each round encompasses the turn of every character
Any NPC acting out of order like this does not get to act again
involved. Once all characters have taken a turn, the round con-
later that round.
cludes and a new round begins.

Rounds have no specific or fixed duration. Rather than rep-

resent a fixed length, they embody a snapshot of the intense INDECISION
activity occurring over a relatable period of time. A furious If the players spend too much time deliberating and dis-
clash between small groups of foot soldiers may equate to cussing their choices during an action scene rather than
each round representing no more than a few seconds. A battle taking action, the GM can add 1 Fallout to the pool as a
across an oil refinery may require rounds comprising a minute warning that they are ceding the initiative to their oppo-
or more, as the combatants jockey for position within the envi- nents. If the players’ deliberation continues, the GM can
ronment. A battle between Warrigs on the 280 might track take additional Fallout points, warning the players period-
several minutes of time between rounds as the behemoths ically until they act, or until the GM chooses to spend the
bring their weapons to bear and rein each other in. Fallout, allowing any NPC to act first.

Regardless of how much time a round may represent, each

character takes a single turn during each round. Characters SURPRISE AND AMBUSHES
have a number of options they’re able to perform in the form Sometimes, one group of combatants may try to surprise or
of various actions. A character can perform the following each ambush another group. If one group has sufficient time to
turn: a single Standard Action, a Minor Action, and any number hide, set up an ambush, or otherwise prepare themselves to
of Free Actions. attack an unwitting foe, then they may attempt an opposed
test (see p. 168) to gain an advantage. Each side nominates a
The character may exchange a Standard Action for a Minor
leader to attempt the skill test—which skill is used can vary,
Action and/or a Minor Action for any number of Free Actions.
see below. Other members of the group may assist this test
Other than Response Actions in response to the actions of
as normal, as they either contribute to preparations or simply
others, no other actions are allowed outside of the character’s
provide extra eyes and ears.
turn. A character cannot perform the same type of action more
than once in each turn. Under most circumstances, the ambushing side attempts a
Stealth test which the ambushed side resists by attempting

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 CONFLICT & DRAMA

an Observation test. However, the players and GM are free to DROP PRONE
suggest alternative ways to secure surprise. Perhaps a sudden The character immediately drops to the ground, presenting a
attack during a negotiation could be handled by Persuade, smaller target to foes. While prone, a character gains 2 Soak for
resisted by Insight. The feasibility of these plans is left to GM each Effect rolled on Cover dice and increases the difficulty of
discretion. all ranged attacks against the character from Medium range or
further by 1. However, melee attacks within Reach and ranged
If the group attempting surprise succeeds at the opposed test,
attacks at Close range gain 2 bonus Momentum against the
every character on that side gains the benefits of an Exploit
character. Additionally, the Sprint action becomes impossible.
Action for free (see p. 180) and acts immediately at the start
A character may not stand up and drop prone in the same turn.
of combat. (NPCs don’t need to spend Fallout to gain this, nor
should the GM spend Fallout to override this.)
SIMPLE TASK
If the group attempting surprise fails at the opposed test, the The character may perform any other task that requires a
group being surprised may choose to pay 2 Fallout or spend Simple (D0) skill test or no skill test as a Free Action. If the
1 Salvage Point (for the whole group) to gain the benefits of character wishes to roll the dice for a Simple (D0) skill test, then
surprise instead. the Skill Test action (p. 181) must be taken instead.

SPEAK
ACTIONS The character may talk to allies, bellow a war cry, shout an
There are four forms of actions in use during an action scene:
order, threaten a rival, or otherwise converse with a few sen-
Free Actions, Minor Actions, Standard Actions, and Reactions.
tences or phrases. This action cannot be used to attempt a
As part of a normal turn, a character can perform a single
Command or Persuade test, or to perform any other skill test
Standard Action, a Minor Action, and a Free Action. The char-
that involves speech. For such actions, the Use Skill action
acter may exchange a Standard Action for a Minor Action and/
should be used instead.
or a Minor Action for any number of Free Actions.

Outside of the turn, the character cannot take any actions, but MINOR ACTIONS
can attempt Reactions in response to the actions of others. Usually only requiring a small amount of energy or concen-
Actions can be taken in any order, but all actions must be tration, Minor Actions support a character’s Standard Action.
declared before each is resolved, and the GM has the final Characters gain one Minor Action each turn, though a Standard
decision as to whether any combination of actions is possible. Action can be exchanged for an additional Minor Action. A
Minor Action can be exchanged for any number of Free Actions.
Some actions are noted as being Movement actions. Characters
can only perform a single Movement action during each Round.
AIM

FREE ACTIONS The character may reroll a single d20 during one attack made
before the start of their next turn.
A Free Action is a simple action that can be performed either
instantaneously or within a split second. It requires almost no
ALLEVIATE
thought or coordination to accomplish. A Free Action can never
The character can attempt a skill test to clear an unwanted
include a skill test where dice are rolled. If an action requires a
status effect or problem themselves, an animal the charac-
skill test, it is not a Free Action. One or more of the following
ter is handling, or a carried piece of equipment. The difficulty
Free Actions can be taken each turn without reservation, but
of the test is normally Challenging (D2) or the rating of the
each specific Free Action can only be performed once per turn.
status effect (if any), whichever is higher. The skill used varies
based on the condition affecting the character (Resistance for
ADJUST
physical effects, Discipline for mental ones), or an object the
The character can make a small change of position. This can be
character is using (normally Engineering or Wild Tech). Tending
to any point within Close range, including into or out of Reach,
to a mount’s conditions uses the Animal Handling skill.
unless the movement would require a skill test of Average (D1)
or higher. This is a Movement action (see Movement, p. 183).
DRAW ITEM
Using a free hand, the character may pick up an item within
DROP ITEM
Reach, or draw a weapon or other item carried on their person/
The character drops a single item held in one or both hands.
stowed in their gear. Items that don’t require a skill test to oper-
The item falls to the character’s feet, within Reach, unless it is
ate can be used immediately upon taking this action, allowing a
otherwise unfeasible—such as when climbing up a rope, hang-
character to draw and use the item with only one Minor Action.
ing onto a ledge, etc.

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 CHAPTER 7

ACTION SUMMARY TABLE

ACTION EFFECT
FREE ACTIONS
Adjust Moving within Close range or in and out of Reach.
Drop Item Dropping an item held in one or two hands.
Drop Prone Dropping prone to the ground.
Simple Task Any small task requiring no skill test or a Simple (D0) test.
Speak Speaking without using a communication skill.
MINOR ACTIONS
Aim Reroll 1d20 on an attack.
Alleviate Ridding self or an item from an ongoing condition.
Draw Item Drawing an item or weapon.
Interact Interact with an object in the environment.
Movement Moving within Medium range.
Stand Standing from prone position.
STANDARD ACTIONS
Assist Granting an ally an advantage.
Attack Attacking a foe.
Brace Steadying an Unwieldy weapon for an attack.
Exploit Observing foe to discover a weakness, to exploit immediately.
Pass Doing nothing.
Ready Holding another Action to perform later.
Recover Attempting to recover lost Vigour or Nerve.
Skill Test Attempting a skill test.
Sprint Moving to any point in Long range.
Treat Treating an ally within Reach to recover Vigour or Nerve.
Withdraw Withdrawing to Close range to avoid a Retaliate Action.
REACTIONS
Covering Fire Using a Reload to assist an ally, making attacks against them more difficult.
Defend Parrying, blocking, or otherwise avoiding an attack.
Protect Defending an ally from an attack.
Retaliate Attacking a nearby foe when an opportunity is presented.
Return Fire Immediately return fire after being declared the target of a ranged attack.

179
 CONFLICT & DRAMA

INTERACT BRACE
The character interacts with an object in the environment. Weapons with a size category of Unwieldy (described on p. 156)
Particularly complex actions may require a major action instead. are particularly cumbersome and awkward to wield. An attack
with an Unwieldy weapon increases the difficulty of the attack
MOVEMENT test by 2 and the Complication Range by 1.
A character can move to any point within Medium range as a
When a character performs the Brace action, these penalties
Minor Action. This is a Movement Action (see Movement, p. 183).
are removed from future attacks made with the braced weapon.
Once a character performs the Brace action, the weapon
STAND
remains Braced until it is moved. If the character moves the
If prone, the character may take this action to stand, losing all
weapon, then the benefits of being Braced are removed.
the benefits and disadvantages of being prone.

EXPLOIT
STANDARD ACTIONS The character takes additional time and concentration read-
As the focus of action scenes, Standard Actions take up most of a
ying the next attack, seeking to find vulnerabilities in a single
character’s attention and effort. Most Standard Actions require
target’s defences. The player nominates a target the character
a skill test. A character can normally perform one Standard
is able to perceive, and attempts an Average (D1) Observation
Action per turn, but there are a number of ways a character
test (modified for Observation tests by distance, lighting, etc.).
can perform an additional Standard Action. Regardless of the
If this succeeds, the character’s first attack before the end of
method used, however, a character cannot take more than
the next turn gains the Piercing 2 Quality. If desired, the char-
two Standard Actions each round.
acter may spend one Momentum from this test to add 1 bonus
The following list describes the various ways characters can d20 to the attack’s skill test, and +1  to the attack’s damage.
gain an extra Standard Action per turn: This is Repeatable, but these bonus d20s count towards the
normal limit of 3 bonus d20s on any skill test. The benefits of
• SALVAGE POINTS: A player may spend a Salvage Point to this action are only gained once per round.
allow the character to perform an additional Standard Action
This action can also represent attempts to ambush, feint, or
• SWIFT ACTION MOMENTUM SPEND: By spending attack with some other significant advantage. GMs may allow
2 points of Momentum from a prior skill test (even
characters to use skills other than Observation to attempt an
one from a Reaction), the character immediately
Exploit action, and the GM may modify the Difficulty to repre-
gains an additional Standard Action. The Difficulty of
sent more- or less-vulnerable targets. Stealth is the most likely
any test associated with that extra Standard Action
skill to test, but Persuade (representing a trick or deception)
increases by 1.
or Acrobatics (representing some grand feat of agility) are also
• TALENT OR ABILITY: Some special talents and abilities viable options. The GM is encouraged to let players have fun
allow a character to perform an additional Standard with this option. In situations where the skill test’s Difficulty is
Action without spending Momentum or paying Fortune Simple (D0), Exploit may be used as a Free Action.
points. These are described in the individual talent or
ability’s descriptions. PASS
A character may choose to spend their Standard Action doing
ASSIST nothing. This still uses their Standard Action for that turn.
The character performs some activity that grants an ally an
advantage. The player nominates a single ally the character
can communicate with and declares how aid will be provided,
including the skill to be used. As per the rules for assisting on
a skill test, p. 170, the character then provides assistance with
the chosen skill during the nominated ally’s action.

ATTACK
There are multiple methods of attacking an enemy: melee,
ranged, and threaten being the normal ways. The type of attack
determines the skill used and the tools or techniques available
to inflict harm. See Attacks on p. 191 for more information.

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READY Recovering mental damage can be done at distances greater

The player may declare that the character is waiting for a cer- than Reach, but with increasing Difficulty. Recovering the
tain situation or event to occur before performing a Standard Resolve of an ally at range increases the Difficulty by one step
Action, which must be chosen when the triggering condition at Close range, and one step more for each range category
is determined. When this triggering situation occurs, the char- beyond Close.
acter with the readied action temporarily interrupts the acting
character’s turn to resolve the readied action. Once the readied WITHDRAW
action is resolved, the acting character continues their turn as Using the Retaliate reaction, an enemy may attack a character
normal. If the triggering situation does not occur before the attempting to leave their Reach. Use of the Withdraw Action
character’s next turn, the readied action is lost. prevents this. A character choosing to Withdraw moves to any
point within Close range which is not within Reach of an enemy
Because Ready is a Standard Action, a character wanting to
and cannot be the target of a Retaliate Reaction that turn. This
attack or perform a second Standard Action must pay for it
is a Movement Action.
with Momentum, Fortune, additional Difficulty steps, or other
methods described in Standard Actions on p. 180. Characters If the character and allies within Reach outnumber the ene-
who perform a Readied Action can still take Minor and Free mies within Reach, then the character may Withdraw as a Free
Actions during their turn as normal. Action instead of a Standard Action.

RECOVER REACTIONS
The character hunkers down and fights through the pain. In order to resist, oppose, or challenge the actions of others, a
They choose a single type of damage (physical or mental) and character may attempt as many Reactions as desired during
attempt an Average (D1) skill test, using Resistance for phys- each round. Each Reaction can only be used in response to a
ical and Discipline for mental tests. On a successful test, the specific set of circumstances, and the character must be aware
character regains 2 Vigour (physical) or 2 Nerve (mental) plus 2 of those circumstances. If the character is not aware of the
points more of either for each Momentum spent (Repeatable). action, no Reaction is allowed. Most Reactions take place in
the form of one of two Defence Reactions (Defend or Protect)
Because the character is focussing heavily on recovery, they
or an Attack Reaction (Retaliate).
may reroll any Cover Soak dice when taking the Recover Action.
This remains in effect until the start of the next turn. Attempting a Reaction comes at a price, irrespective of whether
it succeeds or not. PCs add Fallout to the GM’s pool to take
SKILL TEST Reactions, while NPCs spend Fallout from the pool. The first
The character attempts a skill test not covered by any other Reaction a character attempts in a round costs 1 Fallout, the
Action. The GM’s discretion applies as to what activities and second Reaction costs 2 Fallout, the third costs 3 Fallout, etc.
tasks are permitted as Standard Actions, keeping in mind that This cost resets to 1 when the character begins a new turn.
they are being attempted in the middle of an action scene.
COVERING FIRE
SPRINT As a Reaction at any time, a character can provide covering
The character may move to any point in Long range. Sprinting fire to an ally by expending a single Reload from their ranged
takes up a lot of the character’s attention and prevents con- weapon. To provide covering fire, a character must be able to
centration on other matters, increasing the Difficulty of all see either the ally they are supporting or the enemy they are
skill tests attempted until the start of the next turn, with the trying to suppress. Until the beginning of the character’s next
exception of tests made for the Defence Reaction. This is a turn, all attacks made against the assisted ally are made at +1
Movement Action (see Movement, p. 183). difficulty. If multiple characters provide covering fire to support
a single ally, the effects stack.
TREAT
The character tries to aid an ally. They nominate a character DEFEND
within Reach, choose a single type of damage (physical or The character attempts to defend against an attack. This
mental), and attempt a skill test, using Medicine for physical Reaction may be used when an enemy attack is attempted
damage and Counsel for mental damage. The difficulty of the and the character has been declared as the target of that attack.
test is equal to the number of Harms of that type the ally is suf- This turns the attacker’s skill test into an opposed test. The skill
fering from, or Average (D1). If successful, the character regains used by the defender is determined by the type of attack, as
3 points of Vigour (physical) or 3 points of Resolve (mental) described in Attacks, p. 191.
plus 3 points more for each Momentum spent (Repeatable).

181
 CONFLICT & DRAMA

PROTECT RETURN FIRE

The character attempts to defend an ally from an attack. This After being declared the target of a ranged attack, a character
Reaction may be used when an enemy attack is attempted, can Return Fire as a Reaction so long as they have a suita-
and an ally declared as the target of that attack is within ble weapon equipped. The character returning fire makes an
Reach of the character. This turns the attacker’s skill test into immediate ranged attack against the triggering enemy, though
an opposed test, with the character testing against a difficulty they cannot spend more than 1 Reload on this attack. Both
of Challenging (D2). If the skill test is failed outright, the attack attacks are resolved simultaneously—that is, damage (and other
hits its original target. If the skill test is successful, the character effects from either attack) is applied after both attacks have
using Protect becomes the new target, with any Momentum been made, so that neither attacker suffers any penalty on the
scored used to determine the results of the opposed test. The attacks they’re making from damage taken from those attacks.
skill used for this Reaction is the same as that required for a
Defend reaction against an attack of that type.

RETALIATE
The character lashes out at a nearby foe. This Reaction may be
used when an enemy attempts a non-attack skill test within
Reach of the character, or when an enemy seeks to move out
of Reach of the character without using the Withdraw action.
The character may immediately attempt a melee attack.

The Retaliate Reaction should be resolved before the action

that triggered it. If the character’s melee attack is successful,
then the character may spend Momentum to increase the
difficulty of the skill test being interrupted (as per the Create
Obstacle Momentum spend described on p. 192).

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MOVEMENT, RANGE & ZONES CHARACTERS AND ZONES

Knowing where everyone is situated is of vital importance Keeping track of which zone characters are in at any given
during a battle. Determining both absolute position (where a moment is not only an important step to managing action
character or vehicle is on the battlefield) and relative position scenes effectively, but also helps players visualize their char-
(how far a character or vehicle is from a given friend or foe) acters’ places in an encounter. This should be relatively easy in
determines many factors. Rather than track everything in pre- most cases. As zones are defined by the terrain and surround-
cise distances, however, 2d20 handles this using abstract zones. ings, tracking a character can be a matter of simple description.
An enemy might be ‘behind the bar’ or ‘standing in front of
An environment represents the battlefield as a whole. This may
their vehicle’. This has the advantage of relying on natural lan-
be a building, a city street, an area of wilderness, or something
guage and intuitive concepts, rather than specific game terms.
of that sort. An environment is divided into a number of zones
It likewise avoids the need to track specific distances without
based on the terrain features present in the area. For example,
miniatures when there are a lot of characters present.
a building may treat individual rooms as distinct zones, using
the internal walls as natural divisions for range and movement. Larger or particularly complex scenes can still be tricky to track
A city street may focus zones around features like shop stalls, purely by memory, so the GM may wish to use something
the fronts of buildings, alleyways, and so forth. extra to help remind everyone of which character is where. If
you’re already using a sketched map, then marking character
Zones are often defined in three dimensions, so the GM may
positions in pencil is a simple approach, as is using tokens or
choose to map multiple floors of a building connected by stairs,
miniatures, and moving them around as required.
ramps, or ladders. A relatively simple battlefield may consist
of three to five significant zones, while complex environments
may have more. Though it requires more planning on the GM’s
part, more zones are often better than fewer as they provide a
MINIATURES
As a traditional pen-and-paper system, the Devil’s Run
greater variety of movement options and tactical opportunities.
RPG doesn’t require the use of miniatures but neither does
Because zones are of no fixed size, they can be varied to it discourage their use. The GM may often employ sketch
accommodate the GM’s preferences for a given scene, and maps or even pre-made map tiles in order to depict an area
to represent certain other factors. For example, a battle in and its different zones. In these cases, counters or mark-
an old park that is now overgrown may be divided into many ers representing each character can be a useful reminder
small zones amongst the trees, and a couple of larger zones of where everyone is. Miniatures are, in essence, a more
representing clearings. The larger size of the zone helps convey elaborate form of counters or markers for this purpose.
quicker movement and easier target acquisition in open areas.
There is an extensive range of tiles and vehicle miniatures
However, zones shouldn’t be overly complicated to the point available for the Devil’s Run board game. Appendix 2:
that they dominate the narrative. For most situations, a few Indirect Conversion Rules on p. 300 provides some infor-
seconds should be all that’s needed to describe zones and mation relating to scales being used.
their relative positions, or to sketch out a rough map on a
piece of spare paper. This doesn’t prevent GMs from design-
ing elaborate environments if there’s a requirement; locations DISTANCES
that will be used frequently, or those especially important to Movement and ranged attacks need some sense of distance
key moments in an adventure or a campaign, might require to make them meaningful. In combat, the relative placement
additional time to map and more complexity. of zones determines this distance. To keep things simple and
fluid, range is measured with four categories and one state.
Individual zones can, and often should, have terrain effects
defined when the GM creates them. This may be as simple REACH: An object or character is in a state of Reach when it’s
as providing cover or imposing difficult terrain, but the GM within arm’s length of the character. Characters enter Reach to
is welcome to devise other terrain items such as interactive interact with objects manually, to attack in close combat, and
objects, hazards to overcome, or even terrain that changes to perform any other actions where they may need to touch the
under particular circumstances. Some zones may be defined target or subject of their action. Reach isn’t a specific range, but
more by the absence of terrain than its presence, and a few rather is something that the player can declare when the character
empty zones between obstacles enhance some environments. is moving. That is, when a character moves into or within a zone,
the player may freely declare that the character is moving into
GMs that desire concrete values rather than abstract ranges
or out of Reach of a particular object or character. Moving out of
are encouraged to set specific sizes and shapes for individual
Reach of an enemy may be risky, as it leaves a character open to
zones, essentially using them as a large grid.
attack unless they take the Withdraw action.

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CLOSE: Close range is defined as the zone the character occu-

pies at that time. Moving within Close range is a trivial affair
OBSERVATION DIFFICULTY TABLE
that counts merely as a Free Action. Close range is, in essence, RANGE DIFFICULTY INCREASE
a distance of zero zones.
Close 0
MEDIUM: Medium range is defined as any zone adjacent to the
character’s current zone. A character can use a Minor Action Medium 1
to move to a point within Medium range. Medium range is a
distance of one zone. Long 2

LONG: Long range is defined as objects and creatures two Extreme 3

zones away from a character’s current zone. A character can
use a Standard Action to move to a point within Long range.
OTHER SENSES
Long range is a distance of two zones.
Broadly speaking, sight and hearing define the majority of
EXTREME: Extreme range is defined as anything beyond Long human perception and are the senses dealt with most fre-
range. A character cannot move to Extreme range in a single quently here. However, at times other senses come into play.
turn. Extreme range is a distance of three or more zones. A character’s sense of touch is naturally limited to Reach. The
sense of smell is most effective for humans within Reach,
DISTANCE AND COMMUNICATION and Observation tests made to smell something outside of
Whether it’s a call for help, battle cry, derisive slur, or some Reach increase in difficulty by 1, plus 1 for each range category
other dialogue, characters often want to communicate during beyond Close.
an action scene. Communication in a scene lends to tactics
Non-human characters and creatures may have different limits
and adds flavour. In most cases, characters can converse nor-
and capabilities when using their senses. For example, a dog
mally within Close range. They’re considered near enough to
is able to discern details by scent that a human cannot, but
one another to be heard and to make themselves understood
its eyesight is somewhat less acute by comparison. A creature
without raising their voices.
with a particularly keen sense may reduce the difficulty of all
A character can communicate with someone at Medium range Observation and Insight tests related to that sense. Dull senses
but only at a raised volume, i.e. shouting, rather than talking. At would increase the difficulty of those tests.
Long and Extreme range, a character can shout to draw atten-
tion, but conveying any depth of meaning or understanding
beyond basic instructions or information is unlikely.
MOVEMENT & TERRAIN
Under normal circumstances, moving around requires no skill

DISTANCE AND PERCEPTION test. Moving to anywhere within Close range takes only a
Free Action. Moving to anywhere within Medium range takes
The further away something is, the harder it is to notice. In
a Minor Action. Moving to anywhere within Long range takes
game terms, this means that characters and objects in dis-
a Standard Action but also increases the difficulty of all other
tant zones are harder to observe or identify than those nearby.
tests by 1 until the start of the character’s next turn. (Including
A character increases the difficulty of Observation tests by 1
tests to traverse difficult terrain.)
when trying to notice creatures and objects at Medium range,
by 2 when dealing with creatures and objects at Long range, However, some movement may require a terrain test because
and by 3 when trying to discern things at Extreme range. of the circumstances involved. This skill test typically uses
Acrobatics or Athletics for characters and creatures, and Drive
A creature that isn’t trying to avoid notice requires a Simple
for vehicles, though unusual terrain may require a different test.
(D0) Observation test under normal circumstances. A creature
A situation may allow a choice of skills to be used depending
attempting a Stealth test makes the opposing test more chal-
on how the character attempts to traverse the terrain. If move-
lenging, because the opposition becomes a Struggle. Stealth
ment requires a skill test with a difficulty of Average (D1) or
is covered in more detail on p. 187. Characters, creatures or
higher, then it cannot be performed as a Free Action even if the
objects that are particularly noticeable—firing an RPG, roars or
movement is only within Close range. Under no circumstances
shouting, or a fast-moving or brightly-coloured vehicles—may
can a skill test be attempted as a Free Action.
reduce the difficulty further.
Circumstances that require a terrain test are one of three types:
obstacles, hindrances, and hazards.

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OBSTACLES of this movement requires either giving up a portion of that

Obstacles exist at the points where two zones meet, impairing movement (moving one fewer zone than normal with that
efforts to pass between those zones. Not every zone inter- action) or attempting a terrain test, with failure meaning that
section need to include an obstacle. Climbable walls and the character stops moving within the hindering terrain. The
fences, ladders, and similar barriers can all serve as obstacles. terrain test is normally Average (D1), but some terrain may
Attempting to bypass an obstacle typically requires an Average require a more difficult test. Less-troublesome hindrances may
(D1) terrain test. Larger obstacles may increase this, while only require a Simple (D0) test, becoming more challenging
straightforward obstructions might reduce it to Simple (D0). when other factors intervene. Areas of deep water, thick snow,
or broken ground might be considered hindrances.
Failing the test to circumvent the obstacle prevents the char-
acter from moving across it. Some obstacles may only require
HAZARDS
a terrain test in a single direction, or may require different
Hazards function in the same way as obstacles or hindrances,
difficulties in different directions. For example, a slope that is
but with one significant difference: they cause harm upon a
more difficult to ascend than to descend would have differing
failed terrain test. A typical hazard inflicts 3  Vigour damage
difficulties based on the character’s position. Some obstacles
with the Stun Quality. Different hazards may vary in quantity
are impassable, preventing any movement between the zones
of damage, qualities applied, or even the type of damage.
the obstacle exists between. The internal walls of a building are
a good example, as they cannot be climbed over. There should
FALLING
normally be a way around the obstacle, such as a doorway, or
A common form of hazard is falling. The distance a character
even a weak point where sufficient force could break through.
falls determines falling damage. Refer to the Damage from

HINDRANCES Falling Table for the amount of damage and associated qualities.
A falling character can attempt an Average (D1) Acrobatics test
Hindrances affect entire zones, slowing movement within
to reduce the damage, gaining 1 bonus Armour Soak against
them. A character moving within a hindrance for any portion
the damage, plus 1 Soak for each 1 Momentum (Repeatable).

DAMAGE FROM FALLING

DISTANCE FALLEN DAMAGE & QUALITIES
Close 2 , Stun

Medium 4 , Stun

Long 6 , Stun, Vicious 1

Extreme 8 , Stun, Vicious 1

OTHER FORMS OF MOVEMENT

In general, different forms of movement are treated the same.
Each is a means of crossing particular types of hindering terrain.

CLIMBING
Climbing is any movement where a character traverses a steep
slope or sheer vertical surface. These are normally obstacles
such as walls, cliffs, and similar barriers, but some situations
may have whole zones where climbing is the only way to move
around. Climbing requires a terrain test using the Athletics skill.

The more challenging the climb, the higher the difficulty. A

rough cliff face with plentiful handholds or a moderately steep
slope that requires some effort is Challenging (D2). Attempting
to climb a vertical surface without climbing gear increases the
difficulty by 1. Attempting to climb upside down underneath
a horizontal surface increases the difficulty by 2.

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CLIMBING DIFFICULTY SWIMMING DIFFICULTY

CIRCUMSTANCE DIFFICULTY CIRCUMSTANCE DIFFICULTY
Moderately Steep Slope Challenging (D2) Treading Water Simple (D0)

No Climbing Gear Increase by 1 Calm Water Average (D1)

Upside Down Horizontal Increase by 2 Rough Water Increase by at least 1

FLIGHT (whether physical or mental), or the environment can contain

In the Devil’s Run RPG, flight is a function of a vehicle or item objects that the characters can interact with. In game terms, a
of equipment. This form of movement is therefore covered in zone either provides universal protection (granting the benefits
more detail in Chapter 8: Vehicular Mayhem. of that cover to any creature in the zone), or the GM denotes
particular features within the zone that grant cover (requiring
JUMPING that the character be within Reach of that feature to benefit).
Jumping is any movement across a gap or space, controlled
movement down to a space below, or movement in an attempt COVER
to reach something above. Jumping uses the Acrobatics skill, Normally divided into Light (2  Soak) and Heavy (4  Soak),
and it can be used in a variety of ways. Cover provides additional Soak against physical attacks
(described in Inflicting Damage on p. 194). Light Cover rep-
Jumping across a small gap or over a small barrier counting
resents lightweight objects that provide little protection but
as an obstacle is an Average (D1) Acrobatics test. Jumping
obscure the target’s form and position, while Heavy Cover
down from a short height uses the same rules as falling but
relates to solid objects that protect directly from attacks.
reduces the difficulty of the Acrobatics test by 1 to Simple (D0).
Jumping up to grasp something within the character’s normal
MORALE
reach requires an Average (D1) Acrobatics test, increasing in
Zones may sometimes provide additional Morale Soak against
difficulty as the upward distance increases.
mental attacks, normally shown as minor (2  Soak) or major (4

JUMPING DIFFICULTY
 Soak). Faction colours to rally around, a fortified position, or
something that desperately needs protection can all provide
Morale. Mental Damage, p. 196, covers Morale in more detail.
CIRCUMSTANCE DIFFICULTY
Jumping Down Short Height Simple (D0) INTERACTIVE OBJECTS
Interactive objects are any object or terrain feature that a char-
Small Barrier or Gap Average (D1) acter could conceivably interact with. Doors and windows are
a common example, as are light sources, traps, and the like.
Upwards to Character Height Average (D1)
Interacting with these objects may take little time or effort
under normal circumstances (a Free Action).
SWIMMING
Swimming is movement through a body of water, typically
defined as one or more zones of Hindering terrain (creating
DROWNING & SUFFOCATION
Being deprived of air for more than a few moments (such
the Hindered condition on the character, see p. 198).
as failing a swimming test) means a PC must attempt a
Characters can traverse zones filled with water using the Resistance test each turn, with a difficulty equal to 1 plus
Athletics skill for terrain tests. Calm water requires an Average the number of turns since they were last able to breathe
(D1) Athletics test to cross quickly, with rougher water increas- freely. The Born Swimmer talent applies to this test. Success
ing the difficulty. Treading water is a Simple (D0) Athletics test. prevents any ill effects and grants a moment’s reprieve.

OTHER KINDS OF TERRAIN Failure inflicts Fatigue equal to the difficulty of the test. A
successful swimming test resets the difficulty to Average
There are effects other than terrain that might be present in a
(D1). Falling unconscious while suffocating inflicts 1 Wound
zone. Cover is one of the most common terrain effects, repre-
each turn until removed from the water and revived
senting objects that interfere with a character’s ability to see
through a successful Challenging (D2) Medicine test.
or attack a target clearly. This can take the form of fixed terrain

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STEALTH REVEALED: The character’s presence and location are known to

Some of the tensest conflicts can revolve around avoiding the the opposition. This might be because stealth has already failed, or
enemy, rather than confronting them. Stealth scenes revolve because the character hasn’t even attempted to move unnoticed.
around a character’s ability to avoid notice and escape detec- A character may even be trying to draw attention to themselves
tion, and upon their opponent’s ability to detect and locate to distract opponents and give an opportunity for allies.
intruders.
Unless noted otherwise by the GM, characters who aren’t
Key to this is making stealth and observation less all-or-noth- attempting to sneak will be in the Revealed state.
ing than they might be otherwise. In these circumstances, a
DETECTED: A character’s presence is known to opponents, but
character who fails a skill test to be stealthy doesn’t automat-
their precise location remains unknown. The opponents may know
ically risk discovery. Instead, they may have drawn attention
a detected character’s rough location, or even their last know posi-
to themselves and made things more difficult, forcing them
tion, but they don’t know where the character is right now.
to make a different choice on how to proceed.
HIDDEN: The enemy is completely unaware of the character’s
If a scene consists only of attempts to move stealthily, the GM
location. They may even be unaware of the character’s presence
may choose to use an escalating scale of enemy awareness,
entirely, if the character has not yet been detected.
with each step providing additional reinforcements or Fallout
spends. However, if the scene is likely to include a mixture of CHANGING STEALTH STATE
stealth and other forms of conflict, such as combat, then the
A character’s stealth state is liable to change periodically during
method described here may be more appropriate.
a scene, either reducing to a worse state can be reduce or

STEALTH STATES increasing to a better one.

Stealth is not purely a matter of remaining hidden or being A hidden character whose stealth state is reduced will nor-
quiet, but of managing the attention of those who are nearby. mally become detected. Their opponents become aware of
A skilled infiltrator learns to move unnoticed at will, rather than their presence and have an idea as to the sneaking character’s
relying purely on shadows and silence, while an inexperienced location. A hidden character’s stealth state can’t be increased.
sneak assumes that any amount of noise or light can foil them.
A detected character whose stealth state is reduced will
There are three states of stealth that characters can switch become revealed. Their opponents have discovered the char-
between as they attempt to move unnoticed, with each state acter’s actual location. A detected character cannot become
both influencing and impacted by their actions. A sneaking revealed if no enemy is able to see the character; no amount of
character will be in one of the following states: observation can see through a solid wall. A detected character
whose stealth state is increased will become hidden, meaning
their opponents have lost track of the character’s location.
STEALTHY PERSPECTIVE A revealed character’s stealth state can’t be reduced. A
There might not always be one single way to succeed with
revealed character whose stealth state is increased becomes
stealth, which means that characters seeking to avoid
detected. Their opponents know that an enemy is nearby but
notice can be flexible in how they are able to do so. GMs
can’t accurately determine where.
can consider one of the following alternative options for
any characters attempting to remain unseen or escape
from enemy attention once detected: CHANGES TO STEALTH
• COORDINATION + STEALTH: Used when moving pre- CURRENT STATE REDUCED STATE INCREASED STATE
cisely and carefully is most important.
Revealed N/A Detected
• AWARENESS + STEALTH: Used when a charac-
ter tries to be observant about opponents and
Detected Revealed Hidden
alarms or traps.
Hidden Detected N/A
• INTUITION + STEALTH: Used when movement relies
on methodical planning and careful timing.

Any of these combinations may be appropriate where the There are a variety of circumstances described in the follow-
stealth rules call for a test, although the GM has the final ing sections that can cause a character’s stealth state to be
say as to which is the most fitting. reduced. A character’s stealth state can be increased in only
a few ways, however.

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 CONFLICT & DRAMA

As a Standard Action, a character may attempt a stealth test

when they’re in a zone that fulfils the following criteria:
STEALTH CATEGORIES
• There cannot be any opponents within the zone ACTION TYPE STEALTH CATEGORY
• Opponents must not be unable to see clearly FREE ACTIONS
into the zone
Adjust Silent
• The zone must not be the place where the character Drop Item Silent
last entered the detected state, i.e. they must move
somewhere away from both their opponents and the
Drop Prone Silent
place their opponents consider as the character’s last
known position. Simple Task GM’s Discretion
Alternatively, if a character is detected in a scene and no oppo- Speak1 Noisy
nents remain (because they’re dead, unconscious, or have left
the area), they may automatically choose to become either MINOR ACTIONS
hidden or revealed should new, or returning, opponents arrive.
Alleviate Silent (self)/Noisy (Ally)
STEALTH STATES & ACTIONS Aim Silent
Whenever a sneaking character takes an action, the character’s
stealth state needs to be considered in how the action is under- Disengage Noisy
taken, and how the action affects the character’s stealth state.
Draw Item Silent
Actions come in three broad categories, each of which deter-
mines the way they interact with a character’s stealth state. Drop Prone/Stand Silent

SILENT ACTIONS: These actions don’t particularly generate noise Interact GM’s discretion
or draw attention, which means they won’t change the stealth
state of a character performing them. Movement Silent

SNEAKY ACTIONS: These actions can generate noise or draw STANDARD ACTIONS
attention, but skill and cunning can minimise the amount of dis-
turbance they cause. When a character attempts a Sneaky action, Assist As Action Assisted
they may choose to increase the difficulty of any associated skill
Attack1 Noisy
test by 1 to try and perform the action silently. However, this also
increases the Complication Range by 1. Choosing not to take the
Brace Sneaky
difficulty increase, or taking the difficulty increase but rolling a
Complication, means the character reduces their stealth state at Exploit Sneaky
the end of the action.
Pass Silent
NOISY ACTIONS: These actions always generate noise or draw
attention, and no amount of skill or cunning can change that. When Ready Silent
a character attempts a Noisy action, their stealth state is reduced
at the end of the action. Reactions are always Noisy; such is the Recover Silent
cost of such rapid, desperate responses.
Skill Test1 GM’s Discretion
Which action falls into which is category is detailed on the
REACTIONS
Stealth Categories Table. Some actions are marked as having
additional considerations, each of which is described later in Defend Silent (self)/Noisy (Ally)
this section.
All Other Reactions Noisy
In all cases, the GM may overrule the category provided on the
table if the circumstances dictate. For example, while dropping 1
This action has extra considerations for stealth. Refer to its
an item is listed as silent, if the item being dropped would make
description for details.
a significant noise— such as a bag of coins being dropped onto
a hard floor—the GM is free to change the action to a noisy one.

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ACTIONS WITH ADDITIONAL CONSIDERATIONS OBSERVERS

Stealth is rarely a one-sided matter. Moving unnoticed through
ATTACK
an area where nobody else is present is straightforward.
As a tool for assassination or subdual, attacking from stealth is
However, opponents provide direct opposition to sneaking
one of the definitive actions that requires extra consideration:
characters by actively searching for them and turning normal
• If the attacker is hidden, the defender may not attempt tests into opposed tests.
a reaction against that attack; further, the defender, and
Whenever a sneaking character attempts a stealth test to
is considered exposed and vulnerable.
increase their stealth state or avoid reducing it, one oppo-
• If the attacker is detected, the defender increases the nent may use a Reaction to turn it into an opposed test. This
Difficulty of reactions against the attack by two. will normally be the closest opponent to the character, or the
one best positioned to detect their location. This is a normal
• Melee attacks, and mental attacks made with melee Reaction that requires Fallout. If the Fallout pool is large, this
weapons, are Sneaky instead; however, if the target of
means that NPC adversaries may be alert and vigilant, while a
the attack is not Defeated, then they will automatically
diminished pool makes for dull-witted and inattentive NPCS.
become aware of the attacker, and the attacker will
become revealed immediately. During their own turn, a character may spend a Standard
Action to search. The observing character nominates a single
SKILL TEST zone that they can perceive. If there is a sneaking character in
Individual skill tests not covered by other actions should be that zone, they then attempt a Simple (D0) test, modified as
categorised as Noisy, Sneaky, or Silent by the GM on a case-by- normal by distance and environmental factors. If successful,
case basis, though the GM should aim to be consistent in this. the sneaking character’s stealth state is immediately reduced.
However, the sneaking character can use a Reaction to turn this
SPEAK into an opposed test with a difficulty of Average (D1), modified
Speaking is normally a noisy action. If the character is speaking as normal by environmental factors. This represents a last-ditch
with someone within Reach, however, they may choose to chance to hide or otherwise avoid notice.
whisper instead, which makes the Speak action Silent instead.

SPRINT OBSERVATION TESTS

The Sprint action increases the difficulty of skill tests attempted Just as there isn’t one way to succeed with stealth, being
until the start of the character’s next turn, which includes observant and watchful can be defined by more than
stealth test to avoid reducing the character’s stealth state – one combination. Characters observe the world and
sprinting is difficult to do without drawing attention. interpret that information differently, and those different
approaches can all be valuable. Characters attempting to

HIDE AND SEEK locate a hidden enemy may be called upon to use one of
the following combinations:
These rules assume that a scene involving stealth will have
one side sneaking and the other trying to observe them for • AWARENESS + FIREARMS OR MELEE: Used when watch-
much of the time. This might be PCs searching for hidden ing for or searching for ambushers or attackers.
foes or trying to sneak past sentries or guards. No matter
the case, each side has clear roles. • AWARENESS + ENGINEERING OR WILD TECH: Use
this combination to survey an area by technolog-
That doesn’t have to be the case. Two hidden groups, both ical means.
seeking the other while remaining unseen themselves, can
be an interesting way to approach these rules. In such a • AWARENESS + INSIGHT: Use this combination to rely
on instincts and gut feeling to anticipate a threat
situation, characters need to consider both sides of the
or hazard.
process – spending actions both moving around stealthily,
as well as to search for their opponents. • INTELLIGENCE + OBSERVATION OR SURVIVAL:
Used to study an area thoroughly or search it
This creates an extra degree of tension and uncertainty, as
methodically.
the situation calls for as many as twice as many skill tests,
and thus far more opportunity for successes, failures, and Where the Stealth rules call for an Observation test, any of
complications. It can also be more complex for the GM to these combinations may be appropriate, though the GM
run, so this possibility should be used sparingly. has the final say as to which is the most fitting.

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 CONFLICT & DRAMA

In either case, an observing character can spend 2 Momentum

from a successful Observation test made to locate a sneaking
STEALTH OBSERVATION FACTORS
character to reduce that character’s stealth state an additional FACTOR EFFECT
step. Similarly, a character who wins an opposed test against a
search may spend 2 Momentum to increase their stealth state, DISTANCE
evading detection so deftly that their very presence is in doubt.
Target within Reach -1

SENSES AND ENVIRONMENTAL FACTORS Target within Close range –

Sight and hearing are the predominant ways of perceiving sur-
roundings for most people. Although remaining unseen and Target within Medium range +1
unheard are the typical ways of avoiding detection, they’re
Target within Long range +2
not the only senses that matter. Dogs and other animals rely
as much on scent as they do upon sight and hearing, making Target beyond Long range +3
them capable of tracking by smells too faint for a human nose.
ATENTTION
Each sense incorporates distinct factors. Skilled sneaks know
how best to capitalise on the factors that benefit them, while Focussed and attentive -1
trackers, hunters, and guards appreciate their own training.
These factors affect the difficulty of Stealth and Observation Not distracted –
tests that characters and creatures attempt.
Slightly distracted or bored +1
Whenever a character attempts a Stealth or Observation test,
they should declare which sense they are primarily relying Lazy, distracted, or uncaring +2
upon. After all, a sneaking character takes different actions to
Drunk or otherwise paying +3
remain unheard than those undertaken to remain unseen. This little attention
choice applies to the character’s test, the factors that deter-
mine the difficulty of the test. and any test made to oppose it. Unconscious, asleep, or com- +4
pletely oblivious.
Distance is a factor that applies regardless of the sense.
Inattentive characters increase the difficulty of Observation SOUND
tests by 1 or more depending on how much focus they’re Awareness of sound is important both when moving stealth-
paying to their surroundings. These are summarised below. ily and keeping watch. Sounds alert to things outside of the
field of vision, which can be crucial. Background noise can
SIGHT make Observation tests more difficult; Roaring engines, a noisy
Sight is most dependent upon light and other factors that crowd, or calamitous battlefield can all drown out other sounds.
impact visibility. The noisier the environment, the more the difficulty increases.

Traits that represent lighting or darkness will most often Conversely, environments that create noise when moved
affect the difficulty of the observers’ tests. A sudden change through ( hard floors, dry leaves, shallow water, gravel, breaking
of lighting – going from darkness to light, or vice versa – has glass, and so forth) make stealth more difficult. Each motion
an increased effect, adding +1 difficulty to the observers’ test creates noises that can draw attention to a sneaking character’s
as their eyes struggle to adjust. Mist and fog are like darkness, presence. Such effects can make a path virtually impossible
but they cannot be countered by light and have little effect to cross silently, or else require time or effort to circumvent.
over shorter distances.
SMELL
Traits that represent the presence of things that will con-
While not a significant concern for people, who typically only
ceal a character, however, will affect the difficulty of Stealth
detect odours that are very close, pungent, or both, many ani-
tests; objects to hide behind or crowds to move through are
mals rely on their noses to find prey as much as other senses.
good examples of traitsthat will make Stealth easier, while
an area devoid of objects or people, a distinctive appearance, For PCs and other people, a scent can’t be detected unless
an area being closely scrutinised, or moving in a disruptive it‘s especially strong or distinctive. This scent can often be
manner (disrupting surroundings, moving against a crowd, masked by other strong smells nearby. For animals like dogs,
drawing attention) can make Stealth more difficult. As with however, scent is a key component of the way they perceive
any trait, stacking extra copies of these traits can represent their environment. Their ability to detect smells allows them
greater effects. to detect and track others in ways that people cannot.

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ATTACKS
TRACKING There are three main methods of attacking a target: melee,
If there isn’t a sneaking character in the target zone when ranged, and threaten. Regardless of the method used, the
an observing character searches, there is still a chance process for attacking remains the same:
of noticing the traces they’ve left. This only applies if the
observing character is using sight or smell to locate the • The attacker chooses a type of attack to make and nom-
inates a single target within range.
character – you can’t hear sounds after the fact.

The Difficulty of the test is one higher than it would nor- • If the target is aware of the attack, the target may
declare a Defend Reaction.
mally be, though this can be reduced if the target has left
tracks or other traces left behind, such as by suffering • The attacker attempts a skill test determined by the
a MishapComplication on a previous Skill Testskill test. type of attack. Unless the target has declared a Defend
Success on this test provides proof that the sneaking char- Reaction, this is an Average (D1) skill test.
acter was nearby recently, and spending one Momentum
can determine the direction the sneaking character went. • If the target has declared a Reaction, the attack
becomes an opposed test, with the target’s skill deter-
This doesn’t affect the sneaking character’s stealth state,
mined by the type of attack. The target is hit if the
and it cannot be resisted directly with a Reaction, but it
attacker wins. The attack misses if the target wins.
does give the observers a better idea of where to look next.

This only covers the most basic form of tracking; spotting • If the attack hits, then the attack inflicts damage as
described in Damage and Recovery, p. 193. If the attack
a sign and getting a direction from it. Gaining any more
misses, then nothing happens.
meaningful information, or tracking over longer distances,
is a more involved prospect, normally requiring a Reason + The specific details for each type of attack—melee, ranged, and
Survive Test, and using the Obtain Information Momentum threaten, are as follows:
option to learn more about their target.
• A melee attack is an attack using the Melee skill against
an enemy within Reach. It inflicts physical damage. The
target’s Defence Reaction uses either the Acrobatics or
Melee skill (target’s choice). Melee weapons with the
Reach quality can be to assist with the Withraw action,
as noted on p. 156.

• A ranged attack is an attack with a ranged weapon the

Firearms or Heavy Weapons skill against a single enemy
the attacker is able to see. It inflicts physical damage.
The target’s Defence Reaction uses the Acrobatics skill.
The distance to the target may increase the difficulty of
the attack, subject to the optimal range of the weapon:
each range category different from the weapon’s opti-
mal range (nearer or farther) increases the difficulty of
the attacker’s skill test by 1. If the attacker has an enemy
within Reach, then the difficulty of the Ranged Weapons
test increases by 1 and the attacker may be subject to
the Retaliate Reaction.

• A threaten attack uses a Display (see Displays, on p. 199-

200) and the Gang Warfare or Persuade skill against an
enemy or enemies the attacker is able to see. It inflicts
mental damage. The target’s Defence Reaction uses the
Discipline skill. Each range category beyond Close range
adds 1 to the difficulty of the attacker’s skill test.

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 CONFLICT & DRAMA

ACTION SCENE MOMENTUM SPENDS In the Cost column, a Momentum spend noted with an ‘R’ is
Momentum is a key tactical resource during Action Scenes. Repeatable. A Momentum spend noted with an ‘I’ is Immediate.
Numerous options open up to a character who generates If neither note is present, the Momentum spend may only be
Momentum in an action scene, enabling them to rapidly over- used once per round, at most.
come enemies, empower allies, and bolster the effectiveness
of actions.

The Combat Momentum Table provides a number of addi-

tional options for characters that have 1 or more Momentum DUAL WIELDING
available in combat. These are in addition to the normal uses Dual Wielding. When using the Swift Action Momentum
of Momentum and any others that players or GM create spend, and both of the character’s Standard Actions that
themselves. round are different types of attack (melee and ranged,
melee and threaten, ranged and threaten) or use differ-
Many of these options are primarily focused upon boosting skill
ent tools (such as two different weapons), the cost of the
tests made when attacking. However, many can be used crea-
Momentum spend is reduced to 1.
tively for all manner of combat skill tests, especially Reactions.

COMBAT MOMENTUM TABLE

MOMENTUM SPEND COST EFFECT

Bonus Damage 1R A character can increase the physical or mental damage inflicted by an attack. Each
Momentum spent adds 1 damage.

Called Shot 2 The character can choose the hit location struck by a physical attack.

Change Stance 1 The character goes prone or stands up.

Confidence 1R The character gains 1 Morale Soak per Momentum spent (maximum 3) until the start
of their next turn.

The character designates a target within Reach (including themself). The difficulty
Defend 1 of the next attack against that target before the start of their subsequent turn
increases by 1.
One weapon held by the target is knocked away and falls to the ground within
Disarm 2–3 Reach. This costs 2 Momentum if the target is holding the weapon in one hand or 3
Momentum if the weapon is braced or held in two hands.

Penetration 1R The damage inflicted by the current attack ignores an amount of Soak equal to
twice the Momentum spent.

Reroll Damage 1 The player may reroll any number of damage dice from the current attack.

Second Wind 1 I, R The character chooses a type of damage and recovers 1 point for each Momentum
spent in the associated capability for each Momentum spent.

Secondary Target 2 A second target within Reach of the primary target is also affected by the attack
and suffers half the attack’s damage (rounded down).

Subdue 1 The attack gains the Nonlethal quality.

The character gains an additional Standard Action, adding 1 difficulty to any subse-
Swift Action 2 quent skill test required. This can be done only once per round, but it can be done in
addition to spending a Salvage Point to gain a Standard Action.

Withdraw 1 The character leaves the Reach of an enemy without triggering any Retaliate
Reactions.

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 CHAPTER 7

ATTACK TABLE
ATTACK SKILL RANGE DAMAGE TYPE DEFENCE REACTION
Melee Melee Reach Physical Melee or Acrobatics

Firearms or Per weapon, +1 difficulty for each additional

Ranged Physical Acrobatics
Heavy Weapons range category outside of effective range.

Close range, +1 difficulty for each additional

Threaten Persuade Mental Discipline
range category.

DAMAGE TABLE
DAMAGE TYPE PERSISTENT SOAK CONDITIONAL SOAK STRESS HARM RECOVERY TREATMENT
Nerve Trauma
Mental Courage Morale (Will + (Awareness, Intelligence, Discipline Counsel
Discipline) Personality, Willpower)
Vigour Wound
Physical
Armour Cover (Brawn + (Agility, Brawn, Resistance Medicine
(Creature)
Resistance) Coordination)

Physical Fault
Armour Cover Structure — Engineering
(Object) (tests involving object)

DAMAGE & RECOVERY BONUS DAMAGE: A character with above-average attributes may
inflict bonus damage. A character with a high Brawn will inflict
The following section describes the two forms of damage
additional damage on melee attacks, and a character with a high
that characters can both inflict and suffer. These are defined
Awareness will inflict additional damage on ranged attacks. A
as physical damage, which is normally inflicted by weapons,
character with a high Personality will inflict additional damage
and mental damage, which is normally inflicted by fear, doubt,
on threaten attacks. Refer to the Bonus Damage table.
and threat.
MOMENTUM: A player can spend Momentum when making an
When a character is successfully hit by an attack during combat,
attack to add more damage to that attack. Each Momentum spent
the attack inflicts a certain amount of damage. Some environ-
adds 1 point (not ) to the damage (Repeatable).
mental effects can also inflict damage, such as falling from
a great height, being set on fire, or encountering something ACTIONS: The Exploit action has a Momentum spend
terrifying. (Repeatable) to add bonus d20s to the skill test and bonus 
to the damage of the attack that follows it.
Soak is the mechanic that protects against damage, which
serves to reduce the damage inflicted. Each type of damage RESOURCES: Ranged weapons can often spend Reloads. Each
has its own type of Soak, with each point of Soak reducing Reload spent adds a d20 to the skill test and +1  to the damage
incoming damage of the relevant type by 1 point. Any damage of the attack that follows it.
not absorbed by Soak reduces a particular form of Stress
Once these factors have all been accounted for, the player
(Vigour, Nerve, or Structure). Large amounts of Stress that isn’t
making the attack should roll all the  indicated, and add
Soaked can inflict Harm (termed Wound, Trauma, and Fault).
that total to any fixed bonuses from the damage rating or
Regardless of the type inflicted, all damage is resolved in Momentum spent. This is called the damage roll, and the final
fundamentally the same way. Each weapon and technique total is the amount of damage inflicted.
determines damage based on several factors:
To determine the bonus damage for a given type of attack,
DAMAGE RATING: Each source of damage has its own damage compare the associated attribute for that type of attack to
rating. This is normally defined as a number of . For exam- the table above.
ple, a sword has a damage rating of 4 , so 4  are rolled and
added together.

193
 CONFLICT & DRAMA

STRESS AND HARM

A character can only withstand so much damage of any one
TYPE OF DAMAGE BONUS
type before being unable to fight further. Each damage type
has a Stress value, each based on a combination of one of the
ATTRIBUTE BONUS
character’s attributes and an associated skill. Melee Brawn
Stress represents a character’s ability to avoid, mitigate, or Ranged Awareness
resist threats and dangers. Suffering damage reduces the
character’s available Stress, but reduced Stress alone doesn’t Threaten Personality
penalize the character in any way. It may represent a character
becoming weary and fatigued or shrugging off minor maladies
and flesh wounds. Stress can be recovered quickly, requiring
BONUS DAMAGE TABLE
ATTRIBUTE BONUS
only a little rest under normal circumstances. If a large amount
of Stress is lost at once, however, or Stress runs out altogether,
a character suffers Harm. 8 or less None
Harm represents long-term effects of damage, which can 9 +1 
accrue to become extremely problematic. A character can
suffer Harm multiple times, with each instance imposing a 10 or 11 +2 
cumulative penalty on certain skill tests. Each Harm to a certain 12 or 13 +3 
Stress increases the difficulty of the related skill tests indicated
in the Damage Table by 1. For instance, 1 Wound will increase 14 or 15 +4 
the difficulty of Agility, Brawn, and Coordination-based tests 16 or more +5 
by 1, whilst 2 Trauma will increase the difficulty of Awareness,
Intelligence, Personality, and Willpower-based tests by 2. attack, a Momentum spend, or a talent—an attack may inflict
an Alternate Harm. Alternate Harms don’t count towards the
A character suffering 4 Harms of the same type is incapac-
number of Harms that a character may suffer of each type,
itated and unable to take any Actions or Reactions without
meaning they don’t impose the normal difficulty increase, and
first spending a Salvage Point. A character suffering 5 or more
can’t cause a character to become incapacitated. Alternate
Harms of the same type is permanently incapacitated, unable
Harms inflict different penalties that are often more severe in
to take any action at all, and is no longer a viable character. If
the short-term but are more easily recovered from.
this is due to physical damage, the character simply dies. If this

INFLICTING DAMAGE
relates to Trauma, however, it might be irreparable psycholog-
ical harm. Harm is more difficult to recover from than Stress.
The amount of damage inflicted with a particular attack is
NPCs are typically less able to withstand Harm and are inca- determined using the damage rating of the attack plus other
pacitated far more quickly than PCs. factors described above. To resist the damage, the target totals
up any Soak that is relevant to that particular type of attack,
HARM EFFECTS refer to the Damage Types Table.
Each Harm suffered also inflicts an additional negative effect
Soak is divided into two categories for all types of damage:
on the character. This effect is generally determined by the
Persistent and Conditional. Persistent Soak is always a static
character inflicting the Harm (subject to GM approval) and will
value and is derived from things that are a constant for the
vary depending on the type of attack, the target of the attack,
character, such as the armour they wear or innate nerve they
and the attacker’s goal. (For example, a character inflicting a
possess. Conditional Soak is always a number of  that are
Fault with a physical attack could decide to disable one of the
derived from things that change frequently or are tied to the
target’s weapons.) The effects of multiple Harms stack.
environment, such as the benefits of Cover or Morale. Unlike
Sample Harm Effects are given for each type of action scene, Persistent Soak, Conditional Soak provides a quantity of Soak
but players are also encouraged to create their own effects. equal to the total rolled on the  it provides.
When coupled with Momentum, Harm Effects give players a
The total Soak from both Persistent and Conditional sources
great deal of flexibility in using their attacks to accomplish tac-
is subtracted from the damage inflicted. If this would reduce
tical goals beyond simply inflicting damage on their opponents
the damage to 0, then the attack is ineffective and the target
remains unharmed. If any damage remains, however, each
ALTERNATE HARM
remaining point reduces the target’s Stress by 1.
Under some circumstances—such as an unusual form of

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 CHAPTER 7

The target suffers a single Harm if 5 or more damage remains

after Soak has been subtracted. If the target’s Stress is reduced
HIT LOCATION TABLE
to 0 by the attack, then a single Harm is inflicted on the target.
If the target’s Stress was at 0 before the damage roll was made,
D20 LOCATION
then the target suffers a single Harm. If multiple instances of 1-2 Head
these conditions apply — such as 5 or more damage remaining
after Soak and reducing the target to 0 Stress — then each 3-5 Right Arm
condition inflicts a single Harm. 6-8 Left Arm

DAMAGE TYPES 9 - 14 Torso

There are two types of damage: physical and mental, described 15 - 17 Right Leg
on the tables on p, 193 Note that there are different terms used
for physical damage, depending on whether the target is a 18 - 20 Left Leg
living creature or an inanimate object.
Faults. If the object is animate—such as a motorised vehicle—
then Faults are just as destructive to the object as they would
PHYSICAL DAMAGE
be to characters. If the object is inanimate, Faults increase
Damage inflicted upon the body is physical damage. Blades,
the difficulty of any skill test made to use or interact with the
bullets, blunt force trauma, fire, or exposure to dangerous sub-
object. Some objects may have specific Fault effects, which will
stances (such as acids) might cause damage. Ongoing effects
be included with their description. Structure and Faults can be
such as bleeding or poisons are also of serious concern.
recovered or treated using the Engineering or Wild Tech skill.
The Stress associated with physical damage is Vigour, which
represents a character’s endurance, stamina, and ability to HIT LOCATIONS
ignore minor injuries such as cuts, scratches, bruises, and Physical damage inflicted on the target can affect one of sev-
abrasions. It also represents the ability to avoid serious inju- eral locations on the body. Each location can have a different
ries. A character with low Vigour is tired and unable to avoid Soak value depending on the construction of the character’s
serious injury. armour, with some armours only covering specific locations.
For instance, a helmet only provides protection to the head.
Armour provides Persistent Soak (as it provides a consistent
amount of protection across the wearer’s body at all times)
against physical damage, while Cover provides Conditional
Soak (as it is dependent upon where a character sits upon
the battlefield).

