a scifi western role-playing game

set on a post apocalyptic earth

JDSTIRLING
 Written and designed by Joseph D. Stirling
Copyright © JDStirling 2021

Illustrations by BW Stirling & JDStirling

Title art and design by Runehammer

special thanks:
Ben, Thane, Jarl, Alex, B, Kelsey, Xander
Chuck, Dennis, Nicole, and Quinnton

playtesters:
The Moldy Crew, Benjamin Billman, Jacob Savala, Kelsii Weber,
Scott Swalwell, Damion Sailors, Dan Thompson, David Beales,
JD Hull, Nicole Sparks (GM), Kenya Pasquanelle, Taylor Jeffrey,
Tamiko Fujio, Cassandra Richards, James Kearney, Chad Knick,
Kiel Adam, and Matthew Makaryn

inspiration:
WEG Star Wars, Shadowrun, Index Card RPG,
Rifts, Warhammer 40k, Dungeons & Dragons,
spaghetti westerns, 80’s Sci-Fi movies,
and the Mad Max trilogy.

gunfighter academy by Chris Vile’s Commercial Fonts

 2 days driving
5 days riding
20 days walking

Iron Ribs Stovepipe Two-Stroke The Crevasse Hanging Rock

Homestead Gaulkan City Delphia Devil’s Pool The Speedway

The Old World is outlined in red.

 CONTENTS

Core Rules . . . 5

Making Your Mutant . . 13

Paths . . . . 18
Black Thumb . . 19
Doc . . . 20
Gunfighter . . . 21
Head Case . . . 22
Player . . . . 23
Searcher . . . . 24
Universal Talents . . . 25
Skills . . . . 26
Psychokinesis . . . 28

Gear . . . . 29
DIY Gear . . . 35

The World You Know . . 36

Running The Game . . 42

Hazards 44
Threats 46
Loot 49

Once Upon A Time In The Wastes . 51

Character Sheet . . . 58
CORE RULES

5
 welcome to mutation speaking of mutants
A wild west science fiction survival role- As if living on a mutant filled radioactive
playing game set in the post apocalypse of planet wasn’t a lot already, it’s also the wild
Earth. west all over again. Thankfully it was the
future when the world ended so there’s
Yeah, I know it’s a mouthful. The original some sweet high-tech stuff to be found in
playtest draft was called “Westocalypse.” I the ruins of the world.
thought I was being fun and clever. It was
a mouthful of a name. So I changed it back Print yourself out a character sheet or
to what we called it when I was a kid: write your own in your notebook, then get
Mutation. half a handful of D6’s. It’s time to get
familiar with the rules and roll up your
first Mutant.

The World as we know it has changed. Welcome to Mutation.

Two centuries from now a comet strikes
Earth. This hunk of interstellar rock was
an attack by some Klendathu wannabes.
“Goddamn bugs whacked us, Johnny.”

It wasn’t really a comet or meteor, or even

an asteroid. It was a seed bomb for
terraforming sent by some alien species.
This thing detonated a mile up over the
Florida Keys and scattered radiation, some
kind of bio-gel, and spores around the
globe. It wiped out 80% of life on the
surface. And we never got to see the damn
aliens.

The world was a little weird and quiet after

that. But like Jeff Goldbloom playing Dr
Ian Malcom in Jurassic Park says, “Life,
uh, finds a way.”

We humans are a resilient bunch,

adaptable. The few hundred years that
followed was probably a nightmare for the
survivors. The bio-gel made some wild
changes to our planet, and to all the stuff
that lives on it.
Psst hey!
The game is called Mutation after all, so Yeah, you!
you’ve got to know by now that we’re all The rules in this book are guidelines. You
mutants. can toss out the things you don’t want and
add the things you do. Make the game
your own and just have fun.

6
 gather your dice turns & rounds
You’re going to need a handful of six-sided A single Turn is enough time for you to
dice or a dice app to play. For ease at the act over a few moments, minutes, hours,
table you’ll want at least 3-6 of those noble days, etc. The amount of game time for
cubes. You’ll also want some paper to each Turn depends on the situation, but
record your Mutant on, or a few printed generally combat is in moments while
copies of the included Character Sheet. travel might be in hours or days.

Throughout the book dice will be noted as A Round is made of multiple Turns that
1D, 2D, 3D, etc. This shorthand refers to includes yours and all characters involved
the number of D6 you’ll roll. Rolling for a in the scene or encounter.
Test counts each die individually for pass
or fail, while damage and some effects roll Some effects and conditions, both positive
and add the dice together. and negative, are tracked with a Duration
Die. When affected you must roll that die
Rolling a D3: roll a regular D6 and read on your turn and resolve its effect. Rolling
1-2 as 1, 3-4 as 2, and 5-6 as 3. If you have a 1 ends the effect or condition. Although
a D3 you can just use that when needed. a successful Fate Test can end a condition
early.
Rolling a D66: roll 2D of different colors
and read one as the 10’s place and the other
as the 1’s place, like rolling percentile dice.
This gives you results from 11-16, 21-26, on your turn
up to 61-66.
You can perform any 2 Actions on your
Yes or No: some questions during play turn, even taking the same action twice.
need a fast yes or no answer, let the dice The list of possible actions below is in no
choose. This little roll can be awfully big. way complete and should not limit your
Roll 1D, a 1-3 is No and a 4-6 is Yes. choices or imagination.

• Make a Near Move

• Make an Attack Test
distance • Use a Talent with a required Test
• Use a Psk Power
Distance is measured in four zones: Close, • Perform a Skill
Near, Far, and Distant. Anything outside • Use Gear
of that is “off-screen” and out of reach. • Test Fate to shake a Condition

Close is melee and touch range.

Near is a standard move on foot.
Far is double Near range. easy & hard
Distant is double Far.
There will be times when the GM calls an
The exact distances are up to you and your action easier or harder than normal.
table, but think of Near as about 30 feet or
9 meters away. Easy: easy actions gain +1D
Hard: hard actions lose -1D

7
 action tests aspects
Your Action Test is always a base 3D. Your Aspects are rated from best 2+ to
The total number of dice you roll will be worst Hard 6, a Hard task is made at -1D.
modified by your character build and by Your Rating is your own personal target
Threats acting against you. number to meet or beat for Action Tests.

Some tasks take time to accomplish. These Brute: represents strength and toughness.
are called Sustained Tests and require a Roll Brute for heavy lifting, melee attacks,
set number of successes to complete. This and to withstand exhaustion.
can be as low as 2 successes needed, but
will commonly be set at 5 to 10 successes. Aptitude: measures intellect and force of
will. Roll Aptitude to uncover mysteries,
Building Your Dice Pool recall facts, and to build or create.
Always start with 3D. Add additional dice
from relevant Mutations, Talents, Skills, Instinct: represents inherent knowledge,
and Gear. Subtract any penalty dice from and senses. Roll Instinct to scout the land,
the situation or threat. Now we roll! hit a ranged target, and spot details.

At least one die needs to meet or beat your Reflex: is speed and agility. Roll Reflex to
Aspect to succeed. The total number of drive, ride a mount, or to move unseen.
successes is applied to Sustained Tests or
added to resulting damage or effects from
your Action.
derived scores
Derived Scores are based on your Aspects,
rolling doubles but can also be modified by your Ancestry
and Mutations. Permanent changes to an
Rolling doubles is pretty cool, but in your Aspect will also change its Derived Score.
Action and Fate Tests there are only two
pairs to watch for: 6’s and 1’s. Guard: that reflexive instinct to get out of
the way. This is a dice modifier for Active
Bullseye: a roll of two or more 6’s. Threats rolling against you. Being put Off
Rolling a Bullseye doubles your number Guard gives Active Threats an extra +1D.
of successes. This is also the only way to
improve Skills, and in many cases this adds Grit: is a spendable resource. It is also the
an extra effect. amount of strain, damage, and exhaustion
you can take before loss of consciousness
Snake Eyes: a roll of two or more 1’s. or death. Recover Grit up to your max
This roll always fails, and we’re not going with rest, medical aid, by mutation, or by
to make it worse with added penalties. beating Fate.

Rolling a Bullseye and a Snake Eyes at the Spend Grit at any time to:
same time is crazy, sadly they cancel each • Activate Talents
other out. Your whole Posse gains 1 XP • Use Psk Powers
every time the Bull eats the Snake. • Add +1D to any Test, max. 3D
• Ignore 1D Damage, max. 3D

8
 fate tests skills
When the GM calls for a Fate Test it does Skills can grant extra dice for your Action
not take a Player action since it is always in Tests, but in some situations they can also
reaction to a Threat. You can however use take dice away. You can only be Skilled or
an action on your turn to Test Fate when Unskilled, and an Unskilled Test cannot
trying to shake a condition. be Easy.

A Fate Test always requires a 6 to pass and Skilled: add +1D to Tests
unlike Actions, each category has it’s own Unskilled: -2D from Tests
dice pool to roll. Rolling a Bullseye avoids
a Hazard or Threat entirely. Using a Skill is the only way to improve it.
Gain +1D to a Skill for every six Bullseyes
Recover 1 Grit for each 6 you roll in a Fate rolled while using it.
Test.

Mobility: resist effects that slow or stop

movement as well as dodge area of effect psychokinesis
hazards like pits, explosions, sinkholes,
landslides, etc. Psychokinesis is commonly referred to as
Psk and only available if you play a Head
Toxins: covers a broad category including Case or have the Mutation.
poison, venom, disease, harmful gasses,
radiation, etc. Psk need Grit to function like Talents, but
do not have Ranks. Instead you can spend
Will: is used to resist mind altering effects any amount of Grit you choose, but must
and certain Psk Powers, it is also used to spend at least 1 and use an Action.
prevent Psk Surges.
To use a Psk first declare the amount of
Death: is used to resist dying, and failure Grit you’re spending, then Test Will. Your
is final. Thankfully making a mutant is Psk succeeds no matter what you roll, but
quick if you fail. failing the Will Test means you’ve lost
control.

A Bullseye on the Will Test lets you keep

talents your Grit. A normal failure causes a minor
Surge and a 1D roll on the Surge table. A
Activating a Talent only ever costs 1 Grit Snake Eyes on the Will Test means you’ve
and does not take an action unless it calls lost all control of your psychic energy, see
for an Action Test. You do not spend Grit Psychokinesis on page 28.
if that Action Test fails. You can activate
multiple Talents at a time, but each can Some Psk can be sustained from round to
only be used once per round. round. In the narrative you are focused on
maintaining the Psk, by the mechanics
Talents are learned at Rank 1 and can be you’re using 1 action to do it. You do not
improved to a maximum of Rank 3. The spend additional Grit when you sustain a
higher your Rank, the bigger the effect. Power.

9
 healing & rest damage & dying
Without a Doc or a Head Case, all healing Each success in your Action Test adds to
takes time and rest. any damage you cause. This means you
will always get at least +1 damage. Roll
Resting at least 10 minutes to catch your and add your damage dice plus successes
breath restores D3 Grit. Before you ask, to find your total.
no you cannot rest 20 minutes to restore
2D3 Grit. Please, don’t be that guy. Armor will always reduce damage unless
the attack ignores armor. Any remaining
Resting in the wild for at least 10 hours damage is applied to your Grit. If your
recovers 1D Grit. Grit reaches 0 or less you are Unconscious
and Dying.
Resting in safety for at least 10 hours
recovers all Grit. When your Grit is at exactly 0
You are Unconscious and take 1 Wound.
Test Will as an Action on your Turn to
recover 1 Grit and get back on your feet, if
wounds you fail the roll you remain knocked out.
A Bullseye recovers 1D Grit. Taking any
Some attacks and situations, like being hit amount of damage while unconscious will
with a Bullseye, will deal a Wound. You put you below 0 Grit and dying.
also suffer a Wound every time you are
Dying or fall Unconscious. When your Grit is below 0
You are Dying and take 1 Wound. You
Each Wound temporarily reduces your must Test Death on your next Turn or
maximum Grit by 1 until it is healed. you will die. Success means you are no
longer dying and returns you to 0 Grit (see
Resting in safety for 1 day heals 1 Wound above). A Bullseye here will recover 1D
and grants you a Mobility Test to heal an Grit and get you back on your feet.
additional Wound on a success. Repeat as
needed to recover any remaining Wounds. Any dying character can be saved with an
A good Doc can greatly speed up recovery Instinct or Aptitude Test. Success means
time. they are no longer dying but still remain
unconscious.
If Wounds reduce you to 0 Grit you are
basically in a coma till you heal enough
Wounds to restore Grit. Any action that restores Grit will get
an Unconscious or Dying hero back on
If Wounds reduce you below 0 Grit it’s their feet.
time to roll up a new mutant.

10
 combat conditions
You can avoid many threats in the Wastes. Bleed
But eventually they catch you and intend Suffer 1D damage on your turn till you
to eat you, so let’s try to keep you off the bandage the cut or roll a 1 on the damage
menu. die. Armor cannot reduce bleed damage.

1. Roll Initiative to find turn order Blind

2. The acting Combatant declares and In darkness or due to injury, if you can’t
resolves Actions see then your Action Tests and Mobility
3. Repeat step 2 for all Combatants Tests are at -2D.
4. Begin new round at top of the order
Cover
Initiative: roll 1D, turn order plays from Being behind cover makes you Hard to hit
highest to lowest. A tie between Players is and Hard to see, threats gain -1D to rolls.
decided between them on who acts first. A
tie between a Player and GM always goes Dazed
to the Player. You are reduced to 1 Action and have -1D
to Aptitude Tests this round.
Surprise: if you surprise your opponent
you have an entire free round before the High Ground
Initiative order begins. The same is true An elevated position gives you a clearer
for a threat surprising you. view of your surroundings. Gain +1D to
Tests for searching, shooting, and hiding.
Taking Action: declare what 2 Actions
you want to do on your Turn and resolve Immobile
any rolls that need to be made. Repeat this Whether tangled, pinned, held, tied up, or
step for each combatant. restrained you must pass a Mobility Test
to get free.
If a Near move requires an Action Test,
that roll is part of the standard move and Lost Limb
does not take a separate action to do. When you lose a limb suffer 5 Wounds.
Your Brute, Reflex, and Mobility Tests are
When making an attack, remember that at -1D until you can heal those Wounds.
your dice pool is modified by your target’s
Guard, and that the number of successes Off Guard
in your Action Test are added to your Active Threats gain +1D against you until
damage and/ or effect. you pass a Will Test on your turn.

Activating a Talent always costs 1 Grit and Unconscious

does not use an Action unless it requires a You are automatically hit when targeted
roll. while your Grit is at exactly 0 or you are
under the influence of some other force.
Start a new Round: once all participants See Damage and Dying.
in the combat have taken their turn begin
a new round at the top of the turn order. Wounded
Temporarily reduce your maximum Grit
by 1 for each Wound. See Wounds.

11
 experience points (xp) leveling up
There’s no hard rule for how much XP to Now that you’re gaining all this XP, let’s
award to characters. Ask yourself how fast put it to use. Spend 25XP in safety to gain
you want characters to gain power and a Level and choose 2 Perks from below.
you’ll have your method for awarding XP. Do this every time you gain a level.

An average game session should earn each • Gain 3 Grit.

player 10-15 experience points at the end • Gain +1D to Fate of choice.
of the night. You can also give out 1-3 XP • Learn a new Skill.
during play for awesome moments. • Learn a new Path or Universal Talent
at Rank 1.
After every session turn it over to your • Improve a Talent Rank. A Talent
Players and let them vote on who they can only be improved once per level
think had the coolest moment. Award that and cannot exceed Rank 3.
Player an additional 5 XP. • Fill 1 Aspect Bubble. When you’ve
filled 3 bubbles, improve that Aspect
You can also ignore experience points all by 1. Only 1 bubble can be filled per
together and use milestones for leveling up level and no Aspect can exceed 2+.
instead. This literally means you can just • Learn a random Psk. Head Case and
give your Players a level whether you do it Psk Mutation only.
after every adventure, or every session, or
after completing a goal. It’s entirely up to
you and your table.

12
MAKING YOUR MUTANT

13
 1. ancestry 4. derived scores
Everyone is a Mutant these days, but your Derived Scores are based on your Aspect
Ancestors have also passed a few genetic Ratings and can be modified by Ancestry
traits along. Roll 2D twice to find yours. and Mutations.
The results can stack.
Grit: use the table below and combine the
results from Brute and Aptitude to find
Roll Birth Trait your total.
2 -1D Guard Guard: use the table below and combine
3 +1D Mobility the results from Instinct and Reflex to
4 +1D Toxins find your total.
Carry: use Brute to find your carry limit.
5 Improve Brute
6 Improve Instinct Example: a 5+ Brute gives 6 Grit and 5+
7 +3 Grit Aptitude gives 6 Grit, for a total of 12.
8 Improve Aptitude
9 Improve Reflex Aspect Grit Guard Carry
10 +1D Will H6 2 +1D 6
11 +1D Death 6 4 - 12
12 +1 Armor 5+ 6 - 16
4+ 8 -1D 20
3+ 10 -1D 24
2+ 15 -2D 28
2. mutations
Roll D66 three times on the following
pages to discover your mutations. If you 5. fate
want a mutation that I didn’t add, grab a
pen and write it in! If you roll a Mutation All characters have a base 1D in each Fate.
twice you can either re-roll it or you can Your Ancestry, Mutations, and Path can
stack it. Who knows what the alien bio gel increase your starting dice.
is capable of. Get creative with it, combine
mutations and have fun.
6. path
The Path you choose grants perks and a
3. aspects few more choices to customize your hero.
See pages 19 to 24.
All characters have a baseline 5+ in each
of the four Aspects, remember this is your
target number for each die in a Test. 7. gear
Your baseline can be modified by Ancestry Your Path gave you some starting gear, but
and Mutations. Improving an Aspect will also gave you Ca$h. See pages 31 to 34 to
lower your rating by 1, a 5+ improves to a purchase additional gear if you choose.
4+ and so on.

14
 mutations 21 Prehensile Tail
This tail is flexible and dexterous, it can be
11 Psychokinetic used to grab and manipulate things with
Your mind is a raging vortex of psychic the same ease as your hands. What does
energy, and a little unstable… your tail look like?
• Gain 1 random Psk, see page 22. • Perform 1 bonus Action with
your tail on your Turn.
12 Bone Sick
Your body is weak and brittle since birth, 22 Snorkel
but your spirit is strong. Air does not pass through your nose and
• +2 Grit, Decrease Brute, -1D mouth like normal folks. Instead you
Toxins. breath through a blowhole, flexible trunk,
or rigid tubes. What does your breathing
13 Small Size appendage look like and where on your
Your body is significantly smaller than body is it located?
average, just a little guy.
• Baseline H6 Brute, -1D Guard. 23 Wings
• If you also roll Large Size these A set of wings capable of gliding. What do
two mutations cancel each other out your wings look like; bird, bat, insect,
but still count as 2 mutation rolls. flying squirrel, other?
• Glide up to Far and ignore fall
14 Clubbed Limb damage.
One limb of your choice is disfigured and
club-like. The calcification of the tissue 24 Extra Limb
makes it knobby and solid. This arm or leg closely resembles your
• -1D to Reflex Tests, deals D3 others and moves normally, it’s just an
damage as an unarmed attacked. extra one.
• Arm grants +1D to Actions
15 Musk Glands when used, Leg grants a bonus Near
Like the mighty skunk, you can spray move.
putrid odor up to Near. You are immune
to your own persistent funk. 25 Tentacles
• All Close targets suffer -1D to One limb of your choice is a tangle of 1D6
Action Tests, it’s the smell… Tentacles that function as a singular limb.
• Spray with Instinct, all Near They have no bones and can move in any
targets in a line are Dazed and must direction as well as can squeeze into small
Test Toxins or remain Dazed for D3 spaces.
Rounds. • +1D to Reflex Tests.

16 Hard Shell 26 Serpentine

Whether it looks like an armadillo, turtle, Your body from the hips down is that of a
crab, or snail you’ve got a thick shell. What snake or eel and is twice as long as you are
does your shell look like? tall.
• 5 Armor, +1D Guard, Reflex • +1D Initiative, +1D Mobility,
and Mobility Tests are Hard, limited +1D to climbing and swimming if
to a single Near move on your turn applicable.
when on foot.

15
31 Hooves 41 Exoskeleton
Your feet are like most herbivores of old, Like insects and crustaceans, you wear
solid hooves that are suited to the rough your bones on the outside as a thick
terrain. carapace. What does that look like?
• Move up to Far as a standard • 3 Armor.
move, Kick for D3 damage as an
unarmed attack. 42 Bone Plates
Your skin is protected by articulating
32 Horns/ Antlers patterned plates like a crocodile. What
Your thick skull and reinforced neck patterns show up on yours?
support horns or antlers. What do yours • 2 Armor.
look like?
• Headbutt for D3 damage plus 43 Thick Hide
Daze, Bleed on Bullseye Like elephants, rhinos, and badgers your
• Charge Near for 1D damage plus skin is thick and tough.
Daze, Bleed on Bullseye. • 1 Armor

33 Spines 44 Mucus Glands

Like many fish, you have thorn-like Your skin can secrete a slimy film like some
defensive spines down your head and back. frogs, worms, and eels.
• Melee threats must Test Mobility • Secrete mucus as an Action,
or suffer D3 damage. Melee threats suffer -3D to grapple
attempts.
34 Claws or Talons
Your hands or feet grow a solid claw or 45 Bioluminescent
talon. Are yours retractable like a cat? Like many insects, fungus, and deep sea
Fixed like a bear, dinosaur, or bird of prey? creatures, you can emit natural light at will
Or a pincer claw like the crab or scorpion? as a defense, distraction, or lure. This soft
• Deals 1D damage, cause Bleed on light is typically blue or green, but has
a Bullseye. been seen to also be red or orange. What
does yours look like?
35 Tusks or Beak • Emit light as an Action.
The walrus, sabertooth, elephant, birds, • At night and in the dark, all
squid, and now you. What does your tusks threats that can see you must Test
or beak look like? Will or be Dazed.
• Bite or Gore for 1D damage,
cause Bleed on a Bullseye. 46 Chromatophores
Chameleons, squid, octopuses, and some
36 Quills insects can change the color of their skin to
These sharp, thick hairs cover your body match their surroundings, and you can
like a cactus or porcupine. too.
• 1 Armor, Melee threats must • Mimic your surroundings with
Test Mobility or be impaled by 1D Instinct, you are -2D to detect while
Quills that deal 1 damage each. Quills moving and only a Bullseye can find
also deal 1 damage when removed you when still.

16
51 Enhanced Senses 61 Regeneration
There’s no telling which multitude of Not only does your body naturally heal,
genetic combinations granted your senses. but it can also regrow lost limbs.
Your sense of sight, hearing, and smell is • Heal 1 Wound per day, restore
unmatched. This Mutation is only visible 1D Grit with Instinct, regrow lost
if you want it to be. limbs in 30 days, +1D Death.
• Increase Instinct • You cannot regenerate while
• Cannot be surprised. dying or dead.