If a sufficient amount of physical damage is inflicted to Vigour,

OPTIONAL RULE: VARIANT HIT LOCATIONS
GMs and players may wish to resolve hit location for phys-
the associated Harms are called Wounds. As noted, Wounds
ical attacks in different ways, or to ignore hit locations
increase the difficulty of skill tests using physical attributes:
entirely. Following are two suggested alternate methods
Agility, Brawn, and Coordination. Characters suffering 4
of dealing with hit locations:
Wounds are so badly injured that they are barely capable of
moving. A character that has taken 5 Wounds is dead. • NO HIT LOCATION: If the GM and players wish to ignore
hit locations entirely, Armour Soak should be treated as
When attempting to recover their own Vigour during battle
a single value instead of a number of values connected
or treat their Wounds naturally, characters generally use the
to specific hit locations. All hits should instead be han-
Resistance skill. Characters attempting to recover Vigour or
dled as if they had struck the target’s torso. If this variant
treat Wounds in relation to an ally should use the Medicine skill.
is used, then the Sacrificial Armour system can only be
The above assumes that the target is a living creature, with used to sacrifice shields, not armour.
damage being dealt to flesh and bone. Objects—including the
vehicles that characters drive— can also suffer physical damage. • DEFENDER’S HIT LOCATION: Rather than rolling
a d20 to determine the location an attack strikes,
Inanimate objects are affected by physical damage in much
the defender may choose freely which location
the same way as are creatures, but the terminology is different.
is struck. This method should be used with the
Some sources of injury are more damaging to objects than to
Sacrificial Armor system, though it’ll likely will serve
creatures, or vice versa.
to draw out combats considerably longer.
For objects, Stress is called Structure, while Harms are called

195
 CONFLICT & DRAMA

Whenever a physical attack hits, the GM should roll a d20 skill tests using mental attributes: Awareness, Intelligence,
on the Hit Location Table to determine which hit location is Personality, and Willpower. A character suffering 4 Traumas
struck. Some creatures with different body types have differ- is barely coherent, scarcely capable of rational thought or deed.
ent hit locations, which are presented with their descriptions A character suffering 5 Traumas is either comatose or has suf-
in Chapter 10: Allies & Adversaries. The attacker may spend 2 fered irreparable psychological harm.
Momentum on the attack in order to choose which hit location
Characters attempting to recover their own Resolve during
is struck instead.
battle or treat their Traumas naturally use the Discipline skill.
The effects of damage don’t vary by hit location, though the Characters attempting to recover the Resolve or treat the
GM and players are encouraged to use hit location to guide Traumas of an ally use the Counsel skill.
their description of events.
RECOVERING FROM DAMAGE
If desired, the GM and players can use hit location dice, spe-
Recovering from damage is as important as being able to inflict
cial d20s marked with the different hit locations, with results
it. A character recovers all lost Stress—both Vigour and Resolve—
distributed along the same probabilities presented in the
at the end of an action scene. This is automatic, requiring only
chart above.
a brief rest. The only time this shouldn’t happen is if the next
scene is set immediately after the prior, with the characters
SACRIFICIAL ARMOUR
having no time to recuperate.
The system caters for the fact that protection provided by
armour isn’t always reliable, or that a character will often want Stress is recovered at a slower rate within an action scene,
their armour to take the hit in preference to their own hide. though it never reaches a higher value than the charac-
Once per scene, whenever a character suffers a Wound, a char- ter’s normal maximum. Spending 1 Momentum (Immediate,
acter may choose to sacrifice either the Armour Soak from the Repeatable) allows a character to recover 1 point of any Stress.
location struck—or a shield if one is being used— in order to Alternatively, characters can spend actions to try to recover
ignore the Wound. The damage breaks the armour or shield their own or an ally’s Stress during an action scene. These treat-
instead of inflicting the Wound. If the character has multiple ment actions are described in the Medicine and Counsel skill
sources of protection that might apply, such as armour and descriptions (p. 102 and p. 92 respectively).
a shield, then the character may choose which is sacrificed.
Recovering from Harm is a trickier proposition that requires
If armour sacrifice is employed, the player should note that
two stages: treatment and healing. Aside from the most
the armour protection on the particular hit location has been
extraordinary of measures or conditions, the restoration of
destroyed and will not provide any Armour Soak against further
lost Harm can’t take place during an action scene.
hits to that location.
To heal Harm, the treating character must choose what kind
MENTAL DAMAGE of Harm is being healed and attempt an Average (D1) skill test
Damage inflicted upon the mind is mental damage. It might using a skill determined by the type of damage. If success-
be caused by fear, doubt, panic, despair, sudden shocks, or ful, this test removes 1 Harm, plus 1 additional Harm for each
some manner of mystical or psychic assault. Momentum spent (Repeatable). A treated Harm no longer
imposes any difficulty increase, nor does it count towards the
The Stress associated with mental damage is Nerve, which
character’s maximum, but it is not yet completely healed. Until
represents a character’s determination, ability to handle stress,
a treated Harm has been completely healed, the character
control emotions, and resist the stresses of life. Characters
is still vulnerable and the Harm is latent but still present. If a
whose current Nerve is low are weary, uncertain, and less able
character suffers a new Harm of the same type, any treated
to cope with challenging situations.
Harms immediately reopen under the strain and return as
Courage serves as the character’s basic mental durability and Wounds or Trauma.
provides Persistent Soak, while Morale depends upon a char-
Completely healing from Harm takes time, proper medical
acter’s actions and those of allies to provide Conditional Soak.
attention, or a combination of both. The pace of healing is at
Morale Soak gained during a scene is lost at the end of that
the GM’s discretion, and normally occurs at points in an adven-
scene. It is a transitory, fleeting thing.
ture where the characters stop and rest or in the downtime
The Courageous Discipline talent (p. 93) grants Courage Soak, between adventures. Healing completely removes all Harms
while Morale Soak can be gained from Stubborn (p. 94). the character suffers from, treated or otherwise. Most heal-
ing comes during downtime, which is described in Chapter 9:
If a sufficient amount of mental damage is inflicted, the Harms
Rules of the Road.
inflicted are called Trauma. Traumas increase the difficulty of

196
 CHAPTER 7

FORMS OF ATTACK WEAPONS WITH REACH

Inflicting damage requires a particular method of attack, with
The ebb and flow of melee combat can be particularly
physical attacks typically using a weapon, while mental attacks
important during an action scene, but especially so where
sow fear, panic, and doubt. If other types of damage are being
a weapon with the Reach quality is concerned. Designed
used, they too will be accompanied by a particular way to inflict
to keep an opponent at distance, a weapon with the Reach
that damage. Regardless of the type of damage inflicted, these
quality gains certain benefits against those that don’t have
forms of attack share a number of similarities.
the quality:

RANGE • A character using a weapon with the Reach qual-

Different types of attack are effective at different ranges. ity can use Withdraw as a Free Action (normally a
Attacks that require physical contact or which are only usable Standard Action) if no other combatants are using a
against foes within arm’s length are considered to have a range weapon with Reach—they simply use the weapon to
of Reach. Reach isn’t strictly a range, but functions as such for keep their opponents at bay as they step away.
these purposes. Melee attacks are a common form of attack
usable only within Reach. • The first melee attack made using a weapon with-
out Reach against a character wielding a weapon
Most attacks list a particular range category, with Close range that does have Reach has its difficulty increased by
the most common of these ranges. If the target is within the 1. The attacking character needs to step inside the
attack’s range category, then the difficulty of the attack’s skill Reach of the weapon, whilst the defending charac-
test is unchanged. If the target is in a different range cate- ter is using the weapon to keep them at bay.
gory—closer or further away—the attack’s difficulty increases
by 1 for each range category different from the listed range. If • Characters using weapons with the Reach qual-
ity can attack over intervening terrain such as low
the attack has a listed range of Medium, then attacks on tar-
walls, crates and other intervening cover with-
gets in Close or Long range increase the difficulty by 1. These
out penalty.
attacks have no maximum range, but they are far less likely to
be effective at ranges beyond their optimal. For example, if an • A weapon with the Reach quality can be used to
attack has a listed range of Close, then any use against a target make an attack against an opponent without the
at Medium range increases the difficulty by 1, while an attack need to move into Reach. The attacker will still need
against a target at Long range increases the difficulty by 2. to be fairly close in terms of positioning within the
zone, but doesn’t need to be within arm’s length
RANGED WEAPONS
Under normal circumstances, most ranged weapons can be This damage rating, as also noted above, is supplemented
used in a scene without fear of running low on ammunition. The by various other factors such as the attacker’s attributes.
abstract system of Reloads (see p. 154) ensures that characters Importantly, Effects rolled on the  trigger various qualities
will likely only run out of ammo if they become excessively (described on pages 155-156 of Chapter 6: Gear & Merch) that
trigger happy during an action scene. Of course, Complications the attack possesses and influence the amount of damage.
and downtime can still be a factor in Reload attrition.

Some melee weapons can be thrown as ranged weapons. BASIC ATTACKS

1H and Unbalanced may be thrown as if they have a range Even without weapons at hand, all characters have a basic
of Close. However, as they are ill-balanced for such use, the means of attacking that can be used to inflict each damage type.
Firearms test increases in difficulty by 1 for 1H weapons and
UNARMED/IMPROVISED STRIKE
2 for Unbalanced weapons. Each melee weapon counts as a
This is a basic strike with any body part, or whatever object
single shot. Once a sword has been thrown, it is no longer
comes to hand. An Unarmed/Improvised Strike is the basic
available for use until it has been recovered.
attack for a melee or ranged attack. It has a range of Reach,
and inflicts 2  damage with the Improvised, Stun, and Thrown
DAMAGE Qualities. As it literally represents whatever the character can
All attacks have a Damage rating, indicated as the base number bring to hand, there is no limit to the amount of ammunition
of [CD] rolled when that attack successfully strikes or affects an the character has when making a ranged attack—the character
opponent. These are noted as X , with X being the number of is assumed to grab a rock or other small, hard object as part of
Combat Dice rolled. For example, the battle axe is a favoured the attack. This ammunition can’t be used as a Reload, however.
weapon of the Vykers. A formidable weapon in the hands of The GM may eventually determine that no further ammunition
a skilled user, it inflicts a base of 5  upon a successful strike. is available for ranged attacks in certain environments.

197
 CONFLICT & DRAMA

THREATEN a Standard Action rolling around, extinguishing the flames. The

This is a basic attempt to scare or demoralize foes, using a latter works as a Clear Action but reduces the Difficulty by
mixture of spoken threats and body language. Threaten is the two steps. If the character is hit by another Burning attack or
basic form of mental attack. It has a range of Close and inflicts effect while already ablaze, the existing status is extended
2  damage with the Stun Quality. Additional types of threaten by a number of rounds equal to the number of Effects rolled.
attacks, called Displays, are described in Displays, following.
DAZED: All skill tests performed by a Dazed character increase
in difficulty by 1 step until the Dazed condition ends.
CONDITIONS DEAF: The character’s hearing has been severely damaged.
There are a number of detrimental conditions that can afflict
Upon being deafened, a character suffers 3  mental damage,
a character during action scenes. The most common of these
and any skill test reliant on hearing (normally Observation,
are described below.
Insight, Command, Persuade, etc.) increases in difficulty by 2.
BLEEDING: The character suffers 3  physical damage, ignoring
HINDERED: The character’s movement is hindered, slowing
all Soak, at the beginning of each of their turns.
them. The character cannot attempt any movement as a Free
BLIND: The character’s vision is severely damaged. The char- Action. Further, the character may only move to within Close
acter suffers 3  mental damage, and any skill test reliant on range as a Minor Action move, and only to within Medium
vision increases in difficulty by 2. range as a Standard Action move. Finally, the difficulty of all
terrain tests is increased by 1 step for the character.
BURNING X: The target is set on fire. This condition lasts for
a number of rounds equal to the number of Effects rolled on POISONED: The character’s body suffers the effects of some
the attack that inflicted it. If no  were rolled, the cause of the form of vile toxin. While each poison has a specific effect, the
burning effect will list a duration. At the end of the target’s general effect is to grant the character the Staggered condition.
turn, the target suffers X  physical and mental damage (roll
STAGGERED: A Staggered character can only perform a
once and apply it to both), ignoring Armour Soak. Any physical
Standard Action in a turn if the player is willing to pay 1 point
damage caused by Burning X has the Incendiary attack Quality,
of Fallout. A Staggered character cannot perform a Reaction
and Effects rolled increase the number of rounds that the char-
unless spending 1 Fortune point in addition to the reaction’s
acter remains aflame. A character may attempt a Clear Minor
normal Fallout cost.
Action to remove this effect, while a prone character can spend

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 CHAPTER 7

DISPLAYS DISPLAYS OF MIGHT AND POWER

A Display is a method of intimidation, a technique that makes These are a number of common Displays that a character may
a character more effective at scaring enemies and breaking wish to use against a foe, or may be the target of, during a
their morale. Each Display has a number of different require- scene. Other Displays are available to NPCs, such as particularly
ments for use and may have different effects against different terrifying beasts, while certain talents may grant characters
types of foes. potent new Display options.

REQUIREMENTS The effects of each Display are summarized in the Displays

of Might and Power table above, and have descriptions and
Unlike many traditional means of attack, a Display has a par-
requirements in the entries below.
ticular narrative requirement that must be fulfilled before it can
be used. Each Display’s requirements must be newly accom-
A MIGHTY NAME
plished each time they’re intended to be used within a scene.
The character’s reputation alone is enough to make ene-
They are often very circumstantial; in some cases, particular
mies hesitate.
actions or items may be needed in order to meet a Display’s
requirement. Deeds speak louder than words, and some of the REQUIREMENT: The character must have a Notoriety of at least
most powerful Displays come from specific actions. 3. Unlike normal requirements, this is persistent. The character is
either notorious enough for this to work, or isn’t.
Once a character has used a given Display in a scene, that
particular Display may not be attempted in that scene until the Note: Does X , where X is equal to the character’s Renown.
character meets the requirements again. At the GM’s discre-
tion, the requirements used for one Display can generally not FLAMING BRAND
be re-used as requirements for another Display, as the initial Against man or beast, the threat of fire is something that
shock of the first condition will have already subsided. In other inspires a primal dread.
words, the character must tackle the requirements afresh each
REQUIREMENT: The character must hold an object bearing a large,
time. For example, a character can’t use the Stain the Soil Red
open flame, such as a flaming brand, a lit torch, or something sim-
Display by killing a number of foes in one round and then use
ilarly ablaze. A candle or lantern is not sufficient for this Display.
Dead Man’s Stare with the head of one of those slain foes.
Unlike most requirements, this requirement is continuous; a char-

RANGE acter brandishing a torch or brand may use this Display at any time.

Each Display is effective within limited range. Some require

IMPOSSIBLE FEAT OF MIGHT
that the character be face-to-face with the intended target(s),
The character pulls out all the stops and overturns a massive
while others can dissuade a foe from venturing that close.
statue or stone, sending it crashing to the ground.
This functions the same way as do range categories used in
ranged attacks. REQUIREMENT: The character must perform a grand feat of
strength immediately prior to this action, or as part of this action.
SKILL
Instead of the usual Persuade skill, Displays may sometimes KNIFE TO THE THROAT
use a different skill test in order to inflict their damage. This A particularly intimate form of intimidation, holding a foe at the
change of skill is optional, and most Displays can use Persuade point or edge of a blade can cause them to swiftly capitulate.
as a default, at the GM’s discretion.
REQUIREMENT: A sharp weapon held against a previously

DAMAGE unaware foe.

This is the Display’s normal damage, before any modifiers

LIMB BRANDISH
for the Presence Damage Bonus, any prior actions taken, or
The character brandishes the severed limb of an enemy at arm’s
the bonuses from spent Momentum. This basic damage is
length, raising the grim trophy high for all to see. This violent
expressed as a number of .
action, drenched in gore, deters all but the most hardened foes.

QUALITIES For extra emphasis, the limb can be dropped dramatically, cast
away as if refuse, or tossed into the hands of a hapless target.
As with weapons, Displays may have a number of special
Qualities that help distinguish them and make them useful REQUIREMENT: The limb (arm, leg, or head) of an Elite or Nemesis
in different situations. These work identically to the Qualities enemy killed during that scene. It takes a Minor Action to sever
used by weapons and other forms of attack. the limb and brandish it in this fashion.

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 CONFLICT & DRAMA

WILD PHENOMENON fuel is available, vehicles remain superior to beasts of burden

The character’s strange and seemingly arcane devices produce in terms of speed and carrying capacity over long distance.
an overwhelming display of power.
A rider may need to change horses regularly when crossing
REQUIREMENT: The character must have used a piece of Wild long distances. Riding at full pace for part of a journey is pos-
Tech during the current scene, and must have been seen to do so. sible, but pushing a mount beyond that risks killing it from
Subtle or undetectable effects are no good here. The item of Wild overexertion. In terms of Fatigue over long distances (see p.
Tech must produce a clear and visible result. Each use of Wild Tech 110), a rider may make an Animal Handling test assisted by the
allows the character to attempt this Display once. mount’s Resistance skill in place of the rider’s own Resistance
test. Failure applies Fatigue to the mount, rather than to the
STAIN THE SOIL RED rider. A long ride tires the steed far more than the rider.
Having downed several foes and shed copious amounts of
blood, the character lets out a savage, primordial cry. ANIMAL COMPANIONS IN COMBAT
A trained animal companion typically acts as any NPC would
REQUIREMENT: The character must have personally slain no
(see the rules for NPCs in Chapter 10: Allies & Adversaries).
fewer than three enemies during this scene. Once this Display
Animal Companions can use Actions (and Reactions if they’re
has been used, the character must slay at least three new enemies
at least of Elite status) exactly as any other character can. A
to attempt it again.
handler can normally command an animal companion in any
Note: Inflicts X , where X is the number of enemies slain. trait it’s trained for as a Free Action using a Simple (D0) Animal
Handling test. The difficulty is increased by 1 if the animal has
STEELY GLARE suffered any Vigour or Nerve damage. Commanding an animal
The character stares down the enemy, seeming to unnerve that has suffered both Vigour and Nerve damage requires a
them through force of personality and raw determination. Standard Action and increases the difficulty by 2. Attempting
to get an animal to use a trait it isn’t trained in requires a Dire
REQUIREMENT: None. Steely Glare may always be used and is the
(D4) Animal Handling test, modified as above for damage etc.
default Display.
Animal companions are able to perform a number of tasks
Note: Inflicts 2 .
inside and outside of combat. A handler may attempt to
command almost any animal, which includes those that they
ANIMAL COMPANIONS haven’t previously established a rapport with. Full rules for
Humanity has long harnessed the use of animals to make their animals, the traits they can be taught, and the dangers of
endeavours easier. Large, strong beasts such as horses and training wild specimens can be found in the Training Animals
oxen can be employed to move people and cargo more easily, sidebar, p. 201.
dogs can provide security, and cats can ward against vermin.
If an animal companion is being ridden, both mount and rider
With resources often scarce in the wake of the apocalypse and
follow the rules for mounted combat.
the wastelands between communities prowled by all manner

MOUNTED COMBAT
of dangerous beasts, people often rely on their animal com-
panions more than they do their compatriots.
Though they stand little chance against vehicles, mounted

MOVEMENT characters are particularly capable and extremely dangerous

in combat against unmounted characters. Mounts are typically
Animal companions are considered to have the same rate of
Lackeys, which is a type of NPC described more fully on p.
movement as their handler. Larger companions often hold to
253. Among other things, this means that mounts can attempt
their handler’s speed, while the smallest of companions will
skill tests using only 1d20 rather than 2d20. Consequently,
likely be carried by some means for longer journeys.
guidance and direction from a rider is invaluable. Whenever a
Outside of combat, animals that can act as a mount only pro- mounted character would be required to make an Acrobatics
vide a smaller increase in speed compared to that which a or Athletics test, they may attempt an Animal Handling test
character can manage on foot. While horses and similar beasts instead, with the mount rolling to assist using its Acrobatics
are faster than humans over relatively short distances, their or Athletics skill so long as it can feasibly move in the required
endurance doesn’t compare to that of an average human adult way—a horse cannot climb sheer cliffs, for example. Similarly,
across long ranges. This is made worse if the beast is also pull- the mounted character may gain assistance from his mount
ing a cart, wagon, or some other vehicle. For routine purposes, on any Melee or Observation tests attempted — the mount’s
a mount’s utility is more in carrying the weight of a rider and bulk is an advantage in the former case, and its height gives
allowing travel at a reasonable pace without undue exertion. If advantage in the latter.

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 CHAPTER 7

ATTACKING A MOUNTED CHARACTER TROT

An attacker must declare either the mount or mounted char- The character guides the mount to move at a steady pace. The
acter as the intended target when attacking. If their mount is character may ride the mount to anywhere within Medium
being attacked, the mounted character can attempt a Protect range, including into Reach of an enemy. Increase the difficulty
Reaction to block the attack as normal, or they may attempt a by 1 for any ranged attacks made by the mounted character.
Defend Reaction and replace Acrobatics with Animal Handling
CANTER
in order to avoid the attack. Damage is resolved normally
The character urges the mount to move swiftly, moving to
against either mount or rider.
any zone within Long range. The character is harder to hit also
Attempts to use a threaten attack against a mounted character but suffers a broader penalty in return. Attacks directed at
automatically target the mount unless the attacker specifies a cantering mount (including those targeting the character
otherwise (animals are more easily spooked, and thus more riding it) increase their difficulty by 1. Additionally, any tests
vulnerable to being scared). The rider may assist the mount’s that the mounted character performs that round also increase
Discipline test with the Animal Handling skill, as controlling a their difficulty by 1.
startled or scared mount is a core part of mounted combat.
STANDARD ACTIONS
If a mount is knocked prone, staggered, or otherwise incapac-
itated, the rider falls from the saddle and suffers 3  damage CHARGE
with the Stun Quality. The rider may attempt an Average (D1) This action may only be used by characters mounted on war-
Acrobatics test to mitigate this damage as if it were falling trained steeds. The character guides the steed to move at
damage (gaining 1 Soak, plus 1 additional Soak per Momentum full speed towards an enemy, intending to use the steed’s
[Repeatable]). Regardless, the character is no longer mounted speed and mass to overcome any targeted foes. The charac-
and is knocked Prone within Reach of the mount unless a fur- ter chooses an enemy within Medium range as the target. This
ther 2 Momentum is spent from the Acrobatics test towards requires an Average (D1) Animal Handling test, with the diffi-
remaining on their feet. At the GM’s discretion, a panicked culty increasing by 1 if the target is using a melee weapon with
mount might even inadvertently step on the Prone character. the Reach quality and the attacker’s weapon doesn’t possess
the same quality. If this test is successful, the character and the
ATTACKS BY MOUNTED CHARACTERS mount move into Reach of the target and the character may
To free up both hands for attacking or defending, a character immediately attempt a melee attack with a single weapon of
can guide a mount in combat using their knees. Doing so is a choice, assuming it can be wielded effectively while mounted.
Simple (D0) Animal Handling test that requires a Free Action. If the test is failed, the character moves into the target’s zone
Note that any of the actions described below replace the need but does not enter Reach.
to guide a mount using the character’s knees.
For each Momentum spent (Repeatable) on the Animal
Making a melee attack against an unmounted target whilst Handling test, the character may add a bonus d20 to the Melee
mounted provides 1 Momentum to the attack. However, this attack and +1[CD] to the attack’s damage. For 1 Momentum, the
bonus Momentum may only be spent on the Bonus Damage character may add the Knockdown quality to the attack. For 1
or Reroll Damage Momentum spends. Momentum, the character may also make a single additional
attack using one of the mount’s attacks. These Momentum
ACTIONS IN COMBAT spends are not dependent on one another and can be spent
A mounted character has a number of different Actions avail- individually or in combination.
able while in combat. Normal movement represents the
Because they’re wholly focussed on charging an using the
character’s mobility on foot, which can’t be used until the
mount’s mass and momentum, a character using a mount to
character dismounts. A steed doesn’t take its own Actions or
perform a Charge Action pays double the cost of Momentum
Reactions; its ability to act is subsumed into its rider’s Actions.
for the Swift Action Momentum Spend (normally 4, instead of 2).
A mounted character may only take one of the Actions listed
below on any given turn (excluding the Reactions, which have GALLOP
their own limitations). The rider spurs the mount to full speed. This requires an
Average (D1) Animal Handling test; if successful, the charac-
MINOR ACTIONS ter and the mount move to any point within Medium range,
and then move one additional zone per Momentum spent
MOUNT/DISMOUNT
(Repeatable). However, all other tests made by a character
The character climbs, leaps, or otherwise gets into or out of the
on a galloping mount are increased in difficulty by 2.
mount’s saddle, or onto its back if there is no saddle.

201
 CONFLICT & DRAMA

REACTIONS
A character on horseback can use most Reactions normally, TRAINING ANIMALS
with some small exceptions. If attempting a Reaction using Given time and dedication, most animals can be taught
Acrobatics (such as if thrown from the saddle and wanting to repeat specific patterns of behaviour. The best and
to land without injury), the character has a choice—make brightest animals, however, can learn to override instinct
an Animal Handling test with the mount assisting with its and react to commands.
own Acrobatics, or use the character’s own Acrobatics skill
Animals with an Intelligence attribute of 3 or more can
combined with a rapid dismount. In the latter instance, the
be taught up to up to 6 traits from the following list, or 1
character suffers 3[CD] falling damage from the rough landing.
package of traits (plus a subsequent number of traits to
Momentum from the Acrobatics test made to dodge can be
bring the total number of traits to 6). Generally, training a
spent to reduce this falling damage, as normal.
single trait takes approximately 2 weeks. The time required
Reactions can also be taken in order to prevent a mount from to train a package plus the traits it teaches are listed with
suffering damage due to being targeted by an attacker. Refer its description. Training a domesticated animal in most
to Attacking a Mounted Character on the previous page. traits or packages requires a successful Challenging (D2)
Animal Handling test. Higher difficulties are listed in their
own category. Momentum from the test can be used to
reduce the training time by 1 day per Momentum. Training
a wild animal increases the difficulty by at least 1, as does
attempting to train an animal that’s wounded. The GM
has final veto on which animal can be trained over what
length of time.

TRAITS
CHALLENGING (D2)
Come, Down, Fetch, Heel, Observe, Perform, Stay, Toil

DAUNTING (D3)
Attack, Defend, Guard, Track

PACKAGES
CHALLENGING (D2)
Entertainment (5 weeks, Come, Fetch, Hell, Perform, and
Stay), Labour (2 weeks, Come and Toil), Riding (3 weeks,
Come, Heel, and Stay)

DAUNTING (D3)
Combat (3 weeks, Attack, Come, Defend, Down, Guard,
Heel), Hunting (6 weeks, Attack, Down, Fetch, Heel,
Observe, Track), Protection (4 weeks, Attack, Down,
Defend, Guard)

WILD COMPLICATIONS
Rearing a wild animal or attempting to domesticate a
grown specimen carries inherent dangers. A handler can
raise or attempt to domesticate a number of wild ani-
mals equal to their Animal Handling Focus. Rearing a wild
animal so that it can be taught traits and packages is a
Challenging (D2) Animal Handling test, while domesticat-
ing a grown specimen for the same purpose is at least 1
step more difficult. Complications on the test can mean
that the animal escapes captivity or rounds on its handler
and attempts to attack.

202
 VEHICULAR MAYHEM

It goes without saying that the Devil’s Run setting wouldn’t be IMPOSING: Designed to look ominous or threatening, or possessed
as full of carnage and mayhem without vehicles to tussle with. of a deadly reputation, the vehicle conveys a sense of dread and
The Devil’s Run RPG Quickstart—available as a free download potential peril to those nearby. A character attempting to intimi-
from https://red-scar.com—offers enough mechanics to sat- date others with an Imposing vehicle adds the Piercing 1 quality to
isfy simple scenarios and the basics for most vehicles. This the damage roll of a resultant threaten attack. The character must
chapter reintroduces those basics but offers additional depth be within Touch or Close range of the vehicle to gain this benefit.
and optional rules.
IMPRESSIVE: Obviously expensive or the height of fashionable
These rules apply to vehicles, but in most cases, characters excess, the vehicle is especially impressive in its luxury or perfor-
operating a vehicle take actions and interact with Conflict mance. A character attempting to charm or persuade others while
scenes in the same way as any other character. Vehicles gen- within Touch or Close range of an Impressive vehicle may add 1 
erally draw on the physical elements of Conflict, although to the damage of a resultant Display. This increases to 2  with a
psychological elements, such as playing chicken with an direct demonstration of the vehicle’s luxury or performance (such
opposing driver, can still have a big impact. as inviting someone else along for a drive in a sports car or yacht).

LINKED: The vehicle is interconnected to several other vehicles,

VEHICLE TYPES often relying on a single vehicle for propulsion and control. One
Vehicles come in a range of different types, from sleek and end of each vehicle must remain connected to at least one other
nimble motorcycles, to rugged trucks, and everywhere in linked vehicle, and each end can only be connected to one other
between. A vehicle’s Type describes how it and its passengers vehicle—in essence, this produces a chain of carriages connected
interact with terrain and other characters. A vehicle will always to a single lead vehicle, which provides propulsion and control.
have at least one Type, but may have several.

A vehicle can only move across terrain types allowed by its NEED FOR SPEED
Type. (For example, a Ground vehicle like a car attempting to The Devil’s Run RPG is a tabletop game inspired by the
drive across a lake will usually just sink. Conversely, a boat will high-octane antics of the desperados that live in the world
obviously run aground if it tries to leave the water.) in which it’s set. The mechanics for vehicles and the action
scenes that involve them are designed to inspire modifi-
AIRCRAFT: The vehicle is designed to operate at high altitudes.
cations and instinctual encounters respectively. That said,
Basic rules for operating aircraft can be found on p. 210.
they are rules and are therefore prone to becoming a hin-
CUMBERSOME: The vehicle is bulky, unresponsive, and clumsy to drance, rather than an empowerment, to the fast-paced
manoeuvre. The vehicle increases the difficulty of Evasive Action action that the setting and system seeks to engender.
and terrain tests by 1.
GMs and players should seek to live in the moment where
ENCLOSED: The vehicle is completely enclosed, protecting crew the rules for vehicle chases are concerned (though the
and passengers within. Crew and passengers cannot be targeted GM always has final veto, of course). Rather than slow the
by attacks from outside the vehicle, but also cannot use their own action down by flipping through this rulebook to deter-
personal weaponry. mine which action or modifier is required, GMs should live
dangerously and call it in the moment, then reflect on the
EXPOSED: The passenger and crew of an Exposed vehicle can be
decision in the post-credit scenes (read: between games)
targeted by attacks from outside the vehicle and may attack with
as any veteran who has survived a run would.
their own personal weapons. Some Exposed vehicles may still offer
cover to their occupants (indicated in parentheses as X  CS). Instant decisions can be mitigated somewhat by keeping
a cheat sheet of commonly used rules close at hand, but
GROUND: The vehicle is designed to move across land.
doing so shouldn’t be a reason to avoid making split-sec-
HIGH-PERFORMANCE: The vehicle is powerful and finely-tuned ond decisions that keep the pace of the scene swift and
for the best performance. The vehicle’s operator may increase responsive. GMs should aspire to Indy 500 rather than
the Speed of the vehicle by 1 after a successful Drive or Pilot test sedate Sunday motorcade, which is something that the
by spending 2 Momentum (not repeatable). Any test to repair the minutiae of the rules can all too easily get in the way. If
vehicle, however, suffers +1 difficulty due to its finely-tuned nature. a player wants to pull a cool stunt that might seem to
bend the rules a little, assign a simple difficulty modifier
HOVER: The vehicle floats above terrain and obstacles but cannot
or increase the Complication Range and move on rather
truly fly. Hover vehicles ignore all zone effects caused by surface
than spend time checking notes. Quick, fun, and cool are
conditions (e.g. slippery ice or choppy water) and obstacles shorter
the order of the day for maximum vehicular mayhem!
than an average human.

204
 CHAPTER 8

NIMBLE: Especially agile and manoeuvrable, the vehicle can MAX PASSENGERS: The number of passengers a vehicle may carry
respond to demands extremely quickly. Count the vehicle 1 Scale in addition to the driver.
less than normal for the purposes of Evasive Action and terrain tests.
IMPACT: A vehicle’s Impact is a damage rating measuring its weight
RAIL: The vehicle is designed to operate on, or near to, a rail, and and the force it can bring to bear against those nearby.
cannot effectively operate anywhere else. The vehicle’s Speed is
STRUCTURE: The amount of Stress a vehicle can receive.
reduced to 0 when it is no longer within Reach of the rail. The
vehicle may not deliberately move out of Reach of the rail—it can ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION: The amount of protection, if any,
only occur because of failed terrain tests and similar loss of control. the vehicle provides against certain environmental effects and
weapons with the Biotech quality. Environmental Protection pro-
ROUGH TERRAIN: The vehicle is designed to remain mobile and
vides Persistent Soak against such attacks.
effective even in rough terrain. When attempting a terrain test,
the vehicle provides the driver with 1 Momentum. MAX. FUEL: The amount of fuel a vehicle’s tank can hold. See the
Fuel & Consumption sidebar, opposite, for specifics relating to Fuel.
RUGGED: Engineering tests to repair Rugged vehicles are reduced
by 1 difficulty.

SINGLE-SEAT: Single-seat vehicles are specifically designed to be

VEHICLE SCALE & LARGE VEHICLES
Much like characters, scale 0 and 1 vehicles usually form a
fully operated by a single character. A pilot operating one can simul-
feature within a zone. Scale 2 vehicles can often be con-
taneously assume the role of a gunner without the normal penalty.
sidered a zone in and of themselves. Any vehicle with a
SUBMERSIBLE: The vehicle can operate entirely submerged below Scale above 3 may take up multiple zones and may have
the surface of the water. its internal space divided into several zones. For example,
a yacht may have different cabins and decks, and may exist
TRACKED: The vehicle moves on bands of linked plates or rubber
across several zones on the environment map (the fore, the
pads that distribute its weight more evenly than wheels and pro-
aft, etc.). The specifics of this are left to the GM’s discretion.
vide good traction in soft ground that could mire or trap other
vehicles. When attempting a terrain test, a tracked vehicle may
reduce its Speed by 1 to reduce the difficulty of the terrain test by 2.

WATERCRAFT: The vehicle is designed to travel across water.

OPERATING A VEHICLE
Characters inside a vehicle are referred to as passengers. Some
WHEELED: The vehicle travels on wheels and is swift across open passengers can take on specific roles within the vehicle; these
ground. A Wheeled vehicle may count its Speed as 1 higher if there passengers are referred to as crew.
is no difficult terrain in any zone it enters, leaves, or moves through
during its movement. ROLES
Each role in a vehicle can take specific actions related to the
vehicle. Assuming a role requires a Minor Action (i.e., getting
VEHICLE PROFILE into the driver’s seat or operating the .50 cal).
In addition to its Type, a vehicle has the following statistics:
DRIVER: A vehicle can have only a single driver or pilot. Although
SCALE: A vehicle’s Scale is a representation of its size. Scale 0 refers
driver is the commonly used term, Aircraft, Hover, and Watercraft
to any vehicle which is approximately the same size as a human,
vehicles require Pilot tests. The driver uses their action and employs
Scale 1 covers vehicles around twice this size, and each additional
an equivalent Vehicular Movement to move the vehicle (see p. 207).
increase in Scale approximately doubles the size again.
Whenever the vehicle needs to make an action test related to
SPEED: The number of zones a vehicle can move with a movement physical actions, the driver will make the test (generally with the
action. This can be adjusted by type of movement action taken. Drive or Pilot skill, unless specified otherwise). A vehicle without
a driver automatically fails all terrain tests.
BRAWN: A vehicle uses Brawn when shifting heavy loads or
employing brute force. It’s also used to calculate bonus damage for GUNNER: A gunner operates weaponry mounted on the vehicle
the vehicle’s melee attacks. Some vehicles have the Superhuman itself (see Vehicular Attacks). A vehicle with multiple weapons can
Brawn X special rule, with X equal to the vehicle’s Scale. have multiple gunners, but any single weapon may only be oper-
ated by one of the gunners each round.
HANDLING: A measure of the vehicle’s manoeuvrability. This rating
provides equivalent bonus d20s to Drive or Pilot tests. If a vehicle includes other equipment or functions beyond
moving and attacking, other passengers may operate that
ARMOUR: Armour Soak that protects against physical damage
equipment or those functions themselves, though this does
to the vehicle.
not count as taking on one of the other roles.

205
 VEHICULAR MAYHEM

FUEL & CONSUMPTION accordingly—a 120-mile round trip from Pacifica to Santa
Cruz consumes 2 Fuel—or simply plan journeys using an
It’s a given that vehicles need fuel to operate. Unless there
abstract approximation—travelling to and from a meeting
are some Wild Tech wizards on hand, electric hybrids are a
with another faction in a hidden location will consume 1 Fuel.
thing of the past, making internal combustion engines the
top dog on the road once again. On the Devil’s Run, fuel Much like Reloads, Fuel is a critical resource in the post-apoc-
is a precious commodity that is fought over fiercely. Most alypse and as such uses the following mechanics within
communities are able to produce limited amounts of bio- action scenes:
fuel. Some extremely rare sites are still able to harvest and
refine crude oil to a limited degree—a complicated chain of • Any vehicle used within an action scene is automati-
cally assumed to consume 1 Fuel. This consumption is
interlinked specialist groups that makes those involved very
in addition to Fuel lost due to Complications gener-
rich indeed. Otherwise, most factions rely on the air-dropped
ated on a Drive test.
supplies of the countries maintaining the Continental Allied
Quarantine for their superior fuels, which is exactly why the • In place of gaining Fallout or deciding on a mishap,
sight of a military cargo plane in the skies often leads to a a Complication generated on a Drive test related to
veritable bloodbath out on the freeways. moving a vehicle can result in the loss of 1 Fuel.

Rather than provide each individual vehicle with a varied rate • Unless the vehicle has a Fault related to the fuel
of fuel consumption related to its engine size, performance, system, a vehicle can only lose 1 Fuel each round due
and driver’s capabilities, the mechanics of the Devil’s Run to Complications during an action scene, to a maxi-
RPG make some broad assumptions with a view to keeping mum of 3 Fuel during the entire scene.
the process simple. GMs are of course free to introduce more
complicated mechanics if they wish to provide more realism • Running out of Fuel means that a vehicle cruises to
a stop. At the GM’s discretion, a character may coax
for the performance difference between vehicles.
additional unpowered movement from the vehicle.
As an approximate value, each unit of Fuel for a vehicle This should normally be no more than 1 or 2 zones,
equates to 50 miles of travel under normal driving condi- though steep downhill gradients may allow for more.
tions (driving considerately, no faults troubling the vehicle,
clear road conditions). Each 50 miles therefore consumes • Certain events and actions during the Trafficking
Phase can also lead to Fuel consumption. See the
1 unit of Fuel, rounding to the nearest unit of 50. GMs and
Trafficking Phase, p. 243.
players can either use real-world distances to plan journeys

SPLITTING FOCUS In the Devil’s Run RPG, there are various different types of ram
A single character can attempt to simultaneously assume the action available, many of which are dependant upon the attack
roles of both driver and gunner, but their attack rolls and Drive vector a vehicle uses when striking its target. The type of target
tests are made at +1 difficulty. struck can also have an effect on the outcome, as characters
are clearly more squishy than other vehicles.

VEHICULAR ATTACKS If a vehicle is being used to attack another vehicle, the player
If the vehicle is Exposed, then passengers may normally make and GM should establish the direction and vector of the strike
attacks with their personal weapons. In addition, a vehicle’s to determine which type of attack is being used:
gunners may make attacks in the same way as any character
RAM: The attacking vehicle drives into the rear of a target vehicle.
does using the vehicle’s mounted weapons. Vehicles can be
The target vehicle suffers normal damage, as does the attacking
fitted with any weapon (including those with the Mounted type).
vehicle if any Effects generate Backlash.

RAMMING RAM ON THE BRAKES: The attacking vehicle brakes and relies on
The driver of a vehicle which moves during its turn can attempt a pursuing vehicle’s momentum to inflict damage on itself. The
a melee attack against a target within reach using the Drive target vehicle suffers normal damage, as does the attacking vehicle
skill. If the attack is successful, it deals the vehicle’s Impact if any Effects generate Backlash.
rating as damage (this action includes ramming, sideswiping,
SIDESWIPE: The attacking vehicle pulls alongside and veers into
and other uses of the vehicle’s bulk). When a vehicle makes any
the side of the target vehicle. The attacking vehicle’s base Impact
type of ramming attack, its Impact damage gains the Backlash
 are halved for any resultant damage (rounding up) but it does
X quality, where X is the target’s Scale (or 1, whichever is higher).
not generate any Backlash unless a Complication is rolled.

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TARGETING A VEHICLE DEFENSIVE DRIVING (STANDARD)

Vehicles can be targeted for an attack like any other combat- Following a successful Average (D1) Drive test, the vehicle
ant. Being objects, they suffer physical stress as Structure and moves its Speed and all attacks made by or against the vehicle
physical harms as Faults. The full details for damaging objects, are increased by 1 difficulty until the start of the driver’s next
as well as repairing them, are discussed on p. 149. turn, plus 1 per Momentum spent (maximum of 2 Momentum).
On failure, the vehicle may still make its normal movement
ATTACKING PASSENGERS but also suffers a Complication. Momentum may be spent on
The Target Passenger Momentum spend, opposite, can be used additional movement in the same manner as the Pedal to the
to target passengers in Exposed vehicles. Metal action, see below, but the driver may not make use of
Combat Momentum spends (as they are wholly focussed on
BUMPS AND BRUISES avoiding danger). Turning whilst using this action increases
When a vehicle suffers damage, there is a possibility that the the difficulty of the Drive test by 1.
passengers will also be hurt. If a vehicle suffers 1 or more Faults,
each passenger within suffers 5  damage with the Spread 1, PEDAL TO THE METAL (STANDARD)
Stun, and Terrifying 1 qualities. Pedal to the Metal cannot be used unless a vehicle was moved
with a Reckless Driving or Pedal to the Metal movement action
If a vehicle is destroyed (normally 5 Faults), each passenger suf-
in the previous turn. The driver attempts an Average (D1) Drive
fers 8  damage with the Knockdown, Spread 1, Stun, Terrifying
or Pilot test. On a success, the vehicle moves a number of
3, and Vicious 1 qualities. (See Fault Effects: Injury, p. 149.)
zones equal to its Speed plus an additional zone for each
Momentum spent. On failure, the vehicle still moves its Speed

NPC VEHICLES but also suffers a Complication (see Complications, p. 166 and
Out of Control! p. 209). Regardless of success or failure, all skill
Vehicles operated by NPCs can be treated in a similar
tests made by crew or passengers—including terrain tests— are
way to their crews, with different target categories able
made at +1 difficulty until the driver’s next turn. The vehicle is
to withstand different amounts of damage. This should
able to make the simplest turns requiring multiple zones.
reflect how significant that vehicle is within the scene: a
motorcycle ridden by a Lackey NPC or two can count as a
SPECIAL MANOEUVRES
Lackey itself, disabled and out of the scene after a single
By default, vehicular combat on road and trail assumes that
Fault. A vehicle carrying multiple NPCs should be an equal
vehicles are being using for forward momentum. Most vehicles
or higher target category than the NPCs within: a car full
can move diagonally forward when moving zones, but cannot
of Lackeys should probably be an Elite vehicle, disabled
move sideways or backwards unless a special manoeuvre is
after 2 Faults, while a car with Elite passengers is treated
performed, or a turn is made as part of its movement.
as a Kingpin, able to withstand the full 5 Faults.

HANDBRAKE TURN
As part of a Reckless Driving or Pedal to the Metal move,
VEHICULAR MOVEMENT the driver can attempt to use a vehicle’s handbrake to spin
The following movement actions are available to the driver of a
the vehicle between 90 and 180 degrees. Reckless Driving
vehicle. These movement actions are distinct from the move-
becomes a Standard Action if used during that movement
ment actions a character can attempt, but, like a character, a
mode. Attempting a handbrake turn requires a terrain test at
vehicle may only take a single movement action every turn.
+1 difficulty, which is in addition to any other difficulty affecting
the test. Success results in the vehicle reducing its Speed to
MANOEUVRE (FREE)
zero but facing in the new direction. Failing the test automat-
The vehicle moves to anywhere within Close range.
ically results in an Out of Control Complication (see p. 209), or
possibly worse if the dice also generate Complications.
PEDESTRIAN DRIVING (MINOR)
The vehicle moves a number of zones equal to half its Speed
REVERSE
(rounding down, minimum of 1) and is able to make a gentle turn.
As part of a Reckless Driving or Pedal to the Metal move, the
vehicle moves backwards a number of zones equal to half its
RECKLESS DRIVING (MINOR)
Speed (rounding down, minimum of 1 zone). A vehicle must
The vehicle moves a number of zones equal to its Speed. Skill
already be moving in reverse or starting from a Speed of zero
tests made by crew or passengers—including terrain tests—are
to move in reverse. Driving backwards increases the difficulty
at +1 difficulty until the start of the driver’s next turn. The vehi-
of all terrain tests by 1.
cle can make a sharp turn or a gentle turn across multiple zones.

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 VEHICULAR MAYHEM

VEHICULAR COMBAT MOMENTUM TABLE

MOMENTUM SPEND COST EFFECT

Quick Entry/Exit 1 NR Character may enter or exit a vehicle, or assume a role in a vehicle, as a Free Action.

After failing a terrain test when piloting a vehicle, continue moving forward as if the
Ram Through 2 terrain test was not failed. However, the vehicle suffers damage (due to a collision,
overtaxed motive systems, and so on) with the amount determined by the GM.
Target Passenger 2 The character can target a passenger inside of an Exposed vehicle.

VEHICULAR REACTIONS is added—i.e., there would not a be a test required without some
The following Reaction is available to the driver of a vehicle. other modifier—then don’t apply the vehicle’s Scale in this way.

EVASIVE ACTION FACING

As a Reaction to a melee or ranged attack against the vehicle, In addition to tracking Speed, it’s valuable to keep track of
its crew, or its passengers, the vehicle’s driver can attempt an which direction each vehicle is facing as they move. Even agile
Evasive Action. The attack becomes an opposed test against vehicles are limited in how quickly they can turn or how fast
the driver’s Drive skill. The difficulty of this test is increased by they can move backwards. Each vehicle has a front end that
a number of steps equal to the vehicle’s Scale (it’s harder to faces a single edge of its current zone. For that vehicle, “for-
evade with larger vehicles). If the vehicle also performed the wards” is in whichever direction it is currently facing.
Defensive Driving action this turn, the difficulty increase from
Defensive Driving serves as Momentum for the opposed test.

If the Evasive Action fails and the attack was targeting a pas- LEFT
senger or crew member other than the driver, the original
target can attempt a Defence Reaction normally.

VEHICULAR ZONES
Vehicles take action in combat zones and are generally affected

FRONT
REAR

by those zones like any other combatant in a conflict scene.

Vehicles, however, do not always manoeuvre like characters
do, and at the GM’s discretion, some zone effects may be con-
ditional, only influencing some vehicles, as follows:

• The terrain only affects vehicles of a specific Scale

or higher, representing terrain easily navigable by
smaller vehicles.
RIGHT
• The terrain only affects vehicles of a specific Scale or
lower, representing obstacles that large vehicles can
just power through or over unhindered.
CHARACTER ACTIONS
• The terrain only affects vehicles of a specific type, such
as wheeled vehicles or aircraft. ASSUME ROLE (MINOR)
Characters can assume a role operating the vehicle as part of
• The terrain’s difficulty is 0, and thus only affects vehi- its crew (e.g. pilot or gunner) as a Minor Action.
cles with an increased difficulty on terrain tests (such as
those travelling quickly). This is ideal for tight corners.
ENTER/LEAVE VEHICLE (MINOR/STANDARD)
VEHICLE TERRAIN TEST: When operating a vehicle, drivers make Entering or leaving an Exposed vehicle is a Minor Action.
terrain tests using their Drive or Pilot skill. If the difficulty of the ter- Entering or leaving an Enclosed vehicle is a Standard Action.
rain test would be 1 or higher, then the difficulty is increased by the Characters may assume a role as part of the crew when enter-
vehicle’s Scale (as larger vehicles can’t manoeuvre as easily through ing a vehicle with this action.
rough terrain). If the difficulty would be 0 before the vehicle’s Scale

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OUT OF CONTROL! vehicle would reach an impassable obstacle going in

that direction, it collides with that obstacle. A collision
It can be particularly dangerous for a driver to lose control of
inflicts 1+X  physical damage with the Vicious 1 qual-
their vehicle, as an uncontrolled vehicle is large, heavy, and
ity to the vehicle, where X is the number of zones the
can cause a lot of damage in collisions. These are necessary
vehicle would have moved for that action.
considerations whenever the driver of a vehicle fails a terrain
test, as a failed terrain test naturally represents some failure • SPIN: The vehicle loses the rest of its movement from
to control the vehicle. the action and is turned to face a different direction.
Due to a need to reorient the vehicle, the next vehi-
The most common Complications of a failed vehicle terrain
cle movement action the Pilot is required to take
test are listed below, and the GM determines which applies
increases in Difficulty by +1 or requires an Average (D1)
in each case. Not all the results below will be applicable
Drive test if none would normally be required.
for all types of vehicle or all types of terrain. Some of the
results cause the vehicle to stop. This means that the vehicle • STUCK: The vehicle loses the rest of its movement
immediately loses any remaining movement it had from that from the action and is held in place by the terrain. The
action and comes to a halt in that zone. vehicle gains the Hindered condition until it leaves its
current zone.
• JARRING STOP: The vehicle comes to an immediate
halt at the point where the terrain test was required, If a vehicle performed a minor or standard action move
losing the rest of its movement from that action. Each during the previous Round and was not stopped (either
character in the vehicle immediately suffers 3  phys- deliberately by the pilot or by a terrain effect), then it must
ical damage with the Stun quality. perform a movement action during the subsequent round,
even if that is only a free action Manoeuvre. If the driver is
• SKID OR SLIP: The vehicle does not move as directed unable to take action, or there is no driver in the vehicle,
from the point where the terrain test was required.
then the vehicle is considered to be Out of Control, and will
Instead, its remaining zones of movement take the
automatically repeat whatever previous minor or standard
vehicle in a random direction. (Roll 1d6: 1-2, the vehicle
action move, in a straight line directly forwards, and will
skids left, 3-4, the vehicle skids ahead, 5-6, the vehicle
automatically fail any Pilot tests required, including further
skids right. These are based on the vehicle’s direc-
terrain tests.
tion of travel when the terrain test was failed.) If the

VEHICULAR HARM EFFECTS vehicles during a scene, often while the vehicles are in motion.
Vehicles suffer Faults like other objects, i.e. a vehicle receives This can be highly dangerous, however—falling off the top of a
a Fault when it suffers physical damage equal to 5 + its Scale high-speed car or train can be deadly.
(larger vehicles are harder to seriously damage), or when its
Structure has been reduced to 0. JUMPING BETWEEN VEHICLES
Jumping to or from a moving vehicle requires an Acrobatics
Typical Fault Effects for vehicles include Damaged, Disable
test, with a Difficulty determined by the distance between the
Function, and Injury.
vehicles, their relative speeds, and a few other factors.
DAMAGED: The most common fault effect applied to vehicles,
If both vehicles are in the same zone, the basic difficulty of the
though others can be applied at the GM’s discretion. This literally
Acrobatics test is Average (D1). If the vehicles are in adjacent
is a damaged vehicle or components on the vehicle.
zones and the GM rules that they are still close enough to jump
DISABLE FUNCTION: This may disable individual weapons or equip- between, then the base difficulty increases to Challenging (D2).
ment on a vehicle.
If the vehicles travelled in the same direction during their last
turns and both vehicles moved the same number of zones,
INJURY: The Injury function could represent a vehicle being jolted
there is no change to the difficulty. If the vehicles moved in the
or shaken in a way that damages one or more of the passengers.
same direction but a different number of zones, the difficulty
increases by 1 for each zone of difference between their most
MOVING ON VEHICLES recent movements—if a vehicle moved 3 zones and another 4,
Action scenes involving vehicles don’t just confine actions to that is 1 zone difference, meaning +1 Difficulty. If the vehicles
the drivers’ seats and gunner stations. Characters may find travelled in different directions, increase the difficulty by the
that they need to move around within, on top of, and between total number of zones that both vehicles travelled.

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 VEHICULAR MAYHEM

Compare the Scale of the vehicles. If the vehicle being jumped AIRCRAFT
to is larger than the one being jumped from, reduce the diffi- Aircraft are an uncommon sight in the skies above North
culty by an amount equal to the Scale difference. America since the Day of the Apocalypse. With less and less
frequency, military planes from the countries that operate
If either or both vehicles made Evasive Action reactions in the
the Continental Allied Quarantine regularly drop in aid and
last round, add 1 to the difficulty.
supplies—lifesaving materials that form the basis for many
A character may choose to reduce the difficulty by 1, 2, or 3, by clashes out on the Run. The Teams move stealthily via heli-
increasing the Complication Range by the same factor. This copter, making sure to keep their profile low for the time being.
represents a character taking bigger risks to make the jump. Currently, only the crazy contraptions known as gyrocopters
and the high-tech jetpacks of the Justice are seen criss-cross-
A difficulty above Epic (D5) means a jump isn’t possible.
ing the skies with any regularity.
Success means the character makes the jump successfully
This section deals with how Aircraft differ from other vehicles,
but falls prone in the process. The character may spend 1
and the additional considerations that need to be made for
Momentum to land on their feet or immediately stand up.
aerial action, whether it involves only other aircraft or mixes
Failure means that the character did not manage to cross the
both action in the skies and on the ground.
distance and suffers falling damage.

FALLING OFF A VEHICLE AIRCRAFT TYPE

Falling from a fast-moving vehicle is extremely dangerous. Vehicles with the Aircraft Type are capable of self-propelled
Whenever a character falls off a vehicle, increase the falling flight at a variety of altitudes. This distinguishes them from
damage suffered by 1  for each zone the vehicle moved during Hover vehicles, which push off from a nearby surface and
its previous turn. can only hover a short distance from the ground, water, or
other surfaces.
COMBAT ON A VEHICLE In terms of the Devil’s Run RPG, most aircraft in use are capable
Moving and fighting on top of a moving vehicle can be dan-
of vertical take-off and landings, and a considerable degree of
gerous. The top of most vehicles are uneven, smooth surfaces,
lateral movement; jetpacks, gyrocopters, and helicopters are
hardly ideal for maintaining a stable footing, and this only gets
the order of the day. However, they cannot manage this at their
worse with jostling, unpredictable movement, and high winds.
top straight-line speeds. Thus, Aircraft operate in two distinct
The top of a moving vehicle is hazardous terrain, requiring an modes, Vector and Thrust, and two Speed values (presented
Acrobatics test to remain standing. If the character is already as “X/X”). The first of these two Speeds is used in Vector mode,
prone, they slip off and suffer falling damage instead. Further, the latter in Thrust mode.
the unstable conditions mean that the difficulty of attacks and
Some Aircraft are limited to one mode or other, which will be
other physical activities is increased by +1, and Complications
noted in parentheses after its Type. For example, an Aircraft
may see the character lose their balance and fall prone.
that operates only in Vector mode will state “Aircraft (Vector).”
The difficulty of the terrain test is equal to half the number of
Finally, Aircraft as standard can travel short distances on the
zones the vehicle moved during its previous turn, rounding
ground for the purposes of take-off and landing. However, an
down (to a minimum of 0).
Aircraft with the Watercraft type can also take-off, land on, and

SHAKING OFF INTRUDERS travel a short distance across the surface of water. Aircraft on
the ground or water in this manner have a Speed of 2.
If a character is driving a vehicle, they may want to shake off

AIRCRAFT AND OTHER TYPES

any enemies who are standing or climbing on the vehicle. This
requires a normal movement minor or standard action and an
For the most part, how the Aircraft Type interacts with other
Average (D1) Drive or Pilot test, which counts as a melee attack.
vehicle Types is obvious. However, there are a few that require
On a success, any enemies on the vehicle immediately fall off.
additional consideration.
Those enemies may attempt to hang on as a Reaction, turn-
EXPOSED: An Aircraft with the Exposed type will normally require
ing it into an opposed test instead. The enemies attempt an
occupants to wear respiratory gear, pressure suits, or other envi-
Average (D1) Acrobatics test to resist falling. If they succeed,
ronmental equipment to operate effectively at high altitudes.
they fall prone, but do not fall off the vehicle or suffer damage.
A vehicle with the Hover, Submersible, Tracked, and/or
Wheeled types do not apply those while the vehicle is airborne:
those Types apply only when the aircraft has landed.

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AIRCRAFT MOVEMENT GM should have a rough idea of how far above the ground the
Due to altitude and zones, facing, and movement modes, scene is taking place. Then, for each vehicle in the environment,
moving an Aircraft is slightly different to moving other vehicles. the GM should note a relative altitude, a positive or negative
number, denoting how far above or below the “zero altitude”
ALTITUDE & ZONES that vehicle is. This allows aircraft to fight at different altitudes
While, in theory, any physical environment can expand indef- with minimum tracking. The GM may record what altitude is
initely upwards, with layer after layer of empty zones above ground level, defaulting to -10. Aircraft that reach ground level
the ground, this is rarely a practical concern in most action may crash if not properly controlled.
scenes. Few creatures and characters can move through those
When an aircraft moves, it has the options to climb and dive
empty zones freely or easily, and normally only in specific
in addition to remaining level:
circumstances.

Aircraft, however, exist almost entirely within that three-di- • An Aircraft which climbs may increase its altitude by
one for every zone of movement it uses.
mensional space above the ground, often so far up that the
ground isn’t even a concern. Most of the zones an Aircraft is • An Aircraft which dives may decrease its altitude by two
likely to move amongst are also empty, devoid of any terrain for every zone of movement it uses.
features except possibly clouds, which can count as zones of
Light Cover, due to their obscuring effect. Breaking up an area AIRCRAFT OUT OF CONTROL
into zones can’t rely on terrain features, and for most airborne If an Aircraft goes out of control (it has no pilot, or the pilot is
action scenes, a grid or hex map (dividing the area into regular unable to take action), then the Aircraft’s movement has addi-
spaces) serves as an environment for an open sky. This pattern tional restrictions. An out of control Aircraft may not change
of regular zones can be continued indefinitely in every direction modes, and its zones of movement must be spent alternating
if desired, but the GM may wish to note if there are interesting between moving forwards and diving.
or important terrain features below.
FACING
The GM should then document the “zero altitude” for this envi-
This is tracked in the same manner as ground vehicles, see p. 207.
ronment. This doesn’t need to be a precise altitude, but the

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 VEHICULAR MAYHEM

MOVEMENT MODES A pilot moving an Aircraft in Thrust mode has a few additional
Aircraft move in one of two modes: Vector or Thrust. These Momentum Spends that often negate some of these restric-
modes represent different ways that Aircraft can manoeuvre tions, which represent the advantages of being a skilled aviator.
around the skies by adjusting and directing their engine output.
A pilot may use a Free Action to change between the modes. TAKE-OFF AND LANDING
If an Aircraft’s movement reaches ground level—which is what-
In Vector mode, an Aircraft may move freely in any direc-
ever altitude the GM defines ground level to be—the pilot may
tion, including climbing and diving, and may turn to face any
attempt an Average (D1) Pilot test to land safely. This is con-
direction at the end of their movement. Further, they are
sidered a vehicle terrain test, though it does not increase in
not required to move at all. They are able to hover in place if
difficulty based on the Scale of the Aircraft. However, it does
desired. Aircraft in Vector mode use the first, and smaller, of
increase in difficulty by 1 for every point of altitude the Aircraft
the Aircraft’s two Speed values.
was above ground level at the start of its move.
In Thrust mode, an Aircraft uses the second, and higher, of the
If this is successful, the Aircraft safely touches down and stops.
Aircraft’s two Speed values. However, it is far more restricted in
Failure can be problematic, as fast-moving Aircraft colliding
how it moves. The Aircraft’s pilot must spend at least a Minor
with the ground can suffer a lot of damage.
Action on moving the Aircraft, move the maximum distance
allowed by that movement action, and perform a movement Taking off requires no test under normal circumstances, though
action before any attacks are made. Further, the Aircraft’s strong winds and other adverse conditions can force a terrain
movement must be divided between moving forwards and test. The vehicle simply performs a move action and climbs to
moving in other directions. The Aircraft may not move back- an altitude above ground level.
wards. This movement alternates between moving forwards
Thrust mode requires additional considerations. Even when
and moving left or right (or climbing or diving), starting with
taking-off or landing, a vehicle in this mode must use all the
forward movement for the first zone. At the end of the Aircraft’s
movement distance provided by the action it performed, and
movement, the pilot may choose the Aircraft’s facing between
movement in directions other than directly forwards are limited.
forwards or the most recent non-forwards direction it moved.

AIRCRAFT MOMENTUM TABLE

MOMENTUM SPEND COST EFFECT

Air Brakes 1 The Aircraft’s Speed is decreased by 1, to a minimum of half its normal Speed.

Immediately after climbing or diving, the Aircraft’s facing is changed to the oppo-
Fast Turn 2 NR site of its previous facing, so that it is now facing the direction that was previously
behind it. This change of direction is performed during the movement and deter-
mines a new “forwards” for the remainder of that movement.
The Aircraft may sacrifice Speed to become a harder target. Each point of
Jink 1 Momentum reduces the Aircraft’s Speed by 1, but also grants the Aircraft 1[CD]
Cover Soak until the start of its next Turn. The Aircraft’s Speed may be reduced to a
minimum of half its normal Speed.
The Aircraft reduces the Difficulty of the next attack it makes by 1, to a mini-
Offensive Swoop 1 mum of 1. This spend may be used once for each time the Aircraft dives during
its movement.

Rapid Dive 1 The Aircraft’s Speed increases by 1. This spend may be used once for each time the
Aircraft dives during its movement.

The Aircraft may change its facing immediately after moving left or right during the
Tight Turn 1 NR move. It must change to face whichever direction it has just moved. This change of
direction is performed during the movement and determines a new “forwards” for
the remainder of that movement.

Tighter Manoeuvre 1 The Aircraft may move a single zone left or right, or climb or dive, without moving
forwards first.

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During a take-off or landing, an Aircraft in Thrust mode must VEHICLE PURSUITS

spend a number of zones equal to the Aircraft’s Scale moving The speed allowed by many vehicles often results in a need for
along the runway for the take-off or landing to be attempted. high-speed pursuits, particularly as factions hustle along the
For example, a Scale 4 Aircraft would need to reach ground freeways to be the first to claim critical supplies.
level and then roll along the runway for four zones before stop-
Pursuits can be resolved in a couple of different ways in the
ping, or it would need to spend four zones moving along the
Devil’s Run RPG, which can equally be applied to pursuits on
runway before climbing during a take-off. For this reason, most
foot or those involving aircraft.
aircraft will switch to Vector mode for take-off and landing

USING ZONES AND ENVIRONMENTS

when possible.

The most direct approach is to simply use the existing rules for
AIRCRAFT ATTACKS zones and environments. While this can be satisfying, it does
Attacks made by Aircraft are little different to those made by require a degree of planning on the part of the GM. An envi-
other vehicles and consist of gunners using mounted weap- ronment well-suited to a pursuit is long and narrow—perhaps
onry to attack other aircraft or nearby ground targets. Due to fifteen or so zones long and two to three zones wide—and
the distances involved, and the speed and manoeuvrability of represents a route or several routes to an important destina-
Aircraft, attacks are most likely to be made at Long or Extreme tion. The goal, then, is simple. If the pursued party reaches the
range, and reliably scoring hits is often a matter of manoeuvre, destination first, they succeed. If they are stopped before they
position, and precision flying. can reach their destination, they have failed.

Altitude is the additional consideration here. When an Aircraft Populating that environment, however, is the important part.
makes an attack, determine the range to the target normally: Most zones should contain one or more obstacles or hazards
count the number of zones between the attacker and the that make the pursuit difficult at full speed, at which point the
target. However, each point of difference between the alti- skills of both the pursuer and the pursued become key.
tudes of the attacker and the defender also counts as one
It is important not to make the route too linear. Twists and
additional zone between them. If the attacker has a higher
turns are good, as are alternate-but-parallel routes, such as
altitude than the target, then the attacker may reduce the
being on two different sections of road headed the same way.
Difficulty of their attack by 1, to a minimum of 1. In addition,
The GM may wish to include shortcuts, or zones that allow for
if the target is currently in Thrust mode, the attacker must
faster travel or a bypass. These should only be accessible by
increase the Difficulty of their attack by 1.
overcoming a more difficult or dangerous obstacle, granting
Further, if the aircraft has weapons which specifically face for- swift progress in exchange for a greater risk. This might be a
wards, those weapons may only target enemies in any zones tight alleyway that allows a motorcycle to pass but not a car,
along a straight line forwards from the aircraft and any zones for example, or an impromptu ramp onto a nearby rooftop,
adjacent to that line of zones, whose altitude is no more than the act of driving over the side of an overpass to get onto the
1 higher or lower than the attacking aircraft. road below, or something similarly impactful.

Similarly, the GM may wish to include extra interactive ele-

ments that characters on either side can influence to change
the situation, such as hacking the traffic control system to
cause traffic to collide, or similar activities to add or remove
obstacles from the route.

Unless they are key characters or features, non-essential ele-

ments like bystanders and traffic should be abstracted into
obstacles and terrain features, rather than treated as individual
vehicles and characters. This allows the GM to be more cine-
matic in their descriptions as well as keep the important part
of the scene, the pursuit itself, in central focus.

Note that as this uses the normal rules for environments, that
characters can still attempt all the things they’d normally be
able to do during an action scene, such as attacking. This can
make for exciting running battles, mixing gunfire with high-
speed, high-risk driving.

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 VEHICULAR MAYHEM

THE PURSUIT TRACK THE PURSUIT TRACK AND NON-VEHICLES

A more abstract way to handle pursuits is the Pursuit Track, The Pursuit Track can be used for chases that don’t involve
which borrows concepts from the Stress and Harm mechanics vehicles. In these situations, some slight adjustments need
and repurposes them to represent how the pursuer and the to be made to the rules.
pursued gain and lose distance. This doesn’t require as much
PEDESTRIANS VERSUS VEHICLES: If a character on foot is attempt-
forward planning and requires no mapping, simply a few num-
ing to pursue or evade a vehicle, a character is considered to
bers that will adjust in response to skill tests.
have a Scale of 0, a Speed of 1, and the Nimble type (in this case,
This is designed for a single driver pursuing a single driver. If increase the Scale reduction for Nimble to 2 less). Characters use
there are additional vehicles on either side, choose a ‘lead’ for their choice of Acrobatics or Athletics skill instead of the Drive
each side, and then have the others assist. skill. Naturally, characters on foot excel when pursuing or escaping
vehicles through dense terrain, where obstacles (and thus Obstacle
A Pursuit Track is composed of several components:
Soak) reduce a vehicle’s ability to move quickly.
• PACE: The Pace score for a Pursuit Track is akin to the PEDESTRIANS VERSUS PEDESTRIANS: If both pursued and pur-
Vigour and Resolve for a character, or the Structure
suer are on foot, then ignore Scale and Speed. Instead, a pursuit
of an object. As Pace changes, the advantage shifts
roll is 2 , with additional  equal to the character’s Acrobatics
between the pursuer and the pursued. The Pursuer ben-
or Athletics Expertise. Characters may ignore X Obstacle Soak per
efits when Pace increases, while the Pursued benefits
Effect rolled, where X is their Acrobatics or Athletics Focus, and
when Pace decreases. A Pursuit Track normally has a
score +1 on their pursuit roll per Effect rolled if they have two or
maximum Pace of between 8 and 20, and the starting
more talents from the Acrobatics or Athletics talent trees. In all
Pace will be half that, rounded as the GM sees fit.
cases, a character uses only one of Athletics or Acrobatics for their
• DISTANCE: The Pursuit Track has several points of pursuit rolls, chosen when the pursuit begins.
Distance, representing the space between the Pursuer
and the Pursued. The Pursuer will attempt to reduce RESOLVING THE PURSUIT
Distance, while the Pursued will attempt to increase it. If The Pursuit Track is resolved as a series of face-to-face tests
the Distance reaches 0, then the Pursuer has caught the between the Pursuer and the Pursued, with both rolling Simple
Pursued. If the Distance exceeds the maximum (nor- (D0) Drive or Pilot Tests.
mally 5), then the Pursued has managed to escape. The
Whichever character wins the face-to-face test then makes
starting Distance should be about half of the maximum.
a pursuit roll. In the case of a draw, neither side makes any
• OBSTACLE SOAK: The Pursuit Track will have Soak, progress. A pursuit roll is 2 , with additional  equal to the
representing the obstacles along the route that could vehicle’s Speed. The total of the pursuit roll is then reduced by
slow down and impede movement. A clear path has 0 1 for each point of Obstacle Soak. This final total is then applied
Obstacle Soak, while higher Soak represents increas- to the Pace on the Pursuit Track.
ingly difficult terrain and other impediments.
Check the bullet points on the next page to determine what
When the GM lays out the Pursuit Track, they must define happens if either the Pursuer or Pursued wins the test.
the maximum and starting Pace, the maximum and starting
Distance, and the Obstacle Soak.

PURSUIT ROLL MOMENTUM TABLE

MOMENTUM SPEND COST EFFECT

Bonus Pace 1 A character can increase the total from the pursuit roll. Each Momentum spent
increases the total of the pursuit roll by +1.

Evasion 1 The Obstacle Soak against this pursuit roll is reduced by 2 per Momentum spent.

Reroll Pursuit 1 The player may reroll any number of [CD] from the current pursuit roll.

Create Hindrance 1 Increase the Obstacle Soak of the Pursuit Track by +1 per Momentum Spent. This
only affects the opponent’s next pursuit roll and lasts only for that roll.

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• If the Pursuer wins, then increase the Pace by 1 for each RELATIVE SIZE: Smaller vehicles can more easily manoeuvre
point of the final total. If the final total was 5 or more, between and around obstacles. If a vehicle is smaller than its
if the Pace increases to the maximum, or if the Pace opponent, it ignores X Obstacle Soak for each Effect rolled on
was already at the maximum before the pursuit roll was the pursuit roll, where X is the difference in Scale between the
made, then reduce the Distance by 1. If multiple of those larger and smaller vehicles.
conditions occur, reduce the Distance by 1 for each.
AIRCRAFT TYPE: If a vehicle has the Aircraft type, it gains +2 to its
• If the Pursued was the winner, then reduce the Pace pursuit roll for each Effect rolled.
by 1 for each point of the final total. If the final total
CUMBERSOME TYPE: If a vehicle has the Cumbersome type,
was 5 or more, if the Pace reduces to 0, or if the Pace
reduce its pursuit roll by 1 .
was already at 0 before the pursuit roll was made, then
increase the Distance by 1. If multiple of those condi- HOVER TYPE: If a vehicle has the Hover type, it can move more
tions occur, increase the Distance by 1 for each. freely than most vehicles and gains +1 to its pursuit roll for each
Effect rolled.
If the Distance increases beyond the maximum, then the
Pursued escapes and the pursuit is over. If the Distance is NIMBLE TYPE: If a vehicle has the Nimble type, it counts its Scale
reduced to 0, then the Pursuer catches up to the Pursued, as one less than normal during a Pursuit.
and the pursuit is over.
ROUGH TERRAIN TYPE: If a vehicle has the Rough Terrain type, it

VARIATIONS AND EFFECTS ignores 1 Obstacle Soak for each Effect rolled on the pursuit roll.

Naturally, variations in vehicles make some better at pursuits TRACKED TYPE: If a vehicle has the Tracked type, it ignores 1
than others. These variations affect the pursuit roll for the vehi- Obstacle Soak for each Effect rolled on the pursuit roll.
cle, such as adding to the roll itself or providing benefits for
WHEELED TYPE: If a vehicle has the Wheeled type, it gains +1 to
Effects rolled.
its pursuit roll for each Effect rolled.

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VEHICLE UPGRADES Some Chassis upgrades will increase a vehicle’s Structure score.
As large, often complex machines, vehicles contain a large This will often be by some value related to the vehicle’s Brawn
amount of sophisticated technology, which can—in the hands as vehicles with more power can support heavier upgrades. In
of a skilled technician—be altered, modified, and augmented all cases, once this value has been worked out, add the vehicle’s
to suit a variety of needs and tastes. Superhuman Brawn rating to the total.

Vehicles in Infinity can be customised in several different ways, This section also refers to “Part-Enclosed” vehicles, which refers
defined and limited by their hardpoints. Each hardpoint rep- to any vehicle with the Exposed type that provides 2  or more
resents the space and capacity to replace, refine, change, or of Cover Soak, such as vehicles with retractable windows.
upgrade a specific aspect of the vehicle’s function. Different
hardpoints accept different types of upgrades, and different BALLAST
vehicles have different types and quantities of hardpoints. Vehicles with the Watercraft type can include ballast tanks
that allow vehicles to submerge underwater and return to the
surface on command. The vehicle gains the Submersible type.
HARDPOINTS If the vehicle does not have internal life support (or is Exposed),
As noted above, a vehicle’s hardpoints represent an overall
then it may take this type, but the crew and passengers must
capacity to accept upgrades and alterations, and different
provide their own breathing apparatus.
types of hardpoints can accept different types of upgrades.

Each vehicle has one or more hardpoints, and each hardpoint CONVERTIBLE
a vehicle possesses will be listed as one of the following types: Enclosed and Part-Enclosed vehicles can have a retractable
roof, allowing passengers to see out of and move around
• Chassis hardpoints alter the vehicle’s superstructure, the vehicle easily. This reduces the vehicle’s Structure to
construction, and outer surface.
three-quarters of its normal value (rounding up) but allows
• External hardpoints add extra components to the out- the driver to spend a Minor Action to change the vehicle from
side of the vehicle. Exposed to Enclosed. This may only take place once per round.

• Internal hardpoints add extra components to the inside ENCLOSED

of the vehicle, accessible to characters in the pilot and
Exposed vehicles can be upgraded so that the interior sections
passenger sections.
are sealed within a protective shell, though this also limits the
• Motive hardpoints alter the way the vehicle is propelled ability of those inside to interact with things outside the vehicle.
and manoeuvres. This may be as simple as replacing fragile windows with sturdy
panels made from the same material as the rest of the vehicle,
• Weapons hardpoints add weapons to the vehicle. If the or as extensive as building an entirely new structure around
vehicle has the Hands type, then weapons carried and
each section. The vehicle loses the Exposed type and gains the
wielded in the vehicle’s hands are separate from those
Enclosed type instead. In addition, the vehicle’s Structure is
mounted on Weapons hardpoints.
increased by a quarter of the vehicle’s Brawn (rounding down).

DEFAULT UPGRADES ENVIRONMENTAL CONDITIONING

Some vehicles are listed with upgrades already included in their
Enclosed or Part-Enclosed vehicles can be modified so that
profiles. As they’re already installed, these upgrades don’t take
the interior is carefully climate-controlled, adjusting internal
up any of the available hardpoints. The listed number and types
temperature and humidity to something comfortable for the
of hardpoints is specifically a listing of those available for use.
passengers, independent of the outside environment. While

UPGRADE CATEGORIES the vehicle remains powered and the doors remain closed,
the interior is a safe and comfortable environment protected
This section lists a range of different upgrades within each hard-
from environmental extremes. Air conditioning and atmos-
point category, plus any additional considerations that apply.
phere control systems also increase EP by 1.

CHASSIS ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION X

These modifications alter a vehicle’s underlying structure, its
Enclosed vehicles or Part-Enclosed vehicles only can have
construction, and/or its outer surface, and can have a variety
additional protective measures that help preserve the lives of
of different effects, from altering the vehicle’s mass, weight
the crew and passengers, shielding them from biological and
distribution, and handling, to making the vehicle more durable
chemical threats. The vehicle’s EP increases by X.
and resistant to mishap or damage.

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HEAVY CONSTRUCTION installed. The vehicle grants +2  Cover Soak to passengers and
The vehicle is built from denser, sturdier materials that can crew, and the vehicle’s Cover Soak now applies to any damage
withstand greater punishment before failing. Increase the suffered by passengers and crew due to a collision, mishap, or
vehicle’s Structure by one-half its Brawn, rounding down. loss of control, in addition to ranged attacks.
However, the additional weight imposes one of two penal-
ties, chosen when this upgrade is installed: the vehicle gains
the Cumbersome type, or the vehicle’s Speed is reduced by 1
(to a minimum of 1). Heavy construction costs an amount in $
equal to one-half the vehicle’s original base cost.

REBALANCED MASS
The vehicle’s mass distribution has been carefully adjusted and
balanced to improve its handling during extreme situations.
When attempting a terrain test for the vehicle, a character
gains 2 bonus d20s to their test per Momentum spent (instead
of the normal 1). The normal limit of 3 bonus d20s still applies.

REDUCED WEIGHT
The vehicle’s weight is significantly reduced by replacing mate-
rials and components with lighter-weight equivalents, allowing
it to use its power more efficiently. However, this can com-
LIFE SUPPORT promise the integrity of the vehicle, making it less resistant to
Enclosed or Part-Enclosed vehicles can be upgraded so that harm. The vehicle’s Speed increases by 1, but its Structure is
the vehicle’s interior has a self-contained life support system reduced by 2 and its Armour Soak is reduced by 1.
with atmosphere recycling and can be given an air- and
water-tight seal on command. The vehicle contains oxygen VEHICLE ARMOUR X
Components equal to its Scale multiplied by 5, though it must The vehicle’s outer layer has materials and coatings designed
use up 1 oxygen Component per passenger each hour or scene, to resist and deflect gunfire, shrapnel, and other impacts.
rather than only 1. However, due to the recycling system, roll The vehicle gains X additional Armour Soak. If the additional
1  when an oxygen Component would be expended; on an Armour Soak exceeds the vehicle’s Scale, then it must reduce
Effect, that Component is recycled rather than expended. its Speed by 1 or gain the Cumbersome type.

PASSENGER PROTECTION
Part-Enclosed vehicles can be upgraded with internal ballistic
protection and window reinforcement, which provides added
protection to the passengers and crew within. In addition to
this, the vehicle’s structure is strengthened to better absorb
rolls and crashes, and improved passenger restraints have been

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 VEHICULAR MAYHEM

EXTERNAL Observation or Resistance test. On failure, the character suf-

This category covers hardware mounted on a vehicle’s exterior. fers the Dazed condition until the end of the subsequent round.

ADDITIONAL WEAPON MOUNT

The vehicle can mount one additional weapon. This transforms
a Chassis or External hardpoint into a Weapon hardpoint.

BATTERING RAMS X
The vehicle’s bumpers have been reinforced or replaced with
weightier protrusions that act as battering rams. Battering GANG COLOURS X
Rams add Vicious X to the vehicle’s impact damage, where X Some drivers paint their vehicles with the iconography of their
is equal to the upgrade’s rating. faction, others trail flags from banner poles and masts. Either
way, they’re almost always used to strike fear into an enemy
and inspire courage in companions. Gang Colours add X  to
the resultant damage for any Display in which they’re used.
Additionally, they add X Momentum the Discipline tests of
all faction members associated with the colours when within
Close range of the emblem. These effects are negated if the
gang colours are ever captured by a rival gang or faction. (Until
the colours are recovered and honour is avenged, at least.)
BLADES OF JUSTICE
The iconic razor-edged array attached to almost every bike
of the Justice faction. These deadly blades are design to slice
through armour and penetrate the soft skin beneath. Any vehi-
cle fitted with these gains Piercing 1 when sideswiping another
vehicle. Attacks made against characters outside of vehicles
also gain Vicious 1.

OIL SLICK X
The vehicle has been fitted with a system that allows it to
produce one or more patches of oil that hinder the efforts of
other drivers. An oil slick system has X Components before
being depleted and needing replenishing. As a Minor Action,
the oil slick can be dispensed within any zone that the vehicle
occupies during its turn (which can include the zone it starts in).
The oil slick occupies the entire zone. The driver of any other
vehicle entering or beginning its movement within the zone
containing the oil slick must immediately attempt a Daunting
(D3) Drive test. If successful, they avoid the oil and there is no
effect. On a failed test, the driver of the vehicle increases the
difficulty of all further Drive test by 1 for a round, plus they are
unable to attempt Reactions with their vehicle for 2  rounds.
BLINDERS
Headlights, parking lights, running lights, fog lights, spot beams
and utility lights all add up to one certainty: dazzling radiance.
A vehicle fitted with blinders can switch them on to eliminate
any difficulty increase for driving at night. When using them in
this manner, however, Observation tests to spot the vehicle are
reduced by 2 difficulty and ranged attacks against the vehicle
don’t suffer any penalty for darkness.
RUNNING BOARDS
Any character within Close range of the front end of a vehi-
Scale 1 or larger vehicles can be fitted with additional rails and
cle fitted with blinders that are switched on—including
boards for hanging on to the outside. Any additional passen-
those in vehicles themselves—must attempt an Average (D1)
gers can’t take on a crew role and count as being on an Exposed

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vehicle even if the vehicle is Enclosed. However, they also don’t VEHICLE DOCK
count towards the vehicle’s normal passenger limit, can enter Scale 1 and larger vehicles only can be modified to accom-
or exit the vehicle as a Free Action. Further, they reduce the modate other, smaller, vehicles. A vehicle being transported
difficulty of Acrobatics tests to jump on or off the vehicle by 1, in this way may move into or out of the vehicle dock with
(minimum of 0). So long as one hand is used to hold on to the the Enter/Exit Vehicle action and a successful Average (D1)
rails, they also allow characters to ignore the difficulty increase Drive test. Players should agree with the GM as to whether
for physical actions on the outside of a moving vehicle, . this can be attempted whilst the vehicle with the dock is in
motion itself (such as using ramps or driving a bike from the
Running boards on a Scale 1 vehicle can carry 2 additional pas-
compartment). If so, increase the difficulty of the Drive test to
sengers. Double this for each Scale above 1.
Challenging (D2), or perhaps higher for faster speeds and harsh
conditions. Failing the test means that the vehicle attempt-
SMOKE SCREEN X
ing to enter or exit doesn’t find a suitable moment to do so.
A torrid, acidic smoke screen designed to damage trailing
Generating a Complication means that one or both vehicles
vehicles and their drivers as much as obscure sight, modern
suffer damage. By driving carefully and checking alignment,
smokescreens are rare and deadly concoctions that see lim-
the vehicle with the dock may use their Standard Action for
ited use. A smoke screen system has X Components before
the round to assist the test.
being depleted and needing replenishing. As a Minor Action,
the smoke screen can be dispensed within any zone that the The number and type of vehicle carried varies based on
vehicle occupies during its turn (which can include the zone Stowage (see p. 125). Scale 1 and 2 vehicles can carry a single
it starts in). The smoke screen occupies the entire zone and vehicle whose Stowage rating is equal to or less than half its
blocks line of sight through it. The driver of any other vehicle own Stowage rating. Scale 3 or higher vehicles can carry 2 or
entering or beginning its movement within the zone containing more vehicles whose combined Stowage ratings are equal to
the smoke screen must immediately attempt a Daunting (D3) or less than half of its own Stowage rating.
Drive test. If successful, they avoid the smoke screen and there
The vehicle dock can Exposed or Enclosed, which is determined
is no effect. On failure, the vehicle and occupants suffer 2 
at the time of purchase. The dock’s type is independent of the
damage with the Anti-Materiel 1 and Biotech qualities.
vehicle’s own type.

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 VEHICULAR MAYHEM

INTERNAL need to have first made a Reckless Driving or Pedal to the Metal
This category covers hardware mounted inside the vehicle, movement action in the previous round. Nitro systems contain
designed to be accessible to, or able to interact with, the pas- 3 Components, with each round of use depleting 1 Component.
sengers within. Many of these options also take up passenger
space within the vehicle, on top of the Hardpoint they use.
An option cannot be taken if it would reduce the number of
passenger spaces in a vehicle below 1.

ENGINEERING WORKSTATION
Takes up 3 passenger spaces. The workstation allows for repairs
and other technical works in any location. It functions as an
RADIO SUITE
Engineering Tool Kit (see p. 128).
The vehicle is fitted with a radio system that can serve as a base
station for several other personal radios (see Communication,
MEDICAL WORKSTATION
p. 127). As it draws power from the vehicle’s electrical system,
Taking 3 passenger spaces, the surgical bed and medical equip-
the radio suite doesn’t require batteries. (Although backup
ment allow for the treatment of a passenger on the bed (who
batteries can be added at additional cost to provide power in
may not take any other role). It functions as a MedKit and
the event of vehicle failure.)
Surgical Tools (see p. 130).

WEAPON LOCKER
The vehicle contains storage for one or more weapons. A single
weapon locker contains 2 1H or Unbalanced weapons, or a
single 2H weapon. It can also store up to 3 Reloads.

A large weapon locker can carry more or heavier weaponry

but takes up 1 passenger space. A large weapon locker can
contain up to 4 1H weapons, up to 3 Unbalanced weapons,
up to 2 2H weapons, or a single Unwieldy weapon. It can also
store up to 6 Reloads.

MOTIVE
This category covers the vehicle’s engine, power plant, traction,
and propulsion systems, or whatever combination of devices
KIT LOCKER
make the vehicle move.
Taking up a single passenger space, this upgrade contains a
quick-access locker that can contain up to 10 units of Stowage,
HAULAGE
although the equipment stored within must feasibly be able to
The engine and powertrain of the vehicle are designed to
fit. The locker is usually locked with a padlock and key.
produce power and torque, but its weight and handling pre-
vent it from moving especially quickly. It is, however, ideal for
IMPACT PROTECTION
shifting heavy cargo and exerting brute force. The vehicle’s
The vehicle contains impact cushions, reinforced safety har-
Brawn increases by 2 but Speed and Handling decrease by 1.
nesses, and structural supports designed to reduce the risk of
(Minimum Speed of 1.)
damage to the vehicle’s passengers. Whenever the vehicle’s
passengers would suffer damage because of the vehicle suf-
HIGH-PERFORMANCE
fering a Fault, the impact protection grants the passengers 3
The vehicle’s engine has been tuned and adjusted for top per-
additional Armour Soak. This does not apply against damage
formance. The vehicle gains the High-Performance type.
caused when the vehicle is destroyed.

NITRO SYSTEM
The vehicle is fitted with a nitrous oxide system designed to
provide a hefty, but temporary, burst of speed and accelera-
tion. Activating and disengaging a nitro system is a Free Action.
Once engaged, the vehicle can move 1 extra zone during its
movement and Pedal to the Metal can be used without the

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TERRAIN ADAPTATION • If the weapon is controlled from within the vehicle, it

The vehicle has been adapted to move most effectively through can be operated by remote trigger by any character
rough terrain, though this comes at the cost of some of its within the vehicle. A Disable Function, p. 149, can target
straight-line maximum speed. The vehicle gains the Rough the weapon. A jury-rigged trigger is required If removed
Terrain type but reduces its Speed by 1. If its Speed is already from the vehicle, as they have no manual triggers.
1, it gains the Cumbersome type instead.
• Weapons simply affixed on the vehicle must be oper-
ated manually, requiring that the character physically
TRACKED
place themselves at the weapon’s location and operate
A Wheeled type vehicle can replace its wheels with tracks. The
it normally. If the weapon is removed from its mounting
vehicle loses the Wheeled type and gains the Tracked type.
(Standard Action, Average (D1) Engineering or Daunting
(D3) Athletics test, though the latter breaks the mount-
ing), it may be used as a normal weapon of that type,
though it is no longer considered braced once removed.

Weapons controlled from within the vehicle have a built-in

ammunition supply, containing up to the vehicle’s Scale +1 in
Reloads. If the weapon can accept multiple types of ammuni-
tion, the Reloads may be divided between those types as the
seen fit, but Reloads cannot be added to or removed from this
supply easily. While this can be done freely out of combat, it
takes a Standard Action and an Average (D1) Engineering test
to access the ammunition supply and add or remove Reloads
during an action scene. Additional ammunition can be added
using another weapon hardpoint, which stores another 3+ Scale
TURBO-CHARGED
Reloads that may be divided between the vehicle’s weapons.
The vehicle’s engine or power-plant has been overhauled or
replaced with something more powerful. The vehicle’s Speed
increases by 1. This may be selected multiple times.

WHEELED
Tracked type vehicles can have their tracks replaced with
wheels. The vehicle loses the Tracked type and gains Wheeled.

WEAPONS
This category covers any armaments fitted directly to the vehi-
cle. This covers both weapons which are controlled from within
the vehicle, as well as those which are simply affixed to the
vehicle. Weapons mounted on a vehicle are always considered
to be braced. Use the following chart to determine the size of
weapon that can be mounted according to a vehicle’s Scale.

VEHICLE WEAPONS & SCALE OPTIONAL RULE: EXPERIENCE & UPGRADES

Drivers often learn the fine nuances of their vehicle, learn-

VEHICLE SCALE WEAPON SIZE ing how far they can push the limits or discovering an
additional tweak that will provide more performance. They
0 2H or less might also find items of Merch that can be retrofitted to
serve another purpose. At the GM’s discretion, a PC can
1 Unwieldy or less expend an amount of experience equal to 100 times the
Merch value of an upgrade an immediately apply it to their
2+ Massive or less
vehicle. This replaces needing to pay the $ or Merch cost
for a vehicle. If this option is used, the player must check
When a weapon is mounted onto a vehicle, the owner must
with the player on which upgrades can be obtained. High
choose how that weapon is operated.
Performance is feasible, changing to Tracked probably not.

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 VEHICULAR MAYHEM

BUGGY CAR
EXPOSED (2  CS), GROUND, RUGGED, WHEELED EXPOSED (2  CS), GROUND, WHEELED

Along with capturing their relic, Absolution, Alsa also seized A standard car in Old World terms, though modified in the
one of the Justice’s motorcycles. decades since the Day of the Apocalypse to the owner’s taste.

ATTRIBUTES ATTRIBUTES
SCALE SPEED BRAWN HANDLING SCALE SPEED BRAWN HANDLING

1 2 10 1 1 2 10 1

DETAILS DETAILS
Max. Passengers Impact Max. Passengers Impact

3 5  (Knockdown) 5 6  (Knockdown)

HARDPOINTS HARDPOINTS
Chassis 2, External 1, Motive 2, Weapons 1 Chassis 2, External 1, Internal 1, Motive 2, Weapons 2

DEFENCES DEFENCES
Structure 6 EP 0 Structure 12 EP 1
Armour 2 Max. Fuel 3 Armour 3 Max. Fuel 10

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CROOZER GYROCOPTER
EXPOSED, (3  CS), GROUND, WHEELED AIRCRAFT, EXPOSED (1 CS), SINGLE-SEAT
With so few able to master the skills required to pilot these
The larger cousin to the standard car, Croozers are often
fragile machines, gyrocopters are a rare sight in the skies
cumbersome but sturdier and able to contain more mods.
above a Run. They are a deadly menace when one does appear.

ATTRIBUTES ATTRIBUTES
SCALE SPEED BRAWN HANDLING SCALE SPEED BRAWN HANDLING

1 2 12 0 0 3 6 2

DETAILS DETAILS
Max. Passengers Impact Max. Passengers Impact

5 7  (Knockdown) — 4  (Knockdown)

HARDPOINTS HARDPOINTS
Chassis 2, External 2, Internal 1, Motive 2, Weapons 2 Chassis 1, External 1, Internal 1, Motive 1, Weapons 1

DEFENCES DEFENCES
Structure 14 EP 1 Structure 6 EP 0
Armour 3 Max. Fuel 12 Armour 2 Max. Fuel 3

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 VEHICULAR MAYHEM

MOTORCYCLE TRIKE
EXPOSED, GROUND, SINGLE-SEAT, WHEELED CUMBERSOME, EXPOSED, GROUND, WHEELED
A popular means of transport on the Devils’ Run, motorcycles A three-wheeled version of the motorcycle, trikes can
are rugged and nippy machines. Each faction tends to have its prove hard to master but often allow for the addition of
own variant that is considered the norm amongst their own. extra weaponry.

ATTRIBUTES ATTRIBUTES
SCALE SPEED BRAWN HANDLING SCALE SPEED BRAWN HANDLING

0 3 6 2 0 3 8 1

DETAILS DETAILS
Max. Passengers Impact Max. Passengers Impact

— 4  (Knockdown) 2 5  (Knockdown)

HARDPOINTS HARDPOINTS
Chassis 1, External 1, Motive 2, Weapons 1 Chassis 1, External 1, Motive 2, Weapons 2

DEFENCES DEFENCES
Structure 6 EP 0 Structure 8 EP 0
Armour 2 Max. Fuel 3 Armour 2 Max. Fuel 4

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TRUCK VAN
EXPOSED (2 CS), GROUND, RUGGED, WHEELED EXPOSED (2 CS), GROUND, RUGGED, WHEELED
A tough, rugged vehicle designed for trekking cargo over land.
Along with capturing their relic, Absolution, Alsa also seized
Whatever these chiselled haulers lack in grace, they make up
one of the Justice’s motorcycles.
for with their solid construction and expansive capacity.

ATTRIBUTES ATTRIBUTES
SCALE SPEED BRAWN HANDLING SCALE SPEED BRAWN HANDLING

2 2 14 0 2 2 14 0

DETAILS DETAILS
Max. Passengers Impact Max. Passengers Impact

6 8  (Knockdown) 6 8  (Knockdown)

HARDPOINTS HARDPOINTS
Chassis 3, External 1, Internal 3, Motive 1, Weapons 2 Chassis 2, External 1, Internal 2, Motive 2, Weapons 2

DEFENCES DEFENCES
Structure 20 EP 1 Structure 18 EP 1
Armour 3 Max. Fuel 15 Armour 3 Max. Fuel 12

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 VEHICULAR MAYHEM

THE CHOP SHOP

UPGRADE CATEGORY RARITY MAINTENANCE COST MERCH
Ballast Chassis 1 — $500 3
Convertible Chassis 3 $25 $1000 4
Enclosed Chassis 2 — $2500 6
Environmental Chassis 3 $25 $1250 4
Conditioning
Environmental Chassis 2 $25 $1000 4
Protection 1
Environmental Chassis 3 $50 $1500 5
Protection 2
Environmental Chassis 4 $50 $2000 6
Protection 3
Heavy Construction Chassis 3 — 1
—
Life Support Chassis 4 $50 $2000 6
Passenger Protection Chassis 2 $25 $1000 4
Rebalanced Mass Chassis 3 — $750 3
Reduced Weight Chassis 3 — $1250 4
Vehicle Armour 1 Chassis 2 — $750 3
Vehicle Armour 2 Chassis 2 — $1250 4
Vehicle Armour 3 Chassis 3 — $2000 6
Additional External 2 — $1000 4
Weapon Mount
Battering Rams 1 External 2 — $750 3
Battering Rams 2 External 3 — $2000 6
Blades of Justice External 3 $10 $250 2
Blinders External 4 — $250 2
Gang Colours 1 External 2 — $500 2
Gang Colours 2 External 3 — $1250 4
Oil Slick External 3 $25 $500 3
Running Boards External 2 — $250 2
Smoke Screen External 3 $25 $500 3
Vehicle Dock, Exposed External 2 — $1250 4
Vehicle Dock, Enclosed External 2 — $2000 6
1
This item’s cost is based on another factor, which is listed with its description.

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THE CHOP SHOP

UPGRADE CATEGORY RARITY MAINTENANCE COST MERCH
Engineering Workstation Internal 3 $25 $500 3
Medical Workstation Internal 4 $50 $1000 4
Kit Locker Internal 1 — £250 2
Impact Protection Internal 2 — $750 3
Nitro System Internal 1 $50 $250 2
Radio Suite Internal 3 — $1000 4
Weapon Locker Internal 1 — $50 1
Weapon Locker, Large Internal 2 — $250 2
Haulage Motive 3 — $1250 4
High-Performance Motive 3 $25 $1000 4
Terrain Adaptation Motive 3 — $750 3
Tracked Motive 4 $50 $1500 5
Turbo-Charged Motive 3 — $750 3
Wheeled Motive 1 — $500 2
Additional Ammo Weapon 2 $25 $250 2
Weapon Mount (Manual) Weapon 2 — $250 2
Weapon Mount (Remote) Weapon 3 — $500 3

THE GARAGE
VEHICLE SCALE RARITY MAINTENANCE COST MERCH
Buggy 1 2 $100 $7000 10 1
Car 1 2 $100 $9000 12 1
Croozer 1 3 $125 $10000 14 1
Gyrocopter 0 4 $500 $7250 15
Motorcycle 0 1 $50 $6500 91
Trike 0 3 $100 $9000 12
Truck 2 3 $125 $12000 16
Van 2 3 $125 $11000 15
1
This vehicle’s Merch cost is halved when purchased during character creation. (See Step4: Equipment, p. 76.)

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 VEHICULAR MAYHEM

§ SAVAGE VEHICULAR MODS CONVERTIBLE (1) MODS: 2

Refer to SWADE p. 81-83 for vehicle frames, although the The driver of the vehicle can use an action to add or remove
excellent Vehicle Guide provides expanded scope. The Savage the Exposed Crew mod to the vehicle.
Worlds Science Fiction Companion contains the rules for cus-
ENVIRONMENTAL CONDITIONING (1) MODS: 1
tomising vehicles when using the Devil’s Run setting with the
Protects from extremes of temperature and increases the
SWADE system. There are some additions presented below.
vehicle’s EP by 1.
Note: The players should all receive a vehicle via their chosen
ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION (1) MODS: 1 or 2
initiate package. If a PC hasn’t obtained one at the start of play
Increases the vehicle’s EP by the listed amount.
for any reason, the GM should aim to provide that character
with a vehicle either before or during the first session. HAULAGE (1) MODS: 2
Increase the vehicle’s Toughness by one-fifth. Decrease it’s Top
COST
Speed by one-fifth and Handling by 1. (Rounding up.)
Use the fixed costs for vehicles and mods listed here in place
of those listed in SWADE and the Science Fiction Companion. LIFE SUPPORT (1) MODS: Half Size
The vehicle’s interior provides complete protection against
ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION (EP)
chemical and biological hazards.
Environmental Protection is a measure of the protection a
vehicle offers against environmental effects and hazards. EP OIL SLICK MODS: 1
is measured in a scale of 0 to 3, with exposed vehicles such Deploying the slick is a free action. The driver of a vehicle
as motorcycles providing 0 and enclosed tanks providing 3. immediately behind the one deploying the slick must make a
Driving roll to avoid it during their movement. If they fail, all
MODS
other Driving rolls are at -1 for the round.
Most of the mods presented here and in the Science Fiction
Companion are direct equivalents to each other. A nitro system RUNNING BOARDS MODS: 1
in this book, for instance, equates to a booster in the Science Size 3 or larger vehicles can be fitted with Running Boards.
Fiction Companion. Use the table below to gauge equivalent Passengers on them don’t count towards the Crew limit unless
mods and the descriptions that follow for anything else. they enter the vehicle (which is a free action). Athletics rolls
to jump from a vehicle fitted with these to another are at +1.
MOD EQUIVALENTS TABLE SMOKE SCREEN MODS: 1

COREBOOK NAME COMPANION NAME Deploying the smoke screen is a free action. The vehicle gains
Heavy Cover against other vehicles between it and the smoke
Heavy Construction Reinforced Chassis screen. The driver of a vehicle immediately behind the one
deploying the smoke screen must make a Driving roll to avoid it
Rebalanced Mass Handling
during their movement. Any vehicle driving through the smoke
Terrain Adaptation Four Wheel Drive screen immediately loses 1 from its armour.
Turbo-Charged Speed
Vehicle Armour 1 Armour +2 § SAVAGE VEHICULAR MAYHEM
Vehicle Armour 3 Armour +4 (Heavy Armour) Unless using miniatures—and perhaps the Indirect Conversion
rules in the Appendix—it is highly recommended that GMs use
BALLAST (1) MODS: 2 the chase rules presented in SWADE (p. 113). Not only are they
A watercraft can now also submerge. Fast.Furious. Fun. But they also fully cater for vehicular combat.

NEW MANOEUVRE:
BATTERING RAMS (!) MODS: 1 or 2
The rating provides an equivalent number of raises during a Ram.

BLADES OF JUSTICE MODS: 1 • SIDESWIPE (ACTION): An alternative to Ram, an attacker

can choose to Sideswipe a defender if they’re on the
Sideswipe manoeuvres gain AP 1. Attacks against targets on
same Chase Card. This requires an opposed Driving roll.
foot inflict +1d6 damage.
If successful, calculate the damage exactly as for a Ram,
BLINDERS MODS: 1 but do not add bonus damage for Speed. Additionally,
Notice tests to spot the vehicle at night with these turned the attacker can Bump the defender if they win, with
on are at +2. The driver of a vehicle in front of one fitted with two raises counting as a Critical Failure on a manoeu-
blinders must make a Smarts roll at the start of each round. If vring roll for the defender.
they fail, all of their tests are made at -1 for the round.

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 RULES OF THE ROAD

The stage is set. The PCs are heading out onto the road, hoping Given the importance of the GM’s role, it is good practice to
to return from their first ever Run as proven warriors. The prepare for the game accordingly. In many ways, the GM is
scenes that follow will almost definitely include danger, adren- seeking to make the post-apocalyptic world feel “real” and
aline, mayhem and hard-earned reward. In every game of the consistent with the expectations of the players and the moods
Devil’s Run RPG—whether a one-shot, multi-part adventure, or and themes of this high-octane genre. Given these responsibil-
entire campaign—one player must take on the role of the GM, ities, there are a few important points for a GM to keep in mind:
responsible for bringing the ruins of civilisation to life for the
players, portraying NPCs, describing locations and events, and • KNOW THE RULES: The GM should endeavour to be as
familiar as possible with the rules for any situations that
interpreting the rules by which the players interact with the
might come up in play, or know them well enough to
setting. This chapter provides a detailed explanation of what
make decisions when the rules don’t cover a particu-
it means to be the GM, with advice and an assortment of tools
lar situation. To speed up instances where a specific
to help take on the role.
rule must be consulted, it helps to be familiar with
GMs should keep in mind that they ultimately decide what this rulebook itself. Nothing breaks momentum more
can or cannot happen in the course of the game, allowing the quickly than searching through a book for a specific rule.
players the ability to move through the world, sometimes in Similarly, the GM should be familiar enough with the
surprising and unexpected ways. And while the players trav- rules that players are not encouraged to second-guess
erse the world of the GM’s design, the players’ actions should the GM’s calls, or argue about an interpretation. The GM
remain their own and their choices during play being theirs to is the final arbiter of all rules-related issues, and thus
make, with the GM staying outside of those choices to serve should have the knowledge to back this assumption.
as the inexorable instrument of fate.
• KNOW THE PLOT: The PCs are often confronted with
the machinations of rival factions, brutal warlords, and
PART OF THE RUN sycophants from within their own ranks. In order to give
This book and the rest of the Devil’s Run RPG line assumes the players something for their characters to confront, it
that the players and GM want to have adrenaline fuelled death is essential that the GM seeds these plots and schemes.
races across the weed-choked highways of the West Coast of The GM must develop broad settings and specific
North America. The players should want to be larger-than-life locales, characters to serve as allies, rivals, enemies, and
road warriors with a penchant for searching the ruins of the bystanders, along with dangerous agendas and perilous
Old World, vying with other factions for resources, and perhaps plots for the PCs to encounter and thwart. The Devil’s
providing a small island of sanity amongst the chaos around Run RPG is a group effort, with the players having the
them. The game rules, character creation system, and setting tools at their disposal, creatively and mechanically, to
and source material have all been crafted towards the goal of influence both the scene and overall story. The GM must
helping the GM evoke this post-apocalyptic world in both tone therefore have a strong sense of the intended plot of
and in detail, with the aim of bringing it to the gaming table the session (and campaign) that can adapt and change
for the enjoyment of all. based on the actions of the PCs.

• BE PREPARED: In many groups, the GM is responsible

THREE STEPS TO GAMEMASTERY for making the game run smoothly. This may include
The role of the GM is equal parts narrator, supporting cast providing pencils and paper, dice, tokens, or other
member, and referee. They are still a player in most regards useful gaming aids — though some players may want to
and should always be having as much fun as everyone else, but provide their own. Some GMs may prefer to hold onto
this role also includes a number of significant responsibilities. characters sheets between sessions, ensuring that they
The Devil’s Run is a collaborative game, and the GM is the one are all in one place. Keeping track of the little details
responsible for framing scenes, adjudicating the rules, and such as these helps keep the game moving from one
trying to ensure that each PC gets a chance to shine. session to the next.

These responsibilities take numerous forms, and the GM is

consequently both the most attentive and most passive player
at the table. Most attentive, remaining aware of everything
going on and responding to everything that the players do, but
conversely, the most passive because it is the players’ deci-
sions that most often drive the outcome of each encounter
and story juncture.

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GAMEMASTER RESPONSIBILITIES
All of the above advice is good for players and GMs alike, but
MAINTAINING THE PACE
Crumbling freeways, enemy vehicles bristling with weap-
being the gamemaster requires a different approach than being
onry, and Revenants drawn from nightmare provide
a player, best summed up by the list of these responsibilities:
plenty of fuel to challenge the players. Along with Fallout,

PRESENTING PROBLEMS
in-game threats can serve to speed the PCs along, empha-
sizing the danger of hesitating or becoming paralyzed with
Drama comes from conflict, and conflict comes from over-
indecision. Road warriors don’t dither. If a group of players
coming problems, whether internal or external. In the Devil’s
gets stuck and can’t move forward, the GM should throw
Run RPG, most of these “problems” are external, situations
something at them that requires an immediate reaction,
enforced by the outside world. Road warriors are often people
whether in the form of a group of enemies or a dramatic
of action rather than introspection. This doesn’t limit what a
change of circumstance.
player may do with their character, or the GM with an NPC,
but it’s important to remember the tendencies of the genre Chapter Ten: Allies & Adversaries has a wide range of
and how the struggles of the post-apocalypse are portrayed. ready-to-use opponents. When introducing a new threat
in this fashion, the GM might wish to look and determine
For the most part, though, these sorts of conflicts are best
what would be most suitable, coming up with a reasonable
evoked as background elements, or suggested by the players
explanation for why the foe has appeared, or what has
themselves, leaving the GM responsible for the portrayal of
brought about the change to circumstances. The PCs don’t
the world, its perils, and any direct challenges for the PCs to
need to know immediately why something is happening,
encounter and hopefully overcome. Problems can manifest in
but it should make sense in retrospect.
a wide range of way —some can be as overt as a battle, or as
subtle as a conspiracy—and can range in size from the inciden-
tal to the monumental—an alert guard dog can complicate an Every problem presented to the players should be an oppor-
apparently simple burglary, while a nefarious cell of a so-called tunity for their characters to demonstrate some aspect of
cult of necromancers can encompass dozens of challenges, a themselves — their strengths, their flaws, their preferences.
persistent source of danger and trouble for years or even dec- A bar brawl is a chance for the bravo to crack some skulls.
ades. How the players react to these external obstacles fleshes An uncooperative guard or hustler is a great opportunity for
out their characters; it’s through action, not introspection, that wealthy or persuasive characters to show off their guile and
characters are able to find and establish themselves. charm. It is important for the GM to listen to the players and
understand the outcome they seek when their characters react
The Fallout pool (p. 236) and the rules for Complications (p. 238)
to a problem. The deck is stacked against the players, so the
are amongst the GM’s foremost tools in presenting problems.
GM must be especially attentive to determine if the players
These systems allow a GM to bring immediate challenges and
don’t understand something, if they are missing valuable clues,
difficulties into play, turning apparently straightforward scenes
or if they are feeling frustrated.
into something more dynamic and complex. Something as
simple as a character barrelling into an unexpected ramp on Good GMing is the art of accommodating player expectations
the highway will quickly alter an encounter, and even they and desires, and shaping the experience of play to create a path
aim to bounce through unharmed, the arrival of a new enemy that feels challenging yet rewarding. If the players are trying
vehicle or a fundamental shift in the situation can add drama to capture an NPC to understand the plot, ruling that all the
to any scenario. NPCs were killed or escaped rather than wounded or knocked
out is only going to frustrate the players. Problems should not
LET THE PLAYERS BE EXTRAORDINARY stop the characters, only cause them to see another course of
The character creation system emphasizes highly compe- action, perhaps one fraught with additional danger! Obstacles
tent, skilled individuals with a range of capabilities and few should give the PCs something to do at that moment that
weaknesses. The players should have ample opportunities could lead to something else, most likely another obstacle.
for their characters to shine. It’s important to remember that, Interesting complications in a character’s life are conducive
while the GM may be responsible for setting up the threats, to an ongoing game and give the players additional ways to
challenges, and monsters the PCs will face, the GM is not the interact with the world.
players’ adversary. Their role is essentially that of one player
amongst many with a slightly different role to play. The GM FRAMING SCENES
cannot “win” the game by beating the players. The goal is to Framing a scene—laying out the basic context of what is
tell a great, thrilling, collaborative story, not to force players happening, who is involved, and where and when it is hap-
into any certain mould or mode. pening—encompasses the GM’s role as cinematographer and

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 RULES OF THE ROAD

screenwriter. The elements of the scene that are described Asking the player to answer the question of “Why Are You Here?”
and emphasized are the things that the players will consider is a direct and powerful means of getting the player’s attention,
important. Doing this well gives those players a good starting embedding them into the scene. Sometimes a scene begins
point for describing their own actions, whatever those actions without a clear idea of why a particular character is there, or
may be. While the GM is responsible for initially framing the how the character fits into the scene. The players are thrust
scene, the resultant narratives can be guided by the players, into the action and explain their presence as they settle in.
who then decide how to interact, where to go and what to do.
While this is an evocative tactic to open a Run with, it becomes
Framing a scene quickly with a sentence or three is normally
too much work to use with later scenes. PCs will have made
enough. Descriptions should be evocative and quick, with
decisions by this point in the adventure, so the GM should
enough details suggested to allow the players to fill in the
not, for example, announce that the characters are captured
blanks. Ideally, the GM should address more than one sense,
and are now chained to a rival’s bumper. Similarly, when PCs
providing something other than sight to focus on. Sounds,
leave one scene, it is usually with the understanding that they
smell, temperatures, and environmental effects are all helpful
will arrive in the next without significant hardship or difficulty.
at evoking a mood and a sense of place.
If there’s a change of plans or a sudden reversal of fortune, it
The easiest part of framing a scene is determining time and should be depicted during play, not between scenes.
place. These don’t have to be exact—general or relative terms
Instead, the simple technique of asking the player why the
are good here—but it is necessary to have some vague idea
character is there (wherever “there” happens to be), helps both
of the where and when of a scene taking place. Being able to
inform the situation and provides ideas and context that the
define the time of a scene is useful for “skipping to the good
GM may never have thought of. It also allows the player to
bits”. The parts of an adventure that contain nothing interest-
stay in control over their own motivation, rather than having it
ing can be waved past—there is no point in describing a quiet
dictated. Acting as GM also means being ready to use a player’s
night of restful sleep, for instance. Instead, scenes should focus
idea to take the story in directions other than those planned.
on the moment when the night grows preternaturally quiet,
Just as the starting scene is a thesis and the player’s response
awakening the PCs to the dangers of the wastelands on the
to it provides the antithesis, the resulting collaboration is a
darkest of nights.
synthesis in the best sense.
Basic narrative structure asks what elements are important to
Furthermore, the GM does not need to frame each and every
a scene. The answers are who, what, why, when, and where.
scene with the PCs walking in the front door, driving into town,
Answering each of these isn’t an exact requirement, but the
or being alerted to something unusual, all of which can get
GM should give the players a sense of them. What time of day
boring fast. A lot of the time, what the PCs want to achieve is
is it? What time of year? Who is present in this scene and why
already known when the scene is established, so it’s sometimes
are they there? Every significant character needs a motivation
useful to skip past the “empty space” of the scene. Instead of
at each step, and the GM is the one who motivates the NPCs
describing the PCs arriving, the GM can describe them already
and provides hooks to spark motive in the PCs.
there (they arrived a while ago, and are in the middle of their
Finally, the GM should determine what is happening in the business) or leaving (they have done what they wanted to do,
scene. This may have nothing to do with what the PCs are and are on their way out).
doing, or it may be directly linked, as the situation demands.
Having the PCs arrive at Old Ma’s Taco Hell while a heated
argument is in progress is very different from them arriving
to find a gang they have a friendly rivalry with celebrating a
successful heist. The post-apocalyptic world is a quieter place
than it used to be, so there doesn’t always need to be some-
thing happening. A bandit can appear from nowhere and tear
past at breakneck speed, however, meaning that although the
immediate surrounds may be quiet, there is always the poten-
tial for something to happen at a moment’s notice.