52 Pit Organs 62 Bioelectric

Like some snakes you have small pits below In the old world both aquatic and
your eyes that can “see” the heat of living amphibious animals could produce an
things. electrical charge for offense and defense.
• See heat up to Near in all light This mutation is only visible if you choose.
conditions. • Use an Action to activate for 1
• Cannot be surprised by warm- round, all targets that touch you must
blooded creatures. Test Mobility or suffer D3 damage
and Daze.
53 Gills
You breathe through gills like a fish. They 63 Apparent Death
extract oxygen if able from both air and Your body can contort and go rigid while
liquids. Where are your gills and what do glands release an odor of death, and by all
they look like? accounts you will appear dead. This
deception is so effective that predators,
54 Scopulae excluding carrion feeders, will leave you
Your hands and feet are covered with alone.
nearly microscopic hairs used for gripping • +1D Death
like spiders of old. • Ignored by threats and enemies
• Can cling to any surface, Never while “playing opossum.”
fail a climbing Action while awake,
hands and feet must be bare. 64 Large Size
Your frame is big and heavy, standing
55 Venom Glands between 8 and 10 feet and weighing about
Some insects and reptiles can spit or inject 500 to 800 pounds.
venom, either harmful or paralytic. How • Decrease Reflex, +1D Guard,
does your venom work? -1D Mobility.
• Spray with Instinct, Inject with • Increase Brute, +1D to all melee
Brute. damage.
• See Toxins on page 45 for types
of Venom. 65 Metamorphosis
Like the caterpillar you are bound for
56 Immunity change. At a time of your choosing or
Your immune system has developed to be upon death you enter a cocoon state for 30
near impervious. This mutation is only days. Replace this mutation with one of
visible if you choose. choice and roll for an additional one.
• Immune to all poison, venom,
and disease. 66 Choose and Roll
Pick ANY Mutation of your choice and
roll again.

17
PATHS, SKILLS, & PSK

18
 black thumb
When a body breaks folks call a Doc, but when machines break folks call you. As a Black
Thumb, you’re one of the few left in this world that understands how all this fancy
technology works, and one of the folks capable of building more.

fate talents
• +1D Mobility, +1D Toxins Choose 1 from below or Open Talents on
page 25.

1337 Tech
skills With the right parts and tools you can
upgrade gear, weapons, and vehicles by
• Crafting, Electrics, Mechanics +1D/ +1 per Rank.
• 3 of choice, see Skills on page 26 Usability: add dice to Action Tests.
Effect: increase effect dice or armor
points.
Performance: increase speed, range,
or capacity.
gear
I Know People
• 75 Ca$h While in a town, hold, or caravan you can
• Wrencher’s Box declare you know someone and roll 1D, +1
• Scrap Pistol w/ 10 Ammo per Rank. Unless its an enemy they’ll help
• Speeder Bike that “needs work” (1D you out.
parts and 5 successes to get it working, see 1-3: an enemy with a score to settle,
Build and Repair on page 35) and they know you’re here. They also have
Rank +3 Gangers with them. Reclaim 1
Grit.
4-5: you owe 50 ca$h but they’ll help
if you pay or work it off.
6-7: they want a favor in return.
8-9: they owe you a favor.

Piston Zen
Add +1D per Rank to any Test involving
engines whether fixing, sabotaging, or
operating.

Redline
Push a vehicle far beyond its limits without
damaging it for 1D rounds per Rank.

19
 doc
There has never been a place in history that didn’t need some sort of medicine man or
sawbones, and at one point in time your barber was also your dentist and surgeon. As
a Doc you get to be part of history repeating itself. There is no shortage of injuries and
toothaches here. Truth be told the Wastes have a surplus of both, and your services are
needed everywhere.

fate Pharmacist
Roll a Sustained Doctorin’ Test to create 1
• +1D Toxins, +1D Death dose per Rank with tools and supplies.
The number of successes needed is listed
with each formula.
Acid Powder (10): a heavy powder
that becomes acidic with moisture. Deals
skills 1 damage per round until cleaned off.
Anti-Rads (7): a tablet or capsule
• Doctorin’, Influence, Riding that must be ingested. +1D Toxins against
• 3 of choice, see Skills on page 26 radiation. Taking 1 or more a day reduces
harmful radiation in the body.
Nod (5): a sap-like mixture that must
enter the bloodstream to immobilize the
gear target for 1D hours. Target may Test
Toxins to change duration to rounds. A 1
• 150 Ca$h on the Duration Die means the effect has
• Med-Kit ended.
• Surgeon’s Bag Go-Go (10): a fine dust that must be
• Holdout Pistol w/ 10 Ammo inhaled. Target gains +1 Action per round
and must roll Duration at the end of their
turn. A roll of 1 ends the effect. Target
cannot benefit from rest while active.
talents Headstone (15): a pungent red syrup
that must be injected or ingested.
Choose 1 from below or Open Talents on Permanently reduce your Grit by 1 for
page 25. each dose you make. Target must Test
Death everyday or reduce an Aspect, when
Bedside Manner all Aspects have reached H6 the target dies.
Improve your Doctorin’ Skill to reduce Royal Jelly (7): smear this foul gel on
recovery time for Wounds by 1D hours per injuries to restore 1D Grit per round, the
Rank to a minimum of 1 hour. effect ends with a roll of 1.
Smelling Salts (3): instantly restore
Hush 1 Grit.
Make an Attack Test that deals no damage, Snake Oil (5): anti-venom injection
instead the target must Test Will at -1D that gives +1D per dose to Toxins Tests for
per Rank or be knocked Unconscious. the next 3 days.

20
 gunfighter
The Gunfighter was a powerful image of the Old West in American folklore as both
law keeper and outlaw. But that may not matter to you. Your quick hands and sharp
eyes are suited to the pistol and long gun no matter which side of the law you stand on.
The way of the gun is your way of life.

fate talents
• +1D Mobility, +1D Death Choose 1 from below or Open Talents on
page 25.

Crack Shot
skills Your ranged attacks only miss on a Snake
Eyes for Rank rounds.
• Fighting, Riding, Shooting
• 3 of choice, see Skills on page 26 Gut Shot
For Rank rounds your ranged attacks
cause Bleed.

Quick Draw
gear Fire 1 pistol shot per Rank before you roll
Initiative.
• 75 Ca$h
• Pistol of choice and Gun Belt w/ 20 Ricochet
Ammo Your next ranged attack hits and ricochets
• Shotgun with 10 Ammo OR Scout to 1 additional Near target per Rank.
Rifle with 10 Ammo Choosing a structure as a target lets you hit
• Gunsmith’s Kit targets around corners or behind cover.
• Riding Roach w/ Saddle and Bags
Sunder
Your ranged attacks this round also destroy
1 Armor per Rank on top of normal
damage.

21
 head case
There have always been stories about people with mystical powers. First the legends
were about wizards. More recently it was palm readers and spoon benders, but those
were just fairy tales. What you are is vastly different. Inside your mind is a chaotic
powerhouse of unstable energy capable of wondrous and terrible things.

fate psk
• +2D Will Choose 1 Psk from below at creation.
Gain 1 random Psk every time you level up.

skills Armor
You or a target you can see gains +1D
• Notice, Riding, Survival Armor per Grit. Sustain as an Action.
• 3 of choice, see Skills on page 26
Hero Complex
Give yourself or a target you can see +1D
to a single Aspect for 1D rounds per Grit.
gear Mind Spike
Deal 1D damage per Grit to a target you
• 75 Ca$h can see. Target can Test Will for ½ damage.
• Pistol w/ 10 Ammo
• Road Pack Psychic Surgery
Restore 1D Grit per Grit to a target you
can touch.
talents Scanner
Ping a Near radius to find the location and
Choose 1 from Open Talents on page 25. read the surface thoughts of all living
targets present. Targets can Test Will at
-1D per Grit to detect your scan.

Telekinesis
Move 50 pounds per Grit that you can see
within Near. Living targets can Test Will
as an Action to break free. Sustain as an
Action.

22
 player
The Player shows up throughout history as a gambler, an actor, a musician, an
inspirational speaker, and as a snake oil salesmen. Your silver tongue and wit makes you
all of these things. You can motivate and inspire people to do great things just as easily
as you can pick their pocket.

fate talents
• +1D Mobility, +1D Will Choose 1 from below or Open Talents on
page 25.

Hush
skills Make an Attack Test that deals no damage,
instead the target must Test Will at -1D
• Influence, Stealing, Stealth per Rank or be knocked Unconscious.
• 3 of choice, see Skills on page 26
Now!
Grant 1 ally per Rank that can hear you an
immediate Bonus Action before resuming
your turn.
gear
Surprise
• 300 Ca$h Your next attack cannot miss. If you’re
• Fine Suit hidden your attack also ignores Armor and
• Holdout Pistol w/ 10 Ammo causes Bleed.
• Gaming Set, Instrument, or Costume
Case The Oldest Trick in the Book
Exclaim “Look over there” to distract a
target that can hear you. Target must Test
Will at -1D per Rank or be Dazed and Off
Guard.

23
 searcher
Most folks have trouble navigating the Wastes. Searchers on the other hand seem to have
an instinctual sense of direction. Like the Mountain Men and Wagon Masters of long
ago, you feel more at home in the wilderness and can move with the hidden presence
of the beasts that live there. Everyone knows that if you have to get somewhere or find
something, you need to hire a Searcher.

fate talents
• +1D Mobility, +1D Toxins Choose 1 from below or Open Talents on
page 25.

Escape Artist
skills Add +1D per Rank to any Test to break
free from restraints or imprisonment.
• Scavenge, Study: Navigation, Survival
• 3 of choice, see Skills on page 26 Navigator
Add +1D per Rank to navigate and may
roll twice choose one when On The Road.

Ricochet
gear Your next ranged attack hits and ricochets
to 1 additional Near target per Rank.
• 75 Ca$h Choosing a structure as a target lets you hit
• Melee Weapon of choice targets around corners or behind cover.
• Road Pack
• Crafter’s Box Secret Stash
• Riding Roach w/ Saddle and Bags Whether it’s yours or another Searcher’s,
you know where some hidden supplies are
in your current location. Choose 1 feature
per Rank.
Pantry: 1D days of food and water.
Weapon/ Armor Cache: 1D basic
weapons, ammo packs, armor, or shields
in any combination.
Supply Cache: 1D basic items in any
combination.
Safe Rest: gain the benefits of resting
in safety.

Surprise
Your next attack cannot miss. If you’re
hidden your attack also ignores Armor and
causes Bleed.

24
 open talents
Aptitude Tradejack
Add +1D per Rank to Aptitude Tests this Choose 1 Talent per Rank from any Path.
round.
Savage
Bell Ringer Increase your unarmed damage by +1D.
For Rank rounds your melee attacks cause This Talent has no Rank, is always active,
Daze and knock the target unconscious and costs 1 permanent Grit when learned.
on a Bullseye.
Savant
Brute Add 1 success per Rank to Actions with
Add +1D per Rank to Brute Tests this Crafting, Mechanics, Electrics, and Study.
round.
Speed
Dodge Gain 1 Action this round. Increases to 2
For Rank rounds you may Test Mobility Actions at Rank 3.
to avoid successful attacks against you.

Hero Coin
You or target ally may re-roll 1D per Rank.

Impossible
You can remove 1 die per Rank from your
pool after you roll an Action or Fate Test.

Instinct
Add +1D per Rank to Instinct Tests this
round.

Luck
Add +1D per Rank to all Fate Tests this
round.

Me First
Add +2 per Rank to Initiative.

Reflex
Add +1D per Rank to Reflex Tests this
round.

25
 skills aptitude skills
Skills are areas of training and practice not *Crafting
tied to your Path. Any character can learn Roll to build, repair, or modify bushcraft
any Skill when they gain a level. and scrap built gear, weapons, and armor.
Gun smithing, sewing, carpentry, forging,
Skills are only ever Skilled or Unskilled. leather work, scrap bashing, etc. Cannot
You either know how to do it the right be used Unskilled.
way or you don’t, but you can still try. See Build and Repair on page 35.
Skills marked with an asterisk* cannot be
used Unskilled. *Doctorin’
Roll to heal 1 Wound per success during a
Skilled: +1D to Tests. 10 hour rest in safety. Cannot be used
Unskilled: -2D to Tests. Unskilled.

Skills can only be improved with practice. *Electrics

Gain +1D to a Skill every time you roll 6 Roll to build, repair, or modify electrical
Bullseyes while using it. equipment with tools and supplies. Can’t
be used Unskilled.
Computers, motors, automated systems,
robotics, radio signals, etc.
brute skills See Build and Repair on page 35.

Fighting First Aid

Roll to hit a target with melee attacks. Roll to restore 1 Grit per success.

Might *Mechanics
Roll to break obstacles, lift heavy targets, Roll to build, repair, or modify machines
bend bars, etc. Use a structure’s Armor as with tools and supplies. Cannot be used
a Sustained Difficulty. Suffer 1 Wound on Unskilled.
a Snake Eyes. Engines, turbines, industrial machinery,
vehicles, robotics, etc.
*Shield See Build and Repair on page 35.
Roll to add the number of successes to
your Armor this round. Requires a shield, Study
cannot be used Unskilled. Choose one field of study each time you
take this skill. Roll for Action Tests related
Throw to your area of knowledge.
Roll to hit a target with thrown objects or Critters and Plants, the Old World, Maps,
weapons. Navigation, Farming & Ranching, Energy
Systems, Computers, etc.

26
 instinct skills reflex skills
Influence Climbing
Roll to sway or manipulate emotion by a Roll to scale ruins or terrain without rope,
moving speech, a sob story, a game of stairs, or ladder.
cards, or bold faced lie.
Driving
Notice Roll with vehicle Handling to control a
Roll to find hidden things or things out of powered vehicle in tense situations or to
place. perform kickass stunts.
Roll with vehicle Speed to catch fleeing
*Scavenge targets or outrun pursuers.
Roll to find usable components and parts
among the scrap. Can’t be used Unskilled. Riding
See Scavenge the Area on page 49. Roll to ride, tame, and care for animals. It
is a long process to tame a wild animal.
Shooting
Roll to hit a target with ranged weapons. *Stealing
Roll to pick locks, pick pockets, palm
*Survival objects; all the usual thief stuff. Cannot be
Roll to find food, water, shelter, etc while used Unskilled.
in the wild wastes. Cannot be used Un-
skilled. Stealth
Roll to move quietly or hide, including
*Tracking knowing how to mask your scent. Targets
Roll to follow the trail of your quarry even searching for you are at -1D per success to
when others cannot see the signs. Cannot find you.
be used Unskilled.

27
 psychokinesis sustained psk
You can only use Psk if you play a Head Some Psk can be sustained from round to
Case or have the Mutation. round. In the narrative you are focused on
maintaining the Psk, with the mechanics
Psk need Grit just like Talents. But unlike you’re using one of your actions to do it.
Talents there is no limit to how much Grit You do not spend additional Grit when
you can spend on Psk as long as you you sustain a Psk.
remain conscious. Psk can hit stupid high
unbalanced levels, and that’s okay.

To use a Psk first declare the amount of psk

Grit you’re spending, then Test Will. Your
Psk succeeds no matter what you roll, but Psychokinesis is purposely unbalanced and
failing the Will Test means you lost focus unstable. To that effect when you gain a
and control. new Psk you cannot choose, you must roll
for it.
A Bullseye on the Will Test hones your
focus and you do not spend the Grit used. See Mutation Core Rules for complete list
of Psk.
Failing the Will Test causes a minor surge,
your Psk succeeds but you must also roll
1D on the Surge table.

If shit luck strikes and you roll Snake Eyes

on your Will Test, your Psk succeeds, but
you lose total control. Roll and add 1D for
each point of Grit spent, then consult the
Surge table.

Grit Roll Psk Surge Effects

1-5 Off Guard and Dazed
As above, and suffer 1D
6-11
backlash damage
As above, and Power targets
12-17
random character
As above, +1D backlash, and
18-23 unconscious till you Test
Will
As above, and backlash hits
24-29
all Near targets
As above, and Test Death or
30+
die.

28
GEAR

29
 carry slots goods & services
How much you can carry is based on your It should go without saying that not every
Brute and represented by Slots, aka lines town, hold, or caravan will have everything
on the character sheet. Small items can be listed here available. The prices are also a
bundled in one slot within reason, and base average, they may be higher or lower
worn clothing and armor do not count. depending on how busy or far away a place
might be.
currency
Also, I just made up the prices so don’t be
Most regions just use Ca$h, red plastic bills afraid to completely change them to suit
from the old world. It was an easy to adopt your table. And if you think something is
currency. The Coral States value precious missing, get a pen and write it in.
metals and use stamped ¢oins, while in the
jungle they only accept $eeds.

Price Town Services Notes

$2 Cheap Meal It’s basically edible, don’t ask what’s in it
$8 Good Meal Warm and filling, restore 1 Grit
$1 Shot of Whiskey Just pay $5 and get the whole bottle
$1 Mug of Beer Blessedly cold and refreshing, or warm and flat
$2 Glass of Water Fingers crossed it’s filtered and purified
$5 Bunkhouse One night in a shared room with several bunk beds
$10 Private Room One night in a private room with a meal and a bath
$30* Safety Deposit Box *Per month, secure vault storage, don’t be late on rent
$3 Bath or Shower Hot water and real soap
$5 Stable One night animal boarding, groomed and fed
$10 Bulk Fresh Water Price per unit, bring your own container
$50 Pantry Resupply Feed 5 people for a week, spoils in 30 days, fills 2 carry
$1 B-Cell Recharge Price per battery
$5 Fuel Refill Price per unit
$30+ Vehicle Repair Price per hour, plus the cost of parts
$20 Equipment Repair Price per hour, plus the cost of parts
Varies Doc Services Doctorin’ $15, Bedside Manner $35, Pharmacist $50
$50+ Guide/ Tracker Price per day, they may negotiate extra costs
$5+ Train Ticket Price per day of travel to destination
$20 Fortune Teller Always knows your name, what else do they know
$100* Bounty Officer Pays bounty claims, *fabricate fake bounty papers
Varies Messenger Deliver letters: in town $5, between towns $15
$15 Computer Station Price per hour, access and create digital files

30
Price Basic Gear Notes
$3 Clothing A sturdy set of clothes and boots
$43 Fine Clothing A well tailored suit or gown, finest of the fine
$55 Costume Chest 6 stage costumes and makeup, fills 3 carry slots
$35 Ghillie Cloak +1D Stealth in the wastes
$110 Fire Suit +10 Armor against fire/ heat, fills 2 carry slots
$125 Radiation Suit +3D Toxins against radiation
$20 Gask Mask Immune to airborne toxins, filter lasts 1D days
$12 -Drum Filter Replacement mask filter, doesn’t hurt to have extras
$60 Oxygen Helmet Self contained breathing helmet, needs air tank
$40 -Air Tank Pressurized tank holds D3 hours of breathable air
$280 Rebreather Mask Crionic system makes O2 for 1D hours per B-Cell
Varies Prosthetic Limb Hand/ foot $50, Arm $80, Leg $140, ignore lost limb
$15 Knapsack/ Saddlebag Great for carrying stuff, 3 carry slots each
$25 Road Pack Bedroll, canteen, lamp, synthcord, med kit, compass
$10 Bedroll Sleep in a padded bag instead of the dirt
$20 Synthcord Spool 100 feet of synthcord, 500lb limit
$15 Binoculars/ Spyglass +1D Notice at Far range and beyond
$2 Canteen/ Waterskin Holds 1 unit of water/ liquid
$10 Fresh Foodstuffs Feeds 1 person for 1 week, spoils in 10 days
$2 Small Food Tin Feeds 1 person for 1 meal, 5 per carry slot
$6 Large Food Tin Feeds 1 person for 1 day, 2 per carry slot
$15 Med Kit 5 uses, restore 1 Grit or +1D Grit with First Aid
$8 -Med Resupply Restock med kit consumables
$35 Regen Patch 3 dermal patches, restore 1D Grit
$18 Anti-Rad Tablets 10 pills, +1D Toxins against radiation
$10 Smelling Salts 3 cartridges, instantly restore 1 Grit
$15 Breath Rite 5 uses, a smear of this vapor rub helps clear the lungs
$3 Flashlight/ Headlamp B-Cell lasts 1D days
$10 Handheld Radio 5 mile receiver range, lasts 1D weeks per B-Cell
$15 Comm. Unit 1 mile range, lasts 1D weeks per B-Cell
$170 Rad Counter Detect radiation levels, lasts 1D weeks per B-Cell
$15 Rifle Scope +1D Shooting at Far range and beyond
$15 Gaming Set Cards, poker chips, dice, etc
$25 Rigged Gaming Set Marked cards, loaded dice, etc
$70 Stringed Instrument Guitar, violin, banjo, etc with case, +1D Influence
$70 Wind Instrument Flute, bugle, trumpet, etc with case, +1D Influence
$5 B-Cell Battery Fully charged battery, one size fits all

31
Price Tools Notes
$45 Wrencher’s Box Tools for mechanics
$60 Spark’s Bag Tools for electrics
$60 Surgeon’s Bag Tools needed to heal Wounds
$30 Crafter’s Box Tools for basic crafting
$30 Gunsmith’s Kit Tools for gun work
$30 Lock Breaker’s Kit Lockpicks, bolt cutters, code slicers, etc.
$15 Water Test Kit Screen water for contaminants
$8 -Test Supply Refill Restock your water test kit
$325 Water Purifier Clean 1 unit per day, solar
$75 Tablet Computer Handheld with multi-port module, 3 days/ B-Cell

Price Armor Type Armor Notes

$15 Leather/ Skin 1 Can be worn beneath other armor
$25 Hard Coat 2 Woven nano-steel fiber long coat
$25 Scrap Armor 2 Thank you for recycling
$45 Ballistic Tiles 3 Synthetic plate lined coat and chaps
$25 Steel Plates 4 -1D Reflex, heavy plated coat and chaps
$7 Round Shield +1 Destroy to absorb damage from 1 attack
$15 Riot Shield +2 Destroy to absorb damage from 1 attack
$185 Energy Field Belt +5 5 uses with fully charged B-Cell

Price Melee Weapon Damage Bullseye Notes

- Unarmed Successes Daze Knuckles, knees, elbows, and feet
$5 Knife D3 Bleed Can be thrown Near
$8 Hatchet 1D Bleed Can be thrown Near
$58 Woodman’s Axe 2D, Bleed Test Dth* *Or lose limb, 2-hands
$8 Hammer 1D Daze This is not a work hammer
$45 20lb Sledge 3D Test Dth This is a work hammer, 2-hands
$10 Small Sword 1D Bleed A short, fast blade
$20 Long Sword 1D+2 Bleed Sharp and balanced
$5 Club 1D Daze Probably a baseball bat
$8 Nail Club 1D+1 Bleed A bat with nails in it
$10 Spear 1D Bleed Point towards enemy
$30 Stunner D3, Daze Daze 10 uses per B-Cell
$30 Chain Sword 2D, Bleed Test Dth* *Or lose limb, 10 uses/ B-Cell, 2-h

32
Price Range Weapon Damage Bullseye Notes
$10 Spear 1D Bleed Far, Quiet
$10 Slingshot D3 Daze Near, Quiet
$15 Bow 1D Bleed Distant, Quiet
$20 Crossbow 1D, P Bleed Distant, Quiet, 2 Action reload
$10 Blowgun By Toxin Painless Near, Quiet
$35 Holdout Pistol 1D Bleed Near, 2 capacity
$45 Pistol 1D +1D, Bld Far, 10 capacity
$65 Revolver 1D+2 +1D, Bld Far, 5 capacity
$70 Shotgun 2D, Bleed +2D Near, 5 capacity
$100 Scout Rifle 2D +1D, Bld Distant, 10 capacity
$140 Auto Rifle 2D/ 2D+3 +1D, Bld Distant, 30 cap, Burst fire
$250 Slinger 3D+6 Test Death Distant, 1 capacity
$210 Ray Gun 1D P, +1D Near, 10 capacity per B-Cell
$260 Laser Rifle 2D P, +2D Distant, 5 capacity per B-Cell
$5 Smoke Grenade Blind +1D, Daze Far, explode Near
$5 Frag Grenade 3D, Bleed Test Death Far, explode Near
$5 Taze Grenade 1D, Daze Will or KO Far, explode Near
$5 Dynamite 6D, Bleed Test Death Far, explode Near, fuse 1D rnds
$125 Harpoon Gun 2D, Bleed Immobile Must be mounted
$150 Thumper 4D, Imbl. Test Death Must be mounted
$180 Chain Rifle 3D, Bleed Test Death Must be mounted
*P: piercing, ignores armor