SCENE FRAMING TRICKS

There are a few tried-and-true methods the GM can use to
vary a scene’s framing, producing different effects and feelings.
Using them separately, or in conjunction with one another, can
provide a wider range of ways to present new scenes.

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SKILL TESTS currently under pressure or struggling with some other nega-
The following are a few guidelines to assist the GM when using tive influence. Of course, if the player really wants to attempt a
skill tests to push the edge and make the rules count. After test when none is required, the GM has the option of declaring
all, nothing is going to happen to the players if they fail a test, that it a Simple (D0) test and just allowing the PC to see how
but their character’s life could end or change forever. The GM much Momentum (and how many Complications, if any) the
can certainly overrule any die roll, or add some narrative ele- character generates.
ments to soften every blow, but the heart of the game beats
Bear in mind, too, that a test to obtain information—Engineering,
with uncertainty, and to take that away from the game is to
Lore, Traffic, or Wild Tech, for example— is also something to
weaken it.
say “Yes” to more often than not. The character’s knowledge

CALLING FOR TESTS is not the player’s knowledge, and it benefits the game overall
to assume that the PCs know things about the world that the
Almost everything a PC can do in game can be resolved by
players do not. Unless they are delving into obscure Old World
a skill test. This is the single most prevalent mechanic in the
tech or seeking other rare and precious information, there is
entire game, and every other mechanic in Devil’s Run hinges on
little point in making a PC roll to find the local chop shop, or
a skill test of some sort. However, not every action needs a skill
to identify languages by hearing them.
test to determine the outcome. In some cases, the test slows
things down, gets in the way of useful progress, or simply gen- To be clear, however, engaging in combat is almost always an
erates a chance of failure at a task that should have succeeded. example of being under pressure, so any task attempted in
combat should almost always require a skill test. The threat of
Ideally, the GM should only call for a skill test under the fol-
grievous bodily harm or death has a way of making everything in
lowing circumstances:
the moment seem extremely important, and the cost for failure
• When the results are interesting regardless of success is significant enough that it should not be determined by fiat.
or failure.
NPC RESPONSE AND INTERACTION
• When the risk of failure is meaningful. Once everything else is in place, the GM needs to make choices
There is little point in calling for skill tests to resolve mundane for the NPCs present in the scene. This varies considerably
tasks, just as there is little point in thoroughly describing them. based on the NPCs present and what they are doing or what
The GM should not ask the players to roll to see if their charac- their goals are. The GM should know the NPCs and always keep
ters sleep well, or are able to find their way across a town they in mind what it is that they want. Even a simple motive—wealth
know well. When something is on the line, when the outcome or survival—can be enough of a goal to guide their decisions.
could plunge a PC to their death or cause them to ascend to Complex motives are wonderful for more developed NPCs, so
their greatest zenith—or when the same is on the line for a long as they have a chance to communicate that complexity.
non-player character—that’s when to make a skill test.
Adding depth to each and every NPC, though, can be confusing

JUST SAY “YES” for the players, who might naturally think that each and every
NPC they encounter has some important role to play. The less
It’s easy to get in to the habit of asking for a skill test. It seems
important a role an NPC has to the plot, the less important it is
like a good idea a lot of the time, and it recognizes the effort
that they have an interesting motivation. The GM should always
that players put in to their characters by using the skills that
remember that to the players, every piece of information is
they’ve picked. Spending points on skills and picking specific
there for a reason, so it’s best to avoid providing too much.
talents is a form of investment, deciding what a PC should suc-

USE THE RULES

ceed at, and how they don’t spend their points also indicates
what they’re not interested in. With that in mind, the GM should
Knowing when to bring the rules in for resolution is the art
have an idea of what the players themselves find interesting
of an experienced and practiced GM. A lot of the time, this
and what they find boring, and as such, their characters will
will be obvious—once guns are drawn, the combat rules are
find interesting and boring.
necessary—but there are occasions when the narrative alone
As a result, in a lot of situations, it is actually more useful for the can suffice. The game rules exist as a guide and a framework
GM to simply say “Yes” to a player’s request or idea, and move to provide the GM and the group the means to resolve risky
on if it needs no further discussion. The GM should assume or difficult actions—but they are not the always the answer to
that the PCs are confident, competent individuals, and should everything.
allow them, without the need for a skill test, to know and do
Sometimes, a strange situation may occur that does not quite
things that would be trivial for them. The GM should only ask
fit to any of the rules as written. Perhaps a PC will obviously
for tests if the task is actually difficult, or if the character is

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 RULES OF THE ROAD

succeed at a given task and the GM might decide there’s no FAILING FORWARD
need for a test even though the rules state otherwise. Or there Players may think that their characters are expected to suc-
may be situations where the PC tries something that just isn’t ceed, but even failure can move a story forward. Conflict and
covered at all in the rules. Whatever the situation, it is far more drama are about change, about responding to situations that
preferable to improvise something on the spot and keep the cannot be overcome immediately. If there is no chance of fail-
game moving than to bring everything to a halt while the GM ure, there is no tension, and if there is no failure at all, there
searches the rulebook for an answer. Conan moves quickly, and is no feeling of drama. The rules emphasize that failing a test
encourages rapid resolutions of encounters and conflict. The does not always have to mean complete and utter failure at
game’s pace (and everyone’s enjoyment) should never take a the task. A failure might be a temporary setback, indicating
back seat to the rules. that the character doesn’t succeed immediately. In this case,
the only thing stopping them from trying again is time. But
rolling again and again for the same thing can be monotonous
PLAYING FAIR and de-emphasizes the drama of conflict.
The GM has the upper hand in many ways, from knowledge
“Failing forward” is the concept that a PC’s failures and struggles
that the players do not possess, to control over the Fallout
can still produce progress. This may not be the kind of progress
pool. However, the GM should not be the one who tricks
that the players or their characters want, but it is still a form of
the players—any deceit should come from NPCs or situa-
progress nonetheless. Essentially, failing forward means that
tions encountered in the game, via natural outgrowths of
the character fails at a goal or a task, but another less direct
existing situations, with clear motives. The object of the
opportunity opens or becomes apparent, requiring additional
game is to have fun, not to deceive the players by with-
work, more peril, less desirable results, a diminished chance at
holding information unfairly, or to mislead the players into
success, or some combination of these outcomes.
making mistakes that can be exploited. When the PCs find
themselves driving into the proverbial wall, there should It may be that a failed test reveals something problematic
be some way out of the predicament, whether spending about the task, forcing the characters to approach it in a dif-
Salvage, using Fallout, or through creative use of skills and ferent way. For example, a failed Thievery test to unlock a
talents. The GM should strive to play fair with the group, door could reveal that it is barred, rather than locked. This
so that everyone has more fun. kind of revelation need not be determined in advance—the GM
is often integrating these outcomes into the environment or

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situation at that moment the dice are rolled and the outcome MOMENTUM
is known—but a failure forward should never be something Momentum keeps things in motion. Whenever a character suc-
insurmountable. The problem that appears should always be ceeds on a test, there is a good chance that they will generate
something that can be overcome or circumvented somehow, one or more points of Momentum. This is a valuable resource
even if the original approach was unsuccessful. Similarly, the for the group as a whole, and helps ensure that one player’s
GM should remember when designing a Run or creating an success is a boon for everyone else. Success engenders more
encounter that there should be some form of resolution or success, and the group Momentum pool helps bind both play-
outcome no matter how the dice come out. ers and player characters together.

Any situation that can only be resolved successfully through Momentum means a character may succeed faster or better
a single, specific dice roll is a poorly-designed situation and on a test. It means that the nimble climber or stealthy assas-
should be avoided. sin guides a less-adept group through disaster, by generating
enough Momentum to boost their skill tests. A full Momentum
If the only way forward is finding a particular clue, or a success-
pool for a group means that things are going well, and allows
ful social interaction with a specific NPC, then a few alternative
them to augment their successes and mitigate their failures.
options should be listed for the PCs to explore. Sometimes,
Momentum is good.
what is apparent to the GM is not so obvious to players. Other
times, no matter how easy a chance of success, the dice will A lot of the options and actions listed elsewhere in the rulebook
determine otherwise. The GM can’t compel the players to provide a range of uses for Momentum on a test, but these are
spend Salvage, so success even through that means is not far from the only choices available. At any point, any player (or
guaranteed. If forward progress is blocked, the stalemate even the GM) can suggest a potential Momentum spend for a
should serve only encourage the PCs to pursue other options. test. The GM should decide whether a particular Momentum
spend is applicable or not, and declare it as such before the
Alternatively, failing forward might be that the character’s
player rolls. A player may ask to spend Momentum on a par-
activities were left incomplete by some distraction or distur-
ticular outcome after rolling, and where the rules allow, this
bance, such as a failed Observation test to find a hidden route
should be permitted.
into a refinery interrupted by a patrol of guards. These kinds
of disturbances and distractions should be relatively easy to The GM should encourage unique and creative Momentum
include for some tests—they are the same kinds of distrac- spends by the characters. Sometimes, the options already
tions and pressures that make a routine task into a test in presented in these rules will be sufficient, but a particular
the first place. It is, however, a good idea for the GM to fore- circumstance may offer new options outside any anticipated
shadow a couple of potential distractions when this technique scope. It is worth remembering that a Momentum spend does
might be used. not have to be directly linked to the test that generated that
Momentum — it may instead allow the character to gain a
Failure might even present some piece of evidence or infor-
secondary effect or benefit, having succeeded so significantly
mation that is helpful in overcoming the problem: a failed
on something else that the character can now do something
Engineering or Wild Tech test may not yield the desired infor-
else on top of what the original skill test achieved.
mation, but reminds the character of an old friend, colleague,
or mentor that might know more. A failed Persuade test could However, Momentum should seldom be necessary to achieve
reveal what the particular NPC wants or fears. This method is the task in the first place. If a character cannot succeed without
useful because it gives the GM an alternative route forward spending Momentum, the test is probably not a case of need-
when the results of the skill test would otherwise grind the ing a Momentum spend, but rather too much of an increase in
game to a halt. difficulty, and should be adjusted accordingly.

Another option is allowing the test to succeed, but at a cost. A

failure does not mean the character failed the task, but rather
that they failed to stop some other Complications from crop-
ping up. If desired, the gamemaster can offer this option to
players after a test is failed — the cost of failure should typ-
ically be equivalent to a Complication, resulting in either a
Complication or adding 2 points to the Fallout pool. Any success
gained at a cost is by definition a success without Momentum—
to gain any Momentum, a roll needs to be successful.

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 RULES OF THE ROAD

FALLOUT
Fallout is undoubtedly the GMs largest direct influence on
THE METAGAME
Using a rough depiction, metagaming is a player making
game play. It can be considered the GMs yin to the players’
a decision for their character based on their own knowl-
yang, the cause and effect mechanism of the players’ actions,
edge, rather than that of their character. A player going
the karma that returns to bite their posterior. Throughout the
out of their way to purchase a Multispectral Visor because
course of a game, the Fallout pool will naturally shrink and
they’re aware the GM bought some new Shasvastii models
grow as the PCs add to it from their actions and the GM brings
specifically for the game, for instance, would be a clear-cut
it back into play against them. The use of Fallout can be a fine
example of metagaming.
art to master. A large pool adds tension to the game for the
players as they begin to wonder what terrors the GM is keeping The act of metagaming can sometimes be a tough deed
in store for them, although holding on to Fallout too long risks to call. Fast-flowing scenes can sometimes lead to players
seeing the session end and the entire pool wasted. making calls for their characters that might be reflective
of their own personalities, as opposed to the PCs. To keep
FALLOUT MANIPULATION the action flowing, it is recommended that GMs give their
It’s worth mentioning here that Fallout can act as a metag- players some leeway in such cases. A low-key discussion at
ame focus, with players manipulating the pool using their own the end of the session around any such decisions will hope-
personal tactics from outside of the game. If this occurs regu- fully help them to reflect before any future occurrences.
larly, it should be discussed outside of the session so it can be
With a little thought, even blatant metagaming can some-
avoided in the future. The Fallout pool is a game mechanic that
times be viewed from the PC’s perspective, rather than the
the PCs are obviously completely unaware of. Players having
player’s. To bring the experience back to the game, the
their characters avoiding taking risks or pushing their luck to
character, and the setting, GMs should take a little time to
prevent the Fallout pool from growing are acting outside of the
talk such occurrences through with the player. If it can be
spirit of the game and ultimately stifling their own enjoyment
agreed that the intended action or conclusion is something
as the sessions devolve into bland affairs that lack excitement.
that the PC would eventually reach for of their own accord,
Conversely, GMs should avoid pooling Fallout towards critical then play has been successfully reconnected to the game.
encounters to decimate the PCs with powerful combinations. Otherwise, the player should be gently reminded that their
The Devil’s Run RPG isn’t designed with the intention to pit the character is acting on knowledge that they do not possess
GM against the players, but rather to help a group of people tell within the game.
tales adrenaline-fuelled mayhem in the post-apocalyptic world.
A player who has a hot-headed, low intelligence melee
Fallout should be viewed as a medium to build excitement
master for a character, for instance, should generally be
and danger into the game, not as a platform to conduct over-
seeking to charge first and ask questions later. If they sud-
whelming assaults against the PCs. If a GM reaches a critical
denly start reaching for a very specific item to bargain
encounter with little or no Fallout to hand because the pool
with an opponent they have never met because the player
has been used to provide excitement and danger along the
knows it will increase their chances of successfully striking
way, they should still take heart, as even the most prepared
a deal, then it will likely be a good time to pause the game
of villains can sometimes be caught flat-footed.
and discuss the PC’s response. If the PC’s intended actions
The GM collects Fallout. The players observe the action and can be explained through game knowledge, then let the
understand that continuing to push their luck will eventually character crack on with it, but if the player can only justify
result in severe reprisal, or perhaps several smaller calamities. the response through their own knowledge or mechanics,
The GM should encourage and assist the players as they ride they likely need to be considering an alternative course of
those peaks and troughs, thereby invigorating the game by action for their character.
aiding them in channelling those highs and lows through the
reactions of their player characters. effects in other ways. In this way, the amount of additional
influence the PCs apply to a situation provides the GM with
MECHANICAL TENSION an opposing force that can and will punch back. Otherwise
The Fallout pool will inevitably grow as a result of the PCs’ mundane scenarios can therefore become unexpectedly chal-
actions; either paying for additional d20s to bolster their lenging, whilst adversaries are furnished with the means to
chances of success, paying to take Reactions that improve their adjust to the PCs’ actions. In an abstract fashion, the econ-
odds of survival, or rolling complications that are banked to omy of Fallout is a series of transactions between the GM and
inflict payback later. Conversely, Fallout shrinks when the GM players that provides the fuel for heroic actions and reactions
employs similar actions through NPCs or introduces hazardous from the PCs.

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Fallout can be used to trigger sudden changes in the environ- however, suffering a complication will cause the Fallout pool
ment, bring in reinforcements on the fly, create or exacerbate to shrink rather than grow, as would be the case with a PC
complications, or explode other problems. Runs and cam- experiencing a complication. The one exception to all of these
paigns often revolve around an escalating series of obstacles. opposing features is voluntary failure; NPCs can’t gain Salvage
Resolving one problem leads to another, which then leads to Points, so there’s no point in them using the voluntary failure
several more. Situations evolve and rapidly resolve into new rule. (Kingpins can gain equivalent effects through Fallout, but
challenges, rarely do plans go the way they are intended, and don’t actually use Salvage Points. See p. 253.)
unforeseen difficulties are the order of the day. When viewed
from the abstract perspective, the Fallout mechanic provides
a way of keeping the players on their toes and reminding them RPG, NOT PVP
that a story where everything is easy and goes their way soon Although mentioned before, it can’t be reiterated enough:
becomes monotonous and predictable. Fallout is a tool of the game designed to inject drama, fun,
and hijinks into the game. It is not a stockpile to be saved
INTERACTIVE FALLOUT up and employed as a doomsday device in a devastating
Although the Fallout pool may only be drawn upon by the attack that the PCs could never hope to survive. The Devil’s
GM, the ebb and flow of points due to the exploits of both the Run RPG is a cooperative game of survival for the enjoy-
GM and players makes it a focal system interaction. Not only ment of all, not a winner-takes-all contest between the
does it act as a counterpart to Momentum, Salvage Points, and GM and PCs. Fallout shouldn’t be considered as a device
resources such as Reloads, it also serves as a distinct interface that enables the GM to attack the PCs with the system’s
between the PC’s missteps and risks and the successes of NPCs. mechanics, but rather as tool to fuel their actions.

Within the setting, the Fallout mechanic represents the

ever-present dangers of the wastelands and the post-apoc- SOURCES OF FALLOUT
alyptic world. Fallout is every mishap that could happen and Fallout can be derived from multiple sources:
every problem that could arise. In the lost cities that harbour
Revenant horrors, Fallout is an almost palpable presence of • ALTERNATIVE MOMENTUM: A PC might want the
benefit of Momentum—such as buying bonus d20s
menace and terror. Due to the unseen dangers that are not
or creating obstacles—but not have any available
yet evident and the new problems that can rapidly crop up, an
Momentum to spend. They can, however, choose to use
abundance of Fallout makes a situation a potentially calami-
Fallout to generate the effect instead.
tous one irrespective of the visible perils. Tension and Fallout
are inextricably intertwined for player, character, and GM alike. • COMPLICATION: If a PC suffers a complication, the GM
may add 2 Fallout to the pool for later use in place of
introducing an immediate negative consequence.
A PEEK BEHIND FALLOUT
NPCs use Fallout to access many of the expendable • REACTIONS: The PC pays Fallout to take Reactions; 1 for
the first, 2 for the second, and so on.
resources available to the PCs, such as Salvage Points,
Reloads, and other types of disposable equipment. • VOLUNTARY FAILURE: If the GM agrees, a PC can volun-
Tracking such resources for each NPC would be need- tarily fail a skill test. If this occurs, the GM gains 1 Fallout,
lessly difficult for the GM, particularly as many of them and the PC 1 Infinity Point.
only appear for a single turn in a single scene. Abstracting
such resources into the Fallout pool therefore reduces the • THREATENING CIRCUMSTANCES: The environment
or circumstances of a new scene may be threatening
amount of bookkeeping required across scenes, mission,
enough to warrant adding 1or 2 Fallout initially, or it
and campaigns. After all, Fallout is meant to make things
might continue to add Fallout to the pool whilst the PCs
more fun for everyone.
remain there (see next section). Similarly, some NPCs
may generate Fallout just for turning up or when taking

ADVERSARIAL FALLOUT certain actions.

NPCs use Fallout in the same way PCs use banked Momentum. • NPC MOMENTUM: Lacking a group Momentum pool,
It is used to purchase additional d20s for a skill test, increase NPCs cannot bank Momentum like the PCs can.
the difficulty of tests against them, reduce the amount of time Instead, NPCs can add 1 Fallout to the pool for each
required for a task, and more. Similarly, the GM may spend Momentum unspent.
Fallout from the pool to activate any NPC ability or action that
spends Fallout such as Reactions. Unfortunately for the NPCs,

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 RULES OF THE ROAD

ENVIRONMENTAL FALLOUT SPENDING FALLOUT

A particular scene, environment, NPC, or combination of Much of this chapter has so far covered the use of Fallout
the three might be considered as so inherently threatening as a tool to make scenarios more interesting or balance
that they add Fallout to the pool just by their mere existence. encounters, so an examination of how this is best achieved
Certain strange or dangerous environments might naturally is certainly in order.
generate 1 or 2 Fallout, for example, thereby representing the
innate peril of the location. Some environments are so inher- COMPLICATIONS
ently deadly that they generate Fallout continuously during A Complication means that something unfortunate has
each round that the PCs tarry there. The harrowing depths of happened to make a character’s life more difficult. Acting inde-
a Los Nigromantes lab researching the Revenant Virus might pendently of the skill test’s success, Complications introduce
automatically generate 2 or 3 Fallout each round as the dangers an irritating, sometimes dangerous, obstacle to trouble the
there are so inherently great. PCs. Part of the nearby roof collapsing during a rooftop chase
(requiring suitable tests to avoid tumbling through the hole),
Additionally, certain foes may bring Fallout with them in the
a weapon snagging mid-firefight (prompting a Firearms test
form of the Apocalyptic and Dread Vitality common special
to avoid it jamming), or a contact becoming offended at their
rules, representing the deadly threats that such foes represent.
treatment from a PC (necessitating some smooth-talking to
The effects of Fallout-generating creatures can also be com-
avoid losing their future services), are all examples of stand-
bined with the dangerous environments described previously.
ard complications. Generally, a Complication is something that
A deadly creature in a menacing setting might warrant both
offers a potential impairment in the short term.
an immediate and continual Fallout gain. Once the creature

COMPLICATED ASSOCIATIONS
is dead or otherwise removed as a threat, Fallout is no longer
added to the pool as one part of the combined effect has been
Paying attention to the actions that generate Fallout during
neutralised. GMs should beware, however, as carefully planned
play can provide useful fuel to serve as inspiration for triggering
Fallout boons will not only serve to increase tension but also
later Complications. As an abstract mechanic, Fallout doesn’t
affect the encounter difficulty.
require this kind of direct connection, but that doesn’t mean it
Such deadly environments should also be used sparingly, as the can’t be a useful seed for improvisation. Associating Fallout to
players themselves—through direct action or the results of their relatable to the story and PCs will provide additional depth and
dice rolls—should always remain the main source of Fallout. meaning, making Complications seem smooth and relatable.

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There are three broad types of Fallout spend for Complications:

DIVIDING THE GROUP
Although it shouldn’t be used regularly—due to introducing
MINOR COMPLICATION
complications at the table, particularly in terms of metag-
1 Fallout will create a minor Complication, which generally
aming—few circumstances complicate the PCs’ plans like
requires a Minor Action to address. A nuisance, rather than a
suddenly finding themselves divided. Coincidentally, this
serious threat; a momentary distraction that draws attention,
is also a great opportunity for the GM to spend Fallout to
a dip in performance that bleeds a little speed, or a runner
increase the level of challenges the group faces. Many
arriving to interrupt a negotiation. A PC draws on their iron
things can cause a divide, such a section of floor collaps-
Discipline (D1) to ignore the distraction and take the shot,
ing beneath one or more of the PCs or a tunnel collapsing
barely registers the dip thanks to their Drive (D1) skills or uses
between vehicles. Regardless of the means, some circum-
their Traffic (D1) skill to avoid the intrusion affecting the talks.
stances contrive to separate the PCs temporarily. When
implemented, the group is divided into two (or more), with
STANDARD COMPLICATION
the GM deciding which PCs end up in each part of the
The expenditure of 2 Fallout or a PC rolling in the Complication
group. The GM then pays a number of Fallout equal to the
Range when making a skill test will trigger a standard
number of PCs in the larger of the two parts of the group.
Complication. These significant distractions will require more
focussed attention or the outlay of resources to overcome. If The two parts of the group can’t directly interact with one
resources aren’t required, a Standard Action will normally be another until they find some means to reunite. Reuniting
needed. An unavoidable tremor (D2) requires fine balance to immediately may take some effort, determined by what-
keep the weapon on target, the glitch is a problem that will ever split the group in the first place, but the separation
require a new part (1 Component), and the runner’s information only lasts until the start of the next scene, by which point
severely distracts from negotiation (allowing their opposite the PCs have managed to find another way to regroup.
number to attempt something unseen). Depending on how separated they are, the GM may even
have the Momentum pool split into two or more, repre-
SERIOUS COMPLICATION senting the lack of gestalt that comes with being separated.
Spending 4 or more Fallout or combining the results of multiple
The GM should endeavour to not to split the group unfairly,
instances of d20s rolling Complications on a single skill test will
as doing so will have already wrecked any cohesive strategy
create a serious Complication. Serious Complications create
the PCs had been relying on at the time of the separation.
severe issues or persistent effects, either of which will require
the PCs to expend great effort to overcome or work around. In
Furthermore, the GM should frequently attempt to use Fallout
an action scene, several actions will be needed to overcome a
to tie a thrilling description to actual game play, by putting
serious Complication. The tremor is an earthquake that affects
the environment into motion in some fashion, or by taking
balance and movement throughout the entire scene (perhaps
obvious elements from its description and quantifying them
spawning additional Fallout spends to avoid damage from
in terms of Fallout spends. This can be tricky, as the effects
rubble), the performance issue is an atmospheric phenome-
of the environment are associated to normal environmental
non affecting all vehicles in a wide area, and the negotiator’s
effects, meaning they might normally arise or worsen due to
opposite number strides from the room in anger but leaves
complications. Additionally, environmental effects affect often
their bodyguards behind to intimidate the character’s Nerve.
affect the group rather than a single PC. As mentioned pre-

DRAMATIC ENVIRONMENTS viously, dramatic environments that are doubling as a source

of Fallout generation are doubly exacting on the PCs, so care
Dramatic scenes often play out in exciting environments.
should be taken to more finely balance the encounter.
Full-throttle vehicular carnage along debris-strewn highways,
windswept jetpack landings atop crumbling skyscrapers, the Dramatic environments produce effects in four distinct levels:
turbulent shallows of a river crossing, a rocky cliff while waves
thunder against the jagged shore, or even more outrageous MINOR EFFECTS
locations. When defining or designing important encounters, These cost 1 Fallout and appear in game play as things such as
the GM should try to use dramatic or interesting locations flickering lights, unstable floors, and thick smoke. They require
wherever possible. Encounters largely happen at a time and an Average (D1) skill test where one normally wouldn’t be nec-
place designated by the GM, so there is no reason to use bland essary. This effect applies to a single character for each 1 Fallout
or uninteresting places. A particularly useful means of choosing spent. The skill test affected should be determined when the
a setting is to determine the stakes, then use the chosen envi- Momentum is spent based on the effect it is tied to; light-
ronment to either emphasize or offer a dramatic counterpoint. ing and concealment issues might affect Observation tests

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 RULES OF THE ROAD

HAZARD TABLE
EFFECT
FALLOUT COST EXAMPLES
(DAMAGE OR QUALITY)
2  damage 2 Standing on a sharpened spike or hostility from a small mob.
3  damage 3 A homemade booby trap or standard anti-burglary countermeasure.

4  damage 4 An explosive booby trap or small rockslide.

5  damage 5 An explosion containing large solid objects.
6  damage 6 A large and deadly trap or large rockslide.
Area 2 A large vehicle exploding.
Grievous 2 A massive boulder; a sharpened man-trap.
Equal to half X,
Incendiary X A fire spreads around the PC or the roof catches fire and starts to cave.
rounding up
Knockdown 1 A log swung at shoulder height.
Reduce overall
Nonlethal A sand dune collapsing on the player character or a fall onto soft ground.
Fallout cost by 2
Equal to half X,
Piercing X Sharpened stakes or needle-like objects.
rounding up
Stun 1 A gas that immobilizes characters, or objects dropped from height.
Equal to half X,
Spread X An explosion or corrosive substance.
rounding up
Vicious X Equal to X Particularly virulent explosions or deadly instruments.

or ranged attacks, while unstable floors could affect move- HAZARDS

ment-related tests. Alternatively, if an effect is persistent but Hazards inflict damage on the affected character. Physical
minor, it might increase the Complication Range of a particular damage can come from factors like fire, collapsing structures,
skill test by 1 (causing a Complication on a 19 or 20 for the test). and other perils. Mental damage might represent horrific or
demoralizing visual triggers or scares. The amount of Fallout
SIGNIFICANT EFFECTS spent determines how much damage is inflicted, plus any
More significant effects are somewhat more varied and cost at applicable qualities. This equates to X  damage, where X is
least 2 Fallout. An environmental effect like this can come in the amount of Fallout spent (less any Fallout spent to include
almost any form, including effects such as darkness deepening additional qualities). The amount of damage and the quali-
to pitch black, clouds of insects acting as an irritating imped- ties chosen should make sense for the hazard represented. A
iment, horrific smells that cause retching, thick or slick mud; chemical explosion could logically have the Incendiary quality,
something that is not impassable, but will take time to bypass while being sprayed with poison or other corrosive substance
or contend with. A more detrimental menace than minor makes the Biotech and/or Toxic effects quite fitting.
effects, they should increase the difficulty of any related tasks
A hazard’s effects are automatic. Apply the damage immedi-
by 1 for the scene’s duration, affecting everyone within range.
ately to the chosen character. To add an element of uncertainty,
the GM may choose to allow a skill test of a type determined
IMPEDIMENTS
when the Fallout is spent and appropriate for the hazard being
Lingering impediments typically cost 2 Fallout and increase
avoided. The test’s difficulty may either increase the amount of
the difficulty of all tests related to a single skill for the duration
damage that inflicted or reduce the Fallout cost of the hazard.
of the scene. Additional skills may be picked by spending 1
The harder the hazard is to avoid, the more damage it inflicts or
Fallout per skill. This affects all characters in the area or zone
the more Fallout it costs. Average (D1) reduces the Fallout cost
and often represent a significant change in the environment.
by 3, Challenging (D2) doubles the number of  or reduces the
Part of a building collapsing doesn’t cause immediate injury,
Fallout cost by 1, and Daunting (D3) triples the number of .
for instance, but does make progress much more difficult.

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 CHAPTER 9

HAZARD DIFFICULTIES TABLE

TEST DIFFICULTY FALLOUT COST EXAMPLES
Instant effects.
No skill test required -

Reduce A river bank with an obvious ford, a small explosion with plenty of
Average (D1)
Fallout cost by 3 cover available, stumbling across a gruesome murder scene.
Reduce Fallout A river bank with no ford, a large explosion with some cover avail-
Challenging (D2) cost by 1 or double able, watching a friend murdered in cold blood.
number of 
A whitewater rapid, a large explosion containing shrapnel with no
Daunting (D3) or greater Triple number of 
cover available, watching a friend become a Revenant.

OTHER USES OF FALLOUT • SEIZE THE INITIATIVE: In action scenes, the GM may
Beyond complications, the GM can use Fallout to intensify spend 1 Fallout to interrupt the normal action order with
challenges and improve the effectiveness of enemies. These an NPC, rather than taking action once the PCs have
are summarised here and in Chapter 10: Allies & Adversaries. finished their actions. The GM pays 1 Fallout, chooses a
single NPC or group, and has them act immediately.
• NPC MOMENTUM: The GM may spend Fallout in the
same way that players use Momentum. As NPCs also • SUMMON REINFORCEMENTS: The PCs can some-
pay unspent Momentum into the Fallout pool, this basi- times plough through enemies. At other times, the
cally means that the Fallout pool is in all ways the GM’s GM may wish to slowly increase tension or add addi-
equivalent to the PCs’ Momentum pool. This includes tional complexity to a key scene. Spending Fallout to
Momentum spends such as Create Opportunity for summon reinforcements is one way to accomplish this.
bonus d20s or Create Obstacle to increase test difficul- Reinforcements arrive at the end of the current round
ties. GMs should strive to provide such spends with a and must arrive in a logical fashion related to the situa-
narrative justification—each spend ought to make sense tion and the environment. They cannot act in the round
within the context of the situation. they arrive. Troopers cost 1 Fallout to summon, Elites 2.

• NPC COMPLICATIONS: When an NPC rolls within the

Complication Range on a test, a GM can choose to
spend 2 Fallout instead of introducing a Complication.
As with Complications suffered by PCs, each die that
lands within the complication range is a separate
Complication, which can then be resolved separately or
grouped together into more severe categories.

• NPC REACTIONS: Elite and Kingpin adversaries can

attempt Reactions in the same manner as PCs, though
points are spent from the Fallout pool rather than paid
to it. As with PCs additional Reactions increase in cost—1
Fallout for the first, 2 for the second, 3 for the third, etc.

• NPC RESOURCES: Reloads, Components and other

expendable resources aren’t tracked individually for
NPCs. Instead, an NPC receives the benefit of a single
unit of a resource by paying 1 Fallout. The normal limits
for the use of these resources still apply.

• NPC SPECIAL ABILITIES: Powerful or significant NPCs

may have access to potent abilities or superior equip-
ment. As noted in their descriptions, these abilities
require the GM to spend 1 or more Fallout to activate.

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 RULES OF THE ROAD

SALVAGE POINTS • VOLUNTARY FAILURE: As described on p. 169, characters

The PCs have access to a special type of resource called Salvage may choose to voluntarily fail skill tests, allowed at the
Points, which are used to reflect the fact that the characters GM’s discretion. This should only be invoked when the
have ambition and determination above and beyond most PC has something to gain or to lose when the skill test
people—such individuals shape their own fortune by strength is being made — generally, it’s not that useful to have
of will alone. In play, Salvage Points are used to enable PCs to players roll when nothing is at stake. Voluntarily failing a
do incredible things, above and beyond the ken of normal folks. skill test provides the GM with 1 point of Fallout, and the
PC immediately gains 1 Salvage Point in return.
Salvage Points and their uses are covered on p. 18, with further
expansion in Chapter 7: Conflict & Drama, p. 170. • TRAITS: Finally, PCs have one or more personality traits
or personal agendas that can complicate their lives.
Each PC usually begins each session with 3 Salvage Points. No
Each PC has a trait associated with their background, as
PC can have more than 5 Salvage Points at any time. Any excess
determined in Step 3: Customisation during character
points are immediately discarded, rather than being spent.
creation (p. 75). The player chooses when to have this
trait or agenda come into play, creating an immediate

EYE FOR SALVAGE Complication for their character and earning 1 Salvage
Point, which may be spent as desired. The GM may
It’s generally useful for the GM to ask the players to keep
suggest instances where these traits and agendas can
their Salvage Points visible—such as through the use of
easily come into play, but the final decision of when
some tokens—especially as a means to judge how plentiful
a trait is invoked always comes down to the player. If
they are amongst the characters. If they are being handed
group backgrounds are being used (p. 80-83), some of
out too often and the players are always at maximum, the
the group traits here also provide methods to regain
GM can either hand them out less often or increase the
Salvage Points.
challenges the PCs face to encourage their use. If the play-
ers are frequently low or exhausted of Salvage Points, then
it’s a good time to evaluate if the encounters are too chal-
REWARDING EXPERIENCE
There are no hard-and-fast tables, values, or formulas for
lenging, if the players are not accomplishing meaningful
awarding experience. Instead, the Devil’s Run RPG looks at
goals within the course of play, or even having a good time.
experience points (summarized as XP) as part and parcel of the
Adjustments can then be made to improve that situation.
overall narrative. A PC gets better by killing things, succeeding
As good rule of thumb each player should have, on aver-
at skill tests, and the like, but these individual successes are
age, about half of their Salvage Points at any given time.
not itemised. Instead, it is the breadth of an entire exploit,
the acts of daring and the results of bold action that are later
REGAINING SALVAGE POINTS recounted over a mug of rocket fuel. The whole course of an
Beyond refreshing Salvage Points at the start of each session, Run is the basis for the XP rewarded.
there are a number of ways for PCs to gain Salvage Points
For a four-hour game session, each PC should receive around
during the course of play.
100–300 experience points, based on the amount of progress,
As a general guideline, the GM should award players with 1 the level of teamwork, goals accomplished, and how well the
to 3 Salvage Points per hour of game play, depending on the players roleplayed their characters.
course of play and the rate they are being spent.
The GM should start by assigning the same amount of XP to
• REWARDS: First and foremost, Salvage Points can be each player, based on the lowest amount of effort expended.
given for good roleplaying, clever plans, successfully Then, based on individual accomplishments or achievements,
overcoming difficult challenges, using teamwork, or the GM should award a smaller amount of bonus experience
otherwise making the game more fun for all. Players to the players who distinguished themselves, or were remark-
may have other opportunities to gain them by achieving ably successful and entertaining. No one should be left out,
certain goals within an encounter, reaching a milestone but those who make the game better for everyone deserve a
in the story, or choosing to be the one to suffer the bigger reward.
Complications of some dire event. As a general guide-
Regardless, the gamemaster should limit bonus experience to
line, there should be several opportunities for players
around 50 points per player maximum per session. This helps
to gain Salvage Points per hour of play. In each of these
keep all characters relatively in line with each other in terms of
cases, the GM should determine whether the point is
development and abilities, as well as helping alleviate feelings
warranted, and award a single point per instance.
of favouritism or preferential treatment.

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 CHAPTER 9

TRAFFICKING PHASE UPKEEP

The PCs can’t be expected to spend every second in high-ve- Upkeep is one of the most important parts of the Trafficking
locity tussles with rival gangs at unrelenting speed. Even the Phase. This process takes place immediately after the players
most stalwart road warrior will need time to recover after an and GM decide where the PCs will be heading for the next
arduous death race, with most also eager to spend their hard- gaming session. Upkeep is an intuitive step of the Trafficking
won profits on food, revelry, and upgrades. Phase that allows the PCs to take care of their immediate con-
cerns before attending to more involved matters.
The Trafficking Phase represents the downtime activities of
the PCs between sessions or Runs. They are able to relax, rest, Upkeep allows the PCs to recover from Fatigue and Callousness
heal, search for items, or, as the title would suggest, traffic and replenish basic supplies such as rations and ammo before
goods between settlements and factions in the hope of secur- the next session begins. Life on the Run isn’t free, however,
ing some valuable Merch or other goods. This phase should which equates to a basic cost that must be paid to survive.
have a portion of time dedicated to it at the end of any gaming Each PC works through the following steps during Upkeep:
session that does not end in the middle of the action or in a
conflict, effectively rounding off each leg of the story before • Heal Wounds and Trauma
progressing into the next part of the campaign. The GM is the • Pay Maintenance
ultimate arbiter of the Trafficking Phase, though the narrative
should be driven by the players wishes and ideas. • Recover Fatigue and Callousness
Trafficking usually represents a period of a few days to a • Repair Vehicles
week—enough time to rest up, treat wounds or transit goods • Spend Experience
across the highways and interstates of North America. In order
to let them rest longer or achieve bigger goals, the GM may • Adjust Notoriety (if used)
agree with the players to allow for a longer Trafficking Phase,
HEAL WOUNDS AND TRAUMA
although doing so can come with additional costs and/or risks.
In addition to resting, PCs may also take this time to seek

KEEPING IT TOGETHER medical attention, heal physical damage and recover from the
stressful experiences of life on the Devil’s Run. There are three
In most situations, it makes perfect sense for PCs to stay, rest
ways in which a PC may heal their injuries:
and work together during the Trafficking Phase. Where pos-
sible, the GM should keep to this ideal. Some circumstances, • Wounds and Trauma may be healed at a cost of $50 per
however, will call for splitting up the PCs. For instance, if one Harm healed, representing the cost of hiring someone
of more players can’t attend the next gaming session, they can with the right knowledge, paying for medicine to allow
be temporarily “written out” with a side story at this point. The the healing to happen, or drinking themselves into a
players might also be in strong disagreement about the actions stupor until the pain has passed.
that should be taken whilst Trafficking. If the PCs are separated
during the Trafficking Phase, then both groups should be given • PCs may tend to their own wounds or the wounds
of their colleagues by attempting a relevant skill test
the opportunity to follow the processes described here.
determined by the type of Harm. Full rules for recover-
ing from Harm between action scenes can be found on
CHOOSING A DESTINATION p. 196. As Upkeep allows for slightly elongated healing
An important part of the Trafficking Phase is the ability to times, a successful test during Upkeep using the afore-
use this downtime to move from A to B, either to transport mentioned rules will allow a PC to remove all Wounds or
cargo or travel to the site of the next scenario. While it may all Trauma—the player must choose which—for a single
seem sensible to direct their movement, GMs will find it flat cost of $100 or 2 Merch, which pays for the treat-
more useful to allow the PCs to choose their destination, ment and/or supplies. Additionally, failure will result in
allowing encounters or incidents en-route to guide them no healing at all, and no ability to recover in any other
in the final direction of the existing story arc. way before the next gaming session. If this last instance
occurs, a GM may allow a PC a second attempt, but this
Note that direction of storyline and destination of journey
comes at the cost of the GM starting with 2 additional
are two separate things that can both be gently adjusted to
Fallout in their pool at the start of the next session.
ultimately coincide. The GM should never force the players
onto a story arc, as doing so will quickly disillusion the play- • Finally, rather than taking advantage of other activities
ers over the agency of their character’s destiny. The PCs available to them, a PC can opt to use Time Points from
will have their own goals in and around a narrative, after all. the Trafficking Phase to rest up (see Resting Up, p. 247).

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 RULES OF THE ROAD

PAY MAINTENANCE ADJUST NOTORIETY (OPTIONAL)

If they are outside of their faction’s home base, each PC is A character’s exploits can spread between factions, their
expected to pay the sum of the Maintenance cost of their gear name becoming legend along the battered tarmac of
for the replenishment of supplies. A flat fee of $25 is added the freeways. The Notoriety optional rule (p. 78) can be
to the total Maintenance to represent the basic cost of living. used to represent this in a mechanical sense. If it is being
For a Trafficking Phase that represents a period longer than a employed, the Upkeep step offers an opportunity for a PC’s
week, players must pay the same again for each week or part- Notoriety to increase or decrease based on their exploits.
thereof over the first. PCs at their home base simply pay a flat
During any session in which a PC earned an amount of
$25 instead of the sum of their mainenance. This represents the
Merch that exceeds their Notoriety rating, that PC may
fact that the faction provides, but everyone must contribute.
expend an amount of Merch for an opportunity to increase
If the Notoriety optional rule is being employed (see p. 78) their Notoriety by 1. The amount of Merch spent doesn’t
and the PCs are starting the Trafficking Phase in a populated simply need to be marked as lost but can instead actually
settlement where they can cash in on their status, a PC’s be used to purchase vehicle upgrades or better equip-
Maintenance cost is decreased by $10 per level of Notoriety ment—memorable road warriors are almost as notorious
($25 minimum). which represents people offering goods and as the vehicles they drive and weapons they employ, after
favours to noted individuals in the hope of currying favour. all. Frivolous PCs can simply assume the Merch is spent
on having a good time if they so wish.
Any PC that is unable to pay the cost of Maintenance must
pay as much as they are able to and may still recover basic To make an attempt at increasing their Notoriety, a PC
supplies, but will not be fully rested for the next session (see must expend an amount of Merch equal to their current
below). Additionally, if the Notoriety optional rule is being used, Notoriety plus 4; being named amongst the notables
a PC that cannot pay their Maintenance costs must succeed at requires notable acquisitions. Once the Merch has been
a Daunting (D3) Gang Warfare or Traffic test or lose 1 rank of paid—and the item sourced if the Merch is being used for
Notoriety. Regardless of whether this test is passed or failed, this purpose—the PC rolls an amount of  equal to the
that PC will not be eligible to gain Notoriety at any point during amount of Merch spent. If the total of the roll equals or
this Trafficking Phase. exceeds twice their current Notoriety, they increase their
Notoriety by 1. There is no adjustment to make if the total is
RECOVER FATIGUE AND CALLOUSNESS less than the PC’s current Notoriety. If 1 or more Effects are
Upkeep is a time to begin the resting process and take a generated when attempting to increase Notoriety, the PC
breather before the next leg of a journey. Along with replen- has garnered some potentially severe negative attention.
ishing supplies, players remove all Fatigue and Callousness. If a A PC may spend more Merch than necessary as a means
player was unable to pay their Maintenance costs, they instead to gain more  for the roll.
remove half of their Fatigue and Callousness (round down).

NOTORIETY TABLE
NOTORIETY DESCRIPTION EFFECT
All but the lowest of the low regard the PC as beneath their consideration. Few will ever
-2 Shunned
consider speaking to or dealing with them.
The PC has a poor reputation. People are likely to avoid them on the street and only
-1 Distrusted
deal with them when absolutely necessary.
The PC has yet to make a name for themselves, or else had a mix of positive and nega-
0 Unknown
tive attention that has cancelled itself out.
1 Recognized A few may recognise the PC’s name or deeds and offer a small measure of respect.
2 Acknowledged The PC’s fame has spread. They are recognised on the street fairly frequently.
3 Respected Strangers will approach the PC to seeking assistance or make a name for themselves.
The PC’s name and deeds are recognised more often than not. Traffickers may offer
4 Well-Known
wares for preferential treatment.
The PC is offered gifts and tributes other notables. Many will seek the PC for aid or an
5 Famous
opportunity to make their own name.

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 CHAPTER 9

REPAIR VEHICLES
Vehicles on the Run get put to the test time and time again.
TRAFFICKING ACTIVITIES
The PCs are free to move onto Trafficking Activities following
While some end up lining the highway as crumpled wrecks after
Upkeep, which defines their actions between gaming sessions.
one or two clashes, there are many more that are worth saving.
PCs can spend the downtime in a range of different ways,
If the PCs are in a settlement, any Faults their vehicles are
allowing them to gain some form of bonus with which to take
suffering from can be repaired at a cost of $100 or 1 Merch per
forwards to the next session. They should be warned, however,
Fault . This represents the cost of getting the vehicle back to its
that many Activities come with risks. The following Activities
standard roadworthy condition. Optionally, the GM may allow
are all possible during the Trafficking Phase:
the players to pay a partial cost for partial repairs.

Instead of paying for repairs, a PC may attempt to repair their • Gambling

own vehicle by making a Daunting (D3) Engineering or Wild • Information Gathering
Tech test, increasing in difficulty for very severe damage.
Success means the vehicle is repaired, while failure indicates • Meeting a Contact
that the vehicle couldn’t be repaired during this Upkeep. • Resting up
Depending on the severity of damage, Complications during
this roll can represent any number of deep-rooted mechanical • Scavenging
issues with the car or a requirement for rare Components to • Trading, Buying and Selling
complete the repair.
Each of these activities also have a Time Rating, with repre-
sents the amount of time a player must allocate to it. A regular
SPEND EXPERIENCE
week-long Trafficking Phase gives each player 4 Time Points
As players finish sections of the campaign they learn from their
to allocate to these Activities. Additional Time Points may be
exploits and develop, both as road warriors and as people in
awarded by the GM for extended Trafficking Phases. To keep
general. Even the most seasoned veteran was once a green-
bookkeeping and time away the action to a minimum between
faced newbie staring down the Devil’s Run for the first time.
sessions, it is recommended that each Activity only be per-
PCs are free to spend the Experience Points they have earned
formed once by each PC during the Trafficking Phase, with
up to this point in the campaign, or save them for future games.
multiple requirements for a particular activity requiring the
Experience point expenditure is explained in detail on p. 79.
PCs to coordinate to achieve a goal. The use of Time Points,
however, means that the Trafficking Phase can be extended

THE COST OF UPKEEP as required, with the GM allowing each Activity to be repeated
as many times by each PC as they see fit.
Upkeep is designed to be a fun activity that allows the
players to let loose a little away from the Run. It can
GAMBLING
also be a springboard for new adventures and missions.
Bet high and win huge. That’s the motto that was ringing in
Bookkeeping isn’t for everyone, however, the constant
gamblers ears long before the bombs were dropped, and it’s
cycle of maintenance can be a drain on resources (in fact,
still true today. Almost every settlement and many road-side
it’s intended to be). GMs are free to discard the Trafficking
camps see gambling as a normal way of life. For many, gam-
Phase altogether and just hand wave the downtime
bling is the primary source of income and the best way to pay
between sessions, alter and adjust to suit their group, or
for food and water. For others, it’s a good excuse for a brawl.
design an entirely new system. Likewise, if the PCs are
struggling with $, build in some free downtime somehow. A player may spend some time gambling at a local settlement
by making a Traffic or Thievery test with a variable difficulty.

WINNINGS TABLE
AMOUNT GAMBLED DIFFICULTY WINNINGS
$100 D2 Amount gambled + $10 per Momentum
$250 D3 Amount gambled + $75 per Momentum
$500 D4 Amount gambled + $250 per Momentum
$1000 D5 Double amount gambled

246
 RULES OF THE ROAD

Both the difficulty and potential winnings are based on the social with little need for dice (unless the GM wishes to use
amount of $ gambled—refer to the Winnings Table. them). Unlike information gathering, meeting a contact allows
players to tackle a specific issue, gain a favour, cash in on some
A successful roll allows the PC to take away the winnings
hired help, or perhaps even establish a Marker (see p. 123). As
indicated on the Winnings Table, below. A failure on the test
with Markers, both players and the GM should keep note of
indicates the player losing all the money they gambled with. A
any people the PCs meet that can be considered a reliable
Complication results in the player losing the money they gam-
contact, including their approximate location.
bled with, plus either an additional amount of $ to pay or the
player making a long-term enemy or rival. This Complication The PCs may choose to meet up with these contacts during the
is tailored by the GM to better suit the ongoing story arc. The Trafficking phase in order to ask a favour or trade in a favour
Time Rating for this Activity is 1, or 2 if the player loses (to owed. Some examples of a contact’s use include:
represent more time spent trying to recover their losses). A PC
must have at least 2 Time Points left to attempt this Activity. • Accompany the PCs during the next gaming session as
an extra hand.

INFORMATION GATHERING • Settle local trouble or deflecting an enemy’s attention.

Knowledge has often translated to power. This remains equally
true in the post-apocalypse. Knowing your rival’s next move • Provide specific information on the contact’s sphere of
operations or the faction they belong to.
or when a big shipment of ammunition is ripe for hijacking
are worth a pretty prize. To represent this fact, PCs spending • Provide a loan of money, weapons, vehicles or other
their Trafficking Phase in a settlement or populated area may supplies that the PCs can’t afford to buy (these must be
allocate some time to information gathering. repaid within the time scale specified by the GM, with
interest, or the contact will become and enemy).
The amount of time dedicated to gathering information will
determine the amount and quality of the information received. • Secure a goods trafficking job (see below).
This Trafficking Activity should be largely narrative driven and
the GM should be prepared to give away information of poten- • Any other use that the GM deems suitable.
tial hijackings or valuable payloads that could be rolled into the The results of meeting a contact should be beneficial to the PCs,
existing story. The information gathered here may cause the but must be in keeping with the current story. If a PC elects
PCs to adjust their route for the next gaming session or pick
a small side-job that can be run alongside the main story for
promise of payment or favours. It is suggested that this action
remains a social one, though if the GM wishes to include a test,
the player can make a Persuade or Traffic test which starts at
Dire (D4) and reduces by 1 step for every Time Point over the
first spent on gathering information. Depending on the players
Notoriety (if used), the GM may decide to move the difficulty
rating 1 step in either direction to represent the impact that a
recognisable face can make on obtaining certain information.
Success provides solid information, whereas a failure provides
nothing of use. A Complication gives the GM 2 additional points
of Fallout with which to start the next adventure and a piece of
misinformation. The Time Rating for this Activity is between 1
and 4, with more time being needed to find better information.

MEETING A CONTACT
It’s often not just a case of what you know, but also who you
know. Knowing the person at the top of the ladder can be as
useful as knowing those at the bottom. The PCs will gather
a network of contacts as they carve their way across North
America, some of whom may be well positioned to shed light
on specific subjects, lend a hand in upcoming troubles, or help
settle ongoing scores that are causing reoccurring issues.

Like information gathering, this Trafficking Activity is largely

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 CHAPTER 9

to meet a contact to ask for help with something irrelevant to spent traveling to a new destination, including accompanying
the campaign, the GM can have that contact say no. The GM’s them on any goods trafficking runs (see above), though they
should steer the PCs towards the correct role for each contact. may not have input to any social events or activities that occur
along the way. The Time Rating for this Activity is equal to the
If the GM wishes to include a test, a Daunting (D4) Persuade or
number of Time Points that a player starts the Trafficking Phase
Traffic test should be made, which can be reduced by 1 step for
with, effectively taking all of their Time Points, even if the GM
every $500 or 3 Merch gifted to the contact. As with gathering
awards more for an extended period of time.
information, a player’s Notoriety may affect the outcome and
the GM may decide to move the difficulty rating 1 step in either
SCAVENGING
direction to represent the impact that a recognisable face can
With few resources readily available in the world, searching
make on obtaining certain information. Success provides the
the remains of urban ruins, scrap yards, and even the wastes
outcome requested, whereas a failure provides nothing of use.
can reveal lost caches, piles of weapons, abandoned vehicles
A Complication gives the GM 2 additional points of Fallout with
and a range of other useful items.
which to start the next adventure and that contact may not
be used again. The Time Rating for this Activity is dependent A PC may opt to spend their downtime scavenging the sur-
upon the contact’s location: 1 for a contact in the same area, 2 rounding areas in order to find usable goods to sell. A PC who
for a contact elsewhere in the same State, 3 for a contact in a spends their time scavenging must pass a Thievery test at a
neighbouring State, or 4 for a contact up to three States away. difficulty of Average (D1). Failure prevents them continuing
Contacts further afield may not be utilised this phase. with this Activity. Success allows them to roll once on the
Scavenging Table for every 2 Time Points dedicated to this task.
RESTING UP
It’s sometimes a good call to do nothing. Badly wounded or PCs TRADING, BUYING AND SELLING
may find themselves heavily disadvantaged going into the next PCs may buy and sell equipment, weapons or other items at
gaming session, with the cost to heal such wounds is inhibitive. settlements along their journey to the next destination. If the
route taken avoids civilisation, then this option should not be
A player may elect to rest up during the Trafficking Phase,
available. To keep in-game bookkeeping to a minimum, the
foregoing all other activities. During this time, a player is still
Trafficking Phase is the preferred time to traffic in goods by
able to accompany their party if the Trafficking Phase is to be

SCAVENGING TABLE
D20 RESULT ITEM DESCRIPTION
1-3 Cash $100
4-6 Usable Weapons 2 Rarity 1 weapons, or a single Rarity 2 weapon, plus a Reload if applicable.
Food and water for several people. They can be considered 2 Merch, or kept to
7-8 Rations
allow the player to skip the Upkeep cost at the end of the next session.
The vehicle is badly damaged but can be salvaged for parts, which can be used
9-10 Badly Damaged Car
for the player’s own repairs, or considered Merch
While the vehicle is not currently running, it could be repaired given the time and
11-12 Damaged Bike
resource, or considered Merch.
While the vehicle is not currently running, it could be repaired given the time and
13-14 Abandoned Trike
resource, or considered Merch.
An item of value such as a work of art or piece of lost technology. While the player
15-16 Old World Artefact has no direct use for it, it is valuable enough to have a worth of 3 Merch to the
right buyer. The GM may choose to use this as a story arc in future sessions.
This equates to 1 Unbalanced or 2H firearm with a basic supply of ammunition.
17-18 Weapons Cache
Specific weapons and condition to be chosen by the GM.
19 Nothing The player finds nothing.
The player finds nothing. In addition, the GM starts with 1 bonus Fallout at the
20 Nothing
beginning of the next adventure.

248
 RULES OF THE ROAD

selling items for Merch or $, or trading them for other high

value items that can’t be purchased with the cash in a PC’s
pocket. Typically, vehicles, heavy vehicle-mounted weaponry,
large surpluses, a particular resource, or extremely valuable
information can only be bought with Merch. It’s not even all
that unusual for a road warrior to trade information for some-
thing that brings them one step closer to the target they are
hunting or the Old World treasure they seek.

The rules for acquiring gear (p. 121) and selling and trading gear
(p. 123) should be adhered to during this Activity. The Time
Rating of this Activity is equal to the goods of the Merch being
bought or sold, to a maximum of 4.