Price Ammo Notes

$5 Pistol Ammo 20 count. Ammo type is not interchangeable
$8 Revolver Ammo 20 count. Ammo type is not interchangeable
$5 Rifle Ammo 10 count. Ammo type is not interchangeable
$8 Shotgun Ammo 10 count. Ammo type is not interchangeable
$20 Hot Rounds 5 ct of ammo type, Test Tox vs rads or D3 exposure
$15 Taze Rounds 5 ct of ammo type, Daze, x2 damage to electrics
$15 Breaker Rounds 5 ct of ammo type, ignores Armor
$15 Slinger Ammo 5 count, explosive rocket bullet, ignores armor
$10 Arrows/ Bolts 20 count
$5 Darts 20 count blowgun ammo, can be dipped in toxins
$10 B-Cell Fully charged battery
$5 Harpoon 1 count
$5 Chain Ball 1 ct, Thumper ammo, Immobilize/ kill transportation

33
Price Transportation Notes
$70* Standard Chair Basic power chair, *free at creation, 3 carry slots
$130 Hard Chair +2 Armor, armored power chair, 3 carry slots
$200 Mono Chair +1D Mobility, mono-wheel power chair, 3 carry
$150 Skimmer Single person jet bike, 5 carry slots
$225 Speeder Bike Jet bike w/ seating for 2, 5 carry slots
$750 Roller Wasteland truck, seats 5, 15 carry slots
$1300 Barge Industrial jet crawler, slow, 50 carry slots
$2300 Hauler Engine Big off-road locomotive engine, seats 5, 15 carry
$500 -Hauler Car Must be hauled, seats 12 or has 40 carry slots
$45 Wagon Must be pulled or towed, 30 carry slots
$20 -Wagon Harness Animal harness for pulling a wagon
$170 -Road Kitchen Wagon mounted, fills 10 carry slots
$25 Water Barrel Holds 65 units, needs large vehicle, fills 3 carry
$75 Riding Bullvone See page 82
$75 Riding Roach See page 87
$25 -Saddle & Tack Fitted for bullvone or roach, non-interchangeable
$15 Animal Feed Bag of pellets, 2 days food for 1 animal, fills 2 carry

Hard Chair Roller

Guard: Hero, Armor: 2, Hull: 15 Guard: +1D, Armor: 5, Hull: 30
Nano-steel shell covers User’s legs. One Speed: +3D, Handling: +1D
handed control. 3 carry slots. Heavy duty off-road car or truck with room
for passengers. 15 carry slots.
Mono Chair
Guard: Hero, Armor: 1, Hull: 15 Hauler Engine
Gyro-stabilized single wheeled chair. Hand Guard: +2D, Armor: 10, Hull: 40
free kinetic controls. 3 carry slots. Speed: +3D, Handling: +1D
An off-road locomotive used to haul large
Skimmer cargo and passengers. 15 carry slots.
Guard: 0, Armor: 1, Hull: 15
Speed: +2D, Handling: +2D Hauler Car
Small lightweight speeder bike for a single Guard: +2D, Armor: 5, Hull: 35
User. 5 carry slots. Speed: max 3D, Handling: special
Needs a Hauler to move it. 50 carry slots.
Speeder Bike *: -1D for every 3 cars
Guard: -1D, Armor: 2, Hull: 20
Speed: +4D, Handling: +2D Wagon
Heavy duty long range jet bike for User and Guard: +1D, Armor: 2, Hull: 25
passenger. 5 carry slots. Scrap built and sturdy. Must be pulled or
towed, too small for Hauler. 30 carry slots.
Barge
Guard: +2D, Armor: 5, Hull: 50
Speed: +1D, Handling: +0D
A big slow jet-powered land boat. 50 carry.
34
 build it repair it
Let’s put your Crafting, Mechanics, and Broken and damaged gear can be repaired
Electrics Skills to use. Whether your Hero with Crafting, Mechanics, and Electrics.
found a blueprint or you have an idea in
your head for a cool piece of gear, you first Damaged gear that doesn’t need parts has
need to work with your GM on some a flat Challenge of 3 Successes to repair.
details. Add +1 Challenge for each part that needs
• What Parts, if any, does it need? replacing. Unlike building gear from the
• How Challenging is it to build? ground up, most repairs can be done in
• How much Time will it take? combat but will not be usable in the same
round it’s fixed.
Parts
We’re not tracking every tiny screw and implants
moving part, that would be ridiculous and
futile. Instead we’re going to lump all that Some old world tech only functions inside
stuff into five broad categories. the body and must be implanted over a
• Organic: natural material like wood, period of hours during downtime. This
stone, animal bits, oil and grease, etc. operation can be performed by anyone
• Metal: processed steel, iron, copper, with Doctorin’, Mechanics, or Electrics
brass, etc. with varying success.
• Plastic: processed plastic bits.
• Machine: engines, gears, wheels, etc; When done with Electrics or Mechanics
all the moving parts. the procedure will permanently reduce
• Electric: wires, lights, computer bits, your Grit by 1D and cause an equal
sensors, motors, etc. number of Wounds. When implanted
with Doctorin’ the operation only deals
Keep track of parts simply by how many 1D Wounds.
you have, unless you have a specific named
part. Large or heavy parts take carry slots, making the roll
use your best judgment here.
Certain things can help or hinder your
Challenge attempts to build and repair gear or
Challenge is the total number of Successes operate. If you’re unskilled you can’t even
you need to roll, this is always a Sustained make a roll for it regardless of what’s listed
Action Test. Every build has a Challenge below.
of 3 plus the number of parts needed. This
isn’t something you do in combat. Situation Modifier
Rushed or in combat -1D
Time No tools -2D
Building any type of gear should be part of
downtime with hour long rounds. Most Substitute parts -2D
builds will require half the Challenge in Have help +1D
hours to complete. Work with your GM Calm environment +1D
to figure the exact amount of time. Blueprints/ Schematics +1D
Well stocked workshop +2D

35
THE WORLD YOU KNOW

36
 9 things you know The Old Cities
Concrete has crumbled to dust and only
Just like today, there are a lot of things that the steel frames of old buildings remain.
everyone knows about the world they live Every continent is littered with ragged steel
in. Knowledge passes a little more slowly in bones poking out of the ground. Many of
Mutation since you can’t check your phone them are now sites for the current
or turn on a television. But the spirit of settlements of your fellow mutants. Feel
discovery still drives folks so word of free to use your real world knowledge of
mouth can reach pretty far. major cities to find locations and towns in
Mutation.
The desire to explore and share what’s out
there didn’t die with the rest of the world.
In fact it may be stronger now after all The Judges
that’s been lost, but not everything you They claim a divine rite blessed them with
hear is true. Below you’ll find 9 things the immutable truths of Law and Order.
everyone knows, whether they are true or The Lady of Justice herself carried the rules
not is up to you and your group. of the land down from the skies and gifted
them to these Judges. Whether that’s true
or not, every Sheriff and Marshall abides by
whatever laws a Judge sets for their claimed
Ground Zero territory. It’s not uncommon for battles to
Hundreds of miles surrounding the impact break out between Judges wanting to
of the seed bomb is so heavily irradiated defend or expand their legal influence.
that you can watch people cook before
your eyes when they enter the area. There’s
some kind of new land forming there, odd The Sentient Jungle
shapes of unknown material stand against This massive tangle of symbiotic plants all
the horizon. No one knows what the hell work together to survive, and they’re
is going on in there, but rumors say there thriving with their hold on the entire
are a few people that found a safe route and continent of South America up through
have been there. Mexico, including parts of Texas and
California. A surprising number of folks
have found a way to live here farming algae
Old World Bunkers and bugs without drawing the attention of
Every government of the old world had this chlorophyll wasteland, and if you’re
bunkers to protect certain people in case of lucky you’ll find them before the Jungle
imminent danger. So far no survivors have gets you.
ever been found inside. But these fortified
compounds are littered around the globe The other, and perhaps more dangerous
and most of them have never been opened. element of this land are the luminous spore
This means there’s dungeon-like structures clouds that spread from the jungle. This
just waiting for some industrious mutant eerie glowing dust storm is carried by the
to plunder all the wealth of technology and winds and slowly changes the soil to allow
supplies held inside. the jungle to spread.

37
The Melted North locations of note
The northern Wastes of Canada get the
most regular amounts of precipitation in Coral Flats
all of North America. However, the rain This razor sharp maze of old coral is
and snow here is almost pure sulfuric acid loaded with shipwrecks and rotting
and most things caught in these storms science platforms from the old world.
don’t survive. The landscape is pitted and
jagged from more than a century of acid
storms. That said, a lot of what the world The Crevasse
killers of old had built still sits untouched This massive split in the ground is quite a
and waiting to be discovered. grand canyon and has dozens of exposed
bunker walls along the miles of cliffs. So
far no entrances have been found and no
The Oceans one has been able to cut through the walls.
Massive chunks of salt drift and collide
along the coastlines and the oceans
themselves have receded to the edges of the Hanging Rock
continental shelves. The water is deadly, yet This massive smooth cylinder floats a few
somehow terrifying things live below the hundred meters in the air, and no one has
dark surface. Most of the coastal lands are yet been able to reach it. Every 18 days a
home to massive Coral Flats that feed on series of red lights flash in sequence
those who stray too close, a fact that the around the perimeter, no one is sure why.
Coral States use to their advantage. More and more travelers report seeing
EnGens in the area, their numbers seem to
be growing.
Paradise
The legends of this fabled lush paradise are
so far spread they’re taken as fact. The The Devil’s Pool
verdant fields and forests are said to be Brackish water fills this smooth-walled
pristine and free from all the horror and cylinder bored to an unknown depth in
ruin of the radiation that covers the rest of the ground. Carved stairs spiral along the
the world. The only way to know for sure wall down into the water. The pool boils a
is to go there. few times a year and spews huge clouds of
sulfur that can be smelled for miles.
Natural Cisterns
All that fresh water had to go somewhere Ground Zero
right? It couldn’t just have disappeared or Crystalline forms grow in gigantic fractal
dried up. Ask anyone, they’ll tell you it all patterns across the island. Watch them long
got sucked underground. There’s proof in enough and you can see them moving.
every fresh water well and natural spring
that the good water is underground. The
biggest problem is that a lot of other things
in the Wastes are also looking for and
protecting that water.

38
 settlements Homestead
Despite the quaint name, Homestead is
Towns, forts, outposts, holds, caravans; actually a bustling city along the eastern
whatever they may be, these are places of foothills of the Serra Mountains. It serves
safety in the wastes. Almost all of them as a border town between The Downs and
will have a wall or some other means of the Coral States.
protection for the inhabitants. A Sheriff
or Marshal normally upholds the agreed
upon laws for a town, and whether they Stovepipe
like it or not, a traveling Judge oversees This curious town is built within one of
entire territories. This can and does lead to fourteen massive hollow towers that used
conflicts. to be nuclear cooling towers in the world
that was. This is not a known fact today.
These centers of population are also the Seven of the towers hold the most
best place to purchase needed supplies, productive hydroponic farms and two
from food and water, to fuel, to weapons others host the Great Bazaar and are
and ammo. Ranchers bring their bullvone connected by a series of catwalks and
from the pasture lands to slaughter for the bridges.
market, farmers bring their produce from
their hydroponic pits for the grocer, and
fuel depots haul their fermented rendered Two-Stroke Outpost
fats and oils to the local stations. Solar Originally a small station for refueling and
sheeting and windmills adorn nearly every repair founded by ranchers, Two-Stroke
building, and some places have retrofitted has grown as travel to and from Delphia
kinetic diodes throughout the building to has increased. Vast pockets of
harness energy from the movement of the underground waste disposal from the old
inhabitants and/ or customers. world has made the fuel manufactured
here far more rich than other sources.
Community is important in the world of
Mutation. The people here understand
that they need each other if they are going Gaulkan City
to survive. Unless someone has a bad rep, Gaulkan City used to have the largest
most towns will welcome travelers. Folks population in what was North America,
passing through always have information but as the jungle moves slowly northward
about the world and the possibility to more and more people are leaving. The
carry messages to other towns. Travelers constant glow of the spore clouds from
are just as important as settlers. the south makes this a city of eternal
daylight.

The Iron Ribs Delphia

This long stretch of rotting steel frames, This growing boomtown has become the
remnants of a massive coastal city from center of activity for expeditions into the
before the world died, spans a few fringes of the Deep Wastes to the east and
hundred miles along the edge of the Coral the Melted Lands to the north. The
Flats. It’s littered with small towns and a abundance of old world tech passing
few larger cities collectively called The through here is drawing more and more
Iron Ribs. attention.

39
 survival tips Ammo is less important since you can just
run, and there’s nothing wrong with that.
Most folks in this world take the safe route Plus, the sound of gunfire usually attracts
and stay home, or at most they stay close to other threats you might not want to deal
the safety of where they live. But you aren’t with.
like most folks. Before you go running off
in search of whatever is out there, you need
to be prepared for the road. Fortune favors
the prepared. Fuel is the food for your vehicles. Generally
you’ll burn through a unit of fuel per day.
Always make sure you have enough Food,
Water, Ammo, and Fuel to get you to the The sun rises in the East and sets in the
next outpost or settlement. There’s a good West. Without a map this will at least let
chance you can find these things out in the you know which direction your facing.
wilderness, but taking a chance may also get Most townies will be eager to hear about
you killed so you’re better off making use the rest of the world. Some folks will want
of local shops while in town. to barter or pay you to make deliveries to
other settlements. How you treat them will
be remembered.

You NEED water to live, at least a gallon

per day in the wastes. Going without water
will kill you. See Dehydration on page 44. If you see one Outlander in the wastes, I
guarantee there’s at least thirty more you
don’t see. I promise you they will eat you,
and they won’t even be nice about it. You
You can do alright skipping a few meals, run like hell and you’ll be fine.
but when it’s weeks your body starts to
break down. See Starvation on page 45.
See you in the wastes space cowboy…

If your traveling with animals don’t forget

that they need food and water too.

40
 common critters Axebills
At six to seven feet tall, you can’t miss them.
Most folks know about these wild Nasty flightless birds with a beak shaped
critters, but townies rarely get close enough like an axe head. Thank whatever powers
to see them unless the beast is outside their that be that axebills don’t travel in large
walls. All the same, here’s a few things to flocks.
keep your eyes peeled for.
Rockshells
Unless you watch it move you’d swear it
Bullvone was a boulder. Beneath that rocky
These large beasts of burden are a staple for camouflage is a mass of tentacles with a big
pulling wagons, carts, and the like. They’re mouth and lots of teeth. Thankfully they’re
also a great source of food. The wild herds slow as tar in a snow storm.
out in the Wastes however are territorial
and will grind you into the dust if
provoked. Needlers
Little flying terrors about the size of an old
world pigeon that can drain a full grown
Roaches person in about an hour. That buzz from
Great for riding if you can stand the smell, their wings is unmistakable.
and those big suckers have no trouble
skittering over walls and anything else. The
non-domestic roaches you find in the Sludge Worms
wilderness are mostly skittish, unless Best to just avoid mud holes at all costs.
they’re hungry. They hunt at night and can Seriously, you don’t even want to know
move awfully quiet. what this big slug will do to you or how
long it’ll take.

Rattlebacks
These quill dogs are a nasty bunch and Grinder Grubs
regularly shake their spines with a sound What looks like rancid meat, is about the
like a large rattlesnake. Rattlebacks are fast size of your arm, and has a mouth full of
and can nearly keep up with most speeders razors? It also feeds on calcium. I’m talking
and rollers. Once they have your scent about the bones inside your body, and it’s
they’ll track you to the edge of their not going to wait till you’re done using
territory. Best to avoid them if you can. them.

Blood Asps EnGens

Check your boots. And your pack, and These have been showing up with more
your undies; hell check all your gear. Blood frequency over the last 5 years. Some kind
Asps are small spiky bastards and good at of machines leftover from the old world
hiding, but their appetite for your vital still fighting some war that ended centuries
fluids is huge. ago. No one knows where they come from,
but they run on electrics and are a great
source for parts if you can kill one.

41
RUNNING THE GAME

42
 gm tips Setting The Tone

I have no grand wisdom for you, but I’ve Like any other game this can be as goofy
got a few tips that might help you out. For or as serious as you and your table want it
starters, aim for fun. If everyone at the to be. Make sure you’re all on the same
table is having fun then you are already a page for tone, talk it over with your group.
master of the game.
Emulate the tone from movies. Check out
Stay In Turns Bone Tomahawk or The Burrowers to get
some weird west horror influence. Watch
Gameplay will go smoothly and give your Mad Max for that gonzo action style. Go
players a more equal time in the spotlight for Indiana Jones or Sky Captain to get
by always playing in turns. In combat you the pulp heroics feel. Watch Unforgiven
take turns by Initiative Order, outside of or Tombstone to nail the gritty wild west.
combat just move around the table like a
board game. Communication is 90% of our hobby, so
be sure everyone agrees on the tone or you
Staying in turns keeps the game flowing might not all have as much fun.
whether you’re fighting in turns that last a
few seconds or crossing the plains in turns Challenge Tuning
that last an hour. Everyone gets 2 actions
on their turn. Take time to get familiar with Aspects and
Fates as they are the core of almost every
On the GM’s turn you’ll act for any NPCs roll. Your Players know what they need to
or Threats in the scene as well as playing roll against for success so you’re free to
the environment and advancing Timers. focus on challenge tuning when needed.

Timers You can easily modify the challenge of a

situation by using Easy and Hard to give
Another great revelation from ICRPG is out bonus or penalty dice, or you can call
Timers in your game. Roll 1D, D3, or for a set number of successes. Required
choose a number on the die and count it successes can be used for Sustained Tests,
down on the GM turn. When the timer but can also be a hit or miss challenge. For
expires something happens. This should instance leaping a wide chasm might need
be thematically tied to your scene and can 3 successes or you miss the jump and find
be anything. yourself hanging from a ledge…

• reinforcements arrive Without consequences for failure there is

• the storm hits no need to have the Players roll the dice.
• the bomb detonates It’s okay to just let their actions outside of
• the Hangman pulls the lever combat succeed if there’s no pressure.
• the stampede will crush the town

43
 hazards Falling
A fall always deals 1D damage per Near
Not everything trying to kill you on the distance dropped. When you slip in a
road is a monster. See Mutation Core dangerous area and fail the Mobility Test,
Rules for complete list of Hazards. you end up on the edge Hanging by a
Hand.

On your next turn you Must Test

Acid Rain Mobility to pull yourself to safety. If you
Only a danger in The Melted North, and fail that Test you’re stuck Hanging by a
without protective gear you’ll be well on Finger and must be rescued. Immediately
your way to becoming a dude smoothie. Test Brute, you can only hang on for
successes in rounds. When the time runs
Acid Rain deals 1D damage every round out Test Death or fall.
and destroys a piece of exposed gear if you
roll a 6. You continue to take 1D damage Radiation
as above even after getting out of the rain, Radiation is never good. Check your Rad
and will continue to suffer and lose gear Counter to see how screwed you are. Test
until you fully rinse everything with lots Toxins against radiation based on the
of gallons of water. intensity every round you are exposed. See
below for intensity of hot zones.
Bio-Gel
It’s rare, but gobs of this purplish stuff can Yellow: Low intensity, Test Toxins as
still be found despite the centuries since normal. Fill a Rad Bubble for each failed
the seed bomb impact. It needs a living Test.
host to vaporize into the atmosphere, and Red: Middle intensity, suffer -1D to
the host might even live through it. Toxins Tests. Fill 2 Rad Bubbles for each
failed Test.
If you’re within Near, first Test Mobility Black: High intensity, suffer -2D to
to avoid it. On a fail you must now Test Toxins Tests. Fill 3 Rad Bubbles for each
Toxins or drop to 0 Grit. On your next failed Test.
turn Test Death or die. Rolling one 6
means you survived the vaporization and The effects of radiation are based on your
the gel is gone, lose 1D permanent Grit. Exposure Level, that’s all those bubbles
Rolling a Bullseye means that over the you’ve had to fill in. The Exposure effects
next 1D days you grow a new mutation, all stack and lead to a death spiral.
roll D66 on the Mutation Table.
3 Bubbles: -1D to all Action Tests.
Dehydration 6 Bubbles: Wounds do not heal.
You NEED water to live, at least 1 gallon 9 Bubbles: Reduce Grit by half.
per day in the wastes. After 2 days without 12 Bubbles: Roll a new mutant.
anything at all to drink, all of your rolls are
at -1D. At 3 days the penalty increases to You must take 1 Anti-Rad daily for 5 days
-2D. After 4 days you must Test Death to remove 1 bubble. Repeat as needed.
every day or die.

44
Sand Storms Toxins
Generally a sand storm only kicks up in If you touch it, eat it, or breath it and you
the flat open wastes and only costs you a die it is poisonous. If it stings or bites you
bit of lost time. On occasion though, a and you die it is venomous. Despite the
storm blows in so quickly that the sand differences the effects of various toxins are
can flay skin from bone and damage gear. all similar.
Worse still, the storm could be carrying
radioactive material with it. Deadly: usually quite painful, then
Test Toxins or die.
If using a sand storm roll 1D. On a 1 the Harmful: causes 1D damage per
storm is bad and deals D3 damage per round. Rolling 1 damage, taking an anti-
round to everything caught in it. Just get toxin, or cleaning the toxin off will end the
out of the wind and you’re fine. effect. Test Toxins for ½ damage.
Nauseating: Test Toxins or lose your
Sickness and Disease lunch in either or both directions and be
Damn, a mutating world and you can still considered Dazed and Off Guard for the
catch a cold. duration. Eww.
Paralytic: immobilizes the target for
Flu: please just wash your hands and 1D hours. Target may Test Toxins to
stay home when you’re sick. Test Toxins if reduce the duration to rounds.
exposed or all rolls are Hard for 1D days.
Rest and medicine will have you on your Xenogeography
feet in no time. The seed bomb mutated all life on this
Hot Rot: if you don’t toss your stuff planet, but the Earth itself is also mutating.
and scrub down after radiation exposure The strange geometry growing at Ground
you’ll develop oozing sores within a day. Zero is not limited to the islands and small
Test Toxins weekly or suffer 1 permanent pockets can be found growing everywhere.
damage. Cure it with a course of anti-rads.
Mud Lung: five days without a mask The effects can be felt within Far range of
in the wastes you’ll start coughing up blobs the crystalline structures, a fugue state and
of mud. You have -1 Actions until cured. a desire to get closer. Test Will at +1D or be
Three days of safe rest with a dose of Breath Dazed and compelled to move Near.
Rite on your chest will help you expel the
mud. The effects gain potency within Near range
of a crystal shunt. Test Will at -1D or be
Starvation Dazed and compelled to move Close. You
You can survive longer without eating than must resist being pulled away from the
you can without drinking. But every week shunt, violently if necessary.
you go without food is a -1D penalty to all
rolls. After 4 weeks without food you must Standing Close to a crystal gives you an
Test Death every day or die. overwhelming urge to lie down and sleep.
Test Will at -3D or lay down, sleepy head.
The crystal will slowly transform your cells
into silicates at a rate of 1 permanent Grit
loss per day. The structure will spread and
grow with each organic form it processes,
and you may need a new character if you’re
still napping here.