TRAFFICKING EVENTS
The PCs are able to perform a range of activities during the
Trafficking Phase. To ensure the process isn’t rigid and is more
reflective of the chaotic life of the post-apocalypse, each PC
will potentially run into a random Trafficking Event. These
events can range from stumbling over supplies that may ben-
efit their group to... less fortunate encounters.

Once they have used their Time Points, each PC should roll
2d20 and consult the Trafficking Event Table. Each PC need
only make the roll once. The GM has final veto over whether a
result is applied or not. If the result would have a severe neg-
ative impact to the following session, for instance, the GM is
free to allow the PC a reroll, ignore the roll altogether during
this Trafficking Phase, or else offer a more suitable event.

ENDING THE TRAFFICKING PHASE

The gaming session comes to a close once all Trafficking Events
have been resolved. The GM should use this opportunity to
determine how, where, and why the players are ending the
session. Have they made it to their intended destination? Are
they still en-route or temporarily resting in a settlement?

Players should be encouraged to talk amongst themselves as

to how they felt the session went, what they might have done
differently, and what plans and agendas they have for next ses-
sion. They should also be allowed to suggest the next actions
for their PCs and the group. Taking notes of these decisions will
allow them to be worked into the next session if appropriate.

At this point, the GM should also consider all the results of

Trafficking Activities and Events to see if any of them suggest
any major story arcs for the next session—new allies, enemies,
debts or juicy information may all play a part. The Devil’s Run
RPG is designed to be a very fluid experience, and while an
ongoing story narrative is a good thing to have, some of the
best games come out of the unexpected events that occur
through player choice and action. A GM should not be afraid
to change their plans and embrace the natural flow of the road.

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 CHAPTER 9

TRAFFICKING EVENTS TABLE

D20 RESULT EVENT DESCRIPTION
2 Jackpot The PC takes part in some extra curricular gambling and wins big. They
gain $100.
The PC gambled big, betting their vehicle against another gambler’s ride…
and won! The PC gains an additional vehicle—which may be a bike, trike or car
3 Won the Big Bet! from a local faction—as determined by the GM. The PC may only take pos-
session of this vehicle if there is someone to ride or drive it (such as an NPC
joining the party), or if the PC decides to sell their own vehicle for the measly
sum of $2000.
Someone REALLY likes one of the PC’s weapons and offers them a deal of
4 A Seriously Good Deal! their lifetime: they’ll trade their weapon for the PC’s. The weapon on offer
should be a suitable upgrade from the PC’s current weapon, as specified
by the GM.
Some old crazy dude gifts the PC a strange item wrapped in rags. It appears
5 Given a Gift to be a piece of technology or a trinket from a bygone age. This may be used
by the GM for the ongoing story arc, or sold to the right collector for a profit
of 2 Merch.
6 Nothing No significant event.
The PC meets a local doctor who gives them medical supplies and drugs.
7 Befriend a Doctor During Upkeep after the next gaming session, this PC automatically recovers
all of their Wounds and Trauma.
8 Everything’s Going Right The player is on a roll. They will start the next session with 1 Salvage Point.

9 Efficiency The PC gains real momentum. They gain 1 Additional Time Point to spend on
Activities during the Trafficking Phase of the next gaming session.

10 Scavenge The PC gets lucky whilst scavenging nearby. They may make one roll on the
Scavenging Table, p. 247.
11 - 14 Nothing No significant event.

Bumped into an The PC encounters an old friend. This NPC is considered a new contact in the
15 area who can be used in future gaming sessions. The player and GM should
Old Friend
define who this person is and how they know each other.

16 Extra Training The PC puts in a lttle extra time to hone their skills and immediately gains 50
Experience Points. These may not be spent until after the next session.

The PC comes across some information. The GM should provide them with
some basic information as though they have succeeded in the informa-
17 Juicy Gossip tion gathering Activity. This information does not need to be pivotal to the
upcoming adventure, but should provide insight to some part of the current
story arc.
The PC is recognised by someone who calls them out. The player should
18 Recognised make a Challenging (D2) Persuade or Traffic test. A success earns them a new
contact in the area, a failure creates a new enemy. The player and GM should
define who this person is and how they know each other.

250
 RULES OF THE ROAD

TRAFFICKING EVENTS TABLE

D20 RESULT EVENT DESCRIPTION
The PC has found someone willing to buy rare and valuable artefacts. If they
19 Found a Buyer own any such items, the PC may immediately trade them at a rate of 1 Merch
for $250. If no such items are in the PC’s possession, they may consider this
NPC a contact for future goods trafficking runs that contain such items.
The PC stumbles into a trap Thankfully It wasn’t well concealed. The PC must
20 Walked into a Trap roll 1d20. On a result of 17 or more, the player suffers a Wound. On any other
result, the trap does no damage and the PC may take the trap to use them-
selves if they wish. The details of the trap are specified by the GM.
21-24 Nothing No significant event.

25 Bad Luck Nothing seems to be going your way! The GM gains 1 additional Fallout at the
start of the next session.

26 Rumours The PC’s name has been slandered in the local area. The players Notoriety is
immediately reduced by 1 (if used).

27 Poor Sleep The PC has had one too many restless nights and starts the next session with
1 Fatigue.

28 Exhaustion The Activities undertaken by the PC have taken their toll. They will start the
next session with 2 Fatigue.

29 Debt Collection The PC owes a debt to a local gang leader, who has come to collect. The
player must immediately pay $150 or take 1 Wound.
The PC and their group are accused of a crime in the current/nearby settle-
30 Accused of a Crime ment. They will not be welcome in that settlement and should expect conflict
while in the near area. The GM should use this for additional story angles.
31-34 Nothing No significant event.

35 Accident The PC is subject to an accident on the road, which inflicts 1 Wound. The
player may immediately pay $75 to remove it before the next session.
The PC is hustled out of their earnings. If they took part in the gambling
36 Hustled Activity during the Trafficking Phase, they immediately lose all additional win-
nings. If they did not perform the gambling Activity, they instead lose $100.
The PC contracts an illness and must start the next game with 2 Fatigue. The
37 Illness GM also begins the next adventure with 2 additional Fallout. The player may
pay $250 for medical care to avoid the illness.
The PC REALLY upsets a local gang boss or rival faction member. They are
38 Bitter Rival considered to have an enemy in this area and the difficulty of all Traffic,
Persuade and Thievery tests in this area are forever increased by 1.

39 Drunken Scuffle The PC gets into a drunken brawl, resulting in a Wound. The player will start
the next session with 1 Wound.
The PC has had a bounty posted on their head. The GM is free to choose by
40 Posted Bounty whom, or leave it a mystery, only informing the player that rumour has it
people are hunting them. Expect trouble in a future session.

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§ SAVAGE UPKEEP • If a mechanic allows a PC to regain health in the form of

The Trafficking Phase of this chapter works equally well within Nerve or Vigour, they instead heal 1 Wound.
SWADE. As a cautionary note, however, Upkeep and Activities
add a requisite amount of bookkeeping to the before and • If a mechanic requires a player to spend or gain a
Salvage Point, they instead spend or gain a Bennie.
after of each session, which may not be in keeping with some
GMs ideology of Fast. Furious. Fun. On the other hand, the • Complications that provide Fallout for the GM instead
Trafficking Phase can also springboard many great subplots provide Bennies for the general pool at the start of the
and provides the PCs with a chance to both rest and spend their next game.
hard-earned dollars. GMs should give these downtime steps
careful consideration before including them in their games, • If a Traffic or Gang Warfare test is called for, then it’s
often a function of networking within SWADE (p. 153).
and perhaps even discuss this with their players.

Much like the alterations for Group Backgrounds (p. 85), the • Characters earn experience as Advances in SWADE. The
Spend Experience step of Upkeep allows a character to
Trafficking Phase requires the following simple amendments:
spend an Advance. (Assuming they have one.)
• If a step requires a  roll, roll 1d4 instead. A 3 counts
as zero. If a 4 is rolled, the negative impact of rolling
an Effect in 2d20 occur (or the GM gains a Bennie for
A NOTE ON NOTORIETY
If Notoriety is being used, the SWADE mechanics for this
the general pool at the start of the game following this
are covered on p. 85 of this rulebook. Adjusting Notoriety
Trafficking Phase).
requires a big expenditure or notable act on the part of a
• Any test that provides a Momentum option instead PC. The GM has final say over what qualifies as either. As a
provides a raise. These raises can be stored and spent further option, Notoriety can also be tied into a PC’s Rank.
at any time during the Trafficking Phase. A test must be For example, Seasoned PCs can only rise to Acknowledged
successful in order to gain the benefit of a stored raise. and only Heroic PCs can gain Famous.
Bonus raises are lost at the end of the Trafficking Phase.

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The world was already full of threats before the Day of the Elite creatures act and fight using the same rules as do player
Apocalypse, from dangerous predators trapped in the few characters. An Elite creature has Stress values equal to the
wild spaces left for them to inhabit, to crime-ridden streets associated attribute, and is taken out of action after suffering 2
that understaffed law enforcement agencies were struggling Harms of any single type. Elite creatures do not have different
to keep safe. Those dangers and many more have only been hit locations (unless the gamemaster wishes to indicate so, for
amplified in the decades since. Feral animals have reclaimed flavour or for specific effects), and they cannot sacrifice armour
the unpopulated spaces between settlements, Revenants lurk to ignore Wounds (though they may still sacrifice shields).
amongst the shadows of abandoned towns, and rival gangs
So long as there is a logical and plausible reason for reinforce-
blast each other to pieces on the lawless freeways. Unless
ments to turn up, additional Elite NPCs can be brought into a
they’re part of a war party, only the foolish or the brave choose
scene by spending 2 Fallout per Elite adversary.
to camp outside in the wild at night.

KINGPIN
NPC CATEGORIES The mightiest of foes — called a Kingpin — is terrifying to face,
The many adversaries, allies, and creatures that characters are possessed of a wide range of skills and abilities, and the intel-
likely to encounter come in various shapes and sizes. Where ligence to wield those capabilities with ruthless efficiency.
some are individuals that can stand alone against many foes, Often found leading multiple groups of other foes, a Kingpin
others function in coordinated groups, or even teeming hordes is frequently a skilled leader and deadly combatant.
that swarm their prey. All creatures in this section are defined
A Kingpin acts and fights using the same rules as PCs, and has
by one of these categories, which apply to all beings unless
the normal range of hit locations. A Kingpin can withstand
contradicted in the specific description. These categories are
multiple Harms exactly as player characters do. When creating
presented after the name of the NPC or creature, such as “The
a Kingpin, the gamemaster should determine Stress using the
Gentleman (Kingpin).” Some creatures fall into more than one
associated attribute and skill expertise, exactly as for a PC.
category, either as variants, such as “Dog (Lackey or Elite),” or
with the properties of each of the specified categories. In play, a Kingpin may spend 3 Fallout in order to gain a single
Salvage Point, which can be used in exactly the same manner
LACKEYS as for PCs.
The most frequently encountered type of adversaries, Lackeys
flesh out the ranks of factions and raiding parties. Lackeys act
and fight using the normal rules, but do not have hit locations.
GROUPS
Many adversaries work effectively in groups, achieving more as
Lackeys roll only 1d20 on tests instead of the normal 2d20
a collective than they can as individuals. Referred to as Mobs
(though they can gain bonus dice as normal). A Lackey has
and Gangs, the two terms reflect a number of common dif-
Stress equal to half the associated Attribute, rounding up, and
ferences between otherwise-similar groupings.
is taken out of action after suffering a single Harm. Lackeys
cannot attempt Reactions, and they cannot sacrifice armour A Mob consists of up to five identical Lackeys acting as a rough,
or shields to ignore Wounds. unruly, and poorly-disciplined group. There is no distinct leader,
and while the Mob is more effective in battle than the indi-
New Lackeys can be brought into a scene by spending 1 Fallout
viduals that comprise it, it is still a poor force and often falters
per Lackey, so long as there is a logical and plausible reason
against a more disciplined foe. Groups of natural animals often
for reinforcements to turn up.
form Mobs, especially when there is no distinct pack leader.

ELITE A Gang consists of a single Elite creature — referred to as a

Elite foes represent a serious threat, but are generally fewer in Boss — leading up to four identical Lackeys. The Lackeys’ abil-
number. Dangerous individually and even more so in numbers, ities are put into direct support of the Elite creature’s actions,
Elite foes bring specialist expertise and unusual tactics to bear, making it more effective and more resilient in battle. In some
while others are simply more skilled and better-equipped than situations, a Kingpin or even a player character can be a Gang’s
their more common allies. Boss, following exactly the same rules.

TAKING ACTION
Some creatures can be either Elite or used as Lackeys, rep-
resenting exceptional individuals within otherwise humble
Mobs and Gangs both take action as single entities, regardless
ranks. These will be specified within the individual creature’s
of the number of creatures that comprise a given group. Each
description, along with an explanation about how to modify
group gets a single turn each combat round, during which they
the creature’s attributes and abilities to suit its Elite status.
must all take the same action.

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 ALLIES & ADVERSARIES

When a group takes an action requiring a test, nominate a A Mob or Gang has a number of additional ways to spend Fallout.
single creature within the group — in the case of a Gang, this will
always be the Leader — to lead the action. This creature is the • INTERPOSE: If an allied creature within Reach is tar-
geted by an attack, the Mob or Gang may spend 1
one taking the action, for all intents and purposes. Each crea-
Fallout in order to have the attack targeted against
ture in the group not leading the action contributes a single
itself instead.
d20 to the test, using their own attributes and skills, effectively
assisting the nominated creature’s actions. In the case of a Mob, • SPECIAL WEAPONRY: Some groups include special
all the creatures’ attributes and skills for a given test should be weapons or attacks employed only by a single crea-
the same, regardless of which creature is leading the action. ture within the group. Using these special weapons or
attacks costs 2 Fallout and allows a single member to
The dice gained from being part of a Mob or a Gang are, as
make a separate attack instead of assisting during the
already noted, a form of assistance (multiple characters con-
rest of the group’s attack. This attack may be directed at
tributing towards a single task), and thus do not count towards
the same target as the rest of the group, or a different
the normal limit of three bonus d20s. Consequently, Mobs and
one, as desired.
Gangs can still benefit from bonus d20s in the normal ways —
spending Fallout, spending resources, etc.
FIELDS OF EXPERTISE
ATTACKING GROUPS The proficiencies and capabilities of characters and creatures
When attacking a Mob or Gang, a single creature within the are a complex matter. For NPCs, listing all the same skills a PC
group is nominated as the primary target. It is to this crea- is likely to possess provides an unnecessary degree of detail.
ture that damage and effects are caused. If the damage is In their place, NPCs are listed with six Fields of Expertise, rep-
enough to inflict one or more Harms, then that will take out a resenting their skill in these broad areas as a single number.
single Lackey (as normal — Lackeys are taken out of action by Whenever an NPC would be required to take a skill test, it uses
a single Harm), then any remaining damage is applied to the the numbers listed in the appropriate Field of Expertise to
next creature in the Gang. If this too was enough damage to determine its Expertise and Focus from. For example, a charac-
inflict a Harm, then that creature is taken out as well, and any ter with an Agility 9, Movement Expertise of 2, and Movement
remaining damage is applied to the next creature. This should Focus of 1 attempting an Acrobatics test would have a Target
be continued until either no damage remains, or until all the Number of 11, and a Focus of 1 for that test.
creatures in the Mob or Gang have been taken out of action.
The six Fields of Expertise, and the skills they encompass, are
Some damage may inflict 2 Harms simultaneously — Lackeys as follows:
normally have 5 in a particular Stress value — so any hit that
reduces them to 0 Stress will also inflict 5 damage. This takes • MOVEMENT: This relates to a character’s movement
around a scene, both personally and using vehicles. It
only a single creature out of action, as Harms inflicted on one
covers Acrobatics, Athletics, Drive, Pilot, and Stealth.
creature do not carry over to the next, only the total amount
of damage. • COMBAT: This covers the various tools and techniques
for bringing death and destruction. It encompasses
In the case of a Gang, the Leader will always be the last to suffer
Firearms, Heavy Weapons, and Melee.
damage under normal circumstances, with the Lackeys in the
Gang being taken out of action first. Attackers may spend two • FORTITUDE: This covers the means by which a charac-
Momentum on an attack in order to pick the Leader out from ter can survive in a hostile universe. It encompasses the
within a Gang — this is a called shot, no different to picking Discipline, Resistance, and Survival.
a specific hit location. A Gang whose Leader has been slain
immediately becomes a Mob. • KNOWLEDGE: This covers skills reliant on considerable
intellect and knowledge. It encompasses the Animal
Being composed of Lackeys, Mobs cannot attempt Reactions. Handling, Engineering, Gang Warfare, Lore, Medicine,
Even though Gangs are led by Elite creatures, a Gang cannot and Wild Tech.
attempt a Reaction either.
• SOCIAL: This covers the character’s ability to influence
A status effect can be applied to the entire group equally (a other creatures with ways other than force. It encom-
hindrance upon one member of a group will impair them all), passes Command, Counsel, Persuade, and Traffic.
or the gamemaster can decide to narrow the effect’s focus by
inflicting one Harm upon a single creature in the Mob or Gang • SENSES: This covers the character’s ability to perceive
the world’s details. It encompasses Insight, Observation,
(the creature is abandoned, left behind to keep it from slowing
and Thievery.
down the group), depending on the circumstances.

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SPECIAL ABILITIES will immediately fall straight to the ground, suffering falling
The following are a number of common rules and abilities pos- damage as a result. If the creature wishes to carry someone or
sessed by creatures. These abilities will be referred to by name something while flying, the GM should determine the difficulty
only in entries, and require the gamemaster to refer here for of such a test based on size, convenience, and portability, as
the specifics of each rule. well as the creature’s means of carrying the desired object.

APOCALYPTIC X GRASPING
The NPC is dangerous, heralding a greater challenge for those On a successful melee attack, the NPC can grab its target
who confront it. When an NPC or creature with this rule enters by spending 1 or more Momentum. A grasped target can’t
a scene, the GM should immediately add X Fallout to the pool. move or take any action except to attempt an Acrobatics or
Athletics test to escape with a difficulty equal to the amount
DREAD VITALITY (X) of Momentum spent. A grasping character attack other foes
The NPC is powerful and dangerous, with a vitality and drive while it has a target grasped, but does reduce the difficulty of
that allows it to triumph where others might fail. It begins an Exploit action taken against the grasped target by 1 step.
each scene with a number of Fallout equal to X—Fallout that
may only be used to benefit itself, and is not drawn from the INURED TO X
general Fallout pool. The creature is unperturbed by conditions and effects caused
by one of a number of sources of hardship or hindrance, such
FAST RECOVERY (VIGOUR OR NERVE X) as vacuum, extremes of temperature, poison, disease, etc. The
The NPC quickly springs back from stress and damage. This most common sources of conditions are described below:
ability specifies a type of Stress and a value in the place of X,
for example “Fast Recovery (Nerve 2).” At the start of each of its • COLD: The creature is unaffected by effects derived
from extreme cold, including damage.
turns, the creature regains a quantity of that damage capacity
equal to that value — so a creature with Fast Recovery (Vigour • DISEASE: The creature is immune to the effects of dis-
3) regains 3 points of Vigour at the start of each turn. A creature ease, and will never suffer the symptoms of any disease.
with Fast Recovery may also spend Fallout to remove Harms If the creature is exposed to a disease it will become a
associated with that damage capacity (for example, Wounds for carrier — able to spread the disease if it is contagious.
Vigour, or Trauma for Fallout); the amount of Fallout required
to remove one Harm is equal to the number of Harms the • FEAR: The creature is incapable of feeling fear, con-
tinuing undeterred in spite of the greatest terror. The
creature is currently suffering from.
creature cannot be dazed or staggered by mental
attacks, and does not suffer any penalty from Traumas
FEAR (X)
(though it can still be taken out of action as normal).
The creature’s form, nature, or raw presence is deeply unset-
tling to mortal minds, and few can bear witness to it and remain • HEAT: The creature is unaffected by effects derived
strong. When a character sees a creature with Fear X, the char- from extreme heat, including damage from fire.
acter must immediately attempt a Discipline test or suffer the
damage of the creature’s normal threaten attack. A character • PAIN: The creature is incapable of feeling pain, con-
tinuing undeterred in spite of the most horrific agony.
must attempt this test only once for each Fear-causing crea-
The creature cannot be dazed or staggered by physical
ture in a scene. In addition, a creature with Fear X increases
attacks, and does not suffer any penalty from Wounds
the damage of all threaten attacks by +X .
(though it is still taken out of action as normal).

FEED UPON FEAR • POISON: The creature is unaffected by all forms of

The adversary gorges itself on the fear of others, gaining in poison, venom, and toxin.
strength as the minds of others crumble and falter. The GM
adds 1 Fallout every time a character suffers mental damage KEEN SENSES (SENSE TYPE)
within Medium range of the NPC, no matter the source. One of the creature’s senses is particularly keen. Choose one
from sight, hearing, or scent. The creature reduces the diffi-
FLIGHT culty of all Observation or Insight tests using that sense by 2.
Whether due to a jetpack—in the case of human adversaries— or
wings, the NPC soars through the air and can move through MINDLESS
“empty” zones above the ground. A flying creature must The NPC is an unintelligent being, driven purely by instinct. It
spend at least 1 Action moving each turn. If knocked prone, it will mindlessly move towards and attack the nearest living

256
 ALLIES & ADVERSARIES

creature with any weapons it possesses. If it cannot see or hear • For each rank of Inhuman Brawn, increase the creature’s
a living creature, it will move towards the nearest source of Vigour by 1.
bright light or loud noise, or otherwise move around randomly
if no such source exists. A Mindless creature cannot attempt • For each rank of Inhuman Willpower, increase the crea-
ture’s Nerve by 1.
Reactions. The creature is immune to any mind-influencing
effect, and cannot suffer mental damage.
UNLIVING
Whether a reanimated corpse or a construct, the creature
MONSTROUS
is made up of non-living materials such as stone, metal, or
The considerable bulk and mass of this creature makes it less
dead flesh. It is highly resistant to all environmental conditions,
agile and graceful than smaller creatures and hinders it moving
reducing the Difficulty of Fortitude tests against extremes of
through confined spaces. It receives the following benefits
heat and cold by 2 steps, and it is immune to the effects of suf-
and penalties:
focation, starvation, and thirst. Unliving creatures sometimes
• +1 difficulty to tests where great size or weight would be suffer physical damage as objects (with Structure and Faults,
problematic. instead of Vigour and Wounds).

• Suffer a Wound following seven or more Vigour damage

(instead of five).

• Not required to brace Unwieldy weapons.

• Use 2H weapons in one hand without penalty.
• Spend 1 Momentum before attacking to add
• Knockdown to its melee attacks for the current turn.
MOUNT X
This animal has the strength and frame to support X riders
without inconvenience. An animal with Mount can support
additional riders above the value of X, but any Animal Handling
tests increase in Difficulty by one step for each extra passenger.
If the animal bears a cart or similar transport instead of a rider,
it can transport an additional passenger without hardship.

NIGHT VISION
The creature’s senses are keen, or use different wavelengths
that allow it to pierce the deepest darkness with ease. The crea-
ture doesn’t suffer any increase in difficulty due to darkness.

SUPERHUMAN (ATTRIBUTE) (X)

One or more of the creature’s attributes are beyond human
capabilities. This is indicated by a number, which is added as
automatic successes on tests using the relevant characteris-
tic. For example, a creature with Inhuman Brawn 1 gains one
success on all Brawn tests, in addition to any generated by
rolling. In addition to being under special abilities, Superhuman
Attributes will be noted in parentheses next to the attribute.

• Each rank of Inhuman Awareness a creature possesses

adds +1  to the damage of all ranged attacks.

• Each rank of Inhuman Brawn a creature possesses adds

+1  to the damage of all melee attacks.

• Each rank of Inhuman Personality a creature possesses

adds +1  to the damage of all mental attacks.

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 CHAPTER 10

CREATING ADVERSARIES ENCOUNTER STRUCTURE

Creating new adversaries for the player characters to confront Broadly speaking, an average combat encounter that chal-
is as much an art as a science, and there are no hard-and-fast lenges a group of PCs should consist of a number of Elite
rules. However, GMs may find the following guidelines useful NPCs between one-and-a-half to two times the number of
for creating Troopers, Elites, and Nemeses. PCs, rounding up. This isn’t to say that more NPCs can’t be
added to a fight to make it more challenging, but GMs should
LACKEYS keep these baselines in mind to understand whether a battle
Troopers are the weakest category of adversary. Use this cat- will be too easy or too dangerous.
egory for designing minions, mooks, and cannon fodder.
If there are 4 PCs, for example, an average combat encounter
• Attributes should average 8. (Scores above 10 are rare.) should consist of between 6 to 8 Elite NPCs.

• Assign 6 ranks of training in Fields of Expertise, with However, this basic approach to structuring an encounter is
no more than 2 ranks in the Expertise or Focus of any not the only option, and Elite NPCs are clearly not the only
single Field. type of adversary available. Choosing other categories or levels
of foes still requires a degree of judgment on the part of the
• Lackeys have stress equal to half the associated attrib- GM—individual NPCs and monsters can vary in power beyond
ute, rounding up,
the rough target categories, and the degree of a desired chal-
• Lackeys should rarely have special rules. lenge is of primary concern.

• Lackeys will generally have simple, straightforward gear. ACTION ECONOMY

ELITES An important element of structuring an encounter is the
number of available Actions. If the NPCs have fewer available
The default type of NPC. Although not as durable or driven as
Actions than the PCs, then they are much less likely to present
a PC, they can still provide a decent challenge.
a challenge. Because PCs act before NPCs (in most cases), a
• Attributes should average 9. degree of redundancy is useful, so having a few more NPC
Actions than there are player Actions (at least initially) allows
• Assign 12 ranks of training in Fields of Expertise, with the NPC side to take a casualty or two without severely impact-
no more than 3 ranks in the Expertise or Focus of any
ing the challenge of the encounter before they act.
single Field.
Lackey NPCs are individually less resilient and less proficient
• Elites have stress equal to the associated attribute, than Elites—half the damage capacities, only able to with-
• Some Elites may have one or two special rules and/or stand a single Harm, no Reactions, and only rolling 1d20 for
unique Fallout spends. skill tests. Individual Elite NPCs can be exchanged for two
Lackeys. Lackeys may be placed in groups or individually:
KINGPINS Lackeys operating individually get more Actions and must be
Unique and potent characters, Kingpins are an equal match for targeted separately, while Lackeys operating in groups are
a single PC. They should be used as major rivals. more likely to succeed at individual tasks.

• Attributes should average 10. (Particularly powerful Kingpin NPCs are broadly more powerful, resilient, and typically
Kingpins may exceed this limit.) possess more complex or more potent combinations of special
rules than Elites. Typically, two Elite creatures can be replaced
• Assign 20 ranks of training in Fields of Expertise. A single by a single Kingpin. No more than a single adversarial Kingpin
Field of Expertise may have ratings of 4 or 5.
should be present in most scenes, though an occasional scene
• Kingpins have Stress equal to the associated attrib- with multiple Kingpins can be a useful change of pace.
ute plus the Expertise rating of their Fortitude Field of
Expertise. ENVIRONMENTAL FALLOUT
Two other factors can be relevant when determining how easy
• Kingpins should have a number of interesting special or difficult an encounter will be: environment and Fallout.
rules and/or unique Fallout spends. The GM is encour-
aged to make them interact in fun and interesting ways. Environmental factors can easily shift the balance in battle. A
preponderance of cover or short lines of sight can favour melee
and short-ranged missile fire over longer-ranged weapons,
while large open spaces and uneven terrain favour long-range
missile fire. Terrain can be deliberately set up to favour one side

258
 ALLIES & ADVERSARIES

over another, particularly if one side is defending an objective. FORCE OF NATURE

All creatures in this section share a single ability in common: when
Fallout can shift the balance in battle as well, allowing the GM
attempting threaten attacks, they may attempt Discipline tests
considerable leeway when designing encounters, based on
(using their Willpower attribute plus their Fortitude Field of Expertise)
events prior to the encounter, the overall condition of the PCs’
instead of the normal Persuade tests. Though many wild animals
group, and the relative flow of gameplay. Spending Fallout can
have complex social structures, they seldom have social skills recog-
amplify the potency of NPCs, or add new NPCs to the fight.
nizable by humans. However, they are still capable of threatening
By comparison, spending little or no Fallout on NPCs during
and intimidating others, whether human or other wild animals.
a scene can make them less effective, which can turn a chal-

ALLIGATOR (ELITE)
lenging battle into a simple one. This can be used by the GM to
scale encounters to the PCs’ successes and failure—successful
Although rare, some hardy species of alligator have fled the poi-
PCs can be met by stronger resistance — and to make later
soned waters of the irradiated east for the comparatively cleaner
battles in an adventure more difficult.
lakes and rivers of the West Coast. Deadly freshwater predators that
are capable of startling speed underwater, alligators seem heavy
BEASTS and slow on land. They lay in wait beneath the surface of lakes and
The fallout of a nuclear war and hordes of hungry Revenants rivers, waiting for their prey to approach — whether to drink or to
caused death and destruction on untold levels to both humans cross — before striking with terrifying swiftness.
and beasts. While humanity picked over the bones of its own
civilization in the harsh years that followed the war, many of ATTRIBUTES
the wild animals of North America rode out the storm and AGI AWA BRW COO INT PER WILL
sprang back quickly. With the gangs around San Francisco
10 9 10 3 4 5 8
much more interested in claiming concrete turf and fighting
over gasoline, the uninhabited areas of the West Coast are FIELDS OF EXPERTISE
now the domain of various wild animals and predatory beasts. Combat +1 1 Movement +1 — Social — —
Fortitude +1 1 Senses — — Technical — —

STRESS AND SOAK

Vigour 10 Nerve 8

VARIANT HIT LOCATIONS Armour Soak 2 Morale Soak 1

Aside from Kingpins, hit locations are not typically used for
NPCs. However, the GM and players might find it useful to ATTACK
know where an enemy has been struck. This is easy enough • SNAPPING JAW: Melee, 4 , Grappling, Unforgiving 2
with human adversaries, as they have the same range of hit
locations as human PCs, but this is not always true for animals. SPECIAL ABILITIES
The following guidelines are fairly simple and straightforward, • AQUATIC: An alligator can hold its breath for up to 15
intended more for ease of use than for accurate representation minutes before requiring a Fortitude test.
of the relative distribution of limbs and body types.
• AMBUSH PREDATOR: An alligator gains 2 bonus
A quadrupedal animal, such as a horse or wolf, is simple enough Momentum on Movement tests when in water. Further,
to alter in practice. The GM can use the normal hit locations, it reduces the cost of the Interrupt Fallout spend to zero
but assume that any result that would hit an arm instead hits when it begins its turn hidden and submerged beneath
a foreleg, and any result that would hit a leg specifically hits a a body of water.
hind leg. Similarly, birds and bats use the normal tables, but
wings replace arm results. For snakes and serpents, assume • DROWNING: If an alligator successfully grabs its prey
when in water, the grabbed creature will begin to drown.
that any result that is not a head is the torso. For insects and
See page XX for details on drowning. This is in addition to
arachnids — specifically giant examples of these creatures —
any damage the alligator inflicts on the grabbed enemy.
the GM should treat all arm and leg results as “legs”, possibly
with an extra roll to determine which leg in particular, if that • SLUGGISH GAIT: An alligator cannot take the Sprint
level of detail is required. Action unless it is in water.

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BEAR (ELITE) • +2  to Bite and Claw damage, +1  mental to

The initial stats here represent the most common species, the Growl damage
black bear. Bears are solitary and highly territorial, but tend not
to attack unless provoked or maddened by some outside force. • Camouflaged: A polar bear is almost impossible to see
against a backdrop of ice and snow. In arctic or snowy
conditions, a polar bear gains 2 bonus Momentum on
ATTRIBUTES
Movement tests to move unseen.
AGI AWA BRW COO INT PER WILL

9 9 12 6 4 6 9 • Fear 1
FIELDS OF EXPERTISE • Inured to Cold
Combat +1 1 Movement +1 — Social — — • Monstrous
Fortitude +1 1 Senses +1 1 Technical — —

STRESS AND SOAK

COUGAR (ELITE)
Large, solitary predators, these big cats are most commonly
Vigour 12 Nerve 9
recognized by their plain, tawny coats that range from sil-
Armour Soak 1 Morale Soak 1 ver-grey to reddish in colour. They are excellent climbers and
deadly hunters, and while humans are not their preferred prey,
ATTACKS they will not hesitate to lash out if threatened or startled, or
• BITE: Melee, 6 , Piercing 1, Unforgiving 2 when defending their territory.

• TWO CLAWS: Melee, 5 , Knockdown ATTRIBUTES

• GROWL: Threaten, Range C, 3  mental, Vicious 1 AGI AWA BRW COO INT PER WILL

10 9 10 4 4 7 9
SPECIAL ABILITIES
• SAVAGE: So long as it uses a different attack for each FIELDS OF EXPERTISE
Action, the bear may use the Swift Strike Momentum Combat +2 1 Movement +3 1 Social — —
spend for 1 Momentum. It may also use Swift Strike up Fortitude +1 1 Senses +1 1 Technical — —
to twice each turn, rather than once.
STRESS AND SOAK
• KEEN SENSES (SCENT) Vigour 10 Nerve 9
Armour Soak 1 Morale Soak 1
NOTES
BROWN BEARS: Generally larger than black bears, brown (or griz-
ATTACKS
zly) bears also tend to be more aggressive. Mostly active at dusk,
night, and at dawn, they range across wide areas and will drive off • VICIOUS BITE: Melee, Reach 1, 4 , Unforgiving 2
other predators after a kill. For a brown bear, use the black bear • CLAWS: Melee, 5 , Vicious 1
description with the following changes:
• SAVAGE GROWL: Threaten, Range M, 4  mental, Vicious 1
• Agility 9, Brawn 12, Coordination 5, Vigour 12, Courage 2
SPECIAL ABILITIES
• +1 to the Combat Field of Expertise • KEEN SENSES (SCENT)
• +1  to all attacks • POUNCE: A cougar making the Movement Minor Action
• Fear 1 before attempting a close combat attack may add the
Knockdown quality to its Claws attack. If the target is
POLAR BEARS: These large carnivorous bears are adapted for arctic
knocked prone, then the cougar may spend 1 Momentum
climes, and are as equally capable of hunting on land as under
to make a Bite attack against the same target.
water. Remarkably stealthy for their size, they are powerful swim-
mers, fast runners, and are extremely strong. For a polar bear, use
the black bear description with the following changes:

• Willpower 10, Brawn 13 (1), Coordination 5, Vigour

14, Nerve 10

• +1 to the Combat and Movement Fields of Expertise

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 ALLIES & ADVERSARIES

DOG (LACKEY OR ELITE) EAGLE (ELITE)

Dogs are encountered wherever people are (or were). Most Spectacular birds of prey that make swift and precise attacks
dogs are bred for work, whether in war or hunting, but are also from high above, they rarely attack humans unless protecting
used as guards. Feral packs of mongrels are also a real danger. their nest.

ATTRIBUTES ATTRIBUTES
AGI AWA BRW COO INT PER WILL AGI AWA BRW COO INT PER WILL

9 9 8 5 5 6 7 10 14 6 6 4 6 9

FIELDS OF EXPERTISE FIELDS OF EXPERTISE

Combat +1 — Movement +1 — Social +1 — Combat +1 — Movement +2 1 Social — —
Fortitude +1 — Senses +2 1 Technical — — Fortitude — — Senses +2 1 Technical — —

STRESS AND SOAK (LACKEY) STRESS AND SOAK

Vigour 5 Nerve 4 Vigour 6 Nerve 9
Armour Soak — Morale Soak — Armour Soak — Morale Soak —

STRESS AND SOAK (ELITE)

Vigour 8 Nerve 7 ATTACK
Armour Soak — Morale Soak 1 • TALONS: Melee, 2 , Vicious 1
SPECIAL ABILITIES
ATTACKS
• BITE: Melee, 3 , Grappling • FLIGHT
• SNARLING: Threaten, Range C, 2  mental, Stun • KEEN SENSES (SIGHT)
HOG (LACKEY)
SPECIAL ABILITIES
Not originally native to North America, hogs (or boars) are
• DOMESTICATED: Dogs are keen assistants. With the GMs descended from domesticated or captive stock that escaped
agreement, they can willingly perform teamwork actions
into the wild. Fierce and dangerous creatures, hogs can be
in a task they can feasibly assist with.
quite hazardous when disturbed or hunted.

• KEEN SENSES (SCENT) ATTRIBUTES

AGI AWA BRW COO INT PER WILL

8 7 9 4 4 5 7

FIELDS OF EXPERTISE
Combat +1 — Movement +1 — Social — —
Fortitude +2 1 Senses +1 — Technical — —

STRESS AND SOAK

Vigour 5 Nerve 4
Armour Soak 1 Morale Soak 1

ATTACK
• GORING TUSKS: Melee, 3 , Vicious 1
SPECIAL ABILITY
• CHARGE: If the boar makes a Movement Minor Action
and uses its Standard Action to make a close combat
attack, add Knockdown and Vicious 1 to its Goring Tusks
(increasing the Vicious quality to 2 for this attack). It may
also reroll any  rolled for damage.

261
 CHAPTER 10

HORSE, RIDING (LACKEY) ATTACKS

Typically lighter and smaller than a draft horse, a good riding • POWERFUL BITE: Melee, 4 , Unforgiving 2
horse is more suited to carrying a single rider than to haul-
ing a vehicle. Their lighter frames allow them to run—and be • CLAWS: Melee, 4 , Vicious 1
ridden—more swiftly than a larger horse can. Draft horses are • SAVAGE GROWL: Threaten, Range M, 3 
slightly slower than riding horses, but have otherwise identical mental, Vicious 1
statistics. Any additional special abilities are listed below.
SPECIAL ABILITIES
ATTRIBUTES • POUNCE: If a jaguar makes the Movement Minor Action
AGI AWA BRW COO INT PER WILL before attempting a close combat attack, it may add the
Knockdown quality to its Claws attack. If the target is
8 9 10 4 4 6 8
knocked prone, the jaguar may spend 1 Momentum to
FIELDS OF EXPERTISE make a Bite attack against the same target.
Combat — — Movement +1 1 Social — —
Fortitude +1 1 Senses +1 — Technical — —
• KEEN SENSES (SCENT)
STRESS AND SOAK RAT SWARM (LACKEY)
Vigour 5 Nerve 4 Commonplace in the dank and crumbling ruins of cities, swarms
Armour Soak — Morale Soak — of starving, pestilential rats are a peril greater than their size
might suggest. A single rat’s bite may be inconsequential — if
a little painful — a swarming carpet of rats can pull down and
ATTACK
overwhelm larger prey through sheer numbers. Though barely
• HOOVES: Melee, 4 , Stun able to withstand a concerted attack, a rat swarm inspires such
dread that it is best avoided.
SPECIAL ABILITIES FOR RIDING HORSES
• MOUNT 2 ATTRIBUTES
• RIDING ANIMAL: Riding horses can be trained and ridden, AGI AWA BRW COO INT PER WILL
see Animal Companions on p. 200. 8 6 7 5 4 4 6

SPECIAL ABILITY FOR DRAFT HORSES FIELDS OF EXPERTISE

Combat +2 1 Movement +2 1 Social — —
• BEAST OF BURDEN: Reduce a draft horse’s Agility to 8
but add Superhuman Brawn 1 for the purposes of carrying Fortitude — — Senses +1 — Technical — —
and shifting burdens.
STRESS AND SOAK
4 3
JAGUAR (ELITE)
Vigour Nerve

Armour Soak 2 Morale Soak —

Although extremely rare, particularly as far along the coast as
San Francisco, jaguars seem to be slinking across the Mexican
border in increasing numbers for unknown reasons. A large ATTACK
cat that is only surpassed in size by lions and tigers, jaguars • MANY TINY BITES: Melee, 4 , Piercing 1, Persistent 2
have tawny coloured coats that are stippled with black spots.
• SINISTER SQUEAL: Threaten, Range M, 2  mental, Stun
ATTRIBUTES
SPECIAL ABILITIES
AGI AWA BRW COO INT PER WILL
• COUNTLESS BODIES: The rat swarm is made of so many
10 10 9 5 4 6 9 rats that attacks against individuals are fairly inconse-
FIELDS OF EXPERTISE quential. Its Armour Soak provides Cover Soak, with
Effects counting as a ‘2’.
Combat +2 1 Movement +2 1 Social — —
Fortitude — — Senses +1 — Technical — — • INURED TO DISEASE
STRESS AND SOAK • KEEN SENSES (SCENT)
Vigour 9 Nerve 9
• SWARM: The swarm can take the Disengage Action as
Armour Soak — Morale Soak — a Free Action.

262
 ALLIES & ADVERSARIES

FALLOUT SPENDS VULTURE (LACKEY)

• SWARM ATTACKS (1-3 FALLOUT): For each Fallout These baleful scavengers haunt the wastes and deserts, feast-
spent, the swarm may make an additional attack when ing on any carrion they find. As such, their presence often
it makes a Standard Action close combat attack. Each heralds a sense of despair, reminding onlookers of their own
attack must be targeted at a different enemy. mortality. Ill-tempered and cantankerous birds, they some-
times form a kettle to attack larger prey.
• UNENDING SWARM (1-3 FALLOUT): For each Fallout
spent on reinforcements, two additional rat swarms ATTRIBUTES
arrive as reinforcements at the end of the turn. These
AGI AWA BRW COO INT PER WILL
may join any existing Mob or Gang, each of which would
be made up of multiple rat swarms. 5 7 6 4 5 3 10

FIELDS OF EXPERTISE
SNAKE, VENOMOUS (LACKEY) Combat — — Movement +1 — Social — —
These sleek serpents are dangerous in spite of their size, owing Fortitude — — Senses +1 1 Technical — —
to their stealth and venomous bite. This venom can be dan-
gerous to creatures far larger than the snake’s normal prey, STRESS AND SOAK
and they use their bite as much to defend themselves from Vigour 3 Nerve 5
larger creatures as to kill their food. Of course, they can also Armour Soak — Morale Soak —
be harvested for venom for coating weapons.
ATTACK
ATTRIBUTES • TALONS AND BEAK: Melee, 3 , Vicious 1
AGI AWA BRW COO INT PER WILL

12 8 7 3 3 4 6
SPECIAL ABILITIES
• FLIGHT
FIELDS OF EXPERTISE
Combat +1 — Movement +2 1 Social — — • INURED TO DISEASE
Fortitude — — Senses +1 — Technical — —
FALLOUT SPEND
STRESS AND SOAK • CIRCLING ABOVE (2 FALLOUT): There is little more
Vigour 4 Nerve 3 unnerving than seeing vultures circle overhead, with
Armour Soak — Morale Soak — the mere presence of them often causing deep despair.
In a scene where vultures circle overhead, the GM can
spend 2 Fallout for their presence to cause X  Nerve
ATTACKS
damage, with X equal to half the number of vultures,
• BITE: Melee, 3 , Persistent 4, Unforgiving 1 rounding up. This damage can be avoided with a suc-
• HISSING DISPLAY: Threaten, Range C, 3  mental, Vicious 1 cessful Challenging (D2) Discipline test.

SPECIAL ABILITIES
• AMBUSH: A venomous snake is adapted to hide from its
prey until the moment of its attack. It gains two bonus
Momentum on Movement tests.

• FEAR 1
• INURED TO POISON

263
 CHAPTER 10

WOLF (LACKEY OR ELITE) HUMAN FOES

These lean hunters roam in packs of about half a dozen to a Humans are the primary type of adversary the PCs should
dozen adults, and these groups are highly territorial. As hunters, encounter. The Devil’s Run setting revolves around tales of
they approach by stealth, then try and run down their prey, iso- motorised mayhem on the old highways of the West Coast
lating individuals where possible. Packs of wolves are normally of North America, with faction pitted against faction for the
led by a pair of larger, more dangerous adults — a breeding rights to claim turf and scarce resources. While a foray through
pair — that do most of the hunting, dominating the rest of the the wilderness can serve to change things up occasionally,
pack. Though similar to dogs, wolves are difficult to tame and other people should be the greatest unknown—and therefore
train. Coyotes are the slightly smaller cousins of wolves, though potentially the greatest threat—that the PCs regularly meet.
the statistics presented here can serve equally well for both. This section lists a variety of stock human foes and potential
allies the PCs may encounter in darkened back-alleys, fringe
ATTRIBUTES settlements, and unaligned communities.
AGI AWA BRW COO INT PER WILL
These particular examples are fairly generic in presentation by
10 9 9 5 5 6 8 design. The sections that follow these nonspecific offerings
FIELDS OF EXPERTISE introduce the members of some of the more vicious factions
Combat +1 1 Movement +1 1 Social +1 — that plague San Francisco and its surrounds.

Fortitude — — Senses +2 1 Technical — —

STRESS AND SOAK (LACKEY)

Vigour 5 Nerve 4
Armour Soak — Morale Soak —

STRESS AND SOAK (ELITE)

Vigour 9 Nerve 8
Armour Soak — Morale Soak 1

ATTACKS
• BITE: Melee, Reach 1, 3 , Grappling, Unforgiving 1
• SNARLING: Threaten, Range C, 3  mental, Stun
SPECIAL ABILITIES
• PACK HUNTER: Wolves are fearsome pack hunters; a wolf
gains 1 bonus Momentum on any attack roll against a foe
already attacked by an ally this round, and on Movement
tests where the enemy can see any of the wolf’s allies.

• KEEN SENSES (SCENT)

FALLOUT SPEND
• HOWL OF THE WOLF (2 FALLOUT, ELITE WOLF ONLY): An
alpha (Elite) wolf may spend 2 Fallout to grant all wolves
in its pack the Fear 1 special ability.

264
 ALLIES & ADVERSARIES

BANDIT (LACKEY) BERSERKER (ELITE)

In this setting, the term bandit refers to the unaligned des- Although they seem to have a preponderance of warriors who
perados of the wastelands who prey on the weak for survival, succumb to battle frenzy, it isn’t just the Vykers who boast
which includes any unfortunate faction members who find berserkers amongst their ranks. The post-apocalyptic world is a
themselves lost and alone. They aren’t Freelancers selling hate-filled, dangerous place. All too often, the only answer to a
their services to warbands for cash or gas, but rather they are situation is to face it with a furious roar and adrenaline-fuelled
vicious opportunists who rely on surprise, fear, and brutality fury. The statistics presented here represent a typical blood-
to eke a living outside of the main factions. Whether they have thirsty and battle-hardened warrior that can often be found
deserted, been exiled, or simply refused entrance in the first amongst the ranks of every faction.
place, each bandit has chosen to live an existence away from
the major communities of the West Coast. They are relatively ATTRIBUTES
weak individually, preferring to face foes in groups and using AGI AWA BRW COO INT PER WILL
elements of surprise and terrain to their advantage. Depending 9 7 11 9 7 9 8
on where and when they are encountered, bandits may be on
foot or else making use of ramshackle vehicles. FIELDS OF EXPERTISE
Combat +2 2 Movement +1 1 Social — —
ATTRIBUTES Fortitude +1 1 Senses +1 — Technical — —
AGI AWA BRW COO INT PER WILL
STRESS AND SOAK
9 8 9 9 8 8 8 Vigour 11 Nerve 8
FIELDS OF EXPERTISE Armour Soak 2 Morale Soak 2
Combat +1 — Movement +1 — Social — —
Fortitude — — Senses +1 — Technical — —
GEAR: Chain Shirt, Melee Weapon

STRESS AND SOAK ATTACKS

Vigour 5 Nerve 4 • MACE: Melee, 6 , Unbalanced, Piercing 1, Stun
Armour Soak 1 Morale Soak —
• BERSERK FURY: Threaten, Range C, 3  mental, Vicious 1
GEAR: Antique Revolver (3 Reloads), Leather Vest, Melee Weapon
SPECIAL ABILITY
ATTACKS • RECKLESS ASSAULT: Berserkers hurl themselves into
battle without regard for their own safety. When making
• KNIFE: Melee, 4 , Burst 1, 1H, Hidden 1, Piercing 1, Subtle 1 a close combat attack, they may choose to gain between
• ANTIQUE REVOLVER: Range C, 4 , 1H, Burst 1 1 to 3 bonus Momentum on the attack. Until the start
of their next turn, all enemies gain the same amount of
• STEELY GLARE: Threaten, Range C, 2  mental, Stun bonus Momentum on their attacks against the berserker.

SPECIAL ABILITY
• AMBUSH TACTICS: Bandits are seldom inclined to fight
fair, relying on sneak attacks and opportunism to tri-
umph. Their familiarity with such tactics grants them 1
bonus Momentum on all Movement tests to gain surprise
at the start of a combat.

265
 CHAPTER 10

BODYGUARD (ELITE) CULTIST (LACKEY)

With so many opportunists lining up and ready to take their The Day of the Apocalypse and rising of the dead were hailed
place at the first sign of weakness, all good leaders keep a as the prophesied End of Days by many. Judgement had been
bodyguard close to protect their skin. It’s often a huge step made and humanity had been found wanting. Some prayed
for someone to give their complete loyalty in the post-apoca- to the heavens above or their own equivalent for deliverance,
lyptic world, so would-be leaders need to choose wisely when while a few others turned to older, more primal gods for sal-
selecting someone that will undoubtedly be asked to lay their vation. A small number chose to establish their own teachings
life on the line for them. Luckily, there is often a large selection that were much more suited to these darker times. With so
of sycophants to choose from. many seeking answers to the horrors that they faced daily,
it didn’t take much for the odd nefarious cult to take root in
ATTRIBUTES scattered communities of survivors. Having had a few decades
AGI AWA BRW COO INT PER WILL to flourish, most of these fanatical sects are deadly to non-be-
9 10 10 9 7 8 8 lievers. Some whisper that the highly ritualised lives of the
Justice borders on cult-like mania, though never within earshot.
FIELDS OF EXPERTISE
Combat +3 2 Movement +2 1 Social +1 — ATTRIBUTES
Fortitude +2 2 Senses +1 1 Technical — — AGI AWA BRW COO INT PER WILL

STRESS AND SOAK 9 8 8 8 7 9 7

Vigour 10 Nerve 8 FIELDS OF EXPERTISE
Armour Soak 2 Morale Soak 2 Combat +1 — Movement — — Social +1 —
Fortitude +1 — Senses — — Technical +1 —
GEAR: Armoured Vest, HUMP (3 Reloads), Melee Weapon
STRESS AND SOAK
ATTACKS Vigour 4 Nerve 4
Each bodyguard has a personal weapon or weapons of choice Armour Soak — Morale Soak 3
that should be tailored to the bodyguard’s personality and role.
Following is a common set of weapons: GEAR: Melee Weapon
• SWORD: Melee, 7 , 1H, Parry 1 ATTACKS
• HUMP: Range C, 7 , Unbalanced, Burst 2 • KNIFE: Melee, 3 , 1H, Hidden 1, Piercing 1, Subtle 1
• DEADLY REPUTATION: Threaten, Range C, 3  mental, Stun • CRAZED GLARE: Threaten, Range C, 3  mental, Stun
SPECIAL ABILITY SPECIAL ABILITY
• BODYSHIELD: A Bodyguard can designate an NPC (or PC • FANATICAL: Cultists may reroll 1d20 on Fortitude tests.
in some circumstances) to protect. The Bodyguard may
take the Guard Reaction without the need to spend 1
Heat, though only in response to their designated charge
being declared as the target of an attack.

FALLOUT SPENDS
• COUNTER-AMBUSH (3 FALLOUT): Whenever attacked
in melee by an ambushing party, the bodyguard can
spend 3 Fallout to negate any bonus the ambush may
have granted.

266
 ALLIES & ADVERSARIES

CULT LEADER (KINGPIN) FERAL (LACKEY OR ELITE)

Servants of their chosen religion and often leaders within their In order to survive, a few tragic survivors of the Day of the
cults, these men and women are accustomed to fanatical loy- Apocalypse have had no alternative but to totally succumb
alty from the faithful that surround them. Theirs is the duty to to their base instincts. Whether due to distance or hordes or
offer religious sermons and lead the believers during sacred Revenants, they have been cut off from contact with other
rituals, no matter how horrible or sublime. Whether priest or communities and much-needed supplies, which has led to a
priestess, the cult leader is a charismatic and powerful force stripping back of the façade of civilisation until only a wild-
that has the total devotion of their faithful. eyed, feral human remains. They have little need for speech,
for sound attracts the undead. Many ferals are now second or
ATTRIBUTES third generation, which also means they have little knowledge
AGI AWA BRW COO INT PER WILL of the tools that lie unused around them.
9 8 8 8 10 11 10
ATTRIBUTES
FIELDS OF EXPERTISE AGI AWA BRW COO INT PER WILL
Combat +1 — Movement — — Social +3 2
9 9 10 9 5 9 9
Fortitude +1 — Senses +1 1 Technical +2 1
FIELDS OF EXPERTISE
STRESS AND SOAK
Combat +2 — Movement +2 1 Social — —
Vigour 9 Nerve 11
Fortitude +3 1 Senses +1 1 Technical — —
Armour Soak 1 Morale Soak 3
STRESS AND SOAK (LACKEY)
GEAR: Armoured Clothing, Melee Weapon Vigour 5 Nerve 5
Armour Soak — Morale Soak 1
ATTACKS STRESS AND SOAK (ELITE)
• MACE: Melee, 4 , Unbalanced, Piercing 1, Stun Vigour 10 Nerve 9
• DEVOUT ORATORY: Threaten, Range C, 4  mental, Stun Armour Soak — Morale Soak 2

SPECIAL ABILITIES GEAR: Melee Weapon

• BELOVED: Any cult member within reach will attempt to
prevent the cult leader coming to harm. ATTACKS
• DELIVERANCE: No matter how nefarious or benign their • KNIFE: Melee, 5 , 1H, Hidden 1, Piercing 1, Subtle 1
religion, cult leaders often seem to lead a charmed exist- • SPEAR: Melee, 6 , Unbalanced, Piercing 1, Reach, Thrown
ence. They need only spend 2 Fallout to gain the use of
a Salvage Point, instead of the usual 3. • WILD HOWL: Threaten, Range C, 2  mental
• FANATICAL: A cult leader may reroll a single d20 on any SPECIAL ABILITIES
Fortitude test. • WILD ABANDON: If a group of ferals knock an enemy
prone, they may immediately make an additional attack
• TOKEN OF FAVOUR: A cult leader may have some talis- against the prone enemy with a melee weapon they are
man or relic sacred to their religion, and revered by the
holding, increasing the difficulty by 1 exactly as if they
faithful. Once per scene, the cult leader may brandish this
had used the Swift Attack Momentum Spend.
item to receive an additional d20 (max. 5d20) to inspire
cult members with the Social Field of Expertise. The • SCENT (OPTIONAL): Ferals may use their Senses Area of
token’s nature and precise attributes should be deter- Expertise to track prey or threats, and may reroll 1d20 on
mined by the GM. all Senses tests made to detect a target by scent.

267
 CHAPTER 10

FERAL CHIEF (KINGPIN) GUARD (LACKEY OR ELITE)

Some ferals possess a cunning intellect that sets them apart No community that has survived the two decades since
from the rest of their tribe. Most feral chiefs are survivors of the apocalypse would dream of leaving its walls or borders
the Day of the Apocalypse that have descended into savagery unguarded. Faction heads and their subordinates also tend
alongside the other members of their tribe. They often recall to set their own personal guard to watch over their personal
rudimentary means to operate the discarded equipment that wealth, which includes their magnificent wheels. A typical
lies abandoned in the empty sbuildings of their domains, which guard ranges from lacklustre and poorly trained to professional
elevates them to god-like status amongst their peers. and highly motivated. Being entrusted with their community’s
sanctity means that they must also face the consequences
ATTRIBUTES when they fail at their duty, so most at least appear to take
AGI AWA BRW COO INT PER WILL their responsibility seriously.
10 10 11 9 8 9 9 The guards listed here can also be used to represent average
FIELDS OF EXPERTISE trained personnel from any faction, with only basic armour and
Combat +2 2 Movement +2 1 Social +2 — weapons to change depending on their faction’s preferences.