45
 threats Blood Asp
Small spiny snakes that feed mainly on
The following entries represent the blood. These nocturnal hunters can be
average for each type, feel free to modify found throughout the wasteland in small
the stats as needed. To make new communal broods.
wasteland critters you can just combine
two or more animals from today into a
single thing, or take a normal animal and Action: 4D Rating: 5+
choose or roll a few mutations for them, Guard: -2D, Armor: 0, Grit: 3
or combine animals and give them 8D Mobility
mutations. Have fun with it and make
something weird. Spines: if grabbed you must Test Mobility
or suffer D3 AP dmg
Bite: 4D Reflex, no dmg but allows feed,
Axebill Feed on Bull
Ostrich-sized murder birds that eat pretty Feed: 1D dmg per Action while attached,
much everything. They’re common in the host suffers 1D dmg when removed
wastes and usually seen in small flocks, but
rare occasions have seen gatherings in the Bullvone
thousands. These nasty critters are fast In the wild these large cow-like beasts are
over ground, thankfully they can’t fly.
aggressive and territorial. If the herd has
Action: 4D Rating: 4+ young and you value your life, keep your
Guard: -1D, Armor: 0, Grit: 8 distance. Domestic herds are way chill by
3D Mobility, 4D Toxins comparison, but will still be murderously
protective of young if they don’t know
Musk Glands: all Close suffer -1D Action you. Bullvone recognize and remember
Tests. Spray with 4D Instinct, Near line faces and scents, and will hold a grudge if
must Test Toxins or Dazed for D3 rounds mistreated.
Beak: 5D Brute, 2D AP dmg/ Bleed on
Bull Action: 3D Rating: 5+
Talons: 5D Brute, 1D dmg/ Test Toxins Guard: 0, Armor: 3, Grit: 25
or gain infected Wound 2D Will, 3D Death

Bandit/ Cannibal Enhanced Senses: cannot be surprised,

Regular mutant folk of questionable moral +2D when searching
judgment. More common than you think. Horns: 5D Brute, 1D+2 dmg/ Bleed on
Bull
Action: 4D Rating: 5+ Charge: Test Mobility at -1D to avoid 4D
Guard: 0, Armor: 2, Grit: 12 dmg/ +1D Wounds on Snake
Rage: if the herd has young 2D bullvone
Add up to 3 Mutations go full roid Karen, +2D to Action Tests
Attack: 4D Brute or Instinct, range and and Damage.
effect by weapon
Hard Coat: 2 Armor

46
Centipod Grinder Grub
Oh boy, where to start… Imagine a king This foot long maggot feeds on bone and
crab, a centipede, and a Venus fly trap had will burrow into your skin to get it. They
a baby the size of a Buick. They need the are quiet, cold-blooded, and thankfully
humidity of the jungle to live and cannot solitary. They are also believed to be the
survive in the wastes. One is already more larval stage of Centipods, but so far this
than enough to deal with, thankfully they hasn’t been confirmed.
are solitary.
Action: 4D Rating: 6
Action: 4D Rating: 4+ Guard: -2D, Armor: 0, Grit: 5
Guard: +2D, Armor: 10*, Grit: 30 3D all Fates
0D Mobility, 3D Will
Leap: 4D Reflex, grab onto Near target
Pheromones: secrete as Action, all Near Burrow: Test Mobility or it digs to your
must Test Will or be Dazed for 1D rounds/ bones for 1D Wounds
KO for 1D rounds on Snake Chew Bone: if burrow, 1D AP Wounds,
Pincer Claw: 5D Brute, Near reach, 3D Test Death or dmg is permanent/ possible
dmg/ Test Mobility or be immobile lost limb
Survivor: if at 15 Grit it will coil its body Mucus Glands: secrete as Action, -3D to
in retreat and gain +10 Armor be grappled
*Weakness: mouth has -1D Guard and 0
Armor
Needle Bird
EnGen Pigeon-sized thing with three lamprey-like
The facility hidden inside Hanging Rock toothy suckers. The good news is these
woke up and the system began performing flying bastards prefer rotting meat, but
it sole purpose: build war machines. when food is scarce fresh meat is back on
the menu.
Action: 5D Rating: 3+
Guard: -1D, Armor: 5, Grit: 35 Action: 4D Rating: 5+
4D Mobility, 4D Death, Toxin Immune Guard: -2D, Armor: 0, Grit: 1
3D Mobility, Toxin Immune
Sensors: +2D Notice
Energy Beam: 5D Instinct, 2D dmg to Flight: move Far with an Action
Far, Daze on Bull Eat: 2D Brute, D3 dmg
Sonic Emitter: Test Will at -2D or take Poop: this valuable stuff is like miracle
1D dmg and Off Guard/ KO on Snake grow, but doesn’t cause cancer
Weakness: Taze and electrical attacks deal
+1D dmg

47
Rattleback Rockshell
A predatory wolf-coyote-porcupine critter Snails, squid, and hermit crabs- oh my!
that hunts in packs and rely on ambush This monstrosity uses a caustic secretion
and opportunity attacks. They are damn to chew out a living space within a boulder
smart and have been seen using sticks and that it wears like a shell. It’s size and choice
their own quills as crude tools. of camouflage makes it a deadly ambush
predator.
Action: 4D Rating: 4+
Guard: -1D, Armor: 1, Grit: 8 Action: 5D Rating: 4+
4D Mobility, 2D Will Guard: +3D*, Armor: 20*, Grit: 50
0D Mobility
Enhanced Senses: cannot be surprised, 3 Actions
+2D to search or track
Quills: melee attackers Test Mobility or Ambush: +1D Initiative
impaled by 1D quills that deal 1 damage Barbed Tentacles: 5D Brute, 1D dmg
each, quills deal 1 damage when removed and Immobilized/ Bleed on Bull, pull
Throw Quills: 4D Instinct, throw 1D snared target to beak as an Action
quills at Near target Beak: 5D Brute, 2D+3 dmg/ target Tests
Bite: 4D Brute, 1D dmg and Bleed/ +1D Death on Bull or loses a limb
dmg on Bull Withdraw: when fully pulled into it’s
shell it cannot be harmed
Roach *Weakness: underside has 0 Guard and 0
The only change to the cockroach is that it Armor
got bigger. Like horse-sized bigger. Since
horses died out and the roaches were easily Sludge Worm
domesticated, it seemed like a natural fit. A carnivorous earthworm the size of a city
At full gallop a roach can pace an average bus. They do not leave their mud holes and
roller for a short period of time. feed by swallowing anything that falls in.

Action: 4D Rating: 5+ Action: 3D Rating: 4+

Guard: -1D, Armor: 3, Grit: 20 Guard: +3D, Armor: 15, Grit: 80
5D Mobility, 3D Toxins, 4D Death 1D all Fates

Bite: 4D Brute, 2D dmg/ Bleed on Bull Swallow: target must Test Mobility or get
Kick: 4D Brute, 1D dmg and Daze/ flung swallowed
Near and +2 dmg on Bull Enzymes: a swallowed target must Test
Scopulae: can cling to and move across any Toxins at -3D or fall unconscious
surface Slow Metabolism: a swallowed target
Hard To Kill: immune to KO, as long as gains 1 Wound per day as they are digested
the head survives it keeps moving when Regenerate: restore 2D Grit as an Action,
below 0 Grit and must Test Death daily or heal 1 Wound per day
die

48
 loot
Everybody loves finding treasure, especially in the post apocalypse. When you loot the
body of an enemy or scavenge through the rubble for something usable, roll 2D and
check the appropriate table below. If you’re exploring an old world bunker or looting
an enemy stronghold, roll D66 on the following page. See Mutation Core Rules for
complete lists of Loot.

Search the Body- Frontier Search the Body- Big City

2 1Dx10 Ca$h hidden in boot 2 Deed to a mine in the wastes
3 Two-pronged Key 3 Rad Counter
4 2D Long Gun Ammo 4 2 Train Tickets
5 1D+10 Handgun Ammo 5 Billfold with 2Dx100 Ca$h
6 1D doses of Indigo Dream 6 Holdout Pistol w/ 1D ammo
7 3D Ca$h 7 Briar Silk handkerchief
8 Bottle of Water 8 Flask w/ algae brandy
9 Sack with 2 Food Tins 9 D3 Regen Patches
10 D3 Bandages (restore D3 Grit) 10 Raygun w/ half charge
11 A fully charged B-Cell 11 Mag-Sensor Key (old and heavy)
12 D3 Grenades (frag, smoke, or taze) 12 Biolink Bracelet, B-Cell missing

Scavenge the Area- Wastes Scavenge the Area- Town

2 Wow, another 10mm socket! 2 Rubber tubing
3 D3 empty B-Cells 3 Bottles of chemicals
4 Empty pressure tank 4 Can of grease
5 Bundle of electrical wire 5 Pipes and fittings
6 Ceramic plating 6 Drawer of nuts and bolts
7 D3 Machine components 7 Capacitors, resistors, solder, etc
8 D3 Scrap metal 8 Metal tubing, bar stock
9 1D Buttons, dials, or switches 9 Baffles, manifolds, valves, etc
10 D3 Natural components 10 Bundle of nano-steel fiber
11 Half a can of fuel 11 D3 crionic scrubbers
12 D3 fully charged B-Cells 12 1D kinetic diodes

49
 sample loot
11 Hot Rounds (5 ct any ammo type, Test Toxins vs rads or suffer D3 exposure)
12 B-Cell Bundle (6 empty B-Cells)
13 Mapping Unit (render a 1 sq. mile holo-map with Focus, complete in 3 rnds)
14 Collapsible Solar Panel (portable energy source, 6 B-Cell output w/ sunlight)
15 Energy Field Belt (+5 Armor, 5 uses per B-Cell)
16 Anti-Rad Tablets (10 count, +1D Toxins against radiation)
21 Tazer Rounds (5 ct any ammo type, Daze, x2 damage to electrics)
22 Data Pad (contains info on a field of study, +1D to related Tests)
23 Nod Patch (1D patches, immobilize 1D hours, Test Toxins to drop to rounds)
24 Rapid Charge Kit (recharge a B-Cell in 1D rounds, requires sunlight)
25 Rebreather Mask (crionic system makes O2 for 1D hours per B-Cell)
26 Regen-Plus Patch (D3 dermal patches, restore 2D Grit and heal 1 Wound)
31 Ammo Box (200 ct standard Pistol ammo)
32 Recon N-Gen (offline and damaged, will be hostile if not reprogrammed)
33 Rico’s Long Gun (rifle, take a Far shot before Initiative)
34 Ammo Box (200 ct standard Revolver ammo)
35 Bandages (10 ct, restore D3 Grit)
36 Regen Patch (1D dermal patches, restore 1D Grit)
41 Ammo Box (100 ct standard Shotgun ammo)
42 Adrenaline Patch (1D dermal patches, +1 Action per round this encounter)
43 Becky’s Bullet (Psk charged necklace, +1D Mobility when worn)
44 Ammo Box (100 ct standard Rifle ammo)
45 Mitch’s Lucky Deck (+1D Influence when gambling)
46 Dr Nano’s Immun-O-Boost (1D pills, +1D to all Fate Tests this encounter)
51 Ammo Box (100 ct steel marbles, slingshot ammo, deals 1D damage)
52 HUD Visor (+1D to all Ranged attacks when worn)
53 Doc’s Surgery Kit (modified double-barrel shotgun, 2D+6 damage and Bleed)
54 Ammo Box (10 ct Grenades, 1-2: smoke, 3-4: taze, 5-6: frag)
55 Zero-G Belt (1 use per B-Cell, defy gravity and move any direction for 1 hour)
56 Regen Patch (1D dermal patches, restore 1D Grit)
61 Breaker Rounds (5 ct any ammo type, ignores Armor)
62 Kinetic Biolink (synced bracelet and B-Cell, stays charged by your movement)
63 Reactive Nano Skin (3 Armor, +1D Brute and Reflex Tests)
64 Stained Map (leads to an Old World Bunker)
65 Signet Ring (runic hammer seal, indestructible, sigil of a secret society)
66 Dr Nano’s Original Boost (D3 pills, +1D to ALL rolls for this encounter)