Fortitude +3 2 Senses +1 1 Technical — — ATTRIBUTES

STRESS AND SOAK AGI AWA BRW COO INT PER WILL
Vigour 14 Nerve 12 9 8 9 8 7 8 7
Armour Soak 1 Morale Soak 2
FIELDS OF EXPERTISE
GEAR: Leather Vest, Melee Weapon Combat +1 1 Movement — — Social +1 —
Fortitude +1 — Senses +1 1 Technical — —
ATTACK STRESS AND SOAK (LACKEY)
• MACE: Melee, 6 , Unbalanced, Piercing 1, Stun Vigour 5 Nerve 4

• WILD HOWL: Threaten, Range C, 2  mental Armour Soak 2 Morale Soak —

STRESS AND SOAK (ELITE)

SPECIAL ABILITIES Vigour 9 Nerve 7
• SCENT: A feral chief may use its Senses Area of Expertise Armour Soak 2 Morale Soak 1
to track prey or threats, and may reroll 1d20 on all Senses
tests made to detect a target by scent.
GEAR: Armoured Vest, Carb (3 Reloads), Melee Weapon
• WILD ABANDON: If a group of ferals knock an enemy
prone, they may immediately make an additional attack ATTACKS
against the prone enemy with a melee weapon they are • THROWING AXE: Melee, 4 , 1H, Thrown, Vicious 1
holding, increasing the difficulty by 1 exactly as if they
had used the Swift Attack Momentum Spend. • CARB: Range M, 5 , , Burst 2, 2H
Additionally, a feral chief has one of the two following abilities: • SCRUTINISING GLARE: Threaten, Range C, 2 
mental, Stun
• CUNNING AND TRICKERY: Feral chiefs know their terrain
intimately. If able to set an ambush, they gain 2 bonus FALLOUT SPEND
Momentum on the test. GMs are encouraged to use • HALT! (1 FALLOUT): A guard boss may spend 1 Fallout in
Fallout spends to simulate the traps and tricks of this order to make a threaten attack. This attack uses the
cunning foe (see p. 240for more information on traps). Social Field of Expertise, with a range of M and inflicts
3  mental damage, with the Area and Stun qualities.
• OLD WORLD RECALL (X+1 FALLOUT): Feral chiefs can
sometimes recall the benefits of using the discarded
items that lie around their domains. The GM can spend
X+1 Fallout for the chief to produce an item of equipment
or weapon for use, where X is equal to the Rarity of the
item being produced. No more than 4 Fallout may be
spent on this ability during a round (effectively limiting
the Rarity of items that can be produced to 3).

268
 ALLIES & ADVERSARIES

PIRATE (LACKEY OR ELITE) PIRATE CAPTAIN (KINGPIN)

Not every threat to land-based communities and their Possessed of steely nerves, nefarious charisma, timely resource-
resources stems from other land-dwelling groups. The Teams fulness, vicious ruthlessness, and masterful skill with weaponry,
still sweep the coast around San Diego as much as they can, but pirate captains are virtually a force of nature on the high seas.
that doesn’t stop pirates from foraying onto land in other areas By means of offering a potential rivalry to one or more of the
of the West Coast. Of the few ships plying the waters of the PCs or their faction, these devilish rogues should be used as
West Coast, most are crewed by desperate reavers and pirates interesting and compelling villains. Becoming a pirate captain
seeking to claim much-needed supplies. Los Nigromantes have and holding on to the title requires a rare strength of personal-
also been known to line their decks with Revenants, giving rise ity, and such anti-heros should stand out in any rogue’s gallery.
to new legends of ships crewed by the dead.
ATTRIBUTES
ATTRIBUTES AGI AWA BRW COO INT PER WILL
AGI AWA BRW COO INT PER WILL
9 9 9 9 9 10 9
9 9 9 8 7 7 7
FIELDS OF EXPERTISE
FIELDS OF EXPERTISE Combat +2 2 Movement +2 1 Social +2 1
Combat +1 1 Movement +1 1 Social — — Fortitude +2 1 Senses +1 1 Technical +1 —
Fortitude +1 — Senses +1 — Technical +1 —
STRESS AND SOAK
STRESS AND SOAK (LACKEY) Vigour 11 Nerve 11
Vigour 5 Nerve 4 Armour Soak 1 Morale Soak 2
Armour Soak 1 Morale Soak 1

STRESS AND SOAK (ELITE) GEAR: Leather Jacket, Melee Weapon, HUMP (3 Reloads)
Vigour 9 Nerve 7
ATTACKS
Armour Soak 1 Morale Soak 1
• SWORD: Melee, 6 , 1H, Parry 1
GEAR: Leather Jacket, Melee Weapon, Pistol (2 Reloads) • HUMP: Range C, 6 , Burst 2, Unbalanced
ATTACKS • SILVER-TOOTHED GRIN: Threaten, Range C, 4 
mental, Stun
• BAT: Melee, 4 , 1H, Stun
• KNIFE: Melee, 4 , 1H, Hidden 1, Piercing 1, Subtle 1 SPECIAL ABILITIES
• PISTOL: Range C, 5 , Burst 1, 1H • SALTY DOG: Pirates are used to combat aboard ship. They
no longer suffer penalties caused by the random motion
• SALTY GRIMACE: Threaten, Range C, 2  mental of a ship when making tests.

SPECIAL ABILITIES • SEA FORTRESS: On their own vessel, a pirate cap-

tain always has Light Cover (+2  Cover Soak) against
• SALTY DOG: Pirates are used to combat aboard ship. They ranged attacks.
no longer suffer penalties caused by the random motion
of a ship when making tests.
FALLOUT SPEND
• BOARDING ACTION: Experts at boarding unfriendly • FEARSOME REPUTATION (1 FALLOUT): A pirate captain
craft, pirates know all the best places to seek cover. can spend 1 Fallout (Repeatable) for +1  mental damage
When boarding, pirates gain 2  Cover Soak against to a Silver-Toothed Grin attack.
ranged attacks.

269
 CHAPTER 10

ROAD WARRIOR (ELITE) THUG (LACKEY)

The crumbling freeways of the former United States are the Lurking in dark alleys and dominating the rougher parts of
constant battlegrounds of the post-apocalypse. It requires a already dilapidated communities, thugs typically work for
special kind of warrior to step up to the foot plate and join more cunning or influential bosses, serving as muscle or as
the ride, and another entirely to survive beyond their first reconnaissance, sometimes out of fear and sometimes due to
skirmish on the Devil’s Run; successful road warriors need the opportunities for violence and greed. Thugs are essentially
a chrome-plated heart, an unshakeable nerve, and reliable brutes, using force and fear to coerce others into compliance,
wheels. Triumph brings wealth and renown, which in turn and are most commonly encountered in Mobs or Gangs, led
brings better equipment and upgrades. Of course, every sea- by a more experienced, if not smarter, leader.
soned road warrior knows that there is another young upstart
ready and willing to take their place. ATTRIBUTES
A road warrior will always have some type of vehicle (see p. ). AGI AWA BRW COO INT PER WILL

9 8 10 8 7 7 7
ATTRIBUTES
AGI AWA BRW COO INT PER WILL
FIELDS OF EXPERTISE
Combat +1 — Movement — — Social — —
9 8 10 10 8 10 10
Fortitude — — Senses +1 — Technical — —
FIELDS OF EXPERTISE
STRESS AND SOAK
Combat +2 2 Movement +1 — Social +2 1
Vigour 5 Nerve 4
Fortitude +1 — Senses +1 — Technical +1 1
Armour Soak 1 Morale Soak 1
STRESS AND SOAK
Vigour 10 Nerve 10 GEAR: Leather Jacket, Melee Weapon
Armour Soak 2 Morale Soak 2
ATTACKS
GEAR: Chain Shirt, Pistol, Melee Weapon, Vehicle • CLUB: Melee, 5 , 1H, Improvised, Knockdown, Stun
ATTACKS • STEELY GLARE: Threaten, Range C, 2  mental, Stun
• CROWBAR: Melee, 5 , 1H, Stun SPECIAL ABILITY
• PISTOL: Range C, 4 , Burst 1, 1H • STRENGTH IN NUMBERS: A thug’s attack inflicts an addi-
tional +2  damage against any creature that has already
• STEEL NERVE: Threaten, Range C, 4  mental, Stun been attacked this round.

FALLOUT SPEND
• VEHICULAR MAYHEM (1-2 FALLOUT): Coordination and
opportunity are key. For each Fallout spent, the road war-
rior or a chosen ally gains 2  towards Impact damage
for the remainder of the round.

270
 ALLIES & ADVERSARIES

REVENANTS GHOUL (ELITE)

Wild beasts and the dangers of the Run aen’t the only threat Driven by a never-ending need to eat human flesh, ghouls
a road warrior will face when away from their basecamp. The are one of the more dangerous Revenant mutations to have
living dead—the undead Revenants—stalk streets that are appeared in recent times. Iron-skinned and consumed by
empty of the living. In the years since the Day of the Apocalypse, pain, they retain a base intelligence despite their undead state.
only the desperate or foolhardy venture deep into any urban Enough to know what they once were and what they’ve become.
settlement that is outside of San Francisco and its immediate Almost continuously screeching to herd their lesser cousins,
surrounds. these hunters work together to drive their panicked prey into
cunning traps. Some ghouls even use improvised weapons.
The Revenant Virus was a parting gift from Russia. The wide-
spread devastation that decimated North America meant that ATTRIBUTES
there were none left alive in any position of authority to exam- AGI AWA BRW COO INT PER WILL
ine the virus and determine its properties or counter its effects.
8 8 9 8 3 8 11
If any of the countries that are part of the Continental Allied
Quarantine have managed to create an antidote or even study FIELDS OF EXPERTISE
its long-term effects, they certainly aren’t saying. Combat +2 1 Movement +2 1 Social +2 —

Still, a few common facts continually resurface amongst all Fortitude +2 2 Senses +2 1 Technical — —
of the embellished tales that the uneducated pass on to each STRESS AND SOAK
other. First, the the virus is potent. It has lain in pools, recesses, Vigour 9 Nerve 11
and containers for two decades and will still turn the living
Armour Soak 1 Morale Soak 5
into the undead at the slightest contact. Second, unlike the
old zombie apocalyse movies, it doesn’t transfer by bite. The
GEAR: None
only way to become a Revenant is to be infected by the virus
from a liquid contaminent. Third, the virus seems to be mutat-
ATTACKS
ing. Or at least, different strains of Revenant have definitely
been encountered. Whether this is something that’s being • CLAWS: Melee, 6 , 1H
engineered is anyone’s guess, but the fact of the matter only • DEATH SCREECH: Threaten, Range C, 4 , Stun
adds to the terror.
SPECIAL ABILITIES
• APOCALYPTIC 2
• DEAD INSIDE: Ghouls are immune to threaten attacks.
• FEAR
• UNLIVING

271
 CHAPTER 10

SHAMBLER (LACKEY) TROLL (ELITE)

The lowest form of Revenant. Shamblers are filled with rage, Tales from myth and legend depict trolls lurking under bridges,
their teeth constantly bared in a savage grimace. They are walk- ready to snatch unwary travellers and feast on their limbs
ing nightmares that were once humans with lives as diverse as whilst their unfortunate meal still lives. With the advent of
anyone else. Now they wander the shattered world as slaves Revenants, trolls are nightmare become reality.
to their most base needs. The unfeeling Shamblers soak up
Standing more than two metres tall, with skin covered in lesions
punishment, requiring their victims to hack them to pieces
that exudes a caustic slime trolls are fearsome opponents. Their
even as they feed. Attracted by noise and the presence of other
arms reach the ground, giving them the appearance of zom-
Revenants, they shuffle around in droves, destroying every
bie-like gorillas. Which is only reinforced by the ape-like charge
living thing in their path like a swarm of bloodthirsty locusts.
they make when attacking, often finishing with a leap into the
ATTRIBUTES air, massive fists raised above their head and ready to smash
AGI AWA BRW COO INT PER WILL
down in a powerful blow.

6 6 9 6 1 6 11 Rarely encountered, trolls are the strongest of Revenant, death

personified. A troll’s roar can be heard from miles away, instill-
FIELDS OF EXPERTISE
ing terror in even the hardiest road warrior.
Combat +1 — Movement +1 — Social — —
Fortitude +2 — Senses — — Technical — — ATTRIBUTES
AGI AWA BRW COO INT PER WILL
STRESS AND SOAK
Vigour 5 Nerve 6 10 5 14 (2) 8 2 6 10
Armour Soak — Morale Soak 5 FIELDS OF EXPERTISE
Combat +3 2 Movement +1 1 Social — —
GEAR: None Fortitude +3 2 Senses +1 1 Technical — —

ATTACKS STRESS AND SOAK

Vigour 16 Nerve 10
• FISTS AND TEETH: Melee, 5 , 1H
Armour Soak 2 Morale Soak 5
• DEATH RATTLE: Threaten, Range M, 4 
NOTE: Shamblers must be in Mob or Gang that contains GEAR: None
4 or more of them to use Death Rattle.
ATTACKS
SPECIAL ABILITIES • PUMMELLING BLOWS: Melee, 1H, 11 , Knockdown, Stun
• DEAD INSIDE: Shamblers have no concept of fear. They • DEATH ROAR: Threaten, Range L, 4 , Stun
are immune to threaten attacks.

• FEAR 1 SPECIAL ABILITIES

• GRASPING • APOCALYPTIC 3
• MINDLESS • DEAD INSIDE: Trolls have no concept of fear. They are
immune to threaten attacks.
• UNLIVING • FEAR
• SUPERHUMAN STRENGTH 2
• UNLIVING
FALLOUT SPEND
• TERRIFYING ROAR (1 FALLOUT): A troll’s roar is enough
to freeze the blood. For 1 Fallout, every character within
Medium range of a troll’s Death Roar attack must attempt
a Challenging (D2) Discipline test or suffer the Dazed
condition.

272
 ALLIES & ADVERSARIES

Cruiser side-swiped the show’s protagonist. Frank Gomez’s

vehicle flipped and barrel rolled, leaving him staring into the
face of death and trapped in twisted wreckage as the fugitive
he had been pursuing bore down on him with an axe. It was
epic television that had millions upon millions of viewers both
horrified and on the edge of their seats at the prospect of
seeing an end to the man they had quickly grown to cherish.

It was not the end of course, but rather the beginning. The fugi-
tive’s axe came down hard on the chassis of Gomez’s battered
vehicle, wrenching open the door and pulling its occupant
free. Though he had been tagged as “Bane” by the Law, the
Australian fugitive introduced himself as Redensky. Gomez
gritted his teeth against his injuries. He wasn’t interested in
sizing up his failed bounty as either ally or enemy. He was
only concerned with the fun he could have with the Police
Interceptor his quarry had been driving.

And so Head Hunter was born. Sanchez received all the

resources he would need to follow and televise Frank Gomez
THE HUNTERS as he built a crew of Hunters and led them on near-impossible
‘El Gran Hey’ Sanchez is a talented producer. His pilot series, missions to bring down dangerous fugitives — or that’s how
El Mexicana, ran ratings into previously unknown heights fol- the network portrays the Hunter’s quarry at least.
lowing the devastation of North America. Following Francisco
People tune in to not only watch the action week after week,
Gomez, a Mexican survivor coming to terms with the loss of
but also to hang on the friendships and relationships that
family and home, the expert cinematography and brutal real-
have formed following the introduction of characters like Ned
ism of the reality tv series gripped viewers the world over as
Raggar, Riot Grrl and Aya Decadencia, the latter of whom has
they experienced firsthand the aftermath of the Revenant Virus
gone on to become the love of Gomez’s life. Despite the bru-
that had ravaged the United States.
tality and violence, this unlikely bunch of well-funded road
Shortly after El Mexicana took to the air, South America warriors are touted as showing the world that a tiny sprin-
imploded. One by one, South American countries went to kling of humanity still exists in the Revenant-infested wastes
war and the drug barons’ exports were crip-pled. As the only of North America. Life on the road isn’t cheap, however, and
country with an organised military still at their disposal, one while Frank and the regular stars are treated well off-cam-
which was soon bolstered by the private armies of the des- era, it is vital for ratings that they regularly go through the
perate drug cartels, Brazil stepped in and quickly swept aside mill on-screen. This often means facing dangerous runs with
any resistance. Almost the entirety of South America became a sup-ply of eager young meat shields surrounding the pack.
Brazilia, and a new superpower was born. The govern-ment Thankfully, there are plen-ty of people lining up to be the next
of Brazilia still had access to a network of television satellites big star on The Hunters.
capable of broadcasting around the world to anyone still able
to watch tv, and thus was born Brazilia’s hottest export.
CURRENT AFFAIRS
The state-owned Brazilia television company, Rio de Janeiro The Hunters follow the bounty. Day after day. Week after week.
Empresa de Radi-odifusión (RJER), picked up Sanchez as a They are directed by Sanchez, who has taken to calling himself
producer following episode three of El Mexicana, which had the saviour of RJER. While acting as the man who calls the
captured one Frank Gomez taking a shot at forging a new life shots makes him feel like he’s the top of the food chain, it is
and reputation by chasing a fugitive from the Law Haulage actually Head Hunter who leads the pack, and Sanchez knows it.
Company. Viewers were entranced by the inaugural steps
The Hunters rarely run to a personal agenda. Their daily affairs
of someone who was to become one of the most notorious
are decided for them by the network, which in turn are dictated
bounty hunters north of the Panama Canal; a man who was
to by ratings and consumer panels (many of whom are under
clearly living on the edge. Episode three was a masterclass in
the influence of Brazilia’s barons in one way or another). The
live editing. Cam-era cuts from both inside and outside the
internal politics of the gang have grown very little beyond the
vehicle, recaps of emotional character-building shots from epi-
off-screen relationships that exist between members, which
sode two, and a close-up multi-angle view as the fugitive’s Law
is largely down to the facts that Frank Gomez runs a tight ship

273
 CHAPTER 10

and striving to remain a star on a full-time, non-stop reality tv

show just doesn’t leave time for personal agendas. Everyone
TOOLS OF THE TRADE
Other than all of their vehicles being rigged with a range of live
had troubles, loss, hardship and fear before becoming a star
broadcast equip-ment and cameras, The Hunters are a band of
attraction of The Hunters; a few episodes in, however, and their
unique individuals who are free to use the equipment they’re
old life was but a distant memory. The show is an all-consum-
provided as they please. This gives The Hunters an eclectic
ing lifestyle choice for some and a calling for others.
style, with no two members riding the same vehicle or using
While other gangs in spend their downtime performing repairs the same weapon.
or fortifying their encampments, The Hunters can kick-back
Head Hunter and his co-pilot, Raggar, ride their customised
and leave those tasks to the small army of network-funded
muscle car, the Aco-sador. As much a star of the show as
mechanics, techs, weaponsmiths and costume artists that do
Gomez himself, the vehicle is constantly be-ing tweaked with
the work for them. While South America is the official home
new gadgets and weapons. People tune in week after week
of the founding members, The Hunters very much live on the
just to see what new trinkets and toys will be brought to the
road, never returning from the CQZ and moving from state to
show. Frank’s signature move involves him standing atop the
state as directed. Any time not spent recovering from the last
Acosador, mounted in place with magnetic boots and wielding
show is dedicated towards prepping for the next. Rehearsing
the huge axe, “Guillotine”, which is the same axe that Bane
the scripted sections, action shots, and kill scenes that the
used to break him free of the wreckage in episode three of
network wants to see, re-searching the targets and their capa-
El Mexicana. Once close enough, he is able to launch himself
bilities, testing camera dynamics, and gener-ally ensuring that
onto other vehicles with the intent of beheading the driver,
each show will attract bigger ratings than the last. Even when
Head Hunter style!
everything goes to crap, ratings still make the world go round.
The Road Ronin prefers to wield the iconic weapons of her
namesake, expertly slicing opponents from her motorcycle
MEMBERSHIP with her Japanese blades. Riot Grrl’s in-stantly recognisa-
Joining The Hunters happens in one of two ways: either an
ble hybrid of muscle car and battle tank, however, not only
encounter with Head Hunter that results in an offer of employ-
pro-vides an enormous wow factor, but also packs serious
ment, or via the RJER’s recruitment pro-cess. Typically speaking,
explosive firepower far be-yond the ballistic capabilities of
those who are found in the field by Gomez go on to be stars
most other vehicles on the run.
and those selected by the station invariably end up as roadkill.
Regardless, everyone plays their part. Due to the nature of The Hunters’ existence, all members and
vehicles have ad-vanced radio equipment that enables them
Rio de Janeiro Empresa de Radiodifusión’s selection process
to stay in touch and receive direction during the action. These
involves inviting promising applicants to a training event. Once
systems are often covert so as to make the show seem as real
there, they are tested in wide a range of physical and mental
as possible to the average viewer.
activities. Those that pass are given the choice of signing a
waiver or returning home. Signees are subjected to an intense
chemical barrage and training package intended to turn the ALLIES AND ENEMIES
average potato farmer into a muscle-bound tv star with a very The Hunters have associated with a large number of characters
short life span. The raw recruit is then air-dropped into The and factions throughout the show’s history. They have also
Hunters current position with a vehicle of some sort, where made a few enemies along the way. The network and pro-
they swiftly end up at the head of the pack. Lasting beyond a ducers of the show largely steer any alliances, allow them to
few shows is a rarity for new recruits, though any who do so direct inter-faction relationships based on viewer expectations.
always end up having a career with the gang.
Frank Gomez has a soft spot for the man who saved his life.
The members who join through Frank’s recommendation are Though he has cho-sen to remain a freelancer, Gomez has been
road warriors en-countered during the shows. He’s a discerning known to bring Bane into the fold occasionally, particularly if he
judge of whether someone will be an instant hit and, despite needs Redensky’s instinct and passion for doing the right thing.
initial friction, the network have grown to trust his judgement.
Vampyr riding with the crew has placed The Hunters in the
There is little risk personal risk for Frank, as his inner circle and
crosshairs of the Bri-tAttack’s upper echelon. Particularly with
the station protect him like a king. Anyone who lasts a season
the remaining BeefEaters, English, Irish, and Scotch, who are
on The Hunters will likely be around for more thanks to the
hell-bent on tracking Vampyr down and putting him in the
new recruits suffering the bulk of the attri-tion, which leaves
ground, or worse.
the stars to dazzle the viewers with multi-angle, high-defini-
tion mayhem.

274
 ALLIES & ADVERSARIES

HEAD HUNTER (KINGPIN) GEAR: Leathers, Guillotine, Pistol (3 Reloads), Cazador

Seemingly charmed, Gomez is both well-kept and protected.
Though he wants for very little off-screen, it could never be ATTACKS
argued that he hides himself behind others. Frank is undoubt- • PISTOL: Range C, 6 , Burst 1, 1H
edly one of the greatest road warriors in North America, with
fifteen years of combat experience from across the CQZ. • GUILLOTINE: Melee, 2H, 9 , Grievous, Vicious 2
The life he has led since meeting ‘El Gran Hey’ Sanchez has • DEATH GLARE: Threaten, Range C, 5 , Stun
seen him embark on a journey of self-discovery and growth,
SPECIAL ABILITIES
all televised for the viewers’ pleasure. Off-screen, his romance
with Aya Decadencia is very real, as are the friendships he • FIRST HUNTER: Gomez’s prowess is very real. He can
reroll 1d20 when making Acrobatics, Athletics, Drive, or
holds with other long-standing members of The Hunters. Frank
Melee tests, or up to 3  when making a melee attack.
understands the importance of the show. He’s the biggest star
Additionally, each Momentum spent or Fallout paid when
in the world but knows that this could change in an instant.
making Drive tests nets 2 d20s, instead of 1. Further, he
reduces the difficulty of test by 1 when jumping and
ATTRIBUTES treats the distance fallen as 1 zone shorter when falling.
AGI AWA BRW COO INT PER WILL

12 10 10 12 9 10 10
• SHOWMAN: Gomez is well-practiced at fighting on
fast-moving vehicles. He treats the top of a moving vehi-
FIELDS OF EXPERTISE cle as difficult terrain (rather than hazardous) and doesn’t
Combat +3 3 Movement +3 2 Social +2 1 suffer the +1 asspciated difficulty increase.
Fortitude +2 2 Senses +2 1 Technical +1 1
FALLOUT SPEND
STRESS AND SOAK • THE MONEY SHOT (X FALLOUT): When leaping at a target
Vigour 12 Nerve 12 with Guillotine, he can spend 1-3 Fallout to add Piercing
Armour Soak 1 Morale Soak 5 X to the attack (X equals the Fallout spent).

CAZADOR
EXPOSED (2 CS), GROUND, WHEELED
The iconic and instantly recognisable vehicle driven by Head
Hunter. He relies on a crew member to drive when leaping
between vehicles to claim his prize.

ATTRIBUTES
SCALE SPEED BRAWN HANDLING

1 2 12 1

DETAILS
Max. Passengers Impact

2 6  (Knockdown, Vicious 2)

HARDPOINTS
Chassis 3, External 1, Internal 3, Motive 1, Weapons 2

DEFENCES
Structure 20 EP 1
Armour 3 Max. Fuel 15

VEHICLE UPGRADES/ABILITIES:
• BATTERING RAMS 2
• SPONSORED: Cazador’s may reroll an additional d20
each turn when making a Drive test.

275
 CHAPTER 10

ROAD RONIN (KINGPIN) GEAR: Leathers, Sword, Pistol (3 Reloads), Motorcycle

A street rat turned gang leader, Aya Decadencia survived on
the alleyways of Rio de Janeiro by being smart rather than ATTACKS
violent. That all changed after her companions were brutally • PISTOL: Range C, 6 , Burst 1, 1H
slaughtered by a cartel for getting in the way. As the only sur-
vivor, Aya went underground where she learned the way of • BLADE OF THE RONIN: Melee, Unbalanced, 6 , Parry
1, Piercing 1
the katana and brewed her revenge.

A spate of assassinations made the news shortly after Brazilia • GGG: Grenade, 4 , 1H, Disposable, Incendiary 1,
Indiscriminate (Close), Speculative Fire, Spread 1, Thrown,
formed, all high-profile business men, politicians, and cartel
Unsubtle 1, Vicious 1
officers, all decapitated with the number forty-two scored into
their foreheads. The man who had ordered the death of the • DEATH GLARE: Threaten, Range C, 5 , Stun
forty-two members of Aya’s street gang new what this meant.
The man who was also now the third president of Brazilia. He SPECIAL ABILITIES
was also soon dead, but this time his body was left with for- • EXPERT RIDER: Aya is an accomplished Hunter. She can
ty-two stab wounds and the head was never recovered. Shortly reroll 1d20 when making Acrobatics, Athletics, Drive, or
after, Aya became the first person and only person to success- Melee tests, or up to 3  when making a melee attack.
fully penetrate the Panama Defence Barricade (PDB). ‘El Gran Additionally, each Momentum spent or Fallout paid when
Hay’ Sanchez stepped in to protect her from recrimination making Drive tests nets 2 d20s, instead of 1. Further, she
and secure the rights to the follow up series for El Mexicana. gains an additional Standard Action when riding a bike
and reduces the penalty for splitting her focus when
ATTRIBUTES doing so to 0.
AGI AWA BRW COO INT PER WILL

11 10 9 11 9 9 11
• LEADER: Aya’s presence inspires her fellow hunters.
Anyone under her command within Close range gains
FIELDS OF EXPERTISE 2  Morale Soak.
Combat +3 3 Movement +2 1 Social +1 1
Fortitude +2 1 Senses +2 1 Technical +2 — FALLOUT SPEND
STRESS AND SOAK
• ACID RAIN (1 FALLOUT): Aya begins a scene with 3 GGG
grenades. Once these are used, she may spend 1 Fallout
Vigour 11 Nerve 13 to immediately gain aonther one.
Armour Soak 1 Morale Soak 5

276
 ALLIES & ADVERSARIES

close-knit communities, and hoarding supplies all agreed were

necessary. Joining their forums, he gradually learned their ways
and started to encourage his people to do the same.

The routes to Baja were well-known, and many of the disparate

groups discussed the roads they would take on their trips. As
they continued to travel towards Baja, they started to leave
items at key points along the way, such as water towers, radio
stations, and water works. Anything far enough away from
larger settlements and on higher ground was made into one
of these waypoints.

Many people were still trying to reach Baja when the war
began. Trapped in hostile territory, they made their way to
the waypoints and hunkered down. As time progressed, the
waypoints grew, their strong sense of community meaning
that others saw how strong they were in their faith and love for
one another. Using basic radios they had, some on shortwave,
others on longwave, they slowly got back in contact, first with
Baja, then with each other, creating a network of groups with
LOS NIGROMANTES a similar but not identical ideologies.
When the world financial crisis started Jean-Paul Dumas, a
The horror of the world and the zombiefication of many of
charismatic evangelist preacher and his wife Alexandra who
the survivors gradually took its toll. Becoming more and more
founded the community that became Los Nigromantes,
inward looking, Los Nigromantes began to slowly morph. Use
gathered their followers and headed south to Baja California,
of narcotics following the discovery of several drugs facto-
entering Mexico and finally coming to rest in a small town with
ries only served to fuel the growing paranoia. It became so
a cactus sanctuary. More and more of their people travelled to
widespread that the drugs started to be incorporated into
join them, growing their settlement. Many weren’t Christian,
their rituals. The enhanced visions that Dumas experienced
but rather than insist that the new members assume their reli-
convinced him that he was the living embodiment of a new
gion, Dumas welcomed them with open arms. Gradually they
Messiah, Yahweh-Bondye—a mix of Christianity and Voudou—
had a thriving community that had even taken over the local
manufacturing miracles to convince others of the truth.
church. The various communities making up this group placed
Gradually, he changed from being a charismatic evangelical
a high value upon community, and its members always happy
to what could only be termed as an anti-priest, a necromancer,
to help those who weren’t part of their group just as happily
twisting both Christianity and Voudou to his own purposes.
as they would help those that were.
Food shortages also played a part as starvation settled in,
Their influence spread as more and more members continued
forcing Los Nigromantes to look to other humans as food
to make their way to Baja, so much so that they started to send
and protein. Those that didn’t meet the increasingly stringent
newcomers to the other towns on the peninsular. Dumas’s
membership requirements were labelled as cattle, placed
charismatic leadership and carfeul blend of various religions
into pens, and eaten when required. Los Nigromantes rapidly
won over even the most hardcore believers, creating one anew.
morphed into an evil perversion of two once benign religions.
Webcasts, video calls, and social media sessions saw Jean-Paul
Stealing La Catarina, the embodiment of death from the Day
and Alexandra become low-key religious celebrities, espe-
of the Dead, he created a macabre lieutenant and used her to
cially amongst those of their own people. As society started
lead twisted rituals. Taking advantage of the chaos after the
to degrade, their message was heard by increasing numbers, a
war, Yahweh-Bondye sent out followers willing to spread the
beacon of light for those that felt they were lost in the darkness.
new teachings.
America at the time was full of preppers, people who were
Beautiful women, all claiming to be virgins, set out alone into
sure that the government, or aliens, or the commies, even
the world, heading for the last-known locations of other Los
the ever-present “them”, were going to come and take their
Nigromantes groups. Equipped with mind-altering drugs,
weapons, land, and loved ones. Dumas saw that whilst the
these Solitaires, as he called them, quickly insinuated them-
more enthusiastic of the preppers were three or four cans
selves into the splinter groups. Using the drugs and their claims
short of a six-pack, the rest of them, those that read the signs
to be clairvoyant, they started to alter the groups subtly until
and looked between the lines, were calmly preparing, forming

277
 CHAPTER 10

they became as true to the word of Yahweh-Bondye as they Los Nigromantes view all other groups as threats to their soci-
could be, ready to accept other members of the Loa as their ety and therefore humanity. Always taking and never giving.
leaders. Now, Los Nigromantes is spread throughout the Anyone who is not part of the Los Nigromantes is viewed as fair
former United States and continues to expand. game, with prisoners often being used to swell the numbers
of their zombie army.
CURRENT AFFAIRS
Yahweh-Bondye cannot, and will not, settle for a peaceful TOOLS OF THE TRADE
life. With his statement that all humanity bar those of Los Like most of the factions populating the United States, Los
Nigromantes serve as a threat, the congregation face only one Nigromantes uses vehicles and weapons found commonly in
choice: to sally forth and destroy all who face them. the United States with one exception—they’ve weaponised the
Zombie virus.
Yahweh-Bondye faces no challenge to his leadership. His com-
manders are totally united behind his banner. Each of them Recognising early on that the world was different, and that
owes their lives and those of their loved ones to his spiritual they would have to change in order to survive, Jean-Paul
leadership, and each of them knows that without him, Los Dumas looked at the Catholic festival, the Day of the Dead
Nigromantes would fall before waves of their enemies. and how they were venerated.

Not everything runs smoothly. Eating one’s fellow humans has Choosing several particularly nasty criminals, he injected them
its side-effects. No matter how hard the Slicers try, they can’t with various amounts of the virus, trying to find the smallest
guarantee that all cattle are disease free. without proper care dosage required. Now, he has an army of former enemies that
and preparation, people ran the risk of contracting any blood have been turned into zombies, his specialists and their assis-
borne disease like Hepatitis or Ebola from the infected person. tants turning themselves into macabre parodies of La Catarina
There is also another, nastier side effect. Prions. Versions of as the toll of their misdeeds broke their minds.
normal protein that have altered in shape, prions lose their
Gaily decorated in the way of the Day of the Dead, and referred
function to becoming infectious, causing a chain reaction and
to as the gros bon ange, the zombies strike terror into the
creating disease. Prion disease creates holes in the brain, giving
hearts of the enemies of Los Nigromantes.
it a spongiform appearance, and results in death.
MEAT WAGONS: Driven by slicers, the butchers of Los Nigromantes,
As more and more examples of the disease become apparent,
these vehicles drive terror into the hearts of their enemies. Dead
its sufferers are labelled as non-believers, their illness a punish-
or alive it matters not, the slicers gather all before them and place
ment for their lack of faith. Treated with the Revenant Virus and
them in the cages on the back of these huge trucks.
labelled as Cursed Ones, they are often the first into combat.
NOVA 9000: Well-armoured cars, often equipped with medium
Los Nigromantes also seem to have cracked the secret of the
machine guns, grenade launchers, and even the odd flamethrower,
Revenant Virus, or at least gained some control over its effects.
the Nova 9000 are small but tough targets that provide mobile
True to their name, they appear to have control over large
firepower. They work in close accord with the Soul Wagons to keep
numbers of Revenants, and even seem to have created some
the enemy suppressed so that the foot soldiers of Los Nigromantes
new strains of their own. Their tinkering with the virus and use
can get into action safely and quickly.
of its victims is, without doubt, terrifying to consider.
SOUL WAGONS: Matte-black hearses with enlarged rears and
MEMBERSHIP raised roofs, the Soul Wagons race towards the enemy, driving
Those people living within their domain who don’t meet through any and all attempts to stop them before screeching to
their membership requirements—unquestioning believe in a halt, their modified sides dropping down to disgorge revenants
Yahweh-Bondye—are viewed as sevites (servants), suitable only in the very centre of their enemy’s position.
for serving the true Los Nigromantes in both life and death.
Some, the unlucky ones, aren’t viewed worthy enough to be ALLIES AND ENEMIES
reduced to the status of slave, and so are reduced to cattle Los Nigromantes have no allies. They will hire Freelancers
status, served up on the platters of their masters. to carry out missions or tasks that they feel are below them
but allow none to call themselves ally. All others, including
Los Nigromantes have a strong code centred on avoiding the
former Freelancers, are viewed as enemies. You are either Los
vices of dishonour and greed, plus the willingness and ability
Nigromantes, or you are a threat to their survival.
to protect the family. The support of one’s own family is key
to Los Nigromantes. Take without reciprocating and the com-
munity will cease to exist. As will the taker.

278
 ALLIES & ADVERSARIES

APOSTLE (KINGPIN) GEAR: Armoured Clothing, HUMP (3 Reloads), Melee Weapon,

A chosen few, are deemed to be closest of all to Yahweh- Revenant Virus Applicator (normally doubles as melee weapon)
Bondye. Often described as the living manifestations of his
will, these Apostles—or Loa—are viewed with a reverence that is ATTACKS
surpassed only by the Supreme Creator or his wife, Alexandra. • HUMP: Ranged C, 6 , Burst 2, Unbalanced
An Apostle’s word is law amongst Los Nigromantes, for they are
deemed to be in direct connection with Yahweh-Bondye. They • REVENANT STAFF: Melee, 8, 2H, Knockdown, Stun
hold frequent council with Mother Alexandra by any means
SPECIAL ABILITIES
available, and it is these divine consultations that often lead
to new plans for the future and amendments to canon. As • INDOCTRINATED: Apostles and immune to the fear
effects produced by Revenants.
fearsome in battle as they are in spirit, Apostles are more than
capable of facing down the mightiest of road warriors. And • DIVINE WILL: As the chosen of Yahweh-Bondye, Apostles
that’s even not considering the horde of Revenants and living are fearsome opponents. They can reroll 1d20 when
congregation that they always have in tow. making Drive, Gang Warfare, Melee or Persuade tests,
or up to 3  when making a melee attack. They enjoy
ATTRIBUTES enjoy the benefits of the Big Gun and Chief talents under
AGI AWA BRW COO INT PER WILL Gang Warfare (see p. 97).
10 9 10 9 9 12 11
FALLOUT SPEND
FIELDS OF EXPERTISE
Combat +3 3 Movement +2 — Social +3 3
• SHEPHERD (1 OR 2 FALLOUT): There are always plenty of
bodies on hand to protect an Apostle. When an Apostle
Fortitude +3 2 Senses +2 1 Technical +2 1 is in a scene, reinforcements gained via Fallout provide
STRESS AND SOAK twice the amount of adversaries.
Vigour 13 Nerve 14
• JOIN THE FLOCK (2 FALLOUT): Apostles use the Revenant
Armour Soak 1 Morale Soak 5 Virus to create new monsters for their shambling hordes.
If an Apostle makes a successful melee attack, they can
pay 2 Fallout to add the Grievous quality to their attack.
Anyone killed with this ability rises as a shambler (p. 271).

COBILLIARD
CUMBERSOME, EXPOSED (2 CS), GROUND, WHEELED
Decked out in the livery of death, these cars are also powerful
icons for other Los Nigromantes road warriors.
ATTRIBUTES
SCALE SPEED BRAWN HANDLING

1 2 12 0

DETAILS
Max. Passengers Impact

5 7  (Knockdown)

HARDPOINTS
Chassis 2, External 2, Internal 3, Motive 1, Weapons 2

DEFENCES
Structure 15 EP 1
Armour 3 Max. Fuel 12

VEHICLE UPGRADES/ABILITIES:
• MINIGUN: Range L, 7 , Burst 3, Mounted, Area (Close),
Salvo (Terrifying 1), Spread 2, Unsubtle 1, Vicious 1

279
 CHAPTER 10

HOST (ELITE) MESSANJERO (ELITE)

The Hosts are the captains and elite warriors who lead their Every religion has it messengers. Los Nigromantes reserve
congregations into battle. Working themselves into a religious a special role for theirs. Also known as the “burning ones”,
fervour, they snarl and spout in tongues before falling into Messanjeros are covered head-to-toe in bright, flame retardant
fits and exulting Yahweh-Bondye whilst cutting themselves suits. Using jet packs, they swoop down on Yahweh-Bondye’s
with their bladed weapons. Drenched in their own blood and enemies, raining fire in the form of flamethrowers and incendi-
screaming gibberish, they rise once again as Yahweh-Bondye’s ary grenades as they do so. As their enemies burn, Messanjeros
wrath incarnate. Although their driving is often erratic, fuelled land amongst them, striking them down with melee weapons,
as they are by fervour and divine might, a Host’s vehicle often and distracting any survivors long enough for the congregation
seems to survive collisions that would wreck most others. to charge into their ranks.

Outside of battle, they are paragons of chastisement. Attentive To become a Messanjero, a Necromancer must first prove that
to their congregation, they ensure their followers adhere to their dedication to Yahweh-Bondye goes beyond anything
the teachings of Yahweh-Bondye, addressing any issues they expected. This means that they are few and far between, and
might have with their actions and reaffirming the understand- are considered amongst Yahweh-Bondye’s most loyal servants.
ing that family is all.
ATTRIBUTES
ATTRIBUTES AGI AWA BRW COO INT PER WILL
AGI AWA BRW COO INT PER WILL
9 8 9 9 8 8 9
11 8 9 9 8 9 9
FIELDS OF EXPERTISE
FIELDS OF EXPERTISE Combat +2 2 Movement +2 2 Social +1 —
Combat +3 2 Movement +1 — Social +2 2 Fortitude +2 — Senses +1 — Technical +2 —
Fortitude +2 1 Senses +1 1 Technical +1 —
STRESS AND SOAK
STRESS AND SOAK Vigour 9 Nerve 9
Vigour 9 Nerve 9 Armour Soak 2 Morale Soak 2
Armour Soak 1 Morale Soak 2
GEAR: Flamethrower (3 Reloads), Flame Retardant Suit, Jetpack
GEAR: Armoured Clothing, Melee Weapon, Pistol (3 Reloads)
ATTACKS
ATTACKS • FLAMETHROWER: Ranged R/C, 6 , Burst 1, 2H,
• PISTOL: Range C, 4 , Burst 1, 1H Incendiary, Munition, Spread 2, Terrifying 2, Torrent,
Unsubtle 2
• BATTLE AXE: Melee, Unbalanced, 6 , Grievous 1, Vicious 1
• SWORD: Melee, 5 , Unbalanced, Parry 1
SPECIAL ABILITIES
• INDOCTRINATED: Members of Los Nigromantes are con- SPECIAL ABILITIES
stantly exposed to Revenants and are immune to the fear • INDOCTRINATED: Members of Los Nigromantes are con-
effects they produce. stantly exposed to Revenants and are immune to the fear
effects they produce.
• RIGHTEOUS FURY: A Host must inflict 1 Vigour damage
on themselves to activate this ability. Righteous Fury
FALLOUT SPEND
increases their Combat Field of Expertise by 1 and adds
2  damage to melee weapon wielded while activated. • THE LORD’S WORK ( 1 FALLOUT): A Messanjero may spend
1 Fallout to ignore one of the following conditions: Blind,
A Host may not undertake any action that involves the
Dazed, or Staggered. The Lord’s Work is a Repeatable
Social or Technical Fields of Expertise while using this abil-
Fallout spend.
ity. Unless they spend 1 Fallout to end it early, Righteous
Fury remains in effect until the end of the scene.

280
 ALLIES & ADVERSARIES

When the first aid packages fell, many believed them to be a

trap. Russian bombs had been the last things to fall on American
soil, so the nation’s mistrust was high as the planes began
dropping parcels. When rumours started circulating that the
packages contained valuable supplies, the tribal leaders were
hesitant at first. Sending small squads of their least favoured
members to investigate, they began to mobilise their forces
when the rumours proved to have substance. Control of the
drop zones became number one priority and heralded blood-
shed unlike anything the wastes had ever seen. The number
of active tribes in the wastelands effectively halved overnight.

Those that remained each held sway over a single drop zone,
with ambition to take over more. Thus began the start of the
wasteland wars; years of unceasing raids between the tribes,
a never-ending power struggle that would end only with the
emergence of the fearful Skulltaker.

For many years, the wastelands of North America were impos-

sible to navigate without running into one of the wild tribes.
THE SKINNERS Venturing out in large numbers was the only way to ensure
America died ine one day, body and soul. Civilisation was relative safety, although this could not be guaranteed.
reduced to ash and rubble, cities collapsed, the country burned,
Then Skulltaker arrived, and the Skinners took control. A mad,
and millions died in seconds. The klaxons fell silent, the world
brutal, and selfish psychopath, Skulltaker takes delight in mur-
went dark, and the survivors cowered in holes in the ground,
dering and dismembering his victims. No one ever knew his real
waiting for a death that would only come slowly, if at all. Fear
name and he kills anyone foolish enough to ask. He is simply
and hunger were the only companions in those dark days, and
the Skulltaker – a title earned after reaping dozens of skulls all
many people turned to selfishness and savagery in order to
for the sake of quenching his bloodlust.
survive. No one dared to ask what the future would hold, for
there was no future further ahead than the next meal. A former chapter master of the Haul’s Angels, Skulltaker first
started as more vigilante than villain. His crew were populated
Some people tried desperately to cling to the old ways. Most
mostly by the youngest members of the Angels, the youths
were families who learned the hard way that might now meant
that had grown up in a violent and terrifying world and who
right, whilst compassion and sentiment often meant death
saw their monstrous Master as a man who embraced both
or worse. A whole generation of children saw humanity at its
the fear and violence and used it. As a show of faith in their
darkest and most depraved, learning not from books but blood-
leader, the officers of Skulltaker’s chapter began to mirror their
shed. None could predict the monsters they would become.
crazed master. High ranking officers would often mutilate their
For a short period of time there was relative peace in the waste- enemies and bedeck their rides with grim trophies torn from
lands. People had gathered into tribes, each cautious of losing the bodies of the slain, and soon the whole chapter began
the influence and unofficial hunting territories they had. With following these macabre practices. With every venture into
leadership established, scavenging became the order of the the wilds to hunt down wildmen and infected abominations,
day. Entire hunting grounds were scoured for anything sal- every raid on the Justice and Law gangs, Skulltaker’s gang
vageable: weapons, vehicles, food, narcotics, and anything else became closer and closer to the monsters they were fighting.
that could be put to use to improve the strength of the tribe.
And then came the desertion.
The membership of the tribes swelled during this period, as
The president of the Haul’s Angels died and the “elections”
the remaining survivors lost in the wastes faced the choice of
for the next President took the form of gladiatorial combat.
death alone or strength in numbers. Many of the tribes also
Skulltaker took to the arena and slew everyone in his path. His
used this time to hone their skills against the abominations
death matches were swift and brutal, and he quickly ascended
that now stalked the wastes. Some tribes chose to avoid them
the ladder, until he found himself with only a single opponent
entirely, setting up ramshackle towns in the skeletal remains
left: his older brother. Slider had watched his brother devolve
of the old civilisation. Others took to hunting the monsters as
into madness for years and hated him the way only a brother
prey, perfecting hit and run tactics, long range bombardment,
could. After a definitive battle, Slider placed his foot on his
hidden trapping, and a number of other methods.

281
 CHAPTER 10

wounded brother’s neck and declared himself the winner. The The looting of a kill is a privilege reserved for the killer, and it’s
crowd roared their approval, Slider offered his brother his hand, one of the biggest taboos in Skinner culture to loot the corpse
and what was left of Skulltaker’s sanity shattered. Defeated, of another Runner.
bested in the arena, and then offered mercy; the humiliation
A Gunner is only permitted their own ride after their first kill,
was too much to bear. Fury and madness revitalising his broken
and only if that kill is confirmed by their Runner. Once a kill
body, Skulltaker rose to his feet and stormed from the arena.
has been confirmed, the Gunner is permitted to loot the ride
He left the Angels and took his whole Chapter with him.
of their first kill, or any future kill should the rider and vehicle
Skulltaker and the rest of the Skinners spent the next year be destroyed during the kill. Over time Runners will custom-
roaming the wastes butchering anything they came across. ise their rides with trophies torn from the dead, or the living
Skulltaker was mad with hate and craved vengeance against for some of the more morbid tribes, loot new vehicles and
those that had humiliated him. Each roaming tribe he came weapons as per the needs and desires of the mobs and take
across he offered a simple choice: fall in with him and help rid on their own Gunners.
the wastes of the Angels, or face annihilation. A new age of
The Skinners follow a simple organisational tenant—survival of
terror descended on the wilds, for Skulltaker was not as erratic
the strongest. Skulltaker reigns as Supreme King of the Wastes
and selfish as the former warlords. His time in the Angels taught
by virtue of his strength, speed, skill and guile. He openly
him the importance of strategy and planning, making the tribes
accepts challengers and destroys most potential usurpers
more coordinated and dangerous than ever.
who dare try. His most serious challenger, Arabella Fury, and

CURRENT AFFAIRS several others have been spared execution and instead offered
positions of power within either the Skinners or the wider tribal
Two years have passed since the Skinners deserted the Haul’s
network that feeds Skulltaker’s Empire.
Angels, and Skulltaker now reigns as the unofficial king of the
wastelands. The tribes of the wastes are still too numerous Skulltaker’s inner circle is constantly in flux in number and com-
to count, but most of them pay a tithe of gasoline, food, and position and is filled with the strongest and most murderous
weapons whenever the tallymen come calling. For the most road warriors found within the wasteland. The specifics of the
part, Skulltaker allows those tribes that follow him autonomy inner circle matter little to Skulltaker, as long as they come
to raid and slaughter to their hearts’ content. Every few months to heel when called like the dogs they are. Skulltaker acts as
though, Skulltaker will call upon several tribes to unite and join beacon for all the most depraved and maddened individu-
him on the Devil’s Run, the death-race to one of the supply als and the number of smaller tribes flocking to his banner is
drop zones. Only the fiercest and most deadly of his followers always increasing.
survive. Fortunately, Skulltaker has a seemingly limitless supply
Beyond this limited leadership, the Skinners have no formal
of bloodthirsty fanatics, and he joyfully allows these men and
organisational structure. Each tribe has its own unique compo-
women to throw themselves on the swords of his enemies
sition based upon the whims and desires of their leader, who
whilst he escapes with the prize.
occasionally report directly to one of the Skinners, Skulltaker’s
Each successful Run is little more than a small part a plan that original gang, or Skulltaker himself. Most tribes are made up of
brings Skulltaker closer to finally launching his strike against a series of smaller mobs who in turn report to the tribal leader,
the Angels. He thirsts for vengeance against the Haul’s Angels but the landscape of these mobs and tribes is ever changing.
and his brother, Slider, above all else. This organisational disorder makes the tribes particularly dan-
gerous to take down, as their size, consistency, direction and
MEMBERSHIP base of operations changes like the wind.
Survival in the Skinners is as much about adhering to the
unwritten social rules and customs of the tribe as it is about TOOLS OF THE TRADE
strength and skill. Breaking any of these social rules can lead The Skinners use every kind of ride or rig they can get their
to anything from a savage beating to exile or even death. hands on. From bikes and buggies, all the way up to 18 wheelers
and war rigs, the Skinners aren’t picky when it comes to their
Regardless of their age or past experience, the newest mem-
wheels. Some of the clans and tribes tend to specialise in one
bers of the tribe start their careers as Gunners. Assignment as a
form of vehicle or the other. The Desert Hounds, for example,
Gunner is a gruelling and demeaning task, and they are treated
use primarily bikes and trikes for rapid ambush tactics, whilst
as little more than slaves by the Runner they are assigned to.
The Forsaken tend to favour trucks and war rigs, trading speed
Any day in which a Gunner escapes with only one beating is
for survivability. The larger tribes tend to have a more diverse
considered a good day. Most Gunners spend endless days prac-
collection of vehicles and whatever they need they simply take
ticing with whatever weapons they can scavenge, honing their
from the smaller tribes beneath them.
skills to ensure a clean kill on a rider, without harming the ride.

282
 ALLIES & ADVERSARIES

Skulltaker, of course, has access to all of these tools and will RUNNER (ELITE)
call of different specialists depending on the nature of the With a kill and a looted ride to their name, a Gunner becomes a
run. The original Skinners, those that left the Haul’s Angels Runner. Dependent upon renown and temperament, the new
with Skulltaker, tend to favour Bikes and Trikes, much like their Runner is picked up by one of the various smaller mobs within
former comrades. the Skinners and gains their own Gunner. Riding in the face
of their older peers, new Runners occasionally band together
Whilst the colours and banners used by the tribes differs
and form their own mobs, with some eventually evolving into
greatly, the easiest way to identify a Skinner, or one of their
new tribes.
lackeys, is by the trophies from their kills; chains, spikes, skulls,
bones, and blades cover their rides. Functional decorations, Only the bravest and strongest rise above the rest. Years of
they are used as weapons during a run by driving close to an experience, a little luck, and the occasional murder of someone
enemy and slashing at tyres or hooking drivers from their ride. higher up the ladder can take a Runner to head of their mob
or tribe, until eventually a daring and successful Runner can
The Skinners, like Skulltaker himself, take pride in the artful
reach the inner circle of Skulltaker himself.
flensing of their enemies. These skins are the notable differ-
ence between the Skinners and the tribesmen and are used for ATTRIBUTES
banners, sun-covers, cloaks and all manner of coverings and AGI AWA BRW COO INT PER WILL
consider any imitation to be an insult of their honour. Many
8 9 9 9 8 7 8
tribesmen have tried to pay homage to the Skinners by skinning
their prey, only to find themselves as the next trophy spread FIELDS OF EXPERTISE
across the hood of a Skinners Truck. Combat +2 2 Movement +1 1 Social — —
Fortitude +2 1 Senses — — Technical +1 —
ALLIES AND ENEMIES
Other than the tribes that pay homage to them, the Skinners STRESS AND SOAK
have no allies. You either join them if they offer it, or end up Vigour 9 Nerve 8
as a new adornment on one of their vehicles. Armour Soak 1 Morale Soak 5

GEAR: Leathers, plus either a Bike, Buggy, or Croozer

ATTACKS
• SAWN OFF: Range R/C, 6 , Burst 1, Unbalanced,
Knockdown, Spread 2

• KNIFE: Melee, 4 , 1H, Hidden 1, Piercing 1, Subtle

SPECIAL ABILITIES
• LACKIES: A Runner is always accompanied by a Gunner
(use the Thug statistics, p. 269). Additionally, the GM
may spend 1 Fallout to introduce a second Gunner to
the scene.

• WHEELS: The GM may spend 1 Fallout to reroll any

number of d20s when making a Drive test.

283
 CHAPTER 10

ARABELLA FURY (ALEESHA) Gang Warfare or Melee tests, or up to 3  when making

If Skulltaker is king of the wastes, then Arabella Fury is undoubt- a melee attack. Additionally, each Momentum spent or
edly its queen. Fiercely ambitious, cunning, and ruthless, she Fallout paid when making Drive tests nets 2 d20s, instead
proved to be a thorn in his side from the moment he rode into of 1. She is also considered to have the Big Gun and Chief
the wastelands. At the head of the Queens of the Wastes, she talents under Gang Warfare (see p. 97).
led a furious rear-guard action against the Skinner’s relentless
advance. The former Haul’s Angels drove hard into the wastes, FALLOUT SPEND
subduing and absorbing everyone in their path. Everyone, that • FURY ( 1 FALLOUT): Arabella can spend 1 Fallout each
is, except Arabella and her sisterhood. The Queens struck furi- round to add the Vicious 1 quality to her melee attacks.
ously, forcing Skulltaker to lay a deadly trap that captured a
number of the Queens in a single brutal ambush. SHESTOPYOR (QUAD)
Arabella and her cohort found the skins of the captured Queens EXPOSED, GROUND, RUGGED, WHEELED
a few days later, with a message from Skulltaker inviting her
A tough, rugged vehicle designed for fast and agile move-
to personal combat. Maddened, she rode alone to meet him.
ment over difficult terrain.
Skulltaker also arrived alone and offered his terms: best him
and live ro rule the wastes, or die in the attempt. ATTRIBUTES
SCALE SPEED BRAWN HANDLING
Arabella launched herself at Skulltaker, earning first blood, but
he eventually bested her. Intrigued by the wicked grin on her 0 2 6 2
bloodsoaked face, he held the killing stroke. Arabella explained
DETAILS
that the Queens of the Wastes would never follow a man. Her
Max. Passengers Impact
death would only lead to more war, so she welcomed his blow.
1 4  (Knockdown)
Arabella rarely strays far from Skulltaker and enjoys a modi-
cum of responsibility that allows her to direct the lesser tribes. HARDPOINTS
The peace is wary on both sides, each watching for signs of Chassis 1, External 1, Motive 1, Weapons 2
betrayal yet understanding the necessity of their alliance. She
DEFENCES
knows she will never let herself fully believe Skulltaker’s offer
of controlling the wastes once San Francisco is theirs.
Structure 8 EP 0
Armour 2 Max. Fuel 5
ATTRIBUTES
AGI AWA BRW COO INT PER WILL VEHICLE UPGRADES/ABILITIES:
10 9 10 10 10 10 11
• MIKE LAUNCHER: Range M, 6 , Burst 1, Mounted,
Disposable, Indiscriminate (Close), Spread 1, Unsubtle
FIELDS OF EXPERTISE 2, Vicious 1
Combat +3 3 Movement +2 1 Social +3 3
Fortitude +2 2 Senses +2 2 Technical +1 —

STRESS AND SOAK

Vigour 12 Nerve 13
Armour Soak — Morale Soak 3

GEAR: Knife, Sewn Off, Shestopyor

ATTACKS
• SAWN OFF: Range R/C, 5 , Burst 1, Unbalanced,
Knockdown, Spread 2

• KNIFE: Melee, 5 , 1H, Hidden 1, Piercing 1, Subtle 1

SPECIAL ABILITIES
• QUEEN OF THE WASTES: A fearsome warrior, Arabella
can reroll 1d20 when making Acrobatics, Athletics, Drive,

284
 ALLIES & ADVERSARIES

LIVING LEGENDS ATTACKS

Not everyone out on the Run is seeking to claim resources • .44 MAGNUM: Range C, 6 , Burst 1, 1H, Vicious 1.
over the mangled bodies of their enemies. There are a few
personalities who seek to leave a little goodness in their wake. • KNIFE: Melee, 3 , 1H, Hidden 1, Piercing 1, Subtle 1
the origins of “The Gentleman” are virtually unknown SPECIAL ABILITIES
THE GENTLEMAN (KINGPIN)
The origins of the Gentleman are virtually unknown, but all • GENTLEMAN’S CODE: The Gentleman inspires others to
better themselves. Attempting to manipulate, cheat, or
know he follows a code of conduct from a bygone era known
otherwise be dishonest with him suffer +2 difficulty.
as “the Gentleman’s Code”. The code acts as his moral compass
and he staunchly lives by it no matter how harsh the waste- • WILY COYOTE: The Gentleman can reroll 1d20 when
lands have proven to be. His devout adherence to the code making Acrobatics, Drive, or Firearms tests, or up to 3 
is only eclipsed by his love of music, and his love for music is when making a ranged attack.
only overshadowed by the love for his daughter, Amber, and
ULYSSES
his love, Terry. His haunting melodies can sometimes be heard
late at night as he forces his guitar to scream out the riffs of EXPOSED (3 CS), GROUND, WHEELED
his aching heart, bending the steel strings until they cut into
One of the rarest cars ever produced, now upgraded.
his fingertips and release the pain rising from deep within his
body and soul. He was among the first of the few to be named ATTRIBUTES
Freelancer and has managed survive his peers to become the SCALE SPEED BRAWN HANDLING
most successful. His vehicle is perhaps as much an enigma as
1 2 14 1
the man himself. An old european design, his ride is far from
any ordinary Croozer as he drives a rare vehicle known as the DETAILS
Round Door Rolls-Royce Phantom (I) Jonckhneere Coupe. Max. Passengers Impact

3 8  (Knockdown)
ATTRIBUTES
AGI AWA BRW COO INT PER WILL HARDPOINTS
9 10 8 11 10 12 10 Chassis 2, External 1, Internal 2, Motive 1, Weapons 2

FIELDS OF EXPERTISE DEFENCES

Combat +3 2 Movement +3 1 Social +2 1 Structure 20 EP 1
Fortitude +2 1 Senses +2 1 Technical +2 — Armour 3 Max. Fuel 10

STRESS AND SOAK VEHICLE UPGRADES/ABILITIES:

Vigour 10 Nerve 12 • PEA SHOOTERS: Range M, 8 , Burst 2, Mounted,
Armour Soak 1 Morale Soak 5 Spread 1

285
 CHAPTER 10

KING CHROME-AN (KINGPIN) finest vehicles to grace the wasteland, and in part because
At 48 Years of age, King Chrome-an is the esteemed leader they run a healthy trade in car parts, dies, and presses, that are
of the Rods, based in the town of Yuma. King Chrome-an was impossible to get elsewhere. These parts are made in a series
a mechanic In the Old World. Will Ardea ran a business cus- of workshops in the rebuilt sections of Yuma and then shipped
tom-building bespoke hot-rods for high-paying clients. He out along the Colorado River in fast boats. Having agreements
managed to survive when Phoenix burned, pulling together a with a number of powerful gangs, their parts are shipped as
rag-tag group of companions and foraging for food, water, fuel, far north as San Francisco and south into Mexico.
and supplies across Arizona, New Mexico, Utah, Nevada, and
Although not a large group, the Rods are tight-knit and
California. His love of chrome and big engines never died, and
hard-working. A smart and fair-minded leader, King Chrome-an
his band of followers, all skilled with their hands, managed to
heads a council called the Edina who make decisions and pass
weld together a small fleet of vehicles that helped tackle any
laws for the Rods. Happy to delegate responsibility, and in the
gang they encountered, or leave them in the dust if outgunned.
face of his position as figurehead of the Rods, King Chrome-an
The Rods grew until surviving by foraging alone was no longer still maintains a key role in the design and construction of the
an option. Redubbed King Chrome-an by the Rods, Will settled cars, boats, and machinery that maintain the Rod’s protection
his group down in the remnants of Yuma. Since then they have and success. Occasionally, and much to the chagrin of the other
been industrious, rebuilding a portion of the old city along the members of the Edina, he takes part in trade runs that ship car
Colorado River. They manage to maintain a delicate peace with parts to their allies. Able to fix nearly anything that, he is also
the surrounding gangs, in part because of their reputation as skilled with a gun and nigh untouchable behind the wheel.
dangerous fighters, but also because they make some of the
ATTRIBUTES
AGI AWA BRW COO INT PER WILL

8 9 9 10 12 10 10

FIELDS OF EXPERTISE
Combat +3 2 Movement +2 1 Social +3 1
Fortitude +2 2 Senses +1 — Technical +4 2

STRESS AND SOAK

Vigour 11 Nerve 12
Armour Soak 2 Morale Soak 3

ATTACKS
• PISTOL: Range R/C, 6 , Burst 1, 1H
• RAMINGTON SHOTGUN: Range: C, 6 , Burst 1, 2H,
Knockdown, Spread 1.

GEAR: Engineering Toolkit, Leathers, Vehicle (Any)

SPECIAL ABILITIES
• LIFE BEHIND THE WHEEL: King Chrome-an reduces the
difficulty of Drive tests by 1.

• PEDAL TO THE METAL: King Chrome-an treats the Speed

of any vehicle he drives as 1 higher than its listed attribute.

• SECURE: King Chrome-an has a Morale Soak of 3.

• SOME TLC: King Chrome-an may make an Average (D1)
Engineering test to get a piece of machinery or equip-
ment operational again. If successful, the equipment
will function normally for 2 hours before it breaks down
and requires proper parts. The GM may spend Fallout to
extend this time by 1 hour for every Fallout spent.

286
 ALLIES & ADVERSARIES

RAHOUL WHITEHAIR (KINGPIN) The world is a dangerous place, however, and even those
Though seemingly few and far between, there are those who with the purest intentions can be challenged and denigrated,
aspire to bring some light to the darkness that has gripped hunted and ambushed. Rahoul has not survived so long by dint
the world since the Day of the Apocalypse. They are driven of his personality alone. A fearsome martial artist, he is more
by much more than the basest desire to simply live no matter than capable of defending himself and others from those who
the cost, including the belief that a life should be led in such seek to inflict harm. He carries a pistol that is rarely drawn, and
a way as to leave the world a better place than it was before. a long staff tipped with an incredibly hard, unknown metal.
A person’s actions and interactions create ripples, which can Often called Whitehair, or the Wanderer, he himself would be
be either positive or negative. Though the world has entered shocked to learn how far his reputation has spread.
the shadow of a terrible night, there will be a sunrise again.
Until then, it is the duty of those who are left to spread a hint ATTRIBUTES
of its former light and warmth. Rahoul Whitehair is such a man. AGI AWA BRW COO INT PER WILL

Quiet and calm in demeanour, Rahoul is never one for rash 11 10 9 8 10 11 12

anger or thoughtless reaction. Wise in counsel and thoughtful FIELDS OF EXPERTISE
in response, he is a peaceful man of great spiritual and personal Combat +3 2 Movement +1 — Social +3 1
strength. He remembers the Old World and watching it shatter.
Fortitude +2 1 Senses +2 — Technical +4 1
Since then he has made it his mission to stoop to pick up the
pieces and repair them in any small way he can. This is his duty, STRESS AND SOAK
his drive, and his message: let every action and every word, Vigour 11 Nerve 14
no matter how small or seemingly insignificant, lead toward Armour Soak 2 Morale Soak 5
salvation from the long, dark night.
ATTACKS:
An eternal wanderer, many often mistake Rahoul for a vaga-
bond. His white hair, pale skin, and red eyes are intimidating at • PISTOL: R/C, 6 , Burst 1, 1H
first, but his reserved nature and seemingly endlessly patience
soon put people at ease. While most of his time is spent alone, • METAL-TIPPED STAFF: Melee, 7 , 2H, Knockdown,
Parry 1, Stun
he will often stay a while in a settlement or outpost, entertain-
ing folks with his quiet dry wit and endless repertoire of stories, GEAR: Armoured Coat, Pistol, Staff, Backpack, Survival Gear
helping where he can with repairs and a kindly ear. A great lover
of learning, Rahoul devours books when he can get them and SPECIAL ABILITIES:
has gained a wide range of useful skills that he uses to help • CLEAR MIND: Rahoul is a man of conviction and great
others, such as engineering, farming, medicine, and the like. spiritual strength. He has a Morale Soak of 5.

• PROTECTED: Whether due to his reputation or some

other force at work, Rahoul has an Armour Soak of 1.

• DEFT HANDS, SWIFT MIND: Rahoul Whitehair is fast in

body and mind. He can reroll 1d20 and up to 3  when
making a melee attack, but must accept the new results.
Additionally, Rahoul gains 2 Momentum on any test
made using the Technical Field of Expertise.

• METAL-TIPPED STAFF (1 FALLOUT): Once per round, the

GM may spend 1 Fallout to give Rahoul’s Metal-Tipped
Staff the ‘Unforgiving 2’ Quality until his next turn.

• RAY OF LIGHT (2 FALLOUT): Rahoul’s presence is a chink

of light in a darkened world. There is something about
him thatexudes a sense of calm. When any character
targets him with an attack, Rahoul may spend 2 Fallout to
force the attacker to make a Challenging (D2) Discipline
test. If they succeed, they may attack as normal. If they
fail, any attack against Rahoul will be treated as if the
attacker is suffering from the Dazed Condition.

287
 CHAPTER 10

§ SAVAGE ALLIES & ADVERSARIES FERAL

Attributes: Agility d6, Smarts d4, Spirit d6, Strength d8, Vigor d8
HUMAN FOES Skills: Athletics d4, Fighting d6, Notice d6, Stealth d4, Survival d6

BANDIT Pace: 6; Parry: 5; Toughness: 7

Hindrances: Illiterate, Tongue-Tied
Attributes: Agility d6, Smarts d4, Spirit d6, Strength d8, Vigor d8
Edges: —
Skills: Athletics d4, Driving d4, Fighting d6, Notice d4,
Gear: Knife (Str+d4), Spear (3/6/12, Str+d6, ROF 1)
Intimidation d6, Shooting d6, Stealth d4, Survival d6, Taunt d6
Pace: 6; Parry: 5; Toughness: 7 (1)
Hindrances: —
§ FERAL CHIEF
Attributes: Agility d8, Smarts d6, Spirit d8, Strength d8, Vigor d10
Edges: —
Skills: Athletics d4, Fighting d8, Notice d6, Intimidation d6, Stealth
Gear: Antique Pistol (Range 12/24/48, Damage 2d6+1, AP 1, RoF
d6, Survival d6
1) Leathers (1)
Pace: 6; Parry: 6; Toughness: 8 (1)
BERSERKER Hindrances: —
Attributes: Agility d6, Smarts d4, Spirit d6, Strength d10, Vigor d10 Edges: Brawler, Calculating, Free Runner
Skills: Athletics d6, Fighting d10, Intimidation d10, Notice d4 Gear: Leathers (1), Mace (Str+d6)
Pace: 6; Parry: 7; Toughness: 8 (1) Special Abilities:
Hindrances: Vengeful • Fists: Str+d4.
Edges: Berserk, Brute
PIRATE
Gear: Great Sword (Str+d10), Leathers (1).
Attributes: Agility d6, Smarts d6, Spirit d6, Strength d6, Vigor d8
Special Abilities:
Skills: Athletics d4, Fighting d6, Gambling d4, Pilot d6,
• Resilient
Shooting d6, Thievery d4
§ BODYGUARD Pace: 6; Parry: 5; Toughness: 7 (1)
Hindrances: Mean
Attributes: Agility d6, Smarts d6, Spirit d10, Strength d8, Vigor d10
Edges: Steady Hands
Skills: Athletics d6, Driving d6, Fighting d8, Notice d8,
Gear: Glock (12/24/48, 2d6, AP 1, ROF 1), Leathers (1), Knife (Str+d4)
Intimidation d6, Shooting d10, Repair d4, Taunt d6
Pace: 6; Parry: 6; Toughness: 9 (2)
Hindrances: —
§ PIRATE CAPTAIN
Attributes: Agility d6, Smarts d8, Spirit d8, Strength d6, Vigor d10
Edges: Alertness, Combat Reflexes, Extraction, Level Headed
Skills: Athletics d4, Fighting d8, Gambling d6, Notice d6,
Gear: Armored Vest (2), H&K MP5 (Range 12/24/48, Damage
Intimidation d6, Shooting d8, Thievery d6, Taunt d8
2d6, AP 1, RoF 3), Long Sword (Str+d8)
Pace: 6; Parry: 6; Toughness: 8 (1)
CULTIST Hindrances: Vengeful
Attributes: Agility d4, Smarts d4, Spirit d8, Strength d6, Vigor d4 Edges: Menacing, Nerves of Steel, Steady Hands, Strong Willed
Skills: Driving d4, Notice d4, Occult d4, Shooting d4, Taunt d4 Gear: H&K MP5 (Range 12/24/48, Damage 2d6, AP 1, RoF 3), .
Pace: 6; Parry: 4; Toughness: 4 Leathers (1), Long Sword (Str+d8)
Hindrances: Driven (Major)
ROAD WARRIOR
Edges: —
Attributes: Agility d8, Smarts d6, Spirit d10, Strength d6, Vigor d8
Gear: Knife (Str+d4)
Skills: Driving d8, Fighting d6, Gambling d4, Intimidation d6,
§ CULT LEADER Notice d8, Repair d6, Shooting d8
Pace: 6; Parry: 5; Toughness: 9 (3)
Attributes: Agility d6, Smarts d8, Spirit d10, Strength d6, Vigor d8
Hindrances: —
Skills: Academics d6, Common Knowledge d6,
Edges: Ace, Road Warrior, Steady Hands, Vehicular Vengeance
Driving d4, Fighting d6, Notice d8, Intimidation d8, Persuasion d8,
Gear: Chain Shirt (3), Crowbar (Str+d6), Glock (12/24/48, 2d6,
Shooting d6, Taunt d8
AP 1, ROF 1), Vehicle
Pace: 6; Parry: 5; Toughness: 7 (1)
Special Abilities:
Hindrances: Driven (Major)
Edges: Charismatic, Inspire, Rabble-Rouser, Retort • Part of a Crew: If a Road Warrior is part of a named
faction, the GM can include that faction’s Cultural and
Gear: Mace (Str+d6), Thick Coat (1)
Initiate Packages in the Road Warrior’s Edges (see p.
Special Abilities:
30-68 for faction Packages).
• Rousing Oratory: A Cult Leader can use Persuasion in
• Resilient
place of Battle when using the Inspire Edge.

288
 ALLIES & ADVERSARIES

THUG HUNTERS
Attributes: Agility d6, Smarts d4, Spirit d6, Strength d6, Vigor d6
Skills: Driving d4, Fighting d4, Notice d4, Intimidation d4, § HEAD HUNTER
Shooting d4 Attributes: Agility d12, Smarts d8, Spirit d10, Strength d10, Vigor d10
Pace: 6; Parry: 4; Toughness: 6 (1) Skills: Athletics d10, Common Knowledge d8, Driving d8,
Hindrances: Mean Fighting d12, Notice d10, Intimidation d8, Performance d8,
Edges: — Repair d4, Repair d4, Shooting d8, Survival d10
Gear: Light Club (Str+d4), Leathers (1) Pace: 6; Parry: 8; Toughness: 8 (1)
Hindrances: Impulsive
REVENANTS Edges: Ace, Free Runner, Fame, Hard to Kill, Imrpoved Nerves

GHOUL of Steel, Mighty Blow, Road Warrior, Trademark Weapon

Gear: Glock (12/24/48, 2d6, AP 1, ROF 1), Great Axe (Str+d10),
Attributes: Agility d8, Smarts d6, Spirit d8, Strength d8, Vigor d10
Leathers (1), Sports Car (Mod: Battering Ram 2 [see p. 228])
Skills: Fighting d6, Notice d4, Intimidation d6, Notice d8, Stealth
Special Abiiities:
d8, Survival d8
Pace: 6; Parry: 5; Toughness: 9 • Steady Feet: When fighting on top of a vehicle, Gomez
can apply the Free Runner feet to all Athletics Tests and
Hindrances: —
never suffers any penalties to Fighting Tests due to a
Edges: Alertness
vehicle’s movement.
Special Abilities:
• Fear: Anyone seeing a ghoul must make a fear check.
• Claws: Str+d4. § ROAD RONIN
• Fearless: Ghouls are immune to Fear and Intimidation. Attributes: Agility d10, Smarts d8, Spirit d10, Strength d8, Vigor d10
• Low Light Vision. Skills: Athletics d8, Common Knowledge d6, Fighting d10,
• Undead: +2 Toughness; +2 to recover from being Shaken; Intimidation d8, Notice d10, Performance d8, Repair d4,
no additional damage from Called Shots; immune to Shooting d10, Survival d8, Thievery d6
disease and poisons; ignore 1 point of wound penalties. Pace: 6; Parry: 7; Toughness: 8 (1)
• Resilient. Hindrances: Ruthless

SHAMBLER Edges: Ace, Counterattack, Dodge, Fame, First Strike, Hold

the Line, Natural Leader, Road Warrior, Trademark Weapon
Use the stats for a zombie, SWADE, p. 191.
Gear: Acid Grenades (4/8/12, 3d6-2, AP 2, MBT), Glock (12/24/48,
TROLL 2d6, AP 1, ROF 1), Katana (Str+d6+1), Leathers (1), Street Bike
Attributes: Agility d6, Smarts d4, Spirit d12, Strength d12+3,
Vigor d12 LOS NIGROMANTES
Skills: Fighting d10, Intimidation d10, Notice d4
Pace: 6; Parry: 8; Toughness: 14 (1) § APOSTLE
Hindrances: Ugly Attributes: Agility d8, Smarts d10, Spirit d12, Strength d8, Vigor d10
Edges: Brawler, Bruiser, Frenzy, Hard to Kill, Sweep Skills: Academics d8, Athletics d6, Common Knowledge d6,
Special Abilities: Driving d10, Fighting d10, Notice d10, Intimidation d12, Occult d10,
• Armor +1: Thick Hide Research d8, Science d10, Shooting d8, Taunt d6
• Fear: Anyone seeing the Gorm must make a fear check. Pace: 6; Parry: 7; Toughness: 8 (1)
• Fist: Str+d6, Reach 1. Hindrances: Vow (Major)
• Size 2: Gorm stands a little over 7 feet in height. Edges: Combat Reflexes, Command, Command Presence,
• Undead: +2 Toughness; +2 to recover from being Shaken; Fervor, Harder to Kill, Nerves of Steel
no additional damage from Called Shots; immune to Gear: H&K MP5 (Range 12/24/48, Damage 2d6, AP 1, RoF 3),
disease and poisons; ignore 1 point of wound penalties. Leathers (1), Mid-Sized Car (Mod: Twin Mini Guns [Fixed,
Linked]), Staff (Str+d4).
• Very Resilient. Special Abiiities:
• Indoctrinated: Immune to the fear caused by Revenants.
A NOTE ON CONVENTIONS
While the majority of this book uses British English, Savage • Revenant Injector: Those slain by an Apostle rise as a
shambler within 1d6 rounds.
Worlds employs US English. All of Devil’s Run SWADE stat
blocks will be presented using US English as standard. • Shuffling Minions: If a Host or Revenant is next to an
Apostle when the latter is hit, the minion takes the blow.

289
 CHAPTER 10

HOST LIVING LEGENDS

Attributes: Agility d8, Smarts d6, Spirit d10, Strength d8, Vigor d8
Skills: Driving d4, Fighting d8, Intimidation d6, Notice d4, § THE GENTLEMAN
Occult d4, Shooting d6, Taunt d6 Attributes: Agility d10, Smarts d8, Spirit d12, Strength d10, Vigor d10
Pace: 6; Parry: 6; Toughness: 7 (1) Skills: Athletics d6, Common Knowledge d8, Driving d12,
Hindrances: Vow (Major) Fighting d8, Intimidation d10, Notice d10, Performance d10,
Edges: Berserk, Brawler Repair d8, Shooting d10, Survival d8
Gear: Battle Axe (Str+d8), Leathers (1). Pace: 6; Parry: 7; Toughness: 8 (1)
Special Abiiities: Hindrances: Code of Honor
• Indoctrinated: Immune to the fear caused by Revenants. Edges: Ace, Combat Reflexes, Dead Shot, Fame, Hard to Kill,
• Resilient. Hardeer to Kill, Marksman, Road Warrior, Strong Willed,
• Righteous Rage: A Host can cause themelves to become Trademark Weapon, Vehicular Vengeance
Shaken as a free action, which then immediately trig- Gear: .44 Magnum (12/24/48, 2d8, AP 2, RoF 1), Knife (Str+d4),
gers Berserk. Leathers (1), Ulysses (Mid-Sized Car with Minigun).

MESSANJERO § KING CHROME-AN

Attributes: Agility d10, Smarts d6, Spirit d10, Strength d8, Vigor d8 Attributes: Agility d8, Smarts d10, Spirit d10, Strength d8, Vigor d8
Skills: Athletics d6, Fighting d8, Intimidation d6, Notice d4, Skills: Academics d4, Battle d6, Electronics d8, Fighting d8,
Pilot d8, Repair d6, Shooting d8, Survival d6 Intimidation d6, Notice d10, Repair d12, Science d8, Shooting d8
Pace: 6; Parry: 6; Toughness: 8 (2) Pace: 6; Parry: 6; Toughness: 7 (1)
Hindrances: Vow (Major) Hindrances: —
Edges: Ace, Trademark Weapon Edges: Ace, Dodge, Feint, Natural Leader, Inspire, Mr. Fix It
Gear: Flamethrower (Cone, 3d6, ROF 1), Flame Retardant Suit Gear: Glock (12/24/48, 2d6, AP 1, ROF 1), Leathers (1), Ramington
(2), Jetpack, Short Sword (Str+d6). Shotgun (12/24/48, 1-3d6, RoF 1)
Special Abilities: Special Abilities:
• Indoctrinated: Immune to the fear caused by Revenants. • King of Repairs: King Chrome-an automatically gains a
• Resilient raise on any Repair roll he makes.
• Pedal to the Metal: King Chrome-an increases the Top
SKINNERS Speed of any vehicle he drives by 10 mph.

§ ARABELLA FURY § RAHOUL WHITEHAIR

Attributes: Agility d10, Smarts d10, Spirit d10, Strength d8, Vigor d10 Attributes: Agility d10, Smarts d10, Spirit d12, Strength d8, Vigor d10
Skills: Athletics d8, Battle d8, Driving d10, Fighting d10, Skills: Athletics d8, Common Knowledge d8, Fighting d12,
Intimidation d8, Notice d8, Persuasion d6, Repair d6, Intimidation d10, Notice d4
Shooting d8, Survival d10 Pace: 6; Parry: 9; Toughness: 9 (1)
Pace: 6; Parry: 7; Toughness: 8 Hindrances: Code of Honour
Hindrances: Driven Edges: Alertness, Brave, Brawler, Hard to Kill, Harder to Kill,
Edges: Ace, Brawler, Dodge, Fervor, Fleet-Footed, Hard to Kill, Martial Artist, Nerves of Steel, Scholar, Sweep
Nerves of Steel, No Mercy, Road Warrior Gear: Armored Coat (1), Glock (12/24/48, 2d6, AP 1, ROF 1), Staff
Gear: Knife (Str+d4), Quad Bike (Size 2, Handling -1, Top Speed (Str+d4)
40, Toughness 7, EP 0, Crew 1+1, 4WD), Sawed-Off (5/10/20, Special Abilities:
1-3d6, ROF 1). • Armor +1: Charmed Life.
• Fists: Str+d6
RUNNER • Ray of Light: Rahoul can spend a Bennie to force anyone
Attributes: Agility d8, Smarts d6, Spirit d8, Strength d8, Vigor d8 attacking him to attempt a Spirit roll at -2. They can
Skills: Driving d8, Fighting d6, Notice d6, Intimidation d4, attack as normal on success. Failure results in the oppo-
Shooting d6, Repair d4, Stealth d4, Taunt d6 nent becoming Distracted (SWADE, p. 100).
Pace: 6; Parry: 5; Toughness: 7 (1)
Hindrances: —
Edges: Ace
Gear: Knife (Str+d4), Sawed-Off (5/10/20, 1-3d6, ROF 1),
Vehicle (Compact Car [4WD], Mid-Sized Car or Dirt Bike).

290
 APPENDIX 1

CHANGING IT UP
The rules contained in this document allow for a rough transla-
tion of the characters from the Devil’s Run RPG into the Devil’s
Run Board Game. It should be noted that no conversion system
is perfect. The differences between a detailed and expansive
ruleset like those required for a roleplaying game and the more
specific set of statistics required of a board game mean that a
many of character’s roleplaying game statistics are lost in trans-
lation. This section has been labelled as a direct conversion as
it relates to fully converting characters and their equipment
for use within the board game. If a system for using the board
game tiles and miniatures as a tactical element for the either
the SWADE Adventure Edition (SWADE) or 2d20 systems is
needed, then the indirect conversion rules on p. 300 should
be consulted.

It would be difficult to provide a perfectly balanced set of

conversion rules. The rules offered here, however, do allow a
character from the roleplaying game to be converted into a set
of statistics that will feel equally matched against an opponent
of thematically similar power levels within the board game.
They are not designed to be used in competitive play, but as
a way for lovers of both the roleplaying game and the board
game to bring these experiences together. For example, some
aspects of a game or campaign can be played using one of the
roleplaying systems, whilst larger-scale vehicle engagements
can be played through using the board game and miniatures.

While we have done our best to ensure that characters con- Example Vehicle Stat Card for the board game
verted into the board game are not overpowered, it should be
understood that player characters in a roleplaying game are FIRST STEPS
special. This conversion system is a method by which PCs from A player first determines the base Ballistic Skill (BS) of their
the roleplaying game might have an impact and influence on character within the board game. This is a relatively simple
a scenario or battle using the board game rules. step for both 2d20 and SWADE. For either system, the player
first determines whether their character will be a Driver or a
Passenger for the board game. Drivers gain a BS1 statistic, while
STATISTICS passengers gain a BS2.
In the Devil’s Run board game, base statistics are always repre-
sented on a vehicle card, which Named characters then modify Note that in the board game, the base BS of a Driver or
with their own additional statistics. A vehicle card contains Passenger is always listed on a vehicle’s stat card, not on a
base stats for Minimum Movement (MM), Chassis Points (CP), character’s stat card. The base BS determined in this step
Evade (E), Ballistic Skill 1 (BS1), and Ballistic Skill 2 (BS2). More replaces the corresponding base BS on a vehicle’s stat card
than a few vehicles also have Special Rules. Note as well that if one is being used. For example, a Haul’s Angel Bike has a
some vehicles may not be capable of carrying a passenger, base BS1 rating of 7. If a character is determined to have a base
and therefore may not have a BS2 listed. BS1 rating of 6 as a result of this step, the character’s base BS
rating replaces that listed on the card when riding the vehicle.
A character in the board game is defined by two statistics that
serve to modify the features of the vehicle they are driving, DRIVERS
plus a number of Special Rules. When converting a charac-
SWADE: Use the PC’s Driving or Shooting skill.
ter from either the SWADE or 2d20 systems into the board
game, a player first determines their base Ballistic Skill and 2D20: Use the PC’s Drive or Firearms Expertise.
then chooses two roleplaying game statistics that reflect their
For either system, use the lower of the two skills to determine
character’s additional statistics within the board game.
the Driver’s BS1. The Driver’s attention is split between attack-
ing and driving, reflecting the lower score being used.

292
 DIRECT CONVERSION RULES

BALLISTIC SKILL CONVERSION TABLE

TN OF RELEVANT DIE TYPE OF RELEVANT BS1 OR
2D20 SKILL SWADE SKILL BS2 1
8-10 d4 or d6 6

11-13 d8 or d10 7

14+ d12 8
If the character is the Driver, then the PC gains a BS1.
1

If the character is a Passenger, then the PC gains a BS2.

ADDITIONAL STATISTICS
In the Devil’s Run board game, named characters have one or
two additional statistics that can adjust attributes associated
with a vehicle’s card. This step determines the additional sta-
tistics that can be assigned when converting a character from
the RPG to the board game.

Named characters in the board game can modify a vehicle’s

Armour, Ballistic Skill, Chassis Points or Evade. Most named
characters also have at least one Special Abilities assigned to
them. Special Rules are granted by Edges (SWADE) or Talents
(2d20) and are dealt with in the next step.

The player chooses two skills from those listed below. For 2d20
characters, a Focus of 1 or more is required in the skill in the
Example Vehicle Stat Card for the board game skill in order for it to qualify as a choice. For SWADE characters,
both skill and the attribute associated with the skill must have
PASSENGERS a die type of at least d6.
SWADE: Use the PC’s Shooting skill.
• Driving (SWADE) or Drive (2d20) can modify E or BS1.
2D20: Use the PC’s Firearms Expertise. If the vehicle has a
weapon that isn’t a part of a vehicle’s integral mods—such as a • Repair (SWADE) or Engineering (2d20) can modify A
and/or CP.
pintle-mounted machine gun, heavy flamer, or missile launcher—
the Passenger can instead elect to use Heavy Weapons. • Shooting (SWADE) or Firearms (2d20) can modify BS1 (if
Driver) or BS2 (if Passenger)
For either system, use the higher of the two skills to determine
the Passenger’s BS2. The character can wholly dedicate their • Shooting (SWADE) or Heavy Weapons (2d20) can modify
attention to attacking, reflecting the higher score being used. BS2 (if Passenger)

Having elected their PC’s status as a Driver or Passenger and • Weird Science (SWADE) or Wild Tech (2d20) can Modify
chosen a relevant skill, the player should then consult the A and/or CP
Ballistic Skill Conversion Chart and cross-reference the skill’s
A character might only possess one skill that qualifies, in which
value with the BS1 or BS2 column.
case they only gain one additional statistic. Characters with-
out any skill that qualifies wouldn’t usually gain any additional
UNTRAINED SKILLS
statistics, though the GM may choose to allow loosely-related
On rare occasions, a character may only be able to designate
skills as qualifiers in this instance—such as Athletics (SWADE) or
an untrained skill as an option for determining their BS1 or 2. If
Acrobatics (2d20) qualifying for Evade, or Science (SWADE) or
this is the case, they gain a BS of 5 in the chosen statistic and
Lore (2d20) qualifying for Chassis Points. Only one additional
it may not be improved through any steps taken later.
statistic can be gained in this instance and the GM always has
final veto.

293
 APPENDIX 1

Once a character has assigned their roleplaying skills to an 2D20 CONVERSION EXAMPLE
additional statistic, they should consult the Additional Statistic A player opts to designate their RPG character, Bobby Boy, as
Conversion Chart to determine the bonus gained. a Driver for the board game. They choose to use Bobby Boy’s
Drive as the skill to determine his base BS, as this has the
ADDITIONAL STATISTIC CONVERSION CHART highest TN between Drive (TN 14 [Coordination 10 and Drive
Expertise 4]) and Firearms (TN 13 [Coordination 10 and Firearms
FOCUS OF 2D20 DIE TYPE OF BONUS TO A, BS, 3]). Using the Ballistic Skill Conversion Chart, Bobby Boy’s TN
SKILL SWADE SKILL CP, E 14 in Drive equates to a BS1 of 8.

For the next step, the player can assign two skills towards addi-
1-3 d6 or d8 +1
tional statistics. Bobby Boy has Focus 1 in Engineering and
4-5 d10 or d12 +2 Firearms, and Focus 4 in Drive. When Converting Bobby Boy
for use in the board game, his player can choose to assign two
of these three skills to additional statistics.
MAXIMUM RATINGS
Both the board game and RPG have upper limits to their Since he has a Focus in three relevant skills (Firearms, Drive,
systems, which essentially reflects the chance that there is and Engineering), Bobby Boy’s player may choose between +1
always some small opportunity of something going wrong A (for Engineering), +1 BS (Firearms) or +2 E (for Drive). Bobby
during a task. Boy’s player may only select two to apply during the board
game. The player selects the +1 BS and +2 E, netting Bobby
No statistic on a vehicle may ever be greater than 9. Further,
Boy a final BS of 9 and a significant boost to the vehicle’s E.
a character’s additional statistics can never provide a bonus
greater than +2. If one or both occurs, the character or vehicle Finally, the player will need to check the Vehicle Stat Conversion
will instead gain a single different benefit. Table to ensure that the vehicle’s final E value isn’t above the
vehicle’s maximum E for its class. If the boost to E would take
ARMOUR it above the maximum, the player instead caps E at the indi-
A vehicle’s A rating is determined by its card or converted score cated maximum and chooses an Evade-related Special Rule
(see Vehicle Stat Conversion, p. 297). If a character would gain from the Special Rules Conversion Table opposite.
an A modifier greater than +2 or their modifier would take the
SWADE CONVERSION EXAMPLE
vehicle’s A beyond 9, the vehicle instead reduces the Rate of
Bobby Boy is instead converted as a Driverfrom SWADE. The
Fire (RoF) of the first attack made against it during a game by
player chooses to use Bobby Boy’s Drive as the skill to determine
1, to a minimum of 0, but only the first attack. Unless reduced
his base BS, as this has the highest die type between Drive (d12)
by other means, subsequent attacks use normal RoF.
and Shooting (d8). Using the Ballistic Skill Conversion Chart,
Bobby Boy’s d12 in Drive equates to a BS1 of 8.
BALLISTIC SKILL
If a character would gain a BS modifier greater than +2 or their For the next step, the player can assign two skills towards addi-
modifier would take the vehicle’s base BS beyond 9, the char- tional statistics. Bobby Boy has d12 Driving, d8 Repair, and
acter can instead choose a Special Rule related to a Ballistic d8 Shooting skills, plus the associated attributes (Agility and
Skill from the Edge and talent conversions that begin on p. 294. Smarts) at d6 or higher. When Converting Bobby Boy for the
board game, his player can choose to assign two of these three
CHASSIS POINTS skills to additional statistics.
Chassis points are determined by a vehicle’s card or converted
Since he has d6 or higher in three relevant skills (Driving, Repair,
score (see Vehicle Stat Conversion, p. 297). Characters gaining
and Shooting), Bobby Boy’s player may choose between +1 A
a bonus to CP cannot take a vehicle’s CP above its maximum
(for Repair), +1 BS (Shooting) or +2 E (for Driving). Bobby Boy’s
Chassis Point rating (see Vehicle Stat Conversion Table, p. 297).
player may only select two to apply during the board game.
If this would be the case, the vehicle instead gains a reroll to
The player selects the +1 BS and +2 E, netting Bobby Boy a final
the first A test it has to make during a game, but only the first.
BS of 9 and a significant boost to the vehicle’s E.

EVADE Finally, the player will need to check the Vehicle Stat Conversion
A vehicle’s E is determined by its card or converted score (see Table to ensure that the vehicle’s final E value isn’t above the
Vehicle Stat Conversion, p. 297). If a character would gain an E vehicle’s maximum E for its class. If the boost to E would take
modifier greater than +2 or their modifier would take the vehi- it above the maximum, the player instead caps E at the indi-
cle’s E beyond 9, they can instead choose a Special Rule related cated maximum and chooses an Evade-related Special Rule
to Evade from the Character Special Rules Conversion Table . from the Special Rules Conversion Table opposite.

294
 DIRECT CONVERSION RULES

SPECIAL RULES
In addition to their two Statistics, a character may select up
to two Special Rules to use in the board game. These Special
Rules are linked to talents within the 2d20 ruleset, or Edges
SPECIAL IMPLEMENT OPTION
Once during a game, a character may use a Special
for SWADE.
Implement Action in order to replace a Special Rule they
In order to select a Special Rule, a character must possess have selected for any other Special Rule that they are
the corresponding talent or Edge shown in the table below. A qualified to use. The character gains full use of the newly
1 in superscript (1) beside and Edge denotes a new Edge from selected Special Rule but may no longer use the original.
within this book (see Devil’s Edges, p. 84). All other Edges can
be found within the SWADE Core Rules.

CHARACTER SPECIAL RULES CONVERSION TABLE

SPECIAL RULE 2D20 TALENT SWADE EDGE 1

A character can Jump to a Range of 3. Long Jumper (Acrobatics) Acrobat

Catfall (Acrobatics), Just a Combat Acrobat,

The character is not wiped-out on a failed Jump action.
Scratch (Resistance) Hard to Kill
The modifier for a vehicle using a Take Them Out! Action
Free Runner (Acrobatics) Free Runner, Luck
against the character increases to -3.
Any vehicle in front of the character at the beginning of its acti- Heed My Words
Command
vation must instantly move diagonally as part of its Basic Move (Command), Strong-Arm
Presence, Menacing
Action. After the diagonal move it may move as normal. Tactics (Persuade)
Font of Courage
A friendly vehicle within 3 squares of the character may reroll Bolster, Command,
(Command), Force of
1D10 or 1D3 during their action. Inspire, Natural Leader
Presence (Persuade)
Use a Basic Implement Action to change an unnamed Gunner
from one Gunner weapon to another on the same vehicle. Commanding
Tactician
This can only be taken if the weapon being moved to has lost Presence (Command)
its Gunner.
Cannonballer (Drive),
If the vehicle the character is in is hit by an Offensive Special
Uncanny Dodge Extraction, Great Luck,
Move action, it may always complete an Evade move reaction
(Acrobatics), Sixth Improved Dodge
for free (even if it is not the target).
Sense (Insight)
Ignore the Hard to Steer special rule. May reroll an E test Born to the Wheel (Drive), Ace, Quick
once per turn. Hard Target (Acrobatics)
May not be targeted by the Take Them Out! Action if the vehi- Minions (Command), Big
Fervour, Followers
cle is equipped with other named characters. Gun (Gang Warfare)
The character may reroll the D3 for extra movement when Horizon Chaser (Drive), Fleet-Footed,
using Pedal to the Metal, but must take the second result. Speed Freak (Drive) Road Warrior1
Brutal Brawler (Athletics),
Gain a +2 modifier to the result of successful Ram actions. Vehicular Vengeance1
Ramming Speed (Drive)
Keep Trucking (Drive),
The character gains the Mechanic skill. They may reroll the first Natural Engineer Artificer, Jack-of-all-
failed A test in a turn. (Engineering), Lab Rat Trades, Mr. Fix It
(Wild Tech)
Roll 4D6 when attempting to repair a Wreck. Greasemonkey McGyver, Mr. Fix It

1
Denotes a new Edge: see Devil’s Edges, p. 84.

295
 APPENDIX 1

CHARACTER SPECIAL RULES CONVERSION TABLE

SPECIAL RULE 2D20 TALENT SWADE EDGE 1
Once per round, reroll the Mechanic Push the Button action or
repair 1 CP as a Push the Button action. Only 1 option may be Jury Rig (Engineering) Artificer, Mr. Fix It
used in a round.
Instead of moving, the character’s vehicle may spend 2 Action Fortify (Engineering)
Points to attempt a Patch Up. On a successful A test, 3 CP Practice, Practice, Practice McGyver, Mr. Fix It
are regained. (Wild Tech)
Marksman (Firearms), Rain Alertness, Dead
of Fire (Heavy Weapons), Shot, Double Tap, No
Once per turn, reroll 1D10 when taking a Shooting action.
Sharp Sense (Observation), Mercy, Rapid Fire,
Anatomist (Medicine) Steady Hands
Nominate one of the character’s weapons. Increase the weap- Clear Shot (Firearms), Killer
on’s Range by 1. Scrutinise (Observation) Instinct, Marksman
Nominate a Hull Mounted Weapon on the character’s vehi-
cle. The weapon gains +1 Power. If the character takes a Cover Smooth Reload Improved Rapid Fire,
Us! action to move to another position, the new position (Heavy Weapons) Rock and Roll!
gains +1 Power.
Wide-Eyed (Insight),
Once per turn, the character may reroll any dice roll caused by Alertness,
Battlefield Perception
an Environmental Effect that would affect their vehicle. Danger Sense
(Observation)
The character may reroll their D10 when part of an Attack or No Mercy (Melee), Hardy Berserk, Feint, Frenzy,
Fight action. (Resistance) Weapon Master
Might (Athletics), Savage
The character gains +2 to Attack or Fight rolls. Bruiser, Mighty Blow
Assault (Melee)
Opposing characters in Attack or Fight actions with this charac- Martial Warrior
Grappler (Melee)
ter do no gain the benefits of any Hand Weapons.
Healer,
The character gains the Medic skill. Bind Wounds (Medicine)
Jack-of-all-Trades
Any vehicle that loses CP to a BS test by the character addition-
ally receives a -3 modifier to BS1/BS2 (the character decides) Apothecary (Medicine) Assassin
during its next activation, plus E and MM are reduced by 1.
The character gains the Pilot skill. Once per turn, the character
Ace (Pilot) Ace
may reroll a failed E test for their Flyer.
When piloting a Flyer, the character may roll 1D6 for the Pedal
Push the Envelope (Pilot) Jet Jockey1
to the Metal Move action, instead of 1D3.
Roll 1D10 if the character is Wiped-Out. On a 1 or 2, they instead Iron-Skinned (Resistance), Harder to Kill, Tougher
remain in play. Out of Darkness (Discipline) than Nails
The character may reroll a failed Evade test when rolling to Pick
Canny (Thievery) Thief
up the Stash.
1
Denotes a new Edge: see Devil’s Edges, p. 84.

296
 DIRECT CONVERSION RULES

RANGE & DISTANCE HULL-MOUNTED WEAPON

Range and distance in a roleplaying game is necessarily dif-
ferent from how it is measured in the board game. Range and
distance are handled by a measurement that uses squares on
the board game tiles, which not only takes into account the fact
that the vehicles are tearing along the freeway at high speed
whilst avoiding debris and other vehicles, but also relates to
the fact that the board game is played within tightly defined
limits that necessitate the balancing of weaponry and speeds
to account for this.

In comparison, SWADE makes use of inches to measure dis-

tance, whilst 2d20 uses an abstract method of zones. As
roleplaying games that can use large-scale maps and the the-
atre of the mind to describe situations, ranges are more readily
relatable to the real world over those defined by the structure
of a finely delineated space in a board game.

The range charts provided with the board game should be used BIKE
to determine modifiers to BS when shooting. See the Weapon
Conversion section of these direct conversion rules, p.298, for
specifics on converting weapon ranges.

CAR

BUGGY

Primary Arc Secondary Arc Tertiary Arc

All vehicles have a primary weapon. Some vehicles have or can

be equipped with Passengers or Gunners which will give the
vehicle a secondary or tertiary arc of fire. The numerical value
in each square is the BS modifier to shoot to this distance.

297
 APPENDIX 1

VEHICLE STAT CONVERSIONS SWADE or 2d20. A vehicle may never have a higher CP than
Much of the time, any vehicle conversions between the role- the maximum listed for its class. If a vehicle would end up with
playing game and the board game will simply involve taking higher CP, it is capped at the maximum for its class and instead
the appropriate vehicle card for the board game. A character gains a reroll to the first A test it is required to make during a
has a CabCroozer in the RPG? Grab the CabCroozer card and game, but only the first.
no further conversion is required.
SPECIAL RULES BY CLASS & CP
If you don’t possess the appropriate card or the vehicle is out-
A vehicle’s class and converted CP provide associated Special
side of the usual types found in either the RPG or board game,
Rules. If a vehicle qualifies for multiple Special Rules, the player
the following guide can be used. As with all of the rules in
chooses one and ignores the rest unless stated otherwise.
this appendix, this is not an exact conversion and variations
between the board game and roleplaying game stats will occur. Note that not every criterion listed below is strictly adhered to
These conversion rules are only intended to be used when the within the board game. The designers sometimes include or
appropriate vehicle card can’t be used or doesn’t exist. remove rules for vehicle cards based on balance, playtesting,
or fluff—cars can be supersized to behemoths, for instance.
The following board game statistics for vehicles are listed with
If a player feels that a vehicle should gain or lose a particular
their equivalent statistics from both rulesets used within this
special rule, then the matter can be discussed with the GM.
book. Some of the statistics are based on a vehicle’s class. In
As always, the GM has final veto.
the board game, these are defined as bike, buggy, car, van, and
behemoth. A vehicle within the RPG will easily translate to a BIKES
class within the board game most of the time. The GM should A bike with 5 or less CP or 3 or less A can gain the Manoeuvrable
adjudicate any ambiguous cases. Vehicle Special Rule.

MINIMUM MOVEMENT A bike with an MM of 2 can gain the Nippy Vehicle Special Rule.

As a board game with a rolling road that promotes forward BUGGY

movement, each vehicle possesses a Minimum Movement sta- All buggies gain the Rough Rider Vehicle Special Rule.
tistic. This is the absolute minimum number of squares that a
A buggy with no Hull Mounted Weapons can gain the Slam
vehicle must move with an action.
on the Anchors Vehicle Special Rule. All BritAttack Muggies
Most movement is also accompanied by the roll of 1D3. A gain the Slam on the Anchors Vehicle Special Rule regardless.
vehicle’s class can provide associated special rules that affect
A buggy with the Armoured keyword gains the Hard to Steer
movement (see Chassis Points, below).
and Wreckage Rider Vehicle Special Rules (the player must
SWADE: Vehicle’s Top Speed divided by 50, round up. accept both). Wreckage Rider replaces Rough Rider. When
converting from SWADE, a buggy with Heavy Armour is con-
2D20: Vehicle’s MM is equal to Speed.
sidered Armoured for the board game. When converting from

CHASSIS POINTS 2d20, a buggy is considered Armoured for the board game if
it has gained the Cumbersome quality due to its armour being
Chassis Points are based on a vehicle’s class. Use the following
greater than its Scale (see Vehicle Armour upgrade, p. 217).
table to determine a vehicle’s CP when converting from either

CHASSIS POINTS CONVERSION TABLE

VEHICLE CLASS 2D20 CONVERSION SWADE CONVERSION PENALTY
Bike Structure -1 Toughness divided by 2, rounding down 7

Buggy Structure -2 Toughness -3 10

Car Structure -4 Toughness -4 12

Van Structure -5 Structure -5 15

Behemoth Structure Toughness 601

1
A vehicle with more than 30 CPs should be separated into two equivalent board game cards, such as cab (15) and trailer (20).

298
 DIRECT CONVERSION RULES

CAR
A car with 11 or more CP gains the Croozer keyword and the
WEAPON CONVERSIONS
Where possible, it’s recommended that players take the
Hard to Steer Vehicle Special Rule.
weapon cards that match their character’s equipment. If a
Additionally, a car converted from SWADE that has with Heavy character has a .44 magnum in the roleplaying game, take the
Armour or a car converted from 2d20 that has gained the .44 magnum card from the board game and use those stats.
Cumbersome quality due to its armour being greater than its Equally, if there is no direct translation available, a weapon
Scale (see Vehicle Armour upgrade, p. 217) gains Hard to Steer. card for a similar category of weapon can suffice.

VAN If a more direct translation for a weapon is preferred, however,

A van with 14 or more CP gains the Hard to Steer special rule. then the guidelines that follow can be used.

RATE OF FIRE (ROF)

Additionally, a van converted from SWADE that has Heavy
Armour or a van converted from 2d20 that has gained the
Direct conversion for a weapon’s RoF within the board game
Cumbersome quality due to its armour being greater than its
is a fairly straightforward affair for both systems.
Scale (see Vehicle Armour upgrade, p. 217) gains Hard to Steer.
SWADE: Except for shotguns and flamethrower, use the weapon’s
BEHEMOTH
RoF within SWADE as a direct translation.
All Behemoths have the Hard to Steer and Massive Vehicle
Special Rules. 2D20: Directly translating RoF from 2d20 is also a fairly straight-
forward affair. Other than shotguns and flamers, the Burst rating
COMMON VEHICLE SPECIAL RULES of a weapon can be directly used as RoF.
HARD TO STEER: Moving diagonally forward costs 3 Movement.
For both systems, all shotguns converted to the board game
MANOEUVRABLE: Roll 2D3 and discard one when determin- have a minimum RoF of 4. In game terms, this is because they
ing Movement. pepper their target with a spread of shot. At the GM’s dis-
cretion, this may be increased by 1 or 2 for more powerful or
MASSIVE VEHICLE: Vehicle receives an additional +3 modifier to
automatic shotguns.
the damage caused in Offensive Move actions.
A standard flamethrower (SWADE) or light flamethrower (2d20)
NIPPY: Moving Diagonally forward costs 1 Movement.
has an RoF of 2, a vehicular flamethrower (SWADE) or heavy
ROUGH RIDER: Ignores Scrub and Debris terrain rules and receives flamer (2d20) has an RoF of 3.
a -2 modifier to damage caused by entering a Wreck.
RANGE (R)
SLAM ON THE ANCHORS: This vehicle may move backwards or
Because of the disparities mentioned under range and dis-
diagonally forward for 1 Movement as part of a Basic Move action.
tance, p. 296, the weapons from each roleplaying game system

EVADE require a little conversion work when using them within the
board game. For example, a standard pistol in the board game
A vehicle’s base Evade is determined by its class using the
has a maximum Range (R) of 4. Checking a basic pistol from the
following table. Unless it’s immobile, a vehicle can never have
2d20 ruleset indicates it has an effective range of Close. Some
an Evade lower than 1.
conversion work from word to numbers is clearly required.

EVADE CONVERSION TABLE As with vehicle conversions, this can be alleviated by using the
correct board game card for a particular weapon. Of course,
VEHICLE CLASS 2D20 SWADE not everyone will have the exact cards for each weapon. The
following table provides a rough guideline for weapon range
Bike 5 plus (Handling-1) 5 plus Handling conversion from either roleplaying game system into the board
game. A character cannot use a weapon to shoot beyond
Buggy 4 plus (Handling-1) 4 plus Handling the maximum range in squares indicated in the Board Game
Range column.
Car 3 plus (Handling-1) 3 plus Handling

Van 3 plus (Handling1) 3 plus Handling

Behemoth 2 plus (Handling-1) 2 plus Handling

299
 APPENDIX 1

WEAPON RANGE CONVERSION TABLE • Rocket and grenade launchers gain the Slow to Reload
Weapon Special Rule.
2D20 RANGE/ SWADE SHORT
QUALITY RANGE BOARD GAME RANGE As with other aspects, the conversion rules above are not a
hard and fast science that can be applied to every weapon. It
may be apparent that a weapon should qualify for a particu-
0 Squares (1 for
Reach Melee lar special rule and not another. Discuss the pros and cons of
Reach weapons)
adding or removing special rules with your GM.
Thrown Quality 5 or less 1-2 Squares
COMMON WEAPON SPECIAL RULES
Close 12 1-4 Squares ARMOURBANE: Any unsaved damage from this weapon removes
both CP and A from the target.
Medium 24 5-8 Squares
CLOSE RANGE WEAPON: RoF is decreased by 2 per intervening
Long 30 9-12 Squares square between firer and target.

Extreme 50 13+ Squares SCATTERGUN: BS tests for this weapon receive a +2 modifier.

SLOW TO RELOAD: May not be used on the turn directly after

POWER (P) it was used.
A weapon’s Power in the board game is determined by the
TARGETED: BS rolls of 1-3 are critical.
type of dice rolled in SWADE, or the amount of dice rolled in
2d20. When converting from either system, do not factor in
any associated bonuses, such as the plus modifier attached to
a weapon’s base damage in SWADE and extra damage from
high attributes in 2d20. Use the Weapon Power Conversion
Table for the conversion.

POWER CONVERSION TABLE

2D20  SWADE DICE BOARD GAME P
3-4 2d4 – 2d6 1

5 2d8 2

6-7 2d10 3

WEAPON SPECIAL RULES

Allocating special rules from the board game is a little trickier,
so GM advice should definitely be sought. There are a few basic
conditions that can be applied:

• All submachine guns gain the Scattergun Weapon

Special Rule.

• All shotguns gain the Close Range Weapon Special Rule.

• Weapons with an Armour Piercing rating of 4 in SWADE
or a weapon with two out of three of the Piercing,
Unforgiving, and Vicious qualities in 2d20 gains the
Armourbane Weapon Special Rule.

• Snap Fire weapons in SWADE and Unwieldy weapons

with the Unforgiving quality in 2d20 gain the Targeted
Weapon Special Rule.

300
 INDIRECT CONVERSION RULES

THEATRE TO GRID TACTICAL MOVEMENT

The Devil’s Run RPG is fuelled by both the 2d20 and SWADE There are certainly differences between how movement of
systems—two fast-paced rulesets that are designed to keep individuals is dealt with between both roleplaying games and
the action and drama focussed and free-flowing. Both have the board game system. First, the board game makes use of
their own unique method of handling movement in an action tokens or miniatures, which is not a strict requirement for any
scene: SWADE with inches on a map, 2d20 with abstract zones. roleplaying game. Second, the board game presents a grid
The Devil’s Run setting was initially conceived through the square system that strictly defines range and movement.
medium of a tabletop board game, which includes map tiles
and a wide range of miniatures. The purpose of this crossover
is to bridge the gap between the RPG and board game medi-
ROUNDING NOTE
A number of the following crossover rules and suggestions
ums so that players of either can use one or the other as the
will require some division and rounding. Unless, otherwise
fuel for a full-throttle ride across the deadly highways of this
stated, characters and GMs should always round down.
post-apocalyptic future.

TOKENS & FIGURES

COMMON GROUND The Devil’s Run board game makes use of an amazing array of
The systems that power both rulesets are clearly much differ-
table top miniatures for taking part in vehicular mayhem, all of
ent to the one that supports the board game, but there are
which have been scaled to fit within the grid system printed
foundations between all three that allow conversion elements
on the board tiles. This means that some form of representa-
to be explored. For the purposes of these indirect conversion
tive marker will be required to indicate each individual figure’s
rules, this has largely been approached with a view to meshing
position when using the board tiles and crossover rules as part
the mechanics of the rulesets with the tactical environment of
of a roleplaying game session. Though the board game itself
the board game, thereby creating a hybrid of the two. There
is already packed with a large number of miniatures and tiles
are several factors related to the introduction of the board
that are perfectly designed for combat using a grid system,
game tiles into the roleplaying environment that must be dealt
there are a number of alternative options that involve much
with in order to facilitate their use, such as movement, line of
less expense, such as representative illustrations printed onto
sight (or LOS), and range. It is worth bearing in mind here that
free-standing upright or flat circular cardboard tokens; even
these are indirect conversion rules, which equate to a mesh-
simple counters with handwritten notations can suffice if noth-
ing of roleplaying mechanics with board game environment.
ing else is to hand.
Appendix 1: Direct Conversion deals with the mechanics for

SQUARING INCHES & ZONES

fully converting roleplaying game statistics for use completely
within the board game environment.
With tokens or miniatures to hand and tiles placed, the next
Note: No ruleset is perfect. Rules that offer ways to bridge the stage to consider is movement. As previously mentioned, this
mechanics between systems and mechanical environments is handled within 2d20 by depicting or describing loose zones
even less so. While the aim is to provide guidance on using that allow a player to describe the relative position, action, and
either SWADE or 2d20 on the Devil’s Run board game tiles, movement of their character relative to the zone, or by exact
the game should also be fun and make sense. If something positioning and movement taken in inches for SWADE. The
feels clunky or doesn’t work well, use the rule of cool, make a board game assumes that most creatures and characters can
judgement call, and move on. take 1 square of movement as standard, with vehicles clearly
able to move more. In real-world terms, a square on the board
game grid is approximately 2 metres by 2 metres.
§ SCALING SWADE
The mechanics behind SWADE operate to a scale that
assumes 28mm miniatures are being used. In fact, Reaper
Minis make some fantastic miniatures for use within
ZONING THE 2D20 RUN
For 2d20, there is nothing wrong with GMs simply using
SWADE games. If this scale is being employed in place of
the tiles to define zones, thereby ignoring the grid system
the standard Devil’s Run scale, then no conversion work is
completely. Most vehicles can represent a single zone on
required. The Devil’s Run board game, however, has been
their own, or more for larger vehicles. Buildings and other
produced to a 20mm scale. If a Devil’s Run SWADE game is
points of interest can also be allocated as zones, with their
using this smaller scale, the conversion work within these
size restricted by the physical size of their space on the tile.
crossover rules can be utilised.