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ONCE UPON A TIME IN THE WASTES

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 once upon a time in the wastes
If this is your first game of Mutation it The Cast
helps to have a reason why the Heroes are If one of the Heroes is going to save a
on the train to Stovepipe. Have them roll friend or traveling with Grandma, have
1D or choose from the table below, or talk them name the NPC. The rest of the
with your group to setup their own supporting cast is below. If one or more of
reasons for travel. the Heroes are the Wagon Guards, Fritz
and Fog will be passengers.
1 Hired as a Wagon Guard for $20
2 Delivering a package to Yeti Rose Rugburn, Wagon Master
3 Hunting August Kelly for bounty Surly and Honest
4 Judge Gold is hanging your friend Pit Organs, Hard Shell, Horns
5 Getting medicine from Disco Scout Rifle
6 Taking Grandma to the Bazaar
Kort, Greaser
Mute, Kind, Coward
Overview Large Size, Bone Plates, Chromatophores
• The Heroes leave Homestead on or Wrecking Bar, Tool Bag
with a wagon train headed for The
Great Bazaar at Stovepipe, a trip that
should take 2 days. Fritz, Wagon Guard
• An unusual and fierce Sand Storm Fool, Cannibal, Fog’s brother
causes the train to stop. Immunity, Extra Right Arm, Beak
• Cannibals attack the train. Long Sword, Pistol, Hide Armor
• Fritz and Fog, two cannibals hiding
on the train, abduct 3 passengers in Fog, Wagon Guard
the chaos.
• Sand Storm ends after the cannibals Fool, Cannibal, Fritz’s brother
escape with their next meal, I mean Hooves, Wings, Large Size
the captives. Laser Rifle, Hard Coat
• Rugburn refuses to leave without a
rescue attempt and asks the Heroes Argo, Passenger
to help him. Naive Teenager
• While the Heroes track the cannibals Gills, Exoskeleton, Musk Glands
a pack of Rattlebacks ambush them
hoping for a quick meal. Slingshot, Gamin Set
• If the passengers are rescued the
cannibals will give chase. They will Dale, Passenger
eat the passengers if not rescued. Hopeful Farmer
• Cannibals pursue the train in a gonzo Prehensile Tail, Tusks, Bone Plates
Mad Max-esque chase as the train
heads to Stovepipe.
• End with closing RP and hooks for Jenni, Passenger
the next adventure. Plans to kill the outlaw August Kelly
Tentacle L.Arm, Spines, Venom Glands
Pistol, Revolver, Hard Coat

52
 once upon a time in the wastes
act 1 Fritz and Fog both seem anxious. Fog only
laughs if the Players approach and Fritz
Sand Storms & Circled Wagons will hit him and tell him to “Shut up, you
damn fool.”
After an easy day and half on the road
between Homestead and Stovepipe a sand The Bullets…
storm rises up out of nowhere. Rugburn
circles the wagons for safety to ride it out. • The wind is loud and seems to growl
and hoot like some kind of beast, and
Rugburn will complain about the storm you swear you can hear the rattling
but will also assure everyone that it’ll pass quills of Rattlebacks.
soon. “Ain’t never seen a duster just rise • A Head Case can Test Will, success
up like this. Don’t worry, it’ll blow itself allows them to feel a psychic charge
out soon.” behind the storm.
• An Instinct, Notice, or Survival Test
This is a good time for the NPCs to say hi discovers that the noises are not made
and ask the Heroes why they’re going to by beasts. A Bullseye also learns that
Stovepipe. Let the Players introduce their 1D+4 people are using beast calls and
mutants. As the GM, you can make use of surrounding the train on all sides.
the NPCs to deliver info and plant some • The Cannibals attack, roll Initiative.
hooks for the future of your campaign. If the cannibals go first they get a
surprise round before the Heroes can
The other Passengers will engage in small act.
talk. Argo wants to learn how to play cards • Fritz and Fog grab D3 Passengers
but he is terrible at it. Dale is excited about while the Heroes fight off the Bandit
the new pump system he’s picking up that attack. At least 1 passenger should be
will turn his hydroponic farm around. a Hero’s relative if possible. It feels
Jenni says she’s going to make a name for like cheating to not let the Heroes at
herself by killing the outlaw August Kelly. least get a Will Test to see the folks get
grabbed.

53
 once upon a time in the wastes
act 2 The Bullets…

A Troubled Trail • The storm has obscured most of the

tracks but there’s enough to follow
After the storm breaks, Heroes discover them north into a boulder field.
that Fritz, Fog, and a few Passengers are • Test Instinct or Tracking to follow
missing. If the Heroes saw them get taken the trail. Success allows the Heroes to
then they already know Fritz and Fog are arrive at Act 3 before the passengers
in on it. Rugburn must stay with his train, are butchered. Failure costs time and
but will approach the Heroes and ask for one passenger is killed as a result.
their help. • Heroes with Enhanced Senses can
smell Rattlebacks and a Rockshell. It
“I ain’t lost me a rider in 9 on ta 10 years, is possible to avoid them with Stealth.
and I ain’t ‘bout ta now. Y’all look capable, • If undetected, D3+2 rattlebacks will
I’ll refund yer tickets and owe ya a favor if ambush the Heroes as they enter the
ya can get these folks back.” boulder field. Roll Initiative.
• On round 2 of combat the rockshell
Rugburn can offer a med-kit, binoculars, comes out hiding then snatches and
and some ammo if asked for supplies. eats a rattleback. Its last action will be
an attempt to grab the Nearest target.
• The Rockshell will focus on eating
the dead after combat ends and will
not give chase.
• The tracks continue deeper into the
boulder field and the echo of activity
can be heard ahead.

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 once upon a time in the wastes
act 3 The Quiet Approach…

Cannibals & Captives • Heroes have surprise unless spotted.

• Test Stealth or Reflex at -1D to sneak
The Bandit camp is built into a cluster of in undetected.
boulders and at first looks to be secure. • Cannibals are moving around inside
The compound is mostly walled with so additional Tests will be needed to
three large gates. Closer inspection reveals stay hidden.
several gaps between boulders that could • Heroes keep surprise on a failed Test,
be used to sneak in undetected. but a Snake Eyes alerts enough of
them to raise the alarm.
There are eight visible buildings. Five look • It is totally possible to get in, rescue
like bunkhouses, one is definitely storage, the passengers, and get out without
one is a communal mess hall, and the last ever alerting the cannibals.
looks to be the meat locker/ kitchen. Each
gate has a small tower with a mounted Full Frontal Assault…
Chain Rifle and vehicles can be seen
parked in the main courtyard. • Cannibals will be surprised, it’s not
everyday food just walks into camp.
The Bullets… • Remember more arrive in 6 rounds.
• The Head Case has Telekinesis and
• Cannibals can be overheard talking Armor, but won’t spend more than 3
about how to cook their catch, Fritz Grit at a time.
and Fog are voting for stew. • The Watchtowers have a durability of
• There are 3D+6 Cannibals and a 15 and provide the user -1D Guard
Head Case inside. Another 3D+6 are from cover. The Chain Rifles are on
out hunting and will return 6 rounds swivels, but cannot aim into the base.
after the Heroes enter or attack the • This is a seriously hard fight. If your
compound. Heroes survive I hope you give them
• Ask the Heroes how they proceed. a Level afterwards. If they clear this
place out they can set up a base.

55
 once upon a time in the wastes
act 4 The Quick…

The Quick & the Angry • On a good day the safety of Stovepipe
is 4 rounds away. If your Heroes took
Rugburn fires up the engines and floors it out all the cannibals then it’s a good
as the Heroes and passengers pile in. The day and you can go right to Act 5.
roar of the Cannibal’s rides is right behind • If the Heroes disabled the cannibal’s
them. It’s a high octane race to Stovepipe. rides it is also a good day and Act 5
Guns up, pedals down. awaits.

Rugburn’s Train The Angry…

• Hauler (Guard: +2D, Armor: 10,
Durability: 40) • Stovepipe is 4 rounds away.
• Hauler Cars (2 rider, 1 lounge, 1 • The cannibals have harpoon cannons
supply, and 1 cargo, Guard: +2D, mounted on their rollers.
Armor: 5, Durability: 25) • If gunner hits, the driver tows
• Dining/ Lounge Car (fully stocked forward and the riders board the
kitchen and bar) train.
• Supply Car (extra fuel, extra water, • A Bullseye immobilizes a wheel
repair parts) on one of the cars and delays the
• Cargo Car (passenger luggage, train by 1 round. Harpoons get
shipped goods, heroes mounts) ripped away by the terrain.
• Cannibals on the train will attempt
Cannibal’s Rides (6) to release cars. The knuckle between
• Guard: +1D, Armor: 5, Durability: cars has a crank assembly and needs 6
25, Harpoon Cannon (2D and snare Sustained Brute successes to lock and
train/ immobile on Bull) unlock.
• 1 Driver, 1 Gunner • If cannibals lose 3 vehicles or all their
• 2 Riders set to leap onto Train, goal is riders they will give up and the train
to release cars or disable the train pulls in to Stovepipe.

56
 once upon a time in the wastes
act 5 what comes next
Welcome to Stovepipe
• Grab a copy of the Mutation RPG
The towering stacks of Stovepipe are a Core Rules for the adventures listed
welcome sight. The train rolls to a stop at below and much more.
the garage. Across the street music spills • The carnival has come to town and
out of The Rose Garden Saloon and neon innocent people are going to swing in
lights flash in the windows of a run down A Hanging in Stovepipe.
med clinic called Disco’s Ouch House. • The town of Baker’s Gulch has been
wiped out by Black Tongues, a tribe
Rugburn refunds the $25 ticket fee to all of cannibals with a lot of mouths to
the passengers, and gives the Heroes an feed in The Quick and the Bled.
extra $25 each. Rugburn also owes you a • Ranchers are plagued by a strange
favor now. purple fungus spreading into their
pastures in A Fistful of Mutants.
Disco’s Ouch House • A scavenger hits the mother load but
is found dead the next day with the
The door is locked and a sign taped to the deed to his claim stolen in The Good,
glass says: Back in 20 the Bad, and the Radioactive.
• Jet & Boomer’s Speedway is hosting
The Rose Garden Saloon their biggest cross country race yet,
anything goes in Damnation Run.
Yeti Rose owns and runs the saloon. This • Monstrous lizards terrorize a remote
place is always packed and the music is town, and they’re getting bigger in
non-stop. She’s got four bunkhouses with Gwangi Monsters of Domino Flats.
ten beds each and thirteen private rooms. • There are no zombies in Mutation,
The main floor is open and has twenty but just for fun let’s imagine there are
tables scattered around a central stage. in Night of the Glowing Dead.
• Be sure to talk with your Players and
• Folks are talking about Judge Gold’s ask what they would like to see and
show in two days, they heard there’s do as well.
going to be gate prizes.
• No one’s heard from Baker’s Gulch
in a week, it’s rumored that the Black
Tongues took the town.
• The outlaw August Kelly sits alone in
the back corner reading a letter.
• Doc Disco is drunk as hell and passed
out at the end of the bar.
• Yeti Rose is always behind the bar
and is a welcoming host, just don’t
break her furniture or dishes.

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 m u t a t i o n
name
path level xp
story

Meet or Beat to Pass

brute aptitude instinct reflex armor

radiation
grit guard exposure

fate Roll 6 to pass. Recover 1 Grit per 6. ancestry

mob tox will dth

mutations
talents/ psk

gear

skills

ca$h plastic
organic machine
metal electric
 THANKS FOR PLAYING

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