301
 APPENDIX 2

For the purposes of this crossover, there will need to be some overcome this restriction. A character that either begins play
conversion work undertaken to establish exactly how many in hazardous terrain or enters it as part of their movement must
squares each model may move when taking their movement attempt an Acrobatics or Athletics test at Average (D1) for the
within a round. Unless otherwise stated, the rules within both Movement action or Challenging (D2) for Sprint (2d20), or an
the SWADE and 2d20 rulesets take precedence. Athletics roll (SWADE). They may continue their full movement
on success, otherwise they enter the square and stop or only
When converting characters or creatures for use within the grid
perform 1 square of movement out of the square.
environment, combine their Agility and Physique attributes
(2d20) or consult their Pace (SWADE) and refer to the following At the start of a round, a character may declare that they are
Tactical Movement Table. spending their entire round moving through difficult terrain,
which effectively allows the character to move their normal
TACTICAL MOVEMENT TABLE amount of squares. For example, a character that benefits
from 3 squares of movement declares that they will be moving
2D20 1 MOVEMENT
SWADE (PACE) through difficult terrain for their turn. The character would only
(AGILITY + BRAWN) IN SQUARES have been able to complete 2 squares of movement without
this declaration: 3 squares of movement, but each square of
2-9 2-4 2 difficult terrain requires 2 squares, meaning the remaining 1
square would be lost. Declaring the use of the turn to move
10-14 5-8 3
through difficult terrain allows the character to effectively
15+ 9-12 4 move 3 full squares in that round.

1
Any creature or character in possession of a Supernatural MODELS PER SQUARE
rating in either Agility or Physique, or a combination of both, Up to 2 human-sized model or 1 large may occupy a single square.
adds 1 square of movement to their total for every 2 com-
plete points of relevant Supernatural rating they possess. MOVING THROUGH AND BETWEEN OCCUPIED SQUARES
For instance, a creature with Supernatural Agility (1) and Characters or creatures may move through squares occupied
Supernatural Physique (1) will add 1 square movement to by another friendly character or creature, but must end their
their calculated total from the table above. movement once they enter a square occupied by an enemy or
else suffer a Retaliate Response Action (2d20) or free attack
MOVEMENT AND ENCUMBRANCE (SWADE). Cutting across the corner of a square occupied by
In addition to the normal penalties for encumbrance (p. 123 any character or creature is allowed, whether friendly or not.
of this rulebook and p. 67 of SWADE), characters who are In the case of diagonal movement past an enemy, however, a
encumbered suffer from reduced movement. The effects of test is required to avoid inviting a Retaliate Response Action
encumbrance in terms of 2d20 are further explained under in (2d20) or free attack (SWADE) from the character or creature
the Encumbrance Table, p. 124. For SWADE, simply apply the that is being moved past.
relevant penalty to Pace and consult the Tactical Movement
For 2d20, make an opposed test if the movement is not part
Table once again.
of a Withdraw or Adjust Stance action—see Movement Actions,

THE ACTION OF MOVEMENT opposite. The moving character may use either Acrobatics,
Athletics or Melee for the purposes of this test, but will always
A character may move orthogonally or diagonally as part of
be opposed by the enemy’s Melee skill.
their movement, which includes cutting across corners of
doorways and walls (though exceptions to this are listed below). For SWADE, make an Athletics roll. If the roll is failed, the char-
Changing facing does not require any movement and may be acter is considered to be Withdrawing from Melee (SWADE p.
performed freely at any time. Opening a door requires the 109) when crossing the diagonal past the enemy.
equivalent of 1 square of movement.
ENGAGED MODELS
Unless they are dead, unconscious, hampered by critical injury,
A character is considered engaged if they share a square with
or have their legs restrained, characters may always take 1
an enemy. A character will also become engaged if they attack
square of movement.
an enemy in an adjacent square, or vice versa. If there is enough
Each square of difficult terrain requires 2 squares of a char- room accommodate both models in a square once engaged,
acter’s movement. Note that for 2d20, this means the Adjust the character who initiated the engagement must move to
Stance Free Action may not be used to enter or move within occupy the same square as the enemy they are attacking. This
difficult terrain, although a Salvage Point may be used to will not provoke a free attack or Retaliate.

302
 INDIRECT CONVERSION RULES

OPTIONAL RULE—MOVING DIAGONALLY 2d20 Example: Raizar is facing a horde of shamblers and Los
Nigromantes that are using their bodies to shield a weak-
The following optional rule is a potential means to pro-
ened Apostle. Spotting an opening in their lines that will
vide more open movement across condensed battlefields.
allow him to get closer to the Apostle, his player attempts to
Movement on a diagonal between two occupied square is
make a diagonal movement that will take Raizar between
handled slightly differently depending on whether either
an Elite Host and a shambler Lackey. The player elects to
model is friendly or not.
use Raizar’s Athletics skill in opposition to the Host’s Melee
In the case of a diagonal between two friendly models, a skill and pays 3 Fallout for the test. Raizar’s player then rolls
Challenging (D2) Acrobatics or Athletics test (2d20) or all 5 dice, which result in a 1, 6, 8, 16, and 18. Thanks to her
Athletics roll (SWADE) will allow the moving character or Athletics Focus (2) and Strong Back (2) talent, they net 6
creature to slip or shoulder their way between the models. If successes in total. The GM opposes this with the Elite Host’s
one of the models is friendly and one an enemy, then a test Melee skill—the stronger of the adeversaries— but adds 1 d20
is required against the enemy model exactly as described for the shambler. The GM elects to pay 2 Fallout for bonus
in the previous paragraph, though the enemy model gains 1 d20s to the roll, which also results in them rolling 5d20s for
bonus Momentum for the opposed test (2d20) or the char- the test. The dice result in a 3, 8, 15, 16, and 18, netting 2 suc-
acter applies -1 to their roll (SWADE). If both models are cesses from the roll, plus the 3 bonus Momentum they gain
enemies, they gain 3 bonus Momentum to their opposed because of the diagonal movement Raizar is taking, for a
test (2d20) or the character applies -2 to their roll (SWADE). total of 5 successes. Having taken them by surprise, Raizar
Note that in this final case, the GM should nominate a model has managed to shoulder his way between his foes into an
as the primary antagonist for the test, with the other model unoccupied square before they can react. The way is now
providing a supporting role — i.e. adding 1d20 to the opposed clear to the Apostle, but he had better hope that the ret of
test (2d20). If the moving player succeeds at the test, they the Misfits have his back!
complete their movement into the square unhindered. If they
SWADE Example: Using the above example, the GM elects
fail the test, this ends their current movement action and
to allow Raizar’s Brawny Edge to qualify for the movement
provides any enemy model with the opportunity to perform
between the adversaries.Raizar’s dice result in a total of 10,
a Retaliate Response Action (2d20) or free attack (SWADE).
while the Host’s result in a total of 6. Raizar has beaten the
GMs may increase the difficulty of a test to dodge between total with a raise, which allows hims to shoulder his way
friendly models, or increase the bonus Momentum gained between the Host and shambler to open a clear path to
towards an opposed test in the case of enemies, depending the Apostle. As Raizar also scored a raise, the GM opts to
on the size of a creature or character, or the type of armour allow Raizar’s player this as an opening for him to charge
that is being worn. Ducking between characters wearing directly into combat with the Apostle if he so chooses. After
bulky body armour or two hulking trolls, for instance, will boucning a steel pipe in their hand for a moment, Raizar’s
be more difficult than attempting the move between two player charges into the Apostle with a war cry that reaches
characters in skin-tight body suits or two shamblers. the ears of the nearby Gent and Sundry.

2D20 MOVEMENT ACTIONS MOVEMENT RESTRICTED ACTION: This action will allow a charac-
Having already discussed the types of actions available within ter to take their full movement in squares as calculated by referring
the roleplaying game, the following suggestions are made for to the Tactical Movement Table, above. A character or creature
each category in terms of how they relate to movement in may not perform an Adjust Stance Free Action or Sprint Standard
the tactical sense: Action in the same round that they use this type of movement.
They may, however, choose to downgrade a Standard Action to
ADJUST STANCE FREE ACTION: In tactical terms, this represents
perform a second Movement Restricted Action — in effect taking
1 square of movement. Like all Free Actions, this action may still
a double move without sprinting. Characters can crawl or climb
only be performed once per round. Additionally, it may not be
at half their normal movement (round down) with this action, to
performed in the same round that a character takes a Movement
a minimum of 1 square.
Restricted or Sprint Standard Action. This action may be used to
safely take short steps within a melee engagement and does not Characters or creatures who are encumbered reduce their
provoke the Retaliate Response Action. movement by 1 square if carrying more than their limit, by 2
squares if more than twice their limit, by three squares if more
Regardless of their level of encumbrance, characters or crea-
than three times their limit, and so forth. Regardless of their
tures who are encumbered may always make use of this action.
level of encumbrance, however, they may always take at least
1 square of movement.

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 APPENDIX 2

SPRINT STANDARD ACTION: A character can run up to four times included. Any time that a character benefits from Momentum
their usual number of squares with this type of movement. An gained due to a skill test that involves some form of movement,
Adjust Stance or Movement action may not be taken in the same 1 Momentum from the test may be spent to gain 1 additional
round that a character takes a Sprint action. During combat, a square of movement for the current movement action, to a
character can run for a number of rounds equal to their Physique maximum of 2 Momentum and 2 additional squares.
attribute without hindrance. During each round following this, the
In a strict sense, this rule only relates to skill tests that specif-
character must succeed at an Average (D1) Resistance test or suffer
ically require movement on the character’s part and therefore
one Fatigue. Each successive Resistance test taken without rest
can only be triggered by either Acrobatics, Athletics, Stealth,
adds one to the difficulty of the test for each point of Fatigue that
or Thievery tests that are taken as part of a requirement to
has been suffered due to the prolonged run. A character must rest
accomplish an action, including the Dodge Response Actions.
for a number of rounds equal to half the amount of rounds that
they spent running (round down) before being able to run again Momentous Momentum may be used in addition to—and as
without requirement for further Resistance tests, although any part of—any Swift Strike movement action.
Fatigue remains and must be removed as normal (see Chapter 9:
Rules of the Road Upkeep, p. 243).
§ SAVAGE RUNNING
Characters who are Encumbered may only move at three In combat situations, characters can choose to run as normal
times their movement with this action. Characters who are to gain increased Pace for their turn (SWADE, p. 92). Running
carrying more than twice their limit may only move at twice is a free action that normally adds 1d6 movement at the cost
their movement rate with this action, or at their normal move- of a penalty to all other actions taken that turn.
ment rate if carrying more than three times their limit. It is
Performing a free action to run and the 1d6 roll for additional
impossible to use Sprint if carrying four or more times their
movement must be declared before any movement is per-
encumbrance limit.
formed or actions undertaken.
Characters may usually only Sprint in a straight line, although
At the GM’s discretion, characters who are running downhill
GMs may allow a course alteration following a successful
may gain a +1 bonus to the Running die. Conversely, characters
Acrobatics or Athletics tests taken as part of the movement.
who are running up a serious camber may suffer a -1 penalty
Outside of combat—where adrenaline is not a factor—charac- to the Running die.
ters may instead run for a number of minutes equal to their
Brawn attribute before needing to test for Fatigue. This rep-
resents a pace of approximately 19-20 kph; GMs may allow BONUS MOVEMENT FROM MOMENTUM, TAL-
characters running at a slower pace to test less frequently.
ENTS, POWERS, OR ABILITIES
WITHDRAW STANDARD ACTION: This unique action allows a char- If enough Momentum is generated, the Swift Strike Combat
acter to move up to 1 square away from opponents in order to Momentum spend provides for an additional Standard
disengage from melee combat. This action may not be performed Action each round. Additionally, some characters or crea-
if 1 square of movement will not allow the character to disengage tures may be able to access unique abilities or use Salvage
safely from all enemies within the current melee engagement, Points that enable them to take extra Standard Actions.
though they are free to use other types of movement. Should they choose to take a bonus movement action as
a result of either Momentum or an ability’s effect during
Regardless of their level of encumbrance, characters who are
combat, it is recommended that the character is limited to
encumbered may only move 1 square with a Withdraw action.
only being able to employ a Movement Restricted Action.
Just as with the standard 2d20 rules, if a character attempts This will provide a character with more than enough move-
to leave a melee engagement with a Movement or Sprint ment during a combat round and account for the fact that
action, they must make an opposed Melee test against the they will need to remain aware of the tactical situation
most skilled enemy amongst the combatants. They may move around them. Generous GMs who allow the use of a second
freely on success, otherwise each enemy combatant in the Sprint action should ask for Insight or Observation tests in
melee engagement may perform a Retaliate Response Action order for the character to remain aware of their surround-
to strike at the character. ings at such dizzying speeds, with failure resulting in a one
level difficulty increase to all movement, perception, and
2D20 MOMENTOUS MOVEMENT combat related skill tests during that round.
Introducing combat and movement into a tactical environment
also allows for the use of unique Momentum options to be

304
 INDIRECT CONVERSION RULES

FLYING CREATURES continue forwards or diagonally from this line). Note that a
Flying creatures are another consideration for tactical move- creature may begin its flight movement by moving a square
ment. Most flying creatures should be able to fly at least as in any direction, but is bound by the preceding rules once it
many squares as they are capable of walking. Not all flying has moved.
creatures will move at the same speed of course, so GMs
Creatures can also rise at a rate of 1 square (or cube) for every
should make their players aware of any variations to this rule
2 squares of forward movement, or may descend 1 square for
whenever a model with flight is introduced.
each square moved. A creature that chooses to fly straight
A creature’s altitude should also be tracked, as this will affect up can ascend a number of squares equal to half their flight
their range from an attacker. Either note their height in squares speed as a Movement Restricted Action (2d20) or standard
down, or use a die to track it — just remember to avoid using Pace (SWADE), or up to twice that amount as a Sprint Standard
the altitude die for anything else! Imagine a flying creature Action (2d20) or as part of running (SWADE).
to occupy a cube, instead of a square. Counting the number
A creature can attempt to remain aloft and move at less than
of cubes away from an attacker is equivalent to counting the
half speed, hover, or move sideways as part of its movement,
number of squares.
but must succeed at a Challenging (D2) Acrobatics or Athletics
Creatures that use wings or require continuous momentum test to do so. This is increased to a Dire (D3) test if the creature
for flight are bound by some applications of physics in order moves backwards. Any of these tests can result in Momentous
to remain aloft. They must fly a number of squares in a round Movement. Creatures that fail the test have become unstable
equal to half their movement or risk stalling. They can also only and end their movement. At the start of their next turn, they
make diagonal movement as part of any movement action drop a number of squares equal to half their movement unless
(not sideways). Once movement has begun, the creature they succeed at Challenging (D2) Acrobatics or Athletics test
must maintain forward or diagonal movement, i.e. it cannot made as a Standard Action.
move sideways or backwards as part of the movement once
it has taken a square of movement to begin its action (it must

305
 APPENDIX 2

LINE OF SIGHT (LOS) Those combatants who begin the surprise round unaware of
In order to make a ranged attack, a character must have LOS their opponents don’t get to act in the surprise round. The only
to their target. The attacker traces a line from their character exceptions to this are the PCs and Kingpin NPCs, who may still
to the target. If this line intersects a wall or creature, LOS is take Response Actions, but at double the required Fallout cost.
obscured. Obscured LOS may provide varying Cover as normal. Trooper and Elite NPCs may not act at all in the surprise round.

Regardless of clear LOS, making a ranged attack against an

enemy engaged in melee with a friendly character will increase DISRUPTING
the difficulty of the test by 1 (2d20) or trigger the Innocent Two characters that are in close combat, attacking the same
Bystander rule (SWADE, p 102). Friendly characters and crea- enemy, and in separate squares are Disrupting the enemy’s
tures are classed as engaged in melee if they are adjacent to an focus, i.e. the enemy is forced to split its attention between
enemy. This penalty can be negated at the GMs discretion if the both characters in order to defend itself. Characters that qualify
enemy is larger in size than the engaged friend—a Monstrous as Disrupting benefit from 1 bonus Momentum on successful
creature engaged with a human-sized friendly, for instance. melee attacks against the enemy they are attacking (2d20). For
SWADE, the enemy is considered Distracted (SWADE, p. 100)
In the case of enemies attacking a PC, the player always chooses
which corner of their square to use for line of sight purposes.
2D20 TACTICAL ACTIONS
Movement actions have already been covered, but the follow-
RANGE ing alterations apply to the listed actions:
Range between combatants is counted in squares. Each square

FREE ACTIONS
is approximately 2 metres or 2 yards in length and width.

FALL PRONE: Requires 1 square of movement. As previously stated,

TACTICAL COMBAT characters can crawl at half their normal movement (round down)
The actual basics of combat remain largely unaffected for both with this action, to a minimum of 1 square.
2d20 and SWADE. Unless the GM interrupts through Fallout
STAND UP: Standing up from prone requires 2 squares of movement.
(2d20), initiative remains with the players. The following points
If this action is taken while engaged or with an enemy occupying
and alterations to actions need to be considered.
the same square, an opposed Acrobatics, Athletics, or Melee test
is required to avoid a potential Retaliate Response Action.
SURPRISE
In addition to being ambushed — which is normally pre-planned RESPONSE ACTIONS
and premeditated — characters or creatures can also be sur- DODGE: Characters that use Acrobatics to perform the Dodge
prised by the events of the game. For example, guards on Response Action may make use of Momentous Movement,
a routine patrol might be momentarily struck immobile at although this may initiate Retaliate Response Actions from nearby
discovering the characters mid-heist, whilst the characters enemies. In order to be successful, any enemy choosing to perform
themselves may have been so focussed on their actions that a Retaliate action must exceed the number of successes achieved
they failed to hear the guard’s approach. In this instance, either on the character’s Dodge.
group could suffer the effects of surprise.
PROTECT: When protecting against ranged attacks, the character
Ambush tactics allow for an opposed Stealth roll against the attempting to perform the Protect Response Action must be within
target’s Observation, but in situations such as the example or adjacent to a square that allows the reacting character to draw
given above, Observations tests for one or both groups would a clear LOS to the attacker without the model they are protecting
be more effective. These are not opposed tests. They are blocking their view, i.e. they cannot defend against attacks made
straightforward skill tests at a difficulty determined by the from the opposite side of the model they are protecting.
GM. Momentum from the tests can be carried forward into
When protecting against melee attacks, the attack that the
any subsequent combat round that ensues. If all tests fail, or
reacting character is attempting to block must be coming from
all tests succeed, then there is no need for surprise—other than
within or adjacent to their own square.
perhaps as a story narrative.
In either of the above cases, a character wishing to perform a
A combat that begins with some of the combatants unaware of
Protect Response Action may attempt to provide protection
their opponents opens with a surprise round. If they are aware
against an attack from outside of the limits described. To so
of any enemies, the PCs still act first in the surprise round. Any
do, the character must pay the required Fallout and attempt an
character or creature that is aware of any opponents during the
Acrobatics or Close Combat test as normal. They must generate
surprise round may take Free Actions and a Standard Action.

306
 INDIRECT CONVERSION RULES

enough Momentum to allow them to make the required VEHICLES

movement into the danger zone (2 points of Momentum to It is recommended that the more abstract vehicle rules pre-
gain 1 additional square of movement, to a maximum of 4 sented within this book and the chase rules within SWADE are
Momentum and 2 additional squares). The character must be used for fast-moving vehicular action. To maintain the intensity
able to make the required movement unhindered—i.e. their and drama of such high-octane scenes, the action and dynam-
path or the square they are moving to cannot be blocked by ics can be tracked more quickly and will flow much better using
another character or creature—and the actual movement still narrative descriptions and abstract mechanics than they will
invites possible Retaliate actions. Any Retaliate actions that the if they are played out on a tactical grid.
character is subjected to occur simultaneously, so it will still
But what of key battles that involve vehicles, yet by necessity
be possible to complete the Protect action. If the Acrobatics
move at a slower pace? The rules presented here offer the
or Close Combat test doesn’t generate enough Momentum
opportunity to integrate smaller scale vehicles into the Devil’s
for the movement, the Response Action fails.
Run RPG within the boundaries of the tactical grid.

SWADE TACTICAL ACTIONS SPACE CONSIDERATIONS

EVASION: A raise on the roll to evade allows the character to also Presented in a length times width format (l x w), the Vehicle
move 1 square (and only 1). This movement may trigger free attacks Tactical Scale Table offers guidelines to establish the effective
as normal (SWADE, p 101). size for some vehicles within the tactical environment.

MOVEMENT
PRONE: The character can crawl 1 square. Standing up uses 1 square
of movement.
Unlike models or tokens on foot, it is necessary to establish
PUSH: The opponent is pushed 1 square in any direction, or 2 a vehicle’s facing. Almost all vehicles are designed with for-
with a raise. ward movement as their primary focus, with limited backwards
momentum a secondary consideration. In most cases, the
model or token will provide a clear indication of its forward—
or leading—edge, though GMs should clearly define this for
every vehicle when establishing an action scene. Chapter 8:
Vehicular Mayhem, p. 207 has a visual representation for this.

Vehicles also have a base speed for the purposes of the tactical
environment—refer to the Vehicle Tactical Movement Table
for converting both SWADE and 2d20 speeds. This speed is
not proportional or representative of a vehicle’s top speed or
cruising speed, it is simply a suggested movement allowance
designed to keep a vehicle’s speed within the realms of the
tactical environment.

VEHICLE TACTICAL MOVEMENT TABLE

SWADE 2D20
Top Speed ÷ 20 Speed x 2

2D20: Driving or piloting a vehicle across a battlefield normally

requires an Average (D1) Pilot test as part of the vehicle’s action
(see Tactical Actions and Crew Roles below), though difficult
terrain and/or making a manoeuvre will increase the difficulty.
Vehicles can move using forward or diagonal movement. Each
square of diagonal movement requires 2 squares of movement.
For vehicles with the Nimble Type, each diagonal movement
only requires 1 square of movement.

A vehicle cannot make forwards and backwards within the

same round. Unless the driver succeeds at an Average (D1)

307
 APPENDIX 2

Drive test, a vehicle must also remain at a stand for one round the vehicle may still make its normal movement. Bonus vehicu-
following forwards movement before being able to begin back- lar movement may be taken, but the driver may not make use
wards movement. If a driver succeeds at the Drive test to move of Combat Momentum (as they are wholly focussed on avoiding
backwards, they may use the vehicle to move backwards as danger). Turning whilst using this action increases the difficulty
normal. A vehicle moves backwards at half its normal speed, of the Drive test by 1.
rounding fractions up. Driving backwards increases the diffi-
EVASIVE ACTION (RESPONSE): Momentous Vehicular
culty of all Pilot tests by 1.
Movement may be generated by the opposed test, which
SWADE: Driving or piloting across a battlefield is a manoeuvre roll may be taken in a forward, backward, or diagonal movement.
that is performed as a free action. Success allows the vehicle to Any diagonal movement requires only 1 square of movement
move a number of squares equal to the vehicle’s converted Top for all vehicles. Note this is the only time a vehicle may move
Speed. Each square of diagonal movement requires 2 squares of backwards in the same turn that it has moved forwards, as it
movement. For vehicles with a Handling of +2 or more, each diag- represents a pilot applying the brakes to avoid danger.
onal movement only requires 1 square of movement.
MANOEUVRE/RECKLESS DRIVING (FREE/MINOR): The vehicle
A vehicle cannot make forwards and backwards within the same moves a single square. No skill test is required unless turning.
round. Unless the driver succeeds at a Driving test, a vehicle
HANDBRAKE TURN (STANDARD): Following a Drive test at +1 dif-
must also remain at a stand for one round following forwards
ficulty, the vehicle may move up to twice its standard movement
movement before being able to begin backwards movement. If
and then turn either 90 or 180 degrees—if 180 degrees is chosen,
a driver succeeds at the Driving test to move backwards, they
place the inside edge in the reverse direction along the same line it
may use the vehicle to move backwards as normal. A vehicle
had been travelling. Unlike standard turning, there is no minimum
moves backwards at half its normal speed, round up. Driving
movement required for this action—so long as the vehicle under-
backwards applies a -1 modifier to Driving tests.
took movement in the previous turn (i.e. it cannot be made from
standing still). A vehicle may not move any further once the turn
DESIGN NOTE: VEHICLE SPEEDS is complete, which also prevents bonus vehicular movement (see
Not every vehicle moves at the same speed of course. opposite). Additionally, the driver may only perform a Manoeuvre
Neither do these tactical rules take into consideration action at half standard movement on the subsequent round. Failure
other factors such as acceleration. The rules presented on the test to complete the action or any Complications will result
here will suffice to incorporate smaller vehicles into a tac- in an Out of Control! result (p. 209).
tical environment in and around characters without overly
PEDAL TO THE METAL: Following an Average (D1) Drive test, the
focussing on the minutiae of real world physics. GMs are
vehicle moves up to its standard number of squares. If this test
free to amend or expand the rules as they see fit. Later
is failed, the vehicle may still take Pedestrian Driving movement.
sourcebooks or alternate rules compendiums may further
Momentum may be used for bonus vehicular movement (see p.
expand upon the rules presented here.
308, opposite). Attacks made by the vehicle have their difficulty
increased by 1. Attempting to turn whilst using Pedestrian Driving
2D20 TACTICAL DRIVING ACTIONS increases the difficulty of the test by 1, though terrain and condi-
Drive tests taken during a combat scene are likely to gen- tions may also affect this. Failure on the roll to complete a turn at
erate Momentum. Drivers may use Momentum for Combat this speed will result in the vehicle continuing forward movement,
Momentum Spends as normal. The Swift Strike Momentum whilst a Complication will result one of the mishaps from the Out
spend may not be used for additional movement actions, of Control! sidebar, p. 209.
although it may be used to make melee or ranged attacks
PEDESTRIAN DRIVING (STANDARD): Following an Average (D1)
at the same time as driving or piloting if the driver or pilot
Drive test, the vehicle moves up to its standard number of squares.
doesn’t have access to the Drive With Your Knees talent (p.
If this test is failed, the vehicle may still take a Manoeuvre move-
94). Characters who do so are still considered to be splitting
ment. Attacks made by the vehicle have their difficulty increased
their focus (p. 206).
by 1. Attempting to turn whilst using Pedestrian Driving increases
The vehicle actions presented on p. 207 of this rulebook are the difficulty of the test by 1, though terrain and conditions may
amended as follows: also affect this. Failure on the roll to complete a turn at this speed
will result in the vehicle continuing forward movement, whilst a
DEFENSIVE DRIVING (STANDARD): Following a successful Average
Complication will result one of the mishaps from the Out of Control!
(D1) Drive test, the vehicle moves its standard number of squares
sidebar, p. 209.
and all attacks made by or against the vehicle are increased by 1
difficulty, plus 1 per Momentum spent (maximum of 2). On failure,

308
 INDIRECT CONVERSION RULES

SWADE TACTICAL DRIVING ACTIONS RAM: The driver can move the vehicle up to its converted speed.
CHANGE POSITION: As discussed on p. 307, this is normally per- Bonus vehicular movement is still possible (see below).
formed as a free action. Using a full action allows the driver to
perform bonus vehicular movement (see opposite). Critical Failure TURNING
results in a roll on the Out of Control Table (SWADE, p. 119). In both 2d20 and SWADE, a vehicle may make a 90-degree
turn as part of a movement action. In order to so, the driver
EVADE: As with change position, performing this as a free action
must succeed at the relevant check or roll, and the vehicle
allows the driver to move the vehicle up to its converted speed.
must move at least a number of squares of forward move-
Using a full action allows the driver to perform bonus vehicular
ment equal to its length in squares. For example, a car that is 1
movement (see opposite). Critical Failure results in a roll on the
square in length must move forward 1 square before executing
Out of Control Table (SWADE, p. 119).
a 90-degree turn, a car that is 2 squares in length must move
FORCE: The driver can move the vehicle up to its converted speed. 2 squares, and so on.
Bonus vehicular movement is still possible (see opposite).
Tracking from a vehicle’s rear edge, the vehicle is moved for-
HOLD STEADY: The driver can move the vehicle up to its converted ward the required number of minimum squares and then
speed. Bonus vehicular movement isn’t possible (see opposite). turned 90 degrees in the direction of the pilot’s choice. To
complete the turn and the action, the vehicle’s rear edge is
then placed to sit atop the line of the inside edge’s position
prior to the movement. The vehicle may then complete any
movement it has remaining.

In the example diagram below, both the car (2x1 squares) and
the buggy (2x2 squares) have executed a turn. The additional
square of movement gained from the turn represents the fact
that most vehicles don’t turn on the spot (unless they’re slow
moving tracked vehicles).

FRONT
Failure on the test or roll to turn the vehicle means that
only forward or diagonal movement may be taken, whilst a
Complication (2d20) or Critical Failure (SWADE) will result in
a Complication from the Out of Control! sidebar on p. 209
of this book (2d20) or the Out of Control table on p. 119 of
SWADE respectively.

RUNAWAY VEHICLES
Pilots and drivers that perform manoeuvres at high speeds risk
losing control of their vehicles. The Out of Control! sidebar on
FRONT p.209 of this book will cover these situations for 2d20. GMs
using SWADE should refer to the Out of Control Table on p. 119
of the SWADE rulebook.

BONUS VEHICULAR MOVEMENT

2D20: Momentum generated by a Drive test involving a vehicle’s
movement may be used for the vehicular equivalent of Momentous
Movement (see p. 304). If a Manoeuvre action is being performed,
a maximum of 1 Momentum may be spent to gain 1 additional
square. This is increased to 3 Momentum and 3 squares for the
Pedal to the Metal action.

SWADE: If the driver or pilot opts to perform their vehicle’s move-

ment as an action (instead of free action), each raise provides 1
additional square of movement. Multi-Actions are still possible in
this instance (SWADE, p. 103).

309
 RULES REFERENCE

SKILLS, ATTRIBUTES, AND THEIR USES DAMAGE BONUS

ACTION EFFECT ATTRIBUTE BONUS
FREE ACTIONS Melee Brawn

Adjust Moving within Close range or in and out of Reach. Ranged Awareness

Drop Item Dropping an item held in one or two hands. Threaten Personal

Drop Prone Dropping prone to the ground.

Simple Task Any small task requiring no skill test or a Simple (D0) test.
Speak Speaking without using a communication skill.
HIT LOCATION
MINOR ACTIONS
Aim Reroll 1d20 on an attack. D20 LOCATION
Alleviate Ridding self or an item from an ongoing condition. 1-2 Head
Draw Item Drawing an item or weapon. 3-5 Right Arm
Interact Interact with an object in the environment. 6-8 Left Arm
Movement Moving within Medium range. 9 - 14 Torso

Stand Standing from prone position. 15 - 17 Right Leg

STANDARD ACTIONS 18 - 20 Left Leg

Assist Granting an ally an advantage.

Attack Attacking a foe.

OBSERVATION (D)
Brace Steadying an Unwieldy weapon for an attack.
Exploit Observing foe to discover a weakness, to exploit immediately.
Pass Doing nothing. RANGE INCREASE
Ready Holding another Action to perform later. Close 0
Recover Attempting to recover lost Vigour or Nerve. Medium 1
Skill Test Attempting a skill test. Long 2
Sprint Moving to any point in Long range. Extreme 3
Treat Treating an ally within Reach to recover Vigour or Nerve.

COMBAT DIE
Withdraw Withdrawing to Close range to avoid a Retaliate Action.
REACTIONS
Covering Fire Use a Reload to assist an ally.Attacks against them are more difficult. ROLL VALUE
Defend Parrying, blocking, or otherwise avoiding an attack. 1 1

Protect Defending an ally from an attack. 2 2

Retaliate Attacking a nearby foe when an opportunity is presented. 3-4 0

Return Fire Immediately return fire when declared the target of a ranged attack. 5-6 1, plus an Effect
 ATTACK TABLE
ATTACK SKILL RANGE DAMAGE TYPE DEFENCE REACTION
Melee Melee Reach Physical Melee or Acrobatics

Firearms or Per weapon, +1 difficulty for each additional

Ranged Physical Acrobatics
Heavy Weapons range category outside of effective range.

Close range, +1 difficulty for each additional

Threaten Persuade Mental Discipline
range category.

DAMAGE TABLE
DAMAGE TYPE PERSISTENT SOAK CONDITIONAL SOAK STRESS HARM RECOVERY TREATMENT
Nerve Trauma
Mental Courage Morale (Will + (Awareness, Intelligence, Discipline Counsel
Discipline) Personality, Willpower)
Vigour Wound
Physical
Armour Cover (Brawn + (Agility, Brawn, Resistance Medicine
(Creature)
Resistance) Coordination)

Physical Fault
Armour Cover Structure — Engineering
(Object) (tests involving object)

COMBAT MOMENTUM TABLE

MOMENTUM SPEND COST EFFECT

Bonus Damage 1R A character can increase the physical or mental damage inflicted by an attack. Each
Momentum spent adds 1 damage.

Called Shot 2 The character can choose the hit location struck by a physical attack.

Change Stance 1 The character goes prone or stands up.

Confidence 1R The character gains 1 Morale Soak per Momentum spent (maximum 3) until the start
of their next turn.

The character designates a target within Reach (including themself). The difficulty
Defend 1 of the next attack against that target before the start of their subsequent turn
increases by 1.
One weapon held by the target is knocked away and falls to the ground within
Disarm 2–3 Reach. This costs 2 Momentum if the target is holding the weapon in one hand or 3
Momentum if the weapon is braced or held in two hands.

Penetration 1R The damage inflicted by the current attack ignores an amount of Soak equal to
twice the Momentum spent.

Reroll Damage 1 The player may reroll any number of damage dice from the current attack.

Second Wind 1 I, R The character chooses a type of damage and recovers 1 point for each Momentum
spent in the associated capability for each Momentum spent.

Secondary Target 2 A second target within Reach of the primary target is also affected by the attack
and suffers half the attack’s damage (rounded down).

Subdue 1 The attack gains the Nonlethal quality.

The character gains an additional Standard Action, adding 1 difficulty to any subse-
Swift Action 2 quent skill test required. This can be done only once per round, but it can be done in
addition to spending a Salvage Point to gain a Standard Action.
Withdraw 1 The character leaves the Reach of an enemy without triggering Retaliate Reactions.
 VEHICULAR MOMENTUM SPENDS
MOMENTUM SPEND COST EFFECT
Quick Entry/Exit 1 NR Character may enter or exit a vehicle, or assume a role in a vehicle, as a Free Action.

After failing a terrain test when piloting a vehicle, continue moving forward as if the
Ram Through 2 terrain test was not failed. However, the vehicle suffers damage (due to a collision,
overtaxed motive systems, and so on) with the amount determined by the GM.

Target Passenger 2 The character can target a passenger inside of an Exposed vehicle.

PURSUIT ROLL MOMENTUM TABLE

MOMENTUM SPEND COST EFFECT

Bonus Pace 1 A character can increase the total from the pursuit roll. Each Momentum spent
increases the total of the pursuit roll by +1.

Evasion 1 The Obstacle Soak against this pursuit roll is reduced by 2 per Momentum spent.

Reroll Pursuit 1 The player may reroll any number of [CD] from the current pursuit roll.

Create Hindrance 1 Increase the Obstacle Soak of the Pursuit Track by +1 per Momentum Spent. This
only affects the opponent’s next pursuit roll and lasts only for that roll.

WINNINGS TABLE
AMOUNT GAMBLED DIFFICULTY WINNINGS
$100 D2 Amount gambled + $10 per Momentum
$250 D3 Amount gambled + $75 per Momentum
$500 D4 Amount gambled + $250 per Momentum
$1000 D5 Double amount gambled

SCAVENGING TABLE
D20 RESULT ITEM DESCRIPTION
1-3 Cash $100
4-6 Usable Weapons 2 Rarity 1 weapons, or a single Rarity 2 weapon, plus a Reload if applicable.
Food and water for several people. They can be considered 2 Merch, or kept to
7-8 Rations
allow the player to skip the Upkeep cost at the end of the next session.
The vehicle is badly damaged but can be salvaged for parts, which can be used
9-10 Badly Damaged Car
for the player’s own repairs, or considered Merch
While the vehicle is not currently running, it could be repaired given the time
11-12 Damaged Bike
and resource, or considered Merch.
While the vehicle is not currently running, it could be repaired given the time
13-14 Abandoned Trike
and resource, or considered Merch.
An item of value such as a work of art or piece of lost technology. While
the player has no direct use for it, it is valuable enough to have a worth of
15-16 Old World Artefact
3 Merch to the right buyer. The GM may choose to use this as a story arc in
future sessions.
This equates to 1 Unbalanced or 2H firearm with a basic supply of ammunition.
17-18 Weapons Cache
Specific weapons and condition to be chosen by the GM.
19 Nothing The player finds nothing.
The player finds nothing. In addition, the GM starts with 1 bonus Fallout at the
20 Nothing
beginning of the next adventure.

312
 INDEX
A Feral 266, 287 (SW) Sacrificing Armour 139
Acrobatics Skill 87 Feral Chief 267, 287 (SW) Shields 139
Actions 178 Guard 267, 287 (SW) Athletics Skill 89
Action Summary Table 179 Pirate 268, 287 (SW) Attributes 16, 70, 165
Adjust (Free) 178 Pirate Captain 268, 288 (SW) Agility 16, 70
Aim (Minor) 178 Road Warrior 269, 288 (SW) Awareness 16, 70
Alleviate (Minor) 178 Thug 269, 288 (SW) Brawn 16, 70
Assist (Standard) 181 The Hunters 272, 288 (SW) Coordination 16, 70
Attack (Standard) 181 Head Hunter 274, 288 (SW) Intelligence 16, 70
Brace (Standard) 181 Road Ronin 275, 288 (SW) Personality 16, 70
Draw Item (Minor) 178 Living Legends 284, 289 (SW) Willpower 16, 70
Drop Item (Free) 178 The Gentleman 284, 289 (SW) Attribute Improvement 79
Drop Prone (Free) 178 King Chroman 285, 289 (SW) Starting Attributes 71
Exploit (Standard) 180 Rahoul Whitehair 286, 289 (SW) Attacks 191
Interact (Minor) 180 Los Nigromantes 276, 288 (SW) Avant Guard 13, 30
Movement (Minor) 180 Apostle 278, 288 (SW)
Pass (Standard) 180 Host 279, 289 (SW) B
Ready (Standard) 180 Messanjero 279, 289 (SW) Batteries 126
Recover (Standard) 180 NPC Categories 253 Bonus Damage 193
Skill Test (Standard) 180 Revenants 270, 288 (SW) Bonus Damage from Momentum
Simple Task (Free) 178 Ghoul 270, 288 (SW) 192, 193
Speak (Free) 178 Shambler 271, 288 (SW) BonusDamage from Attributes 194
Sprint (Standard) 181 Troll 271, 288 (SW) Bonus Damage from Reloads 193, 154
Stand (Minor) 180 The Skinners 280, 289 (SW) Brazilia 14
Treat (Standard) 181 Aya Decadencia 283, 289 (SW) BritAttack 13, 34
Withdraw (Standard) 181 Runner 282, 289 (SW)
Allies & Adversaries 253–289 Special Abilities 255 C
Beasts 258 Apocalyptic 255 Callousness 110
Alligator 258 Dread Vitality 255 Character Creation 69, 84 (SW)
Bear 259 Fast Recovery 255 Archetype 72
Cougar 259 Fear 255 Faction 70
Dog 260 Feed Upon Fear 255 Customisation 73
Eagle 260 Flight 255 Edges (SW) 84
Hog 260 Grasping 255 Equipment 76
Horse, Riding 261 Inured to X 255 Example 76
Jaguar 261 Keen Senses 255 Faction Lore (SW) 84
Rat Swarm 261 Mindless 255 Group Backgrounds 80, 85 (SW)
Snake, Venomous 262 Monstrous 256 Notoriety 78, 85 (SW)
Vulture 262 Mount 256 Climbing 185
Creating Adversaries 257 Night Vision 256 Clothing 126
Encounter Structure 257 Superhuman Attribute 256 Communication 127
Fields of Expertise 253 Unliving 256 Cold and Heat 110
Groups (Mobs & Gangs) 253 Aircraft 204, 210 Combat Die 16, 164
Human Foes 264, 287 (SW) Animal Companions 201 Command Skill 91
Bandit 264, 287 (SW) Training Animals 202 Complications 17, 166, 238
Berserker 264, 287 (SW) Animal Handling Skill 89 Vehicle Complications 209
Bodyguard 265, 287 (SW) Archetypes 72 Components 128
Cultist 265, 287 (SW) Armour 138 Expending Components 19, 170
Cultist Leader 266, 287 (SW) Armour Summary Table 153 Conditions 198

313
 Counsel Skill 92 Gang Warfare Skill 97 Haul’s Angels 13, 41
Cover 186 Gangs (Groups) 253 Hazards 185, 240
Customisation 73 Gear 125, 160 (SW) Heavy Machine Guns 143
Acquiring Gear 121 Heavy Weapons Skill 98
D Armour 138 Hindrances 185
Damage 154, 194, 197 Armour Summary Table 153 Hit Locations 195
Damage and Recovery 194 Batteries 126 Variant Hit Location Rules 195
Dice 163 Clothing 126 Hunters, The 13, 272
Difficulty 16, 167 Communication 127
Difficulty Modifiers Table 168 Components 128 I
Discipline Skill 93 Drugs 131 Improving the Odds 18, 170
Diseases 133 Encumbrance 123 Industrial Equipment & Tools 128
Example Disease 134 Explosives & Grenades 145 Insight Skill 100
Displays 199 Flamers 143 Initiative 177
Distances 183 Food & Water 127
Dollar 119 Gear Equivalents (SW) 161 J
Drive 94 Gear Qualities 149 Jets 14, 45
Drowning and Suffocation 186 Gear Summary Tables 151 Justice 14, 49
Drugs 131 Handguns 140
Hand Crank & Solar Generators 127 L
E Heavy Machine Guns 143 Languages 101
Effects 164 Industrial Equipment & Tools 128 Law Haulage Company, The 14, 53
Weapon Effects 155 Light Machine Guns 143 Leaders (Groups) 254
Encounter Structure 257 Markers 83, 123 Light Machine Guns 143
Encumbrance 124 Melee Weapons 146 Lore Skill 101
Engineering Skill 95 Missile Weapons 145 Research & Information 102
Equipment (Character Creation) 75 Medical 130 Los Nigromantes 14, 276
Equipment (Gear) See Gear Narcotics 131
Experience 79 Personal Protective Equipment 133 M
Awarding Experience 242 Reloads 154 Markers 83, 123
Spending Experience 79 Rifles & Assault Rifles 142 Medical Gear 130
Expertise See Skill Expertise Rockets & RPGs 144 Medicine Skill 102
Explosives & Grenades 145 Selling & Trading Gear 123 Melee Skill 103
Shields 139 Melee Weapons 146
F Shotguns 142 Merch 119
Faction (Character Creation) 71 SMGs 141 Mental Damage 196
Failing Forward 234 Sniper Rifles 143 Minor Actions 178-180
Falling 185 Surveillance 133 Missile Weapons 145
Fallout 18, 166, 236 Survival 134 Momentum 18, 171, 235
Fatigue 110 Tactical 135 Aircraft Momentum Table 212
Faults 149 Transportation of Goods 125 Combat Momentum Table 192
Vehicle Harm Effects 208 Weapons 140 Pursuit Roll Momentum Table 214
Fields of Expertise 253 Weapon Equivalents 161 (SW) Vehicle Momentum Table 208
Firearms Skill 96 Weapon Qualities & Effects 154-156 Morale 186
Flamers 143 Weapon Summary Tables 158 Mounted Combat 200
Focus See Skill Focus Wild Tech 147, 162 (SW) Movement, Range & Zones 183
Food & Water 127 Groups (Mobs & Gangs) 253 Movement & Terrain 184
Freelancers 13, 38 Group Backgrounds 80, 85 (SW)
Free Actions 178 N
Fuel & Consumption 206 H Narcotics 131
Handguns 140 Nerve 77, 194
G Harm 194 Notoriety 78, 85 (SW)
Gamemaster Responsibilities 231 Alternate Harm 194 Notoriety Table 244
Gambling 245 Vehicular Harm Effects 208 NPC Categories 253

314
O Pilot 107 U
Obstacles 185 Resistance 108 Unarmed/Improvised Strike 198
Observation Skill 106 Stealth 111 Upkeep 243
Observation Difficulty Table 184 Survival 112
Opposed Tests 18, 168 Thievery 113 V
Traffic 114 Vehicles 205
P Wild Tech 115 Aircraft 210
Personal Protective Equipment 133 Expertise 16, 165 Aircraft Attacks 213
Persuade Skill 106 Focus 16, 165 Aircraft Momentum Table 212
Physical Damage 195 Skill Tests 16, 165, 233 Aircraft Movement 211
Pilot Skill 107 Skill Improvement 79 Fuel & Consumption 206
Player Versus Player Conflict 237 Untrained Skill Tests 18, 167 Moving on Vehicles 209
Skinners, The 14, 280 Sample Vehicles 222-225
R Sleep Deprivation 110 Savage Vehicle Mods 228 (SW)
Range 153, 197 SMGs 141 Vehicle Profiles 205
Reach 183 Sniper Rifles 143 Vehicle Pursuits 213
Reactions 181 Soak 138, 193 Vehicle Upgrades 216
Covering Fire 181 Morale Soak (Mental Damage) 196 Chassis 216
Defend 181 Standard Actions 180-181 External 218
Protect 181 Starvation and Thirst 110 Internal 220
Retaliate 181 Stealth 187 Weapons 221
Return Fire 182 Stealth Observation Factors 190 Vehicular Attacks 206
Recovery 196, 243 Stealth States 187 Vehicular Harm Effects 208
Reloads 154 Stealth States & Actions 188 Vehicular Momentum Spends 208
Repairing Items 149 Stealth Skill 111 Vehicular Movement 207
Research & Information 102 Stowage 125 Vehicle Summary Tables 226-227
Resistance Skill 108 Stress and Harm 194 Vigour 77, 195
Rifles & Assault Rifles 142 Structure 120, 205 Voluntary Failure 19, 169
Rockets & RPGs 144 Success at a Cost 169 Vykers, The 14, 65
Surprise and Ambushes 177
S Surveillance Gear 133 W
Salvage Points 18, 170, 242 Survival Gear 134 Weapons 140
Selling & Trading Gear 123 Survival Skill 112 Weapon Types
Scenes 231 Explosives & Grenades 145
Seven Fires Reborn 14, 57 T Flamers 143
Shotguns 142 Tactical Gear 135 Handguns 140
Skills Talents 87-117 Heavy Machine Guns 143
Descriptions 87-117 Acquiring Talents 79 Light Machine Guns 143
Acrobatics 87 Teams, The 14, 61 Melee Weapons 146
Animal Handling 89 Teamwork and Assistance 19, 170 Missile Weapons 145
Athletics 90 Test Difficulty Table 167 Rifles & Assault Rifles 142
Command 91 Thievery Skill 113 Rockets & RPGs 144
Counsel 92 Threaten 191, 198 Shotguns 142
Discipline 93 Traffic Skill 114 SMGs 141
Drive 94 Trauma 193 Sniper Rifles 143
Engineering 95 Tracking 191 Great Weapons 146
Firearms 96 Trafficking Phase 243 Improvised Weapons 146
Gang Warfare 97 Notoriety Table 244 Reloads 154
Heavy Weapons 98 Scavenging Table 247 Savage Weapons Summary 161
Insight 100 Trafficking Activities 245 Weapon Qualities & Effects 154-156
Lore 101 Upkeep 243 Weapon Summary Tables 157
Medicine 102 Winnings Table 245 Wild Tech 147, 162 (SW)
Melee 104 Trafficking Events Table 249 Wild Tech Skill 115
Observation 105 Turn Order 177 Wounds 194
Persuade 106 Turn Sequence 177

315
 ATTRIBUTES WEAPONS
NAME
PLAYER AGILITY WEAPON NAME
SKILL TN EXP FOC RANGE DAMAGE BURST SIZE WEIGHT MAINT.
FACTION
ACROBATICS
UPBRINGING
MELEE QUALITIES
TRAIT
STEALTH
APPEARANCE WEAPON NAME
AGILITY RANGE DAMAGE BURST SIZE WEIGHT MAINT.

AGE GENDER SKILL TN EXP FOC

INSIGHT QUALITIES
NOTORIETY
OBSERVATION
EXPERIENCE THIEVERY WEAPON NAME
CURRENT SPENT RANGE DAMAGE BURST SIZE WEIGHT MAINT.
BRAWN
SKILL TN EXP FOC QUALITIES
SALVAGE
ATHLETICS
RESISTANCE TALENTS

COORDINATION TALENT NAME

SKILL TN EXP FOC SKILL RANK
DRIVE EFFECT
BONUS DAMAGE
MELEE RANGED SOCIAL
REACTION TRACKER FIREARMS
HEAVY WEAPONS TALENT NAME
  
PILOT SKILL RANK
EFFECT
STRESS & HARM DEFENCES
INTELLIGENCE
VIGOUR COURAGE MORALE COVER SKILL TN EXP FOC TALENT NAME
ENGINEERING SKILL RANK
LORE EFFECT
MEDICINE
ARMOUR TALENT NAME
WOUNDS WILD TECH
SKILL RANK
HEAD
NERVE PERSONALITY EFFECT
1-2
R. ARM L. ARM SKILL TN EXP FOC
ANIMAL HANDLING TALENT NAME
1-2 1-2
COMMAND SKILL RANK
TRAUMA COUNSEL EFFECT

PERSUADE
HARM EFFECTS TORSO TALENT NAME
TRAFFIC
SKILL RANK
1-2
WILLPOWER EFFECT
R. LEG L. LEG
SKILL TN EXP FOC
1-2 1-2 TALENT NAME
DISCIPLINE
SKILL RANK
 GANG WARFARE
EFFECT
 SURVIVAL
WEAPONS GEAR & MERCH VEHICLE
TYPES
WEAPON NAME DOLLARS MERCH
RANGE DAMAGE BURST SIZE WEIGHT MAINT. DESCRIPTION

QUALITIES GEAR QUANTITY MAINT.

WEAPON NAME ATTRIBUTES

RANGE DAMAGE BURST SIZE WEIGHT MAINT. SCALE SPEED BRAWN HANDLING

QUALITIES
DETAILS

WEAPON NAME MAX. PASSENGERS IMPACT

RANGE DAMAGE BURST SIZE WEIGHT MAINT.

HARDPOINTS
QUALITIES

ADDITIONAL TALENTS DEFENCES

STRUCTURE EP
TALENT NAME
ARMOUR MAX. FUEL
SKILL RANK
EFFECT
UPGRADES
TALENT NAME
UPGRADE NAME CATEGORY
SKILL RANK
DESCRIPTION
EFFECT

TALENT NAME
UPGRADE NAME CATEGORY
SKILL RANK TOTAL MAINTENANCE
DESCRIPTION
EFFECT
MARKERS

TALENT NAME MARKER NAME LOCATION

UPGRADE NAME CATEGORY
SKILL RANK
DESCRIPTION
EFFECT

TALENT NAME UPGRADE NAME CATEGORY

SKILL RANK DESCRIPTION
EFFECT
ANIMAL COMPANION
GROUP NAME UPGRADE NAME CATEGORY
GROUP BACKGROUND AGILITY AWARENESS BRAWN DESCRIPTION
GROUP NAME
GROUP GOALS COO INT PER WILL
NOTES UPGRADE NAME CATEGORY
DESCRIPTION
NOTES
 NAME:
FACTION:
ATTRIBUTES PACE PARRY TOUGHNESS

!@#$% ___ AGILITY GEAR

!@#$% ___ SMARTS
!@#$% ___ SPIRIT HINDRANCES
!@#$% ___ STRENGTH
!@#$% ___ VIGOR

SKILLS
!@#$%     
!@#$%
!@#$% EDGES &
!@#$% ADVANCES
!@#$%
!@#$%
!@#$%
!@#$%
!@#$% VEHICLE
!@#$%
!@#$% SIZE/HANDLING/TOP SPEED N1
!@#$% 2
!@#$% TOUGHNESS 3
!@#$% CREW S4

WOUNDS
!@#$% MODS 5
!@#$% 6
!@#$% 7
V8
9
–1
10
FACTION PACKAGES 11
H12 –2
13
14

POWER MOD RANGE DUR. EFFECT

15
L16
–3
17

INC
18
19

–2
WEAPON RANGE DAMAGE AP ROF WT NOTES
–1
FATIGUE

5 10 15 20 25 30
 BACKER CREDITS

A Chenery, ADerda, Agreave (flooring IS required), Akinji Kunian, Scott W Roberts, Sean Silva-Miramon, Shades of
Entertainment, Al Beardsley, Alan Brzozowski, Alex Neutzman, Vengeance, Shane Trapp, Shawn Rowlands, Simon Coldrick,
Andreas Harrison, Andrew Boursier, Andrew Brockhouse, Simon Morton, Simon Taylor, Simon White, SK Lim, skunian@
Andrew D Walker, Andrew F, Andrew Moreton, Anthony yahoo.com, Snydley, speedknob, Stefan Anundi, Stephen “GM”
Holloway, Anton Cox, Aramis, Arthur Robert MacPherson Peters, Stephen Esdale, Steve Coungeris, Steve Jasper, Steven
Fraser, Ashley Miller, Axe, Beardy Brothers, Ben Baker, Ben “Dutch” Green, Steven D Warble, Steven Reams Jr, Steven Thum,
Langworthy, Benedikt Simon, Benjamin Aitken, Big Jim Franklin, Stuart Walker, Swords & Stationery, Terry Hamlyn, Timolution,
Bill Heron, BJ Kash-Gregory, Bo Fahlberg Madsen, Bob Huss, Todd Stephens, Tom aka “Original Timmy”, Tom Farley, Toma
BoringSid, Bret & Wendy, Bridget (Over Troubled Waters), Bruno Feizo Gas, Tore B. Pedersen, Torin Spence, Tracy Vierra, Trey
C. Buss, Bryan Considine, Bryant Durrell, bwaomega, Casey Mercer, Tristan “Trinitite” Danner, Troy Ellis. Wade Geer. William
Ryan, Chase, Chris ‘Shep’ Shepperson, Chris A Challacombe, A DeMarco. Xathrus Nelson, Yuna Ulc, Zach Rademan
Chris Birch—Modiphius, Chris Kenna, Chris Snyder, Christian
Schmal, Chuck Dee, Clyde Clark, Craig Andrews, Crypto Waffle,
David Dalton, Damien “tHe_MaN” Hartmann, Damien Porter,
MAY YOU FIND FAME, FORTUNE, AND A GLORIOUS
Daniel Philpin, Danielle Thomas, daquack, Darren Gourley,
DEATH OUT ON THE RUN!
Dave “Wintergreen” Harrison, Dave Garwood, Dave Polhill,
David Reynolds, David Wolf, Dawid Wojcieszynski, Demetrius
K., Dennis M., Dom Hero Ellis, Doug Grimes, El_Ted, Eric C,
Eric T. Huffman, Eric Tighe, Ethan J Farmer, FeralGamersInc,
Garreth ‘GMort’ Moreton, Garrett Sampson, Garry Harper,
Gary Rich, Geoff “Gimgamgoo” Blakey, George Wilson, Giles
Pritchard, GMD Online, Gordon Fancher, Grant Sinclair, Greg
Saunders, Hairy Gamer Jase, Herbert Salades, James Lomax,
James Sheahan, Jason B Smith, Jason Corley, Jason, Kristin,
and Peter Childs, Jef Farnsworth, Jeff Robinson, Jeff Zitomer,
Jeffrey Jacome, Jeremy Kear, Jeremy Seeley, Jerry “LordJerith”
Prochazka, Jez Gray, JiiPee Korpela, Joe Navone, John Dodd,
John ‘johnkzin’ Rudd, John Madigan, John Potter, John steem-
son, John WT Kirkpatrick, Jonathan Peletis, Jose “Gigio” Esteras,
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Taylor, Kaira Murphy, Karl Kreutzer, Kevin Shinners, Kristian
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Lee Riley, Liam Kelly, Lionel Johnson, Liz Alexander, Lobo, Lord
Hood, Louis Counter, Luis Miguel “LovePSycko” Fernández,
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Markstarter, Martin Gallo, Martin Greening, Martin Nichol,
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Matthew Taylor, Matthias Weeks, Melnuur, Michael G. Palmer,
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Oz” Morson, Peter Holland, Phillip Bailey, Radosław Bożek,
RandomOne Sagritalo, Randy Lyne, Randy R. Woods, Rathowyn,
Rémi Bilodeau, Remi Fayomi a.k.a. Negromaestro, Richard
Christopher August, Rich Riddle, Richard Auffrey, Richard
Ferris, Richard J Rivera, Richard ‘Vidiian’ Greene, Robert Day,
Rob Lomax, Robert Noble, Robert Smith, Robin Johannessen,
Rodney Becker, Rodrigo Vilanova de Allende, Roger Campbell,
Ron “Khaalis” Owen, Ron Dautzenberg, Roy Smallpage, Rudy
Polese, Ryan Keyte, Sam Dale, Sam Webb, Satyrsong, Scott

319